To Hell In A Handbasket?

Hello Emmanuel,

In a conversation with a church member yesterday, it was noted how heavy the world seems today--just a lot of stuff… serious stuff… ugly stuff…. the kind of stuff that affects the human spirit.

Combine the violence of shootings and beatings and floods with the cultural battles over same-sex marriage.  Then combine that with tensions around gender identity and flags with the international disgust over ISIS and jihadists.  The world just gets ‘ugly’.  I can’t think of any better word to use.  There are moments when I find myself thinking like my grandparent’s generation:  ‘The world is going to hell in a handbasket.’

And then there is the conversation I had with my brother yesterday.  It didn’t have to do with the ugliness of the world, but with the smallness of the world.  With communication opportunities at an all-time high (social media like facebook, twitter, instagram and endless numbers of blogs and on-line ‘newspapers’ and numerous tv stations), nothing can get past the media today.  And if the media misses it, someone with a camera on their phone will catch it.  Oh, who are we kidding?   Everyone with a smart phone IS the media.  Everything can and will be known.  And most of the time, everything that gets told about, gets told about with a bias… sometimes a heavy bias…. Sometimes an unfair bias?  Who knows?

So here is the question:  is the world an uglier place?  Or are our endless communication techniques just better at uncovering the ugliness that has always been there?  How would our spirits be affected differently if there had been such social media in the 1940’s?  Could you imagine a German officer’s video clip taken at a concentration camp going viral?  Or someone in the 1800’s taking a selfie with their chained-up slaves who had just been taken from their African village and boarded onto the ships to take to the colonies… and then posting the selfie on facebook?  How about the burning witch trials in Massachusetts going on Instagram?  Or CNN with a reporter in Kentucky when brother was shooting at brother during the Civil War?  Or the invasion of Native American tribes because the white man wanted more land?  I could go on and on…..

And what if there was Twitter or Instagram when Israel invaded or got invaded by a foreign country?  What about in the 1^st century when Jesus walked the walk to Calvary?  Could you imagine that on YouTube?  How would our spirits be affected?

My thoughts are this:  the sins of the world have always been present—even the really ugly, heavy sins that disgust us.  We are just better at seeing them and hearing them.  We have little choice but to take it all in and contemplate the results.  It is much more difficult to ignore them or hide from them or claim ignorance.

And with the increased knowledge of the sins of the world hopefully comes the increased knowledge of our need for God’s redeeming grace.  It is more difficult than ever to claim that the world is an okay place.  Maybe there was a simpler day when someone (perhaps on Walton’s mountain?) could possibly think the world was okay, if not perfect.

We have always needed God’s redemption.  We are just more aware of our need than ever. 

So if your heart is heavy with all of the world’s ugliness, consider this:  perhaps the world hasn’t changed nearly as much as your awareness of the world. 

And may your awareness for your need of God’s grace change just as much.

God is Good,

Pastor Joe

A Different Approach

Hello Emmanuel,

July 18^th is Vacation Bible School.  July 17^th at 5:30 is the set-up for VBS.  We need help.

I’ve received a few questions regarding the move to have a 1-day VBS.  Many of us are used to the week-long VBS.  There are not really any strong reasons to go one direction or the other.  Beth and I felt it worth it to try the 1-day to see if there is any difference in response, both from the community as well as from the church.

July 18^th is going to be a family-oriented VBS.  Parents, grandparents, etc; are encouraged to participate with their child for the one day.  One-day VBS’s are becoming a small trend among churches as it also decreases the commitment and resources needed to pull it off while still creating an outreach ministry that invites community participation.

As some of you know, I’m not afraid to experiment.  Beth isn’t afraid either.  It’s what makes us a dangerous duo.  I feel it important to tweak things every now and then to see if we aren’t missing important opportunities.  Sometimes we find out that we are.  Sometimes not.  Either way we can evaluate and plan for next year accordingly.

Set-up for VBS is Friday at 5:30.  If you can’t help on Saturday, consider showing up on Friday to see how you might be able to lend a hand.  Or if you have more questions, you can call Beth Pollitt at 404-9360 or you can call me at 833-5219 (though Beth probably has more answers).

Help us continue to show the community that our doors are open and they are welcome to come in and be a part of what we do:  sharing Good News of God.

God is Good,

Pastor Joe

Pastor Joe and Same-Sex Marriage

Hello Emmanuel,

Ok, so here it is.  I’m finally angry, frustrated and somewhat irritated enough by this whole issue.  This edition of the MMP is about same-sex marriage.  It is the current hot topic in the United Methodist Church as well as other denominations.  It is an issue that is very divisive and threatens the unity of the UM Church.  However, I have come to the conclusion that the church should know how the pastor views the issue.  This is a longer edition than normal.  I simply invite you not to anticipate what you think I’m going to say here.  If you do, you’ll be disappointed.  If you don’t, you might still be disappointed, but at least you’ll hear what I have to say.

First, I fully admit that I’m not as passionate about this issue as a few of you are.  I try to be, but I just can’t.  I see too many other issues in the church that touch my heart in more significant ways:  addiction, family dysfunction, bitter friendships, abuse, neglect, people shooting other people, financial hardships, cancer, tragic loss of life, etc;  I just can’t find time to spend on whether or not this certain expression of love is condemning or praiseworthy.  I realize I put myself in a tough spot.  The liberals will say I’m not standing up for the oppressed like Jesus would.  The conservatives will say I’m not standing up for God’s laws as a pastor should.  I’m not trying to sit on the fence, but it is where I find myself.  Which leads to more frustration and to finding the reason why I don’t care as much as I should………

And here is why I think I lack passion on this issue…….

Second, the core of the issue in the church isn’t about gay marriage.  It is about how we treat Scripture.  Let’s be clear.  Churches can’t even agree on how to approach homosexuality.  The reason?  Churches can’t agree on what is a sin and what isn’t a sin.  There are 600+ laws in Scripture, all of them originating in the Old Testament.  I don’t follow all of them and don’t think I need to follow all of them.  And, by the way, regardless how conservative or liberal you think you are, none of you follow all of them either and, if you familiarize yourself with all of them, you will also believe you shouldn’t have to follow all of them (read Leviticus and Deuteronomy if you dare).  I could beat the drum on gluttony, make-up, tattoos, long hair, tithing 10%, keeping the Sabbath Holy, envying your neighbor’s new car and boiling baby goats.  Somehow I don’t think even the most conservative of us would take up the cause on all of it.  Each of us would pick and choose as we have done since Paul debated whether or not it was okay to eat pork in the Church and whether or not it was okay to be uncircumcised.  (sorry for the imagery, but hey, it’s in the Bible).

The Church simply doesn’t know what to do with those verses that don’t feel as significant today.  And the Church can’t agree on what which verses those are.  Is homosexuality on that list?  Boiling baby goats is on that list.  For many people, tithing 10% is on that list.  I would even submit that, in large part, we’ve pretty much passed on making issues like divorce and drinking alcohol such hot topics.  Why?  What happened?  What made divorce and alcohol suddenly not a big deal?  And what is making homosexuality a big deal today?  What will be the big deal 25 years from now?  It isn’t because it’s in the Bible.  It’s ALL in the Bible.  So why are we being so wishy washy about what we choose to detest and what we choose to give a pass on?  (are you picking up on my frustration yet?)

And because the Church doesn’t know how to treat Scripture, we come away looking terribly hypocritical and selectively hateful.  We give free passes to some for certain behavior, but not to others for other behavior.  This inconsistency makes me irritable.  It is also frustrating because, as a pastor, I don’t always know how to respond to the non-churched who claims we are hypocrites.  There are times when I have to nod my head and agree.

Third, I’m not going to let this issue define my ministry, nor the ministry of Emmanuel.  At the core of my Call is to help broken people know that there is hope.  That hope is found in Jesus Christ.  Over the years I have witnessed hundreds (thousands?) of people walk into the church as broken souls.  I could give a list as to the reasons for the brokenness (likely related to at least one of the 600+ Laws… though we can’t seem to agree on which ones really matter), but I don’t have enough room here.  Additionally, there were people who came relatively healthy who I thought were broken.  And there were people who came who I thought were pretty healthy who were, in fact, terribly broken.  I am not a good judge of who is broken and how badly.  Soooooo…..

I’m going to minister to others with the assumption that all of us are broken (regardless of the reason) and show them Jesus as the Hope for New Life.  Jesus came to help the sick, not the healthy.  My ministry will be defined by how I connect with Jesus, how I connect people to Jesus and how I help others connect people to Jesus.  It will be defined by how Jesus has treated me, how I treat people and how I teach others to treat people.  And in the end, God will read my heart and, by His grace, it will be a good read.

It goes back to the basic teachings of Jesus:  The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.  Love God, Love your neighbor as yourself and try not to be a hypocrite.

Fourth (and the reason you read this article), there is a lot I don’t know or understand around the issue of homosexuality.  Many of you likely want to know my stance on same-sex marriage.  I honestly don’t know.  I do know that I will not preside over same-sex marriages.  Before any of you applaud or boo, know that my reason is a selfish one.  I like my job.  And my lack of passion in this area doesn’t lead me to want to risk my employment.  Don’t get me wrong.  I have gone against the grain of UM stances before, but only when my conscience gave me little choice. 

I do hope you understand that this fourth point is miniscule in my mind, compared to all the other points in this article.  The Church is in trouble.  We need to figure out how we are going to treat Scripture or the Church will slowly become irrelevant to the community that seeks guidance amidst brokenness.

Fifth and finally, we need to pray for the United Methodist Church.  Next Spring is General Conference.  Many petitions around this issue of same-sex marriage will be debated and voted on.  Regardless of the outcome, the UM Church is as close to splitting as it ever has been and the UM Church will continue to decline until we start making the hot topic the topic that matters to people who are broken (which is all of us).  I love the UM Church.  It introduced me to Jesus and showed me how my brokenness could be forgiven and healed.  I, in turn, will continue to introduce others to Jesus and show others how forgiveness is prevalent and healing is always a possibility.

God is Good,

Pastor Joe

Jesus is in Columbia

Hello Emmanuel,

Our children are going to help build a church in Columbia.

The Sunday School program is embarking on a new journey.  Sunday School students are being asked to bring offering to their class.  It isn’t unusual for Sunday Schools to take up offering.  Traditionally, it is actually a norm.  However, at Emmanuel, we are going to have a focal point for the kids:  building a church in Columbia.

James Pollitt and Paula McCollum are going to join a team of people in the Ohio River Valley District to go to Columbia in February.  This will be James’ second visit and many of you may remember him sharing in worship about his first visit.  The project is to not just build a church, but to rebuild a community. 

Of course there are costs to such endeavors.  James will be educating the kids on the situation in Columbia and the kids will be partnering with him and Paula to help with their trip.  The students will be asked to bring in their loose change each week and to pray for them.  The intent is to help the kids have some ownership in making a difference in specific community like the one in Columbia.

This is a win/win for Emmanuel.  More resources are made available to help make mission trips happen.  It also teaches the students about the gift of giving and the importance of good stewardship.  I encourage all the parents and grandparents to jump on board and help the kids invest in such a Christ-like project.

If you have any questions on this or wonder how else you could help, just contact me (pastorjoe@emmanuel-umc.com).  Emmanuel is clearly a missional church both locally and globally.  We are always looking for ways for people to meet Jesus.

God is Good,

Pastor Joe

Just Settle Down

Hello Emmanuel,

Sometimes I have to settle down and remind myself:  A healthy church is fun.

(the following paragraph is confession time)

As a pastor I can get caught up in the nitty gritty of church life.  I can analyze and over-analyze the various elements of what traditionally defines a healthy, disciple-making church.  Average attendance, offering, 1^st time visitors, 6^th time visitors, small groups, volunteerism, invitational ministries, educational programs, baptisms, new members, etc, etc, etc…..  I can agonize over the small failures of ministry and only be cautiously optimistic over the big successes.  I can spend the majority of my time figuring out how to make the numbers bigger and too little time marveling at how God has helped make any numbers at all.  I can knit pick the state of the church’s spirit and fail to celebrate redemption on a daily basis.  On the whole, I can forget…..

A healthy church is fun…..

(the following paragraph is a call to rejoice)

            Other leaders and laity of the church can do the same.  Let me suggest that there is nothing wrong with taking time to be glad regarding who God has made us to be, on both an individual and communal basis.  You have an identity as a disciple of Jesus—your gifts, personality, passions and Call.  We have an identity as Emmanuel UMC—our gifts, personalities, passions and Calls.  We cannot be everything for everyone, but that’s what makes us special and unique.  We offer particular traits as a community of believers that allow us to do well with who and what we have.  We are missional.  We are giving.  We are authentic.  We are the church on the corner.  Take time at this moment to give thanks to God.  We are not perfect.  We are not the mega-church.  We are not the small, dying church.   But can we take a moment to consider that we are generally being who God is calling us to be, nothing more and nothing less.  Rejoice.  And remember….

A healthy church is fun…..

            We are exiting the high seasons of the church calendar (Advent, Epiphany, Lent, Easter and Pentecost) and entering what is known as ‘Common Time’.  However, we are not common.  God has made us uncommon.  There is no church like us, good, bad or indifferent.  Let us continue to offer our uniqueness in the context of God’s love and grace.  Let’s not lose sight of the big picture and get caught up in what the world says the church should be.  Let’s continue to look and listen to God and be who He wants us to be.  If we do so, we will continue walk the road of disciple-making.  We will continue to consistently grow and give and baptize and welcome and befriend and volunteer and invite and learn.

And every so often, remind your pastor to settle down and remember that a healthy church is fun…..

God is Good,

Pastor Joe

Passing The Wind

Hello Emmanuel,

I’m at Lakeside, Ohio…. For the 20^th year!  I’m old.

The West Ohio Conference is in session and I’m sitting at the Pavilion by the pier, watching the flag fly vigorously.  For those who don’t know, this one week out of the year I fly kites.  I bring my 14 kites down to the pier hoping to see the flag fly vigorously.  The conditions are currently perfect for kite flying…..

..and here I sit…. Typing to you.  Why?  Because I love you.  Awwwwwww…..

Yes, I am sacrificing perfect kite-flying weather so that I can write to you for yet another week.  It isn’t for just anyone that I will waste so much wind (I’m referring to kite-flying, not my preaching).  Sacrifice is a part of being a disciple.  Let it be known.  I’m one committed disciple. 

Sarcasm aside, as disciples of Jesus there does come those times when we are called to sacrifice.  It isn’t always as easy to do as I am doing now.  Sometimes sarcasm is difficult and it isn’t always appreciated.  We give of our time and energy.  There are moments when it is noticed.  There are moments when it isn’t noticed.  Either way, it needs to be okay.

I wonder how many good things Jesus did that didn’t get recorded.  We actually know very little of Jesus’ life.  Imagine how much good He likely did and we don’t even get to notice it.  But He did it anyway because he loved.

So please note that the flag is flying vigorously.  If you don’t take note, that’s okay.  I’m going to write to you anyway.  Why?  Because I love you.   Awwwww…..

God is Good,

Pastor Joe

Extravagant Generosity

Hello Emmanuel,

I’m not going to lie.  I’m excited about giving.

Over the years I’ve done a few of these blogs on money.  Not many.  Contrary to popular opinion, it isn’t a favorite topic for pastors or churches.  There are many preconceived notions out there that the church is some sort of money-making machine (and in some places deservedly so, I’m sad to admit).  But at Emmanuel we are a disciple-making machine which really gets at the truth as to why I’m so excited.

Our goal for the Building Hope Fund is $110,000 over the next 3 years.  After 2 Sundays of talking and teaching and preaching and praying about it, we are at $106,792.  This is astounding to me.  You would think that, at some point, I would stop being surprised.

One of the core values at Emmanuel is extravagant generosity.  I’m ok with admitting that this core value doesn’t have much to do with me.  The other 3 core values I brought with me 6 years ago and have strongly encouraged us to practice throughout our ministries (authenticity, relevance and excellence).  These 3 I have deeply ingrained within me and we have made it the DNA of Emmanuel. 

Extravagant generosity is a value that I didn’t bring with any passion.  It is a value that Emmanuel taught me, showed me and encouraged in me.  The church teaches the pastor more than many think.  This is assuming the pastor is open to being taught.  I try to be, though ego sometimes gets in the way. 

So I’m not going to lie.  I’m excited about giving.  I truly feel a part of something bigger than myself.  There is a spiritual component to giving.  It is one of a few acts (praying, serving, witnessing, worshiping) that help one feel a part of the Community of Believers.  And it isn’t about how much one gives as much as it is just being a giver. 

And Sunday School is getting on board with it as well.  The Sunday Schools are going to continue teaching and encouraging the spiritual act of giving.  The children are going to be asked to bring in their loose change and begin specifically supporting one area of Emmaneul’s ministries:  Mission Trips.  And there will be presentations given to the children about what we do, where we go and how God is involved in communities beyond our walls. 

So I’m excited about giving and hope you are too.  I hope you can see and feel the Holy Spirit work at Emmanuel as we get the right resources (people, time, money, prayers) in the right places to do the right things so that more and more people can meet and follow the Christ.

God is Good,

Pastor Joe