Those of you who were able to attend the children’s Christmas Pageant this past Sunday afternoon received a great Advent gift. The children were excited and full of energy and in great voice, and did a wonderful and faithful job of sharing the Christmas story with all present. There is something very powerful about our children taking one of the central stories of the Christian faith -a story we have shared with them – and turning around and giving the story back to us in their own words. They have made the story their own, and it will be with them forever! I think we always need to remember that if we don’t teach our children our faith, no one else will do it for us!!

Aura Lee Emsweller did a fantastic job of leading the children in the musical portions of the Pageant. Numerous parents also contributed to the effort. I want to offer a big ‘Thank You’ to Patti Foster, Central’s Director of Children’s Ministries. As Patti joined the church staff this past summer she was handed the responsibility of making the Christmas Pageant happen in a totally new way. Her quiet, behind-the-scenes leadership was fantastic. I hope you all will take the opportunity to thank her as well.

The Pageant was made complete by a wonderful kid-friendly shared meal, that the adults loved as well. The meal was provided by the Fellowship Cluster. A big thanks to Alison Donaldson, Jennifer Pimmler, Kitty Mills, and the dish washing crew for all their efforts. My hope is that the format of an afternoon Pageant and meal will continue to be our pattern in coming years, and that many more members and friends of the Central community will be able to join in the Celebration next December!

On another note, nearly all of you will by now have received the letter from Wes Tillett, announcing that he and Rita and Toby and Kidest will be headed to Lebannon (the country, not just down I-65!) in the summer of 2010 as missionary co-workers of the Presbyterian Church (USA).

While I am saddened that Wes will no longer be part of the Central staff, and that the entire family will depart from our community, I am so very excited for them and this next stage of their journey through life and faith! Central has been blessed by Wes’ service to us; and I trust that we have also helped shape him a bit as a pastor and person.

With seminary now behind him, it is time that Wes continue to follow God’s call into the future. One of the great things about his new call as a PCUSA missionary co-worker, is that Central can stay in touch with the Tilletts and support them through prayer and support their mission financially. Could a Central mission trip to Lebanon even be in our future?!

Please know that we will say an appropriate farewell to the Tilletts closer to the time of their mid-May departure; and that we’ll also have another opportunity to hear Wes in the pulpit. Also know that the Personnel Committee has already begun discussions about filling Wes’ crucial roles at Central. We will never be able to ‘replace’ Wes, but I do trust that God will send another gifted person our way, who will help us discover new paths to worship and caring for our children!

Advent is a wonderful time of the year to invite friends and family who do not have a church, or are searching for a new church home, to come experience Central. I hope we’ll all extend an invitation and offer to drive and spring for lunch afterwards!

Don’t forget…the Central choir will be presenting their annual Christmas Cantata at the 11:00 a.m. service this Sunday! We’ll all want to be there.

See you in worship…

My recent reading has included a book by Steven Croft entitled The Advent Calendar, and I want to share a bit from it. The main characters in the book are sixteen year old, Alice, and her Uncle Sam, who is in his late 20’s and still has a lot of growing up to do.

Alice receives the gift of a very unique Advent calendar. Each day of Advent a new door mysteriously appears on the calendar, and Sam and Alice are literally transported into another world through the door. What the two experience in each of these adventures always has strong echoes of biblical stories. In their daily trip into the Advent calendar, Alice and Sam are also led by a guide.

One of the guides, named JB (which I think stands for John the Baptist) offers a very profound lesson on how the days of Advent should be used. I think this lesson applies to us as well.

He says:

“The most important lesson to learn about getting ready for Christmas, said JB, is the one about forgiveness. All over the world, all year long, people hurt those they love in terrible ways. He picked up a remote control and pointed it at the screen. It divided into four sections. The pictures are live, he said. Fortunately there is no sound.

Alice and Sam looked. They saw a husband and wife quarrelling; two elderly people walking sadly apart from each other; a grown man nursing a grudge against his father; two sisters who never spoke. Every few seconds, one of the images changed. Sam and Alice saw a succession of lonely, broken people in a world that was fragmenting.

Scratch the surface of any family, said JB, and you will find deep fractures. Parents estranged from their children and children from their parents. Husbands and wives who live together still but whose hearts are full of bitterness. Brothers torn apart by jealousies which began in childhood. Sisters who never speak because of wrongs done to them years ago. Divorces which began with imagined neglect. Children seperated from grandparents by pride which cannot make the first move. Lonely, estranged people carrying their own hurts, searching desperately for love.

Why do you think it is, he went on, that people spend so much on Christmas? What is it they are looking for in the bright lights and decorations, food and drink? Each one is lonely. Each one is chasing friendship and community.

JB flicked off the television screen. And that is why the most important lesson in preparing for Christmas is this: use these weeks before the Holy Day to practise forgiveness, to be reconciled, to let go of old hurts and wounds, to bring hearts and lives together again. There is no better way to get ready for the King.”

My prayer for us all this Advent, is that we do indeed use these days wisely!

I’ll see you in church this Sunday…and bring a friend, that they too may enjoy the wonder and beauty of this season!

The Advent Calendar by Steven Croft; Darton, Longman & Todd, 2006; pp. 156-157.

I had my annual review with the Personnel Committee a week or so ago, and I want to share with you my answer to the question, “What are your goals for the coming year?”.

Here is my response:
- Working to move the vision process from the theoretical to the practical
- Working with the Personnel Committee to restructure staff responsibilities and rewrite job descriptions in light of the vision work.
- Working with Session to begin restructuring the governance of the church in light of the vision work
- Finding a better balance of work/personal time
- Continue the ongoing work of building the staff team
- Work with the Outreach Committee on the membership process – web page, vistor to new member, new member integration and retention

Obviously this list could contain many different things, for the number of possible priorites at Central are almost endless. Here is why I have chosen these particular items:

- I am excited that we have a new Vision & Strategic Plan document, but know that unless we are intentional about turning goals on paper into concrete actions, our new vision will become another piece of paper sitting in a folder gathering dust…and I don’t want that to happen!
- As the work of the church is focused around the goals of the Vision and Strategic Plan new responsibilities for the church staff will emerge and some duties presently addressed by staff will fall away. All of us on the staff are aware that some changes in responsibilities are on the way. Clarifying these changes through updated job descriptions is a must.
- At recent Session meetings, different Elders have suggested that Clusters/Committees for Technology and Every Member in Ministry be added to the current mix. They are correct in their belief that important areas of the church’s ministry should be resourced by congregational leadership. As Central lives into our new vision, it is important that we make the adjustments necessary to have the right governance structure for following God’s call into the future. Such adjusting must be thoughtful and intentional.
- Time is an aspect of being a pastor that is both a blessing and a curse. I have great freedom in how I shape my schedule, but also have a job that requires a lot of time to be done well. Finding a faithful and meaningful balace between work and personal time is a never-ending challenge.
- Central is blessed to have a great staff team serving the vision and ministries and people of the congregation. Teams, however, take work…and I want to do a better job of nurturing the Central staff team.
- Membership is another ongoing need of any congregation. We need to be constantly welcoming new visitors and new members into the Central community. Having a top of the line web page is essential in 2010; as is working to turn visitors into new members, and then integrating those new members into the life and activities of the congregation, while also making sure existing members don’t fall away. Just to maintain Central’s membership from year to year requires about 30 new members annually. Sustainable membership growth will require that we welcome 50-60 new members each year. I want to help the Outreach Cluster in their important work.

I know I will be busy in 2010. I also know that I will be serving alongside many, many dedicated Central members and staff, making a difference in our worship and our caring and our serving in the name of Jesus Christ!

See you in worship this Sunday…

I thought it would be good to share with you what is currently going on with Central’s new Vision & Strategic Plan.

Since Session shared the new vision document with the congregation, and Jeff Cover and I preached the “Disciples Are…Visionaries” series of sermons in September, the Elders who make up the Vision Task Force have been meeting with the Boards (Deacons and Trustees) and Ministry Clusters. At these meetings a Task Force member walks the group through the vision document, and invites them into a process of holding the work of their particular Cluster/Board up to Central’s new vision goals and asking questions – Where do our ministry activities match up with the new goals? Where do they not? In light of the vision goals are there new programs or activities or areas of ministry that our Cluster/Board needs to explore? In light of the vision goals are there things that need to be let go?

The Clusters and Boards are being asked to respond to these questions by mid-January. Members of the Vision Task Force will then use all this information to shape the content of a Session Retreat focused on vision that will take place on Saturday, January 30.

Taking words on a piece of paper about how we believe Central is being called into God’s future, and turning them into specific plans and concrete actions steps is challenging, but necessary work. And engaging each other in conversation about Central’s vision takes time, but it is a vital part of our common calling as disciples. Session is determined that Central’s new vision will be more than just another piece of paper tucked away in some file folder!

I think it is good to remind ourselves of the three primary goals of our new vision; the goals that will help us be about Changing Hearts to Change the World!

Goal 1: Changing Hearts: Strengtheing Connections to God
We strive to grow closer to God through worship, education, and spirituality, with the realization that a close relationship to God leads us to action in the world.

Goal 2: Changing Hearts: Strengthening Connections to Each Other
We strengthen and grow as a community of faith by caring for one another through ministires of care, communication, connection, integration and evangelism.

Goal 3: Changing Hearts: Changing the world
Through thoughful ministries that challenge the people of Central to put our faith into action, we will change our world. Our faith compels us to serve as the hands and feet of Christ as we are called to action, partnership and reflection.

The work of Vision is never-ending for God’s people. I hope and pray that we will catch and use and grow in our new vision here at Central faithfully and joyfully!!

See you in church THIS Sunday…

The German theologian and Christian martyr, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, authored a powerful book entitled, The Cost of Discipleship; in which he outlines some of the challenges of being a disciple of Jesus, and describes the difference between ‘cheap grace’ – the grace we bestow on ourselves, and ‘costly grace’ – the gift of God which we must seek again and again. To be sure, Bonhoeffer is right. Choosing to be a disciple, choosing to follow Jesus, who calls for peace in a world that values war, who lifts up the equality of all in a world that likes to divide and separate, who invites the sharing of money and food and clothing and shelter in a world that encourages us to hoard, who says the focus must be on God in a world that likes to focus on self…choosing to follow Jesus, and choosing Jesus’ priorities, often sets us at odds with the world around us, and with co-workers, and friends and even family. Discipleship does come with a cost.

Without any disrespect to Bonhoeffer, however, I think it is just as important to remember that there is a joyful side to discipleship as well! Participating in the worship that is at the heart of a gathering of disciples brings us joy. The sense of community and fellowship we share when we meet, and eat, and play, and pray together offers us great joy. Reaching out to, and caring for others through service provides joy that is long-lasting and life-giving.

The well of joy that we know as disciples of Jesus Christ is deep. And in those times when life is overwhelming and perplexing; when our brokenness is great; when any hope for a different future has dried up…in all these moments and more, the deep well of joy this is ours in Christ, makes life possible!!

What joy has discipleship brought to you this day? How has the world pushed you around today, leaving you in need of joy?

Jesus invites us to keep God’s commandments and abide in his love, that his joy may be in us, so that our joy may be complete (John 15.11). Quite an invitation, quite a gift for disciples like us!

See you in Worship this Sunday…

Yesterday I was given the list of names that will be read in each worship service this Sunday, November 1 – All Saints Day…the names of the members of Central who have died since our previous All Saints observance last November. It was a bittersweet read. There are 17 names on the list this year.

As I read through the names, I recalled the faces of those I knew, and some of the memories and stories I associate with them. Some of the names brought a smile to my face, an outloud chuckle, a lump in my throat, a tear to my eye. Because I’ve only been your pastor for a couple of years, there were other names on the list that I did not know. I’ve heard stories about some of these folks from you their friends, and from Session Elders. Every member death is noted by the Session, often with the sharing of stories about the person from the Elders who knew them.

Our worship this All Saints Sunday will include an opportunity for us to remember and celebrate and give thanks to God for the ’saints’ of Central, and for all the other ’saints’ in our lives, who have died in the past year…moving in the great journey of life from the church temporal to the church eternal. Let us gather to worship God with our stories and memories of these saints, with our smiles, with our acknowledgement that they were very human saints (just like us!) and with our tears. I hope there will be lots of story telling before and after the services; recalling how our life together was enriched by the presence of these saints now gone. It will be a holy time.

Also remember that on Sunday afternoon, Central’s organist/choir director, Jeff Stearns will be offering a dedicatory concert to celebrate our newly refurbished organ. The dedication and concert begins at 3:00 p.m., and will be followed by a reception hosted by the Fellowship Cluster. Jeff has been working very hard in preparation for this event, and I’m really looking foward to it! I hope you will come, and I hope you will bring some friends with you. An event like this is a great way to introduce others to the special and faithful community we share at Central!

See you in worship this Sunday…

On Sunday mornings at the church I served right out of seminary in Athens, Ohio, I use to help lead the group singing for all of the children and teachers before they headed off to their Sunday School classes. One of our favorite songs was “I Am The Church”. It went like this.

I am the church,
You are the church,
We are the church together.
All who follow Jesus,
All around the world,
Yes we’re the church together.

The church is not a building.
The church is not a steeple.
The church is not a resting place.
The church is the people!

The last line of this little song has it right, in my opinion. The church is the people! Central Presbyterian Church is you and me, all working together, striving to be the disciples of Jesus Christ that God wants us to be.

As we get ready to bring forth our 2010 Stewardship Pledge Commitments and Every Member in Ministry Menus in worship this Sunday, October 25, I hope and pray that we will be led in our commitment-making by the idea that we the people of Central, the members and friends of Central, are the church together; and that our church – with God’s help – is what we the people are willing to support.

The ministries associated with various Ministry Teams can only happen if people (you and me) are willing to sign up and get involved. Our mission spending, and educational and programatic activities, and level of staff support can only be what we the people of Central Presbyterian are willing to support with our stewardship dollars.

In preparation for Commitment Sunday, I invite all of us to look at how we spend our time and how we spend our money, and then pray and consider the spiritual gifts that God has given us, and the financial resources that God has given us, and decide accordingly. What gift has God given you that keeps rising to the surface, just begging to be used? Find the right Ministry Team, or suggest a new Ministry Team, and let that gift be utilized to the Glory of God! How has God been generous with you, and what do you think God expects you to do with this abundance? Is the percentage of your income you are giving to the purposes of God truly reflective of this abundance? Has your rate of giving changed in recent years? Is it time to raise your giving by a half of a percent or a whole percent, again, to the Glory of God?

We all must answer these questions individually, utilizing lots of prayer, but it is our collective effort that makes Central Presbyterian the church God calls and desires us to be.

The church is the people!

See you in worship this Sunday…

This past Sunday evening Central’s Session held a special meeting to welcome 19 new folks into the membership of the church. This is the kind of Session meeting that I just love to attend! It is wonderful that so many people want to formally become part of the Central community. To me it is a sign that we are a healthy church…not a perfect church…but a church where folks try hard to be faithful disciples of Jesus; a church that is trying to follow God’s call into the future; a church that seeks to address the needs of others in our surrounding community; a church that is welcoming…that is always expecting visitors…where the porch light is on and the front door open; a church where the friends and members are caring for each other in deep and meaningful ways.

Every time we receive new members at Central, I think we need to remind ourselves of a few important realities:
- We need to be ready to scoot over a few chairs or slide down the pew a bit so there is room for everyone to have a good seat. If we just stay put where we have always sat and expect the newcomers to fit in around us, we miss the important opportunities to be gracious and welcoming and of getting to know new sisters and brothers in Christ. The same is true for our programs and ministries and activities. If someone feels there isn’t room for them, that others don’t want to include them and ideas they may bring, they will soon go away!
- We need to be open to new gifts. In 1 Corinthians 12, the Apostle Paul reminds us that we all have God-given gifts and that we are all a necessary part of the body that is the church. New members enhance the gift-mix we already enjoy at Central with the spiritual gifts they bring. These new gifts can mean new ideas and new ministries. They can mean fresh perspectives and new ideas for accomplishing common goals. And yes, new gifts can even mean CHANGE!
- We need to avoid assuming. New people won’t automatically know that we have always done things a certain way or at a certain time at Central. They won’t know our history and our traditions. This ‘not knowing’ can be a real blessing to us if we let it. Sharing our history and traditions in a such a way that others can learn them, reminds us of the values and goals that have been important to our church over time and helps us to consider whether particular traditions are still useful to our faith community. The questions that newcomers raise about those things we consider ’standard practices’, will allow us to consider them afresh – so that our practices don’t grow stale and out of touch with reality.

Our new members will be publically received at each worship service this coming Sunday. I hope all of us will come out to welcome them with open arms and hearts and minds!

See you in worship…

Several years ago I preached a sermon series entitled “Church On Sunday/Work on Monday”. My purpose was to invite the members of the congregation I was serving at the time to think about connections between their worship experience on Sunday and what they did the rest of the week.

I think it is always useful for Disciples of Jesus to ponder how we can best live out the faith we profess and the gratitude we express in worship. What are the choices we make and the choices we avoid all the week long because we allow Jesus to guide our thinking? Is there any difference in how we treat our neighbors in the pew on Sunday morning, and our co-workers and classmates and all the other people with whom we connect each and every day? Does one sense of ethics guide us on the sabbath, and another approach to ethics direct our Monday-Saturday actions?

I am interested in the things you all do to live out your faith and practice your discipleship. What are the habits you have worked hard over the years to practice…that allow worship to infuse your actions all week long? How do you keep a sense of Jesus’ priorities for life before you each day? Where do you experience the most difficulty being a person of faith in a world that generally marches to the beat of different priorities?

I hope that you will be willing to share your thoughts and ideas via the comment section at the end of this page. My sense is that we have much to learn from each other, and that by sharing our “best practices” with each other, we can all be more faithful!

The new Central Vision & Strategic Plan document reminds us that as disciples it is our privilege and responsibility to join Jesus in changing hearts to change the world. Let us help each other do this!

This Sunday we celebrate World Communion with sisters and brothers all around the globe, and begin a new sermon series ‘Disciples Are…Prepared’. Who can you bring with you?

See you in worship!!

During the summers when I was in high school, I had the opportunity to be part of the workstaff for a large summer camp in Michigan. St. Louis summers have always been a brutal mixture of heat and humidity, so getting to spend most of June, July and August enjoying the cool breezes off of Lake Michigan was a treat! Over the course of three summers on workstaff I did all sorts of things — pots and pans for a kitchen that served 1200+ meals a day; driving the garbage truck; moving mountains of luggage at the beginning and end of each camping session; driving a school bus with a canoe rack behind (backing up when I missed a turn was a treat!); I even worked security for time.

Besides spending summers in a great place, one of the rewards for ten weeks of work was free tuition to a fantastic two-week leadership conference hosted by the camp. Each conference was staffed with business and religious and education and political leaders from across the country and around the world, who assembled to teach high school and college age youth how to be leaders. The six weeks of leadership training I received over the three summers I spent in Michigan were a life-changing gift to me. Over thirty years later now, I continue to try and model my life on the lives of my teachers at those conferences, even as I use the skills they taught me each and every day.

One of the basic components of leadership that we were reminded about repeatedly at each conference, is the importance of having goals — personal goals, educational goals, goals for a relationship or marriage, work-related goals. Goals provide focus. Goals point the way from where you are to where you want or need to be. Goals define the kind of work and activities you need to be about, and that you need to avoid. Goals create the priority for everything you do. We were also taught that any organization of which we were ever a part needed to have goals too.

The Vision And Strategic Plan that Session offered to the congregation at the beginning of September lists three goals for Central. These three goals point the way for our church to follow God’s call into the future. They are: 1) Changing Hearts: Strengthening Connections to God — through worship and study and spiritual development; 2) Changing Hearts: Strengthening Connections to Each Other — through caring for one another and effectively communicating with each other, through welcoming new members and friends and integrating them into the life of the congregation; 3) Changing Hearts: Changing the World — through thoughtful ministries of service to others, where we operate as the hands and feet of Christ, including periods of intentional reflection on our service.

As this new Vision & Strategic Plan begins to point Central in the direction of God’s call into the future, I hope you’ll take some time to go view the complete Vision Document on Central’s web page. I also hope that you will offer your comments about the document through the blog, or in person to one of the Elders on the Vision and Planning Team – Dennis Savaiano, Barb Tyner, Willie Burgess, Alison Donaldson, Jeff Cover and myself. We want to hear from you, and hear your thoughts about making Central’s vision for the future as clear and as faithful as it can be!

See you in worship this Sunday…

So much of the current “debate” about health care policy and insurance reform in our country seems to me to be little more than a grade school playground shouting match – a lot of noise, but not much substance. It also seems to be a conversation in the abstract…all about policy ideas and political ideologies, but not about the people who need health care…which is all of us.

Today I’d like to lift up one person and their story as a very limited way of connecting a name and a face to this important conversation…as a way of making the abstract nature of the debate thus far a bit more real.

Seth is the 28 year old son of some very dear friends. I’ve known him since he was three. Seth is a college graduate, living in New York City. His passion is music, and he is a very talented singer-songwriter. To support his love for music, Seth works about 50 hours a week for a large international corporation; paid by the hour, he has no benefits…including no health insurance.

Early last week Seth’s gums began to swell and bleed, then his jaw tightened up, and the joints in his hands became extremely sore, and his feet became very tender and also swelled. As you can imagine, his parents were deeply worried. They kept urging him to go see a doctor before his situation became even more serious. Seth repeatedly refused their pleas, saying he couldn’t afford a doctor’s visit with no insurance. As Seth’s condition deteriorated, however, he couldn’t go to work or play his music. Finally his parents prevailed, and Seth visited a “free” clinic where it cost him $150 to see a doctor and an additional $65 for lab work. He was diagnosed with a strange virus and given a perscription, which he was luckily able to fill for only $10. But after nearly a week away from work, and the extra medical expenses, Seth is now not sure how he is going to pay the rent. Though we didn’t talk about it, I imagine buying food this month will be a challenge as well.

I don’t want to pretend that the problems with the health care system in this country are simple, or are easily fixed, or that potential solutions don’t come with a big price tag that will affect us all. But I do know that the millions and millions of our fellow citizens who are under-insured, or who have no health insurance at all, are our friends and neighbors and fellow children of God; real people with real and painful stories. As I sit in my office and write this post, Fitch Parlor is filled with fellow Lafayette residents seeking a small amount of financial help with their rent or a utility bill. I imagine that many of these folks do not have health insurance either. Like Seth, they are not an abstract statistic. They are someone’s parent…someone’s child…someone’s spouse…someone’s loved one!

Jesus spent a lot of his time caring for the tangible needs of those he encountered; and he expects us, as his disciples, to do the same. Now, certainly to care for the tens of millions without health insurance in our country is more than we can do as individuals or as a congregation or even as a denomination. But there are still important things we can do in this larger conversation. We can expect and tell our elected leaders to find real solutions to real problems, instead of yelling at each other like children in the schoolyard. We can expect that the possibility of health care for everyone will mean some kind of change for all of us…and that we can choose to embrace and deal with change as it comes, instead of being afraid today of the unknown. God invites us to live in hope, not fear. We can pray for Seth, and for the millions and millions like Seth – that God will watch over them and help us be good and faithful neighbors to them.

John Buchanan, the pastor of Fourth Presbyterian Church in Chicago, and a former pastor of Bethany Presbyterian here in Lafayette, is also the Editor of the journal, The Christian Century. In a recent editorial on the health care debate, he said something that really caught me. Buchanan said that all the fear-raising talk about rationing health care was really a false argument, because we already ration health care in America…we ration it according to income level!

As of this past Monday, Seth was doing better and planning to go back to work on Tuesday! I continue to pray for Seth…but I also know that I need to get busy and do a lot more for all the Seth’s out there.

See you in Worship this Sunday…

In January of 2008, while on a Saturday planning retreat, the Central Session began talking about the need to review and rethink the vision guiding the mission and ministry of Central Presbyterian. At that time, the most recent vision work for Central had taken place in the late 1990’s, and did not reflect the many transitions in the congregation, including changes in Session and pastoral leadership, that had occurred in the intervening years.

In good Presbyterian fashion, Session created a Vision and Strategic Planning Task Force, comprised of four Elders and Central’s two pastors, to lead the Vision effort. Since January ‘08 this group has labored to: identify the issues needing to be addressed in a vision process; seek information from the congregation on a variety of topics; be in conversation with the Session and congregation about learnings and evolving ideas; be open to the leading of the Holy Spirit through constant prayer and careful listening; and to begin putting thoughts and ideas and possibilities on paper.

Session has now endorsed the fruits of all this labor, a Vision and Strategic Plan for Central, and it is time to share this work with the members and friends of the congregation and the larger Lafayette community! The sharing begins with this blog post, and also includes the September sermon series – Disciples Are…Visionaries, a bulletin insert that will be available each Sunday in September, training sessions for Clusters and Ministry Teams, and posting the entire vision document on the church web site (see the link below). Session hopes that the vision document will be read and pondered and prayed over and commented on by many. The comment section of this blog is a great place for sharing thoughts, as is communicating directly with members of the Vision and Strategic Planning Task Force — Dennis Savaiano, Barb Tyner, Alison Donaldson, Willie Burgess, Jeff Cover, Bill Smutz.

Now a vision document only becomes valuable to Central as the words on the page begin to guide and shape the ways that Central members and friends think and serve as disciples of Jesus Christ. The move from thought to action includes the development of measurable objectives and actions steps; some of which are described at the end of the vision document, with others still to be clarified. Session believes that this Vision and Strategic Plan must be a living, breathing, evolving document if it is to serve Central well.

I am very excited to be at this point in our vision process!!! I believe that an important part of our discipleship is following God into God’s unfolding future. Central’s new vision document is an important way for all of us to heed God’s call to the future.

As a way of whetting your appetite and encouraging you to go to the church web site and read the entire vision document, I want to share just a little of it with you:

Summary of Vision and Strategic Plan

Central Presbyterian Church -Changing Hearts to Change the World

As a Great Commission Outreach Church, Central Presbyterian takes seriously Christ’s dictate – to be and make disciples for Christ (Matthew 28.18-20). In fact, this challenge has long been used as our mission statement. Over the past two years, the Session has reviewed Central’s mission with the aim of developing a strategic plan that will guide our decision making for the next few years. Input from the Congregation through a series of questionnaires helped the Session identify areas of strength, challenge, and opportunity and use this information to develop goals that will drive Central’s future directions.

Historically, CPC members have energetically supported mission in our church, in our neighborhood, and in our world. We believe that Central is a welcoming community of believers, energized by worship, scripture, prayer, study and service. Key identifiers of Central are our diverse theological beliefs and our commitment to action. We believe that faith is a verb. Our faith in God and the model of Jesus’ life and teachings compel us to work in the world. As we grow in relationship to Jesus Christ, we welcome others to join us in transforming our community and our world through loving service in Christ’s name. The theme of this strategic plan reflects this call to action and transformation as we heed God’s call — we are changing hearts to change the world.

Goals

Central’s large vision can be broken down into three primary goals:

Goal 1: Changing Hearts: Strengthening Connections to God

We strive to grow closer to God through worship, education and spirituality, with the realization that a close relationship to God leads us to action in the world.

Through vibrant and diverse worship we will connect our congregation more deeply with God. We will provide a rich variety of educational opportunities for people of all ages and stages of growth as disciples, focusing on Bible study, theology, current issues, spirituality and arts and culture.

We will spiritually engage our members in deeping their prayer lives, in learning to discern God’s leading and in service to others.

Goal 2: Changing Hearts: Strengthening Connections to Each other

We strengthen and grow as a community of faith by caring for one another through ministries of care, communication, connection, integration and evangelism.

Through robust outreach and welcome ministries, we will share the love of Jesus Christ with others, while providing ministries of caring and compassion that address the spiritual, emotional, and physical needs of our congregation. Through energetic ministries of caring and compassion for each other we will demonstrate that we are the body of Christ to one another.

In our patterns of communication and by their variety we will keep our congregation well informed and in active conversation about our common ministries and directions.

We will invite others into this dynamic community with the love and good news of Jesus Christ. We are one in Christ.

Goal 3: Changing Hearts: Changing the World

Through thoughtful ministires that challenge the people of Central to put our faith into action, we will change our world. Our faith compels us to serve as the hands and feet of Christ as we are called to action, partnership and reflection.

We will partner with other congregations and organizations in the Lafayette community to address the tangible needs of our fellow Children of God.

We will regularly reflect on how our actions in the world have impacted us and how the Holy Spirit is calling us into deeper relationships with God. Disciples are formed by both action and reflection.

The following pages provide detailed descriptions of our vision for the future, who we are, and what we believe and value. We look forward to working with the entire Congregation to match Central’s activities with these goals in a way that enhances our relationship to God, the community and the World through Jesus Christ.

There is so much more to read and ponder. I hope you’ll follow
this link to the full vision document and do just that!

See you in worship this Sunday my fellow visionaries!

I love walking into one of our buildings here at Central, and finding different groups of people participating in an activity or class or just enjoying fellowship with one another. All the laughter and singing and talking jumbles together to make a ‘joyful noise unto the Lord’! So much activity in one place just feels right.

Church buildings are meant to be full of life and used extensively…and I think we do a pretty good job of using the buildings here at Central…for our groups, and for groups from the larger community. There are those times when we do have to turn down a building-use request, because the desired space is already occupied or because we can’t provide adequate security or custodial coverage. Our desire is to be as hospitable as possible, and we try to keep such occurrences to a minimum.

Scheduling our buildings as tightly as we do requires a lot of communication. The church staff must communicate with each other to make sure rooms are available at particular times and are prepared for their intended use. Members and friends must communicate with the church staff, so that we are aware of your desire to use a particular room at a certain time. It takes even more communication with an outside group that will be using a space in the church.

Central’s Office Manager, Laurie Kuhn, is the hub of communication for building use. She is the keeper of the master calendar, and tries very hard to make sure people get the space they want, without being in conflict with another group. There is nothing more frustrating than showing up to the room your meeting is suppose to be in, and finding another group there!

When you are planning a meeting or group event at Central – no matter how large or small – please make sure you give Laurie a call and calendar the space you want. It is always best when you can offer more lead time. Laurie will make every effort to schedule you and your group in the room you want. But also know that there are times when more than one group wants the same room, and that your second-choice space may be the only option.

God has blessed us abundantly with beautiful, functional, large, and well-maintained buildings at Central. Let us help one another and the larger Lafayette community take advantage of and enjoy this abundance by communicating, communicating, communicating!

I’ll have some exciting new vision information to offer in next week’s blog, so please check back!!

See you in church this Sunday…

I can’t seem to go any place around Lafayette these days without running into a detour related to some road construction project. Certainly the better roads that result from all the work will be nice, but wow is it tough to get around right now! My normal route to the church is torn up and closed. The alternative route is open but messed up by long lane closures. Roads that don’t normally carry a lot of traffic, and aren’t designed for much traffic, are the posted detour routes and really slow. Just this week it even became difficult to cross Columbia Street to get from the parking lot to the church.

With all my extra drive time, and while I’ve been sitting in traffic, I’ve begun to wonder if there is something more than frustration hidden for me in all these detours; some divine commentary on my direction in life, some deep theological message for me. Nothing much has come of this pondering so far…but I did recall a biblical story that involves a major detour.

The story of Jesus’ birth in the Gospel of Matthew contains the story of the Magi or Wise Ones coming to visit him. Being polite out of town guests, the Magi stop by Jerusalem and check in with the local king, Herod, to see if he knows where they might find the newly born king. Herod is not excited to learn that he may have competition, but he is a smart guy and helps the Magi figure out that Bethlehem is the place they need to be. As the Magi are getting on their camels to leave, Herod comes to say goodbye and slyly asks them to come back and see him after their visit to the new king. He wants to go meet this other king too and they can help him find the way.

Well, the Magi do find Jesus, but before they leave him they are warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, because Herod really wants to kill this newborn king whom he fears as a rival. The text says the Magi ‘went home by another way’. They took a detour!

I wonder what this detour offered the Magi? Certainly they got to travel through some new territory, where they met people they wouldn’t have met if they had taken the planned route home. The detour may have taught them something about the great lengths that people, especially kings, will go to attempting to protect their power. Their detour also saved Jesus and his family…which is no small feat.

Maybe all the detours I’m experiencing these days aren’t such a bad thing. They force me out of my routine and allow me to see new people and places. The detours help me view our community from a different perspective. If I let them, these detours may even open me up to God in new ways, allowing the Holy Spirit to lead me into God’s future from a direction I could not imagine and would have never taken on my own. Though I’ll probably still grumble some about all the extra time, ‘going home by another way’ is beginning to seem like a good thing!

What might the detours of summer 2009 offer all of us? What new and needed perspective are they providing us? Let us pray we use these detours wisely.

See you in worship this Sunday…but you may want to allow some extra time to get there!!

It was there on the floor, having been slipped under the door, when I returned to my office following the 11:00 a.m. service this past Sunday. I don’t know if the note came to me via the offering plate and the Trustee who puts the offering in the safe and gives me prayer requests and other notes…or if the author had slid it under the door him/herself. The note wasn’t long. It began as a compliment of the sermon I had just preached…but as I read on, it became apparent to me that it was a back-handed compliment. The author of the note liked the sermon, because it was better than what I normally preach. When I got to the end of the note, I discovered it was not signed, so I crumpled it up and threw it away. I don’t deal with anonymous compliments or complaints.

After 20+ years of serving as a pastor, I know that I will say and do things that members of the congregation I’m serving don’t like. It is the nature of the calling, and the nature of sharing life in community. I wouldn’t be a very useful pastor for Central if my only goal was to make people like me.

Life in the community of faith is hard, because we all have different likes and dislikes, we all see things from our own particular perspective…which has been conditioned by our own unique life experiences, and we all approach the same tasks in very different ways. How we handle our differences is both the challenge and the opportunity of sharing community.

In my experience with my family, and with my friends and co-workers, and in the churches where I have been a member or served, the most healthy approach to dealing with differences is to talk about them. Talking is different from yelling. Talking is different from drawing a line in the sand of a particular issue and announcing that no other view will be considered. Talking is different from being polite while in the presence of the one or ones with whom you disagree, and then criticizing them to others when you are not.

Talking involves sitting down with the one or ones with whom you disagree, and clearly and civilly stating your concerns…and then listening with an open mind and heart to the response of the other. In the church, talking always means being open to the Holy Spirit, who is always at work around and within us, helping people see new perspectives and consider different possibilities. The Holy Spirit invites us to trust God more than our comfort zones!

I’m probably as big a fan of constructive criticism as the next person…meaning that it is not my favoritie thing. And yet, I have learned much in life because people have invited me to think and see from a different perspective. I know I am a better person, a better pastor, and yes, a better preacher, because folks have caringly encouraged me to see and ponder new possibilities.

I hope the person who wrote me that note will write me another note that they are willing to sign. Or, better yet, will call or email and say, ‘let’s talk…I have something I’d like you to think about’. I may not like what they have to say, and I may ultimately not be willing or able to change in the ways they would like me to…but I can guarantee that I will listen!

See you in church this Sunday!

The members of the Vision Task Force — Dennis Savaiano, Barb Tyner, Jim Sauer, Alison Donaldson, Jeff Cover, and soon to be joined by Willie Burgess as she rotates on Session — have been hard at work with all the data that church members and friends provided over the course of the spring through responses to the series of vision surveys. Everyone’s thoughts and ideas are much appreciated, and have been very helpful as we on the task force seek to articulate a vision and a plan for following this vision into God’s future. A special Session meeting has been called for this Sunday evening in order to present the initial written work to the Elders.

One of the biggest challenges we on the Vision Task Force have faced in writing up the various vision-related statments is agreeing on what terms to use, and on definitions for these terms. Words like ‘mission’ and ‘vision’ and ‘purpose’ and ‘goals’ can be used interchangeably in this kind of work, which can lead to a great deal of confusion. We found it best to start our writing by first agreeing to definitions for the terms we wanted to use. Here is a list of the terms and the definitions on which we agreed:

Who We Are = A brief definition of our church community

Purpose = Why do we exist

What We Believe = A brief theological statement based on our Presbyterian heritage

Core Values = Principles that lead us to action

Vision = What our church community will look like

Goals = Something to accomplish as a result of a value

Action Items = Ways to get to goals

What Session will see this Sunday evening are statements related to the first six terms. We on the task force figure that the Session and then the congregation must first have the opportunity to ponder and comment on and help perfect these terms, before work on establishing Action Items can begin.

I am excited that our vision work has reached this stage! I also look forward to the next steps of sharing these drafts statements and rewriting them based on Session/Congregation input. All these steps can make vision work seem maddeningly slow, and yet it is so important that we do these steps correctly if our vision is to serve us well and help us follow God’s call into the future.

One of the things the task force thinks will be helpful for Central to have is a slogan-type statement. Our current draft is:

“Changing Hearts To Change The World”

See you in church this Sunday…

Each June members of the Worship Committee (who provide guidance for Central’s traditional worship service) and the Celebration Worship Leaders (who provide leadership for Central’s contemporary worship service) and related staff gather for a worship planning retreat. The purpose of this retreat is to come up with ideas for the different sermon series that Jeff Cover and I preach throughout the year. This Saturday, June 27, is the retreat date.

For the 2008-2009 program year, individual sermon series were connected to the overall theme “Called To…”; what and who are God’s people called to do and be?

For the 2009-2010 program year, the overall theme is:

Disciples Are…

For the past year we have explored what it means to be called by God…a natural move is to now explore in great depth the outcome or result of God’s call, which is Discipleship. The call we answer is to a specific form of Discipleship…as we are Disciples of Jesus Christ. Jesus’ charge from God is to transform the world, to actualize God’s Kingdom (though the word ‘Kindom’ is perhaps a more understandable metaphor for Gospel-hearers in 21st Century America), and thus our Discipleship is not an inwardly focused, individualized activity…but is focused on others…we are Disciples on behalf of the world!

Possible Thematic Ideas:

• Disciples Are…World Changers (disciples exist for the good of the world)
• Disciples Are…Servants (a Lenten series based on the ‘Servant Song’
  texts in Isaiah 40-55)
• Disciples Are…On The Go (stories of being sent by God)
• Disciples Are…Perplexed But Never Without Hope
• Disciples Are…Agents of Grace

As those who lead worship at Central head into the planning retreat on Saturday, we would appreciate your welcome your ideas. What do you want to know about Disciples and Discipleship? What sermon series ideas pop into your head when you hear this theme? Leave a response on the blog, or send me an email and know how grateful we are for your thoughts.

Worship is our heart as a congregation. Worship is what makes us unique from any other organization or club. Worship is where we come to give thanks to and connect with God, and are energized and sent out in service. Worship is a God-given gift!

I’ll see you in worship this Sunday!!

This past Monday evening Central’s Session examined the incoming Deacons, Elders and Trustees and approved them as ‘ready to be ordained’. The Book of Order requires this examination as the next-to-last step in the New Officer process.

It all started last fall when the Nominating Committee began to meet and consider and pray about those whom God might be calling into leadership at Central. Sixteen people responded to the call of God and the call of the Nominating Committee — 6 Deacons-to-be, 5 Elders-to-be and 5 Trustees-to-be (normally there are only four, but we were one short!). At the Annual Meeting of the congregation in early March, these 16 people were elected to the respective offices. In the months since then they participated in a seven-week training program, have now been examined, and will be ordained and installed during our worship services on Sunday, June 28. Becoming and being a Presbyterian leader takes some work!

Most of Session’s examination of the officers-to-be is in the form of a small-group conversation. But when all the conversation is ended, each incoming officer shares her/his own personal statment of faith. The sharing of these statements is one of my favorite church moments of the entire year!

Each person is asked to offer a brief, present-day snapshot of his/her faith; reflecting on questions like: Where is God at work in your life? Who is Jesus Christ for you? What does the church mean to you? How do you experience the Holy Spirit? The incoming officers pray about these statements, and agonize over them, and pour their hearts into them. And what they produce is simply amazing!!

Most of the statements are offered with some degree of emotion, as the officers-to-be reflect on the joyous and painful and sacred moments of life that have shaped the faith they express. Those of us who are privileged to hear these statements, usually do so with moist eyes…and find that our eyes get moistened again and again and again. It is a holy time.

I think that stating what we believe, voicing our faith, from time to time is a good thing, and want to encourage us all to do this. For just like my body and my mind, my faith is forever changing and growing. What I understood about God a few years ago has been challenged and stretched by the Holy Spirit. My experience of love and community here at Central has changed how I talk about the church. My attempt to be a disciple of Jesus has been transformed as I witness others following him with greater passion and clarity of purpose. Voicing our faith gives us the opportunity to recognize how and where our faith has evolved, and gives us the words to express what our faith in Jesus means to us.

If we never give voice to our faith, pretty soon all we can tell someone else about what we believe is “it’s personal”! And, my friends, that’s not enough. Jesus doesn’t expect us to beat people up with our faith…but I believe he does expect us to be able to describe what God has done and is doing in our life, and be able to share the abundance of God’s love with others.

A personal statment of faith doesn’t have to be long. It may be prefaced with a story, but a good paragraph can capture one’s faith very well. Start with: “I believe that…….” I hope you’ll share your statement of faith with me, and perhaps even with all of us by commenting through the blog.

Now, please remember that this Sunday, June 21, we are worshipping on 7th Street, in a single service at 10:00 a.m. The service will be a blend of our Traditional and Celebration Worship, and this year will include communion. Bring lawn chairs, wear hats and sunglasses, be generous with the sunscreen, wear comfortable shoes and appropriate clothing for being outside on a warm summer day. Following worship the Fellowship Committee will be serving barbeque, and we are all to bring a side dish or dessert to share. It should be a grand morning.

I can’t think of a better day for sharing Central with a friend or neighbor or co-worker. Who will you invite? Go call them right now!!

See you on 7th Street for worship this Sunday!

One of the books I read last week while I was away on Study Leave is A Generous Orthodoxy by Brian McLaren. McLaren is one of the great thinkers about the American Christian Church in the 21st Century, and boldly prophetic about where he imagines the Church to be heading in the coming years. He very intentionally avoids abstract language and describes overly-difficult theological concepts in understandable ways. I encourage you to add this book to your summer reading list!

McLaren quotes C.S. Lewis (author of many works, including the Chronicles of Narnia) on the issue of the language we use to describe God. “Language,” says Lewis, “can be a window through which one glimpses God, but never a box in which God can be contained.”

This quote struck me, because I find that our language when it comes to talking about God is so often limited; and because the language we use for God is so important. The metaphor for God that is found most in scripture, and that we use most frequently to describe God is “Father”. It is a powerful and useful metaphor, but it is also limited. If we understand and speak about God in exclusively male imagery, we ignore the other wonderful metaphors for God found throughout scripture – friend, shepherd, vinedress, wind, storm, mother, fire, water, rock. If God can only be “Father”, think how damaging this metaphor is to the faithfulness of those who have been mistreated by their human father. If we only embrace the metaphor of “Father” for God, we fail to recognize that women are also created in God’s image.

Each of the many scriptural metaphors for God can enlighten us as we seek to be faithful…but if the metaphor is taken too far, or taken in the wrong way, it can mislead people about God…or even worse, lead people away from God! I think C.S. Lewis has it right. Our language about God must always serve as a window, a window through which we can peer into the heart of God and know how we are to live.

Do we have God in a language box? If so, we need to let God out…for in truth, all our metaphors for God have never fully captured God any way, and they never will!

See you in worship this Sunday!

This past Monday I attended a workshop in Indianapolis sponsored by The Center For Congregations, which is a wonderful gift to the churches of Indiana supported by the Lilly Endowment. The workshop was entitled “Creating Congregational Cultures of Generosity”, and, as the title suggests, was about religious giving and financing a church’s ministry and mission in the 21st Century.

“Transparency” was one of the many topics discussed. I thought transparency has to do with things like how easy it is to read and understand the financial records of the church, the openness of the budget process, and providing regular and clear information about the church’s financial health, etc.

Transparency in finances is about all these things, but I also learned that it is about much, much more!

Transparency for a church begins with everyone in the congregation being able to answer two questions — Who are we? and, What are we about?

“Who are we?” is an identity question. Why does our church exist? What makes our church unique and sets us apart? Our answers to these questions reveal the core values that shape the internal life and structure of our church.

“What are we about?” is a question about mission. What is the mission, the purpose or purposes, of our church that makes us accountable to God, to the world around us, and to each other? What is the compelling vision for service as disciples of Jesus Christ that excites us, and makes us want to be the most faithful church and people we can be? Having a core mission helps us become, and remain, a spiritually and structurally healthy congregation.

For the past few months the Vision & Planning Team of Session has been peppering us with surveys. There have been four of them so far, about 1) Congregational Communication, 2) Connections & Involvement, 3) Spiritual Growth & Christian Education, and 4) Leadership & Leadership Development. Each of these questionnaires has been designed to gather information from you the members and friends of Central, that Session can use to figure out how Central can best follow God’s call into the future. Session wants to be in partnership with you as it works on answering the important questions of “Who Central is” and “What Central is about”. Transparency is the goal.

It seems clear to me that we are experiencing a case of survey fatigue. The first two Vision & Planning surveys have been filled out by approximately 90 people so far. The third survey has 45 responses. The fourth survey has 39 responses. Session really needs your help in raising the response rate for these last two surveys. There are several ways to access them online. You could use the Vision & Planning link on the righthand side of the Central Website, you could click the Vision & Planning tab at the top of this blog (or on the link on the righthand side), or you can just simply click here. A page will appear with links to each of the surveys, and a few minutes of your time today will make a huge difference in Central’s future ministry and mission.

Transparency has always been important to the church of Jesus Christ, and in the 21st Century it has become essential. I look forward to our growing more and more transparent together for God’s Kingdom.

See you in worship Sunday!

The Great Emergence by Phyllis Tickle is one of the books I’m currently reading, and it is fascinating!

Tickle opens the book with the premise that roughly every 500 years the Christian Church goes through a great rummage sale of sorts, where “the empowered structures of institutionalized Christianity, whatever they may be at that time, become an intolerable carapace (a hardened shell) that must be shattered in order that renewal and new growth may occur.” (p. 16) She traces the history of these church-wide rummage sales this way:

16th Century — The Reformation led by Martin Luther and John Calvin

11th Century — The Great Schism between Eastern Orthodoxy and Roman Catholocism

6th Century — Pope Gregory the Great who helped formalize the monastic movement, where Western Christianity was held in trust during the dark ages.

1st Century — The birth of the Church and its movement out of Judiasm into the wider world.

Tickle believes that here in 21st Century North America the Church is already in the midst of the next great rummage sale; metaphorically cleaning out the attic, and the basement, and all those closets that no one ever opens any more, of all the things that are keeping the Church from being the kind of place it needs to be to tell people the Good News of Jesus Christ in this day and age.

When these every 500 years Church rummage sales happen, Tickle says there are always three consistent results: “First, a new, more vital form of Christianity does indeed emerge. Second, the organized expression of Christianity which up until then had been the dominant one is reconstituted into a more pure and less ossified expression of its former self. Third, every time the incrustations of an overly established Christianity have been broken open, the faith has spread — and been spread — dramatically into new geographic and demographic areas, thereby increasing exponentially the range and depth of Christianity’s reach as a result of its time of unease and distress.”

I am fascinated by Tickle’s premise and argument, and think she may be on to something. In my experience, churches collect so much physical and emotional rummage over time, that a periodic sale and time of letting go would be healthy and make for a lot less clutter!

I am heartened by two other points in the book. First, Tickle doesn’t beat up on the present day Church and Church members for allowing the Church to reach the point where a rummage sale is necessary. She sees the Church’s periodic need to let go and transform and re-emerge as a natural movement, very much like the movement we know in Jesus, from life to death to resurrection and new life! Second, Tickle believes that when the rummage sale is over, the existing Church will emerge stronger and healthier and even more faithful. We are people who live in hope that God is never done with us, that God is always at work within us and our Church. What a gift this hope is!

So, what do you think? Is it time for a rummage sale? Who is going to price everything?!

See you in worship this Sunday!!

The Education Building has been a busier, more-crowded place in the evenings this week. In addition to the normal schedule of meetings and youth activities and worship rehearsal, Central is hosting three families who are part of the Family Promise program. Thanks to the numerous volunteers providing hospitality, I believe that Central is carrying out its hosting responsibilities in style!

When I have been in the Education Building the past few evenings, I’ve noticed some differences. The “normal” room for a meeting hasn’t always been available. The laughter of children at play has replaced the typically silent background noise of the building. I haven’t been able to turn off all the lights like I normally do when leaving the building because people are still there. None of these things are a big deal. They are part of hosting guests, just like when company comes to visit in our homes. But differences in the routine can throw us a bit, can’t they? If we’re not careful, differences in what we consider normal can cause us to be more on edge and less gracious – which is a trap I hope we can avoid as a Family Promise host church.

I can only imagine how hard it is for the families we are hosting to carry on some type of family life in the midst of their very challenging circumstances. Nothing can be called normal, except perhaps that they are together. For our guests there is no such thing right now as their own bed, no toothbrush holder in the bathroom, no favorite chair to sit in. Everything has to look and feel strange…for even as homey and comfortable as the Family Promise Volunteers are trying to make everything seem, Central is still not home. I believe a vital part of our hosting responsibilities this week is lifting up our guests in prayer; asking God to bring peace and new possibilities and stability into the lives of these families and individuals.

Having guests in our midst – whether for Family Promise or as Sunday morning visitors – is always different, sometimes a bit uncomfortable, and always an opportunity to practice hospitality! Much of Jesus’ ministry was about extending hospitality – to those who were different, to those considered to be outsiders, to those who were lost, to those who needed to know that they mattered, to those who needed to know of God’s love. As disciples of Jesus, hospitality needs to be an important part of our individual faithfulness and an important part of our congregational ministry.

What a gift visitors and guests offer us…the chance to live out our faith in imitation of Jesus!

See you in Worship…

This past January my technological savvy nineteen year old helped me set up a Facebook page. Actually, any one of my three sons could have helped me with this task, because they and their generation speak and understand and utilize technology in ways that mostly confuse me!

For the uninitiated, Facebook is a social-networking web site, where individuals set up an electronic page of information about themself. An individual chooses how much about herself or himself s/he wants to share – including pictures, contact information, relationship status, likes/dislikes, and so on. Once your personal information is in place on the Facebook web site, you are then free to seek out people you know, or use to know, or hardly know, or don’t know at all, who also have a Facebook page, and electronically ask them to be your friend. At the same time other Facebook users can and will also seek you out and ask to be your friend.

Facebook friends can see the personal information on each other’s pages; they can write on each other’s walls – which is kind of like sending an email that lots of people can read; they can invite each other to be members of virtual fan groups that support causes, and like particular entertainers, or cities or sports teams. I was invited to be a member of the Central Presbyterian Church Lafayette Group that currently has forty members! Once you are a friend with someone on Facebook, any time they change the information on their page, a message appears on your page informing you of the changes your friend has made, the groups they have joined, the messages they have written on their wall, etc. I’m finding all this information sharing to be like living one’s life in a small and intentional community of one’s own choosing – a community that can literally be scattered all over the world.

I have had fun seeking out childhood friends, high school and college and seminary classmates, members of churches I’ve previously served, members of Central, the other members of the 2010 Triennium design team on which I’m serving…and I have been surprised by some of the people who have sought me out. It is fascinating to see how far and wide friends and acquaintences have scattered, and to receive a continuious stream of information snippets about their lives.

You may be wondering why I’m taking up so much space attempting to describe Facebook. It is because we are in a time when the ability to communicate with others and the nature of communication is rapidly and drastically changing…and we who are the Church today need to get on board with these changes and be fluent in these new forms of communication if we are going to continue to share the faith in Jesus Christ that is so important to us!

I’m watching my children do most of their communicating through Facebook and text messaging. Currently as a church, our primary means of communication are Sunday morning worship and a printed monthly newsletter sent by bulk mail! Any way you look at it, there is a gap here; a gap that is growing wider every day. If we want our children and grandchildren to have faith, we need to learn to share the Gospel in a language they can understand.

Now, I don’t think we the church can simply abandon our current forms of communication in favor of the new modes of electronic interaction. I do believe, however, that we need to be working hard to be multi-lingual – continuing to communicate as we have, while we become fluent in these newer forms of communication; learning new ways to tell the “old, old story”.

For neraly 2000 years, the disciples of Jesus have imaginatively and faithfully found ways to share the story of God’s love and grace across every barrier of language and every hurdle of culture, using every medium possible. It is our time, our turn…which is both exciting and terrifying.

Where do we start? Maybe by setting up a Facebook page. Ask your kids or grandkids or one of our youth here at church for help. They’ll know what to do!

See you in worship…

You may have been wondering what happened to my weekly blog post these past few months. I’ve been wondering the same thing too!

I start out every week with the intention of getting a new post written, and then the week takes on a life of its own! Central is a very complex church to serve… which isn’t a bad thing… it is just a busy thing. A large number of programs and questions and people at Central connect to me as the pastor/head of staff. The best image that I can come up with at present to describe this experience, is that of string. In my hand is a bundle of strings. Each string connects me to a person or a program or an expectation of my job. Sometimes… most of the time in recent months… there are tugs from so many of these strings at the same time, that there is not enough energy or hours in the day to get to everything I want to. Writting a new blog post has been one of those things frequently set to the side so that I can focus on other matters.

Even as I say this, however, I miss the more direct communication between me and you – the members and friends of Central – that the blog offers. In this busy age, this age when information and the rapid exchange of information is so important, we need to take advantage of every communication tool at our disposal. I have so many thoughts I want to share, and questions I want to ask, and I want to know what you’re thinking as well… so I am going to work really hard to try once again to write a weekly blog post. As I remind myself frequently, God’s people are people who live in hope!

There is one very important way that your communication can help the Session of our church as it makes decisions about where God is calling Central into the future. The Vision and Planning Task Force of Session wants to know what the members and friends of the congregation are thinking on a wide variety of subject matters. In fact, between now and the end of May there will be several different opportunities to provide such information.

If you haven’t already seen it, the church web site http://centralpreschurch.org now has a Vision & Planning link on the upper-right side. This link actually takes you to a special page in this blog. (See the Vision & Planning tab above.) From that page you will see links to surveys on a variety of important topics at Central. Please take a few minutes to complete these surveys.

Together we are the church of Jesus Christ that God desires us to be!!!

See you in Church!

Pastor Bill

The devotion I offered at the beginning of yesterday’s weekly staff meeting is a poem by J. Barrie Shepherd, who is, among other things, a Scotsman, a clever and skillful writer and a retired Presbyterian pastor. The staff enjoyed the poem so much, I thought I’d share it with you:

I’M DREAMING

I’m dreaming
of a right Christmas
when every item that I buy
will be on sale and also
the ideal gift for persons
who have everything already.
I’m dreaming of a bright Christmas
when the tree lights work first time
and flash their brilliant message of success
from every tasteful, decorated, artificial,
non-allergenic yet natural lookalike limb.
I’m dreaming of a lite Christmas when,
no matter how much fruit cake, cookies,
eggnog, champagne, other goodies I consume,
my weight will magically fall to just below the average.
I’m dreaming of a write Christmas when all my cards
bear personal, intimately joyful greetings
and arrange themselves in matching multitudes
on every horizontal dust-free surface.
I’m dreaming, but I’ll bet that what I get
will be the usual trite Christmas,
impolite Christmas, damp-with-fog-not-white
Christmas,
tight Christmas, goodnight Christmas,
bank-will-not-underwrite Christmas.
I’m praying that, despite Christmas,
I find myself midnight Christmas
able to invite Christmas and its newborn child
to stay and light a way into my Christmas-darkened
heart.

(the work first appeared in the December 6, 1989 issue of the Christian Century, and was reprinted in Shepherd’s book, Faces At The Manger, Upper Room Books, 1992)

I pray too that the newborn babe of Bethlehem will work his way into our hearts, that we may discover anew faith in our brothers and sisters with whom we share this journey, and hope for God’s future – which we can not see, but must trust implicitly.

I look forward to the gatherings of our faith family tomorrow night on Christmas Eve. There is something about the uncontained excitement of a young child, the soft noises of a live baby Jesus, the singing of treasured carols, and looking at the faces of fellow disciples illuminated by the soft light of candle glow that moves me deeply.

Please don’t forget those friends and family members, neighbors and co-workers who want to worship on Christmas Eve, but aren’t connected to a faith community, and may be too shy to say anything. Invite them, give them a ride, make them feel like welcomed company.

Central’s Christmas Eve Services:

• 4:00 p.m. Family Service — designed especially for young children (and appropriately timed!), and the child in all of us – includes favorite carols, the Christmas story and a visit from a live Baby Jesus!!! Wiggly, noisey bodies are most welcome at this service.
• 7:00 p.m. Celebration — Drama, favorite carols, special solos and awesome music from the band, a time especially for children, lighting candles while singing ‘Silent Night’.
• 9:00 p.m. Lessons & Carols – A series of scripture readings tracing God’s journey with God’s people through the birth of Jesus, interspersed with favorite carols and beautiful choir anthems, lighting candles while singing silent night.

Hopefully we offer a service that fits the needs of just about everyone!

See you in church tomorrow night…
And again on Sunday!

Pastor Bill

In my experience, it is easy to lose the meaning of Thanksgiving in all the busyness of travel and family gatherings and football games and Christmas shopping that often surround this holiday. Howard Thurman was a pastor and poet, a theologian and philospopher, a mystic and humble person of faith. In his book, Meditations Of The Heart Thurman offers this faithful wisdom about Thanksgiving:

A Litany of Thanksgiving

Today, I make my Sacrament of Thanksgiving.
I begin with the simple things of my days:
Fresh air to breathe,
Cool water to drink,
The taste of food,
The protection of houses and clothes,
The comforts of home.
For these I make an act of Thanksgiving this day!

I bring to mind all the warmth of humankind that I have known:
My mother’s arms,
The strength of my father,
The playmates of my childhood,
The wonderful stories brought to me from the lives of many who talked of days gone by when fairies and giants and all kinds of magic held sway;
The tears I have shed, the tears I have seen;
The excitement of laughter and the twinkle in the eye with its reminder that life is good.
For all these I make an act of Thanksgiving this day.

I finger one by one the messages of hope that awaited me at the crossroads:
The smile of approval from those who held in their hands the reins of my security;
The tightening of the grip in the single handshake when I feared the step before me in the darkness;
The whisper in my heart when the temptation was fiercest and the claims of appetite were not to be denied;
The crucial word said, the simple sentence from an open page when my decision hung in the balance.
For all these I make an act of Thanksgiving this day.

I pass before me the mainsprings of my heritage:
The fruits of the labors of countless generations who lived before me, without whom my own life would have no meaning;
The seers who saw visions and dreamed dreams;
The prophets who sensed a truth greater than the mind could grasp and whose words could only find fulfillment in the years which they would never see;
The workers whose sweat has watered the trees, the leaves of which are for the healing of the nations;
The pilgrims who set their sails for lands beyond all horizons, whose courage made paths into new worlds and far-off places;
The saviors whose blood was shed with a recklessness that only a dream could inspire and God could command.
For all this I make an act of Thanksgiving this day.

I linger over the meaning of my own life and the commitment to which I give the loyalty of my heart and mind:
The little purposes in which I have shared with my loves, my desires, my gifts;
The restlessness which bottoms all I do with its stark insistence that I have never done my best, I have never dared to reach for the hightest;
The big hope that never quite deserts me, that I and my kind will study war no more, that love and tenderness and all the inner graces of Almighty affection will cover the life of the Children of God as the waters cover the sea.

All these and more than mind can think and heart can feel, I make as my sacrament of Thanksgiving to Thee, Our Father, in humbleness of mind and simplicity of heart.

(Howard Thurman, Meditations of the Heart, Harper & Row, 1953)

Perhaps Thanksgiving isn’t just one day a year, but a way of life! May your Thanksgiving be joyous and profound and holy.

See you in church this Sunday as we begin the season of Advent and a new church year…

Pastor Bill

An old building requires constant work to maintain its fabric, to make sure it is safe, and to keep it ready for the requirements of the present day…and when you have two old buildings to care for, like we do here at Central, the work is never ending!

For the past several months the Trustees have been preparing to make some upgrades to the educational building – gathering information, deciding what work they can handle on their own, getting bids for projects beyond the scope of their expertise. The projects include upgrades to the fire protection system, reinstalling a divider in Room 200, and reclaiming and repairing the Drama Room after first fixing the leaking roof. All of these projects are being done as Central prepares to be a Family Promise host congregregation – where we will provide shelter for homeless families four different weeks per year, hosting up to fourteen people on any one night.

In the past few months I’ve heard several comments about “all this money Family Promise is costing the church”…spoken like it is a bad thing…which I don’t think is necessarily fair or accurate…and I want to talk about that!

Each of the projects that will soon be under way, are things that in my opinion are part of the normal and constant maintenance of an old building…projects we are actually behind on for one reason or another. The leaking roof in the drama room has been a tricky one to figure out, as leaking roofs often are. Unfortunately this problem prohibited the use of a very nice room for the last two or three years. Now that the problem has been identified and fixed, it’s time to reclaim this room for all sorts of purposes – Family Promise included. The room divider in Room 200 replaces an old beat up divider that was removed last fall. When the old divider came out, the Trustees made the decision to save the expense until a replacement was needed – and now the time has come.

The upgrades to the fire protection system are the most important, and the most costly project. When a group of us walked through the education building several weeks ago with a pair of inspectors from the fire department, I was horrified to discover that most of the building does not currently have smoke detectors – including the rooms used for Sunday School and the Right Start Preschool; that there are not emergecy lights to aid an evacuation of the building in the dark; that without a simple gate blocking the stairs to the basement, it would be possible for people disorientated by smoke and panic to become trapped at the base of the stairwell. Think of all the evening meetings and rehearsals that are held in the education building…the youth overnights and lock-ins…all the outside groups whom we host there. I’m thrilled we’re going to make this building safer for everyone who uses it. I’m glad that becoming a Family Promise host congregation is the catalyst for these important upgrades.

So where is the money coming from? With the budget as tight as it is this year, it is just not possible to do this kind of work out of the normal maintenance account. Fortunately Central has been blessed by the generosity of members who have given to the Central Foundation over the years, and the wise and faithful stewardship of countless Foundation board members…and it is with money earned by the Foundation that this work will be accomplished. I know the Foundation Board is always thrilled to receive additional funds that they can invest for Central’s future!

I am grateful for so many things here…our hard-working Trustees who keep our old buildings attractive and safe and useful; the Central Foundation and all the things made possible by this financial resource; the willingness of this congregation to become a Family Promise host, and the passion of individual members who are leading us in this effort; having great buildings that make all sorts of ministry possible; and, most of all, God’s never-ending call for us to be a servant people, sharing the love and grace of Jesus Christ here in Lafayette.

See you in Church this Sunday…

Pastor Bill

I learned to be leery of Saturday night phone calls back in the fall of my sophomore year in college, when a late-night call from my dad informed me that my younger brother had just been diagnosed with an agressive form of leukemia and admitted to the hospital…the topic for some future post.

So when the phone rang last Saturday night, and my sister’s number appeared on the caller ID screen, I answered with great trepidation. True to expectations, the news was not good. A childhood friend had died suddenly a couple of days earlier, consumed by the raging alcoholism that had infected her life in recent years.

It has probably been eight or ten years since I have seen or spoken to Kathy, though I was distantly aware of her through common friends and through occasionally running into her mom at my home church when in St. Louis. Growing up we shared a lot of common history. We attended grade school and Sunday school together. We were part of the group that learned ballroom dancing and proper etiquette at Fortnightly in seventh grade (where I once slipped a fake ice cube containing a dead fly into her punch glass…oh did she scream!). We were in the same confirmation class…and on and on…

Recent days have been filled with a flurry of emails between other childhood friends now scattered all over the country…sharing the news and our sorrow, remembering distant days with a nostalgic glow, getting the address for Kathy’s parents so that they can know we are holding them in prayer as they endure unbearable numbness and grief.

Death is not new for most in this group. Many of us have buried parents in recent years. But there is something different about a peer dying. We’re drawing very close to the half-century mark, and suddenly there is a more finite aspect to life. No one has dared utter this reality, but you can hear it in the tone of our responses to one another, and feel it in our word choices.

That our friend died from such a devastating disease also leaves us with a sense of helplessness. We were not present in Kathy’s life in recent years to know what was going on with her; and even if we had been, there was probably very little we could have done to slow or stop her descent into her private hell. But with so much shared history in the past, so many shared stories, there is a sense that we should have some common responsibility for each other…that such mutual support is a requirement of community…a requirement that distance does not lessen.

Who are the people to whom you are connected through the common history and stories and memories of community? Who did you promise to help raise to know Jesus Christ when they were baptized? Are you aware of someone in your circles of community – past or present – that might find hearing from you life-giving?

A contact you initiate will always be better than a Saturday night phone call…trust me!

See you in church this Sunday,

Pastor Bill

How do you approach life and the world around you? Is the glass half full? Is it half empty? Is there only a layer of dust in the bottom of the glass? Are you a pessimist? A cynic? Someone who is eternally hopeful?

How we see our place in the world and how we think about others, is largely determined, I think, by an inner attitude that is part genetic and part personal choice. We are born with a particular DNA code and shaped by a particular environment of people and places and experiences…but at some point in our journey through life we have the opportunity – and I believe we are expected – to make choices about the attitude and expectations that shape us, that we convey to the world.

I was born into a family of cynics. My people – at least the four generations prior to me – look at the world with some amount of distrust, wondering when the sky will fall, or the other shoe will drop, or when the person that seems like your friend will turn against you. Given such genetic and environmental realities, it is no wonder that I love being cynical; that I am in my element so to speak when I can be my cynical self.

But I’ve learned over the years that cynicism is not a very useful trait for a person of faith. It’s hard to be a cynic and a disciple of Jesus at the same time. For as Christians we live the hope of the resurrection…we live in the hope of God’s amazing and unpredictable and overwhelming love…we live in the hope that God is not and never will be done with us!

As I have matured in years and as I continually attempt to mature in faith, I have found that I need to be very intentional about embracing an attitude of hopefulness, while at the same time letting go of the cynicism I know and love. “We live in Hope!” has become one of my favorite phrases, because I have come to believe that we disciples of Jesus truly live in the hope of God’s love. This hope is more powerful than any contrary attitude or perspective – even my comfortable cynicism.

With all the economic turmoil of recent weeks and days, and with the very personal reality that our house in Kansas has not sold and continues to decline in value, it has been very tempting for me to slip into my familiar cynicism…to feel that the world, and even God, is out to get me…to believe that all hope has slipped into hoplessness…to be so caught up in my sense of scarcity, that I fail to recognize God’s abundance.

A sense of God’s abundance is important, I think, to our faithfulness. In the creation story of Genesis 1 we learn of the abundant creation God calls into being, and of our special invitation to embrace this abundance. Through the person of Jesus Christ we learn of the abundance of God’s grace…the abundance of God’s love…the abundance of God’s hope. Jesus invites us to live abundantly!

Right now all of us who make up the Central community are being asked to pray and consider the amount of financial commitment we can make to the church in 2009. In so many ways it is a horrible time to be asking for money. Retirement accounts, 401k’s, our fixed assets – all have plumeted in value. Business owners are pinched by declining or non-existent orders and a desire to keep employees on the payroll. Plants may close or RIFs may happen or both. I can feel my inner cynic bubbling up to the surface in the face of so much bleak news.

And yet it does really come down to our sense of whether we live in a world of scarcity, or whether we live in God’s abundance…and whether we can acknowledge that we live in hope!

Abundance and Hope are the realities I’m choosing to embrace these days…the attitude with which I’m approaching the world…and our 2009 pledge commitment. Not a false hope that simply wishes that all will be well…but a hope born of God’s abundant love for you and me and all people…a hope born of God’s abundand and extravagent grace…the hope that God is not and never will be done with any of us…that God contiually invites us to abundant life.

As you individually or as a family consider what amount of money you will pledge to the ministry and mission of Central in 2009…whatever you think is realistic for you to give at this time and in these circumstances…my prayer and hope for you is that your giving will reflect a sense of God’s abundance…for in this way your giving will be more joyful and fruitful than you can imagine!

Two items of program details –

This Sunday, October 19 is Member Recognition Sunday. Those who have been part of the Central Community for 25, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 & 80 (yes there are some!) years will be recognized in both worship services; and a special reception for 50-year honorees will be held in Fitch Parlor in the sanctuary building starting @ 10:00 a.m.

Also, it is time to turn in your “Every Member In Ministry” sheet, indicating the ministries and programs at Central you would like to be involved in in the coming year. These sheets can be dropped in the offering plate, mailed to the church office, handed to Jeff Cover or myself. It would be great to have them come in with your pledge commitment next Sunday! If you need an extra ministry sheet they can be found in the brochure racks around the church buildings, or call/email and one will be sent to you.

See you in church this Sunday…….

Pastor Bill

A couple of weeks ago I attended a thee-day workshop designed to help pastors of large churches coordinate the visions of the staff team with which they work. It was a great event, filled with all sorts of ideas and information which I am still digesting. I learned some things that I think will be helpful to the staff immediately, and other ideas that will take a year or more to bear fruit.

The workshop leader — Susan Beaumont of the Alban Institute — handed us an article she has written on the different sizes of large congregations. I believe this article offers language, images and ideas that are helpful to us here at Central; helpful for us in better understanding our church and the opportunities and challenges which are ever before us.

A congregation with an annual operating budget of between $400,000 and $1,000,000 — Central’s is approximately $660,000 — and worship attendance between 250 and 400 people — we average 320-350 — is called a Multi-Celled Church. A multi-celled church is complex, with lots of groups (cells) performing a wide variety of ministry tasks. It’s like there are multiple congregations within the same corporate body. A multi-celled church is primarily guided by lay leaders, with a staff team that supports and coordinates the ministry of the laity. Finding enough leaders for all the cells is a continual challenge. Leadership development is one of the most important tasks of a multi-celled church.

New members primarily come into a multi-celled through their involvement in a specific program. Creating and maintaing high quality programs is a must for there to be a continuing stream of newcomers. It takes lots of new, well-trained leaders to keep quality programming going.

The pastor of a multi-celled church “leads primarily by discerning and articulating an energizing vision for the congregation, one that will hold together the growing number of operating cells.” Helping congregational leaders develop and offer up a vision for the congregation is an important task for the pastor. Other staff members in the multi-celled church sometimes need to be a specialist in their area, and other times need to be a generalist for the entire congregation. They are constantly trying to walk on a tight-rope!

“The governing board (our Session) of a multi-celled church must organize its work around the mission and vision of the congregation. Lay leadership is grasping the importance of saying ‘no’ to ideas that distract the congregation from its mission. The board (Session) is largely preoccupied with the development of new lay leadership to fill the growing volume of leadership needs.”

As I read Susan’s article, I thought she was writing about Central! So many of the issues she raises up are right where we are. Especially, I think, the continual need to train and equip leadership. While we have many good and faithful leaders here at Central, a growing multi-celled church can never have enough. Getting our vision straight — where God is calling Central into God’s future — and staying clearly focused on our mission as a congregation, will be vital for us. I’m glad that Session is presently guiding us through a vision/strategic planning process.

I hope you find these words, images and ideas helpful. I know I did! Hopefully they will give us new ways to think and dream and talk about our church.

See you in worship……..

Pastor Bill

In a recent issue of The Christian Century, commentator L. Gregory Jones, quotes another author, Kevin Ford, who tells the story of a scientific experiement involving four monkeys and a bunch of bananas. The bananas sit on top of a pole in their cage, where the monkeys regularly compete for the pleasure of eating bananas. As you might expect, the strongest monkey gets to eat bananas whenever it wants; but all four monkeys get a banana at some point.

The scientists then put a bucket of water on top of the pole, so that whenever a monkey tried to climb up and get a banana, it got wet! Before long the monkeys grew tired of getting wet, and just stopped trying to get the bananas. Even when the scientists took the water away, the monkeys were so conditioned by their experience, that they didn’t even try to climb the pole any more.

Next, the scientist replaced one of the four original monkeys. The newcomer immediately tried to climb the pole and get a banana, but the three orginal monkeys wouldn’t let it. They were trying to protect the newcomer from getting wet…from water that wasn’t even there!

Over time each of the original monkeys were replaced. Eventually even the replacements were replaced, as the scientists moved several generations of monkeys through the experiement. Initially the monkeys who had been in the cage for awhile would actively stop each newcomer from trying to climb the pole. Eventually, however, this intentional interference ceased. The new monkeys would enter the cage and stare at the bananas on top of the pole, but never try to reach them.

Jones goes on to say, “Obviously, bad experiences wound us and cause us to quit aiming high, even for things that are natural to us, that we love and that are crucial for our well-being. We help others avoid being wounded in ways we’ve been wounded – and they do the same for us. We think we are learning from experiences. But bad experiences may teach us unwanted lessons that can diminish us and others who come after us. The lessons are passed on from generation to generation, and the memories linger…even if we ourselves have not been wounded, we lose our sense of purpose…”

Each of us have experiences in our lives that we want to avoid at any cost, and that we wouldn’t wish on anyone. Such experiences make us wiser, but they also make us afraid…afraid to try again…afraid to hope again…afraid to trust again…afraid to love again. When our actions are fear-based or avoidance-based they are not usually healthy or helpful or faithful.

Churches often have similar experiences in their history – a theological dispute, a disagreement between boards or families within the congregation, conflict with a church employee, a pastor who self-destructs. Such experiences can also cause a church to get stuck in place; can also lead to actions and decisions and patterns of communal-behavior that are not healthy or helpful or faithful.

Where are those places in each of our lives, and in the life of Central Presbyterian, where we have learned that it is dangerous to go after bananas; where we have quit trying to reach them at all?

Jesus invites us to trust him and follow him; to know that his yoke is easy and that the bananas of God’s Kingdom taste good! Are we willing to try again, or for the very first time, to climb the pole?

See you in church THIS Sunday……

Pastor Bill

The Christian Century, September 9, 2008, p. 39

In recent months I’ve written a couple of times about Session’s work on a ‘thinking document’ dealing with what it means to be a downtown church. Session’s goal in preparing this piece is to engage the members and friends of the congregation in conversation about the ways God is calling us into ministry on 7th Street. These conversations will take place in a Focus Group format on Sunday, September 28 at 10:00 a.m. & 12:15 p.m., and on Tuesday, September 30 at 10:30 a.m. & 7:00 p.m. Everyone who wants to participate is asked to sign up for one meeting, and come and share your ideas and hopes and dreams for Central, using the Downtown Church document as a starting point. Sign-up forms are available in worship starting this Sunday – September 7; or through the church web page www.centralpreschurch.org – follow the “Downtown Church” link. Focus Groups of 10 or so people will formed, and the discussion will be led by an Elder.

I am excited that it is time for this important conversation to begin! I believe our location in downtown Lafayette gives us great opportunities to be a leadership church and a ‘Central’ church for our entire area. I look forward to the amazing future, building on a rich and faithful past, that God has in store for Central. I hope everyone will choose to participate in shaping the future of our church!

The thinking document, ‘What Do We Mean When We Say We Are a Downtown Church?’ was mailed out in the September newsletter. In order for it to be read as widely as possible, I’m including it as part of this post:

What Do We Mean When We Say We Are a Downtown Church?

Jesus calls us to love our neighbors as one of the most basic ways of loving God.

We believe that God put Central Presbyterian Church in downtown Lafayette for a reason. Being a downtown church is not an accident of geography, but is an intentional commitment to be part of the downtown community. We feel this geographic location is an important part of God’s call; thus, we are committed to being a contributing member of the downtown community.

We recognize that our membership is a blend of people from Tippecanoe and surrounding counties, from all walks of life. We seek greater connectedness with our current members so they will become more involved and increasingly engaged in the life of the church. As we provide for the spiritual and pastoral needs of our diverse and growing congregation, we want to build upon our heritage of reaching out to our neighbors.

We are committed to being in partnership with other downtown churches to meet local needs and to proclaim and embody the Good News of Jesus Christ. We are also committed to being in partnership with other area organizations such as:

• Lafayette Urban Ministries
• Miller Elementary School
• Mental Health America, Tippecanoe County
• Family Promise

Our Emergency Aid program, Right Start Preschool, youth basketball league, Celebration breakfast, Neighborhood Harvest Party and community Vacation Bible School are additional ways of reaching out to our neighbors.

We want to be a spiritual home for our members, as well as a congregation where the unchurched—those who have been away temporarily and those who have never been part of a church—can find their way into our church family. We will do that by providing:

• high quality offerings of praise to God through diverse worship services, both contemporary and traditional
• high quality educational programs for all ages, from children to youth to adults
• opportunities for service locally, nationally and internationally.

We affirm our partnership with the Presbyterian Church (USA) in extending the work and message of Jesus Christ.

We seek to build bridges between our current members and our urban neighbors. We recognize the great diversity of those neighbors, from blue collar workers to the arts community, from young families to those moving into upscale downtown housing, and from those with special needs to the many college students, faculty and staff.

Building upon Central’s past, we want to move into the future by being faithful witnesses in our urban context. We aspire to be a community of believers committed to compassion, justice, and living fully the message of love and grace in Jesus Christ.

I’ll see you in church this Sunday…

Pastor Bill

I have been blessed over the years to have a number of faith moments or spiritual experiences that have changed my understanding of God, or the way I try to live out my faith as a disciple of Jesus Christ, or how I view others and the world around me, or all of these things at the same time!

One moment was during a vespers service when I was eighteen. The service occured on top of a large sand dune with Lake Michigan as the backdrop. As the sun set into the lake, and small birds played tag with each other or hung nearly motionless in the breeze, scripture was read, songs were sung and thought-provoking words were offered. In the midst of this wondrous assult on my senses, I experienced a feeling of connection to our Creator God and God’s creation that I had never known before. I was intensly aware of God’s presence in all of life, mine included, in a way that I have never been able to capture in words.

Another faith moment occured while I was visiting Salisbury Cathedral in England. I was traveling with my sister, Juli, and we had just come from exploring nearby Stonehenge. We entered the Cathedral moments before an evensong service began. In the midst of this ancient structure built to the glory of God where worship has been taking place daily for nearly 900 years, lit by the soft glow of candles, the voices of the choir began to soar upward. It was for me a “thin moment”, where I felt mystically connected to all the many faithful saints of the church triumphant who had worshipped in that amazing space over the centuries. I was so moved by the experience that I barely spoke to my sister on our three-hour train ride back to Oxford.

Another powerful moment of spiritual awareness occurred the first time I ever heard the hymn “Softly and Tenderly”. The preacher was offering a stirring sermon on the value of human life in contrast to the assult of busyness and economic uncertainty that so many know on a daily basis. He ended the sermon with the strong declaration that human beings are not rats and are called to a life that is more than the rat race…and then he started singing — “Softly and tenderly, Jesus is calling”. It was a large sanctuary, and I was sitting near the back. As those in front realized what hymn it was, they joined in — “Calling to you and to me”. Slowly the singing spread toward the back, and by the stanza — “Come home…come home…ye who are weary come home”, every one was singing. When the verse ended, you could have heard a pin drop. Tears flowed from many eyes. We knew we all had a permanent home in Jesus. I am transported to that moment whenever I sing this hymn!

What are your faith moments; the moments that have changed you forever; the moments that have connected you to God in utterly surprising ways? Share your stories with me by clicking on the reply button, and typing them in. Our common life here in the faith community that is Central, is so much richer when we know each other’s stories…especially the ones that have changed and charged us faithfully!

See you in church this Sunday…

Pastor Bill

Well, we survived taking Noah to college this week! When we had moved him into the dorm, and heard the college officials speak to the assembled new students and families, and it was finally time to head back home to Lafayette, our leave-taking was tender but not as difficult as I had imagined it might be. Noah gave us all hugs and then joined several of his fellow freshmen in a game of frisbee. I laughed when I saw this, because I had done exactly the same thing thirty year ago as my parents drove away after moving me to college. The apples don’t fall far from the tree.

In his welcome to the new students, Grant Cornwell, College of Wooster President, expressed his hope that all the learning they would do in the coming four years would “fill their minds and clutter their souls”.

I like this idea…that the increase in knowledge clutters one’s soul; that new learning gets in the way of old habits and patterns; and that fresh perspectives and possibilities causes one to rethink long-held assumptions and certainties. Now, gaining knowledge can become an end in itself…which seems to me of little use to oneself or anyone else. But when learning is undertaken with the desire to increase one’s understanding and the hope of making a positive difference in the world with newly-learned ideas and skills, such knowledge will change a person. They will never again be able to think in the same way. They will never again view the world from the same persepective. Their soul will be more cluttered.

I think the same holds true about our faith. The more we learn about the God who created us in love, the more we seek to understand the teachings of Jesus Christ and follow his example, the more we recognize how the Holy Spirit is constantly working on us, the more cluttered our soul will be. This cluttering isn’t a bad thing. The more we know about our faith, the more we will embrace and not judge the lives and actions of others. The more we know about scripture, the more it will help us to bring light and hope instead of harm to another. The more practice we have in following the ways of Jesus, the deeper our wisdom will grow and the easier it will become for us to share life and grace with others. A cluttered soul is less hasty. A cluttered soul leads one to be less sure of her/his own rightness. A cluttered soul forces us to listen more carefully for the still, small voice of God.

My hope is that the worship and life we share here at Central, and that all the many things each of us does in our daily lives to live faithfully, continually clutters our souls. A life cluttered with God is a life rich in purpose and meaning!

See you in church this Sunday…

Pastor Bill

We take our son, Noah, to college in a few days. He is excited about this next step in his life, and is ready for the academic challenges that are before him. At the same time he is nervous about all the unknowns that await him…which, I think, is only natural.

My feelings at his departure are much the same. I am excited for him! Noah loves learning, and is poised on the threshold of that wonderful moment in life where the world lies before you, and it is up to you to make what you will of the opportunity. My nervousness seems to be running a little deeper though…feeling more like sheer panic or outright terror!!!

Since the day he was born, Gina and I have tried our best to watch over Noah…to provide a loving home and the right academic and athletic and cultural and faith opportunities for him…to protect him from the evils of our world…to nurture his soul and the gifts that God has given him. Over the past few years Noah has become more and more his own person, as he should…needing less protecting and more permission-giving from us…a safety net and conversation partners as he has tentatively stepped farther and farther away from our nest. And while his move to college will by no means sever all the ties he has to us – I can’t wait for the first “send money” text message – we won’t be right there to provide direct protection and nurture…which is the source of my nervousness.

Many of you have already done this, already know the moment in time we are about to experience…know that it is survivable…know the personal and relational transformations this new part of the journey will bring, the good and the bad…know the joy of watching an adult emerge from your child.

I look forward to this knowing with Noah…but right now the only thing I do know, is that I need to let go and trust…trust who he is and the decisions he will make; trust that we have given him these past 18 years the resources he needs to thrive; trust that he will learn a lot, sometimes painfully and by making mistakes; trust that God will watch over Noah as he journeys into his future.

Isn’t this what God experiences with us? We are created in goodness. We are nurtured in loving grace and tenderhearted mercy. We are pointed in the right direction through the gift and example of Jesus Christ…and then we are let go in trust and with the hope that we will use our gifts and knowledge in the right ways…and are given unlimited chances to try it again when we mess up.

What a great example God give us! If God can let go of me in trust, I ought to be able to do the same with Noah. But, oh is this going to be hard…

See you in church this Sunday,

Pastor Bill

In my last two posts I’ve shared portions of a document I wrote for Central’s Session, reflecting on my first year of service to the congregation. If you haven’t had the time, I hope you will review these previous posts, and offer your comments. For while I see Central with “new eyes” and believe that it can be helpful for a church community to periodically listen to an outsider’s perspective of it, I realize that I do not bring the wisdom and perspective that accumulates through time spent in one place and a long-sharing of life with others. This post will be the third and final installment of my ‘year one reflections’, focusing on my belief that Central needs clearly-defined, broadly-owned goals for ministry to help us as a community to faithfully follow God’s call into the future.

I like the term – God’s Call Into The Future – because I believe that God is never done with us, and that we are caught up in God’s continually unfolding purposes, and that the life of faith is an invitation to never stop growing – as a disciple of Jesus Christ or as a human being. For me, God’s call into the future means that we are constantly working to figure out how we can best serve God in the present and for the future…that we can appreciate accomplishments and meaningful events in the past, but that we must always resist the temptation to emotionally and spiritual remain in, or attempt to reclaim, the past.

I strongly believe that Central must develop a clearer vision of where God is calling our church into the future. I trust that through Session’s guiding, all of us will be working on this vision together over the next couple of years. As part of my first year reflection, it is only fair that I offer a sense of what I think this vision might look like. Truth be told, we’re already doing many of the things that I believe should be part of our future. I think we just need to do them with greater clarity and intentionality, and push ourselves in a couple of new areas.

I believe the vision Session articulates on behalf of the congregation should have no more than five or six foci, and that those might include:

• Worship
  The worship of God is the primary reason a church exists. Worship is the heart of the body that is the church. Everything we are able to do and that we hope to do grows out of our worship.
• Spiritual Nurture (Christian Education)
  We can never learn too much about God’s love for us in Jesus Christ, or about how God desires us to serve others. Spiritual nurture and growth is the prerequisite to serving others.
• Service to others (mission primarily in our community)
  Jesus continually invites us to receive God’s love by sharing God’s love. We at Central have numerous opportunities to love others simply by opening our doors (and hearts) and seeking to address the needs of those who reside in close proximity to our buildings; while also realizing that our central location in our community and county also offers us unique ministry possibilities.
• A focus on children, youth and young adults
  We want to be a place that always welcomes people of all ages; but we also know that if we don’t teach our children how to worship God and what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, no one else will do it for us. If we want our children and youth to remain part of our community as they enter adulthood, we need to intentionally continue to journey with them.
• Campus Ministry – to students on campus
  We will soon be the closest Presbyterian (PCUSA) congregation to the Purdue campus. As such, I believe we have a responsibility to serve the needs of the young Presbyterians there – ours and those from other congregations. Instead of waiting for them to come to us, we need to go to them… and we should bring food, lots of food…for a truth about Presbyterians of any age is – if you feed them, they will come!
• Leadership Development
  In order to faithfully thrive, a church needs a continuing supply of strong leaders. Yet the gifts and skills needed for church leadership are unique… and so must be taught and nurtured.

When a set of ministry goals have been developed and embraced, then we will be able to create measurable action steps that will keep us on track towards the goals and let us know when they have been achieved or need to be refined. A set of ministry goals will also allow us stay better focused as a congregation by helping us determine what we can and can not do. There are always a lot of great opportunities for ministry floating around a church. Goals will help us embrace certain kinds of ministry while passing others by – without guilt! Initially this may mean we need to let go of some of the things we are currently doing, but over time, a well thought through and well prayed through vision will guide us to new levels of health, faithfulness and vitality as a congregation!

What are the ministry goals you think Central needs to be about? I can’t wait to hear them!!

See you in church this Sunday…

Pastor Bill

In last week’s post I shared a portion of a reflection piece I had written for Session marking my first anniversary of service as a pastor at Central. This week I’d like to offer some more of my reflections to you… for your pondering and response.

I don’t want to repeat what I said last week (please see the previous post if you have not read it), but do want to emphasize that my primary reflection of Central Presbyterian Church after a year is that it is a healthy and vital and faithful congregation! I am grateful for the countless little acts of grace and compassion that I witness around here on a daily basis, for friend and stranger alike – inquiring about the health of a loved-one who is ill or struggling with some issue; watching to make sure that someone who isn’t moving too well gets to her/his car; the loving-care of the library ladies who keep us well-supplied with books that will stimulate our minds and develop our faith; those who with a word or look or hand on the shoulder offer hope and support; and on and on. By paying attention to the little things and doing them well, all of us say over and over again that Central is a faith community where people matter and are taken seriously; where being a disciple of Jesus implies activity and not just a title.

A major portion of my year-one reflection has to do with church size… what I call “The Numbers Game”:

One of my favorite Disney movies when I was a kid was The Ugly Dachshund; the story of a Great Dane puppy who grew up with three Dachshund puppies. The Great Dane thought it was this small little thing that could run around and fit in and through confined spaces just like the Dachshunds. Because he thought he was small, Brutus (the Great Dane) was always creating one disaster after another, with the help of the Dachshunds, until he was taken to a dog show and saw other Great Danes for the first time. Then, to impress a female Great Dane, Brutus began acting like who he was!

Central is a Great Dane of a church that, I belive, has been acting like a Dachshund for some time. I haven’t yet figured out why, but from my perspective as a relative new-comer, this is what I see. The average-sized Presbyterian church has around 100 members, with maybe an average weekly worship attendance of 70. Central has 590+ members on the books right now, with an average weekly worship attendance of roughly 320. We’re not a little place, but we often act like it.
Some of the symptoms of this dynamic that I see are things like the fact that – we don’t have stationary (which we’re in the process of taking care of); we don’t seem to pay as much attention to appearance of our buildings and property – inside and out – as we should if we want to make a good impression on potential visitors… if we want to look like we’re expecting company (I’m told things are better in this area than they use to be, but I believe we still have a ways to go); we’re pretty casual about money… everything from how it is handled to how it is raised… and we can’t do mission and ministry very well or very long if we don’t have the means to finance it; we often talk and act and write like everyone knows what we mean (newsletter and bulletin articles are a great example of this), but visitors and newer members often don’t know what we’re talking about; we expect people to come to us, and get involved with us… and frequently seem uncomfortable with the idea of going after them, or inviting them to join us.

In 1957 Central claimed 2,007 members; in 1967 there were 1,709 members; in 1977 the number was 1,413; in 1987 it was 1,100; by 1997 membership was 689; and in 2007 we reported 594 members. With the exceptions of 1978-1979, 1985-1986, and 2006-2007, which showed increases in membership over the previous year, Central has been in almost continual numerical decline for fifty years. Now, we’re not alone among mainline churches in losing membership… but just because everyone else is doing it, doesn’t mean we should be too! Our ability as a church to have declining membership is finite!

I think Central needs to have a membership of at least 1,000 to adequately support our programs and budget and buildings and future. Churches don’t grow because they say they want to, or because they need to have a bigger budget. Churches grow because they are doing mission… they are serving others and sharing the Good News of the Gospel in all sorts of ways… and people want to become part of such a place, because they want to be part of a faithful community, and want to be making a difference with their life.

Perhaps the most important aspect of Session’s leadership role for Central is to define and lead the mission we will be engaged in as a congregation. When I talk about God’s call into the future for Central and the goals and action steps that grow out of that vision, I’m talking about mission. The ongoing conversation that all of us – Session and congregation – need to have about vision is critical. It might be the only thing on which Session should be spending its time.

Some odd thoughts about church size:

• In my experience churches are either growing or shrinking. They just don’t stay the same.
• ‘Friendliness’ does not have to be sacrificed as a church grows. Being a friendly, caring church is a choice that a congregation makes. It is part of the church’s vision.
• To avoid conversation about, and actions that lead to numerical growth as a congregation is to choose not to grow, and to choose to decline.
• I personally don’t want to be part of a numerically declining church. I don’t think most people do!

Now, numbers aren’t everything… and looking to recreate the past is never a way to move into the future. I will always be more interested in the faithfulness of the congregation than I am in its size. But these things said, a growing church feels and acts more vital… a growing church excites people for ministry… a growing church has amazing opportunities to carry out the ministry of Jesus Christ. We’re on a two-year roll of having more members than the year before. Three straight years of growth hasn’t happened at Central since the 1950’s. How can we all work together to keep things going? Who can we invite to join us for worship?

See you – and your visitor – in worship this Sunday…

Pastor Bill

On July 1, I marked my first anniversary of service to the members and friends of Central Presbyterian Church. As a way of recognizing this passage of time, as well as July being the month when Central’s Session reconstitutes itself through the annual rotation of Elders, I thought it might be a good time to reflect on some of the many things I have learned this past year, and lay out some of the opportunities and challenges I see for Central.

Well, I started typing… and when I had finished, there were about seven and a half pages of reflections! I shared the full document with Session earlier this week… and over the next two or three weeks will offer portions of these thoughts to all the rest of you via the blog.

The Health and Strength of the Congregation

First and foremost, I continue to see Central as a healthy and vital congregation, that has weathered the recent years of rapid pastor/head of staff turnover with amazing strength. Central is blessed by a long history of strong lay leadership. Members of the congregation know that Presbyterian churches are led by the people of the church… and particularly by the Session working with the pastors. I appreciate the spiritual depth and maturity of the congregation and congregational leaders. One tiny example of this maturity is that the people of Central know how to pray publicly, and aren’t afraid to do so! The congregation has and continues to show great commitment to public worship; demonstrating deep wisdom in beginning the Celebration service when it did, as well as continuing to invest in traditional worship – the organ restoration project being a great example. I don’t know whether or not this is true, but we were hearing from the most recent class of new members that Central may have the only traditional service at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday morning downtown… which, to my mind, is a marketing point! Another wise choice was the decision to invest in youth and family programs. A church has to constantly pay attention to its age-mix. The commitment to fund staff leadership in this area is providing increases in the numbers of younger families and children and youth. We are strageically located in our community and county. We have a great abundance of spiritual and physical resources. There are many things to feel good about at Central right now!

Moving Beyond Crisis Thinking and Acting

When my younger brother had leukemia all of us in the family learned not to look very far down the road…for most days brought some health-related crisis with him that demanded all our time and energy; and when we did try to gaze into the future, the possibilities we saw were terrifying. Our thinking became narrow and related only to issues of immediate concern.

Through the multiple pastoral transitions of recent years, Central as a whole, and Session leaders in particular, have learned well how to deal with the crisis at hand, and not to look too far into the potentially terrifying future. This approach – keeping the focus small – served the church well during all the turmoil; but now that we are moving toward a greater degree of stability (God willing!), everyone has to learn once again that it is OK and necessary and even faithful to look ahead, and listen for God’s call into the future, and make decisions based on a ‘big-picture’ view. Session is charged with leading Central forward, but in order for them to be able to guide us in this important work, everyone of us in the congregation has to move beyond crisis thinking and acting.

I wish that this was a simple move… that just required a wave of my magic wand… but it is not. Thinking and acting in the long term and toward a particular vision will require us to trust each other a great deal, and to trust God even more. Such movement can not happen over night, but it must happen with our Session if they are to be the leaders that Central needs in this time… and it must happen with the rest of us if we are to be the people that God needs at this time. All of us are charged with the task of helping Central move into new ways of thinking and acting. I invite you to pray about this movement; and I encourage us to lovingly help one another raise our eyes and minds and hearts from crisis-mode to God’s-future mode.

I don’t want to overwhelm everyone with reading, so I’ll stop here for this week. I will appreciate your thoughts and comments about Central at present, and what you think the future toward which God is calling us looks like.

Let me emphasize what I said at the beginning of this post, I find Central to be a healthy and vital and faithful congregation. I am excited to believe that we as a congregation can faithfully explore hard questions and bold ideas for how we will remain God’s people and continually move toward God’s future. I feel blessed and privileged to serve as one of your pastors, and look forward to working together to be God’s people in this place!

See you in church THIS Sunday…

Pastor Bill

Most of my Wednesday this week was devoted to a meeting at the Presbytery office located near Rochester, IN. It was a useful meeting…the content was imporant and the conversation worthwhile…though the hours of sitting in an un-airconditioned space on a humid, 90+ degree day were numbing to my backside!

Near the end of the day, Interim Executive Presbyter, Ray Fancher, was offering us his last thoughts before departing for another meeting, when he said something immensely profound and vitally important for we who make up the church of Jesus Christ. As Ray spoke I scrambled to take notes. I don’t think I got down everything he said, but this is a fairly accurate reflection of his words:

When we’re talking about loving one another in the Body of Christ, we’re not talking about how we feel about each other, we’re talking about what we will do about it!

It is nice for us in the community of faith to express our love for each other, and to have deep feelings of love toward one another. It is right for us to acknowledge Jesus’ invitation and expectation for us to love all people as God has loved and continues to love us. Ultimately, however, Christian love is about more than just words. Christian love is all about our actions.

Every place where love is mentioned in scripture that I can think of talks about love as an activity. Think about all the verbs the Apostle Paul uses to speak about love in 1 Corinthians 13. Love is patient and kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude or irritable or resentful; love does not insist on its own way or rejoice in wrongdoing; love bears and believes and hopes and endures all things; love never ends. Paul does not invite us to simple feel love. Paul expects us to live love.

In Gospel story after Gospel story, Jesus brings the love of God to life by making real differences for people – feeding, healing, calling, blessing, challenging, freeing – are among the ways that Jesus makes God’s love alive for those around him. Like the line in an old children’s song “Love is nothing ’till you give it away“, Jesus knows that love can truly only be experienced by others through concrete actions.

I appreciate Ray’s reminder about the link bewteen love and action, because it forces me to acknowledge that talk is cheap and challenges me to live faithfully by loving boldly. My guess is that we could all use to work on tying our words about love to loving actions. Important and faithful work for a hot summer’s day…or any day for that matter!

On a personal note, I’m excited to say that my family will finally be joining me here in Lafayette at the end of this month. Our house in Kansas still hasn’t sold, and we won’t have a place to live here nailed down for a few more days, but the moving truck is scheduled to be unloading our posessions somewhere locally on Monday, August 4th! It feels a little like jumping off a cliff, but Gina and I made the decision that it was time. God has been so very faithful to the Smutz family throughout this long transition, and we trust God’s presence will abide. Your continued prayers during these days are deeply appreciated.

See you in church this Sunday!

Pastor Bill

I want to begin by saying how much I appreciate that people took the time to comment on last week’s post. Each person’s comments made me stop and think and consider another perspective…and though I didn’t necessarily agree with the different thoughts and opinions…just as many certainly didn’t agree with what I said to start it all!…I was grateful for the exchange of ideas…grateful for the ability to be in electronic dialogue about our common faith…grateful for the passion that many obviously have for their faith and their country.

You should also know that there were other comments expressed in response to last week’s post that could not be included in the dialogue – some that actually had to be removed from the blog commentary – because of the abusive and inappropriate language they contained…which leads me to what I want to write about this week – that one of the greatest dangers for the church of Jesus Christ is the demand for like-mindedness, and that civil discourse is an absolute requirement for the community of faith.

I was really excited when I made the move from a weekly email to a weekly blog post about a month ago, because of the open commentary the blog makes possible. I hope that over time the blog might become one of the places where members of the Central Presbyterian Church community can be in conversation about life and faith and the challenges and opportunities of being a disciple of Jesus Christ in this day and age. One of the trade offs that must be made for the ability to have open commentary, is that the blog is online and available to anyone who may happen upon it. The conversation I desire to have within the Central community is in this way open to anyone on the world wide web, whether or not they understand our context or share in the relationships we have through church.

Last week’s blog post was discovered or perhaps sent to a reporter with the Presbyterian Layman, which in my opinion practices a level of journalism that falls somewhere below that of a trashy, grocery-store-counter tabloid. For 40+ years this publication has pushed a very narrow and small-minded view of the world and the Presbyterian Church by misquoting, ridiculing, and attempting to intimidate anyone whom its reporters feel does not hold similar views. This tabloid wants the Presbyterian Church to be like a small tent, where only those who think alike are allowed in. The Layman reporter crafted an article by stringing together carefully edited quotes from my blog post that supported his preconceived beliefs about God and our country. The intent of the article was to ridicule both my opinions and me for having such opinions.

One of the things I have always treasured about being a Presbyterian is that my faith tradition never asks or expects me to check my mind at the door. Indeed Presbyterianism demands that we use our heads and our hearts as we seek to be disciples of Jesus, as we come into God’s presence in worship, and as we follow the Holy Spirit out into the world to serve others in love. I do not expect the members and friends of Central to agree with every word I utter in a sermon, or write in a blog or newsletter article, or with every idea I put forth at a meeting. What a boring place this would be (not to mention unfaithful and unhealthy) if everyone had to agree with me. I expect you to use your minds faithfully, just as I hope you all expect me to use my mind faithfully. And when we do this – when we use the gift of our brain, and the gifts of our different life experiences and learning experiences, and we anticipate the Holy Spirit’s never-ending work upon us – when we do this, we will have all sorts of wonderful and creative and faithful thoughts and ideas…very few, I suspect, which will be alike. One of the joys of Presbyterianism for me is its messiness. We are not called to think alike, but to bring our wonderful cacophony of thoughts together, so that we can understand and follow God more completely.

Bringing all our thoughts together…seeking to understand God’s call into the future together…means we have to be in conversation with each other. We must be able to listen to each other, and hear and consider ideas that make us uncomfortable and that we totally disagree with. Civility in our discourse is a must. We can never leave it at the door!

Two people from outside our congregation responded to last week’s post by cursing me and calling me names and making suggestions for me that I think are physically impossible! I can honestly say I didn’t lose any sleep over their comments. If I am going to lay my ideas out there for all to see and hear, I have to expect that people will disagree with me and tell me so. Yet, their lack of civility makes conversation nearly impossible. They were not interested in offering ideas of their own, only in telling me I was wrong for having mine.

This life of faith we are called to is not simple or simplistic. Being part of the community that claims Jesus as Lord and Savior is darn hard work, and requires that we take each other seriously — in our listening and talking and praying for one another. My guess is that these two individuals are lonely and hurting, fragile children of God. Striking out at others may be their attempt to be connected to someone else. They obviously can’t “hear” anything I might say or write in response to them, so I will pray that God can connect them to others, and open their hearts to the joy of community – even a messy one! I invite you to do the same.

See you in church this Sunday…

Pastor Bill

By the time you are reading this, I will be visiting family in my home town of Webster Groves, Missouri – a small town long before it was swallowed up by suburban St. Louis – where the 4th of July has always been a big deal. There is a parade on the 4th, led by the color guard (everyone stands as the flag goes by) and filled with Cub Scout packs on bikes, church floats, Girl Scout horse troops, Shriners driving little cars, neighborhood groups doing precision marching with lawn chairs, the Miss Webster contestants and city council members riding in convertibles, as well as the occasional politician. Almost everyone in town has been in the parade at some point; and as they go by your viewing spot, you talk to friends and neighbors who are in the current version. The local Lion’s Club sponsors a carnival with rides and games and booths where local civic groups raise money and community awareness. Then, on the night of the 4th, the fireworks are spectacular! Thousands and thousands of people fill the hillsides and open spaces around the high school football stadium, and oooh and aaah as the brilliant colors burst in the dark sky above.

An air of patriotism surrounds all these activities. American flags abound. There is a sense of communal gratitude for the physical and religious and intellectual freedoms we enjoy in our country. In the midst of all these events, I often find that I am overwhelmed by a deep sense of pride of place… that I am an American.

There is, however, another side to my feelings where the 4th of July is concerned… a more complex side. For I struggle greatly with the mixture of patriotism and faith that often accompanies this holiday. I am leery of claims that God blesses our country more than any others, that God holds we Americans as a special people. Our God is the Creator of the universe, the Lord of all – not just the 300+ million people who inhabit this country. To claim that God is exclusively on the side of America is bad theology, and leads to dangerous attitudes and practices. The mixing of faith in God and love of country too often results in hubris and arrogance; in attitudes and behaviors towards other people and other faiths and other countries that are less the holy… less than faithful.

A few weeks ago in worship when we studied the third commandment – about not taking the Lord’s name in vain – we learned that this commandment could also be translated, do not use the Lord’s name for mischief! I believe that phrases like ‘God bless America’ or ‘God bless the USA’ are unwise and unfaithful uses of God’s name… that they use God’s name for mischief. Our God, through Jesus Christ, invites and expects us to look beyond country of origin, and race and gender and intellect and economic level, and any other human-created divider, and see all people as neighbors, as fellow children of God.

The 4th of July is a wonderful time… and also a time when we Christians, who also happen to be Americans, must be extra careful about how we use God’s name!

I also want to draw your attention to the fact that the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church – our denomination’s highest governing body – met last we in San Jose, California. An equal number of Elders and pastors from all 177 Presbyteries in the country serve as the delegates to the Assembly. This body makes all manner of decisions concerning the leadership and the life and the future of the Presbyterian Church. Some of the decisions made by the Assembly go into effect immediately; while others are sent back to the Presbyteries, where they must be ratified by a majority before they go into effect.

Below you will find an email message from the Moderator, Stated Clerk and Executive Director of the Presbyterian Church (USA) – the top leaders of our denomination. They offer a nice snap shot of what took place at General Assembly this year. I encourage you to read their message, go to the denominational website – www.pcusa.org – to learn more, and ask Jeff Cover and me your questions. It is always good for us here at Central to better understand our connections to the larger denomination!

See you in church…

Pastor Bill

This story is available here: www.pcusa.org/pcnews/2008/08469

Post GA Letter

June 28, 2008

To Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) congregations

Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

The 218th General Assembly adjourned just a few short hours ago. Even now, 973 commissioners and advisory delegates are making their way back home from San Jose, CA, where they worshiped daily, discussed and debated overtures, and celebrated the countless ways Presbyterians are engaged in ministry near and very far away—all with a focus on discerning the mind of Christ for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and seeking ways to live out this assembly’s theme: “Do justice, love kindness, walk humbly with our God” (Micah 6:8).

Beginning today and continuing over the next two years, elected commissioners will be about the task of interpreting the actions they took at this assembly. Already, their decisions have been broadcast across the church and, in this Internet world—with information received in real time, live blogs, and more—many people have already weighed in on the assembly’s actions, sharing their thoughts and feelings about the implications of those decisions on our life together in the PC(USA).

The assembly dealt with well over 400 business items. Some items had undivided agreement, including a covenant to join together to carry out mission together and a churchwide commitment to “Grow God’s Church Deep and Wide.” There was an action to continue to study a revised Form of Government, and one committee devoted its time entirely to youth issues. In addition, we continued our longstanding work toward peace in the Middle East. More information on these and other actions will be coming soon.

A few of the many assembly actions will make, or already have made, headlines across the country. Most likely, you will read about the actions from a number of sources over the next many days and weeks, but we want you to hear about this important gathering directly from the General Assembly. That is why we are writing this letter to you.

Perhaps the subject that will make the most headlines has to do with the ordination standards of our church. It is a subject with which Presbyterians are familiar and one that tends to evoke great debates and deep emotions. With that in mind, we want you to know what the assembly did—in the actual wording—in regard to ordination standards, and what will happen next.

• By a 54% to 46% margin, the assembly voted to propose an amendment to our Book of Order to change one of our current ordination standards. The change is to replace the current language that says officers of the church must live by “fidelity within the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman or chastity in singleness” (G-6.0106b) to this new language: Those who are called to ordained service in the church, by their assent to the constitutional questions for ordination and installation (W-4.4003), pledge themselves to live lives obedient to Jesus Christ the Head of the Church, striving to follow where he leads through the witness of the Scriptures, and to understand the Scriptures through the instruction of the Confessions. In so doing, they declare their fidelity to the standards of the Church. Each governing body charged with examination for ordination and/or installation (G-14.0240 and G-14.0450) establishes the candidate’s sincere efforts to adhere to these standards.
• By a 53% to 47% vote, the assembly adopted a new Authoritative Interpretation (AI) on G-6.0106b: Interpretive statements concerning ordained service of homosexual church members by the 190th General Assembly ( 1978 ) of the United Presbyterian Church in the United States of America, and the 119th General Assembly ( 1979 ) of the Presbyterian Church in the United States and all subsequent affirmations thereof, have no further force or effect.
• By a 54% to 46% vote, the assembly adopted a new AI on G-6.0108 which restores the intent of the Theological Task Force on Peace, Unity, and Purity of the Church report (2006) to allow someone who is being considered for ordination or installation as a deacon, elder, or minister to register a conscientious objection to the standards or beliefs of the church and ask the ordaining body to enter into a conversation with them to determine the seriousness of the departure.
• The assembly left unchanged the definition of marriage found in the Directory for Worship (W-4.9000)—“a civil contract between a woman and a man.”

By its actions, the assembly has initiated a new opportunity to focus ordination on primary allegiance and obedience to Jesus Christ, as well as to Scripture and the church’s confessions. The assembly places the responsibility onto sessions and presbyteries for discerning a candidate’s fitness for ordination.

In all of this, it is important to note that the assembly has not removed the church’s standard of “fidelity in marriage and chastity in singleness.” For the proposed change—making obedience to Christ the ordination standard—to become part of the Book of Order, a majority of presbyteries will need to ratify it over the next year.

We know the assembly actions may do little to ease the anxiety that seems to permeate our life together as a denomination. The debate isn’t new and the future holds difficult challenges. As the Rev. Dan Holloway, moderator of the committee that took up the items on ordination standards, said, “As we move forward, it is essential that we have conversations that are gracious and loving and welcoming, since we are not all of one mind.” Our hope is that none of us will act or react immediately to the decisions, choosing instead to pray and talk with one another about these issues.

During the question-and-answer time for the Stated Clerk election on Friday morning, now Stated Clerk-elect Gradye Parsons spoke of the story of Jesus being in the boat with his disciples in the middle of the lake when a storm arose (Luke 8). If fear could have capsized their boat, the disciples would have found themselves working hard to tread water in the midst of the wind and waves. Yet, Jesus calmed the storm and proceeded to question them about their faith.

Like the disciples, we, the PC(USA), are in the boat together, sometimes not altogether sure where we are headed. We see the storm approaching and our fears rise with the waves. Yet, as he was with the disciples, so, too, is Christ in our midst—calming the wind, settling the waves—being present and guiding us as we proceed ahead.

Gradye offered the following mantra as a summary of the Luke story: Get into the boat. Go across the lake. There will be a storm. You will not die.

As we move forward from this assembly, we know that storms may come, but we put our confidence and trust in the one who both calms the storms and leads us into God’s future with hope.

The Rev. Bruce Reyes-Chow
Elder

Linda Bryant Valentine
Moderator of the 218th General Assembly
Executive Director, General Assembly Council

The Rev. Gradye Parsons
Stated Clerk of the General Assembly

The church staff had an impromtu celebration earlier this week when a call from the Presbyterian Foundation announced that the 29000 a day video put together by Central’s youth group had been chosen as one of the top three videos in the Foundation’s contest! For their efforts, a $25,000 endowment fund will be established to provide ongoing financial support for youth programming at Central! Please make the opportunity to tell our young people and Wes Tillett how proud we are of them!!!

Remember that this Sunday, June 29, worship will take place at 10:00 a.m. outside on 7th Street. A large team of folks has been hard at work planning the service, and will be on hand early Sunday morning to set up the platform and sound system, chairs, tables, and everthing else we will need to be outdoors. For those who are concerned about the uneven surface of the bricks in the street, chairs will also be set up on the sidewalk on the west side of 7th Street. You are also welcome to bring your own outdoor chairs for greater comfort. Also remember sunglasses, sun screen, hats and light colored clothing.

A faithful and meaningful worship experience has been planned…that weaves together aspects of both our traditional and celebration services. We will sing hymns and praise songs, hear from those who participated in Central’s Vacation Bible School program this past week, and attend to the Word of God. This Sunday offers an excellent opportunity to share Central Presbyterian with your friends and family in a fun and unique way. It’s not too late to extend an invitation…especially one that includes lunch at the church picnic which follows the service at 12:30 p.m. in Happy Hollow Park, Shelter #3.

Ann Weems is a life-long Presbyterian and poet, and author of a number of books on worship and living faithfully. In her Family Faith Stories, Ann describes how several generations of her ancestors shaped both the person she is and the faith she has come to hold as her own. In the introduction to the book, Ann reminds us why family stories are so important:

Whenever there is any sort of family reunion, whether two or ten or more, it takes no time at all for one of us to say, “Do you remember when…?” And everybody nods yes…During the time we’re together, story after story is told, each as exciting and fresh as though it had never been told before. This is the ritual of telling family stories, and everbody loves them because everybody belongs. Everybody knows your name because everybody has the same name, and even if you’ve never even seen your second cousin twice removed, you’re both accepted and loved because you belong to the family.

Many of us know the person-shaping and faith-shaping of our larger family. I can still hear my grandmother Mason reverently saying the words of the prayer she offered before every meal in her home. Her example of thanking God for the simple gifts of food and time together around the table continues with me still today. I can’t always remember every word of the prayer, but give me ten minutes with my sisters and we’ll be able to recite it perfectly!

Sunday worship is the time when the disciples of Jesus, the children of God, gather to tell family stories…to remind ourselves that we are named and loved…that everybody belongs, even if we don’t know the name of the person sitting in the third pew from the front on the pulpit side. Sunday worship is also one of the times when we create new family stories, as God’s people at Central. Coming together for a single worship service in the street and sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ with our neighbors will be a memorable moment in the life of our community…in the life of our faith family. Come be part of our family story this Sunday. It won’t be the same without you!

See you in church this Sunday…on the Street!

Pastor Bill

At the memorial service for Sara Jamison last month, while Associate Pastor, Jeff Cover, was reading one of the Old Testament lessons -Psalm 23 – the most amazing thing happened. Jeff called it a God-moment. He is right. It was certainly holy!

As he began, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want…”, very quietly some in the congregation began to join him in reciting the Psalm. With each phrase, “He makes me lie down in green pasture; he leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul; he leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake…”, the chorus grew, as more and more people joined in. The pew bibles were not open. People were pulling these words from their deep wells of memory – from long ago Sunday School classes; from their presence at countless funerals and memorial services over the years where these same words were used to offer comfort; from those dark nights of the soul, when they knew they were in “the valley of the shadow of death” and clung to these words as a reminder of God’s abiding presence.

The chorus kept growing, as people like myself who have never been good at memorization, unexpectedly found the Psalmist’s words on our lips too…”I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff – they comfort me.” By the time the Psalm was gathering us at the Lord’s table, safe from enemies and our heads were being annoited with oil, and our cups were overflowing with God’s generosity and goodness, everyone had joined in. The final declaration of the Psalm was spoken loudly, with bold assurance, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever!”

When everyone had finished, there was a moment of electric silence. We all knew we had participated in something greater than ourselves. We were suddenly aware of the powerful presence of the Holy Spirit, in a way we had not been before sharing the Psalm. We were filled with a sense of peace…knowing that Sara was in good hands and well cared for.

God moments…holy moments generally come upon us when we are least expecting them. They can be easily missed, if we do not acknowledge them, if we do not turn into them as we become aware that something special is happening.

The different pace of summer…being in places we consider sacred…family reunions and visits with friends we haven’t seen in too long…celebrating that which is passing away, and that which is coming to be…all of these times and more are opportunities for God moments. My prayer for us all, is that our eyes and ears and hearts will be open for the blessings of God’s generous presence!

See you in church this Sunday…

Pastor Bill

There are two things I want to write about this week:

1. The vision question at Central;
2. The outdoor worship service on June 29!

It has been several weeks since I’ve written about the vision process that Session is working on… so let me catch you up. After a lot of conversation and prayer and word-smithing, Session has come up with a document about what they think it means for Central to be a downtown church. Session believes that this document is a living statement, that will grow and evolve as more people enter into conversation about this important topic… and as the Holy Spirit continues to blow around within us.

At a special meeting in late May, Session charged a small group of Elders with the task of presenting the document to the congregation and seeking feedback. I know we will hear from this group soon, and everyone will have the opportunity to share your thoughts on this important topic.

I’m told that when our predecessor congregation, 2nd Presbyterian Church of Lafayette, built their sanctuary building on the corner of Columbia & 7th in 1895, the congregation was a neighborhood church surrounded by single-family homes. Now, 113 years later, though the church hasn’t moved, our neighborhood has certainly evolved. Single-family homes have given way to businesses and multiple-unit buildings. Our neighbors are more economically diverse… some at or below the poverty level, some moving into nearby upscale condo units. The physical location of our church doesn’t define the totality of our ministry… and yet I believe our physical context can and should inform the kinds of ministry that we embrace. Being Central Presbyterian Church in the center of Lafayette, in the center of Tippecanoe County, offers intriguing ideas about the future into which God is calling us. I look forward to this fascinating conversation, and the action that follows!

On Sunday, June 29, Central is taking worship to the streets… 7th Street, actually! On this 5th Sunday of the month, we will have a single service of worship at 10:00 a.m. in the middle of the street!! This service will combine elements from both our Traditional and Celebration worship services, include singing from those who participated in Vacation Bible School the week before, and be a unique way to invite visitors – from downtown and all over – to join us in praising God!!!

Now, I’ve heard that there are rumors going around the church that this service is a first step toward our having a blended worship format, and only blended worship, at Central. I don’t know where ideas like this come from, or why such rumors get started, but it just isn’t true. If you hear this rumor, make sure it stops with you!

Session saw the opportunity for us to worship in a fun and unique and inviting way, and said “let’s do it!” I’m glad for Session’s leadership here, and think it will be a great time of worship.

Outdoor worship will require different dress and accessories from us. On the 29th we’ll need to dress in cool and comfortable clothes, wear sunglasses, bring hat or umbrellas to shade us, and have lots of heavy-duty sun screen on hand. The chairs from Large Fellowship Hall will be set up in the street, but if you have a favorite lawn chair you might want to bring it along too. Wouldn’t it be great to have so many visitors show up that we need extra seats?!

Who will you invite on the 29th, when Central worships in the street?

See you in church this Sunday…

Pastor Bill

PS – If you haven’t heard the good news yet…

The video created by our Central Presbyterian youth, 29,000 a day, has been selected as one of the 15 finalists. If you were one of the 290 that voted for it, thank you so much for your effort. The support that the youth and leaders have received is indeed humbling.

Quoting from the ymiLIVE website, here’s what is next:

The 15 Finalists in the Youth Video Challenge are displayed below. These youth groups received enough votes to be in the top 15 from all the videos posted. The Final three videos will be determined by the Youth Advisory Delegates (YADs) during the General Assembly in San Jose, CA June 20-27.

Although the voting period has ended, you can still view and comment on the video. Since comments will likely be considered as the YADs determine the three winners of the $25,000 endowments, please take a few minutes to add your comments. Step-by-step instructions can be found at http://29000aday.com.

One of the professional publications I receive, The Christian Century, devoted a recent edition to the topic of ‘hell’. To be honest, I don’t spend a lot of time thinking about hell. Despite the affirmation we make when we recite the Apostle’s Creed together – that Jesus descended into hell – the images that I have of hell as a fiery underground place inhabited by devils in red suits with horns and pitchforks have been shaped by Greek mythology and Yosemite Sam cartoons more than anything else. The other notion I have about hell is that it is the place you go when you’ve led a bad or unfaithful life. And since I don’t like to think of myself as that type of person, I don’t give much thought to ever ‘going to hell’.

In one of the Century articles, Paul Griffiths, a faculty member at Duke Divinity School, offers a definition of hell that invites me to think anew about hell. He describes hell as, “that despairing condition in which separation from God seems final and unending; in it there is no faith, no hope, no love – only the agony of abandonment.”

Using this definition, hell is suddenly more real to me. I know that I have had those moments when I have felt separated from God, abandoned in a sea of enemies or despair; those ‘dark nights of the soul’ when I can’t imagine what hope looks like, let alone dream that it would ever apply to me. Many of you, I suspect, have also endure such times… have come to know ‘hell’ with an undesired intimacy.

What are we to do when we find ourselves in hell or threatened by hell? Another one of the Century commentators, theologian William Stringfellow, points to the line from the Apostle’s Creed about Jesus’ descent into hell, and says this is very cheerful news for disciples, because “there is nothing that I have known this side of Hell that is unfamiliar to Jesus. There is nothing known to me which I am wont to call Hell which He has not already known. Nor is there anything beyond these realms which, even though unknown to me, Jesus does not know.”

The Good News we celebrate as disciples of Jesus Christ is that he has been to hell and back… and has found life and hope beyond hell… and invites us to share in that life and hope with him!

The next time any of us are feeling we are in the midst of hell, let us pray for the wisdom to cling to Jesus, who has been there, who knows the way out, and who loves to share that gift with us!

See you in church this Sunday…

Pastor Bill

PS – Don’t forget will be honoring graduated high school seniors this Sunday, and that there is a reception between services (in Fitch Parlor) in their honor!!!

There are two important events in the life of our congregation this weekend related to the teenage members of our faith community. Both of these events are significant ‘Grace Notes’ in the life of the church, and require our attention and action!

First up is confirmation. Over the course of Sunday morning, twelve young people will be confirmed, and become full members of the church! Twelve seems an appropriate biblical number, doesn’t it?!

Confirmation really begins with baptism. When we baptize an infant or young child, parents answer the questions of faith for their child. Confirmation is when the child, now grown, confirms those long-ago parental promises and claims faith in Jesus Christ for herself or himself. This embracing of faith is a holy moment … an event in which we acknowledge that our children are becoming our peers in faith … signifying that we have as much to learn about life and faith from them, as they do from us. Confirmation for Christians is the same type of transformative moment that a Bar Mitzvah or Bat Mitzvah is within Judaism.

In addition to the parental promises when an infant or young child is baptized, the congregation promises to help the parents raise the child to know Christ. Confirmation doesn’t end this promise for us. As I indicated above, confirmation shifts the nature of the relationship in which our baptismal promises are carried out … but just as parenting is a life-long journey, so too is the fulfillment of our baptismal promises an ongoing faith adventure!

The second important event involving our teenagers this weekend is the end of voting for the video (29,000 a day) our youth group entered in the Presbyterian Foundation contest – where the potential prize is a $25,000 endowment fund for youth programming at Central. Midnight June 1 is the cut off. No votes will be accepted after that time.

As of this morning, slightly more than 200 people have voted in support of our youth. I appreciate all those who have taken the time to cast a vote, for it is not the easiest process. At the same time, a congregation the size of Central needs to do better!! I believe this is one of the ways we can carry out our baptismal promises.

Here again is the link to see the video, vote for the video, and read some of the approximately 100 comments people from all across the country have made about the video and our youth: http://29000aday.com/Comments.html
(you may have to press the control (ctrl) button at the same time you click on this link)

Please go view the video again, take the time to vote, and then share the video with your friends and family and ask for their support. In recent weeks I’ve sent this video to friends and colleagues all over the country. The contacts have been fun, and their enthusiastic support of the video has been a gift!

See you in church this Sunday …

Pastor Bill

Last week the group interested in reducing the Carbon Footprint of Central gathered for the first time. It was primarily a brain-storming session. Some of the ideas tossed on the table were:

• How can the church cut back on its use of paper?
• Doing away with the Celebration bulletin, because everything is on the screen!
• Get rid of Styrofoam cups….Session adopted such a policy years ago, but it fell apart because there were always coffee mugs to be washed.
• Adult education classes about how Christians relate to the earth.
• What are the thermostat settings? How much energy/money can be saved by adjusting them up or down?
• Would we save money by having all the thermostats controlled through the main computer?
• The church should purchase recycled products.
• We use to only drink free-trade coffee at the church.
• Can we plant trees around the church to help offset CO2 exhausts, and provide shade to keep the buildings cooler in the summer?
• What about installing water saving toilets….or at least putting a brick in every toilet tank?
• Can we use cleaning supplies that contain fewer or no chemicals?
• How about using rechargeable batteries in our sound systems…or at the very least recycling the batteries we now just throw away?
• There used to be an environmental ministry team.
• Members/friends of the congregation must be able to live with the carbon-reducing steps taken, or they won’t work!
• Can motion-sensing light switches be installed, that will turn lights off after a certain period of time when a room is no longer in use?
• What if we all shared bulletins on Sunday mornings in the 11:00 a.m. service to reduce the number of copies made.
• The newsletter uses too much ink!
• Direct deposit of pledges saves paper … and is easy!
• How can we use less paper in our offering/counting process?
• How can we better utilize the church web page…having more information available on line as a way of saving paper usage and printing/mailing costs?
• The flat roof of the education building could be an ideal place for solar panels!
• What can we learn from businesses, schools, churches and other organizations in the Lafayette area that are already taking steps in this direction?? (What is your business or school already doing??)
• We need to start with small steps, and grow the effort over time as personal energy and interest allows!

We decided that there were five areas of focus for our efforts:

1. Paper Use
2. Energy Use
3. Reduction/elimination of Chemicals
4. Plants/Landscaping
5. Water Use

A next step is to divide up these areas among those interested, to see what specific short and long term action steps might be considered. Our next gathering will take place some time in June.

There is always room for more people and more ideas as we attempt to reduce Central’s carbon footprint, and be the good stewards of creation that God invites and expects us to be! Let me know of your interest.

A couple of other things:

I will be in Kansas for several days to see my son, Noah, graduate from high school and participate in a variety of end-of-school activities. I will also be exploring the possibility of our renting our house there, so that we are then able to rent something in this area until our house sells. Unfortunately we’re discovering that there is a lot of truth in what is being said about the sorry state of the housing market! Because I will be away, there will not be an email next week.

Also, don’t forget the teacher appreciation brunch this Sunday, May 18 @ 10:00 a.m. in the Large Fellowship Hall. Please bring something to share; bread and beverages will be provided

If your last name starts with:

A-M — please bring an egg casserole
O-Z — please bring fruit

See you in church this Sunday …

Pastor Bill

The language we use for talking about God has been on my mind lately … for language has such power. The words we use to describe something or name someone make a huge difference in how we view a person or object. For example, think of the different images that come to mind when I say, “Slick Willey”, verses when I say, “President Clinton”. Our perceptions of another, and even their self-understanding, are subtly and not so subtly shaped by language. This is particularly true, I think, when it comes to how we talk about God.

Growing up in church God was always referred to as “Father” or “He” or “Him”. I just figured God was a male … the stereotypical old man with a white beard. When I got to seminary and began to study Hebrew and Greek, I learned that most of the language that describes God in the bible is masculine … but I also learned that there are many places in scripture where scholars have traditionally (and wrongly) translated neuter pronouns referring to God as if they were masculine – in the biblical languages words can be masculine, feminine or neuter … and I discovered that there are also texts (among them Deuteronomy 32.11-18 and Isaiah 49.14-15) where God is described as a mother who gives birth to and cares for her people!

Ever since seminary I’ve tried to speak more careful about God. Not to be politically correct, but because of the power of language. If I got up in the pulpit Sunday after Sunday and only spoke of God in masculine terms, I might unintentionally convey the idea that men are somehow more holy that women. And if I only spoke about God in feminine terms, I would be ignoring the majority of God-language found in scripture.

What I have come to realize over the years, is that ultimately all the language we use attempting to describe God, falls far short of describing the glory of God. For without a doubt, God is greater than any image we can associate with him, any term we can use to describe her. I believe our challenge as God’s children is to know and proclaim God as completely as possible … and now we’re back to language again.

How do you usually talk about God? What kind of language do you typically employ to describe our Creator? Are you stuck in a particular vocabulary when it comes to God? How might using different words and images for God help you think about people and the world around you differently? More holistically?

See you in church this Sunday … where we will talk about God a lot…hopefully in many different ways!

Pastor Bill

There are a couple of items from the May newsletter that I want to lift up:

First – The Celebration Administration Ministry Team has made a difficult decision concerning the breakfast program that takes place prior to the Celebration worship service on Sunday mornings. Due to exhaustion among the breakfast volunteers, and the reality that summer travel plans make it difficult to schedule people, the breakfast program will be on summer break during the months of June, July and August.

Please know that this decision was months in the making, and not easily reached. Those involved in the process were especially concerned about the impact of this decision on our homeless guests, but ultimately felt that the summer break was the only realistic choice. Hopefully there will be a sense of renewed energy among us all, come September when this program starts back up!

Volunteer exhaustion … burnout … whatever you want to call it … is something that I see a great deal of around Central. The causes for this phenomenon are not completely clear to me. Are we trying to do too much? Are potentially new volunteers waiting to be asked to help … or not feel there is room for them? Is the over-functioning of some, allowing the under-functioning of many? Have we lost the sense that the best ministry happens when everyone of us is involved in some way? Have we put off ‘taking our turn’ long enough?

Like I said, I don’t know the answers, but I am concerned by what I am seeing. We are such a vibrant and healthy congregation in so many ways; and God has given us so many gifts with which to act in Jesus’ name. I’m curious to learn what you think about these questions. Please let me know!

Second – Thank you, to the many of you who have already emailed and brought in your lists of favorite hymns for the hymn sing at the 11:00 a.m. service on Sunday, May 25! Some of your suggestions are new to me … some of them I haven’t sang in years … some are my favorites too. There is still a few days to get your list of favorites in. Don’t delay!

See you in church this Sunday …

Pastor Bill

Many of you are already aware of the amazing video the Central Presbyterian Church Youth Group recently put together based on Micah 6.8:

“He has told you, O Mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord
require of you but to do justice, and love kindness, and to walk
humbly with your God?”

The context for their deeply moving reflection on this important biblical text is the thirty hour hunger experience they shared in late February. If you haven’t seen the video you need to!

I can offer you two simple ways to view this video. The first is to click on the following link, and watch and listen: http://29000aday.com
The second way is to come to worship at Central this Sunday – either service – and share the experience as a congregation. I would encourage you to take advantage of both opportunities, and to bring a friend on Sunday!

The video has been entered in denomination-wide contest sponsored by the Presbyterian Foundation, where youth groups from across the Presbyterian Church (USA) are competing for one of three $25,000 endowments that will help support the mission and ministry of their youth program over time. The contest has two phases – a popular vote, and a final judged selection. The first phase requires votes, lots and lots of votes, and this is where your help is needed. Please visit the 29000aday site and click on the link containing voting instructions, and cast your vote. You can only vote once, and it is a somewhat involved process – but every vote counts! When you’re done voting, you can then forward the web page address or this email to every Presbyterian, Presbyterian Church, Presbyterian and non-Presbyterian friend you know, and ask for their support. Methodists may even be allowed to vote!! If you’d like to see what other creative youth groups are doing with this theme, check out
www.ymilive.com.

Win or not, the young people of our congregation have brought wonderful creativity and deep faithfulness together in a significant new way. I thank them for sharing their spiritual gifts and faithfulness with all the rest of us. I thank Wes Tillett, Central’s Director of Family & Youth Ministry for his ongoing leadership. I hope you will thank them too!

Remember!! Video watching this Sunday … don’t forget to bring the popcorn!

See you in church …

Pastor Bill

I need to ask your help today.

The Presbytery of Wabash Valley is having a series of listening sessions around the Presbytery. They are called Emmaus Table Conversations, remembering the walk to the town of Emmaus that the risen Jesus shared with two of his disciples who did not recognize him until they shared a meal together at the end of their walk. The unrecognized Jesus and his disciples talked about many matters of faith while they journeyed together. It was this conversation that helped the disciples know their responsibility to share the good news of the Gospel with others.

Central is hosting one of the Emmaus conversations on Saturday morning, April 26 from 10:00 a.m. – noon in the Large Fellowship Hall … and I need you to help me and our Presbytery out by taking part in this conversation.

Beverages and appropriate mid-morning snacks will be served, so we need you to make a reservation. Please do so by responding to this email, or calling the church office. We need to know of your intention to participate by end of business on Thursday the 24th.

The Presbytery is us … and we are the Presbytery, so please come and share your faith and ideas!

I also want to thank the many of you who responded with interest to my recent email about searching for ways to reduce the carbon footprint of our church. You haven’t been forgotten. Events of recent weeks have temporarily pushed other things to top of the pile, but I will circle back around to you soon! If you want to be part of this conversation, but haven’t expressed your interest yet, just let me know.

Don’t forget the Annual Meeting of the Congregation … this Sunday, April 20, immediately following the benediction of the 11:00 a.m. service.

See you in church this Sunday …

Pastor Bill

I want to share a letter I was handed to me this past Monday evening. It contains important news about the life of our congregation:

This letter serves as notification that I am retiring from the position of Celebration Worship Music Director, effective May 31, 2008. My final Sunday on Platform will be May 18, 2008.

Recent changes in job and family responsibilities have caused me to be unable to give the kind of effort and excellence necessary for me to feel certain I am successfully guiding, training and leading the dynamic, diverse team of Worship Leaders, musicians and vocalists. We are entering a time of great change and it is time for me to step down and clear the way for the excitement of this new life at Central.

I will miss all the people who worked so diligently with me for the last six years. I will especially miss playing contemporary Christian music here. The musical Praise Team is filled with people who have loving, giving hearts. I pray the lay worship leaders find the answers they seek and can continue to effectively present authentic, relevant, engaging contemporary services to the glory of our Lord.

David Strand
Celebration Worship Music Director 4/7/08
Central Presbyterian Church

Obviously this is startling and even sad news for many of us. David is a great musician, and his passion for contemporary worship is deep and infectious. Yet, we can also celebrate with David six meaningful years of musical leadership at Central, as well as the new future toward which God is calling him.

Planning is already underway for a reception in David’s honor. Details will be forthcoming, so be sure to check bulletins, newsletters and emails for this information. The Personnel Committee has met and discussed this news, and will be making a recommendation to Session about both interim and long-term steps to secure new musical leadership for the Celebration Service.

Change is inevitable in the life of any congregation. Central certainly knows this reality better than most churches. And yet, even when anticipated and embraced as part of God’s unfolding plan for us, change is never easy.

I hope you will take time in the coming weeks to give David a hug, and thank him for his faithful, inspiring leadership.

See you in Church this Sunday …

Pastor Bill