Jesus is Alive through our Church

   Since starting as the Bishop of the South Georgia Conference as September, Lawson Bryan has kept our focus steadily on the question, "Where are we alive together in Christ?" He loves the verses from Ephesians 2, "But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ..."
   It was my friend Allison Lindsey, who helps coordinate disaster response for the 650 UMC congregations in South Georgia, who referred to the amazing "ALIVE sightings" during the past month of storms. She included local churches opening as shelters, Wesleyan College opening their campus to evacuating families of their students, and our Methodist Children's Home in Macon hosting the Florida Methodist Home kids and staff.
   I've seen and heard of similar amazing "ALIVE" sightings in our own church just this week:

• A mom and her two sons spent all day Tuesday serving local older couples, they'd never met before, in their yards
• A family pooling their $10 talents to provide care packages for utility workers
• Another family baking and delivering cookies and drinks to utility workers all over Houston County as they worked 
• One woman coordinating a host of others to prepare meals to feed evacuees housed at Trinity UMC
• People donating diapers and wipes to help flooded families in Texas
• One family of three donating filled UMCOR cleaning buckets and then collecting money to fill more of them
• Others opening their homes to welcome people without power

   Hear Paul's words, again, "God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive together with Christ." Jesus is alive in Houston County when his church loves its neighbors! Grace and peace, Scott

Lost! She was knocking on our front door...

   The doorbell was ringing and someone was knocking repeatedly. Well, that is what Julie told me when she woke me up! The clock showed 5:40 AM, which my body knew immediately was a half an hour before my alarm was set to go off. Yet, I could hear the knocking and went to check.
   Standing on our front porch, with tears streaming down her face, was a young girl looking for her mom. Along with her older brother, the three of them had joined an early-morning running and exercise group, known as a boot camp, and had made it to our church from their starting point at the parking lot of the Baptist church. Her brother had run ahead and she was left behind.
   The story turns out great. She calmed down immediately while sitting on our front porch and left her mom a voicemail on her phone. We talked about Middle School and playing basketball and soon enough we could hear the call of her mother through the trees a block away.
   It happens. We get separated from the crowd. Sometimes our brothers run off. It unsettles us. It should. We were made to run together. We are supposed to travel in the company of others. So, the young girl standing on our steps could have been any of us and maybe has been us, at one point or another. What did she need in that moment?
   Really, this same scene is played out every week at the front door of our church. People walk up looking to attend worship, or our youth or children's ministries, or they come looking for help with food or clothes. All them are looking to connect. All them are looking for someone to travel with. God has literally made us to help them. We are made to connect. As Christians, we are commanded to be those who open the front doors of the church and welcome them. Serving them with hospitality and compassion, connecting them and offering comfort, showing them that better days are ahead; this is what it means to serve through the church.
   This is exactly what Ministry Sunday on August 28 is about - showing us where and how our time and care can help put the world back together for the people who come to our church. We will hear from volunteer Team Leaders in 8 main areas: hospitality, care ministry, students, children, office administration, worship, events and missions.
   People walk up every week needing the same thing our new friend did that morning: to be reassured they were in a safe place, to be called by name, to have someone care about them, and to know that they could be reconnected to the best stuff of life. Serving on ministry teams is what it means to be the church.
   Grace and peace, Scott

Nine Days in Bonaire

   What we do says a lot about who we are, right? I was walking across the street to go to work one morning, still basking in the glow of a great event at the church the day before, when I realized how many of those we are experiencing these days. Let's take stock of what we are in the midst of:

Mission Marketplace – saw hundreds of people from around the community visit our building, greeted by our people, and leave with untold treasures and gifts to give. And, we raised over $3000 towards missions in the process!

Ladies Night - brought together over ___ men and women for a great meal and the joy of singing along to tunes of the season and years gone by. Thanks to great work by our Men, it was just simple fun. 

December Food Pantry and Clothing Closet - on Friday will provide warm clothes and nourishing food to our neighbors in need of something to help makes ends meet. It includes prayer, hard work, and lots of grace. It is scriptural, it is an act of generosity, and it is beautiful. 

Belize Mission Trip Meeting - we're committed to growing a relationship with a village in Central America in order to care for the bodies and souls of our neighbors there. Interested people start making plans this Sunday at 2 PM.

The Christmas Cantata - offers the eager anticipation of Christmas through the songs of Russell Mauldin's Bethlehem Morning. Members from both the 8:30 AM and 11:00 AM choirs and a host of other volunteers will make it happen, then everyone is invited to stay for refreshments, afterwards, hosted by our Methodist Men.

All of this is happening in the short span of nine days at Bonaire Church. Add to this list worship with traditional and modern songs, children learning and singing and playing, young people growing in their faith, and adults all over the campus in Sunday School, as well. Nor does this list include the countless prayers being offered in homes, at work, in hospital rooms, and all places in between by our people for each other and the world.
   What does this say about our church, the body of Christ living in our community? We sing. We give. We go. We pray. We serve and we are served. God is calling you to be a part; where will you plug in?
   Grace and peace, Scott

Where did it all start?

   Where did it all start? The bible offers a couple of different stories that each describe where it all started. Genesis 1 proclaims the world got its start when a word was spoken in the midst of chaos: the word brought order and goodness. Genesis 2 offers a complimentary version, one that describes a partnership between God and man and then one between man and woman, and describes the start of the world as happening in a garden.
   In worship on Sunday, we heard from our church's own history that our congregation got it's start in a pastor who had a vision and another congregation in the Sandy Run area that gave him permission. It was 121 years ago this week that the permission and vision of those two miles up the road were combined with the passion and perseverance of families here in Bonaire to form one church with a purpose.
   My own story starts in a chemistry class on the campus of Georgia Southern College back in 1966, when a young co-ed searched for a friendly face to partner with in lab in order to improve her chances of passing the class. Her eyes landed on a young guy from Screven County and here I am today. I must say, like my mom, I love math and physics a lot more than chemistry.
   What about your story, where did it start?
   Who was there at the beginning?
   Who had a vision for what needed to happen?
   Who were the permission-givers?
   What partnerships were formed that made the difference?
   Let us be thankful to God for the mighty acts of God that have brought us to this place. Let us not stop with thanksgiving for the past, though. Let us be counted as those who are helping to write new history. Let us be among those with vision and commitment and a sense of purpose. Paul, writing to the church in Corinth (2 Cor 5:17), said, "So then, if anyone is in Christ, that person is part of the new creation. The old things have gone away, and look, new things have arrived!" I believe God is calling us to help people "get started" all over again. I think that looks like one-one discipleship, or teaching children in Sunday School, or praying with people every other Friday in our food pantry and clothing closet, or growing in our giving, or starting a morning devotional routine.
   Grace and Peace, Scott

George Clooney and Bob Watson

   If you were like us, most night of television don't offer enough choices to warrant the high prices we pay to have six billions channels stream into our homes. Every once in a while, there are two things on that we want to watch at the same time. On Sunday, we were mostly watching an NFL game with a couple of channel changes from time to time for Julie to stay up to date with the Golden Globes over on NBC. This is the three hour show that recognizes winners from the world of television and movies for great acting, directing, music, and a host of other categories. The night was hosted by two brilliant - though not without controversy - female comedians, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, who keep the night going with their commentary and humor.
   We didn't watch much of the awards show, but people have been talking about one particular moment ever since. Julie showed me a clip the next day. Commenting on something that had just happened, Tina Fey said this:

“George Clooney married Amal Alamuddin this year. Amal is a human rights lawyer who worked on the Enron case, was an advisor to Kofi Annan regarding Syria and was selected for a three-person UN commission investigating rules of war violations in the Gaza strip ... So tonight, her husband is getting a lifetime achievement award.”

Apparently they love to poke fun at Clooney, so this moment had extra meaning for those who keep up with their annual appearances at this event.

   Really, Fey was not joking, was she? So very often, we recognize the wrong things. We give awards for the wrong categories. We highlight the wrong statistics and appreciate the wrong achievements. Whether it be trophies for professional athletes, accolades for celebrities, or contests to find the next big star, our compasses point in every direction but true. Andy Unger says he once heard that Americans used to look up to television stars because the best people were on television and we aspired to be like them. Now, we often tune in to see some of the worst people and are just proud we are not as bad as they are. 

   On Tuesday, I stood before Barbara Watson, some of her family, and the other members of the downtown Columbus Lions Club to speak at a memorial service they had in honor of Mr. Bob, a Lion since 1976. Before it was my turn, twenty people had already taken their turns expressing appreciation for his legacy. I must say, at that moment, there was no question to whom the award was supposed to go. Four months after he has passed, his legacy still shines brightly.

   Our vision for 2015 is that Epworth GLOWS. We believe every person is called to Give God first place, Learn God’s truths, be Open-minded and forgiving, Worship 24/7, and Serve and give generously. This is the kind of life that heaven applauds. This is the kind of life that receives the greatest of recognition. Grace and Peace to you, Scott

You Cannot Get There From Here (Without Walking)

So stand with the belt of truth around your waist, justice as your breastplate, and put shoes on your feet so that you are ready to spread the good news of peace. Above all, carry the shield of faith so that you can extinguish the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is God’s word. - Ephesians 6:14-17

   

   A five-hour ride got us near the beach last week for a few days. Like most people, we drove to the beach. But, technically the car only got us to the parking lot. Our feet carried us to the beach. Unless you’re down in Daytona, most beaches cannot be accessed without walking. 

   Next week, we hope to attend my family reunion in Lake Junaluska, NC. It is a six-hour ride to get there. If you’ve ever been on the Blue Ridge Parkway, you remember seeing and stopping along those roadside overlooks that offer expansive views of the valleys and mountains. But, to really experience the terrain and the majesty of God’s creation, you have to get out of the car. All you can see from the car is the treetops. The mountains, pushed up by granite and cut by water, cannot be seen without some effort. 

  The same is true for the waterfalls of North Georgia, Providence Canyon just south of here, or the best concerts, shows or meals in this town or any other. Our feet are integral to abundant living. 

   Paul says as much in his passage about the full armor of God. Along with the place of truth, faith and the Bible, he says our feet are necessary to spread peace. Because you cannot get to some places without getting up and get going. We have to get up. Peace - the very thing our world and our lives need more of - can be reached only if we actively work at it. Spreading peace is not achieved with drive-by tactics. 

   We have to walk next door to speak to our neighbors. We have to run down the hallways, chasing and playing with kids. We have to stand in the kitchen and prepare meals for Rose Hill, Open Door, or that family that just lost a loved one. Then those meals have to be delivered or served. None of this happens sitting down. 

   My prayer is that we would take the truth we already know - we must get up and get active to experience the best stuff of life - and apply it to our life as disciples of Jesus. 

   Grace and peace, Scott