I have written this last blog many times in my head. Each time it is a variation of my purpose for the blog and how that purpose was met.
My blogs began with the purpose of establishing communication between the disciples at Epiphany and me. I believe that open communication is essential if a congregation (or any organization for that matter) is to be healthy. Limited communication and secrets kill a congregation and so we had to open the communication system. By doing this, it was my hope to set a new tone at Epiphany.
In the very beginning, the blog addressed the reality of the decline in 2010. (I would later learn the decline began in 2007.) Until we could acknowledge and have consensus about Epiphany’s decline in worship attendance and financial resources, change and growth were impossible.
The early blogs also addressed the hurts and despair many were feeling. Some were mourning the loss of friends who left Epiphany. Others were mourning the loss of Pastor John because of the pastoral help he gave when a husband died or a marriage was in trouble. Others were mourning the loss of trust in Epiphany’s leadership. Until the disciples at Epiphany were willing to acknowledge and minister to those who were hurting, healing could not happen. The blog was to be one medium for such acknowledgement of pain and hurt.
Those early blogs were meant to offer hope. There was a future before Epiphany but many inside and outside Epiphany wondered if hope for a future was an illusion. Without a future there is no reason to live. Therefore, talking about Epiphany’s future was essential in starting the growth process.
I believe that two ways to bring comfort and hope are to change the language and change the stories that are told. Several blogs pointed out the importance of verb tenses like “I should have...” which centers on the past while “Next time I will ...” looks to the future. If we could begin to attach our language and stories in the future, the spirit of Epiphany would change.
The blogs then began to change the stories we told. We began to tell stories about Operation Prom Dress, about The Pantry, about the ministries that were meeting the needs of disciples at Epiphany and those outside Epiphany’s community of faith. Changing the stories meant Epiphany’s culture was changing as well.
Eventually the blogs became more personal. They shared with disciples thoughts stirred by the books I was reading, how faith and daily life walked hand in hand, and the difference ministries were making in the lives of people. The rationale behind these blogs was two-fold. First, the Holy Spirit was continually stirring the pot at Epiphany which is a good thing. Second, for any ministry to be supported it must be shown that it is making a difference in the lives of people. It was very important that the good ministries of Epiphany be advertised to Jesus’ disciples and those who needed to hear about Jesus.
When the weekly e-newsletter replaced the bi-monthly newsletter, the nature of the blog changed once more. The blog became more personal and the inspirational message in the e-newsletter would be for teaching and growth in the Christian faith. When the blog began to be advertised in the e-newsletter, its readership doubled and sometimes tripled compared to before it was advertised.
This is the 77th blog that I have written. As I put the words on the screen, I see the blogs as a chronology of the changes that have occurred at Epiphany over the last 20 months. We have all changed in our time together and we will continue to change in the future. But the purpose remains the same: We love Jesus by serving others. We love Jesus when we honestly acknowledge what is happening, minister to those who are hurting, look to a preferred future, see the Holy Spirit stirring the pot, and rejoice that faith and daily life can walk hand and hand.
Pastor Pete
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Grounding The Present
I have always found it helpful to ground the present by understanding what is currently happening and what I can expect to happen in the future. As I look at what is happening at Epiphany, I think of a planning model the compares planning with the church’s worship calendar. Let me explain.
The church year begins with Advent. Advent is a time when we prepare for the second coming of Jesus. In recent history, the Advent season included preparation for the celebration of Jesus’ birth on earth. In this planning model, Advent is the time of new ideas or the defining of a preferred future that God has in mind for us. For Epiphany, Advent was defining the attributes our congregation wanted in a new senior pastor. The Advent season also included the search for a new senior pastor. Advent is a time to look to the future.
Christmas follows Advent. In the worship calendar, Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus on earth some 2,000 years ago. It is a time when the hope of God’s intervention into human history through a savior was realized. For Epiphany, Christmas was the call to Pastor Woodward and his acceptance of that call. From my observations, the disciples at Epiphany and Pastor Woodward are giddy about the call and the acceptance of that call. The giddiness of both is a sign of a healthy congregation and the new senior pastor. Each has received God’s gift of intervention in their lives.
Epiphany follows Christmas. Epiphany is the time when the gift of Christmas (Jesus) is shared with the world. It is the time when we joyfully tell the world what God has done. It is the time when we invite the world to come and see how much God loves us. For our congregation, the Epiphany season is upon us. The disciples at Epiphany are telling their friends about the new senior pastor. We are inviting others to come and see. We are also sprucing up the building. We are making sure everything is in order for the arrival of a new chapter in our life as God’s people. As we experience the next two to three months, remember we are in Epiphany. Celebrate and enjoy.
Lent follows Epiphany. Lent is a time of evaluation. It is a time to make adjustments. Lent for Epiphany will be when Pastor Woodward realizes and deals with the ways that Epiphany has traditionally celebrated worship, community life, and pastoral care and when Epiphany realizes that Pastor Woodward has his own particular views on these matters. Discussions on how we worship and deliver ministry together will be the order of the day. Epiphany and Pastor Woodward are both very healthy in their spiritual lives; therefore, the working through Lent will produce a new and a vital community and ministries.
Easter follows Lent. Easter is the longest season of the year. Easter brings forth all that proceeded it. It is a new creation, a new life together. It is accepting God’s love and doing God’s will. We all pray, I am sure, that Epiphany’s Easter will be a very long one.
I hope all of this helps in grounding Epiphany in what has happened over the last 19 months and what is yet to come.
By the way, the same worship calendar, and the explanations above, work in our individual lives, our life with our family, friends, and colleagues.
Pastor Pete
The church year begins with Advent. Advent is a time when we prepare for the second coming of Jesus. In recent history, the Advent season included preparation for the celebration of Jesus’ birth on earth. In this planning model, Advent is the time of new ideas or the defining of a preferred future that God has in mind for us. For Epiphany, Advent was defining the attributes our congregation wanted in a new senior pastor. The Advent season also included the search for a new senior pastor. Advent is a time to look to the future.
Christmas follows Advent. In the worship calendar, Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus on earth some 2,000 years ago. It is a time when the hope of God’s intervention into human history through a savior was realized. For Epiphany, Christmas was the call to Pastor Woodward and his acceptance of that call. From my observations, the disciples at Epiphany and Pastor Woodward are giddy about the call and the acceptance of that call. The giddiness of both is a sign of a healthy congregation and the new senior pastor. Each has received God’s gift of intervention in their lives.
Epiphany follows Christmas. Epiphany is the time when the gift of Christmas (Jesus) is shared with the world. It is the time when we joyfully tell the world what God has done. It is the time when we invite the world to come and see how much God loves us. For our congregation, the Epiphany season is upon us. The disciples at Epiphany are telling their friends about the new senior pastor. We are inviting others to come and see. We are also sprucing up the building. We are making sure everything is in order for the arrival of a new chapter in our life as God’s people. As we experience the next two to three months, remember we are in Epiphany. Celebrate and enjoy.
Lent follows Epiphany. Lent is a time of evaluation. It is a time to make adjustments. Lent for Epiphany will be when Pastor Woodward realizes and deals with the ways that Epiphany has traditionally celebrated worship, community life, and pastoral care and when Epiphany realizes that Pastor Woodward has his own particular views on these matters. Discussions on how we worship and deliver ministry together will be the order of the day. Epiphany and Pastor Woodward are both very healthy in their spiritual lives; therefore, the working through Lent will produce a new and a vital community and ministries.
Easter follows Lent. Easter is the longest season of the year. Easter brings forth all that proceeded it. It is a new creation, a new life together. It is accepting God’s love and doing God’s will. We all pray, I am sure, that Epiphany’s Easter will be a very long one.
I hope all of this helps in grounding Epiphany in what has happened over the last 19 months and what is yet to come.
By the way, the same worship calendar, and the explanations above, work in our individual lives, our life with our family, friends, and colleagues.
Pastor Pete
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Anniversaries Are Important
Westermann writes in his commentary, Genesis 1-11, that the purpose of the primeval stories in Genesis is to give stability to the present by connecting the present to God’s creative acts at the beginning of the world. His contention is that we all need to have stability in life and that is especially true when we are in a time of chaos. As God established stability and order in creation, we can expect God to do the same today.
I am also reading a small book on worship, Things Central, by Gordon Lathrop. In the first two chapter, Lathrop maintains that one of the benefits of following the same liturgy each week is that the repetition provide familiarity and stability to worship. He continually talks about the need to know what is happening in worship, to be comfortable with that order, and to have your feet firmly planted in that order.
As I am reading these two book simultaneously, I am recalling a book I read many, many years ago about having a healthy family. One chapter in that book advocated for family traditions. Healthy families have weekly, monthly, and annual traditions. The purpose of family traditions is to provide a glue that holds a family together in happy celebrations and in challenging times.
I write this blog about stability, familiarity, and the glue that holds life together one day after Joyce’s and my 46th wedding anniversary. The insights of all three books mentioned above come into play.
Reflecting on Westermann’s idea of stability, anniversaries provide roots that hold fast in both happy and challenging times. Our anniversary celebration reminds us of the stability we have in living together, sharing together, and in loving together.
Reflecting on Lathrop’s idea of familiarity, we both know what to expect and how to respond to anniversaries, birthdays, and those personal, special, days within our relationship. We don’t have to guess about what we should do or whether or not we have done enough. There is a peace in living out the familiar.
Reflecting on the glue that holds us together, the anniversary cards we exchange are chosen with great care. Over the last couple of years, they have had a common theme; namely, we have successfully survived our years before children, raising two children, and being empty-nesters; therefore, the same love will let us eventually downsize when it is time to move into a new house or condo which requires much less work and then to move into whatever health facilities that are needed.
I thank God for our anniversary and all that it provides; stability, familiarity, and a bonding glue. So let me ask, Where do you find stability, familiarity, and the glue that holds life together?
Pastor Pete
I am also reading a small book on worship, Things Central, by Gordon Lathrop. In the first two chapter, Lathrop maintains that one of the benefits of following the same liturgy each week is that the repetition provide familiarity and stability to worship. He continually talks about the need to know what is happening in worship, to be comfortable with that order, and to have your feet firmly planted in that order.
As I am reading these two book simultaneously, I am recalling a book I read many, many years ago about having a healthy family. One chapter in that book advocated for family traditions. Healthy families have weekly, monthly, and annual traditions. The purpose of family traditions is to provide a glue that holds a family together in happy celebrations and in challenging times.
I write this blog about stability, familiarity, and the glue that holds life together one day after Joyce’s and my 46th wedding anniversary. The insights of all three books mentioned above come into play.
Reflecting on Westermann’s idea of stability, anniversaries provide roots that hold fast in both happy and challenging times. Our anniversary celebration reminds us of the stability we have in living together, sharing together, and in loving together.
Reflecting on Lathrop’s idea of familiarity, we both know what to expect and how to respond to anniversaries, birthdays, and those personal, special, days within our relationship. We don’t have to guess about what we should do or whether or not we have done enough. There is a peace in living out the familiar.
Reflecting on the glue that holds us together, the anniversary cards we exchange are chosen with great care. Over the last couple of years, they have had a common theme; namely, we have successfully survived our years before children, raising two children, and being empty-nesters; therefore, the same love will let us eventually downsize when it is time to move into a new house or condo which requires much less work and then to move into whatever health facilities that are needed.
I thank God for our anniversary and all that it provides; stability, familiarity, and a bonding glue. So let me ask, Where do you find stability, familiarity, and the glue that holds life together?
Pastor Pete
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Virtues Are Important
Two comments dominate my thoughts at this moment. The first is a comment in COMING APART, a book by Charles Murray. His comment is, “Europeans work to live while Americans live to work.” The second comment is made by many of my friends; namely, “When Pete goes on vacation, it is a busman’s holiday.” I resemble both of those comments.
For the past 15 days I have been traaveling with Joyce. I have been in South Dakota where Joyce and I visited Custer State Park for its rock formations and Mt. Rushmore. We then traveled to Custer’s last stand battlefield in Montana. Here park rangers at the battlefield corrected a misconception that I had of Custer. I now see him in a much more favorable light; namely, he is not the renegade that I thought he was.
Our next stop was the hot springs at Thermopolis, Wyoming. This is a very clean and neat small town that is absolutely determined to stay small. Using Thermopolis as a model, I outlined an article on how congregations use the same principles as Thermopolis to stay small. My guess is that article will be published in December by the Southern Ohio Synod.
At Thermopolis, I began work on this week’s sermon. I was not very happy with the appointed lessons but I believe there is great value in following the lectionary because that discipline keeps me from only preaching on texts that I like. You will hear the sermon this weekend.
Our next stop was Yellowstone National Park where we stayed in three different lodges over a six day period. From here we took a day trip to the Grand Teton National Park. We always drive the “scenic route” so we were in a traffic jam of bison who have no reguard for others on the road. Great fun once the bison jam was behind us.
During these six days I finished COMING APART which is good because I will be part of a discussion on that book tomorrow (Wednesday).
We had a 400 mile drive from Yellowstone to Glacier National Park. On that drive, Joyce and I had a wonderful conversation. Murray in COMING APART argues that America became the nation it is because of four virtues; namely, its people were industrious, honest, married, and religious. Our conversation centered around the question, “If Murray is right about the virtues, what are the virtues Christians claim that makes them what they are?” Here is our answer to that question.
The 10 Commandments are the virtues on which we build a denomination or a congregation. They define how we relate to God and to each other. They are our core operating values.
The virtues of good personal relationship, are the fruit of the Spirit in Galatinas 5:22-23: “...the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control...” Biblical commentaries argue that “joy, peace, ...” are the characteristics of love therefore the verb is singular.
The virtues of evangelism are, 1. believe what you say, 2. live what you say, and 3. show others that your beliefs make a difference in your life.
The virtues in Christian marketing are, 1. you get one chance to get it right, 2. it is about the audience you are addressing and not you, 3. repetition is essential, and 4. consistency is a must.
The virtues of stewardship are, 1. all life is a response to what has been given to us, 2. it is biblical, 3. giving is connected to ministry, and 4. don’t be afraid to ask.
All in all, my vacation was exciting and restorative. There was scenery that inspired, my understanding of history was corrected, and there was time for some creative thinking. I hope your vacations have the same positive effects as mine has had on me. By the way, if I asked you to name the virtues by which you live, what would they be?
Pastor Pete
For the past 15 days I have been traaveling with Joyce. I have been in South Dakota where Joyce and I visited Custer State Park for its rock formations and Mt. Rushmore. We then traveled to Custer’s last stand battlefield in Montana. Here park rangers at the battlefield corrected a misconception that I had of Custer. I now see him in a much more favorable light; namely, he is not the renegade that I thought he was.
Our next stop was the hot springs at Thermopolis, Wyoming. This is a very clean and neat small town that is absolutely determined to stay small. Using Thermopolis as a model, I outlined an article on how congregations use the same principles as Thermopolis to stay small. My guess is that article will be published in December by the Southern Ohio Synod.
At Thermopolis, I began work on this week’s sermon. I was not very happy with the appointed lessons but I believe there is great value in following the lectionary because that discipline keeps me from only preaching on texts that I like. You will hear the sermon this weekend.
Our next stop was Yellowstone National Park where we stayed in three different lodges over a six day period. From here we took a day trip to the Grand Teton National Park. We always drive the “scenic route” so we were in a traffic jam of bison who have no reguard for others on the road. Great fun once the bison jam was behind us.
During these six days I finished COMING APART which is good because I will be part of a discussion on that book tomorrow (Wednesday).
We had a 400 mile drive from Yellowstone to Glacier National Park. On that drive, Joyce and I had a wonderful conversation. Murray in COMING APART argues that America became the nation it is because of four virtues; namely, its people were industrious, honest, married, and religious. Our conversation centered around the question, “If Murray is right about the virtues, what are the virtues Christians claim that makes them what they are?” Here is our answer to that question.
The 10 Commandments are the virtues on which we build a denomination or a congregation. They define how we relate to God and to each other. They are our core operating values.
The virtues of good personal relationship, are the fruit of the Spirit in Galatinas 5:22-23: “...the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control...” Biblical commentaries argue that “joy, peace, ...” are the characteristics of love therefore the verb is singular.
The virtues of evangelism are, 1. believe what you say, 2. live what you say, and 3. show others that your beliefs make a difference in your life.
The virtues in Christian marketing are, 1. you get one chance to get it right, 2. it is about the audience you are addressing and not you, 3. repetition is essential, and 4. consistency is a must.
The virtues of stewardship are, 1. all life is a response to what has been given to us, 2. it is biblical, 3. giving is connected to ministry, and 4. don’t be afraid to ask.
All in all, my vacation was exciting and restorative. There was scenery that inspired, my understanding of history was corrected, and there was time for some creative thinking. I hope your vacations have the same positive effects as mine has had on me. By the way, if I asked you to name the virtues by which you live, what would they be?
Pastor Pete
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