LONDONDERRY UNITED METHODIST CHURCH...AND FAITHFULNESS

For this post the thing that immediately comes to mind is actually a secular love song, but the line is just perfect for the situation. The weather in New Hampshire is cold and green, and in New Mexico it is cold and brown. I needed biking gloves with fingers last week on my way to church! Let me go see if I can find these lyrics.
Till now I always got by on my own
I never really cared until I met you
And now it chills me to the bone

I never had a church home before. I never looked forward to going to church until now. I never cared about the faithfulness of people around me until now, when I see people leaving the family, and changing, and when I heard someone say last week, 'oh, i served in the youth group until the minister changed, and then it wasn't my youth group anymore.' I never cared until I started doing video for a small service held on Sundays among the other three that we usually have, which is a small, close knit congregation in the middle of the larger ones. And I have to keep my eyes forward, especially now that I am home.

SATURDAY WITH THE YOUTH

Here is a picture of the puppet ministry of St. Paul's United Methodist Church in Manchester, NH. It's very cold in New Hampshire; I think I heard they had ten inches of snow. Later when I'm not restless I will try to find some information on a youth program in a Methodist church New Hampshire. I am ashamed to look at the date on my last posting, but the semester has flown by. Where are the months of September and October? I need them to work on my papers for this semester, and now it's presentation time. I spent this afternoon hanging out with about six youth from my church and the pastor and his grown son cutting Christmas trees for decoration tomorrow night at youth. I'm now a youth sponsor--and it's funny, because I hated being a youth. I wonder if my experience in the youth group would have been different if my family had had a foundation. My parents are STILL looking for a church, and sort of thanks to the youth of ST. PAUL'S LAS CRUCES I'm home.

CHURCH CONTENTMENT

Here is a picture of First United Methodist Church in Rochester, NH, where there is rain. I just walked home with my father after visiting with him and my mother for a few minutes, a time of trying to stay on safe subjects and get out as soon as I can. I have found a home church, but they have not, and that was the story of my life growing up. Here is a quote from D.Max Whitfield, the bishop of the New Mexico Annual Conference on the subject of contentment.



Contentment appears to be a value that most church members and congregations value above everything else. The Apostle Paul calls us to learn to be content with whatever comes our way in life. We are to be content when we have everything we want in life, and when we fail to have even the basic necessities of life.

I saw many of the United Methodist Christians in the Congo who have taken Paul’s words to heart. They knew their relationship with Jesus Christ was more important than money, housing, food, education, or health. Knowing and serving Jesus was what really mattered. Everything else was of secondary value.

However, here in the United States it appears we have taken contentment as the primary value in the life of the Church. We tolerate injustice, gossip, spiritual mediocrity, congregations slowly dying, conditions of our communities and a lack of respect for other people. We are so content that we are the walking dead. We stand for nothing; we stand up for nothing; we become like the Church at Laodicea that is neither hot nor cold. We refuse to even invite people to attend worship with us for fear of making them uncomfortable or members of the church uncomfortable.

I see creating discontentment as one of my primary roles and responsibilities as a bishop of the Church. Individuals need to become discontent with their relationship with Jesus Christ and strive to become more like him in word and deed. Pastors need to become discontent with the way they are leading congregations. Congregations need to become discontent when they walk among people who do not know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and believe they are doing everything expected of them to see God’s Kingdom come on this earth as it is in heaven. We need a great awakening of dissatisfaction with ourselves and what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.

A few months ago I wrote about the necessity of treating every person with respect, especially those with whom we do not agree. These persons are still our brothers and sisters. We need to respect their ideas, thoughts, and opinions. I certainly may not agree with them, but Jesus calls me to love my enemies and treat everyone as I would desire and wish to be treated. I was not prepared for the response. I was accused of being political. I needed to focus on spiritual issues and avoid placing the Church in the middle of political debates. I confess that I utilized public instances and public figures to illustrate my point, but some of the responses justified such crude disrespectful behavior and words. Some responses appeared to reflect approval of inappropriate behavior if it was in the political arena. There needs to be a great awakening of dissatisfaction with behavior that does not reflect Jesus Christ.

I told my father tonight that it is strange having a church home and caring about the future of the church. He could not understand, of course, because he still does not have one. Up there Whitfield says that we all need to become dissatisfied with our lives and what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. This is probably true...especially since I love doing video in my church....could I change? My father was my role model for Christianity for a long time, and tonight he told me that someone quit coming to his Bible study because they did not like the way he was teaching. I need to be on fire, but I want ti to be a quiet fire.

NEW CHURCHES IN HONEYMOON PERIODS

New Church Development 2011 General Board of Global Ministries

New churches attract many unchurched persons, including new constituent groups not being reached by existing congregations. Why? Partly because they are often fresh, energetic and distinct in their vision, culture and approach to evangelization and ministry.

In many areas where the denomination is growing, much of that growth is attributed to new congregations. Thus, it is not an either/or situation; but resources, training, and strategic efforts must be utilized for both creating new congregations and renewing existing ones. Moreover, existing churches often reap new ideas, learn new outreach and leadership development techniques, and gain new excitement from innovative and successful new church development efforts.

The Office of New Church Development works with annual and central conferences, district superintendents, and congregational leaders to create strategic plans for church growth, to train leaders in evangelization methods, and to help establish new churches and faith communities. It also assists "fresh start" congregations that are undergoing merger or relocation.


My home church in new Mexico, not one in New Hampshire, sadly, where it is green, started an offshoot church about a year ago for people who are unchurched an would feel strange walking into a church building with stained glass. They meet in a hotel, with a pastor that is energetic and full of life. He was an associate pastor at my church for about three years, and then went to the new church to be its pastor. Now we have people going to the new church saying it is so full of life, and ours is not, anymore, but it is my home. And I discovered that a lot of the principles that apply to a family living together in a home can also apply to a church family.

FORWARD MOVING. . . .

Happy Fourth of July 2011. . . . where New Hampshire is hot and sunny and clear, and I had a nice phone conversation with a family member. It's strange how easy it is to put stuff behind you when you decide to. . .but it is a continuous decision. Forward marching. . .forgiveness is for me, not the person I forgive!!!

Ah...success...summer is my favorite time of year for the library--a time of hanging out and moving six classifications of letters in the LC classification system from one library to the other. . . on book trucks. It's great exercise and great fun watching. I'm not taking part in the project this summer--I'm keeping the shelving under control, but I got a shirt anyway. Here is a pic of some of my friends from work in their new shirts. We are leaving for New Hampshire this week, and going forward. I might have something to say about my new family next week.

TWO FROM GALILEE...THE COOLEST CHRISTMAS MUSICAL EVER

You made the event a symphony
And you didn't say goodbye. I sit afraid in silence, to let my words take shape. How will I deal
with the silence
that no one else sees
after you made the event a symphony?

They hid behind false smiles
and loud music, and accusations.
You opened your arms and welcomed me home.
I wrote these words to honor you,
for you have made me one of your own.

They spoke against you
When you had hidden me there
How could you be anything
but a servant?

you took a bow
and raised your arm
for the symphony to begin
The beautiful music echoed on the walls
You chose the symphony
and you didn't say goodbye.

They made their music a worldly celebration
you made the event a symphony
and you didn't say goodbye
I wrote these words to honor you, for
you've made me one of your own.
But how could I go forward with the
beautiful music singing in the silence?

When we played the symphony
for the last time,
you left the stand in silence.
I cannot accuse you,
for you have wrapped me in safety.
How can I say goodbye?

You made the event a symphony
and you didn't say goodbye
This is not an accusation,
but an honor.


When we've been there ten thousand years
Bright shining as the sun
We've no less days to sing God's praise
Than when we'd first begun.