Well Worth It

   How do we value what we do? Popular commercials on television suggest that some things are priceless, implying that some experiences are beyond measuring in terms of cash value. I would agree.

   What about in the church? Are there some experiences that bring value above any monetary description?  For instance, can a value be put on the impact that was had on the children, families, and volunteers who were with us last week at Vacation Bible School?  Can such an experience, touching hundreds of lives, be translated into a figure?  I think we'd all agree the answer is no.
   On Monday of this week I made a 16-hour trip across the state to Epworth by the Sea and back at the invitation of our Bishop James King, to participate in a three hour thinking-session.  The topic was around how to connect ministers and laypeople even better to achieve our Kingdom work.  Upon leaving the meeting, and turning to head home, any number of us asked the obvious question: was it worth it to have 100 people drive from all over to attend?  The truth is, the answer to that is yet to be determined.  We'll know more based on how our work turns out, which might take years to develop, but the start is very promising.
   Which is precisely true in the church, as well. We work now, invest now, and spend now, all with the hope of future returns.  We prayerfully put forth energy and resources in the now because we believe in the future.  Not just with children, but with every person who enters the life of this church.  Jesus referred to the difference between treasures that can be stored here on earth versus those stored in heaven (Matthew 6).  Epworth is filled with people investing in Kingdom treasure.  Well done, church.

The Second Half of Life

When work for most people meant manual labor, there was no need to worry about the second half of your life.  You simply kept on doing what you had always done. And if you were lucky enough to survive 40 years of hard work in the mill or on the railroad, you were quite happy to spend the rest of your life doing nothing. Today, however, most work is knowledge work, and knowledge workers are not "finished" after 40 years on the job, they are merely bored.

Peter Drucker, Harvard Business Review, 1999

  This quote by Peter Drucker, easily the most influential writer about modern business management, is taken from an article titled Manage Oneself.  He is pushing us to see the bigger picture: to move beyond the now, the immediate, and instead see life as a whole.

  Surely, the same can be applied with great results to organizations beyond the profit-driven world of business.  What lessons can the church learn from such thinking?  What provocative questions for the church arise when thoughts about the second half of our life begin to appear?  Are there areas of ministry that take on added value when we are able to take time out from the now, and turn our attention to the not-yet?  How would it change our focus?  How would we act differently?  Borrowing Drucker's words, how can we stay inspired by ministry, and avoid boredom?

  I believe this week’s Vacation Bible School is one small answer to many of those questions.  Children don’t contribute to the financial bottom-line of a church’s budget, they actually take from it, but their value is far greater than dollars and sense, isn’t it?  They redirect us to the future.  They offer hope that what we are doing in the now might be carried on for God’s Kingdom purposes into the not-yet.  The ways we engage and invest in ministries of children, youth, and missions will shape the second half of our life.  And that is something worth thinking about, as our church is just weeks away from celebrating its 50^th birthday.  Grace and Peace to you, Scott

The Sound of Praise and Preparation

I was sitting in my office late in the day, when half a dozen or more folks walked past my office and said hello.  I kept about my work of learning that comes with starting new at a church.  I am listening, asking questions, and attempting to study any of a thousand aspects of the ministries and efforts of this great church.  It is mind-blowing, and thoroughly inspiring, to learn everyday of the many varied ways this church cares for its people and this community.

At some point not long after I found myself humming a familiar tune, and eventually singing the words I knew.  I realized, after a while, that my voice was literally joined by the voices of others, coming from down the hall.  Not being the smartest person in the room (I was alone) I had to think through what was happening.  I rose from my desk and soon found that the voices came from the Fellowship Hall,  Those same persons who had earlier spoken to me were now busy rehearsing for the coming Sunday's Contemporary Service.  Like their counterparts in the Traditional Service choir, they gather every week to prepare to lead others in worship.  In this case, many of these voices represented young people.  

I returned to my desk again inspired by the people of this church and their commitment.  Psalm 7 extols us to, "give to the Lord the thanks due to his righteousness, and sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High."   The song they were singing, by the band out of Atlanta known as Casting Crowns, included these words:

I want to sign your name, to the end of this day,
knowing that my heart was true.  Let my lifesong sing to You.

Isn't that the chorus of every follower of Jesus Christ?  Our prayer is that at the end of the day, God's handiwork would be seen in the words we have spoken, thoughts we have had, and work we have  accomplished.  Let it be.

Well Done, Church

Sunday was July the Fourth.  More than a date on anyone's calendar, it is a holiday for persons and families everywhere to spend extended time enjoying the freedom that our nation has established over two centuries of defense and vigilance.  It is freedom won by soldiers, sailors and airmen, who leave behind home and family to where they are needed.  July the Fourth is a celebration.  July the Fourth is a mindset.

Sunday was July the Fourth, but thankfully, I witnessed first-hand that our congregation was right where it should have been.  I'm not talking about location or geography.  I would never dare suggest people need to be in worship every weekend.  I believe that people should be absent from worship from time to time: when away on vacation, or in town but under the weather.  But what I witnessed were the great people of Epworth extending hospitality in ways that received notice.

After worship, I spent some time with a young couple, first-time visitors to our worship at Epworth, and they mentioned repeatedly how welcomed they were.  They spoke about those sitting around them in worship, and those who greeted them afterwards.

A few years back the United Methodist Church adopted language that now appears in our Book of Discipline (¶ 122) describing "welcoming and gathering" as one of the primary tasks.  These actions were at the center of Jesus' ministry, and they are necessary of every congregation seeking to bring people into a life of growing as disciples.  Epworth put these beliefs into action.  Well done, church.