Make New Friends, But Keep the Old

I ran into one of our Scout Leaders early last Sunday morning as he was preparing to take the Troop to their summer camp in Oklahoma.  After he left I found myself reminiscing about the Scouting experiences I had had as a girl.  This song came to me that I learned beginning in my first Brownie Troop.  The first verse goes like this:

Make new friends

But keep the old

One is silver

And the other, gold.

I bet some of you are singing it right now!  This fun song is the one the Acts 16:5 Initiative uses to help us remember the value of long-time friendships and the importance of making new friends.

In Jesus Christ, becoming faithful people is what we all are striving to do.  Our own transformation and the church’s transformation will take place in energetic ways when we put this powerful idea to work.  Here’s a reminder of the way it works:  Next time you invite “gold” friends over for a meal or for dessert, invite someone that may be relatively new or “silver” to your gathering.  It could be an office co-worker or a neighbor or someone who’s been visiting the church.  The big challenge is NOT to talk about the church during your time together, because, of course, that would leave out the people who do not know the church well.  Bringing others into our circle of friends is how our own lives of faith are enlivened and stretched.  One of the fun things about meeting “silver” friends is learning about who they are and finding out about their lives, their interests and their faith.

Today in our busy and full lives, it may be too much to ask to have people over to our home, so another option is to change the venue.  Meet at a restaurant and have a meal together.  Meet at an ice cream parlor on one of these hot summer evenings and have conversation while enjoying cold, creamy cones.  Another alternative is to invite gold and silver friends to a game of some sort.  The possibilities are endless.

On the 4^th of July, my husband and I were invited to a parishioner’s home for dinner and homemade peach ice cream.  Yum!  There were people there, some of which we knew and some of which we did not.  What an enjoyable evening we had in lively conversation with both “gold” and “silver” friends.  It was an important reminder to me of making the effort to expand our circle to include those to whom God will surely lead us.

Our Lives

Building One Another - Vol. 11, No. 3
Dear Friend, One of the loveliest comments in the writings of the Apostle Paul is his word to the Christians in the town of Thessalonica:                                          “So deeply do we care for you that we are determined to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you have become very dear to us.”  I Thessalonians 2:8 You immediately see these people were people to Paul and not merely objects, students, customers, patients, or parishioners to whom he had something to offer but with whom he had no relationship. Indeed he had a very deep and personal friendship with them and makes it clear they were so dear that he and his team not only shared the good news about Jesus but entered into the complexities that come of shared personal lives. It’s a joy and a calling for each of us to teach and share the truth and wonders of God’s Word to people. Never forget, however, that they are people who long to be known personally.  Enter into their complex lives as you come alongside and share your own personal life with them. One joyful way to read what the apostle wrote is to re-read it and ask yourself if Jesus would say the same words, “So deeply do I care for you that I am determined to share with you not only the gospel of God but also my own self, because you have become very dear to me.” You see immediately that is exactly what Jesus would say, exactly what he did do, and precisely what you and I are invited to do as well.
With joy- E. Stanley Ott Copyright 2012 E. Stanley Ott *Scripture from the NRSV
To view archived issues and to subscribe:  www.buildingoneanother.org

Turn Serve Wait

Building One Another - Vol. 11, No. 2
Dear Friend, Occasionally while reading Scripture for the shear pleasure of opening ourselves to a word from the Lord who loves us we come across a wonderful pithy summary of the life of faith. I Thessalonians 1:9-10 is just such a succinct word: “For the people of those regions report about us what kind of welcome we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols, to serve a living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath that is coming.”I Thessalonians 1:9-10* The apostle Paul was explaining how the people of Macedonia summarized the response of the people of the town of Thessalonica to the good news about the person of Jesus. They turned – from idols.           They served – a living and true God (that is to say the            real God).                     They waited – for Jesus (the Jesus whom the real                     God raised from the dead).   What a wonderful summary of the entire Christian life. In your life – make the “turn” from that which is less than the God who loves you – choose to “serve” the God who loves you – and between now and the time you are face to face with Jesus – “wait” for him in trust in him. May the one who rescues us from the wrath to come encourage your heart this day.
With joy- E. Stanley Ott Copyright 2012 E. Stanley Ott *Scripture from the NRSV
To view archived issues and to subscribe:  www.buildingoneanother.org

Charity Begins at Home????

There is no question God calls us to care for the needs of our personal family, but he also calls us to care for the needs of the members of our local congregations. Theologically that is called being “communal” or caring for the needs within the Body of Christ.

Often church Deacons organize and deliver meals to homes, offer financial assistance in times of crisis, stay in touch with college students via gifts during the school year, and offer tangible support to those in the armed services and those in prison.

Health Ministry teams keep in contact with members struggling with illness and offer support and guidance. The Stephen Ministry provides one on one compassion and care during times of stress, loss, or illness.

Small groups frequently offer the most comprehensive support and care!  Small groups support each other in so many practical ways: ...Showing up with chain saws to clear fallen trees … helping someone pack up for a move … meals shared and prayers offered! Charity {compassion and care} is indeed extended and available to each of us in our local congregations.

However, God not only calls us to be "communal” but also “missional” {offering God’s compassion and care to those outside our faith family.} We are sent into the world to bring God’s healing to people’s lives and society in general.

It is not a question of being either communal or missional.
 We are called to both!

When I hear someone say, “Charity begins at home.” …I must admit it sounds selfish with the underlying message - “Charity not only begins at home, it stays at home.” 

Oh, yes, we must care for the needs of family, but we care at home for the purpose of making us stronger for ministry outside our walls!

Maybe this is a better way to say it,

"Charity begins in the heart of God, flows through us for each other, and streams into the world!"

                                        

 Grace and Peace in Jesus,    

Linda Jaberg

Managed Schedules

I’m one who takes pride in managing my schedule.  If you ask me, Microsoft Outlook is a wonderful tool of ministry!  I like to have all of my appointments, prep time, meetings, planning, study, Sabbath play, and family events laid out nice and neat on the computer screen in front of me.  But life and ministry is always so nice and neat, is it?

The great 20^th Century theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer once wrote:

“We must be ready to allow ourselves to be interrupted by God.  God will be constantly crossing our paths and canceling our plans by sending us people with claims and petitions.  . . . it is part of the discipline of humility that we must not spare our hand where it can perform a service and that we do not assume that our schedule is our own to manage, but allow it to be arranged by God.”

Have you ever considered that your schedule is God’s to arrange?  Look at your calendar for the coming week.  Is there room in it for God to interrupt?  If God did interrupt, how would you react?  With frustration or grace?

Wisely managing our schedule is an important task for any ministry leader.  But let’s not forget God is the ultimate manager of what happens in the days marked out on our calendars.  May we always have the discernment to recognize God’s interruptions.

Grace to you,

Steve Ebling

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[i] From Life Together, by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, p.99.

A Transformational Defining Vision, Part Three

In Part One of this series we looked at how your personally utilize your congregation's Defining Vision.  Part Two examined how ministry teams might better use their Defining Vision.

In this third installment concerning the vision of glorifying God, making disciples, and meeting human need, you are invited to reflect on the questions from a big-picture view of your congregation.  One overall question to ask is: Do you believe your congregation generally knows what the vision is?  Could most of the participants in your community of faith speak the words by heart?  From the viewpoint of standing on a balcony looking at your congregation as a whole, how much of your life together is driven by this vision?  Here are questions divided into the parts of the statement:

In Your Congregation:

            1)  How are you doing as a congregation in glorifying God?  If Christians don’t

                        only exist for themselves in a church, who does your church need to be

                        thinking about in terms of worship?  Who is not in worship that you are

                        called to reach?  Does your church need to offer something in the area of

                        worship that you do not offer at this time?  And in terms of your current

                        worship services, are they planned and executed as well as they could be? 

                        Could they be improved?

            2)  How are you doing as a congregation in making disciples?  Who do you

                        know who is new to faith in Christ and how is the church helping them in

                        their faith journey?  What is your congregation’s vision of what mature

                        disciples ought to look like?  Are you being called to be more intentional

                        about helping people get there? 

            3)  How does your congregation meet human need?  Do you sufficiently help the

                        community of faith to know they are “sent” to do Christ’s work and mission

                        in the world?  Are there fewer ways that you could serve in order to be more

                        effective?  Who asks the hard questions in your congregation about what

                        God wants your church to be doing and to not to be doing in mission? 

                        What service to others for Christ brings your congregation great joy?

Perhaps you might have your Acts 16:5 Team or your session focus on some of these questions this fall.  As I said in the first blog entry of the series, vital and energized people create vital and energized churches!  That is what God has called us to be and d0.  I hope the focus on your vision will help your congregation become more focused in your life together and in your work for Christ.

In Christ,

Anne Clifton Hebert

A Transformational Defining Vision, Part One

A few years ago, the church where I serve adopted our church vision: Worship God, Prepare Disciples, Serve the World.  It is similar to the Acts 16:5 Initiative focus of glorifying God, making disciples, and meeting human need.  Since most of us in churches are starting a new program year, I thought it would be helpful to revisit the vision and see how it is playing out in three areas: our personal lives, our ministry teams/groups, and in our congregations.  In three blog entries, I’m going to ask a series of questions that I invite you to pray about and to act upon from the standpoint of where your congregation is.  In this article, I invite you to reflect on these questions in regard to your personal life.

In Personal Lives:

            1) Are you taking time to glorify God in your own life?  Are you attending worship

                        services on a regular basis?  Are you taking time to worship God daily?

                        Are you reading the Bible and spending time with God?  Are you inviting

                        others to worship with you or to attend a worship service with you?   What

                        worship service in the last six months really got your heart pumping in

                        God’s holy presence?

            2) In what part of your life are you being prepared as a disciple?  Are you in a small

                        group, a study group and/or a church school class?  Are you not only reading the

                        Bible but also studying it?  With what portion of your life are you devoting

                        and developing mature faith in Jesus Christ?  Who are you inviting to walk

                        with you in discipleship?  Who are you discipling in the Christian walk?

            3)  How are you meeting human need?   How do you offer service in Christ’s name to

                        others?  When is the last time you participated in a service ministry of the

                        church or in a community organization?  To what form of mission is God

                        nudging you to pursue?

It might be overwhelming to read all these questions.  You may have answers to some of them and not to others.  I encourage you to pray about these questions and, then, to write answers to them in a journal or record them in the notes section of your smart phone.  Later you can go back and see what movement you have made, with God’s help.  Perhaps the vision doesn’t fit with where you are in your personal life.  You may want to form your own vision.  Whatever your vision is, God gives all of us opportunities to glorify God, make disciples. and meet human need every day.  It’s a vision that offers us a great adventure in faith. 

Vital and energized people create vital and energized churches!  That is what God has called us to be and d0.  May we reflect our love of God in the way we personally live and fulfill God’s vision.

In Christ,

Anne Clifton Hebert