Staying on Mission

I have to be careful.  I have seen my friends and even mentors in the ministry try to make a point of something they have seen out in the world, only to be misunderstood in their efforts.  But I was so dumbfounded by what I saw the other day that I feel it is worth the risk. 

I was standing in line in the busy lobby of a local business.  The line was moving quickly, and there were a dozen of us waiting in line.  It was one of those moments when everyone in the place could hear every conversation spoken because of the close quarters.  Up ahead, the gentleman who was finishing his transaction asked to purchase one more item, worth less than a couple of quarters, and presented a $20 bill for tender. 

“No.”  The clerk told him no.  I was dumbfounded.  She tried to get him to use a smaller bill, but he did not have one.  He walked away, perfectly polite, never offering a word of protest.  But I did.  From my place in line, I asked her if that was even legal.  I remembered some old rule from Citizenship class specifically stating that U.S. currency must be accepted for the payment of debts (I later looked it up and it is The Coinage Act of 1965).  But beyond that, she went on to admit that she had the change, just not much left, and she was not about to give it all to him when he could go to a bank to get change and come back!  Again, I was dumbfounded. 

What added to my confusion and later dismay was that I was standing in a United States Post Office.  Most of us know the USPS is struggling to regain profitability, long since gone with the arrival of leaner competition and the advent of email.  Their own Vision 2013 statement, in an effort to turn things around, says their first priority is to “Focus on what matters most to customers.”

What happens when a company or organization forgets its mission?  When it forgets its purpose?  I believe in the USPS, and have faith that their restructuring efforts will soon right the ship.  But the attitude that a customer wanting to buy a stamp is an inconvenience will not help them get that done.  Imagine if the church acted the same way?  None of us would be welcome, because the truth is all of us come wanting and needing.

May we never forget our mission: to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world!  Grace and Peace, Scott

Busy

   Some weeks just get busy. We held our our annual Charge Conference, last Tuesday, where we connect to the larger Connection of the United Methodist Church. This meeting called for 30 pages of forms, over 100 letters to be mailed out, and dozens of signatures. to be obtained. At the end of the week, hundreds gathered to connect with our history, as we celebrated Homecoming and our 50th Anniversary.  The speakers were awesome and inspiring, and the meal was amazing. Preparing for the celebration meant we had audio contractors in the sanctuary, work done on our sign on the street, landscaping happening out front, furniture moving up and down the halls, and thirty or more volunteering on Saturday to spruce things up. In between these two events our church stopped to celebrate the lives of two beautiful women, who have been a connected to our church for years. We also created and mailed bulletins, paid the bills, met with visitors, visited the hospitals, returned phone calls, and all of the other routine tasks of the church. Some days and weeks just get busy. 

   It is all good stuff, all worthwhile, but sometimes the amount just increases with no end in sight. We know what that is like, when needs begin to press in so close, that stress rises and feelings of inadequacy mount. What are our options? At one point, early in Jesus' ministry, similar busyness started to pile up. The word spread, and people started lining up to be healed, to be taught, and to be discipled. As followers of Christ, aren't we called to meet everyone's needs?  To get it all done?  To not let anyone down?

   Mark 1 tells the story well.  Jesus has been bombarded with needs.  One witness suggests that everyone in town came to ask something of Jesus.  How did he handle it?  When the moment had passed, and the day was over, he went off got quiet and he prayed.  Jesus never let the crush of needs of one day take him away from the larger need to find balance and stay grounded in his larger purpose. We cannot be ready for the next thing if we never slow down to rest from the previous.  I want all of the great servant leaders within our community to hear this - don't be fooled into thinking that high-gear is acceptable all of the time. Rest. Slow down. Pray. 

   Busyness happens.  What do you do when it passes?  

   May you know the grace and peace of Sabbath. Scott

Built to Last

   Henry Ford is famous for founding of the Ford Motor Company and for developing the assembly line process of mass-production.  His introduction of the Model T automobile revolutionized transportation and American industry.  Ford is counted as one of the great visionary companies of all time, and is widely studied for its longevity and legacy.
   Did you know that Henry Ford did not start the company because he thought the Model T was a great idea?  In fact, he did not develop that model until 1908 - five year after the company was started.  First he rolled out Models A, B, C, F and K.  Ford Motor Company was actually one of 502 companies started between 1900 and 1908 to build automobiles!
   Jim Collins, best-selling author of great business and leadership books, has found that some of the most enduring companies were founded long before they figured out what their 'great idea' would be.  The great ideas often come later.
   None of us know exactly what was going through the minds of those few dozen who gathered on Rosemont Drive on September 25, 1960.  We have no records of grand visions, or elaborate strategies.  Probably because there were none.  They simply intended to start something that would help them, and help others.  They set out to start a Methodist church in this neighborhood, because that is how they were led.  I'm glad they did.  For this church has touched the lives of thousands, through our worship, our study, our service, and our presence.
   Despite the great 50 years we celebrate this week, I believe we are an example of an enduring organization that has not yet figured it all out yet.  We are impacting lives and doing great ministry, but we remain a work in progress.  I love that about this church.  We are willing to move forward, without all of the answers.
   Happy Birthday Epworth United Methodist Church.  May we all continue growing in God's grace.

Home is the place where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in

   Robert Frost once wrote, “Home is the place where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in.” While Frost was referring to a fictional character, returning to a familiar place to spend his last hours, I believe the same truth applies to us in the real world for the whole of our lives. 

   The home I'm thinking of is not a place bound by geography.  Home is larger in scope and significance.  Home, for many, is more defined by a feeling.  The word I use is peace.  Home should be where peace is found.  For many of us, home is also defined by people.  For example, both sides of our family gather on any number of occasions throughout the year at any number of places.  When we get together, the location is not nearly as important as the people.  Home is not about a place or an address.  Home is bigger than that.
   What is interesting is how silent the Hebrew Scriptures are concerning the idea of home.  Of course, they refer to homes, and folks have homes, but it is never a central theme.  Once into the New Testament, home does play a role in Jesus' life, but ironically its significance is more about the fact that Jesus did not have a home.  Throughout the Gospels, people are trying to figure out where Jesus is from? (John 9:30)  And at one point, Jesus says that he does not have a place to lay his head (Luke 9:58).  Before it is all over though, we are told what sort of eternal significance home will have.  We get some clarity on home.  In Revelation 21:3 a voice from the throne declares, "the home of God is among mortals."  
   How often, in our songs, our stories, and even our teaching, have we professed that our eternal home is some place else?  Yet here, the final word seems to indicate that heaven comes crashing into earth.  God's Kingdom, finally come, will be here on earth.  The eternal reign of God, where peace and mercy and justice and love prevail, will be here, with us, where we have always been.  
   As we approach Homecoming, with the thought that God's home will one day again be here on earth, what sort of preparations should I be taking now?  If Revelation tells of God's Homecoming to earth, and God's peace will reign, should I begin living in ways compatible with that?  I believe that is the message of this church.  Grace and Peace to you, Scott

Our History is More than What and When

   Standing before those gathered, he starts by referring to the past.  He begins to retrace history, talking about the whens and the whats of the past.  But anyone with ears to hear, listens as more than just dates are being given.  The leader weaves into this history some of the whys that go with whens and whats.  Each turn in history, east twist of fate, is offered with a unique perspective of why that event is significant today.  And before he is through, the past has been brought to the present, and the present is made important because of the impact it plays on the future.
   This well could describe the speech given by any corporate leader standing before shareholders, presenting the company's latest plans for expansion.  It could easily be the military general, addressing the gathered troops on the eve of their campaign.  It could be the patriarch and oldest of the generations of family, sitting around the table after the meal, holding forth for all who will hear.  Or, it could be the prophet from ancient scriptures, bringing back the people to their destiny.  I'm thinking about Moses or Joshua standing before the people about to enter the Promised Land (read in Deuteronomy 27).
   Doesn't it also resemble the words spoken by the preacher on Sundays where Holy Communion is celebrated?  The liturgy of the church recalls not just God's saving acts throughout history, but also makes clear the reason why God has acted with such power and might: His great love for us.
   But this specific instance actually happened this past weekend at a baptism.  I was privileged to stand before a congregation in Statesboro and hold my niece, Wesley Diane Hagan, and talk about how God's grace in the past will change her future, for good.  That very moment brought full circle events that had happened in that very place over 70 years before.  Our God is amazing.
   This is the very essence of why our church gathers every week for worship, and even every year for Homecoming.  To hear again our history, more than What and When, but also the Why.  We are here to change lives, make disciples of Jesus Christ, all for the transformation of the world. 
   Grace and Peace, Scott

Getting the Answers Right

   Jay Leno, who debuted for a second time as host of the Tonight Show, has again made popular the concept of a roving sidewalk-reporter. His 'Jaywalking' sketches feature easy questions that draw crazy responses from the average gal or guy on the street. On the few occasions that I'm still up that late, I find these hilarious. But despite the humor, we know that we are not best measured by words, are we? For as funny or serious, or right or wrong, our words can be, we know actions to be much truer indicators of who we are.
   Every congregation will make statements about their love for children, and the value they place on having children involved. Think about the place Jesus gave them in Mark 10:14.  What about our actions? One of the great blessings our church is in the midst of experiencing is the growing presence of children every Sunday morning. Their energy, and the hope that accompanies them, are great encouragement for us all. How do we give the right answer, beyond mere words, when asked about how we value children? 
   We teach them right from wrong, and show them the love of Jesus. We listen to their silly stories, knowing that they are watching how we live out our own life-stories. We have fun with them in play, and give them room to be serious, too. Each of those moments happens best when adults, in groups of two, are working with small groups of children. This very formula helped create a great week of Vacation Bible School.
   Committed adults stepped forward this week for training in new ministries that will allow these very things to happen.  Volunteers are also trained and abide by our Safe Sanctuaries protocol, because we will do whatever it takes to protect our children and our leaders. These are leaders willing to use gifts to teach, serve, and play with kids. 
   Every time a leader stoops over to be present in the life of a child, they are giving answers that speak volumes - sometimes without ever saying a word.  That is how right belief leads to right action. Grace and Peace, Scott

I Loved It So Much...

  Do you remember Victor Kiam's famous phrase, "I loved it so much I bought the company"?  He was referring to his first Remington electric shaver, which his wife bought for him years before. This was the tag-line in commercials throughout the 80's. He liked the product so much, he literally bought the company. That is what I call taking ownership!

  That is the thought I had earlier this week as I looked out the door of my office to see Susan Snider, our church's administrative assistant, pushing a dust mop down the hall. Nowhere in her job description is housekeeping mentioned, but she thought the floors at the entrance needed a little attention right before the funeral in our church that same afternoon. That is what I call taking ownership!

  I've seen it before from Susan, in these first couple of months since I arrived. She goes the extra mile, communicates with everyone who needs to know, checks after things that need checking, and does the little things that go to the heart of what it means to think like an owner, not just an employee. I had countless folks tell me upon my arrival that Susan is one of the best assets our church has, and I've now seen it firsthand.

  Of course, the church is not something to be owned.  With Jesus as her leader, the church is larger than any person, be they listed on staff or in ministry from the pews.  The church stands across the centuries, and partners with God into the future.  Yet, there is something to be said for folks who see their role as more than filling a spot, or punching a clock.  In his best-selling leadership book, The Fifth Discipline, Peter Senge says leaders within great organizations are “connected and bound together by a common aspiration.”  This is one of the wonderful truths about this church: people are connected through a sense of ownership about how things go, and how we dream they can go.  It is ownership, in the best form of the word.  Susan Snider gets that, along with countless others within this great church.  Well done church.

I Was Wrong

   A few weeks back, I opened the teaching in worship with an illustration about an over-priced mansion in Door County, Wisconsin.  I said that it would be a tough sell anywhere in this housing market, but the fact that the $23 million estate was located in Wisconsin made it doubly hard, despite the pet mausoleum that came with the property!  I went on to suggest that this was anything but a destination for celebrities, vacations or retirement.
   I was wrong.  My friend Katherine, who sat there quietly that morning and listened, dropped some information on my desk later that week about any number of resorts there, a great community for the arts, and some of the other reasons that make Door County the ‘Cape Cod of the Midwest.’  Who knew!  I want to apologize to everyone from the Door County Chamber of Tourism…  But seriously, this vacation destination suffers from what many worthy groups already know – if people do not know about you then they will most likely never visit.  It is all about visibility.
   The same is true for the church, but with a twist.  Tens of thousands in this community know things about Epworth – they just don’t know you are a part of Epworth.  They know you attend church, and practice living your faith in your daily walk, but not that your faith is being shaped constantly here in worship, study and service.  They know you, but don’t know you are Epworth.  I love it when folks within the church introduce me as their pastor – but I hope people are talking about their church just as much or more when their pastor is not around. 
   Our location here in the tall trees of this great neighborhood makes visibility for our church a challenge.  It is a challenge that our leadership talk about regularly.  But our best assets – not buildings or property – are visible every hour of every day in front of the most important people in the world – our neighbors.  You are our best asset.  You are worth coming to see.
   Grace and Peace, Scott