Special Guest Life Journal Entry from the Rev. Jorge Acevedo (Shared with us by Bishop Richard Wills): Ministerial stick-to-it-ness
The Reverend Jorge Acevedo is Lead Pastor of Grace United Methodist Church in Fort Myers, Florida.
December 10, 2007
Title: Ministerial Stick-to-it-ness
Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:14-“Guard this precious thing placed in your custodyby the Holy Spirit who works in us.”
Observation: In both 1 and 2 Timothy, Paul’s tone is urgent and intense.At the end of 2 Timothy, Paul lets the cat out of the bag when heacknowledges that he is near the end of his life. Therein lies fuel forPaul’s urgency and intensity. The overall theme to both letters seems to bea strong admonition to not give up, but to stay faithful to the calling andministry given to Timothy. This swan song drips with ministerialstick-to-it-ness. Here Paul uses the metaphor of a guard. How ironic!Paul is in jail because he is an ambassador for Jesus. He is guarded nightand day. He knows what diligence looks like. Roman soldiers neither flinchnor fail. They stay on duty at all times. Paul tells Timothy to protect theprecious thing. It’s his ministry that needs constant diligence. Paulknows that without this diligence, Timothy could easily drift away orwhittle away his high calling for Jesus.
Application: It’s so easy for calling to become a career. Denominationalcategories can become rungs on a ladder. Like crabs in a crab pot, pastorscan degenerate into corporate robots fighting to be top dog. How sad! Myown lust for power, prestige, and prominence can win the day if I let it,but I’m charged with a higher calling. I see and hear my name spoken fromthe lips of the elder statesman, Paul, “Jorge, guard the precious gift ofyour calling and your ministry. Do not sell it to the highest bidder.Resist making your all a career. Lay it on the line every day. Be faithful.You stand in the lineage of women and men of God like Billy Graham, MotherTheresa, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Francis Asbury, John Wesley, Fanny Crosby, St.Francis of Assisi, St. Augustine, and Timothy. Remember your roots my son, stay faithful.”
Prayer: What a powerful word, O God. I’m humbled by your entrustment.Give me the grace of Jesus and the power of Your Spirit to faithfullydischarge the work of ministry. Amen.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Thursday, December 06, 2007
Bishop Wills' Life Journal Entry for December 6, 2007: It Is Not About Me
December 6, 2007
It Is Not About Me
S: Philippians 2: 1-2
So how am I to respond? I have decide that I really don’t care about their motives, whether mixed, bad, or indifferent. Every time one of them opens his mouth, Christ is proclaimed, so I just cheer them on. And I am going to keep that celebration going because I know how it’s going to turn out. Through your faithful prayers and the generous response of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, everything he wants to do in and through me will be done (The Message)
O: Paul is referring to some of the people who still want to practice living a gospel which includes a deep dislike of Paul.
A: For me this morning, I am grateful for all the people who encourage me in my life as a Christ follower. I am reminded my life is not about me. My life is only about serving the Christ who redeemed me when I was far from God. My joy in that respect is complete.
It is only when I focus on myself and my own feelings that I can wander away from serving the God who loves me and who has made my life possible so could serve God with all my heart, soul, strength, and mind. It is up to me to stay focused on Jesus and not on myself. After all, it is not about me, nor is it about others, it is only about Jesus.
P: Father thank you for your love for me and the gift of Jesus in my life. I am so grateful for your will to be revealed to me in scripture. It is good to know that life is not about me but rather the joy of serving you.
Love, Dick
Y: I will focus on being a servant of Jesus this day. After all it is not about me.
December 6, 2007
It Is Not About Me
S: Philippians 2: 1-2
So how am I to respond? I have decide that I really don’t care about their motives, whether mixed, bad, or indifferent. Every time one of them opens his mouth, Christ is proclaimed, so I just cheer them on. And I am going to keep that celebration going because I know how it’s going to turn out. Through your faithful prayers and the generous response of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, everything he wants to do in and through me will be done (The Message)
O: Paul is referring to some of the people who still want to practice living a gospel which includes a deep dislike of Paul.
A: For me this morning, I am grateful for all the people who encourage me in my life as a Christ follower. I am reminded my life is not about me. My life is only about serving the Christ who redeemed me when I was far from God. My joy in that respect is complete.
It is only when I focus on myself and my own feelings that I can wander away from serving the God who loves me and who has made my life possible so could serve God with all my heart, soul, strength, and mind. It is up to me to stay focused on Jesus and not on myself. After all, it is not about me, nor is it about others, it is only about Jesus.
P: Father thank you for your love for me and the gift of Jesus in my life. I am so grateful for your will to be revealed to me in scripture. It is good to know that life is not about me but rather the joy of serving you.
Love, Dick
Y: I will focus on being a servant of Jesus this day. After all it is not about me.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Bishop Dicks Wills' Life Journal Entry for November 26, 2007: New Beginnings
New Beginnings
S: Matthew 23:3
S: Matthew 23:3
So practice and observe whatever they tell you-but not what they do. For they preach, but do not practice.
O: Jesus is talking about the Scribe and Pharisees in this verse. He is saying we have to “walk the talk” if God is to use our calling as Christ servants.
A: I discovered during Thanksgiving that it is so easy to begin gaining weight back. A few days later I had gained 5 lbs! It was like I lost my compass to healthy living. I just went along with the crowd and ate and ate and ate.
Now I am the one who is guilty of teaching but not practicing. It is easy to happen. Just one little mistake not corrected in a wholesome way and before you know it we have wandered far, far from God and living a disciplined life.
The same is true for all the disciplines we practice as Christ followers. We seek to journey on the road to sanctification, but the road we travel has many detours. Thanksgiving was a detour for me. Briefly, I lost my compass and just started living an un-disciplined life again.
I am grateful for new beginnings. It seems I have a lot of those in my life. I begin over with my prayer life. I begin over with my eating habits. I begin over seeking to love God with all my heart.
This Monday after Thanksgiving I am grateful to have a God who understands my failures and is always ready to receive me back again. I am grateful for this new beginning today.
O: Jesus is talking about the Scribe and Pharisees in this verse. He is saying we have to “walk the talk” if God is to use our calling as Christ servants.
A: I discovered during Thanksgiving that it is so easy to begin gaining weight back. A few days later I had gained 5 lbs! It was like I lost my compass to healthy living. I just went along with the crowd and ate and ate and ate.
Now I am the one who is guilty of teaching but not practicing. It is easy to happen. Just one little mistake not corrected in a wholesome way and before you know it we have wandered far, far from God and living a disciplined life.
The same is true for all the disciplines we practice as Christ followers. We seek to journey on the road to sanctification, but the road we travel has many detours. Thanksgiving was a detour for me. Briefly, I lost my compass and just started living an un-disciplined life again.
I am grateful for new beginnings. It seems I have a lot of those in my life. I begin over with my prayer life. I begin over with my eating habits. I begin over seeking to love God with all my heart.
This Monday after Thanksgiving I am grateful to have a God who understands my failures and is always ready to receive me back again. I am grateful for this new beginning today.
P: Father thank you for loving me and always being ready to take me back when I have wandered far from you. Thank you for the gift of a new day and the gift of a new beginning. Love, Dick
Y: I surrender my life again to be a follower of Jesus.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Joint Music Study Results Now Online
NASHVILLE, Tenn., November 8, 2007/GBOD/ -- The General Board of Discipleship (GBOD) and the United Methodist Publishing House, announced this week that the complete results of a four-year joint music study and the resulting hymnal petitions, are now available online at http://www.gbod.org/worship/musicstudy.
The joint music study is the first of its kind in more than 20 years and has resulted in two petitions to the General Conference, the denomination’s highest administrative body.
“The study revealed a clear need for new resources for ethnic communities, our younger constituency and a growing desire for global music,” said Karen Greenwaldt, top executive for GBOD.
GBOD has prepared the contents of the full report for publication on the GBOD.org Web site. The complete wording of the two new hymnal petitions is also available.
The first petition asks the 2008 General Conference to appoint a hymnal committee to develop a USA hymnal and present it for consideration and approval by the 2012 General Conference. Publication could come as early as 2013.
The second petition asks General Conference to approve a four-year study of the issues around developing an Africana hymnal and to appoint a committee to accomplish the study and report back to the 2012 General Conference with possible recommendations.
The materials available online include—
• The complete 500-page music study report on survey findings
• A 17-page abbreviated summary report included in the Advanced Daily Christian Advocate (the official publication of General Conference)
• Copies of all of the survey documents used
• A summary of the responses of a select group of music and worship specialists from across the denomination
• The two new hymnal petitions; and
• Answers to frequently asked questions.
The GBOD board of directors, at its August 2007 annual meeting, and the UMPH board of directors, at its annual summer 2007 meeting, approved the petition to the 2008 General Conference that could lead to the development of a new official hymnal for the denomination with music, ritual, and worship resources for use by English-speaking United Methodists in the U.S.
In addition, the GBOD board approved a petition to study the need for an Africana hymnal, that is, a hymnal with music, ritual and worship resources for United Methodist congregations and people of African descent.
This would include the long-established African American constituency of the church, but also other Africana persons in and coming to the United Methodist Church from South and Central America, the Caribbean and from countries of Africa.
The 2004-2007 joint music study concluded its work last summer. As charged by General Conference, it focused its efforts on identifying the needs of The United Methodist Church in the areas of worship and music, particularly those related to congregational song.
Dean McIntyre, GBOD director of music resources and chair of the study committee, says, “The full online report of the joint study contains a wealth of data, statistics, and commentary on current United Methodist worship and music practices never before made available to this extent and in this accessible format.”
GBOD’s mission is to support annual conference and local church leaders for their task of equipping world-changing disciples. An agency of The United Methodist Church, GBOD (www.gbod.org) is located at 1908 Grand Ave. in Nashville, Tenn. For more information, call the Media Relations Office toll free at (877) 899-27, Ext. 7017.
NASHVILLE, Tenn., November 8, 2007/GBOD/ -- The General Board of Discipleship (GBOD) and the United Methodist Publishing House, announced this week that the complete results of a four-year joint music study and the resulting hymnal petitions, are now available online at http://www.gbod.org/worship/musicstudy.
The joint music study is the first of its kind in more than 20 years and has resulted in two petitions to the General Conference, the denomination’s highest administrative body.
“The study revealed a clear need for new resources for ethnic communities, our younger constituency and a growing desire for global music,” said Karen Greenwaldt, top executive for GBOD.
GBOD has prepared the contents of the full report for publication on the GBOD.org Web site. The complete wording of the two new hymnal petitions is also available.
The first petition asks the 2008 General Conference to appoint a hymnal committee to develop a USA hymnal and present it for consideration and approval by the 2012 General Conference. Publication could come as early as 2013.
The second petition asks General Conference to approve a four-year study of the issues around developing an Africana hymnal and to appoint a committee to accomplish the study and report back to the 2012 General Conference with possible recommendations.
The materials available online include—
• The complete 500-page music study report on survey findings
• A 17-page abbreviated summary report included in the Advanced Daily Christian Advocate (the official publication of General Conference)
• Copies of all of the survey documents used
• A summary of the responses of a select group of music and worship specialists from across the denomination
• The two new hymnal petitions; and
• Answers to frequently asked questions.
The GBOD board of directors, at its August 2007 annual meeting, and the UMPH board of directors, at its annual summer 2007 meeting, approved the petition to the 2008 General Conference that could lead to the development of a new official hymnal for the denomination with music, ritual, and worship resources for use by English-speaking United Methodists in the U.S.
In addition, the GBOD board approved a petition to study the need for an Africana hymnal, that is, a hymnal with music, ritual and worship resources for United Methodist congregations and people of African descent.
This would include the long-established African American constituency of the church, but also other Africana persons in and coming to the United Methodist Church from South and Central America, the Caribbean and from countries of Africa.
The 2004-2007 joint music study concluded its work last summer. As charged by General Conference, it focused its efforts on identifying the needs of The United Methodist Church in the areas of worship and music, particularly those related to congregational song.
Dean McIntyre, GBOD director of music resources and chair of the study committee, says, “The full online report of the joint study contains a wealth of data, statistics, and commentary on current United Methodist worship and music practices never before made available to this extent and in this accessible format.”
GBOD’s mission is to support annual conference and local church leaders for their task of equipping world-changing disciples. An agency of The United Methodist Church, GBOD (www.gbod.org) is located at 1908 Grand Ave. in Nashville, Tenn. For more information, call the Media Relations Office toll free at (877) 899-27, Ext. 7017.
Monday, November 05, 2007
Bishop Wills' Life Journal Posting for November 5th -- It Takes Time to Learn to Follow Jesus
S: Galatians 1: 18
Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Cephas and stayed with him fifteen days.
O: Paul has been blinded and heard the voice of Jesus. He is led to a Christian and 3 days later is able to understand what God has done in his life. But he does not go immediately out to begin preaching the gospel of Christ. Instead, he goes into the desert for 3 years. Only then does he go to Jerusalem and even then does not visit with the Apostles (except James) to tell them he is now a follower of Christ.
A: It is strange how God works in our lives. For some people it seems Christ comes to them in an instant. For others it seems like it takes years. This morning as I read about Paul going into the desert for 3 years before going to preach the gospel, I am aware of my own spiritual journey.
In my life as a follower of Christ, I would spend many years in the church following the teachings of my denomination. I think God knew it would take many years for my own soul to be teachable.
Finally, when I went to South Africa in 1991, God could get my attention. But even then after that powerful experience, I had no words for what God had done and was doing in my life. I could only explain what happened more than a year later and I had no one experience in South Africa which would, like Paul, mark the point of dramatic change in my life. But gradually I could then begin following Jesus through my own beloved denomination.
I think I have not arrived and am in many ways still learning what it means to be a follower of Christ. I see this day an another opportunity to learn how to follow Jesus more completely.
P: Father still my soul that I might follow only your Son through the leading of the Holy Spirit only. There are still parts of me not yet surrendered to you. This morning I give all that I can to you.
Love,
Dick
Y: I yield my self focus to being only a servant of Christ.
S: Galatians 1: 18
Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Cephas and stayed with him fifteen days.
O: Paul has been blinded and heard the voice of Jesus. He is led to a Christian and 3 days later is able to understand what God has done in his life. But he does not go immediately out to begin preaching the gospel of Christ. Instead, he goes into the desert for 3 years. Only then does he go to Jerusalem and even then does not visit with the Apostles (except James) to tell them he is now a follower of Christ.
A: It is strange how God works in our lives. For some people it seems Christ comes to them in an instant. For others it seems like it takes years. This morning as I read about Paul going into the desert for 3 years before going to preach the gospel, I am aware of my own spiritual journey.
In my life as a follower of Christ, I would spend many years in the church following the teachings of my denomination. I think God knew it would take many years for my own soul to be teachable.
Finally, when I went to South Africa in 1991, God could get my attention. But even then after that powerful experience, I had no words for what God had done and was doing in my life. I could only explain what happened more than a year later and I had no one experience in South Africa which would, like Paul, mark the point of dramatic change in my life. But gradually I could then begin following Jesus through my own beloved denomination.
I think I have not arrived and am in many ways still learning what it means to be a follower of Christ. I see this day an another opportunity to learn how to follow Jesus more completely.
P: Father still my soul that I might follow only your Son through the leading of the Holy Spirit only. There are still parts of me not yet surrendered to you. This morning I give all that I can to you.
Love,
Dick
Y: I yield my self focus to being only a servant of Christ.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Bishop Wills’ Life Journal Entry for October 31, 2007: “Worldly Concerns”
October 31, 2007
Worldly Concerns
S: Mark 8:3
But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.
O: When Peter rebukes Jesus for saying he will die and then be raised again, Jesus is clear about his role. He belongs to God only. He is not here just to lead a joyful group of followers to heaven, but rather to teach them about denying themselves and following his teachings and life no matter what the cost. They have yet to really love God with all their hearts. They have only earthly concerns right now.
A: This morning as I sit here, I am filled with so many earthly concerns and feel stretched and out of balance. As much as I want to love God completely, I feel tired and unconnected to be able to lead either Conference well. My earthly concerns about people and the functioning of both Conferences rob me of being able to really spend time with God and learning to love God with all my heart.
Even as I sit here this morning with the Lord, my mind is flooded with many concerns and how to meet the many needs which are before me.
I think what this is teaching me is to let God and others come along side of me to help in ways I cannot right now. Right now I must be concerned only with the concerns of God. I want to feel the power and leading of the Holy Spirit so that my heart will be as soft as it can be so I can be a vessel of God’s love to those around me and to those who I have not yet met.
The disciples worried too much about bread and not enough about what Jesus was teaching them. He fed to big groups of 4,000 or more with only a tiny bit of food. The disciples get in the boat and they worry about not having any bread when the “bread of life” is right there with them.
I think the Lord is saying to me this morning, if I spend time letting Jesus touch my heart, then the human concerns will work out by following Jesus completely.
P: Father I ask for you only to guide my life. Help me today focus on you and to let go of worldly things which take more of my heart than I give to you.
Love,
Dick
Y: I will seek to be led by the Holy Spirit today and to trust God’s love in my heart to guide my path today.
October 31, 2007
Worldly Concerns
S: Mark 8:3
But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.
O: When Peter rebukes Jesus for saying he will die and then be raised again, Jesus is clear about his role. He belongs to God only. He is not here just to lead a joyful group of followers to heaven, but rather to teach them about denying themselves and following his teachings and life no matter what the cost. They have yet to really love God with all their hearts. They have only earthly concerns right now.
A: This morning as I sit here, I am filled with so many earthly concerns and feel stretched and out of balance. As much as I want to love God completely, I feel tired and unconnected to be able to lead either Conference well. My earthly concerns about people and the functioning of both Conferences rob me of being able to really spend time with God and learning to love God with all my heart.
Even as I sit here this morning with the Lord, my mind is flooded with many concerns and how to meet the many needs which are before me.
I think what this is teaching me is to let God and others come along side of me to help in ways I cannot right now. Right now I must be concerned only with the concerns of God. I want to feel the power and leading of the Holy Spirit so that my heart will be as soft as it can be so I can be a vessel of God’s love to those around me and to those who I have not yet met.
The disciples worried too much about bread and not enough about what Jesus was teaching them. He fed to big groups of 4,000 or more with only a tiny bit of food. The disciples get in the boat and they worry about not having any bread when the “bread of life” is right there with them.
I think the Lord is saying to me this morning, if I spend time letting Jesus touch my heart, then the human concerns will work out by following Jesus completely.
P: Father I ask for you only to guide my life. Help me today focus on you and to let go of worldly things which take more of my heart than I give to you.
Love,
Dick
Y: I will seek to be led by the Holy Spirit today and to trust God’s love in my heart to guide my path today.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Bishop Wills' Life Journal Entry for October 22nd, "Keeping the Main Thing, the Main Thing"
S: Acts 15:9--He did not discriminate between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith.
O: One group called the Judaizers said that salvation in Christ must be built upon the foundation of the Law of Moses. The second group, led by Paul, said that obeying the Law was not necessary at all for salvation. Christ himself was enough. Jesus himself fulfilled the Law and to accept him with your whole heart was all that mattered.
A: As I sit here this morning, I am aware of the customs each church has in our local churches. These customs are important and we should try our best to uphold those customs as long as they are not contrary to Scripture. Even with the customs of each local church, I am convinced that the new life is by faith in Christ. Salvation is not by works but by grace, the free gift of God.
I know in my own life as a pastor, I like certain customs in a local church to be followed. But this morning I am convinced that local church traditions are to be respected. Most local church traditions contain the wisdom of the past and those traditions should be respected by new clergy and new persons who have accepted Christ as their savior.
Sometimes local church traditions are not of wisdom nor of Scripture. If we are not careful they become chains which burden people down and actually keep persons from knowing this new life in Christ. One church I served had a policy against having women ushers. As the pastor I had to be patient and keep teaching the importance of women in the life of the New Testament Church. I kept suggesting for 5 years. Then one day the head usher invited a woman to be an usher with the men. One man quit our church. The other men came to find this woman had the gift of hospitality and everyone loved her. While a bit uncomfortable with the change in tradition, our church became better and soon children and youth were ushers as well. Men only ushers was a tradition which is not supported in the New Testament and this tradition had to be changed. Thus is the patient loving work of the pastor and the Holy Spirit.
P: Lord, change whatever is binding me from following Christ completely in my life. Give me a loving spirit which You will use to help us “keep the main thing, the main thing” (which is new life in Jesus Christ).
Love, Dick
Y: I give up anything which blocks people from knowing Jesus.
S: Acts 15:9--He did not discriminate between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith.
O: One group called the Judaizers said that salvation in Christ must be built upon the foundation of the Law of Moses. The second group, led by Paul, said that obeying the Law was not necessary at all for salvation. Christ himself was enough. Jesus himself fulfilled the Law and to accept him with your whole heart was all that mattered.
A: As I sit here this morning, I am aware of the customs each church has in our local churches. These customs are important and we should try our best to uphold those customs as long as they are not contrary to Scripture. Even with the customs of each local church, I am convinced that the new life is by faith in Christ. Salvation is not by works but by grace, the free gift of God.
I know in my own life as a pastor, I like certain customs in a local church to be followed. But this morning I am convinced that local church traditions are to be respected. Most local church traditions contain the wisdom of the past and those traditions should be respected by new clergy and new persons who have accepted Christ as their savior.
Sometimes local church traditions are not of wisdom nor of Scripture. If we are not careful they become chains which burden people down and actually keep persons from knowing this new life in Christ. One church I served had a policy against having women ushers. As the pastor I had to be patient and keep teaching the importance of women in the life of the New Testament Church. I kept suggesting for 5 years. Then one day the head usher invited a woman to be an usher with the men. One man quit our church. The other men came to find this woman had the gift of hospitality and everyone loved her. While a bit uncomfortable with the change in tradition, our church became better and soon children and youth were ushers as well. Men only ushers was a tradition which is not supported in the New Testament and this tradition had to be changed. Thus is the patient loving work of the pastor and the Holy Spirit.
P: Lord, change whatever is binding me from following Christ completely in my life. Give me a loving spirit which You will use to help us “keep the main thing, the main thing” (which is new life in Jesus Christ).
Love, Dick
Y: I give up anything which blocks people from knowing Jesus.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Bishop Wills' Life Journal for October 10, 2007 - "Baruch and Billy Carr"
S: Nehemiah 3:20
Next to him, Baruch son of Zabbai zealously repaired another section, from the angle to the entrance of the house of Eliashib the high priest.
O: Everyone had to work on the wall and everyone was happy about it , especially Baruch.
A: This morning I think how hard and what a big task it was to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem. It would seem to me to big a task for such a small group of people without building skills. But because the people who were there had a leader who could see what could be with faith in God, they believed God had a better future in store for them. The wall could be rebuilt!
Obviously Baruch caught the writer’s eye. He not only worked on the wall, but was doing it like Billy Carr (a layman who led our VIM team to rebuild a house in Mississippi). He could do the work of 10 ordinary men. I only saw piles of lumber and he and his crew could see what it would look like and mean to the family when finished. Billy kept reminding our team what we were doing was for God and God would see that we finished what was to be done.
I hope to have that kind of leadership when it comes to our pastors and churches. So many only see what is in front of them i.e. a declining church in maintenance mode. I want them to see what can be and will be if they trust God with all their heart. I want our lay people to see their church as a mission not a fortress.
P: Father, this morning I pray for the spirit of Baruch and Billy Carr. Help this spirit spread to all our churches. Help each of do something great for God.
Love, Dick
Y: I will not settle with what is.
S: Nehemiah 3:20
Next to him, Baruch son of Zabbai zealously repaired another section, from the angle to the entrance of the house of Eliashib the high priest.
O: Everyone had to work on the wall and everyone was happy about it , especially Baruch.
A: This morning I think how hard and what a big task it was to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem. It would seem to me to big a task for such a small group of people without building skills. But because the people who were there had a leader who could see what could be with faith in God, they believed God had a better future in store for them. The wall could be rebuilt!
Obviously Baruch caught the writer’s eye. He not only worked on the wall, but was doing it like Billy Carr (a layman who led our VIM team to rebuild a house in Mississippi). He could do the work of 10 ordinary men. I only saw piles of lumber and he and his crew could see what it would look like and mean to the family when finished. Billy kept reminding our team what we were doing was for God and God would see that we finished what was to be done.
I hope to have that kind of leadership when it comes to our pastors and churches. So many only see what is in front of them i.e. a declining church in maintenance mode. I want them to see what can be and will be if they trust God with all their heart. I want our lay people to see their church as a mission not a fortress.
P: Father, this morning I pray for the spirit of Baruch and Billy Carr. Help this spirit spread to all our churches. Help each of do something great for God.
Love, Dick
Y: I will not settle with what is.
Monday, October 08, 2007
Bishop Wills’ Life Journal for October 8, 2007 – “Not the buildings but the hearts of people is what has eternal significance”
Not The Buildings, But The Hearts of People Is What Has Eternal Significance.
S: Luke 21: 5-6
One day people were standing around talking about the Temple, remarking how beautiful it was, the splendor of its stonework and memorial gifts. Jesus said, “All this you are admiring so much – the time is coming when every stone in that building will end up in a heap of ruble. (The Message)
O: Every church one day will die and the building will no longer be a church.
A: It is important that we take good care of our churches. How our church looks says something important about how much we honor God. It seems to me to be a matter of stewardship. We must take very good care of God’s buildings and make sure the lawn is mowed and the buildings are kept in good order.
With that said, it is important for us to remember no a single New Testament church is alive and vital today. Take good care of the buildings, but do not worship them. Just be good stewards of the buildings the Lord has given us. It is good, if we remember we do not worship the buildings. They are something to be used for matters of faith.
Remember, 500 years from now our local church will not be around. It will be something else, but not a vital congregation. This was such an important lesson for me to learn. So, if our church buildings and property will not last, then what do we have to cling to? What will last?
For me, it has been important to remember that the only thing which lasts forever is what God does in the hearts of people. This will have eternal significance. Do not worship church buildings. Worship the living Lord and what God does in the hearts of people. This is the only things which will last for eternity. In the mean time, let’s take good care of our church buildings, but just don’t end up worshipping the buildings. Worship God and use church buildings to allow the Lord to work in the hearts of people…….all kinds of people, especially those people no one else wants.
P: Father forgive me when I worship our church buildings and miss my worship of you. Help me be a good steward, but help me remember what you do in my heart and the hearts of people has eternal significance. Love, Dick
Y: I will work to share what God is doing in the hearts of people because that has eternal significance.
Not The Buildings, But The Hearts of People Is What Has Eternal Significance.
S: Luke 21: 5-6
One day people were standing around talking about the Temple, remarking how beautiful it was, the splendor of its stonework and memorial gifts. Jesus said, “All this you are admiring so much – the time is coming when every stone in that building will end up in a heap of ruble. (The Message)
O: Every church one day will die and the building will no longer be a church.
A: It is important that we take good care of our churches. How our church looks says something important about how much we honor God. It seems to me to be a matter of stewardship. We must take very good care of God’s buildings and make sure the lawn is mowed and the buildings are kept in good order.
With that said, it is important for us to remember no a single New Testament church is alive and vital today. Take good care of the buildings, but do not worship them. Just be good stewards of the buildings the Lord has given us. It is good, if we remember we do not worship the buildings. They are something to be used for matters of faith.
Remember, 500 years from now our local church will not be around. It will be something else, but not a vital congregation. This was such an important lesson for me to learn. So, if our church buildings and property will not last, then what do we have to cling to? What will last?
For me, it has been important to remember that the only thing which lasts forever is what God does in the hearts of people. This will have eternal significance. Do not worship church buildings. Worship the living Lord and what God does in the hearts of people. This is the only things which will last for eternity. In the mean time, let’s take good care of our church buildings, but just don’t end up worshipping the buildings. Worship God and use church buildings to allow the Lord to work in the hearts of people…….all kinds of people, especially those people no one else wants.
P: Father forgive me when I worship our church buildings and miss my worship of you. Help me be a good steward, but help me remember what you do in my heart and the hearts of people has eternal significance. Love, Dick
Y: I will work to share what God is doing in the hearts of people because that has eternal significance.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Prayer conference calls United Methodists to prayer
Participants learn ways to improve their personal prayer lives and local church prayer ministries at the "Becoming a People of Prayer" conference at Brentwood (Tenn.) United Methodist Church. The event was sponsored by the United Methodist Board of Discipleship and Aldersgate Renewal Ministries as a prelude to the 2008 General Conference. A UMNS photo by Jeanette Pinkston.
Participants learn ways to improve their personal prayer lives and local church prayer ministries at the "Becoming a People of Prayer" conference at Brentwood (Tenn.) United Methodist Church. The event was sponsored by the United Methodist Board of Discipleship and Aldersgate Renewal Ministries as a prelude to the 2008 General Conference. A UMNS photo by Jeanette Pinkston.By Jeanette Pinkston*
BRENTWOOD, Tenn. (UMNS) - Praying together in a variety of cultural traditions, nearly 200 people heard a message that "God needs the church to work with him" as they called The United Methodist Church to prayer.
"God does not need people telling him what to do," said the Rev. Suzette Caldwell, opening speaker for the "Becoming a People of Prayer" conference.
"Prayer was created for God's purposes to get us from the natural to the supernatural where God's plans are," said Caldwell, associate pastor of Windsor Village United Methodist Church in Houston.
BRENTWOOD, Tenn. (UMNS) - Praying together in a variety of cultural traditions, nearly 200 people heard a message that "God needs the church to work with him" as they called The United Methodist Church to prayer.
"God does not need people telling him what to do," said the Rev. Suzette Caldwell, opening speaker for the "Becoming a People of Prayer" conference.
"Prayer was created for God's purposes to get us from the natural to the supernatural where God's plans are," said Caldwell, associate pastor of Windsor Village United Methodist Church in Houston.
The Sept. 21-22 event was held as a prelude to the 2008 General Conference, the denomination's top legislative meeting, which convenes once every four years and meets next spring in Fort Worth, Texas. The conference was held at Brentwood United Methodist Church and was sponsored by the United Methodist Board of Discipleship and Aldersgate Renewal Ministries.
Caldwell urged believers to praise God and accept their identity in Christ. "God needs the church to work with him," she said.
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"Prayer was created for God’s purposes to get us from the natural to the supernatural where God’s plans are," says the Rev. Suzette Caldwell.
In addition to calling the church to prayer, organizers aimed to equip participants to improve or develop their personal prayer lives, the prayer life in their churches and prayer ministries, both within and beyond the local church.
"The goal was to strengthen and empower our ability to pray: as individuals, as families and as congregations," said Sandy Zeigler Jackson, the chief organizer. "With the coming General Conference … and other critical events happening in our world, it is crucial that there are intentional prayers of the people to undergird and influence these happenings."
Participants heard from numerous speakers and prayed together in Native American, Euro-American, African-American, Hispanic and Asian traditions.
An agency of The United Methodist Church, the Board of Discipleship works with annual conference and local church leaders in its mission to develop world-changing disciples.
Aldersgate Renewal Ministries is part of a nonprofit organization started by a network of United Methodists committed to praying for the spiritual renewal of The United Methodist Church.
*Pinkston is director of media relations for the United Methodist Board of Discipleship.
Caldwell urged believers to praise God and accept their identity in Christ. "God needs the church to work with him," she said.
.jpg)
"Prayer was created for God’s purposes to get us from the natural to the supernatural where God’s plans are," says the Rev. Suzette Caldwell.In addition to calling the church to prayer, organizers aimed to equip participants to improve or develop their personal prayer lives, the prayer life in their churches and prayer ministries, both within and beyond the local church.
"The goal was to strengthen and empower our ability to pray: as individuals, as families and as congregations," said Sandy Zeigler Jackson, the chief organizer. "With the coming General Conference … and other critical events happening in our world, it is crucial that there are intentional prayers of the people to undergird and influence these happenings."
Participants heard from numerous speakers and prayed together in Native American, Euro-American, African-American, Hispanic and Asian traditions.
An agency of The United Methodist Church, the Board of Discipleship works with annual conference and local church leaders in its mission to develop world-changing disciples.
Aldersgate Renewal Ministries is part of a nonprofit organization started by a network of United Methodists committed to praying for the spiritual renewal of The United Methodist Church.
*Pinkston is director of media relations for the United Methodist Board of Discipleship.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Preaching Conference for Clergy and Laity in Memphis and Tennessee Annual Conferences, October 28 - November 1, 2007
The Turner Center for Church Leadership and Congregational Development is offering its inaugural conference on preaching. “Preaching the Gospel For These Times” will be held Sunday, October 28 – Thursday, November 1 at the Scarritt-Bennett Center in Nashville, TN.
This conference serves two main purposes: 1. Offer new perspectives on preaching the gospel to a world and a church in crises of leadership, and 2. explore the challenges of ministry and the needs of clergy and lay leaders in the Memphis and Tennessee Annual Conferences in order to learn how the Turner Center for Church Leadership can respond to those needs. Clergy and laity are invited to attend.
The conference will be led by four distinguished scholars and preachers: Prof. Brad Braxton, Prof. Mary Lin Hudson, Prof. John McClure, and Prof. Ted Smith. Each guest will offer a lecture along the theme of the conference, preach the sermon at our daily corporate worship, and then lead a discussion on the way they put their sermon together.
Small group sessions will be held each afternoon centered on four key questions:
+ What is the Gospel for these times and what are the counter-gospels in our society?
+ How is the pastoral office changing? Is the church and are pastors themselves expecting more of the pastoral office than any single human being could accomplish? How should it be reshaped?
+ How is the denomination changing? What is a Wesleyan meaning of "connection" for our time? If there have been at least five distinct phases of denomination in America, what should the next phase look like?
+ What are the main trends of our culture in which congregational and connectional ministry must take place? How can the lives of Christians be formed in this culture? Will our children have faith in this culture? How would our understanding of leadership in the church change if we took seriously the fragile lives of children in this culture?
The mission of the Turner Center is to encourage faithful and effective leadership, foster spiritual formation, enable new visions of ministry and mission, and renew our common commitment to being the church of Jesus Christ.
For more information about the Turner Center and to register for the “Preaching the Gospel For These Times”, please contact Danny Redding-Rhodes at (615) 343-4073 or danny.redding.rhodes@vanderbilt.edu. A downloadable brochure detailing the conference can be found at this link: http://www.vanderbilt.edu/divinity/programs/Turner%20Preaching%20Brochure.pdf
The Turner Center for Church Leadership and Congregational Development is offering its inaugural conference on preaching. “Preaching the Gospel For These Times” will be held Sunday, October 28 – Thursday, November 1 at the Scarritt-Bennett Center in Nashville, TN.
This conference serves two main purposes: 1. Offer new perspectives on preaching the gospel to a world and a church in crises of leadership, and 2. explore the challenges of ministry and the needs of clergy and lay leaders in the Memphis and Tennessee Annual Conferences in order to learn how the Turner Center for Church Leadership can respond to those needs. Clergy and laity are invited to attend.
The conference will be led by four distinguished scholars and preachers: Prof. Brad Braxton, Prof. Mary Lin Hudson, Prof. John McClure, and Prof. Ted Smith. Each guest will offer a lecture along the theme of the conference, preach the sermon at our daily corporate worship, and then lead a discussion on the way they put their sermon together.
Small group sessions will be held each afternoon centered on four key questions:
+ What is the Gospel for these times and what are the counter-gospels in our society?
+ How is the pastoral office changing? Is the church and are pastors themselves expecting more of the pastoral office than any single human being could accomplish? How should it be reshaped?
+ How is the denomination changing? What is a Wesleyan meaning of "connection" for our time? If there have been at least five distinct phases of denomination in America, what should the next phase look like?
+ What are the main trends of our culture in which congregational and connectional ministry must take place? How can the lives of Christians be formed in this culture? Will our children have faith in this culture? How would our understanding of leadership in the church change if we took seriously the fragile lives of children in this culture?
The mission of the Turner Center is to encourage faithful and effective leadership, foster spiritual formation, enable new visions of ministry and mission, and renew our common commitment to being the church of Jesus Christ.
For more information about the Turner Center and to register for the “Preaching the Gospel For These Times”, please contact Danny Redding-Rhodes at (615) 343-4073 or danny.redding.rhodes@vanderbilt.edu. A downloadable brochure detailing the conference can be found at this link: http://www.vanderbilt.edu/divinity/programs/Turner%20Preaching%20Brochure.pdf
Monday, September 24, 2007
Life Journal for September 24, 2007—“One Very Rich Day”
by Bishop Richard J. Wills, Jr.
S: Psalm 84: 10Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
O: Worship fills this yearning in my soul
A: Yesterday, I visited a small congregation who worshiped God will all their hearts. I could feel the presence of the Holy Spirit when I walked into the church. As I sang with the congregation I knew, once again, I was made to worship God. There was no place on earth I would rather have been, than in that small congregation. For me, it is true. I would rather spend one day in the courts of the Lord than a thousand days any place else. There in worship in that small congregation, I knew I was filling a deep need in my life. Later, I found out this small congregation is breaking up into small groups to do street evangelism. So powerful is the change that has come into their lives, they cannot wait to go and share what joy they have found with others. On that Sunday I would have gladly joined them in street evangelism, although I know very little about such evangelism. I just know this verse in Psalm 84 is true. I would rather spend one day in the courts of the Lord than a thousand days any place else in the world.
P: Father, thank you for allowing me to worship you yesterday. I felt my spirit filled as I encountered your people worshipping you. I felt welcome to become one of them as they spent time in your presence to worship you.
Love,
Dick
Y: I will seek to worship the Lord in God’s places each week.
by Bishop Richard J. Wills, Jr.
S: Psalm 84: 10Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
O: Worship fills this yearning in my soul
A: Yesterday, I visited a small congregation who worshiped God will all their hearts. I could feel the presence of the Holy Spirit when I walked into the church. As I sang with the congregation I knew, once again, I was made to worship God. There was no place on earth I would rather have been, than in that small congregation. For me, it is true. I would rather spend one day in the courts of the Lord than a thousand days any place else. There in worship in that small congregation, I knew I was filling a deep need in my life. Later, I found out this small congregation is breaking up into small groups to do street evangelism. So powerful is the change that has come into their lives, they cannot wait to go and share what joy they have found with others. On that Sunday I would have gladly joined them in street evangelism, although I know very little about such evangelism. I just know this verse in Psalm 84 is true. I would rather spend one day in the courts of the Lord than a thousand days any place else in the world.
P: Father, thank you for allowing me to worship you yesterday. I felt my spirit filled as I encountered your people worshipping you. I felt welcome to become one of them as they spent time in your presence to worship you.
Love,
Dick
Y: I will seek to worship the Lord in God’s places each week.
Monday, September 17, 2007
Bishop Wills Journal Entry for September 17, 2007 -- Don’t Forget The Ending
S: Revelation 22:17
The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” and let those who hear say, “Come!” Let those who are thirsty come; and let all who wish take the free gift of the water of life.
O: In the present, it is helpful to remember the ending.
A: As I live these days of my life, I am always dealing with a lot of what is going on now. If I am not careful, I find myself living so much in the present that I forget in the end everything is in God’s gracious hands.
Sometimes, the daily things that enter my life become so large that I lose the perspective of the end of things and forget that I do believe God is control and that God only asks for my obedience every day.
I am not the sheriff of the earth and God has not given me the responsibility of trying to be God in these days. God only asks for me to be faithful and to do my best to encourage people to spread the good news of the Gospel and to join the journey of faithfulness which means surrendering my will to God’s Will.
Scripture is my guide. I am to be God’s instrument to make the world a better place by trying to love others as God has loved me and to share the good news that God did send us a savior and our lives can be different and fuller if we will choose to walk in obedience to God’s Will.
P: Father, thank you for this day. May I just remain faithful to encourage the discouraged; to be present with those suffering grief; to heal where healing is needed; to be a faithful witness that only you offer those of us, who are thirsty, the free gift of the water of life. Love, Dick
Y: I will yield to God my solutions and seek only to be a faithful servant.
S: Revelation 22:17
The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” and let those who hear say, “Come!” Let those who are thirsty come; and let all who wish take the free gift of the water of life.
O: In the present, it is helpful to remember the ending.
A: As I live these days of my life, I am always dealing with a lot of what is going on now. If I am not careful, I find myself living so much in the present that I forget in the end everything is in God’s gracious hands.
Sometimes, the daily things that enter my life become so large that I lose the perspective of the end of things and forget that I do believe God is control and that God only asks for my obedience every day.
I am not the sheriff of the earth and God has not given me the responsibility of trying to be God in these days. God only asks for me to be faithful and to do my best to encourage people to spread the good news of the Gospel and to join the journey of faithfulness which means surrendering my will to God’s Will.
Scripture is my guide. I am to be God’s instrument to make the world a better place by trying to love others as God has loved me and to share the good news that God did send us a savior and our lives can be different and fuller if we will choose to walk in obedience to God’s Will.
P: Father, thank you for this day. May I just remain faithful to encourage the discouraged; to be present with those suffering grief; to heal where healing is needed; to be a faithful witness that only you offer those of us, who are thirsty, the free gift of the water of life. Love, Dick
Y: I will yield to God my solutions and seek only to be a faithful servant.
Friday, September 14, 2007
Pittsburgh church offers dramatically different worship
Drama is an integral part of worship at Hot Metal Bridge Faith Community in Pittsburgh. The unconventional congregation is co-led by a United Methodist pastor and meets in a rented cafeteria. UMNS photos by Michael Henninger.
By James Melchiorre*
PITTSBURGH (UMNS) - Jim Walker is wearing two T-shirts, two jackets and a trench coat - even as the temperature approaches 90 degrees outside of the Hot Metal Bridge Faith Community.
It's all part of the co-pastor's costume for the congregation's weekly drama, which has become a defining element of Sunday worship at the unconventional United Methodist church in Pittsburgh's eclectic South Side neighborhood.
Walker is playing himself in today's scripturally based drama, while co-pastor Jeff Eddings takes the role of a contemporary Jesus. The theme: answering the call of God to serve.
"Are you ready to follow me?" Eddings asks.
"Can we talk about the weather, the Steelers?" Walker answers. "I'm busy."
"Yes, busy. All that Internet time; you got the iPhone last week," Eddings says.
"Why don't we just take a layer or two off? I'm trying to get to the real you."
As dialogue continues, Walker gradually removes his unnecessary clothing and, finally, Eddings repeats his original question: "Are you ready?"
"I'm not ready," Walker responds, "but I'm willing."
Looking on are about 300 people sitting inside the cafeteria of a Pittsburgh building owned by Goodwill Industries and rented each Sunday for worship.
Building bridges
While the weekly drama does not always totally replace a traditional sermon at Hot Metal Bridge, it does offer another way to present scriptural messages with a contemporary spin.
"If you're just hearing a story read, you can just zone out and stare at the walls," said Jennifer Lawrence. "But if it's unfolding in front of you, you get pulled in."
A student at the University of Pittsburgh, Lawrence herself was "pulled in" to Hot Metal Bridge when a classmate invited her to Sunday worship. Now she's a regular, arriving at 9 a.m. each week to join a team of workers who transform the cafeteria into an in-the-round worship space - moving chairs, hanging lights and setting up a sound system for whichever visiting band or soloist is providing music.
"The room starts as a cafeteria, ends as a cafeteria, and is a church in between," Lawrence says.
Hot Metal Bridge Faith Community began after Walker and Eddings, both youth ministers and longtime friends, began working with a Christian outreach program at a local tattoo shop.
Walker had shared with Eddings his "waking dream" in which both were running across the Monongahela River on a span called the Hot Metal Bridge. The bridge took its name in the heyday of steel production in Pittsburgh when molten steel was transported across it to be poured into molds.
Although Walker is a United Methodist and Eddings is Presbyterian, the two friends decided to begin a new congregation in the community of South Side and serve as co-pastors.
"We thought it was a good place to reach young adults, reach the counter-culture, reach poor people," Walker said. "We started meeting people on the street who were different from us. They had orange hair, purple hair, blue hair and we just loved them as Jesus would love them."
Attendance at Sunday worship in the cafeteria has tripled in the past two years. Eddings and Walker look out over a congregation that includes, among others, senior citizens holding their grandbabies, young adult devotees of body piercing, and families from some of Pittsburgh's wealthier suburbs. Each week, at least four or five worshippers come from the South Side's homeless community.
No walls
"Let's do what the Scripture says," Eddings shouts during the worship service. "I want us to lift up what we're feeling thankful for."
A cacophony of voices responds, often speaking at once, naming specific people or circumstances. Later in the service, Eddings and Walker baptize three people including a father and his pre-teen son. The pastors issue an open invitation, and two more young adults come forward spontaneously to profess their faith and kneel at the baptismal fountain.
"You see a room full of people, but we didn't just put up a sign and people came," Walker said.
"We didn't do a commercial. We didn't put out a flyer. The only way people really knew this existed was through personal relationships."
Doug Stadnic manages the congregation's outreach to the homeless. He credits the congregation's unconditional welcome for its appeal to so many different people.
"I was talking to a woman today who came to church for the first time," Stadnik said. "She lives an alternative lifestyle; she's been uncomfortable in other churches. I told her, if other churches reject you, come here. We don't put any walls around anybody. It's just as Jesus taught: Love first, and let good things happen."
Nobody seems to be in much of a hurry at Hot Metal Bridge. Worship begins with 15 minutes of meeting, greeting and hugging.
Chuck Martin, a recently released prison inmate, gives his faith testimony and reads Psalm 100, followed by 20 minutes of singing, including contemporary rock versions of Methodist hymns such as "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing."
Announcements include the time and location of the weekly ultimate Frisbee game. And when worship is over, everybody sits down to lunch.
Walker doesn't try too hard to analyze the growth of his congregation, but he does keep coming back to what he considers a key idea: koinonia, the anglicized version of a Greek word translated as fellowship.
"Creating a bridge that people can get to God, that's our job," Walker says. "To bear witness to Jesus, to point out where the Kingdom of God is. So when we see all those different faces, hopefully, for a moment, we get a glimpse of what heaven might be like."
*Melchiorre is a freelance producer based in New York City.
Drama is an integral part of worship at Hot Metal Bridge Faith Community in Pittsburgh. The unconventional congregation is co-led by a United Methodist pastor and meets in a rented cafeteria. UMNS photos by Michael Henninger.By James Melchiorre*
PITTSBURGH (UMNS) - Jim Walker is wearing two T-shirts, two jackets and a trench coat - even as the temperature approaches 90 degrees outside of the Hot Metal Bridge Faith Community.
It's all part of the co-pastor's costume for the congregation's weekly drama, which has become a defining element of Sunday worship at the unconventional United Methodist church in Pittsburgh's eclectic South Side neighborhood.
Walker is playing himself in today's scripturally based drama, while co-pastor Jeff Eddings takes the role of a contemporary Jesus. The theme: answering the call of God to serve.
"Are you ready to follow me?" Eddings asks.
"Can we talk about the weather, the Steelers?" Walker answers. "I'm busy."
"Yes, busy. All that Internet time; you got the iPhone last week," Eddings says.
"Why don't we just take a layer or two off? I'm trying to get to the real you."
As dialogue continues, Walker gradually removes his unnecessary clothing and, finally, Eddings repeats his original question: "Are you ready?"
"I'm not ready," Walker responds, "but I'm willing."
Looking on are about 300 people sitting inside the cafeteria of a Pittsburgh building owned by Goodwill Industries and rented each Sunday for worship.
Building bridges
While the weekly drama does not always totally replace a traditional sermon at Hot Metal Bridge, it does offer another way to present scriptural messages with a contemporary spin.
"If you're just hearing a story read, you can just zone out and stare at the walls," said Jennifer Lawrence. "But if it's unfolding in front of you, you get pulled in."
A student at the University of Pittsburgh, Lawrence herself was "pulled in" to Hot Metal Bridge when a classmate invited her to Sunday worship. Now she's a regular, arriving at 9 a.m. each week to join a team of workers who transform the cafeteria into an in-the-round worship space - moving chairs, hanging lights and setting up a sound system for whichever visiting band or soloist is providing music.
"The room starts as a cafeteria, ends as a cafeteria, and is a church in between," Lawrence says.
Hot Metal Bridge Faith Community began after Walker and Eddings, both youth ministers and longtime friends, began working with a Christian outreach program at a local tattoo shop.
Walker had shared with Eddings his "waking dream" in which both were running across the Monongahela River on a span called the Hot Metal Bridge. The bridge took its name in the heyday of steel production in Pittsburgh when molten steel was transported across it to be poured into molds.
Although Walker is a United Methodist and Eddings is Presbyterian, the two friends decided to begin a new congregation in the community of South Side and serve as co-pastors.
"We thought it was a good place to reach young adults, reach the counter-culture, reach poor people," Walker said. "We started meeting people on the street who were different from us. They had orange hair, purple hair, blue hair and we just loved them as Jesus would love them."
Attendance at Sunday worship in the cafeteria has tripled in the past two years. Eddings and Walker look out over a congregation that includes, among others, senior citizens holding their grandbabies, young adult devotees of body piercing, and families from some of Pittsburgh's wealthier suburbs. Each week, at least four or five worshippers come from the South Side's homeless community.
No walls
"Let's do what the Scripture says," Eddings shouts during the worship service. "I want us to lift up what we're feeling thankful for."
A cacophony of voices responds, often speaking at once, naming specific people or circumstances. Later in the service, Eddings and Walker baptize three people including a father and his pre-teen son. The pastors issue an open invitation, and two more young adults come forward spontaneously to profess their faith and kneel at the baptismal fountain.
"You see a room full of people, but we didn't just put up a sign and people came," Walker said.
"We didn't do a commercial. We didn't put out a flyer. The only way people really knew this existed was through personal relationships."
Doug Stadnic manages the congregation's outreach to the homeless. He credits the congregation's unconditional welcome for its appeal to so many different people.
"I was talking to a woman today who came to church for the first time," Stadnik said. "She lives an alternative lifestyle; she's been uncomfortable in other churches. I told her, if other churches reject you, come here. We don't put any walls around anybody. It's just as Jesus taught: Love first, and let good things happen."
Nobody seems to be in much of a hurry at Hot Metal Bridge. Worship begins with 15 minutes of meeting, greeting and hugging.
Chuck Martin, a recently released prison inmate, gives his faith testimony and reads Psalm 100, followed by 20 minutes of singing, including contemporary rock versions of Methodist hymns such as "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing."
Announcements include the time and location of the weekly ultimate Frisbee game. And when worship is over, everybody sits down to lunch.
Walker doesn't try too hard to analyze the growth of his congregation, but he does keep coming back to what he considers a key idea: koinonia, the anglicized version of a Greek word translated as fellowship.
"Creating a bridge that people can get to God, that's our job," Walker says. "To bear witness to Jesus, to point out where the Kingdom of God is. So when we see all those different faces, hopefully, for a moment, we get a glimpse of what heaven might be like."
*Melchiorre is a freelance producer based in New York City.
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
UMNS Commentary by the Rev. Dwight Sullivan*: Church calls for sweeping prayer revival
Whittier (Calif.) Evangelical United Methodist Church is inviting United Methodists to unite in prayer on Sept. 23, the 150th anniversary of the Fulton Street Prayer Revival that sparked a revival in churches across the United States.A UMNS photo by Ronny Perry.
Sept. 23 marks the 150th anniversary of the Fulton Street Prayer Revival, an amazing religious event in U.S. history.
This massive wave of prayer swept across the nation - changing lives for Jesus Christ and reviving entire denominations.
Almost 150 years later, might this be the time for another mighty movement erupting from prayer?
Humble beginnings
Jeremiah C. Lamphier, a layman, started the revolution because he was helping his declining church near Wall Street in New York City. Posting flyers announcing a noon prayer meeting, he prayed alone in an empty room for the first half hour.
Finally someone joined him. Before the hour was over, six had attended. It was an ordinary prayer meeting, fervent but unspectacular. Meeting the next week, 20 attended. When 40 appeared the following week, they decided to go daily.
On Oct. 14, 1857, Wall Street experienced the Panic of 1857, one of the worst financial crises in American history. By the month's end, another 100 people were participating in the daily prayer meeting.
Newspaper accounts of a November spiritual revival in Ontario, Canada, spurred prayer meetings throughout America. In New York City, the prayer movement spread so that by March 1858, newspapers reported that 10,000 businessmen were meeting regularly to pray.
Every available room in churches was packed at noon for prayer and at evening for services. The happening gained front-page headlines in New York newspapers.
The fervency for prayer swept into Philadelphia and up into Boston and the Northeast. Like a wave, the movement splashed into Chicago and the Midwest. Though it started in the North, the spirit of prayer rippled into the South. Thousands came to Christ. Churches gained attendance.
Amazingly, it began by a layperson leading a small, obscure prayer group. It swelled into a tidal wave of prayer washing the nation, changing lives and reviving declining churches. It sounds like a plot in some cheesy Christian film, but it really happened!
Power of prayer
Many citizens believe the United States is going in the wrong direction. We are pelted with stories of business corruption, overcrowded prisons, sexual wrongdoings, broken families, drug use and declining churches.
The power of the 1857 revival came from prayer. Its spark was ignited by fervent laity. Its strength came from people from many churches and backgrounds praying with one another.
Isn't this something that "ordinary" people can do today? It doesn't take much money to pray. You can convene prayer in your church. Anyone can invite others. You don't have to be a bishop or have a Ph.D. to pray sincerely.
Rev. Dwight Sullivan
Whittier (Calif.) Evangelical United Methodist Church is inviting United Methodists to unite in prayer on Sept. 23, the 150th anniversary of the Fulton Street Prayer Revival that sparked a revival in churches across the United States.A UMNS photo by Ronny Perry.Sept. 23 marks the 150th anniversary of the Fulton Street Prayer Revival, an amazing religious event in U.S. history.
This massive wave of prayer swept across the nation - changing lives for Jesus Christ and reviving entire denominations.
Almost 150 years later, might this be the time for another mighty movement erupting from prayer?
Humble beginnings
Jeremiah C. Lamphier, a layman, started the revolution because he was helping his declining church near Wall Street in New York City. Posting flyers announcing a noon prayer meeting, he prayed alone in an empty room for the first half hour.
Finally someone joined him. Before the hour was over, six had attended. It was an ordinary prayer meeting, fervent but unspectacular. Meeting the next week, 20 attended. When 40 appeared the following week, they decided to go daily.
On Oct. 14, 1857, Wall Street experienced the Panic of 1857, one of the worst financial crises in American history. By the month's end, another 100 people were participating in the daily prayer meeting.
Newspaper accounts of a November spiritual revival in Ontario, Canada, spurred prayer meetings throughout America. In New York City, the prayer movement spread so that by March 1858, newspapers reported that 10,000 businessmen were meeting regularly to pray.
Every available room in churches was packed at noon for prayer and at evening for services. The happening gained front-page headlines in New York newspapers.
The fervency for prayer swept into Philadelphia and up into Boston and the Northeast. Like a wave, the movement splashed into Chicago and the Midwest. Though it started in the North, the spirit of prayer rippled into the South. Thousands came to Christ. Churches gained attendance.
Amazingly, it began by a layperson leading a small, obscure prayer group. It swelled into a tidal wave of prayer washing the nation, changing lives and reviving declining churches. It sounds like a plot in some cheesy Christian film, but it really happened!
Power of prayer
Many citizens believe the United States is going in the wrong direction. We are pelted with stories of business corruption, overcrowded prisons, sexual wrongdoings, broken families, drug use and declining churches.
The power of the 1857 revival came from prayer. Its spark was ignited by fervent laity. Its strength came from people from many churches and backgrounds praying with one another.
Isn't this something that "ordinary" people can do today? It doesn't take much money to pray. You can convene prayer in your church. Anyone can invite others. You don't have to be a bishop or have a Ph.D. to pray sincerely.
Rev. Dwight SullivanIn late May 2007, pastors in Whittier, Calif., issued a call to convene for "A Holy Hour of Community Prayer." A dozen pastors and laity from different denominations gathered at 9 a.m. to pray for God to move churches to work together for Jesus' work locally.
Held at the Whittier Evangelical United Methodist Church, the meeting was permeated with music, sharing and prayer. A high point occurred when one pastor read Psalm 22 with tears and conviction because he could identify with its pain and hope.
After the spirited, moving and bonding time together, we decided to have another community prayer on Sept. 25, around the 150th anniversary of the Fulton Street Prayer Revival. In a non-sectarian spirit, a local Baptist Church will host this time of prayer for God's revival of the United States, beginning with us.
Will you pray with us?
What if churches all over this land were to convene with other churches to pray for God's conviction and grace through Jesus Christ in our land?
We of Whittier Evangelical United Methodist Church challenge United Methodist churches across the United States to call prayer meetings around Sept. 23. With more than 35,000 churches in The United Methodist Church, if only 10 percent respond, there would be more than 3,500 churches praying in concert for "God's Revival!"
Unfortunately, too many communities have weak or nonexistent ministerial fellowship organizations. Too often our churches are isolated, acting like an island unto themselves.
What would happen if churches laid aside denominational differences to unite in prayer for each other and our nation? The Fulton Street Prayer Revival gives us a glimpse!
From our church to your church, will you pray with us? From our community to yours, will you take the challenge to pray for your community and our nation this Sept. 23, the 150th anniversary of the Fulton Street Prayer Revival?
*Sullivan is pastor of Whittier (Ca.) Evangelical United Methodist Church.
Held at the Whittier Evangelical United Methodist Church, the meeting was permeated with music, sharing and prayer. A high point occurred when one pastor read Psalm 22 with tears and conviction because he could identify with its pain and hope.
After the spirited, moving and bonding time together, we decided to have another community prayer on Sept. 25, around the 150th anniversary of the Fulton Street Prayer Revival. In a non-sectarian spirit, a local Baptist Church will host this time of prayer for God's revival of the United States, beginning with us.
Will you pray with us?
What if churches all over this land were to convene with other churches to pray for God's conviction and grace through Jesus Christ in our land?
We of Whittier Evangelical United Methodist Church challenge United Methodist churches across the United States to call prayer meetings around Sept. 23. With more than 35,000 churches in The United Methodist Church, if only 10 percent respond, there would be more than 3,500 churches praying in concert for "God's Revival!"
Unfortunately, too many communities have weak or nonexistent ministerial fellowship organizations. Too often our churches are isolated, acting like an island unto themselves.
What would happen if churches laid aside denominational differences to unite in prayer for each other and our nation? The Fulton Street Prayer Revival gives us a glimpse!
From our church to your church, will you pray with us? From our community to yours, will you take the challenge to pray for your community and our nation this Sept. 23, the 150th anniversary of the Fulton Street Prayer Revival?
*Sullivan is pastor of Whittier (Ca.) Evangelical United Methodist Church.
Friday, August 31, 2007
New hymnal proposed for United Methodist Church
By Andrew J. Schleicher*
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) - The United Methodist Church could have a new hymnal by 2013 under plans endorsed by the denomination's Board of Discipleship.
Directors of the board, meeting Aug. 22-25, voted to ask the 2008 General Conference to form a hymnal creation committee next year to begin developing a new hymnal.
If the committee's work is approved by the denomination's top legislative body in 2012, the new resource would replace The United Methodist Hymnal published in 1989. It would be the second official revision since the merger of the Evangelical United Brethren and Methodist churches in 1968, not including new songbooks for specific racial/ethnic or language communities.
The Rev. Karen Greenwaldt, chief staff executive of the Board of Discipleship, pointed out that the current hymnal would be almost 25 years old-"normally the life of a hymnal"-by the time a new one could be ready for distribution.
"What is the message being sent to young people who come to church and see a hymnal from 1989-a hymnal that is older than they are?" Greenwaldt said in an interview with United Methodist News Service. "We need a new hymnal that picks up new hymns, new texts, new melodies, new words to old tunes that are being created and being sung in our churches. It is time to engage the General Conference in this question."
The United Methodist Publishing House already has endorsed the project.
"Our research shows that The United Methodist Hymnal is widely used in all membership-size churches, but that there is also the strong desire for additional and new hymns and tunes to augment worship in a variety of styles and settings," said Neil Alexander, president of the church's publishing agency.
Alexander suggested a new hymnal would include musical styles such as jazz, spirituals and contemporary harmonies and a greater variety of accompaniment settings for guitars, keyboards and percussion instruments. It also would draw more music from racial/ethnic communities and would better serve contemplative settings such as Taize worship and special services for baptism and communion.
Emerging needs
The denomination recognized the need for new music amidst widening worship styles in 2004 when General Conference formed a committee to study:
.Trends and measurement of congregational singing;
.Psalter, services, ritual and service music;
.Texts and tunes (including global and ethnic music);
.Implications of digital and other emerging technologies for worship and congregational singing; and
.The Wesley hymns.
The committee, with membership from the Board of Discipleship and the Publishing House, conducted research and listed 19 needs that include "new UM worship and music resources; … providing resources in a variety of ethnic and cultural styles; … (and) new UM resources for ethnic, global, praise, and contemporary music."
While the committee agreed on the needs, it opted not to make recommendations to the 2008 General Conference and instead referred its findings to Greenwaldt and Alexander, who then proposed the development of a new hymnal to their respective agencies.
Dean McIntyre, staff member of the Board of Discipleship and a member of the music study committee, said a key reason that no recommendations came out of the panel's work was a lack of consensus over which new resource should get first priority. McIntyre said all agreed about the need for a new hymnal eventually.
Hymnal committee
Under the resolution endorsed by the Board of Discipleship, General Conference will be asked to create a committee to develop "a single volume hymn and worship book with provisions for supporting resources in multiple media for adoption as an official hymnal of The United Methodist Church and for congregational use in The United States of America."
The hymnal committee also would be instructed to use non-discriminatory language guidelines developed by the 1989 hymnal revision committee.
Expenses for the project would be borne by the Publishing House, though the agency has not yet developed a business plan with estimated costs.
The Board of Discipleship also is sending General Conference a separate resolution to establish a study committee to examine the need for "an official United Methodist hymnal for North American Christians of African descent in the Wesleyan heritage."
A new Africana hymnal would be developed to complement other official worship resources listed in the denomination's Book of Discipline. In addition to the 1989 hymnal and the Book of Worship, these include the Spanish-language Mil Voces Para Celebrar: Himnario Metodista and Come, Let Us Worship: The Korean-English United Methodist Hymnal.
Alexander pointed to the recently published songbook Zion Still Sings! as a way that the Publishing House is addressing this need. "UMPH will continue to actively listen, learn and work with others to hear from a cross-section of African-American leaders and envision additional resources for the future that help churches grow in faithful witness and vitality," Alexander said.
Other business
The Board of Discipleship supported much General Conference legislation proposed by its Division on Ministries with Young People. Luke Wetzel, a young adult director from Kansas, encouraged board members not to send petitions deferring action out of the Global Young People's Convocation and Legislative Assembly. The 2004 General Conference enabled the young people's event to send legislation directly to General Conference.
The board struggled with how to structure its meeting times to benefit from interaction with young people. During the current four-year cycle, the board's meeting only once overlapped the meeting of the young people's division. Directors approved a schedule for 2008-2011 providing for more joint meetings, including possibly one outside the United States.
Directors reconsidered legislation that the board supported in the spring that addresses the effectiveness of ordained elders. It was replaced with a new version also being submitted by the United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry and the Council of Bishops. Among other changes, the new proposal provides options for addressing an elder who does not meet his or her professional responsibilities.
The board approved a request by the Upper Room Division to develop a bookstore and coffee shop near its offices in Nashville. Directors also agreed to create a "Fresh Air" book imprint and a new edition of The Upper Room daily devotional to be distributed through newsstands and grocery stores.
Planting and watering
Greenwaldt reported on ministries planted by the Board of Discipleship since the 2004 General Conference, citing the beginnings of the Division on Ministries with Young People, the youth worker movement, a young adult network and Discipleship University, which launches in October in Nashville to instruct teams of pastors and lay members on ways to revitalize their local congregations.
In addition, Greenwaldt cited expansion of Africa Upper Room and the agency's efforts to renew congregations and start new churches in the United States. It launched a new branding strategy and redesigned its Web site.
"You have planted and you have watered," Greenwaldt told directors at their final meeting before a new board is named. She thanked them for holding the agency accountable to "make sure your decisions are founded and grounded in God."
*Schleicher, former editor of The United Methodist Newscope, is a freelance writer in Nashville, Tenn.
By Andrew J. Schleicher*
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) - The United Methodist Church could have a new hymnal by 2013 under plans endorsed by the denomination's Board of Discipleship.
Directors of the board, meeting Aug. 22-25, voted to ask the 2008 General Conference to form a hymnal creation committee next year to begin developing a new hymnal.
If the committee's work is approved by the denomination's top legislative body in 2012, the new resource would replace The United Methodist Hymnal published in 1989. It would be the second official revision since the merger of the Evangelical United Brethren and Methodist churches in 1968, not including new songbooks for specific racial/ethnic or language communities.
The Rev. Karen Greenwaldt, chief staff executive of the Board of Discipleship, pointed out that the current hymnal would be almost 25 years old-"normally the life of a hymnal"-by the time a new one could be ready for distribution.
"What is the message being sent to young people who come to church and see a hymnal from 1989-a hymnal that is older than they are?" Greenwaldt said in an interview with United Methodist News Service. "We need a new hymnal that picks up new hymns, new texts, new melodies, new words to old tunes that are being created and being sung in our churches. It is time to engage the General Conference in this question."
The United Methodist Publishing House already has endorsed the project.
"Our research shows that The United Methodist Hymnal is widely used in all membership-size churches, but that there is also the strong desire for additional and new hymns and tunes to augment worship in a variety of styles and settings," said Neil Alexander, president of the church's publishing agency.
Alexander suggested a new hymnal would include musical styles such as jazz, spirituals and contemporary harmonies and a greater variety of accompaniment settings for guitars, keyboards and percussion instruments. It also would draw more music from racial/ethnic communities and would better serve contemplative settings such as Taize worship and special services for baptism and communion.
Emerging needs
The denomination recognized the need for new music amidst widening worship styles in 2004 when General Conference formed a committee to study:
.Trends and measurement of congregational singing;
.Psalter, services, ritual and service music;
.Texts and tunes (including global and ethnic music);
.Implications of digital and other emerging technologies for worship and congregational singing; and
.The Wesley hymns.
The committee, with membership from the Board of Discipleship and the Publishing House, conducted research and listed 19 needs that include "new UM worship and music resources; … providing resources in a variety of ethnic and cultural styles; … (and) new UM resources for ethnic, global, praise, and contemporary music."
While the committee agreed on the needs, it opted not to make recommendations to the 2008 General Conference and instead referred its findings to Greenwaldt and Alexander, who then proposed the development of a new hymnal to their respective agencies.
Dean McIntyre, staff member of the Board of Discipleship and a member of the music study committee, said a key reason that no recommendations came out of the panel's work was a lack of consensus over which new resource should get first priority. McIntyre said all agreed about the need for a new hymnal eventually.
Hymnal committee
Under the resolution endorsed by the Board of Discipleship, General Conference will be asked to create a committee to develop "a single volume hymn and worship book with provisions for supporting resources in multiple media for adoption as an official hymnal of The United Methodist Church and for congregational use in The United States of America."
The hymnal committee also would be instructed to use non-discriminatory language guidelines developed by the 1989 hymnal revision committee.
Expenses for the project would be borne by the Publishing House, though the agency has not yet developed a business plan with estimated costs.
The Board of Discipleship also is sending General Conference a separate resolution to establish a study committee to examine the need for "an official United Methodist hymnal for North American Christians of African descent in the Wesleyan heritage."
A new Africana hymnal would be developed to complement other official worship resources listed in the denomination's Book of Discipline. In addition to the 1989 hymnal and the Book of Worship, these include the Spanish-language Mil Voces Para Celebrar: Himnario Metodista and Come, Let Us Worship: The Korean-English United Methodist Hymnal.
Alexander pointed to the recently published songbook Zion Still Sings! as a way that the Publishing House is addressing this need. "UMPH will continue to actively listen, learn and work with others to hear from a cross-section of African-American leaders and envision additional resources for the future that help churches grow in faithful witness and vitality," Alexander said.
Other business
The Board of Discipleship supported much General Conference legislation proposed by its Division on Ministries with Young People. Luke Wetzel, a young adult director from Kansas, encouraged board members not to send petitions deferring action out of the Global Young People's Convocation and Legislative Assembly. The 2004 General Conference enabled the young people's event to send legislation directly to General Conference.
The board struggled with how to structure its meeting times to benefit from interaction with young people. During the current four-year cycle, the board's meeting only once overlapped the meeting of the young people's division. Directors approved a schedule for 2008-2011 providing for more joint meetings, including possibly one outside the United States.
Directors reconsidered legislation that the board supported in the spring that addresses the effectiveness of ordained elders. It was replaced with a new version also being submitted by the United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry and the Council of Bishops. Among other changes, the new proposal provides options for addressing an elder who does not meet his or her professional responsibilities.
The board approved a request by the Upper Room Division to develop a bookstore and coffee shop near its offices in Nashville. Directors also agreed to create a "Fresh Air" book imprint and a new edition of The Upper Room daily devotional to be distributed through newsstands and grocery stores.
Planting and watering
Greenwaldt reported on ministries planted by the Board of Discipleship since the 2004 General Conference, citing the beginnings of the Division on Ministries with Young People, the youth worker movement, a young adult network and Discipleship University, which launches in October in Nashville to instruct teams of pastors and lay members on ways to revitalize their local congregations.
In addition, Greenwaldt cited expansion of Africa Upper Room and the agency's efforts to renew congregations and start new churches in the United States. It launched a new branding strategy and redesigned its Web site.
"You have planted and you have watered," Greenwaldt told directors at their final meeting before a new board is named. She thanked them for holding the agency accountable to "make sure your decisions are founded and grounded in God."
*Schleicher, former editor of The United Methodist Newscope, is a freelance writer in Nashville, Tenn.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Free Music downloads from the General Board of Discipleship music web site -- MUSIC RESOURCES FOR WORLD COMMUNION SUNDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2007
The following music for congregation, choir, or soloist are free music downloads from the General Board of Discipleship music Web site (http://www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?loc_id=17,897,951&act=nav_loc):
Congregational Communion Responses Based on Familiar Hymn Tunes
- http://www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?act=reader&item_id=15326&loc_id=17,897,951
(“In Christ There Is No East or West,” arr. Dean McIntyre)
- http://www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?act=reader&item_id=13931&loc_id=17,897,951
(tune, SANTO, SANTO, SANTO; arr. Dean McIntyre)
- http://www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?act=reader&item_id=14552&loc_id=17,897,951
(“O, How I Love Jesus,” arr. Dean McIntyre)
- http://www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?act=reader&item_id=14572&loc_id=17,897,951
(“It Is Well with My Soul,” arr. Dean McIntyre)
- http://www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?act=reader&item_id=14581&loc_id=17,897,951
(“We Shall Overcome,” arr. Dean McIntyre)
- http://www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?act=reader&item_id=14685&loc_id=17,897,951
(“Steal Away to Jesus,” arr. Dean McIntyre)
- http://www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?act=reader&item_id=15325&loc_id=17,897,951
(tune, HYFRYDOL; arr. Lewis Worthington)
- http://www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?act=reader&item_id=22650&loc_id=17,897,951
(contemporary musical responses by Jerome Malek)
Music for Choir
- http://www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?act=reader&item_id=13971&loc_id=17,897,951
(“O Lamb of God” (Agnus Dei), SATB choral setting by Dean McIntyre)
- http://www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?act=reader&item_id=10212&loc_id=17,897,951
(“Christ, We Do All Adore Thee” from SEVEN LAST WORDS by Dubois; SATB choir)
- http://www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?act=reader&item_id=10495&loc_id=17,897,951
(Communion music for contemporary worship, by Steve Parnell)
- http://www.gbod.org/worship/music/youholy.pdf
(“You Are Holy,” contemporary song based on Psalm 99, by Steve Parnell)
Music for Congregation or Choir
- http://www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?act=reader&item_id=22649&loc_id=17,823
(a setting of the Kyrie by Jerome Malek)
- http://www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?act=reader&item_id=26089&loc_id=17,897,951
(“Celebrate Our Lord’s Communion,” a Eucharistic hymn by Richard Turner; tune, BEACH SPRING)
- http://www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?act=reader&item_id=16560&loc_id=17,897,951
(“The Four Words: Take, Bless, Break, Give,” a solo song or hymn by Michael and Cynthia Marion)
- http://www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?act=reader&item_id=16036&loc_id=17,897,951
(“I Am the Bread of Heaven,” a new communion hymn by Sandy Willard Rogers)
- http://www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?act=reader&item_id=10187&loc_id=17,897,951
(“May Christians All With One Accord,” tune GELOBT SEI GOTT; introit for Communion)
- http://www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?act=reader&item_id=10602&loc_id=17,897,951
(The Great Thanksgiving, contemporary musical setting in pdf and midi by Ryan Neaveill;
Includes The Lord Be With You; Holy, Holy, Holy; Christ Will Come Again; Amen)
Dean McIntyre, music@gbod.org Director of Music Resources
GBOD The United Methodist Church
PO Box 340003Nashville, TN 37203-0003
www.GBOD.org/worship
Toll-free: (877) 899-2780 Ext. 7073
The following music for congregation, choir, or soloist are free music downloads from the General Board of Discipleship music Web site (http://www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?loc_id=17,897,951&act=nav_loc):
Congregational Communion Responses Based on Familiar Hymn Tunes
- http://www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?act=reader&item_id=15326&loc_id=17,897,951
(“In Christ There Is No East or West,” arr. Dean McIntyre)
- http://www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?act=reader&item_id=13931&loc_id=17,897,951
(tune, SANTO, SANTO, SANTO; arr. Dean McIntyre)
- http://www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?act=reader&item_id=14552&loc_id=17,897,951
(“O, How I Love Jesus,” arr. Dean McIntyre)
- http://www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?act=reader&item_id=14572&loc_id=17,897,951
(“It Is Well with My Soul,” arr. Dean McIntyre)
- http://www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?act=reader&item_id=14581&loc_id=17,897,951
(“We Shall Overcome,” arr. Dean McIntyre)
- http://www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?act=reader&item_id=14685&loc_id=17,897,951
(“Steal Away to Jesus,” arr. Dean McIntyre)
- http://www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?act=reader&item_id=15325&loc_id=17,897,951
(tune, HYFRYDOL; arr. Lewis Worthington)
- http://www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?act=reader&item_id=22650&loc_id=17,897,951
(contemporary musical responses by Jerome Malek)
Music for Choir
- http://www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?act=reader&item_id=13971&loc_id=17,897,951
(“O Lamb of God” (Agnus Dei), SATB choral setting by Dean McIntyre)
- http://www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?act=reader&item_id=10212&loc_id=17,897,951
(“Christ, We Do All Adore Thee” from SEVEN LAST WORDS by Dubois; SATB choir)
- http://www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?act=reader&item_id=10495&loc_id=17,897,951
(Communion music for contemporary worship, by Steve Parnell)
- http://www.gbod.org/worship/music/youholy.pdf
(“You Are Holy,” contemporary song based on Psalm 99, by Steve Parnell)
Music for Congregation or Choir
- http://www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?act=reader&item_id=22649&loc_id=17,823
(a setting of the Kyrie by Jerome Malek)
- http://www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?act=reader&item_id=26089&loc_id=17,897,951
(“Celebrate Our Lord’s Communion,” a Eucharistic hymn by Richard Turner; tune, BEACH SPRING)
- http://www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?act=reader&item_id=16560&loc_id=17,897,951
(“The Four Words: Take, Bless, Break, Give,” a solo song or hymn by Michael and Cynthia Marion)
- http://www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?act=reader&item_id=16036&loc_id=17,897,951
(“I Am the Bread of Heaven,” a new communion hymn by Sandy Willard Rogers)
- http://www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?act=reader&item_id=10187&loc_id=17,897,951
(“May Christians All With One Accord,” tune GELOBT SEI GOTT; introit for Communion)
- http://www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?act=reader&item_id=10602&loc_id=17,897,951
(The Great Thanksgiving, contemporary musical setting in pdf and midi by Ryan Neaveill;
Includes The Lord Be With You; Holy, Holy, Holy; Christ Will Come Again; Amen)
Dean McIntyre, music@gbod.org Director of Music Resources
GBOD The United Methodist Church
PO Box 340003Nashville, TN 37203-0003
www.GBOD.org/worship
Toll-free: (877) 899-2780 Ext. 7073
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Bishop Wills Journal Entry for August 14, 2007 - Joy In The Morning
S: John 16: 22. So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.
O: Even in hard times, the Lord comes to us and gives us a joy no one can take away.
A: This morning I can remember some very hard times in ministry. The more personal I felt the pain, the more I did not feel the presence of the Lord with me. You would think I would have fallen away from faith. In fact, before I started reading scripture each morning for more than just writing a sermon, I did feel the Lord was absent.
Here is what reading scripture has taught me about personal suffering. In my hardest times, especially with physical pain, when I felt the absence of the Lord, I knew from scripture the Lord had not left me alone in my suffering. When I did not have the energy to pray, I knew the Lord understood and I also knew others were praying for me. I have learned the presence of the Lord does not depend on my feelings.
When in suffering times I know the Lord is with me because the scripture tells me not to depend on my own feelings. The Lord has given me a joy which is deep in my soul. When my suffering lessons, the joy comes pouring out of my soul.
Nothing can take away the joy I have found in choosing to be a follower of Jesus. Even in the hardest times of personal pain, the joy is deep within me even though, at the moment, I do not seem to recognize it. I believe the joy comes as one who has given my life to becoming a fully devoted follower of Jesus.
I have just come through a time of personal pain. As the pain has gone away, I have felt the joy deep within me come pouring out. I am so grateful, this morning, to be a follower of Jesus and I ask the Lord just to allow me to be part of what he is blessing.
It is true: no one can take away the joy I have found as a follower of Jesus.
P: Father thank you for walking through this recent time of pain. Thank you for the joy of being allowed to be a follower of your Son, Jesus the Christ. Thank you for the joy which overflows in my being this morning. Love, Dick
Y: I yield my despair and pain because I know there is a joy deep within me which will bubble into my present time.
S: John 16: 22. So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.
O: Even in hard times, the Lord comes to us and gives us a joy no one can take away.
A: This morning I can remember some very hard times in ministry. The more personal I felt the pain, the more I did not feel the presence of the Lord with me. You would think I would have fallen away from faith. In fact, before I started reading scripture each morning for more than just writing a sermon, I did feel the Lord was absent.
Here is what reading scripture has taught me about personal suffering. In my hardest times, especially with physical pain, when I felt the absence of the Lord, I knew from scripture the Lord had not left me alone in my suffering. When I did not have the energy to pray, I knew the Lord understood and I also knew others were praying for me. I have learned the presence of the Lord does not depend on my feelings.
When in suffering times I know the Lord is with me because the scripture tells me not to depend on my own feelings. The Lord has given me a joy which is deep in my soul. When my suffering lessons, the joy comes pouring out of my soul.
Nothing can take away the joy I have found in choosing to be a follower of Jesus. Even in the hardest times of personal pain, the joy is deep within me even though, at the moment, I do not seem to recognize it. I believe the joy comes as one who has given my life to becoming a fully devoted follower of Jesus.
I have just come through a time of personal pain. As the pain has gone away, I have felt the joy deep within me come pouring out. I am so grateful, this morning, to be a follower of Jesus and I ask the Lord just to allow me to be part of what he is blessing.
It is true: no one can take away the joy I have found as a follower of Jesus.
P: Father thank you for walking through this recent time of pain. Thank you for the joy of being allowed to be a follower of your Son, Jesus the Christ. Thank you for the joy which overflows in my being this morning. Love, Dick
Y: I yield my despair and pain because I know there is a joy deep within me which will bubble into my present time.
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
Faith Journal for July 31, 2007: Simple Ordinary Clay
S: Isaiah 64:8Yet you, LORD, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter we are all the work in your hand.
O: No matters what has happened, we are still the work of God’s hand.
A: As I sit here this morning, I am aware God is the potter and I am the clay. But there is a funny thing about clay. Sometimes it will take on a life of its own as the potter is shaping the clay on a spinning wheel. When that happens the potter will take the clay off and usually slam the clay on a board or add water and begin to jab the potter’s fingers into the clay and then the potter will begin again and usually the clay will submit to the design of the potter.
The potter chooses the design. The clay does not get to say what it will be. That image seems a lot like myself and other Christians I know. We do well then comes along something that triggers a rebellion in us. The result is always distance from God and we usually break the unity of the church which the Lord always desires. There is another way to make a pot. The potter can make a pot by not using a wheel. It is called a coil pot and this process takes a lot longer.
The potter will roll the clay into lengths of clay. This way the clay is not so free to rebel and seek its own form. Then the potter will take a single strand of clay and lay it in a circle. Then there will be another strand of clay prepared and this strand will be placed on the first coil. The potter then shapes the surrendered clay and smoothes out the lines of the coil so no signs of all the coils of clay can be seen. It takes a long time to make a coil pot and in the end it is not perfect but it is the design of the potter.
My life is a slow process more like the coils of a piece of pottery. I have to have all the rebellion worked out of me, one piece at a time. The process is long and in the end I am the unique work of the potter. I have many rough edges as one coil is laid on me as I am shaped and the potter has to smooth out the rough edges which I must admit is very painful for me. But if I learn, then the next coil works better and I surrender to the will of the potter and this time it is not nearly so painful. In fact, I become used to the potter taking off my rough edges with each new coil. I begin the choose to cooperate with the Lord and it is very good what the Lord makes of my life. I am amazed what the Lord is doing to my heart and I am discovering the purpose for which I am being designed.
P: Father forgive my rebellion when you have to come along and smoothes the rough edges of my life. I know you are not finished with me and hopefully I am learning to trust you more each day. I am grateful for your smoothing out my rough edges because I become more like Jesus and more useable by you. I know I do not deserve what you are making of my life. I was used to being just ordinary clay lying next to a stream of water in the Texas soil, but you claimed me and now you are shaping my life each day. Thank you Love, Dick Wills
Y: I will surrender my rebellion when the Lord smoothes the rough edges in my life.
S: Isaiah 64:8Yet you, LORD, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter we are all the work in your hand.
O: No matters what has happened, we are still the work of God’s hand.
A: As I sit here this morning, I am aware God is the potter and I am the clay. But there is a funny thing about clay. Sometimes it will take on a life of its own as the potter is shaping the clay on a spinning wheel. When that happens the potter will take the clay off and usually slam the clay on a board or add water and begin to jab the potter’s fingers into the clay and then the potter will begin again and usually the clay will submit to the design of the potter.
The potter chooses the design. The clay does not get to say what it will be. That image seems a lot like myself and other Christians I know. We do well then comes along something that triggers a rebellion in us. The result is always distance from God and we usually break the unity of the church which the Lord always desires. There is another way to make a pot. The potter can make a pot by not using a wheel. It is called a coil pot and this process takes a lot longer.
The potter will roll the clay into lengths of clay. This way the clay is not so free to rebel and seek its own form. Then the potter will take a single strand of clay and lay it in a circle. Then there will be another strand of clay prepared and this strand will be placed on the first coil. The potter then shapes the surrendered clay and smoothes out the lines of the coil so no signs of all the coils of clay can be seen. It takes a long time to make a coil pot and in the end it is not perfect but it is the design of the potter.
My life is a slow process more like the coils of a piece of pottery. I have to have all the rebellion worked out of me, one piece at a time. The process is long and in the end I am the unique work of the potter. I have many rough edges as one coil is laid on me as I am shaped and the potter has to smooth out the rough edges which I must admit is very painful for me. But if I learn, then the next coil works better and I surrender to the will of the potter and this time it is not nearly so painful. In fact, I become used to the potter taking off my rough edges with each new coil. I begin the choose to cooperate with the Lord and it is very good what the Lord makes of my life. I am amazed what the Lord is doing to my heart and I am discovering the purpose for which I am being designed.
P: Father forgive my rebellion when you have to come along and smoothes the rough edges of my life. I know you are not finished with me and hopefully I am learning to trust you more each day. I am grateful for your smoothing out my rough edges because I become more like Jesus and more useable by you. I know I do not deserve what you are making of my life. I was used to being just ordinary clay lying next to a stream of water in the Texas soil, but you claimed me and now you are shaping my life each day. Thank you Love, Dick Wills
Y: I will surrender my rebellion when the Lord smoothes the rough edges in my life.
Monday, July 23, 2007
Every Lay Person A Minister
A journal entry by Bishop Dick Wills, July 23, 2007
S: I Peter 2:9 -- But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
O: Every follower of Jesus is now a priest (minister).
A: In so many of our churches we continue to think of the minister as the one who stands before us on Sunday mornings and delivers the sermon. And it is true, this person as been called by God to be the spiritual leader of the congregation.
The distortion comes when we think of the pastor as the only minister in the church. The pastor is to do the ministries of the church because he or she is the spiritual leader. The pastor visits the sick and leads the ministries of the church. So many of our present churches do not align with this important verse in scripture.
We are all ministers. The pastor is the spiritual leader. But the people are the ministers of the church. Lay people are called by God to ministry in different areas of the church. Some lay people are the ministers who bring the presence of Jesus to those who are sick in the hospital. Other lay people are ministers who bring food to the hungry. Other lay people are ministers who bring the presence and gospel of Jesus to those in prison. Lay people are the ministers who visit in the homes of the congregation.
In Acts 6 we see the lay people wanting the Apostles to minister to a group of widows who are being neglected. The Apostles (pastors) resist and direct those bringing the concern to select lay people to be the ministers to the widows. The Apostles (pastors) are to spend time in prayer, preaching the word, and being the spiritual leaders of the church.
This is how God has ordered the church. I am always excited when I visit a church who understands the Bible’s direction of the ordering of the church. The laity (the royal priests), the ministers, are not just supposed to sit in the pews and serve on committees.
P: Father help each of our churches return to being churches where every member is a minister (a part of the royal priesthood) and the pastors are the spiritual leaders. Love, Dick
Y: I will yield the temptation to do the work of the church just because I am the Bishop but will seek the laity to claim their biblical places of being priests or ministers in each church.
A journal entry by Bishop Dick Wills, July 23, 2007
S: I Peter 2:9 -- But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
O: Every follower of Jesus is now a priest (minister).
A: In so many of our churches we continue to think of the minister as the one who stands before us on Sunday mornings and delivers the sermon. And it is true, this person as been called by God to be the spiritual leader of the congregation.
The distortion comes when we think of the pastor as the only minister in the church. The pastor is to do the ministries of the church because he or she is the spiritual leader. The pastor visits the sick and leads the ministries of the church. So many of our present churches do not align with this important verse in scripture.
We are all ministers. The pastor is the spiritual leader. But the people are the ministers of the church. Lay people are called by God to ministry in different areas of the church. Some lay people are the ministers who bring the presence of Jesus to those who are sick in the hospital. Other lay people are ministers who bring food to the hungry. Other lay people are ministers who bring the presence and gospel of Jesus to those in prison. Lay people are the ministers who visit in the homes of the congregation.
In Acts 6 we see the lay people wanting the Apostles to minister to a group of widows who are being neglected. The Apostles (pastors) resist and direct those bringing the concern to select lay people to be the ministers to the widows. The Apostles (pastors) are to spend time in prayer, preaching the word, and being the spiritual leaders of the church.
This is how God has ordered the church. I am always excited when I visit a church who understands the Bible’s direction of the ordering of the church. The laity (the royal priests), the ministers, are not just supposed to sit in the pews and serve on committees.
P: Father help each of our churches return to being churches where every member is a minister (a part of the royal priesthood) and the pastors are the spiritual leaders. Love, Dick
Y: I will yield the temptation to do the work of the church just because I am the Bishop but will seek the laity to claim their biblical places of being priests or ministers in each church.
Friday, July 13, 2007
Companions In Christ® Training Event Promotes Spiritual Growth for Adults
The Rev. Diane Luton Blum
A 1-day leader training event for Companions in Christ is set for August 11 at The Upper Room, 1908 Grand Ave, Nashville from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The training provides leaders with an in-depth experience in Companions in Christ resources and trains them in the distinctive leadership skills called upon when leading formational groups. For information, call the Companions in Christ training office at 1.877.899.2780 x7525. Facilitator for the training event will be provided by Tennessee Conference minister Diane Luton Blum*.
The Companions in Christ family of resources from Upper Room Ministries brings a transforming small-group experience to congregations. Most in-depth Christian studies offer knowledge about scripture, prayer, or other areas of faith. Companions in Christ invites participants into a deeper experience of the Christian life. As the journey unfolds participants discover classic and contemporary spiritual practices that form rather than inform the participants and encourage them in inner and outward expressions of their faith.
Participants familiar with Companions or new to the resource will find great value in a training experience. The Companions family has expanded to include The Way of the Child, Helping Children Experience God, a 39-session resource, and Compañerismo en Cristo, a Spanish-language version of Companions in Christ.
Authors of the Companions series include Stephen D. Bryant, editor/publisher of Upper Room Ministries; Gerrit Scott Dawson, senior minister of First Presbyterian Church in Lenoir, N.C.; Adele J. Gonzalez, Assistant Director of the Office of Lay Ministry in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Miami, Fla.; E. Glenn Hinson, author and retired professor of spirituality at the Baptist Theological Seminary in Richmond, Va.; Rueben P. Job, a retired United Methodist bishop and former editor/publisher of The Upper Room; Marjorie J. Thompson, author and Spiritual Director of the Companions in Christ initiative in Nashville, Tenn.; and Wendy M. Wright, professor of theology at Creighton University in Omaha, Neb. The Author of The Way of the Child is Wynn McGregor, certified Christian educator in the Presbyterian Church, USA.
It is estimated that 10,000+ small groups from a variety of denominations and locales have experienced Companions in Christ since its release. The transforming impact this resource has in congregations caused one clergy to say, “this resource may be the future of the church”.
Those who attend the leader-training event will receive Companions in Christ resources essential for initiating Companions groups in their church.
Participants familiar with Companions or new to the resource will find great value in a training experience. The Companions family has expanded to include The Way of the Child, Helping Children Experience God, a 39-session resource, and Compañerismo en Cristo, a Spanish-language version of Companions in Christ.
Authors of the Companions series include Stephen D. Bryant, editor/publisher of Upper Room Ministries; Gerrit Scott Dawson, senior minister of First Presbyterian Church in Lenoir, N.C.; Adele J. Gonzalez, Assistant Director of the Office of Lay Ministry in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Miami, Fla.; E. Glenn Hinson, author and retired professor of spirituality at the Baptist Theological Seminary in Richmond, Va.; Rueben P. Job, a retired United Methodist bishop and former editor/publisher of The Upper Room; Marjorie J. Thompson, author and Spiritual Director of the Companions in Christ initiative in Nashville, Tenn.; and Wendy M. Wright, professor of theology at Creighton University in Omaha, Neb. The Author of The Way of the Child is Wynn McGregor, certified Christian educator in the Presbyterian Church, USA.
It is estimated that 10,000+ small groups from a variety of denominations and locales have experienced Companions in Christ since its release. The transforming impact this resource has in congregations caused one clergy to say, “this resource may be the future of the church”.
Those who attend the leader-training event will receive Companions in Christ resources essential for initiating Companions groups in their church.
To register on-line click on the following address:
http://www.upperroom.org/companions/eventsone.asp
Upper Room Ministries is an ecumenical organization that produces resources for encouraging deeper spiritual formation, including The Upper Room daily devotional guide, distributed to over two million people in 44 languages, five other magazines, a line of books, and programs for youth and adults.
Upper Room Ministries is an ecumenical organization that produces resources for encouraging deeper spiritual formation, including The Upper Room daily devotional guide, distributed to over two million people in 44 languages, five other magazines, a line of books, and programs for youth and adults.
*Diane Luton Blum, an ordained United Methodist minister, has served as a
parish pastor for most of the past 30 years. In the past 10 years she has
been blessed to be a participant and leader with ministries of spiritual
formation within and beyond the local church. She has provided leadership
with programs like the Upper Room's Academy for Spiritual Formation, The
Walk to Emmaus, and she has been involved with the development, testing and
training initiatives for the Companions in Christ resource. Her sabbatical
studies (2004-2006) included certification in the UMC as a minister of
spiritual formation, and the interfaith program in Spiritual Guidance
through the Shalem Institute. She combines her primary vocation as a pastor
with a ministry for individuals in spiritual guidance and for groups in
retreat leadership. For 30 years she has shared life and ministry with her
husband, Jeff, whose ministry has been focused with persons in jails or
prisons. They are the parents of two young adult sons. They enjoy
swimming, sailing, birding and gathering with circles of family and friends.
parish pastor for most of the past 30 years. In the past 10 years she has
been blessed to be a participant and leader with ministries of spiritual
formation within and beyond the local church. She has provided leadership
with programs like the Upper Room's Academy for Spiritual Formation, The
Walk to Emmaus, and she has been involved with the development, testing and
training initiatives for the Companions in Christ resource. Her sabbatical
studies (2004-2006) included certification in the UMC as a minister of
spiritual formation, and the interfaith program in Spiritual Guidance
through the Shalem Institute. She combines her primary vocation as a pastor
with a ministry for individuals in spiritual guidance and for groups in
retreat leadership. For 30 years she has shared life and ministry with her
husband, Jeff, whose ministry has been focused with persons in jails or
prisons. They are the parents of two young adult sons. They enjoy
swimming, sailing, birding and gathering with circles of family and friends.
Friday, June 29, 2007
'Church in a box' concept expands ministry
By Jon Kaplan*
A volunteer unloads equipment for an offsite worship service in Aurora, Ill. Batavia United Methodist Church uses the "church in a box" to expand its reach beyond its historic downtown sanctuary in nearby Batavia. UMNS photos by Jon Kaplan.
BATAVIA, Ill. (UMNS)-Batavia United Methodist is a church on the move-literally.
The thriving downtown Batavia congregation, 45 miles west of Chicago, has outgrown its historic building and 11 parking spaces. So, out of sheer necessity, the 850-member church has embraced a unique community outreach concept called "church in a box."
Each Sunday, in addition to holding three worship services in Batavia, the congregation sends a missions team with a 24-foot trailer to the nearby family-oriented community of Aurora. Inside the trailer are wheeled containers filled with an altar, hymnals, musical instruments, audio and video equipment, signs and even a coffeemaker-everything needed to provide a worship service, Sunday school classes and a nursery.
Substituting brick and mortar for teamwork and elbow grease, volunteers and worshippers convert the auditorium of Herget Middle School into "church" in just minutes.
"Church in a box allows us to quickly set up a place of worship in a place where you wouldn't have worship," explains the Rev. Jeffry Bross, Batavia's associate pastor.
Batavia calls its portable worship space "Flowing Grace," and Bross is the modern-day circuit rider in charge. The plan is eventually to take the worship experience to other locations.
The ministry began last March, and Batavia's senior pastor, the Rev. Mike Stoner, says Flowing Grace is helping to keep the anchor church vibrant and welcoming.
"If you're in an old building that has no parking, you're landlocked," he says. "… The central message all along was this was about going to where the people are. It really embraces the United Methodist passion for going where no one's been."
A different way of thinking
Not everyone embraced the concept at first. "I was leery," says long-time member Jim Hansen, "but once we visited, I can see why we needed to do it."
"We had to overcome the notion that we were going to become two different churches and that we'd just be one church worshipping in two sites, and I think we have overcome that," says Hasana Sisco, another member.
One church in two locations is a concept that more and more United Methodist congregations and other churches are adopting. Batavia purchased its "church in a box" resources for $85,000 from Portable Church Industries of Troy, Mich. The company's Web site lists close to 1,000 clients.
Flowing Grace volunteer and lay member Joanne Mendicino understands the appeal. "We're able to minister one on one a little bit better in the way that people need it," she says.
"It's great to take the church to some place else as opposed to keeping the church here," adds Batavia member Rodney Sisco.
Thus far, Flowing Grace is averaging about 100 attendees each week and has added 11 members since March. Batavia members are encouraged and excited about the blessings.
"I see more personal growth at this location, providing more opportunity for people to get involved and engaged than I had at the standard site," says Flowing Grace member Mike Harvey.
"A lot of people that are participating are experiencing changes in their personal faith journeys," adds Joanne Mendicino.
Church and lay leaders alike say the ministry has allowed church members to use gifts and talents they didn't realize they had and to develop as leaders themselves. They believe the potential is limitless.
Says Stoner: "I would dream of having some people from Flowing Grace who have caught this vision, to go do it at another place and then another place."
*Kaplan is a freelance producer and writer in Chicago.
By Jon Kaplan*
A volunteer unloads equipment for an offsite worship service in Aurora, Ill. Batavia United Methodist Church uses the "church in a box" to expand its reach beyond its historic downtown sanctuary in nearby Batavia. UMNS photos by Jon Kaplan.BATAVIA, Ill. (UMNS)-Batavia United Methodist is a church on the move-literally.
The thriving downtown Batavia congregation, 45 miles west of Chicago, has outgrown its historic building and 11 parking spaces. So, out of sheer necessity, the 850-member church has embraced a unique community outreach concept called "church in a box."
Each Sunday, in addition to holding three worship services in Batavia, the congregation sends a missions team with a 24-foot trailer to the nearby family-oriented community of Aurora. Inside the trailer are wheeled containers filled with an altar, hymnals, musical instruments, audio and video equipment, signs and even a coffeemaker-everything needed to provide a worship service, Sunday school classes and a nursery.
Substituting brick and mortar for teamwork and elbow grease, volunteers and worshippers convert the auditorium of Herget Middle School into "church" in just minutes.
"Church in a box allows us to quickly set up a place of worship in a place where you wouldn't have worship," explains the Rev. Jeffry Bross, Batavia's associate pastor.
Batavia calls its portable worship space "Flowing Grace," and Bross is the modern-day circuit rider in charge. The plan is eventually to take the worship experience to other locations.
An average of 100 worshipers attend the Flowing Grace service each Sunday.
The ministry began last March, and Batavia's senior pastor, the Rev. Mike Stoner, says Flowing Grace is helping to keep the anchor church vibrant and welcoming.
"If you're in an old building that has no parking, you're landlocked," he says. "… The central message all along was this was about going to where the people are. It really embraces the United Methodist passion for going where no one's been."
A different way of thinking
Not everyone embraced the concept at first. "I was leery," says long-time member Jim Hansen, "but once we visited, I can see why we needed to do it."
"We had to overcome the notion that we were going to become two different churches and that we'd just be one church worshipping in two sites, and I think we have overcome that," says Hasana Sisco, another member.
One church in two locations is a concept that more and more United Methodist congregations and other churches are adopting. Batavia purchased its "church in a box" resources for $85,000 from Portable Church Industries of Troy, Mich. The company's Web site lists close to 1,000 clients.
Flowing Grace volunteer and lay member Joanne Mendicino understands the appeal. "We're able to minister one on one a little bit better in the way that people need it," she says.
"It's great to take the church to some place else as opposed to keeping the church here," adds Batavia member Rodney Sisco.
Thus far, Flowing Grace is averaging about 100 attendees each week and has added 11 members since March. Batavia members are encouraged and excited about the blessings.
"I see more personal growth at this location, providing more opportunity for people to get involved and engaged than I had at the standard site," says Flowing Grace member Mike Harvey.
"A lot of people that are participating are experiencing changes in their personal faith journeys," adds Joanne Mendicino.
Church and lay leaders alike say the ministry has allowed church members to use gifts and talents they didn't realize they had and to develop as leaders themselves. They believe the potential is limitless.
Says Stoner: "I would dream of having some people from Flowing Grace who have caught this vision, to go do it at another place and then another place."
*Kaplan is a freelance producer and writer in Chicago.
Friday, June 22, 2007
National Spiritual Writing Conference at Scarritt-Bennett Center, Nashville, September 7-9, 2007
NASHVILLE, TN: The 2nd Annual Path & Pen Writing Conference is scheduled for September 7-9, 2007 at Scarritt-Bennett Center in Nashville, TN. This inspiring conference brings writers and would-be writers together to explore writing as a spiritual practice, and is a hands-on encounter with various forms of spiritually oriented writing, including memoir, poetry, liturgy, inspirational writing, and creative nonfiction.The weekend begins Friday and ends Sunday and consists of a variety of intimate workshops led by award-winning facilitators, as well as both an Open Mike and a Songwriters Roundtable, featuring some of Nashville’s most creative lyricists on Saturday evening.
A partial list of workshops includes: Symbol and Spirit; Praying in Color; Tools for
Sacred Writing; Writing Spiritual Memoir; Writing Psalms from the Four Worlds: Body, Heart, Mind, and Soul.
The Nashville Path & Pen Writers Conference is co-sponsored by the Scarritt–Bennett Center and the One River Foundation. Scarritt-Bennett Center is a conference, retreat, and education center committed to empowerment through cross-cultural understanding, education, creativity and spiritual renewal. The One River Foundation promotes peace, justice, and personal awakening through inter-spiritual study, dialogue, and contemplative practice.
Cost: $160 for the weekend; rooms and meals are available onsite. For more information and to download a registration form, visit http://www.scarrittbennett.org/ or contact Kim Johnson at 1.866.420.5486 or kjohnson@scarrittbennett.org
Facilitators:
Nearly fifteen years in the book publishing industry have provided SHERI SWANSON with a wide breadth of experience. As a sales representative, her clients ranged from independent book and gift stores, to national chain store and distributor buyers. For five years, her dual roles at Publishers Weekly, as Southern Sales Manager and Religion Marketing Manager allowed her to nurture publisher relationships and develop an inside understanding of the business of religion publishing. Since leaving PW, she has built her own company, inkplot, into a source for book doctoring and reviewing, copy writing, and publishing industry consulting.
STARSHIELD LORTIE has been a student of Native American Shamanic and Toltec traditions for over 8 years. She brings a perspective of heart and truth to her work creating the space for the manifestation of her heart’s deepest desires. Her writing practice has become the road for these desires to travel. Expanding through her personal writing practice, StarShield created Writing Medicine as a way to share her journey and promote the utilization of writing as a spiritual tool. Writing Medicine includes writing workshops, a monthly writer’s group, individual coaching and more; all designed as a way to open a dialogue and remember the relationship with self that has always been there. Her first book, a collection of sacred poetry titled Voices in My Heart, is due out in September 2007.
SYBIL MACBETH is a mathematics instructor, a dancer, and a doodler. She has an M.S. in Mathematics from the College of William and Mary and was on the faculty of Tidewater Community College in Virginia Beach until 2004. Her 2007 book Praying in Color: Drawing a New Path to God introduces a prayer practice that is both meditative, active, and playful. Praying in Color is both process and product, conceived when Sybil could find no words for her prayers and picked up pen and colored markers. She began to draw shapes, writing names in them and adding lines, squiggles, dots, doodles, and color. Each mark of the pen and each stroke of color was a wordless act of hospitality – a nonverbal way to communicate with God, and the product is a prayer drawing or icon.
A former spokesperson for Miss Black USA, Inc. SHELLIE R. WARREN is a full-time writer and speaker, published in over three dozen publications including Honey Magazine, Upscale Magazine, CCM, b-gyrl.com, DOE Network and NV Magazine. Warren, who was named Miss Woman of Color 2002- 2003, is also a spoken word artist and is featured on b-gyrl.com’s compilation, The Lyristcess Lounge and Gotee-recording artist, GRITS Dichotomy A and B.
RAMI SHAPIRO is an award-winning poet and essayist, whose liturgical writings are used in prayer services throughout North America. He has written over a dozen works of poetry, liturgy, short story and nonfiction. Rami are an ordained rabbi, and hold a doctoral degree in religious studies. A congregational rabbi for 20 years, Rabbi Shapiro currently directs the One River Foundation, a not-for-profit educational center for inter-spiritual study and contemplative inquiry. His most recent books are Open Secrets, Hasidic Tales Annotated and Explained, The Hebrew Prophets Annotated and Explained, The Divine Feminine, Annotated and Explained, and The SacredArt of Lovingkindness.
The Rev. JASON SHELTON has been director of music at the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Nashville since 1998. He is a published composer, an active conductor and choral clinician, and an advocate for using music as a means of creating community in multi-faith, multi-cultural environments. Formerly a Franciscan brother, Jason received an MDiv at Vanderbilt Divinity School in 2003 and was ordained to the Unitarian Universalist ministry in 2004.
CONSTANCE BOVIER is a writer, speaker, spiritual director and retreat leader in the Houston area. Her publications include two inspirational books that build bridges between the recovery community and Christianity – More God and From the Crucible – as well as short fiction, essays and numerous articles in general interest, literary, inspirational and aviation industry periodicals. Her creativity is currently challenged through writing articles and PR in support of two non-profit organizations. She serves on the board and faculty of a regional spiritual director training program, conducts classes and retreats on a variety of spiritual topics, studies and counsels others in dreams and dream work and continually seeks new opportunities to encourage the spiritual growth of others.
ROBBIE CLIFTON PINTER is professor of English at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. She enjoys teaching writing at Belmont, and in the larger community. In both, she believes that writing is a way to hear the voice of the soul. She practices this belief through her classes and workshops, which primarily focus on all kinds of life writing (the journal, autobiography, and memoir), writing for social change, faith-based writing, environmental writing, and writing non-fiction prose. She publishes in a variety of small journals, and in 2004 her memoir about open adoption, For This Child I Prayed, was published.
To download Path and Pen brochure CLICK on the following web address:
http://www.scarrittbennett.org/programs/images/pp_web/PathPen07_broch_r2.pdf
To download Path and Pen registration form CLICK on the following web address:
http://www.scarrittbennett.org/programs/images/pp_web/Path&Pen07_regis.pdf
http://www.scarrittbennett.org/programs/images/pp_web/PathPen07_broch_r2.pdf
To download Path and Pen registration form CLICK on the following web address:
http://www.scarrittbennett.org/programs/images/pp_web/Path&Pen07_regis.pdf
Friday, June 15, 2007
Liturgies provide comfort, support to service members
U.S. soldiers return home following deployment to Iraq. The needs of service members leaving for and returning from the Middle East is the focus of a United Methodist task force of military chaplains. A UMNS photo by Staff Sgt. Chris Farley.By Kathy L. Gilbert*
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS)-Duty places a heavy burden on military service members, and warriors need to feel their faith community shares that burden with them, says a Navy chaplain who has served in Iraq.
The needs of service members leaving for and returning from Iraq and Afghanistan is the focus of a task force formed by the United Methodist boards of Church and Society and Higher Education and Ministry.
As part of that effort, the Rev. Laura J. Bender, a Navy chaplain, has written two liturgies for congregations to use in services to bless the deploying soldier and welcome home the returning warrior.
In both liturgies, the service member hears and receives words of support and love while standing before the congregation.
"I think having people come before the congregation and having the congregation send them out is saying, 'We know this is difficult, we know you leave behind your whole life. We will help you carry that burden while you go off to do what your country asks you to do,'" Bender said.
Bender was among active and retired military chaplains who met in February in Nashville with staff members from the two United Methodist agencies to find ways to teach and encourage the church to welcome and support service members and their families.
At that meeting, the Rev. Dale White said churches should think of military chaplains as missionaries. "We have a unique way of presenting God to an audience of 18-to-22-year-olds," said White, who was a chaplain for a Marine unit in Iraq for 14 months. "We bring them God-many of them for the first time."
Bender agrees and says churches also should hold a service to send chaplains out as missionaries, recognizing that they "represent more than themselves."
Long road home
Military members are not war mongers, she said; in fact, they least desire to be in battle because they have the most to lose. "It makes a difference to them that their faith community upholds them even when at times they don't uphold the reason they are fighting," Bender said.
Congregations need to know the journey home from war doesn't end when a soldier steps through the front door. Processing their war experiences can take many years.
Bender served at a field hospital in Iraq and recalls talking with a wounded 19-year-old soldier struggling to come to terms with a battlefield decision.
The young soldier and three other 19-year-olds in his troop had been attacked by two Iraqis. Each Iraqi held a little girl in front of him as a shield. "I asked him what he did, and he said he did what his training had taught him to do. That meant he killed all four," she said. "But it also meant he saved the lives of the three other 19-year-olds that were with him."
Bender was thinking of that young man and many others while writing "An Order for Welcoming Service Members Returning from War." (http://www.gbhem.org/chaplains/mltchapguideItem.asp?item_id=80)
In the service, the pastor shares that Jesus had compassion on a man who called himself Legion because he was haunted by so many disturbing spirits. The service goes on to say: "As you return to us today, we want you to have the opportunity to leave behind what is past and accept for yourself the healing and comfort that God alone can provide."
In "An Order for Blessing Service Members Deploying for War," (http://www.gbhem.org/chaplains/mltchapguideItem.asp?item_id=79)
the congregation promises to remember the departing service member with prayer, uphold them with encouraging communication and surround their loved ones in a community of care and support.
"We as a nation send people to war and, even if they pull the trigger, we actually pull the trigger," Bender says. "Until the day we say we are not going to war, we are still all liable for what happens."
Bender hopes the two liturgies ease some of the pain for service members and helps congregations offer the comfort and assistance that often is desperately needed by soldiers and military veterans.
"When I was in seminary in Washington D.C. in the '80s, I volunteered for a local soup kitchen and the vast majority of the homeless in the shelters were Vietnam veterans," she said. "I am afraid without intervention, we are making a whole new generation of homeless-of people that don't feel welcome anywhere."
*Gilbert is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in Nashville, Tenn.
The needs of service members leaving for and returning from Iraq and Afghanistan is the focus of a task force formed by the United Methodist boards of Church and Society and Higher Education and Ministry.
As part of that effort, the Rev. Laura J. Bender, a Navy chaplain, has written two liturgies for congregations to use in services to bless the deploying soldier and welcome home the returning warrior.
In both liturgies, the service member hears and receives words of support and love while standing before the congregation.
"I think having people come before the congregation and having the congregation send them out is saying, 'We know this is difficult, we know you leave behind your whole life. We will help you carry that burden while you go off to do what your country asks you to do,'" Bender said.
Bender was among active and retired military chaplains who met in February in Nashville with staff members from the two United Methodist agencies to find ways to teach and encourage the church to welcome and support service members and their families.
At that meeting, the Rev. Dale White said churches should think of military chaplains as missionaries. "We have a unique way of presenting God to an audience of 18-to-22-year-olds," said White, who was a chaplain for a Marine unit in Iraq for 14 months. "We bring them God-many of them for the first time."
Bender agrees and says churches also should hold a service to send chaplains out as missionaries, recognizing that they "represent more than themselves."
Long road home
Military members are not war mongers, she said; in fact, they least desire to be in battle because they have the most to lose. "It makes a difference to them that their faith community upholds them even when at times they don't uphold the reason they are fighting," Bender said.
Congregations need to know the journey home from war doesn't end when a soldier steps through the front door. Processing their war experiences can take many years.
Bender served at a field hospital in Iraq and recalls talking with a wounded 19-year-old soldier struggling to come to terms with a battlefield decision.
The young soldier and three other 19-year-olds in his troop had been attacked by two Iraqis. Each Iraqi held a little girl in front of him as a shield. "I asked him what he did, and he said he did what his training had taught him to do. That meant he killed all four," she said. "But it also meant he saved the lives of the three other 19-year-olds that were with him."
Bender was thinking of that young man and many others while writing "An Order for Welcoming Service Members Returning from War." (http://www.gbhem.org/chaplains/mltchapguideItem.asp?item_id=80)
In the service, the pastor shares that Jesus had compassion on a man who called himself Legion because he was haunted by so many disturbing spirits. The service goes on to say: "As you return to us today, we want you to have the opportunity to leave behind what is past and accept for yourself the healing and comfort that God alone can provide."
In "An Order for Blessing Service Members Deploying for War," (http://www.gbhem.org/chaplains/mltchapguideItem.asp?item_id=79)
the congregation promises to remember the departing service member with prayer, uphold them with encouraging communication and surround their loved ones in a community of care and support.
"We as a nation send people to war and, even if they pull the trigger, we actually pull the trigger," Bender says. "Until the day we say we are not going to war, we are still all liable for what happens."
Bender hopes the two liturgies ease some of the pain for service members and helps congregations offer the comfort and assistance that often is desperately needed by soldiers and military veterans.
"When I was in seminary in Washington D.C. in the '80s, I volunteered for a local soup kitchen and the vast majority of the homeless in the shelters were Vietnam veterans," she said. "I am afraid without intervention, we are making a whole new generation of homeless-of people that don't feel welcome anywhere."
*Gilbert is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in Nashville, Tenn.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Two new , free hymns for worship use--including one for Peace with Justice Sunday, June 3, 2007
“Here Is Peace” – a hymn for Peace or Peace with Justice Sunday (June 3, 2007)http://www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?act=reader&item_id=36304&loc_id=17,823
“Thank We All, Our Heav’nly Father” – for groundbreaking or consecration ceremonies http://www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?act=reader&item_id=36299&loc_id=17,823
Dean McIntyre, music@gbod.org Director of Music Resources
GBOD The United Methodist Church
PO Box 340003Nashville, TN 37203-0003
www.GBOD.org/worship Toll-free: (877) 899-2780 Ext. 7073
“Here Is Peace” – a hymn for Peace or Peace with Justice Sunday (June 3, 2007)http://www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?act=reader&item_id=36304&loc_id=17,823
“Thank We All, Our Heav’nly Father” – for groundbreaking or consecration ceremonies http://www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?act=reader&item_id=36299&loc_id=17,823
Dean McIntyre, music@gbod.org Director of Music Resources
GBOD The United Methodist Church
PO Box 340003Nashville, TN 37203-0003
www.GBOD.org/worship Toll-free: (877) 899-2780 Ext. 7073
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