Andy's Blog: A Personal Word

January 2009 Archive

January 27, 2009

Jan. 27, 2009

Sam Shoemaker, who is one of the founders of a magazine/movement called “Faith At Work,” sums up the Christian life in this way:
Get changed, get together, get going. Have a transformational encounter with Jesus Christ, then surround yourself with supportive and honest spiritual companions, and then start sharing your gifts in meaningful ministry and service.

For some folks, it doesn’t happen in that order. I know people who went through the “get together” stage before they got changed. Conversion for them happened because of the experience of Christian community. Or it happened for them, as they studied/reflected on scripture. I know other people for whom the order was service first. They found Jesus as they worked on a mission team or fed meals to the hungry. 

Whatever the order, this is a pretty good summary of the Christian life. It is the one, which we try to model at Trinity with our mission statement:
Gather, Grow, Go. 

As a congregation, we want to help people “come to Jesus,” to have that transformational experience from this encounter. We also strive to help people get it together, to grow in that experience – to learn what it means to be a follower of Jesus. And we want to help people put all that to work by finding avenues of service/ministry. 

It is a three-legged stool. If you have ever sat down on a stool that is missing a leg, you know what happens. It takes each to support and hold up our faith. 

January 20, 2009

Jan. 20, 2009

Shortly after the fall of the Taliban, writer Rory Stewart ventured across Afghanistan on foot to gather firsthand impressions of the country and its people. His book, The Places in Between, records the following conversation about a long-ago and forgotten Christianity:

“Goz Hasle is a very old village, God be praised,” said the Turk.
“What does Goz Hasle mean?” I asked.
“It means “cross-wearing girl.” ”
“So it was a Christian village?”
“No...My grandparents did not live alongside Armenian Christians. The Armenians left a very, very long time ago.”
“When?”
“When my father was a child.”
“Where was the Armenian church?”
“I don’t know.”
Faced with these contradictions…I left it at that. Only when thinking back months later did I remember that my host kept his horse in a long building with a tall door… and a wooden roof soaring thirty feet high. In the south side was the trace of an arched window. 

“Where is the church?”
“I don’t know.”

This encounter may serve as a wake up call to those who follow Jesus. It is a reminder, of course, that the church is not simply a building. The church is made up of those who profess Christ and seek to be his disciples. Our presence has to be more than a building. When Paul calls the church the “Body of Christ,” he means this not only in a metaphorical sense, but also in a rather literal sense. We are called to be the living presence of Christ in our time and place. He has no hands but our hands – as the old saying goes. Church is something we “do,” not just something we “are.” It is an action word as much as it is a noun.

The church is where we are – doing what Christ did. That means all of us must answer the question, “Where is the church?” for ourselves. There is the song, “I am the church, you are the church, we are the church together.” At Trinity, our goal is for every member to be involved in some form or act of ministry – for each of us to “be” the church.  Church is not something we come to,
it is something we do. 

January 13, 2009

Jan. 13, 2009

On the Saturday before our “Night in Bethlehem” event, I stopped by the church to pick up some books. I noticed a group in the gym working hard preparing for Sunday, so I stopped by.  They were all engaged – working hard and having fun. All together, more than 140 people worked on this event which was hugely successful.

I talked with Eva, who was the leader of the team that put this event together, and with a smile on her face she told me, “I just love doing this. If I could quit my job and do this full time, I would!”

Someone has said that we find our true calling in life where our passions meet some great need – that’s the place where God is calling us. At Trinity, we believe that everyone is gifted by God for ministry and called by God to use their gifts in some form of ministry, be that here or in the wider community. The real joy of Christian life comes when we connect our gifts and our passions with an act of ministry. The joy comes when we are doing what we are created to do. 

Laura Eanes, who is on our staff, and her team work hard to help people discover their strengths and gifts and then connect them to some expression of ministry. Our vision is for every Trinity member to be in ministry in some way.

During the month of January, we lift up lay ministry. You received a 2009 Lay Involvement Guide in the mail. Take some time to look through this guide. There are 24 pages of ministry opportunities. This Sunday, during the Sunday School hour, we will hold a Lay Ministry Fair in the Fellowship Hall. Many of our ministries will be represented, so you can talk to folks who are involved in the ministry to get more information. 

Find an area of ministry. Sign up. If there is not one at the fair that you think suits you, talk to Laura about beginning a new ministry. Live your faith. 

January 6, 2009

Jan. 6, 2009

Something New for the New Year

Over the past several months, a group has been meeting to talk about beginning a new Men’s Ministry at Trinity. Our United Methodist Women is a strong group which has long provided leadership for our church. There has been a need to provide similar opportunities for men. A Leadership Team has been formed and they have written a purpose statement for this new ministry:

The purpose of Men’s Ministry at Trinity United Methodist Church is:
• To provide opportunities for men to grow spiritually
• To develop Christian friendships
• To become the men Christ intends us to be
through study, fellowship and mission.

The name of this new ministry will be simply TRINITY MEN.

The kick-off dinner event for TRINITY MEN will be on Thursday, January 22 beginning at 6:30 PM.  John Croyle, founder of the Big Oak Ranch, will be the speaker. Tickets are available in the church office, through Sunday School classes and in the Narthex on Sunday mornings. 

Following the kick-off event, TRINITY MEN will host a six week SPRING SESSION of Monday morning breakfast meetings beginning on February 2. The topic will be “Winning at Life.” TRINITY MEN will also sponsor fellowship outings and mission opportunities for men throughout the year. 

The leadership team is enthusiastic and excited about what this new ministry can do for our men individually and for the church.

Let me also give a plug for our United Methodist Women. They will be holding their big “Sisters in Mission” event on February 14.  This will be a noon luncheon featuring speaker “Sister Schubert” Patricia Barnes. 

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