The Missing Coat

Hello Emmanuel,

Someone took my wife's coat.  I'm sure it was accidental.  Kim hung her coat on the rack in the lobby of the church.  After worship she discovered it was gone.  It's a dark, navy blue coat.  A similar coat was hanging on the rack after worship.  Therefore we deduced that somone took the wrong coat by accident.  The coat that was left, however, disappeared later that evening.  Hmmmm.....

For that person who, I'm sure, accidentally took the coat, no ransom amount would be paid.  True, there are gloves in the pocket, but we don't negotiate with accidental coat-takers.  Simply put the coat back on the rack and all will be well.  You could even do so anonymously.  The only eye that might catch you is the hidden camera in the lobby (we use it to catch people mocking the pastor by talking with their hands).

On the other hand, if you needed a coat and the coat keeps you warm, then keep it.  That's what Jesus would say.  Indeed, Emmanuel is so passionate about missions that, I'm sure, the church would agree.  Which leads me to my point for this week's MMP:

This is a time of year that Emmanuel really can shine Christ's light.  It isn't just about giving away coats.  This is a time of year that we do enourmous ministries that set the stage for the whole year.  But it will take you to make it as enormous as it can be.

The community Easter Egg hunt is March 30th at Batavia Township.  Our goal is to get 10,000 plastic easter eggs filled and turned in to the church before then.  We will be gathering them around the altar.  How can you help?  We are asking you to buy as many plastic easter eggs as you would like, from wherever you would like.  Fill them with candy and bring them to the church and place them at the altar.  If we can get 100 people to fill 100 eggs each, then that would be 10,000.  If you want to do more, then do more.  If you want to do less than do less.

Why 10,000?  We are preparing for as many as 1,400 people to attend the Hunt (we had 750 last year, doubled from the year before).  Maybe we only get 1,000.  Depending on the weather, we may get even fewer.  However, we don't want to be surprised by what God may do.  If 1,400 come, then we want to be prepared to help them feel welcomed--- to show them we are glad they came.  There will be food and other games as well.  It is a prime time to let them know that Emmanuel wants to be relevant in their community.  We will take the opportunity to invite them to worship.  It is a grand time for Radical Hospitality.  We invite them to 'keep the coat'.

Secondly, the Chocolate Easter Eggs are on sale.  We want your help to get orders in.  Last year the women did very good with the eggs, but not as good as hoped for.  Sales have been down and we want them to go up.  Why?  Because every dollar profited for the eggs goes toward missions.  If you want to help gather orders, there are forms in the lobby.  We want to help others.  We want to 'give away the coat'.

Thirdly, there is also a time for people who are already a part of Emmanuel to be nurtured.  A new long-term Men's group is under construction.  Pastor Shawn will be sending out his newsletter next Monday and may have something to say about it.  There will also be a short-term women's study coming up, starting in March.  It will be on Monday nights and run for several weeks.  We want to learn how to be inspired to 'give away the coat'.

So if you are the one who accidentally took Kim's coat, it really isn't a big deal.  It's sort of how we roll.  In fact, if you need a coat to stay warm, then take any coat from that rack that you would want......

.... just leave the Cincinnati Bengals coat alone!

God is Good,
Pastor Joe

God of Dreams

Hello Emmanuel,

I’m in such a good mood today, I can hardly stand it.  I just spent two hours sitting with a mentor of mine (Rev. Dan Glover, Tipp City UMC) and talking and dreaming about the future.  If this makes some of you nervous, it should.  A pastor who gets the opportunity to plan and dream about the future can make many people nervous.

It has been too long since I have had the opportunity to talk one-on-one with any of my mentors.  It has caused me to consider the vast advantages to having a relationship with a peer that has more experience and more insight than I.  While I am grateful for what I was able to do today, I am also making a mental note to do more of it in the future. 

How about you?  Do you have someone with whom you can dream with---someone with you whom you highly respect and yet someone who is willing to push you to go further and do more than you think you can?

As I consider my role as an equipper and encourager of leaders, I must also remember that I need to be equipped and encouraged as well.  I walked into my time with Dan with a few questions.  I walked away with hope…. Even more hope for Emmanuel.  We have gone to great places together as we introduce people to Jesus and nurture discipleship relationships.  Dare I say that we have only begun? 

I invite you to consider your walk as a disciple of Jesus.  Are you being encouraged enough?  Are you being equipped enough?  If not, please talk with me.  Not every issue is solvable, but I do believe that many more are solvable if we are willing to have the conversations around them.  Many times we are too afraid or too timid or too overwhelmed to consider even talking about them.  Granted, sometimes the conversations can be intense, scary, even fierce (albeit it in a Christian way)..... but…..

Many times I have felt the same way.  Today was one of them.  I felt burdened by issues that weighed heavily, at times.  However, when you realize that you don’t have to be in it alone, the burden isn’t so heavy even if the burdens persist.  And in a best case scenario, you find doors open and new directions put in place and God is standing their ready to bless you. 

As I continue to be excited about the direction Emmanuel is going, I also invite you to find a way to get excited (or more excited ) too.  Find time to dream with someone else who has similar aspirations. 

It all starts with dreaming….. God is even the God of dreams….  May you be encouraged.

God is Good,

Pastor Joe

Never Too Early....

Hello Emmanuel,

After the Sunday we had yesterday, there is a lot I could write about:  cell phones, broken projectors (and frustrated associates who are happy-go-lucky), choirs (who are evidently happy-go-lucky), smiling visitors, a busy Sunday School, on and on.....

But today I proclaim that it is never too early to prepare for a Resurrection......

I know, I know, it isn't even Lent yet.  We haven't even got to one of my favorite Sundays of the year (Transfiguration Sunday coming up!).  Ash Wednesday is still a week and a half away which kicks off 7 weeks of being reminded why we need God.  Even though Easter is early this year, it's still in April and we are barely into February.  So what's the deal?

The deal is the Resurrection.  We have to always be ready for it.  Emmanuel will be ready for it!  Why?  Because without the Resurrection, the Church has no purpose.  We don't worship a dead Jesus.  So new life isn't something you pass over lightly.  Emmanuel certainly doesn't.  Let's consider how we are going to be ready for the Resurrection this year:

1.  A new, Mission-oriented Men's group:  Over the past several weeks, Pastor Shawn and I have identifiied interest in a new men's group.  While this group will take on the components of some of our other Small Groups, this group will have a special focus on mission work.  Resurrection is experienced when you find ways to act out of your faith and pass on unconditional love and new hope to others. If you are interested in trying out this group, email Pastor Shawn (Shawn.Young@emmanuel-umc.com).  There are already 5 men interested.  Pastor Shawn is getting all giddy.

2.  Retreats.  Sometimes expressing your faith can be as much routine as the rest of your life.  A special focus on retreats can help us break out of the mundane.  There will be a women's retreat on March 2nd at the church.  Kim Royer and Regina Bowman are helping to lead this time together.  Resurrection can be experienced when you strengthen relationships with other people of the faith.

3.  The United Methodist Women are getting ready to take orders for hand-made, chocolate Easter Eggs.  This is a HUGE fund-raiser for the women and one that has lasting effects throughout the year.  The thousands of dollars they will raise will go to missions and helping others experience hope through the hands and feet of Christ.  Oh.. and did I mention that these eggs are awesome?  I encourage you to help missions happen at Emmanuel.  One way to do this is to help the women get orders for these eggs.  Take order forms to your families and your work (you can get more information this coming Sunday which is the start date to put in orders).  They have become rather popular over the decades, not just because they are good, but because the ministry this allows the UMW to do is far beyond what they would be able to accomplish otherwise.  Many people experience Resurrection because the women relay the hope in Christ through missions.

4.  10,000 plastic, candy-filled Easter eggs.   No, Andrea DeRose is not going to fill them on her own.  However, we still need them for the Community Easter Egg hunt to be March 30th at the Batavia Township Park.  So here is the plan:  we are going to ask you to help.  Come March, we will make available bags of empty plastic eggs for you to take home and fill (about 100 per bag?).  That means we will need about 100 bags of plastic eggs filled by the last week of March.  This event continues to gain energy and popularity in the community.  Help us find ways to invite others to come worship with us.  We can help others experience Resurrection.

There will be more ways we will get ready for the Resurrection.  The Hospitality team, for example, is already talking about how to make parking more available and how to go about Easter breakfast.  However, do you realize that we actually celebrate the Resurrection every Sunday?  We don't worship a dead Jesus.   Even as we stare the Lenten season in the face, we know how the story ends.  It is because we are post-Easter people that we can prepare every week as though it is Easter.  Christ is alive!

and God is Good,
Pastor Joe