God is Doing a New Thing at PCM!

We are entering a time of exciting transformation! Isaiah 42: 9 and 43: 19 state: “See, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare……..See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”

The Presbyterian Church USA has grown out of the reformed tradition founded on the principle: “Reformed and always reforming.” When we are in touch with the guidance of the Holy Spirit we are willing to engage in new things, change, and transform as God leads us. PCM is still alive and serving God well because in the past 280 years we have been willing to embrace change.

All living things evolve and transform over time.  Now it is our turn to transform parts of our church buildings to make them cleaner, energy efficient, and more adaptable for use by our many ministries and worship service needs. We are called to keep transforming into the shape God’s wants us to be to not only meet our own needs but also to meet the current needs of our community and world. Many groups in the community reach out to PCM for help hosting events and seminars because we have a reputation for being a caring church family that shares our blessings with others.

To continue to meet the growing demand for space, we need to update, renovate, and expand our ministry spaces and make them accessible to the physically challenged. The plans for the renovation of our Parish House and possibly the chancel in the COG will be attractive to those looking to: safely bring their children for Sunday School and Mid-week programs, engage in music ministry, actively and quietly fellowship together, and gather for the meaningful worship of God in a beautiful atmosphere.

 

This Fall there are new Bible studies on relevant topics such as: “Environmental Justice and the Bible,” new children’s music programs, a new Stephen Ministry training opportunity, and much more. Our Parish house will be packed to the max and our Church on the Green will be bursting with new visitors and members who want to be a part of the transformational opportunities we provide. May you feel the excitement and be a part of God’s movement inspired by the Holy Spirit. Join in on some of PCM’s new opportunities for fellowship for all ages know the love of God on a deeper level. And may you enjoy the “Our Turn” campaign. God is doing a new thing! Let us embrace it with joy!

 

(photo credit: http://www.livingstreamscc.org/img/somethingNew.jpg)

 

 

 

Be a Drop in the Ocean of Need

Would you do something if your family was being neglected? They are! Our children of God in Kenya need our love and help. They are not asking for a hand out. They are asking for us to work alongside them "hand-in-hand." Our brothers and sisters, those who have been born into a land where the government has trouble getting their act together, are suffering.

This photo below shows a garbage dump that developed in the middle of houses where many children live. This mess had pigs, ducks, dogs, and children wading in it looking for some form of sustenance they might use. But as they searched, bacteria laden trash was contaminating them.

When I visited this Mathare Slum four years ago, this lot beside the Living Word church was clear of trash. In the years since then, a group of young people found a way to make money by taking advantage of the fact that the county government does not pick up home trash as expected. To meet that unmet basic need, the group contracted to pick up trash from local homes and businesses. However, rather than responsibly taking the trash out to the legal dumpsite, the entrepreneurs just dumped it into their little space leased to them by a local councilman, right next to the church, in the midst of homes and small businesses. This past June, the horrific trash was spilling out into the road and walking paths that all the local residents must walk to get past this space.

It doesn't take being a health professional/pastor to know that the trash was greatly impacting the health of the people in this whole community. The children looked especially lethargic, had more sores on their skin and more runny noses than I observed four years ago. It was truly shocking to witness how a whole community could be so devastated by their county government’s neglect. Despite many appeals to the local health department from the local pastors, the threat to the health and wellbeing of the people of Mathare remained.

How would we react if such neglect happened in our own neighborhoods? We wouldn’t tolerate it, would we? We would protest, take action, write letters, make phone calls, and insist that the councilman revoke his permission allowing such contamination.  So – why do we allow this to happen to our family of God in Kenya? How do we empower them to empower one another and take a strong stand against such abuses and neglect from their county government? Pray for them, lift them up with our friendship, go and speak alongside them to the authorities in charge, empower them with advocacy, give them confidence that the Holy Spirit is with them because God cares about their wellbeing, too.

The day after we returned to the US, this big shovel showed up and the garbage trucks came to haul the garbage to the city dump where it belonged. The clean up took three days. It was a heavenly sight to our Kenyan brothers and sisters. We pray this will not be just a momentary sign that the county will do its job and meet the basic needs of the people.

We will continue to pray, do what we can to strengthen our Living Word church friends and enable them to keep fighting for their rights to a clean environment. And we will go back and thank the health department staff in person along with others who did their part in cleaning up what was once a tragic mess. By God’s grace and through the power of the Holy Spirit, God taught me that each one of us can make a difference in the world. My tiny drop of loving help in an ocean of need may continue to ripple out in ways I may never know. But we trust that God knows and appreciates every drop of love. Now we all must add our drops and make an ocean of love wash over Kenya. Go, see, do, be a light of hope there or wherever you can give loving help that empowers. 

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/)

A Prayer of the People

O God of the heavenly powers, who gives more than we desire or deserve; grace us with your Holy Spirit as we pray on this blessed day. Your son Jesus prayed for his disciples then and for us now. We are so grateful to know that we are loved so dearly by you. May we rest for a moment and embrace, absorb, and bask in that love. May your Holy water flow through our lives keeping us in the flow of your Spirit always.

 

Gracious God, Beautiful Light, with the whole host of heaven we declare your goodness! We lean on your steadfast love as we plead: come and help us. We are scrambling for peace but finding chaos, searching for blessing but overwhelmed by trouble. We pray for those who are suffering today. For those who don’t know you, for those who doubt you love them, and for those who know you but do not come to worship you. Be with them in their journeys. Lead them to a closer relationship with you and your healing presence. Interrupt our worries with a vision of purpose and delight. Lead us to the waters of healing amidst the work of our days, throughout our rest, and in our dreaming. Open our hearts to be reassured of your presence among us and in each person we meet.

 

God of boundless grace, you call us to drink freely of the well of life and to share the love of your Holy being. May the glory of your love, shine forth from each one of us out into a world in need. We ask these things in the precious name of Jesus Christ, our Savior. Amen.

 

Our Church's Personality is Resilient

What do I love about our church? PCM’s personality! Every church has a personality and a distinctive style of bringing glory and honor to God. Our church has a resilient, warm and welcoming personality, a heart for mission/outreach participation, an appreciation for education, a love of sacred music, and a devotion to the care and development of children. Our church members volunteer their time to help govern, repair, cook, organize, lead, teach, and care for our congregation. We are blessed with many awe inspiring Christian role models in our midst. The long term devotion to PCM, demonstrated in all the active volunteerism, keeps our church ministries thriving. This is an essential personality trait that contributes to our ministry longevity ever since 1733.

When I decided the best use of my continuing education fund was to complete a Doctorate of Ministry in Science and Theology, the PCM session was very supportive. This fits with the character/personality of the Presbyterian Church since its development out of the Church of Scotland. The Scots have always valued higher education for their pastors.

I am so grateful for the education I received in these past 3+ years going back and forth, 4 weeks each year, to Pittsburgh Theological Seminary for the coursework. It has been an honor to share the Science and Theology knowledge I learned through sermons and adult education seminars. I gained valuable information from conducting the prayer and resilience study, too. In the end, the head of the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary DMin program greatly praised my final project.  PCM deserves the praise. My project would not have been completed so well without all those who participated and supported it!

A bound copy of my final project: "The Impact of Two Forms of Prayer on Resilience," will be in the church library as my gift to our church. I am convinced (as a result of doing this research) that we should all comply with Paul's recommendation to the church (in 1st Thessalonians 5) to: "pray without ceasing." My study and many other scientific studies are showing that resilience is enhanced when prayer, (especially the contemplative centering form of prayer), is practiced daily.

 

"I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you..." (Ephesians 1: 16-18)

We are Mightier than the Waves

If we truly believe that God is with us, Jesus dwells within, and we are never without the companionship of the Holy Spirit, then we are mightier than the mighty waves of the sea. Each one of us has the power to change the world and make it better when we are in alignment with God's will for us and for the world. The Bible tells each of us to do what the Lord requires of us: "to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with our God." (Micah 6: 8) And when we work together in unity, we create an even mightier wave that smothers the noise of oppression and greed.

How would your life change if you truly believed YOU were powerful enough to change what is wrong with the world. If you threw your energy into it - what would "it" be? Maybe you want to stop hunger in the world or stop the oppression of women and girls. Maybe your passion is to stop the pollution of our oceans or decrease gun violence. All of these desires above are in alignment with God’s intention for the world. You have the Holy Spirit working in your soul prodding you to make a difference!

When you work with others for a common social justice cause, you feel so empowered! The Holy Spirit is tangible as you seek to lift up the oppressed, mend the broken-hearted, and provide for those who hunger and thirst for their basic needs to be met. Our church's Sandy Relief trips are a great place to make a difference! If you can't go on a trip you can make snacks for the group, buy a gift card for a recovering family, and pray for the team to serve well. 

If you want to serve farther in desperately poor regions of the world, you can join a mission trip to the Dominican Republic, Haiti, or Kenya. If you can't go, you can support people in our church who want to go but don't have the funds. 

I am grateful for all I have learned from being a part of the development of the Foundation for Peace. We work together and lead mission trips to Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Kenya to support churches who are meeting the needs of the desperately poor people in their communities. We provide free medical clinics, clean water systems, build schools and present women empowerment trainings. I am returning to Kenya June 23rd to July 5th to serve and to reunite with my little friends at the By-Grace orphanage in the Ngong Hills outside Nairobi. JOIN ME! Go to: www.foundationforpeace.org It is not too late.

There is so much to do in this world to build up the Kingdom of God! It can seem overwhelming. Yet, each cement block, each repaired shore home, each drop of clean water can make a difference and give new hope. Joseph Addison once said: "Three grand essentials to happiness are something to do, something to love, and something to hope for." This connects to the scripture that says: “…so now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is LOVE."(1 Corinthians 13: 13)

So go out and sow some LOVE! Be a mighty wave for God. Do justice, LOVE kindness, and walk humbly alongside those in need with our God. 

Happy Earth Day! Enjoy the beauty today and every day!