MissionPad

A Mighty May!

2010-05-24T11:26:00.003-04:00

This month has turned out to be an awesome month! We began with Mothers' Day--the day after the fun-filled Acolyte Festival in Orlando. The Lord changed my sermon that day: although at 10:30, I got to preach both sermons--the one I had worked on during the week, and the one that the Lord began to give me at the Acolyte Festival. The Lord put it on my heart to re-affirm my commitment to reach out to families, children and youth--and to ask the congregation to do the same. Last week, the Scriptures were about Paul and Silas finding freedom even in the midst of the jail--and leading the "free" jail-keeper who was weighed down by fear and the worries of life, to discover the same freedom in Jesus Christ. There is power in the Gospel to change our lives.

Yesterday was Pentecost. Two baptisms and a call to commitment--to use our spiritual gifts wherever the Lord the leads us to do so. Our gifts are empowered by God--He is the one that sets us on fire to shine His light in the world. Shared how Dave had the spiritual gift of working on cars and motorcycles: I can remember as a teenager visiting him in his garage. He'd say, "hand me that wrench". It seems to me that almost every visit (whether it was me or any of the other guys who stopped by) turned into some kind of Bible study or time of spiritual counsel. A congregation of 100 people can be ministering the Gospel in 100 places at the same time if we are all using our gifts and opportunities to serve Jesus Christ and witness to Him.

Now, this coming Sunday is Trinity Sunday--with Bishop John Howe coming to visit. We have nine individuals prepared to stand up and re-affirm their faith in Jesus Christ. One first confirmed her faith 65 years ago and wants to continue her walk with the Lord. One couple have come through two intense years with major life changes, and want to thank God and commit to living their faith forward. Another says simply that over the last couple of years at Our Savior, the faith is just making more sense and their faith has become more meaningful.

After the Service, we will have an International Banquet with Bishop Howe sharing briefly about Singapore and Antioch--the international nature of the Church. Special music, special food, special day. Should be fun and refreshing!

A mighty month--if I may say so. Thanks be to God who gives us the victory.

Experiment

2010-04-17T23:00:00.001-04:00

This is an experiment to see if I can post blog entries to Facebook.

New Wineskins

2010-04-15T00:00:00.002-04:00

Last week, three of us traveled to the New Wineskins for Global Missions Conference up in Ridgecrest, North Carolina. It was excellent. I have a whole thick file of ideas and contacts to follow up on in the weeks to come. But immediately, I can say I was inspired yet again by being in the presence of so many engaged in the advance of the Gospel worldwide. The intriguing thing is that I did not know how energized I was by the conference until today--on Wednesdays, we have morning Eucharist and healing prayers, a Bible study in Hebrews, an evening Eucharist, and today the first session of our new course, Where 2 Now? It was evident all day long that I was excited to be teaching and refreshed. Why did it take three or four days for me to discover that God has renewed me through the Conference? In part, because we often--let me change that to, I often--look for fireworks, those sudden bursts of light and excitement that appear to signal drama and passion. In this case, New Wineskins was more like a gentle fanning of the flame. Yes there were powerful words spoken by for example Archbishop Akanya of Nigeria. But the power of the week was that my vision of God was gently refreshed so that the enthusiasm has grown in intensity these last few days.

About one in five persons around the world, maybe even one in four, has no access (that's the key word) to the Gospel or the Church in their own heart language. They are often called "unreached peoples" who are waiting to be told of the Good News of Jesus Christ. Another name is "hidden peoples". Both names have their advantages, and one of the advantages of hidden peoples is that that description points to a challenge that can be addressed. Namely, it is hard for the Church to get excited about people whom the Church knows nothing about. When different peoples of the world are hidden from our view, we are likely not to know about them, care about them, feel a connection to them, pray for them, or invest in them. Likewise, we will not see what God is doing among them--for nobody is hidden from His view or from His love. The conference awakened me to some of those hidden peoples and to the incredible things God is doing among them. I began to see them and His plan for them.

Then today we opened up the Scriptures: Ephesians 2 in Eucharist, Hebrews 10 in Bible Study, and Mark 1 in Where 2 Now? And all of those Scriptures relate to what God purposes to do among the hidden peoples. The Word of God jumped out at me today in part because God had fanned the fire in North Carolina. It was a rich, rich day. God is awesome! The Good News of Good Friday and Easter is really good news! And it applies in Florida as well as around the world. And the neat thing is that God invites me, our parish, and the whole Church to get involved, to see this good news up close, and to be inspired by the extravagance of His generosity around the world. Let's have Church again tomorrow :-)

Simplifying Church Life

2010-03-03T13:23:00.003-05:00

Simple Church (Rainer & Geiger) is a provocative book for an Anglican/Episcopal parish to implement. The thesis is that the congregation needs a simple,visible and understandable path by which guests and members can find their current place in the life of the Church and the next step to take. We have embarked on an effort to make our path more clear--and to arrange all of our ministries around that path. This has been more challenging than I first expected.

Our path includes three signposts: Who Is Jesus, Anyway?, Where 2 Now? and SHAPEd to Serve. These three programs introduce individuals to the faith and conversion, to the basics of spiritual formation and participating in a small group, and then finally, discerning new opportunities for significant service to God in the Church and world. Worship is at the heart of our parish life serving both as an anchor and a goal of all that we do.

The challenge that I have laid before all the ministry leaders is to begin to prayerfully discern how their group or event connects to that path. It may be that some ministries can readily identify their one spot on the path; while others may actually attempt to three or even for of the steps on the path.

The exercise has highlighted the need to become more clear. We have worthy ministries led by good people that do not visibly connect to other worthy ministries led by good people. Guests and our own members do get confused and frustrated. Having identified the challenge, we press in asking God to help us articulate a path or strategy that makes sense here in this community.

Stayed tuned. There's more to come. Or as we used to say years ago: PBPGINFWMY!

(Please be patient: God is not finished with me yet!)

Reviewing the Start of a New Year

2010-02-08T14:53:00.002-05:00

Every year, we start with several events that are signposts for the life of the parish and the diocese. Those events include a parish forum, a Deanery pre-convention meeting, the parish annual meeting, the Diocesan convention, and the Vestry retreat. It has been a busy and full month, which has energized me and I believe gotten us off to a good start for 2010.

The Diocese became the first Diocese within TEC to affirm the Windsor Covenant. The Covenant is a limited tool to assist all Anglicans in learning how to better work together as the Body of Christ within the global contexts of today. It has theological implications--ways to discern good and bad theological developments. It also has missiological implications--ways to affirm the advance of the Gospel among new peoples (remember that still today at least 1 in 5 people has no access to the Gospel or the Church in their own heart language.) The Covenant will take a big step forward in April when the lead bishops (called Primates) of twenty different provinces gather in Singapore. They are expected to adopt the Covenant--that's twenty out of thirty nine provinces worldwide.

Here in the Parish: we have identified three focus areas for 2010: simplifying our ministries, celebrating our outreach and missions, and embracing our multi-generational efforts. We are a very energetic parish with lots of activities: but sometimes that amounts to plain old busy-ness and stepping on each other's toes. Therefore, we will explore how to team up clusters of ministry (e.g. all of the evangelism efforts) so that by working together we actually make it simpler for all of us--and for our newcomers and guests who might be joining us.

We are involved with mission efforts in Liberia, Honduras, China, Thailand, the Dominican Republic and now Haiti. Most of what we are doing however is hidden and un-celebrated. You could say we are being humble and discreet. Maybe. But in doing missions and outreach the way that we are, we miss the opportunity to celebrate and to praise God for what He is doing across the world--in part, because He has invited us to support and pray and encourage these efforts.

Lastly, we are seeing the beginnings of change within the parish. Some of our families have just come together to jump start our family ministry: we are thinking of calling it Jacob's Family Fellowship. Over the course of 2010, God is going to re-shape Our Savior. For the last number of years we have been an older congregation with a few younger families. By the end of this year, I expect we will begin to say that we are a multi-generational congregation, eagerly welcoming young families and seniors alike. This will take some work--but it will also be exciting.

In the Vestry, we initiated some new changes at the retreat designed to build leadership year after year. Beginning this year, each year our Junior Warden will become the next Senior Warden--thus helping us to intentionally build continuity in leadership. That involves making some other changes--for example, empowering a building and properties committee. Part of simplicity is sharing ministry. Jethro told Moses to share his responsibilities. The changes in the Vestry encoruage me as Rector to share some of my ministry with the Vestry which they in turn can share with others.

There's been no bells or whistles this past month: but it has been a significant time of setting things in motion that prepare us to respond to God's call on us more effectively and confidently. "Aslan is on the move."

Diocese of Central Florida Convention 2010

2010-02-08T14:50:00.001-05:00

The following article can be found at http://www.livingchurch.org/news/news-updates/2010/2/3/central-florida-affirms-covenant.

Central Florida Affirms Covenant

Posted on: February 3, 2010

The annual convention of the Diocese of Central Florida has passed four resolutions regarding its place in the Episcopal Church and the broader Anglican Communion.

Meeting Jan. 30 at the Lakeland Center, delegates approved resolutions that:

Affirmed the Anglican Communion Covenant.
Joined the diocese's bishop, the Rt. Rev. John W. Howe, in affirming the Anaheim Statement, issued during the 76th General Convention.
Said bishops of the Episcopal Church will walk apart from the diocese if they participate in the consecration of the Rev. Canon Mary Glasspool as Suffragan Bishop of Los Angeles. Canon Glasspool still must receive consent from a majority of bishops and standing committees.
Asserted that Episcopalians “currently have, within the 1979 Book of Common Prayer, all of the needed liturgical resources at our disposal to minister to all of our members with respect to marriage and human sexuality.”
Dissociated the diocese from the Episcopal Church's affiliation, through its Executive Council, in the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice.

Bishop Howe's annual address touched on many themes, including support for earthquake victims in Haiti; long-term planning for the diocese; and a review of the diocese's rejection of any property-related lawsuits against departing congregations.

The diocese “made good on the promise that if there were those who had to leave we would say to them, 'Go in peace to love and serve the Lord,' ” the bishop said. “To repeat the bottom line: we have had no inhibitions, no depositions, no litigation, and no loss of property. In dealing with these separations we have done something that has not been duplicated in any other diocese. I hope we never have to do it again, but if we had to go through it, we did it right.”

A Biblical Model for Ministry Today

2009-09-12T20:37:00.001-04:00

Church of Our Savior, like our diocese, the Diocese of Central Florida are committed to the Faith revealed in the Scriptures, proclaimed by the Apostles, and affirmed by the Church Historic. As you read through our website, visit us on Sunday, or join in our ministries, you will find a dynamic, Biblical and generous faith. It is important to me to see our vision and commitments shaped by the Word of God--and that includes the key question of our relationship with the Episcopal Church. The Episcopal Church is in a national crisis, with the majority of the leadership articulating a change in the Church's ministry and teaching. Some individuals, parishes, and even dioceses have felt it necessary to re-align with other parts of the worldwide Anglican Communion. Our Diocese has chosen to affirm the historic Faith revealed in the Scriptures and to seek to deepen our relationships with the Anglican Communion.

Is there a Biblical model for staying? Currently, I am drawing wisdom from David before the death of King Saul. God had raised up Saul to be king, had judged Saul for his disobedience, and had anointed David to be king in the future. David remained faithful to the Lord even at the risk of his own life. He was forced into exile. Yet when he had the opportunity to kill Saul, he refused to do so. Saul was God's king and David would wait upon the Lord to determine the day when the crown would pass from Saul to David. Meanwhile, David raised up his army, his council of advisers, and his community. He trusted God for the future and committed himself to obedience and faith in the present day.

I do not know what God's plans are for the future of TEC. It may be pruned off of the Anglican Tree and replaced with the new Anglican Church of North America (ACNA), or it may repent and return to faithfulness, or something far more complicated. God will however judge and rebuke the heresy and foolishness that is tolerated within the Church. There is no question or doubt about that. God will be faithful.

The question is will we be faithful and obedient to Him? Will we follow the example of David? Will we confess our sins (mine are many) and receive His grace and forgiveness? Will we surrender our lives and ministries to Him, and trust Him for today?

At Church of Our Savior, our intention is to do just that--to call upon Jesus as our Savior, the only name given by God for salvation (Acts 4:12). At Church of Our Savior, we will have confidence that the Lord will lead us by His Word--we can trust that what He says in the Scriptures is valid and full of life. Even in the midst of these profound questions about the life of the Church, we believe that God will show us how to proceed right there in His Word.

Hebrews 11 highlights a list of heroes of the faith and then concludes, "And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect. Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God."

This is our call--to press ahead, to follow the example of our heroes, and to look to Jesus to complete that which He has promised!

"Who Is Jesus, Anyway?" starts Wednesday

2009-09-12T20:11:00.003-04:00

I am really excited about our revised Who Is Jesus, Anyway? a course for the curious. There are a number of popular courses already available: Alpha, Christianity Explored, Cursillo, to name just a few. They are good, but I'd like to press a few questions not raised in those courses and/or to model a way of exploration that one can use throughout their Christian life and walk. I did my studies as an electrical engineer, and that is evident in the way that I approach basic questions of faith. In the first version of Who Is Jesus, Anyway?, I began with worldview questions presented by the Biblical account of creation, moved through Israel's history, encountered the living (human) Jesus, confronted his claims to be God, and then listened to Jesus invitation to follow Him. The strength of that approach was that it opened the door to people with any worldview: I did not assume that the curious have a biblical worldview. In fact fewer and few Americans live out their lives from a such a biblical worldview. So the door was wide open for any person to begin the course and be able to engage the conversation.

After six times through, I have decided to change the order of the material, bringing the living Jesus to the first session and then to wrestle with the conundrums that Jesus presents. Namely, as a Jewish man, he proclaimed that there was and is but one and only one God, and then, claims that he is that God. I approach that conundrum, can he really be who he claims to be, like a good mystery. A mystery can only be solved by a curious investigator. By re-arranging the material, the new revised course puts the conundrum or mystery right up front and center. Thus, since we have called the course, Who Is Jesus, Anyway?, we will keep that question and the person of Jesus central to our conversations.

I have enjoyed every single course that we have offered: there is something fun and satisfying about helping people ask their own questions about Jesus and in turn, discover more about Him than they knew before. Wednesday evening we start the next course: and it promises to be the most fun yet! Who Is Jesus, Anyway? can be followed up by Where 2 Now? and SHAPEd to Serve. I am working on the material for SHAPEd right now. You can find a schedule here for these courses and others.

Vacation Bible School for the Whole Church

2009-07-22T16:49:00.003-04:00

This week we have a great group of children, teenagers and adults joining together in our VBS, SonRock Kids Camp. Personally, it's a great way to return from vacation--to jump into all that takes place with VBS. The children are learning from Peter about Jesus and learning to trust Jesus for themselves. The Rangers (older children and teenagers) are gaining some leadership training as they work with the younger kids. The adults are setting the example of sharing their own faith and reaching out to others. I am particularly excited to see the men picking up the pace. As such VBS is ministry opportunity for the whole parish family--did I mention there is a whole team of intercessors praying all week for VBS? They are not present, but they are praying for us to know God's presence.

This year we want to raise the bar of expectations for our children and their families. There'll be a Communion Class and an "instructed Eucharist" this fall. We will be expanding our Accolytes ministry--both in terms of numbers and in terms of the scope of their ministry. Rumor has it that a drama is planned for the Christmas season (our first in many years). Next week, after VBS is concluded, we will set up the old bookstore room as the new Youth Center....and there's more being considered and prayed about.

Our vision however is not to add on more programs by themselves. Our vision is to be a Church family that welcomes and honors our children and teenagers, and encourages and supports their families. If a child has a crummy rotten Thursday at school, we want them to know on Thursday that God cares and will be with them when they go back to school on Friday. In short, if our ministry is limited to Sundays, it's too little and it's too late Thursday's heart ache. We want our children not only to know that God cares about them, but also that God will go with them to school on Friday so that they can be His ambassadors at school among their friends and schoolmates. Just as Jesus calls adults to be salt and light, so also He calls our chidren and teenagers to be salt and light in the world. Let's raise the bar and trust God to do far more than we can imagine possible.

Professions

2009-05-26T22:34:00.004-04:00

When the Bishop visits for Confirmation and when a priest prepares for Baptisms, the participants are encouraged to be prepared to share their testimonies of faith, e.g. why they want to be profess their faith and/or why they have come to trust in Jesus as their Lord and God. On the 17th, Bishop Hugo confirmed 3; on the 31st (Pentecost) we will welcome 6 for baptism and 1 for dedication.

As part of our month-long focus on making a commitment to Jesus, the sermon time on 24th was opened up for testimonies. Unprepared, spontaneous, and yet prompted by the Lord. In 1 Peter 3:15, we read that "in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect." So, we called on the congregation to share their hope in Jesus.

Two stood to thank God for answered prayers in the incredible healings of two infants.
Another stood to share how as a pastor's son he always went to church--but it wasn't until the Army sent him to Korea, that he got Jesus. It was the best decision of his life, he said.
Another stood to thank God for healing in her life, just two months ago, when the doctors diagnosed a heart aneurysm that was very nearly ready to burst.
One stood to share how much Church of Our Savior has meant to her and her family--not the least of which was because God has given her a place where she can worship in song and word, without being rushed.
Another stood to share how when he went to college he did not want anything more to do with church--but lo and behold his study partner happened to be a believer who invited him to a Bible study. Now he has the privilege to knowing Jesus and leading a Bible study with five international students at a nearby college.
One stood to thank God for a dramatic healing from cancer many years ago and then the courage to become a nurse later on.
Yet another stood to share thanksgiving not only for healing, but for God's financial provision--so much so that just on that particular Sunday she had a check in her hand to fulfill a promise made nearly five years ago to help our mission Church.

God is good--all the time; All the time--God is good.

Bishop Hugo asked us to share our stories and invite others to Church, so that they too can know the hope of Jesus Christ. I do not like answering the telephone in the afternoons, but on Thursday I did. I had been asking God for an opportunity to invite someone to Church like the Bishop had asked. When the telephone rang, I felt a nudge to answer it. The woman on the other end wanted to learn about coming! And there she was on Sunday--with a friend that she brought with her. God is good...

If you're looking for God, come visit us on Sunday; if you're a member, ask God for an opportunity to share your hope in Him with someone today. He'll open the door for you.

Turning a Building Around

2009-04-02T15:46:00.004-04:00

This week, we have taken yet another step in turning our buildings around. The first of our Welcome Center volunteers have gotten to work. We have sufficient volunteers to staff the Welcome Center Monday through Friday for two weeks, before each volunteer works their next day. That is a reasonable schedule for each of the volunteers--and we are joyfully discovering how much each of them can accomplish in three hours. Now the Welcome Center is "out back" where the cars are parked. Last year it was the Choir Room used for practices and keeping their robes and music. The Choir Room has moved over to the Church Building--the Choir Room has been transformed with new paint and fixings.

Lo and behold, this week the mailbox in front of the Church Office finally wore out. We asked the mailman if we are allowed to move it to the other side of the building. He said it would be no problem. So in the next week or two, we will install the new mailbox near the door of the Welcome Center. The building has not moved, but we are slowly turning it around from the inside out!

My prayer is that as we change the way we use the building, we will also see a change in our perspectives and patterns. We will become even more welcoming, we will practice the biblical discipline of hospitality, and we will show each other grace. There's more work to be done on the buildings, and God has more work to do on our hearts. Praise God that He does do the work and that especially here in Lent, we can see the fruit of that work.

The Drama of Holy Week

2009-03-24T12:47:00.003-04:00

Holy Week extends from Palm Sunday through Resurrection Sunday (also known as Easter). Sunday was in Biblical times and remains so among Orthodox Jews today, the first day of the week. Thus, Holy Week begins on Sunday morning (what we would refer to as "Monday morning".) Jesus marches into town riding a donkey, not a stallion, signifying that he was a king already established on his throne, rather than a victorious general/king entering the city. The crowds were overwhelmed, boisterous, and rejoicing. The Roman authorities were a bit dismayed.

Likewise the religious elders who wanted to maintain order and peace, being oh so realistic about the Roman military presence. On Thursday, one of Jesus' own inner circle, presumably trying to force Jesus' hand, betrays him to the religious authorities. They are eager to cooperate and to silence Jesus. They do so by turning him over to Pilate for trial and execution. The man who entered the city victorious is now spat upon and scorned as nothing but an egotistical rebel defeated by the all-powerful Roman powers. Tried, executed and dead by three o'clock.

John, writing as one of Jesus' confidantes, describes His death as His hour of glory. It was the hour in which Jesus' love and righteousness were displayed for all who would notice. He was going the extra distance to break the power of sin and death, to unlock the chains of defeat and despair. He carried with Him our sins, our shame, our brokenness. He took upon Himself all the evil--no matter if it was done with good intentions--He took it upon Himself and carried it to the grave.

Matthew on the other hand celebrates Jesus' resurrection on Sunday morning as the highlight of the week. If Jesus had stayed dead in the tomb after all, no matter how noble His intentions had been, His death would have been His defeat. If I want to be the world champion in a sport, I must compete against the other challenger and I must play the game of that sport. If I play the #1 tennis player in the world in a game of badminton and win, I am still not a tennis champion! Jesus challenged Satan on Satan's own court--namely, death itself. When Jesus rose, He was the victor, Satan the loser.

Jesus entered Holy Week a popular king, died as a rejected failure mid-week, and finished the week rising from the grave in total and complete victory. The Drama of Holy Week is amazing.

We have already begun planning our various services for that week. Those services (Palm Sunday 8am and 10:30am; Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday evenings at 7pm, Maundy Thursday at 7pm and Vigil throughout the night, Easter morning at 7:15am starting outdoors and at 10:30am) capture and reflect a glimpse of the Drama of that week. I invite you to come and join us for any or all of the services.

For the Blog here, I'd like to hear your experiences, curiosities and hopes for Holy Week. What part of the Drama fascinates you or intrigues you?

Let the Adventure Begin

2009-03-24T12:40:00.002-04:00

This blog has a small goal to start. I want to create a place for conversation and discussion about faith and life. I expect that some of our participants will be members from Church of Our Savior--but I specifically hope to draw into the conversation those who are not members of the Church and do not know the joy of Jesus Christ. It may be that after a while we will need two such blogs, but let's get started with this one and see where the Adventure leads.