One More Week

Hello Emmanuel,

As mentioned in recent MMP’s, I will be going on sabbatical (July 1^st-August 11^th) to rest and be renewed.  I will also be visiting other churches to see what I can learn from them and apply to us as we continue to grow at Emmanuel.

Many have asked me where I’ll be going.  For those interested in my itinerary, keep reading.  If not, skip to the end:

Delaware – 1 week – I will be visiting with 2 different churches and pastors.  One is called The Connection, a United Methodist Church that started from 0 and grew to over 700.  The 2 lead pastors are a married couple.  Sound intriguing to me.  I will also be visiting with a pastor who led a church from 50 to 600 worshippers.  I went to seminary with him many years ago.  It will be good to catch up with him.  The rest of the time I’ll likely be on sand or in water.  Sounds horrible, I know.

L.A./San Diego – 1 week – There is nothing churchy about this week.  I am going West with my brother to watch the Reds.  A religious experience?  Yes… but only if you think baseball was created by God.

Columbus, Georgia – 4 days – My kids get to see their cousins twice a year.  This is one of those times.  I may go golfing.  There is nothing religious about golfing.  If anything, it will test my perseverance and my temper.  I may stop in to see St. Luke United Methodist Church for confessional.

Home – 2.5 weeks – Yes, I will be home at times.  Kim and I will have 2 Sundays to visit other churches to renew our minds about ministry.  We don’t know which we will visit, but it will likely include a Saturday worship experience.  I also hope to talk with Rev. Doug Johns (who will be preaching July 7^th) about his experience at Church of the Savior in Montgomery.

Other possibilities include a bicycle trip with Joey to Columbus, Ohio and/or a drive to Chicago.  Given the established itinerary, we may just not have time.  I will also be reading a book called Start This, Stop That by Jim and Jennifer Cowart.  It looks like an easy read about what to do and what not to do in a growing church.

I know that some of you will wonder what to expect from me when I get back.  I wish I could tell you.  I expect to have new ideas, but whether they will be ground-breaking or earth-shattering will remain to be seen.  I will say that, in terms of disciple-making, Emmanuel has a big hump in front of it.  We need to figure out how to get over it while we still have the momentum.  It won’t be easy for us.  It will be easy for God if we can just listen and do.

I want to thank Emmanuel’s leadership for allowing me this opportunity for a sabbatical.  It has the potential to be an enlightening time.  My wife does not know me apart from being ‘Pastor Joe’ and I have always had to balance ‘Pastor’ with ‘Dad’.  To have 6 weeks to do otherwise will be interesting. 

I will be ‘off the grid’ during the 6 weeks.  If any emergencies come up, please contact:

Vicki Hensley (Lay Leader) – sewblessed@fuse.net – 732-6641

Bill Maskiell – (SPRC Leader) – wmaskiell@cinci.rr.com – 752-7838

Shawn Young – (Director of Connectivity) – shawn.young@emmanuel-umc.com – 937-725-3339

Or you can call the church at 732-1400.  Lori, the administrator assistant, will be in the office to return your call.  Or you can email lori at lori.upham@emmanuel-umc.com. 

See you this Sunday as we spend one more time considering renewal….  If I don’t see you then, I’ll see you in August.

God is Good,

Pastor Joe

Cold Fingers and Free Food

Hello Emmanuel,

When was the last time you had a taste of home-made ice cream?  You know… the kind that is made by cranking the handle until your arm is sore.  I have memories of such.  My grandpa would make ice cream a couple of times every summer and invite me down to help him.  My job in the process was very important (or so he said).  My task was to keep my finger in the hole of the bucket so that the ice water didn’t run out while grandpa cranked the handle.  The feeling of being needed gave me a sense of importance.  So I stuck my finger in the hole of the bucket and waited….

…..and waited…..

….. and waited….

I tried hard not to complain about my finger getting cold and then numb.  I wanted to do my task well and without grumbling about it.  But boy was that ice water cold!!!  And it took grandpa forever to crank. 

In the end it was all worth it.  I got ice cream and my finger never fell off.  Good for me!!!

This Sunday, June 23^rd, from 2:00 until 4:00, you will have a chance to share ice cream with us.  Everyone is invited to the Young at Heart event, sponsored by the Small Groups Ministry Team.  You are also invited to make a home-made pie if you so desire, and share that as well.  We are going to play bingo too!  (and rumor has it, maybe a little euchre).

But wait!!!!   There is even more!!!!   We will be talking about the launch of an exciting new ministry.  We are calling it ‘Family and Elder Care Ministry’.  Tiffany McGuire and other healthcare workers are feeling the Call to use their gifts to help families of the church.  We feel it is important to find ways to care for people of all ages within the church. This new ministry expands how we can care for our Senior Blessings and for the caregivers as well.

We will be speaking more on this new ministry this coming Sunday on June 23^rd during the Young at Heart event.  Please come!!  It will be a good time of fellowship (and cold fingers).

God is Good,

Pastor Joe

Sabbatical, part 3

Hello Emmanuel,

If you pay too much attention to the road, you might forget where you are going.

A couple of weeks ago I shared what I would like to learn while on my 6-week sabbatical (July 1^st-August 11^th).  This week I want to share with you that I want to be reminded what I already learned.  The busyness of church has its ebbs and flows for everyone, but especially for pastors.  I have seasons of the year when I know my calendar will be packed with meetings and conversations which brings with it a certain degree of stress and pressure.  I also have seasons when I know my calendar gets a bit lighter…. Giving me a chance to prepare myself for more meetings and conversations… which bring with it a degree of stress and pressure.

Sabbaticals are often times used for rest and refocus.  This will be my major goal for those 6 weeks.  I don’t want to pay so much attention to the road that I forget where I am going.  My journey in ministry has been interesting and, at times, rather intense.  The road has seen many different terrains:  smooth and fast; bumpy and slow; twisty and curvy; straight and narrow.  But in the midst of the journey, I don’t want to forget that God is Calling me…. And why He is Calling me.

Another analogy many of you may be familiar with is ‘not seeing the forest for all the trees’.  In other words, sometimes being up close and personal keeps one from seeing the big picture.  My 6 weeks away will be a time for me to stand further back and look at the big picture.  My intentions are to disconnect from my job and reconnect with my Call.  You might see this as a conflict because my job and my Call are seen as one in the same.  However, my point is that I don’t want to see it as a job (a tree).  I want to see it as a Call (a forest).  A job gets me a paycheck.  A Call gives me purpose and connection to the Divine.  The fact that they run parallel with each other is neither here nor there.  I want to keep hearing God say ‘serve Me’.  Sometimes it’s difficult to hear when my job gets in the way.  I hope I’m making sense.  If I don’t, then it isn’t the first time.

So I will be disconnecting for 6 weeks starting July 1^st.  This may seem an impossible task because my personal AND professional life is so intertwined with church.  However, my intentions are to turn off my google mail, refuse to log-on to facebook (though that might prove challenging) and unglue my phone from my hand.  I want to reconnect with Joe Royer without the word ‘Pastor’ in front of his name.  I want to be reminded that God doesn’t call me ‘Pastor Joe’.  (He sometimes just says ‘Hey you!’).

So there will be a strong spiritual component to my sabbatical.  I appreciate all the support that I have already been given by Emmanuel.  Not every congregation would understand the concept of a sabbatical.  But as usual, Emmanuel isn’t a typical congregation. 

In totally different news, the new website is up and running, though it has many bumps to smooth over yet.  You can go to www.emmanuel-umc.com to register and see something new.  Many are registering without incident.  However, if you have issues, you can email Shawn Young (shawn.young@emmanuel-umc.com) and he will help you out.

God is Good,

Pastor Joe

From a Frustrated Pastor

Hello Emmanuel,

No need to beat around the bush:  I’m frustrated.  I wish I could point to just one thing, but that would be too easy.  If it was just one thing, then I can either fix the problem or focus on something different that is good and right.  A half a dozen things hit me even before I left the house this morning and none of them good.  Ever feel like a day is simply going to be a no-win proposition?

As I type this, I don’t even know if you are going to get it (unless you read this via the facebook link to blogspot.com).  The google email is down for anyone that has Emmanuel-umc email.  I evidently cannot send or receive emails.  For anyone that knows me, that is a huge issue in how I make contacts and keep church stuff moving.  Now I feel like I’m in a boat in the middle of the ocean with no motor, let alone an oar.

So how do you cope when you have such days?  Here are some ways I cope, in no particular order.  Warning:  these methods are not necessarily constructive.  Don’t copy what the Pastor does:

1.  When I get these kinds of days, my mind regresses to a place of survival.  In other words, I think about the stuff I have to get done and figure out a way to cope the best I can.  For example, I think about going old-school and actually using a phone.  It slows down how many contacts I can make, but again it’s about survival.  I can’t imagine how long it would take for me to read my Monday Morning Pulpit to all of you, one at a time (though maybe a conference call is in order?).

2.  What I also do is get things in perspective.  I try to see my work as just work and not the life and death of the existence of Creation.  I look at the big picture and try to be thankful that my ups and downs don’t really have a major impact on functioning of the Universe.  If I can minimize my importance, I won’t get so stressed out about my failings.  But this coping mechanism isn’t really constructive.  It leads to low self-esteem….. something I don’t like to revisit. 

3.   I get dangerously sarcastic (as opposed to my normal irritating-but-perhaps-a-bit-humorous sarcasm).  Some would define it as grumpiness.  My wife has another word for it, but this is a ‘church document’.  However, if you have some time, look up Numbers 22:24-31.  Sometimes people can be worse than a talking.. uh.. donkey (NIV version is nicer).  I’ve preached it before.  I may again.

I think I’ll stop my own personal list there.  The rest is reserved for my counselor.  Now let me share with you what actually works for me without dragging people down with me. 

4.   You can only control what you can control.  The reality is that you can control very little.  You can control what you say and what you do.  You can control how you react to the uncontrollable things around you, including the many things you don’t know or understand (like Google email).  The rest is either up to other people or up to God. 

Now you might say, ‘that’s it?  That’s all you got, Pastor Joe?’  But what it reminds me is what God calls us to be and do.  God calls us to love when and where we can.  That’s all.  There isn’t anything more in life that God wants us to do.  It’s really simple.  To think that we have the responsibility or Calling to do more is to make life more complicated than God intended.  Making life more complicated is what many of us are really good at.

So hopefully you receive this document someday.  If not, maybe I will have the opportunity to love you at a different place and time.  If not, I will do what I can for whenever I cross paths with someone else.  I invite you to do the same.  Why?  Because it’s really so simple.

God is Good (but Google isn’t)

Pastor Joe

The Sabbatical, Part 2

Hello Emmanuel,

How awesome was Sunday?  3 baptisms, 4 new members and free helium balloons!  Does it get any better?  Oh… yes… and God’s Holy Spirit was present… so, yes it does!  Congrats to Chris, Ginifer and Emma Swofford on their baptisms.  And, in addition to Chris and Ginifer, Will and Beverly Hatfield joined the church.  It was a great day.

As the news gets around about my impending sabbatical (July 1^st – August 11^th), more questions are being asked.  This is the attempt to answer those questions.  Hopefully it is a successful attempt.  If not, fear not.  Email me at pastorjoe@emmanuel-umc.com.  I will answer all questions regarding the sabbatical.  I might even answer other kinds of questions, but you won’t know unless you ask.  Or, if you prefer to get the church’s perspective, you can email Vicki Hensley (sewblessed@fuse.net) or Bill Maskiell (wmaskiell@cinci.rr.com).

As a result of my approach to pastoring a church, only a small percent of what I do is out in the forefront (I’d rather have a strong Vision drive a church rather than a pastor or personality drive the church).  While my preaching and teaching and Sunday morning presence is for all to see, much of my work is in the background equipping leaders, leading meetings, resolving any conflict, counseling couples/families and managing the overall structure of Emmanuel’s leadership.  While there seem to be an infinite number of different ways to lead a church, this is how I have felt called to do so and it seems to be effective.  It is one of the reasons why I believe Emmanuel and I are a good fit for one another.   I feel blessed.

The 6 week sabbatical will, in part, be a time to figure out how to re-approach much of the work I do in the background.  The congregation will not likely see any drastic change in what I do during Sunday mornings.  What is likely to happen, however, is how I approach leadership structures in the church.  While this may help the worship attender relax a bit, it may put leaders in the church in near-panic mode.  Few things are as enjoyable as panicking leaders (but it isn’t really all that bad).

Without boring most of you, let me try to put this as simply as possible.  The current Vision Team structure is getting too small.  Our monthly Vision Team meetings are getting too busy with all dreaming, planning and evaluating of ministry.  In addition, the ministry teams are showing signs of needing more help beyond the scope of the team.

So what do we do?  We can’t keep doing the same thing or ministry will stagnate.  The sabbatical will give me time to figure it out by visiting churches which have gone through the same sort of issues.  My plan is to visit 3 to 6 churches that are busier than Emmanuel to see how they are structured and if it is something we can duplicate. 

In a future MMP, I will discuss 2 other aspects of my sabbatical:  rest and spiritual renewal as well as what Emmanuel is planning for while I’m gone.  Fear not!  I’ll try to make them funnier and less political-science-like.  In the meantime, you can look forward to Shawn’s OMLETTE next Monday.

Maybe he can describe the tediousness of designing the new website, making my MMP’s look ridiculously exciting.

God is Good,

Pastor Joe

Thanks Barb!!!

Hello Emmanuel,

Today I get to be a bit more serious.  Pentecost is this Sunday (don’t forget to wear red) and the Holy Spirit will be looking to work through us.  So consider the following need at Emmanuel.

Barb Hattar will be stepping back from teaching the pre-school Sunday School class at Emmanuel at the end of May.  For those who don’t know, Barb was instrumental in helping Emmanuel get a pre-school Sunday School class started.  As the Sunday School program grew dramatically from '09-'11, we saw a definite need and Barb stepped up.  It was such a blessing.  We thank Barb for all the work she put in to help and serve.

Though Barb will be stepping back, the need is as strong as ever.  Miss Barb (as the kids refer to her) can have anywhere from a few to 10 kids in her class.  The class time (Sundays, 10:30-11:30) allows the kids to learn the very basics about God.  What has been just as valuable is that the parents have the opportunity to focus on their own worship experience during that same hour.  This has allowed Emmanuel to provide an important ministry to young families, a demographic that has been a big part of disciple-making at Emmanuel.

So Emmanuel is looking for a pre-school Sunday School teacher (or a couple of people to tag team the class).  I’m not going to lie (because Pastors never lie), this takes someone who has a Calling to be a teacher/mentor/guide to pre-schoolers.  On the other hand, being a Sunday School teacher to pre-schoolers has its very unique rewards as well.  It’s awesome to hear their perspective on the world.

So if you feel the tug from the Holy Spirit and want to explore the possibility or have any questions, let Shawn (shawn.young@emmanuel-umc.com) know.  You will not only make his day, but likely his season.  In addition, he and I can have less stressful staff meetings…. always a plus.

God is Good,

Pastor Joe

The Sabbatical, Part 1

Hello Emmanuel,

Before I get into my topic for this week’s MMP, I want you to know we have a lot of stuff coming up in the next few weeks.  Mother’s Day is Sunday and while it is important to celebrate the gift of motherhood, it is also appropriate to understand the difficulties this day represents for many women.  We will explore both sides because… well… God is on both sides.

May 12^th - Karen Scherra, Executive Director of Clermont County Mental Health & Recovery Board will speak briefly on the issue of Heroine addiction in Clermont County.

May 19^th is Pentecost.  You are invited to wear red.  We will also be welcoming new members to Emmanuel!  AND we will be blessing the hands of any healthcare workers who are in attendance.  They need their hands blessed.  They care for a lot of people.

May 26^th is Memorial Day weekend.  We will honor those who have fallen so we can have freedom from oppression.  Also, the Youth will be sharing about their 30 hour famine.

Now for my topic:  The Sabbatical, part 1….

The United Methodist Church encourages clergy to take a sabbatical every 4 years.  A sabbatical is essentially a period of time during which the pastor takes off for various reasons.  In many cases, sabbaticals are used for clergy to refresh, renew and get back in touch with their Call to ministry.  Sabbaticals can also be used to pursue education, to help recover from serious illness or other needs that require extended time off.  They can also be as short as a few weeks or as long as a year.

I am in my 17^th year of ministry and have never had a sabbatical.  Obviously I’m not a huge fan of them.  There’s the egotistical side of me that is convinced the church would simply disintegrate if I took extended time off.  I know this isn’t true at Emmanuel, but it helps me feel important in any case.  And, yes, I know the church has been around 2,000 years, most of it happening without me.  Therefore, my argument is a weak one…… so…..

With the encouragement of the Staff-Parish Relations Team (that’s a nice way of saying they are pushy), I am taking a sabbatical from July 1^st through August 11^th.  There are a few different reasons why this is good timing:

First, quite frankly, I need rest.  I don’t admit this easily.  In normal circumstances I would see no need for a sabbatical of rest.  However, the good news is that I’m not in a normal circumstance.  As far as churches go, Emmanuel is a high energy, fast paced church that has a crowded calendar and relatively fast growth in numbers and spirit (i.e. the first few paragraphs of this article which only lists events in the area of worship, never mind the other 11 ministry teams).  Change happened fast at Emmanuel and my work pace has had to multiply in speed to make sure Emmanuel stayed healthy through it all (particularly in the first 2 years of me arriving here).  Emmanuel is healthy.  I am overjoyed.  I am also tired.

Second, it is time to revision.  Most of you are familiar with the Discipleship Pathway (circle chart).  It is a pathway that has allowed us to grow and develop into a healthier church.  We have approached a size in which the circle chart has challenged the organizational structure of the church.  I’ll elaborate on this in another MMP, but to put simply, our leadership structure is being stretched to handle the quantity of ministry that is being implemented.  We need to reorganize how we dream, plan, and evaluate so that we can have room for more growth.  Otherwise, we could stagnate in ministry and a stagnating church is not a healthy church.  I need to figure out how to get this done to give the church the best opportunity to continue ‘making disciples of Jesus Christ’.

Third, and finally, I need to consider how to re-invent myself.  I can only say the same joke so many times or tell the same story so many times.  While I personally have tried to branch out and stay creative and fresh, I have also found that, based on my previous 2 appointments, I have about 4 years-worth of material.  Add to the fact that Emmanuel is entering territory in which I have never experienced.  Emmanuel is about to face challenges I have never helped a church face.  I better stay ahead of the curve.  The effectiveness of my leadership depends on it.  This sabbatical will give me a chance to spend time with other churches and learn from them.

I will be writing and speaking about this impending sabbatical in the weeks ahead because I know it can be a nervous time for us.  Work is being done to prepare for those six weeks too.  However, if you have questions in the meantime, feel free to talk to me or Bill Maskiell (chair of SPRC) or Vicki Hensley (Lay Leader) about it.  They are smart people (and pushy).

2013 can possibly be a real positive fork-in-the-road for Emmanuel.  Let’s be ready for it.

God is Good,

Pastor Joe