Andy's Blog: A Personal Word

June 2007 Archive

June 20, 2007

Jun. 20, 2007

There is an old gospel hymn with the chorus, “Precious name, oh how sweet, hope of earth and joy of heaven!” I like the phase “hope of earth and joy of heaven.” As Christians, we believe that God’s love is eternal, and death does not defeat God’s plan for us.  Because of Jesus, we can anticipate the joy of heaven.

But we also believe that Jesus brings “hope to earth.” Christian faith is not just about what happens when we die – it is about how we are called and empowered to live now. In his book, Simply Christian, N. T. Niles writes that “Something happened in and through Jesus as a result of which the world is a different place, a place where heaven and earth have been joined. God’s future has arrived in the present.” God sends Jesus on a “rescue mission to the world” to “put the world right.” Because of the resurrection of Jesus, we “find ourselves lifted up, set on our feet, given new breath in our lungs, and commissioned to go and make new creation happen in the world.”

Some critics complain that Christian faith is escapist or too “other worldly.” But nothing could be further from the truth. Christ came to set this world right.  Our faith is about both “hope for earth AND joy of heaven.”

At Trinity, ministries to put the world right are a part of our vision. Whether it is feeding the homeless or teaching special needs children, we are involved in God’s new creation. This summer, missions and outreach will take center stage.  A student mission team leaves for Panama this week where they will help to build a new camp. Later in the summer, another team will travel to Bolivia where they will also be involved in a construction project. A “musical mission team” will travel to Latvia at the end of the summer.

Right here at “home,” Trinity will build a Habitat house in the Rosedale community. You have responded generously. The $44,000 needed to complete this project is almost raised (we could still use your help!). Groundbreaking will be in the near future.

It is great to be a part of a church that is following Jesus in helping to right the world.

June 13, 2007

Jun. 13, 2007

At Trinity, we welcome all kinds of families. I am the product of a single parent home and have nothing but admiration for the commitment and strength of these women. Often, they must try to fulfill the roles of both parents. Without diminishing the role, these mothers play, studies indicate that children need both parents.

Some sobering statistics as we approach Father’s Day:
• One third of American children are being raised in homes without a father present.
• Children in father-absent homes are five times more likely to be poor.
• Even after controlling for income, youth in father-absent households still had significantly higher odds of incarceration than those in mother-father families. Youth who never had a father in the household experienced the highest odds.
• Teens without fathers were twice as likely to be involved in early sexual activity and seven times more likely to get pregnant as an adolescent.
• Fatherless children are twice as likely to drop out of school.
• Children from single-parent families are more likely to be victims of physical and sexual abuse than children who live with both biological parents. Compared to their peers living with both parents, children in single parent homes had:
- a 77% greater risk of being physically abused
- an 87% greater risk of being harmed by physical neglect
- a 165% greater risk of experiencing notable physical neglect
- a 74% greater risk of suffering from emotional neglect
- an 80% greater risk of suffering serious injury as a result of abuse
- overall, a 120% greater risk of being endangered by some type of child abuse
• A survey of over 20,000 parents found that when fathers are involved in their children’s education, including attending school meetings and volunteering at school, children were more likely to get A’s, enjoy school, and participate in extracurricular activities and less likely to have repeated a grade.

This is good news/bad news. The bad news is that children without a father present are at greater risk across the board. But contained with the bad news is the good news – children with a father present have a greater chance of thriving.

We have no greater responsibility than that which God entrusts to us as parents. Every child deserves the love, support, involvement and commitment of both parents.

June 6, 2007

Jun. 6, 2007

At the end of our Annual Conference session last Saturday, it dawned on me that I have now been at Trinity for a decade, and am starting another! Our daughter was in elementary school, and my son a freshman in high school when we came. Meredith will be a junior at BSC this fall, and Matthew is in his third year of medical school at UAB. I have gained a few pounds (how many I shall not reveal) and a few gray hairs.

As I reflect back over these years, I can see in my mind the faces of some of our great leaders and saints, who have now gone before us – people like Alva Lee Hill and Hal Ferguson, their influence and presence still with us. I see smiling faces of dozens of brides and grooms I have married, and the expectant faces of some 300 children I have helped to baptize. In these years, nearly 1,500 people have become professing members of Trinity, with many more hundreds of children. Trinity has expanded its mission and outreach, built and renovated space, increased dramatically the number of our small groups, and added new ministries like ALPHA and Discovery. Our Sunday worship attendance has grown from 740 to over 1,200 last year. We have a clear sense of our mission to Gather, Grow and Go all to the Glory of God!

You have put up with my idiosyncrasies, forgiven my mistakes, and jumped on board when you didn’t know where we were going at times!  Some of the time I feel like I have a tiger by the tail, but it is a privilege to serve with you in this church where God’s Spirit is so alive.

As we begin a new conference year, we will honor Wade and Julia Griffith for their ministry among us this Sunday. Wade will move next week to serve the Trinity Church in Tuscaloosa.  Wade thinks he has died and gone to heaven since the church is two blocks from Bryant-Denny Stadium. I don’t have to tell you how gifted he is. We expect great things from he and Julia.

Dave and Angela Barnhart return for a second year. Dave has brought great insight, wisdom, humor and gifts to our staff. We are fortunate to have them both. Dave will take on the primary responsibility for the CONTACT Service, as well as continue his work in missions and singles.

Suzanne Pruitt, who has been such a gift to us, will return as our Deacon in the area of Spiritual Formation. She and her husband Glenn have brought a wonderful spirit to our congregation.

Tim Tatum will be joining our pastoral staff on June 17. Tim is a recent graduate of Candler School of Theology. His wife Stacey will be a resident in Pediatrics at UAB. Tim will be responsible for evangelism, young adults and college ministries, the Sunday evening service, and membership care.

David Thompson, who has been Director of Student ministries for the past two years, has completed his licensing as a Local Pastor in our Conference. He, too, will be appointed as part of our pastoral staff. His new title is Minister to Students. David is a truly gifted and outstanding leader.

That’s the line up! And I like to think we are still in the first or second inning with lots of opportunities ahead of us!

Thank you for the honor of serving among you and for being the church you are.

Full listing »