One Way to Get to Thankful

“In a time when many people only want to talk about themselves, my grandmother, who is 89, had the least to say when I asked her about herself. Instead, she wanted to share stories about her community, her friends, and her children.”

Amanda, from Tennessee

   This week we slow down a little more, eat a little more, and hopefully do a little less.  Holidays can help remind us of our place: we are created to work and to rest, and leave the 'savior of the world' role for One who can handle it.  This is the essence of the Commandment to observe the sabbath: we are not God and the world does not stop when we take time to rest (Exodus 20).  My prayer for you this Thanksgiving holiday is that you are thankful and that you find rest and peace, in the company of loved ones.

   But how does one arrive at an attitude of thanksgiving? I've recently heard about one way to get there. Listening.  What better way to grow in our awareness of a deep sense of thanksgiving, than to listen and celebrate God's work through the lives of another?

   The National Day of Listening is a new national holiday started by StoryCorps in 2008. On the day after Thanksgiving, StoryCorps asks all Americans to take an hour to record an interview with a loved one, using recording equipment that is readily available in most homes, such as computers, iPhones, and tape recorders.  Read more at nationaldayoflistening.org.

   I think this is a beautiful way to steer our spirits toward a deep thanksgiving. On a day when family and friends are often already together, we should spend some time listening. May God pour out blessings this week, and every week, upon you that create thankful hearts.

   Grace and Peace to you, Scott

A Celebration of Consecration Sunday

Sunday was great. We had a great congregation in worship with us. The music was awesome. The Rev. David Haygood’s message was inspiring, funny and right on. Finally, we had a great meal, offering the powerful encouragement that comes when sisters and brothers fellowship together around a table.  Just a few days out from Thanksgiving, we would all agree we have much for which to give thanks.

The Bible talks at length about giving and offerings. It says that every person is to give back to God. As I see it, giving is commanded by God while written commitments are desired by the church. Commitments help the church to make plans for ministry and be good stewards. Commitments can also help a person to set goals and be personally accountable. The question before us is, “How is God leading you to respond to what God is doing in your life?”  In my life, making a pledge is an important, holy moment.

Rev. Haygood was so right in making it clear that what is right for one family does not apply for everyone.  Some individuals are just starting the regular habit of giving to God’s Ministries – we were there not many years ago – while other persons and families have considered ways to move beyond the tithe.  I know for a fact that age or income level has no bearing on where a family might be in this practice.  It is of little importance what has gone on in the past.  What matters to God is the effort you make in the present.  The Apostle Paul affirms this in Scripture, 

“Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”  2 Corinthians 9:7

Grace and Peace to you, Scott

A Note Saying Thank You

   I read a while back about a fellow in Nemo, Texas, who decided to thank some people around him.  He chose garbage workers and the crews who help us keep our homes, yards, and streets clean.  He took a picture of his 20-year-old garbage can and mailed it, along with a letter of thanks, to the head of the sanitation department in Dallas.  A few days later he got a letter in response, thanking him for his letter but admitting it had caused a problem in the office.  Though they had been in operation for decades, his was the first thank-you letter they have ever received and they had no place to file it!  

   We talk about saying thanks in the church all the time. It often sounds churchy, too.  Of course, we say thanks to God, who is the giver of all good things.  We are to be thankful for life and the abundance of blessings we have and continue to receive from God.  But could it be that the concept of giving thanks might be expanded?

   There are some people around us who deserve to hear 'Thanks' from time to time.  I can think of teachers, public safety workers, nurses, and custodians.  The list is extensive.  Most of us think about those whose contributions, now, make a difference, now, in our lives.  But what about saying thanks to those who served before?

   I want to say thanks to our nation's Veterans.  For those whose service, and sacrifice, made a difference then.  I hope we are all aware that their service continues to make a difference now. For those who serve now, and for those with loved ones serving, thank you.  Truth be told, if we all wrote a letter for every moment, every instance, every milestone that we were able to experience because of the freedom given us by the Veterans of our nation's military, there would not be a building large enough to file them all.
   May we be those counted as thankful.  Grace and Peace to you, Scott

Campaign to Change The World: One New Marriage At A Time

  As I type this, polls are open across our country.  People are voting here in of Epworth, as we host our neighborhood Polling Precinct, for the first time.  But we know elections are larger than one day, with monies and months spent gaining support, getting out the vote, garnering endorsements, and even a little time spent going over the issues.  State records show that as of today, contributions of $174,125 were made to campaigns from within the bounds of our local Zip Code, 31904, alone.  

   People give money and give time to campaigns because they believe their efforts will mean something.  What if we approach other aspects of life with the same passion as political campaigns?  

   Our church, as of last month, has joined the ranks of 100 other local churches to campaign for a cause as important and critical as any in our country: healthy marriages.  More specifically, we want marriages to get started in intentional ways that lead to sustainable, great, relationships.  Because we know that the home is the very fabric of who we are.

   We have joined a local, grassroots collaborative known as Right From the Start.  In 2008, concerned community leaders came together to launch a community wide initiative designed to strengthen marriages and families in the Columbus Region.  It is based on  a highly successful model from Chattanooga, TN.  In the end, Right From the Start seeks to increase, to a substantial degree, the percentage of children being raised by their moms and dads in healthy families. If we are successful in achieving this objective, fewer children will be at risk and our communities will be safer and better places to live and work. 

   Our church is committed to this sort of campaign.  We are want couples engaged to be married to go through premarital counseling, in addition to the 2-3 sessions I expect of every couple marry, in order that they get started right.  We want to offer classes, education, and inspiration to couples of all stages of marriage to continue to do the hard work of staying in a relationship.  We do this because the scriptures tell us it is the very stuff of our souls.  Jesus reminds us from Genesis that in marriage "two become one," (Matthew 19).  Whether in singleness or marriage, we want every person to life abundantly.  We believe this is a partnership that can better help that happen.

   Grace and Peace to you, Scott

When a Thing is Right

   How do we respond when a thing seems right?  I read in the Scriptures of people rejoicing and being affirmed.  When the disciples are returning and celebrating the chance to do great ministry out in the community, Jesus speaks of the eternal significance of what they are doing (Luke 10). Later, Jesus talked about how heaven rejoices when lost things are found (Luke 15).  The Apostle Paul, throughout his letters to churches and leaders, affirms people when they are acting right and thinking right.  He encourages others to follow the people doing right, and strongly speaks against following the advice of people who get things wrong too often (Philippians 2-3).  We are to rejoice with, and to affirm people when they get things right.  Consider it holy encouragement.

   Rejoicing and encouraging are certainly my reactions to the work of our Church Council last week.  One, among many, of the key initiatives our leaders voted on is the start of partnership with the Pastoral Institute called the Congregational Assistance Program.  We know the Pastoral Institute for its excellence in providing care, teaching leadership, and supporting ministry.  I’m thrilled that Epworth is entering into a partnership that allows our congregation to tap into these resources even more intimately.

   The CAP program is a ministry that provides counseling services, life enrichment education and professional development opportunities for members of congregations and pastors through a contractual relationship with the Pastoral Institute.  Our people will now have access to Christian counseling at greatly reduced rates, and priority given when calling to make appointments.  The goal is to see congregation members within two days or even sooner.  Our church leadership saw the overwhelming asset this offers.  This is a new layer of care we have access to.  While I love listening and sharing with people, conversations will arise that call for a level of wisdom and expertise that I don’t have.  It makes sense in so many ways. 

   We have great people – our church is literally filled with the great saints of God.  But even saints have trouble.  This program increases access to care.  In addition, our fee is waived for first eighteen months, through a grant the PI received to help churches get on board.  Now, that is what I call something right!

   I want to rejoice with our church, and affirm our leadership, for consistently seeking the care for our members and live into Jesus’ vision for ministry.  This is just one of the ways we are positioning ourselves for the future.  Well done, church.

An Ancient Craft: Mentoring

  One of the great, epic stories from ancient Greece tells the story of Odysseus, trying to return home from battle but on the way faced near-impossible challenges of morals, strength, emotion, and wits.  Before  left behind a wife, Penelope, and a son, Telemachus.  But before he left, he asked a friend to take the lead in helping his son grow and mature.  That friends name was Mentor.  Around the same time our own scriptures tell how Moses, in the wilderness, receives wise counsel from Jethro in a role we would all agree today was that of mentor to learner (Exodus 18).

  Fast-forward over 2500 years to 1699, when a French novelist, François Fénelon, writes a story with the intent it could be used to help raise princes and sons.  The lead character in the novel is called Mentor.  The book was very popular for over 150 years, and it is from here that the character of Mentor is transformed into the act and concept of mentoring.  

  One of the great blessings I have is serving as a mentor to six United Methodist Ministers in our South Georgia Conference.  Along with one other mentor, I help to encourage, correct, inspire, and travel along with some of the finest ministers our Conference has.  It is a process we call the Residents in Ministry (RIM).  After three years of meeting one day a month, these men and women will go before the Board of Ordained Ministry in March to be examined for ordination with our Church.  In addition, I now oversee all of the RIM groups in the conference, which means I'm the one to recruit new mentors.  One day a month, for three years, may sound like a significant commitment to serve outside of the churches we are appointed to; but don't we know the most significant things in life call for the deepest commitments?  Isn't it true, that the best things take time?  Haven't we found that the strongest relationships, and with them the greatest influence, don't happen over night?

  I think this concept of mentoring is at the core of Paul's understanding of the Gospel.  He writes about how this looks in ministry, when he instructs Timothy and others in the church:

And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses 

entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. - 2 Timothy 2:2

  The concept of mentoring has been around forever, and finds its way into our literature and our lives.  In what ways is God calling you to teach and lead others?  May we be the place where this ancient practice is found alive and well.

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