UNITY!

Behold how good and pleasant it is when our brothers and sisters dwell in unity! (Psalm 133: 1)

         Like a parent who is troubled about their children’s quarrels, God is troubled when her children do not get along and fail to promote peace and unity in the church. Our God is great and wants us all to work for unity and peace while appreciating and loving the wonderful diversity of his creation.

         I am proud of our church for having a rainbow flag up in front of our building to show we don’t just say in our church vision statement that we are “reaching out with nurturing love to all…” but we practice hospitality and inclusivity as well.

         Since I have Scottish heritage and my clan comes from the region of Alloway, Scotland, I was truly joyful when I read that in May of 2015, our ancestral Church of Scotland joined the PCUSA in allowing the ordination of people who are gay. The outgoing Moderator Very Rev John Chalmers said: "We cannot go on suffering the pain of internal attacks which are designed to undermine the work or the place of others. It's time to play for the team.” He added: "It is time to stop calling each other names, time to shun the idea that we should define ourselves by our differences and instead define ourselves by what we hold in common - our baptism into Christ, our dependence on God's grace, our will to serve the poor and so on."

         According to BBC news, “The vote followed a church-wide debate and consultations with all 45 presbyteries, which voted 31 to 14 in favor of change. Supporters said it was time for the church to be inclusive and recognize the "mixed economy" of modern Scotland.”

         Baptist minister, Reverend Daryl Evans wrote a blog for a website called “What Christians Want to Know” and he listed many scripture passages on “unity.”  Reverend Evans said: “Throughout the centuries the church has  had a difficult time in agreeing with each other.  There are obviously numerous denominations and even many differences even within denominations.  There are many reasons for this dynamic. Sometimes church traditions and differing biblical interpretations get in the way of unity.  But what does the Bible say about unity?  There are many biblical passages that explain what Christian unity should be.”

         The following list is a sampling of the many scriptures on “unity:”  

1 Peter 3:8 “Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, love, a tender heart, and a humble mind.”

John 13:35  “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

John 17:23 “I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly One, so the world may know that you sent me and loved them as you loved me.”

Acts 4:32  “Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to them was  their own, but they had everything in common”.

Philippians 2:1-3 “So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.  Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves”.

Colossians 3:14 “And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.”

1 John 4:12  “…. if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.”

Romans 12:10 “Love one another with affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.”

Ephesians 4:3 “...be eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

1 Corinthians 12:12  “For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.  For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.”

1 Corinthians 12:26 “If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.”

Galatians 3:28 “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all One in Christ Jesus.”

Ephesians 4:11-13 “The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, ¹²to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, ¹³until all of us come to the unity of the faith…” 

Romans 12:16 “Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.”

1 Corinthians 1:10  “I appeal to you, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.”

God’s word shows the importance of unity. Today, you may be holding a grudge or ill feelings towards another.  My prayer for you is that you give that up to God.  Show the love and forgiveness that comes from the Holy Spirit and be at peace with all. Amen

9 Things I Know About the "State of the Church"

When I was asked to preach at the Synod of the Pacific meeting coming up, I felt as if I should fashion some sort of “State of the Church” sermon. But then I realized I have no idea what the “State of the Church” is right now! But these things I DO know based on: my past 10 years as an ordained minister, personal experience attending two East Coast seminaries, and from leading the Church of the Roses historic church in Santa Rosa, currently.

Photo credit: http://meridianpointchurch.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/State-of-the-church-1024x576.jpg

1.  The church is growing. By the end of May we will have 30 new members in the past year and ½. Promoting authentic faith and preaching inclusivity and love with enthusiasm for the future while promoting new and meaningful missional connections to the regional community (and to orphanages in Haiti) seem to inspire attention to the church and growth. The congregation is more diverse than it has ever been in its 62 year history.

2.   Even when you build a Youth Ministry they might not come. We discovered after hiring a Director of Youth Activities that the high school youth that attend our free breakfast every morning are 75% Catholic. That means they are probably not interested in joining us for worship or other church programs. But, they need community service hours and Catholic charities might help us fund our breakfast program in the future.

3.   The churches I know well on the West and East coasts are very happy about the Same Sex Marriage amendment  and have new hope for the future of the PCUSA. I am glad to have the freedom to conduct a holy marriage service and seal a covenant of love and commitment among all sorts of couples who wish to do so. This is the healthy way to live as couples, in a loving covenant.

4.   There is a place for keeping traditional hymns and liturgy while merging them with newer creative ways of doing worship.  We are trying more hands on participatory worship experiences. They are fun to try even if there isn’t a big influx in attendance for these services, yet….

5.   People love to learn about the physical effects of prayer and the advantages of having faith. When I share information about the evidence-based faith and health studies the congregation seems more motivated to deepen their faith.

6.   When people quit coming to church that doesn’t always mean they don’t like church. It is because as they age they have more and more trouble getting up in time. Consider creating a later service. Include a communal meal each Sunday there isn’t another food related event. Food is a draw for every congregation and group. Engaging the community (even if food is involved) is the harder sell if they aren’t church goers to begin with.

7.   Jesus is still the best thing we have as a beacon of hope to light up our PCUSA’s future.  The unique nature of our Lord and savior, when understood, helps us value faith. Help them see that faith is a verb. The more we show God’s love in action, the more action our church receives from the curious and blessed. The pastor must be an ambassador of the church everywhere. Talking to cashiers, store clerks, café chefs, and haircutters creates a connection to the church that may reap newcomers visiting for worship in the future.

8.   Making friends with the hungry who come for our free food bags each day connected us to our first baby and three adults for baptism in 7 years. We reach out to not only be good imitators of Christ, but until they are asked, most of those folks in need don’t assume they will be welcomed to a church service.

9.   Don’t be afraid....try something new, reach out to the misfits, speak your heart, and love unconditionally. Be a fearless love and peace-promoter wherever you go. Memorize Isaiah 41: 10 "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." (NIV)

The Question all Pastors Should be Asking if We Want to Grow the Church

Our family is made up of the Silent Generation, Baby Boomers, GenXers, and Millenials (and canines).

A vital question on the mind of pastors and church leaders who care about continuing to build up the kingdom of God through the Church is this: "Why are the young adult generations leaving the church? (Or not joining at all?)"  

Of course, not all are leaving. Popular seminaries are still receiving new students, people are still getting baptized and confirmed. But are they active? Are young people feeling committed to keeping the church going in the future? Where do they get involved and why do they regularly attend? 

According to Rachel Evans on CNN's belief blog, the younger generations are looking for churches that incorporate these beliefs: compassionate outreach work that makes a difference in the world, knowledge based teachings on the complementary relationship between science and theology (no anti-evolution preaching), active inclusivity - welcoming all races, sexual orientations, and gender equality. 

These beliefs are reflections from my favorite verse in the book of Micah: "…. What does the Lord require of you? To do justice, show mercy, and walk humbly with our God." (Micah 6:8) And in the summary Jesus gave for all the laws and commandments: Love God and love your neighbor. (Matthew 22:36-40)

Reading this priority list from Evan’s blog makes me even more thankful for our church's compassionate inclusivity, mission outreach work, and our approach to teaching Science and Theology. She quotes the personal yearnings of a Millenial - GenXer:

"We want an end to the culture wars. We want a truce between science and faith. We want to be known for what we stand for, not what we are against.....We want churches that emphasize an allegiance to the kingdom of God over an allegiance to a single political party or a single nation......We want our LGBT friends to feel truly welcome in our faith communities.....We want to be challenged to live lives of holiness, not only when it comes to sex, but also when it comes to living simply, caring for the poor and oppressed, pursuing reconciliation, engaging in creation care and becoming peacemakers." 

To build up the kingdom of God in this new church year, let us continue to serve and care for our Baby Boomers and older generations. And let us also continue to do what we can to meet the yearnings of the younger generations who are striving to be authentic children of God with or without the church. Then our church be a place where they can have these yearnings satisfied through serving our Lord and Savior who sacrificed his life for justice, kindness, and mercy for us all.  
(For the full article see: http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2013/07/27/why-millennials-are-leaving-the-church/)