Hope: M.O.M.

This article will be published in the October newsletter, but because this is a new ministry and I think, one we should be excited about, I figured it wouldn't hurt to publish it here too:

During the months of April and May, 9-13 people from across the life of the congregation, gathered together each Wednesday night to share fellowship and worship, read the Bible, and discern three main things: what Cherokee’s past had taught them, what the reality of the present actually looked like, and what a “dream” future might include.  By the end of the discernment study, the consensus among the group, was that Cherokee Christian Church ought to focus their collective energy on ministry with children and those who care for children.  This decision was affirmed by the Elders and the Board, and I was charged with finding a ministry that could be sustained with our limited budget, small membership, and uncertain future.

And by the grace of God and the Spirit of Leading, I met Misty, the Director of MOM.  MOM, is a ministry with and for, single mothers.  MOM is a “…a relationship-based ministry dedicated to the restoration and healing of single-mother families.  Through small groups, personal relationships, regional events, discipleship, and inter-ministry networking, MOM seeks to equip single mothers to walk in healing and wholeness through the deeper understanding of who Jesus Christ is.”  MOM offers fellowship, seminars and continued education, family fun opportunities, accountability, and networking…all framed around the love of Jesus Christ.

Misty and I met several times, wondering and exploring how Cherokee Christian Church might be part of the lives of these single mothers…how we might offer a bit of solace and hope…and how we might be the face of Jesus Christ for these women!!  And as it turned out, MOM needed more space.

Of course, we have that in abundance.  But simply providing space didn’t seem sacrificial, relational, service oriented, or even all that hope-filled.  Especially when I had learned, through our conversation, that 89% of women who go through divorce, “lose” their church.  Or that at least 70% of all disciplinary issues within the middle school, involve children who come from single parent homes.  I also learned that the quality of life for newly separated or divorced women, drops disproportionally when compared to their male counterparts, with 30% of single mothers, living in poverty. 

The Elders and I wondered how we could be a more intentional, active presence in the life of these women.

And so, on the first Saturday of each month (beginning November 2), we will make “sacred space” for 50-75 women, who will gather for fellowship, support, learning, and nurture.  We will prepare a meal/brunch (at no cost to us), we will set up tables, and make an atmosphere of “value” for these women who may not have folks “do” for them, very often.  We will sit at table with them, listen to their story, and support them in prayer (sounds like the work of Christ followers, huh?!).  And when the morning has ended, we will clean up after them (so they don’t have to) and continue to keep them…their prayers, their struggles, and their dreams… in our hearts.

I hope that everyone might find a way to “plug in” to this community ministry, either by cooking or cleaning, setting up, or simply sitting at table with them, and being present to a group that is often overlooked.  If you have more questions and/or a willingness to be part of this exciting and life-giving ministry, please contact me (Rev. Trish) at revtrish@aol.com.

What a joy it is, to serve God in life and ministry with you….

Peace, rt

Tangible: I Have A Dream

Fifty years ago today, one of the most well known speeches in the world, took place.  "I have a dream..." by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr..  Today, preachers quote it, activists live it, children recite it, and a world yearns to know its truth.

And the people dream on...hoping, praying, yearning for a day, when equality will be made known in ways that are tangible and real and life-giving and hope-filled.

If you would like to listen to the speech in its entirety...click below.

Luke 10: Intentionality

A snippet (granted, a long snippet!) from the sermon preached on August 4:

As they went on their way, Jesus entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to what he was saying. But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work myself? Tell her, then, to help me."

But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her." - Luke 10:38-42

..........Because in that moment…the doing, has become more important than the who, that we’re doing for.  The work has become about the task and appeasement and the "proper thing" …rather than about pleasing God and hearing Jesus’ call and breathing in the Spirit in all that we do.  

It is NOT that Jesus doesn’t want us to work…to do and be the active embodiment of the Divine in the world.  It is, rather, that when we do these things…we do them remembering whose we are and who we are…people of faith, called out by Jesus Christ, to do the work of the Kingdom, here on earth.  That is who we are.  

If the bread is burnt, because we are talking to one of God’s children…that’s okay.  If the roof leaks for one more month, because one of God’s beloved needed grocery’s to feed her family…that’s okay.  If the kitchen is left dirty one night, because those who have found respite in God’s house, were celebrating one year of sobriety…that’s okay.   If the bulletins don’t get done because another was comforted in their grief…that’s okay. 

And on the flip side….

if we bake bread, so that others can eat…that’s good too.  If we fix the roof, so that others can worship comfortably in this place…that’s good too.  If we clean the kitchen, so that we can offer hospitality to the least of these…that’s good too.  If we print bulletins, so that another can lean in closer to God on a Sunday morning…that’s good too. 

It’s when we forget the heart behind what we do, that it becomes meaningless, glorified busyness. 

Sometimes I fear that we are becoming Martha’s.  So focused on the doing…of what comes next for Cherokee Christian Church…that we forget to be church.  We busy ourselves with worry and nervous chatter and hand wringing rather than the prophetic, embracing, table work that we have been called to.  And we start to stand in the doorway and call to Jesus, reprimanding those who don’t work and function and busy, the way we do. 

And somewhere along the line, we forget that Jesus is beckoning to us to do the “better thing.” To forget this – the country club with its “right way” of doing things and its cleanliness and perfectly baked bread – and instead, to give ourselves to Jesus in all its rawness and messiness and expectedness. 

One of the options before us, as a body of Christ, is to sell this building…with all its needs and busyness and bigness…and move to a smaller building…something that will accommodate our small size a little better.  But I’m going to be honest here…if we simply pluck up and land somewhere else… we’ll still fizzle out.  We will.

Unless we can remember that which brought us to this place to begin with – that deep, heart yearning that continually points to Kingdom, to Christ in our midst.  We must recapture the passion of the Spirit.  We must find Jesus and sit at the proverbial feet of the one who is calling.

It doesn’t seem like much really…but it also can seem like everything.  Because it takes a pretty significant shift.  Suddenly, we don’t just “do” church… we “become” church.  We don’t “go” to church…we are church.  We aren’t just Christians on Sunday…but are Christ’s followers everyday.  We don’t just work because we have to…we work because we are called to. 

There is an article written by Rachel Held Evans, that’s being passed around on Facebook, about why the Millenials (that age group of folks born between 1980 and the year 2000) are leaving church.  She talks about how the church gets so busy getting wrapped up in the business of church, that they forget that Jesus isn’t found in the coffee bar or the pastor wearing skinny jeans or the LCD screens.  And she says,

“You can’t hand us a latte and then go about business as usual and expect us to stick around. We’re not leaving the church because we don’t find the cool factor there; we’re leaving the church because we don’t find Jesus there. Like every generation before ours and every generation after, deep down, we long for Jesus.”

We have only to look around on a Sunday morning…and we can probably rightly assume, that this isn’t just a millennial issue. 

There is a world that longs for Jesus…and they won’t tie themselves to custom and they won’t care if the bread is burnt and they probably won’t even notice if the LCD screens are blank….but they WILL notice Jesus and how we treat each other and how we listen to the Spirit and how we move an do and work for God. 

So before we make any moves, sell any buildings, continue to busy ourselves with this…we need to find ways to connect with Jesus.  To leave the busyness behind and be church.  Let us hear Jesus, when he says, “…you are worried and distracted by many things; there is only one thing that matters,” and know all the way down into our toes, that the one thing that Jesus refers to, is him.  The Divine.  The Hope.  The Restoration.  The Promise of New Life.

Let us live as those who hear that word, head that word, and live that word. Let us give our whole selves to God…our service, our work, our prayers, and our stillness…

Yes: Five Ways To Be Unsatisfied With Your Church

This is so, totally worth the read...it's not even funny.  There is truth here.  And I thank Shane, over at shaneblackshear.com for saying it.

1. Don’t participate, merely consume.

 

If I had to say the one thing holding the American church back today, it would be a consumeristic culture. We’ve come to expect that the latest technology comes standard in our cars. Our movie theaters should  have wide rows with extra padded seats and that lean way back.

Unfortunately, we think our church should be no different. Just like the movie theater, we come when the production starts, sit in our seats, are entertained, and think we should leave satisfied when it’s over.

When I was a pastor, those most unsatisfied in our body, were those who just showed up on Sunday’s (sometimes). There was little to no participation in small groups, service projects or teaching and serving within the church.

Obviously there are those in most churches who are seekers, or young in the faith that just need to be taken care of for a season, but that should be a temporary state.

2. Criticize your leadership.

I once heard about a couple who didn’t like their pastor because he told stories about his family in the pulpit before beginning his sermons. Quirky? Yeah, kinda. Unbiblical, sinful, illegal, harmful?! Definitely not. We’ve really got understand the difference.

It’s also not fair to compare your pastor to the celebrity pastor on the other side of the country whose book we just read and now believe that every church everywhere should be run like that celebrity pastors church. Remember that celebrity pastor is in a completely different context. He doesn’t know your church, and he also doesn’t come to your home when you have a tragedy or celebrate with you when you have a baby or other joyous life event.

We’re hard on our pastors. Their job is a very public job. One that’s performed in front of an audience (by ‘performed’ & ‘audience’ I just mean that the duties of the job are undertaken in front of a crowd of people). We would do well to remember that our pastors/church leaders are human beings like us, full of quirks and wrestling with sin and struggles just like we do. Instead of seeing our pastors with targets on their backs, we should see them with love and compassion and as people who have dedicated their time to serve the body.

If you have a legitimate concern, approach your leader about it, and don’t talk about the them behind their back. Be kind, be loving.

3.Don’t spend time with your church outside of the church building. 

Most of our churches corporate gatherings serve a great purpose. We worship together and we learn together. But most aren’t very conducive to getting to know each other on a deeper level. This isn’t a failure on the part of our leadership, it’s just the nature of a larger gathering. We need these small group gatherings (not just official ‘small groups’, but parties, coffee dates, men’s/women’s nights, etc.). I’ve found that I learn more about a person over 30 minutes of sharing coffee or a beer, than I did attending liturgy with them for several months.

4. Believe that everything should be about you and for you, all the time.

Not long after Kate and I started attending our current church, they undertook a ‘season of kids’. There was additional time in liturgy given to teaching the children in the church. The kids participated in the service in various ways. Even the sermons were about child-like faith and other themes centered around children.

Kate and I didn’t have children (we now have one on the way if you’re not keeping up), and we were not ourselves children. We had to understand – not everything is about/for us all the time.
That’s not to say that we didn’t get anything from the season of kids, it just wasn’t aimed directly at us, but even that taught us something important, because the church that teaches you that everything is about you, all the time, is preaching a very different message than – lay down your lives for each other.

We were also appreciative to be apart of a church that found value in children and went to great lengths to show it to them.

5. Be unhappy with the fact that it isn’t perfect. 

“There is no perfect church, and if you find one, don’t join it because you’ll ruin it.” I don’t know who first said that, but it’s true. All churches are strong in some areas and weak in others. Hopefully churches are always working on those weaknesses, but if we can’t settle for anything less than perfection, then we’re in real trouble.

In his book “Under the Unpredictable Tree,” Eugene Peterson helps pastors be content in the church they are in. Maybe there needs to be a version for church members. In the book Peterson coined the term “Ecclesiastical Pornography.” That is the perfect term to describe the problem that so many people have. We look at the church down the street, or the church in town that’s “doing really well,” or the celebrity pastor’s church and think – “they have it all together” or “they’re doing church right.”
Many people start attending those churches and after the honeymoon period wears off, they find that church has weaknesses of its own. Sadly many people go through life thinking the perfect church is just around the corner, or as many young evangelicals do, they decide that they don’t need church at all and embark on solo-Christianity.

Church is like marriage in a lot of ways. In the beginning it’s fun, and exciting, but eventually the honeymoon comes to an end and it’s work, real work, but we find that the work is rewarding and worthwhile, and it’s work that God meant for us to be doing.

Grace: A Word from Rev. Dr. Sharon Watkins

A letter of hope... and explanation... concerning the General Assembly resolution (or, "sense of the Assembly") GA  1327, from our General Minister and President, The Reverend Dr. Sharon Watkins.

 

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ -

 

Grace and peace to you in the name of the living Christ who lives and moves among us, who calls us to the Table, then sends us forth to serve.

 

I write to share a word with all Disciples congregations following an important vote at the 2013 Orlando General Assembly.

 

In these days following assembly,my heart is prayerful; my spirit hopeful; and my love for our church is strong. Surely, God has given Disciples a blessing and a mission for wholeness,
welcoming all to the Lord's Table of reconciliation and love.

 

That blessing and mission for Disciples begins in a congregation. In congregations we come forward and make or reaffirm our confession of faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. There we are baptized, our babies are dedicated, we are married and our parents buried. Our faith is nurtured and sometimes challenged in a beloved community of other Disciples we know and love.

 

We extend the blessing as we join hands with other Disciples congregations to share God's love in our communities and around the world. We offer words and prayers of comfort and challenge, as well as hands-on help, to our neighbor in times of need. In many diverse ways, we learn the story of Jesus and invite others to walk in his love.

 

The recent vote to "adopt" Resolution GA1327, Becoming a People of Grace and Welcome to All, has significance for the Church, but it is important to recognize the nature of that significance.

The intent of the resolution is to urge Disciples to welcome into our congregations and other ministries all who seek Christ. It serves as a reminder that among Disciples we do not bar the church door or fence the table from those who desire the embrace of God's love.

 

Here is what this "Sense of the Assembly" resolution is not:

 

• It is not a statement of "unwelcome" for Disciples who did not support the resolution. All who confess faith in Jesus Christ are welcome. All means all.
•  It is not a policy change. The congregation where you worship and serve will not be requested to establish (or change) a policy on gay or lesbian persons in the life of the Church. The region where your congregation is affiliated is not required to change its policies on ordination. Your pastor is not required to bless same-gender marriages.
• It is not a theological mandate. It does not say that we have the same biblical understanding of sexual orientation or gender identity. Disciples, prayerfully and with biblical study and other research, come to their own understanding on these matters.

  

This resolution does, however, carry symbolic importance in the life of our Church. It reminds us that our baptism into the living Christ continues to be our common ground

 

It points out that within the broad membership of Disciples, among the many congregations in covenant with each other, there have always been gay and straight, lesbian, bi-sexual and transgender persons who participate fully in the life and leadership of the church.It urges us to treat each other with gospel hospitality as we seek to understand each other better.

 

My deepest hope is that, in the coming weeks and months, with God's help, we will continue in worship and mission together even when we profoundly disagree - as we have so often done before - recognizing that it is God's covenant of love that binds us to God and to one another[1] in Christ. My prayer is that together we will continue to witness to God's gift of reconciliation and wholeness before the brokenness of the world.

 

United though not uniform, diverse but not divided, let us name our differences, then claim our common calling to be and to share the good news of Jesus Christ who came "that the world might be saved". (John 3:17)

 

Your sister in Christ,

 

General Assembly: Day 4

I have many thoughts swimming through my heart and soul tonight...but I seem to lack the clarity of thought, to commit them to paper (or internet, as it is!). 

So I would draw your attention to the "business" of the church...as an Assembly, we gather every two years to discern, discuss, and vote (though we use that word with hesitation) on issues that relate to the life of the church and the world it functions within.  This year, there were three "biggie" issues which included parental leave, drone warfare, and the full inclusion of GLBT persons into the life of the church.

If you'd like to follow along and see what's happening with these resolutions, you can find the link here. You can also find ministry reports there too...as well as an overview of how a resolution makes its way to General Assembly (which, if you're sorta a geek like me, you might find interesting!).

But about that "vote" that I referenced....

As you may know, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) stands by the idea of congregational autonomy...which means, that though we have a few "essentials" (which will be a future blog post)... for the most part, each congregation makes its own decisions, hires its own leaders, decides how to disseminate its financial gifts, interprets scripture, and practices the faith INDIVIDUALLY... without a judicatory or hierarchical body mandating the parameters. 

Because congregations practice autonomy, it also means that when the General Assembly gathers and "votes" on something (like say, full inclusion of all persons into the sacraments of the church), said vote becomes what is called, a "sense of the Assembly."  This means...that the denomination is leaning in this direction (at least those who have gathered)....but it's not a mandate for the local congregation.

That's frustrating for many of us...especially when these "sense of the Assembly" votes move the arc of justice and inclusion and hope in such a way that points to God... but it's also a gift.

We live in a world that is very "black and white" with stark lines drawn between Democrat and Republican, Liberal and Conservative, Pro-Life and Pro-Choice, Homophobic and GLBTQ Advocate, Pacifist and War Supporter, Christian radio listener and Top 40 jammer...you know.  But the church (because of this congregational autonomy, which means that we readily and willingly fall on both sides of just about EVERY issue) gets to figure out how to live together and talk together and argue together and pray together and weep together and break bread together... because we're in this together!

We know, deep in our souls, that unity is not about likeness of mind...but about likeness of Spirit. We know that sometimes, thoughtful dialogue is the spirit at work.  We know that sometimes God uses dissension in the community of faith to increase our capacity to love [Suchocki].  We know that relationship trumps doctrine. 

And what a gift we have to share with the divided world...a gift of new vision: a vision of the Kingdom of God, in all of its diversity and messiness and confusion and gray areas, that is still united in Spirit and Love!!

What a gift it is, to be church.

Thanks be to God...

rt

Prayer: Finding

We will not find

that needed justice

in our apathy;

we will not find

that elusive wholeness

with our quarreling;

we will not find

our hoped for unity

with our doctrines;

we will not find

our misplaced love

with our hating;

we will not find

that rest we crave

in our overflowing planners;

we will not find

the peace you offer

in our well nursed grudges.

but

we will find you

in the brokenness of the Bread

and in the breaking of our hearts;

we will find you

when we drain the Cup,

refill it with our gifts,

and offer it to a little child;

we will find you

when we squeeze closer together,

making room at the Table

for all your people.

Help us to find you,

God in Community, Holy in One. . .

 

Amen.

~ written by Thom Shuman