John Louk

State of the Church 2012

2012-02-02T13:01:00.001-06:00

Our mission is to make disciples of Jesus Christ who will transform the world. So how are we doing? I want to tell you about Deb Black and Ed Foss. Deb, our staff person for care ministries, brought Ed onto the Care Team. It started when Ed was in the hospital having major surgery. He was touched by the care he received from the visitation team who came to him and prayed with him each day. During that time, God touched Ed and opened his heart to be a part of that ministry. Deb did a wonderful job. She invited him to shadow her when she made visits in the hospital. She did the ministry and Ed watched her. Then she invited Ed to do the ministry with her. Then she went with Ed while he did the ministry. Finally, she turned him loose and now Ed (and Diane!) are ministering as part of the Care Team. And they are caring for people beyond the hospital!

In assessing the state of Salem, besides the anecdotal evidence there are some benchmark statistics to which we want to pay attention. They include membership, worship attendance, baptisms, professions of faith and participation in connectional giving (apportionments).

Salem’s membership includes 315 people. This past year 8 members died and 6 were transferred to other congregations. We received 24 new members (20 by transfer from other congregations and 4 by profession of faith). That is significant growth!

Our worship attendance continues to grow. Last year we averaged 190 in two services, up from 180 the year before. When we first began gathering in our new location, the 11:00 am traditional service was usually larger. More recently, that has switched and the 9:00 am contemporary service is usually the larger service. They are both vital worship experiences.

Other key indicators are baptisms and professions of faith. Since the earliest times, the vows of Christian baptism have consisted first of the renunciation of all that is evil and then the profession of faith and loyalty to Jesus Christ. Last year we celebrated 4 baptisms (2 adult and 2 infant). Of our 24 new members, 4 were by profession of faith. Baptisms and professions of faith show us how many new Christians we are reaching.

Our giving has definitely increased. We ended the year with over $12,000. We did not pay our apportionments in full, but we did pay 40% of our apportionments for both 2010 and 2011. We did that intentionally because if we pay them fully in 2012 we will be eligible to seek forgiveness for the remaining 60% for those two years. We are part of an amazing turn around financially! We have also continued our mission giving throughout all of this with the support and encouragement of our Mission Committee. On a side note, our treasurers and financial secretary are doing a fantastic job keeping us organized, responsible, and professional with our finances.

Besides these statistical benchmarks, some other wonderful things have happened this past year. We hired two unpaid staff and began bringing the full staff together weekly. We are blessed with good, gifted, responsible leaders. They are leading the ministry of the church, and we are just getting started!

We also tweaked the Leadership Board so those leaders could focus on the administrative tasks of the congregation (Trustees, Stewardship, and Staff-Parish Relations Committee). We changed the focus from “finance” to “stewardship” and have a plan for each quarter of 2012. This first quarter we began Financial Peace University and have 25 people participating. In the second quarter we will focus on Salem’s endowment and planned giving. In the third and fourth quarters we will examine the church finances and personal giving. Again we are blessed with wonderful leaders, those who have led us through the last few years and those who are just beginning to serve on the Leadership Board.

Our Study Committee did a tremendous job analyzing the congregation and the community and the opportunities we have to bring Salem/shalom to our community. At the conclusion of that process, our leaders determined that Salem’s three greatest strengths are our warm welcoming of others, our mission focus, and our teaching. Salem’s three most significant weaknesses are lack of space, lack of youth and youth ministries, and lack of outreach (i.e. hands on mission work transforming the world). The three changes we would like to see happen are a building project, the development of outreach (hands on mission work), and more people engaged fully in the life of the church.

One big task this year will be for our Charge Conference to authorize a building project and elect a Building Committee. The Building Committee will use the Study Committee report and work with an architect to develop preliminary plans. Salem has nearly $500,000 from the buyout. This is good seed money. We will need a capital campaign to raise money for construction and will most likely need to build in phases.

So how are we doing with our mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ who transform the world? We are doing well! As the pastor of this congregation, I am excited and encouraged. We are growing and giving. We are worshiping, reading the Bible and having Christian conversation. We are serving in the church and in the community. We have strong relationships with one another and our neighbors. We engage the world locally and globally. Yes, we do have some have some work to do. For instance, we need to work on defining and implementing this process for making disciples and getting people out transforming the world (the outreach, hands on mission work). But it is happening. God is good and we are having an adventure following the Lord.

I want to share some beautiful and compelling words written to our brothers and sisters in Christ in the latter part of the first century. They speak to us, too. “Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we've been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven—and the future starts now! As obedient children, let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God's life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness. Your life is a journey you must travel with a deep consciousness of God” (1 Peter 1: 3-4, 14, 18 The Message).

Transforming the World

2012-01-05T11:31:00.000-06:00

"Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come" (1 Timothy 4:8 NLT).

January 1, on our Western calendar, marks the beginning of a new year. Many people make resolutions for the upcoming year. Some of the most popular resolutions in our culture include exercising and losing weight, being more healthy, getting organized, learning something new, and getting out of debt. Unfortunately, most resolutions fail before the month is over because often we don’t have a plan to make it happen or we don’t have the discipline.

As Christians, rather than simply making resolutions for the new year, we talk about the habits we practice that form our lives in the way of Jesus. The Apostle Paul tells us that physical exercise is good but spiritual discipline is better with benefits now and in the life to come. One of the early Church Fathers, Tertullian (c.160 – c.225) said “Christians are made, not born.” It takes work. Just like Olympic athletes are made and not born, the kind of disciples we become is directly related to the habits we practice in life.

These practices of discipleship are, for us as Christians, habits for the new year. They include what John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, called Works of Piety and Works of Mercy. Wesley's Works of Piety are acts we do that express reverence and love for God, such as studying Scripture; hearing Scripture read and sermons preached; receiving the Lord’s Supper; praying; fasting; coming together for conversation and mutual support; and living healthily. Works of Mercy are acts we do that care for our neighbor. Simply, they are doing good to others. Wesley specifically named feeding the hungry; providing clothing and shelter for those in need; visiting the sick and those in prison; welcoming the stranger; comforting the afflicted; offering counsel, advice, and encouragement to those who need to know God or desire to grow in their relationship with God; earning, saving and giving all one can; and opposing slavery (issues of justice).

This past Fall we took a serious look at Salem’s strengths and weaknesses. In the midst of many wonderful strengths, one of the weaknesses we named is a lack of outreach, that is, “hands on” mission. Salem has an amazing heart for mission, and we have many individuals who are engaged in “hands on” mission (serving Green Square meals or working with children in an after school ministry). We recognized that our congregation as a whole, however, is not practicing these “hands on” Works of Mercy. Furthermore, our congregation does not have a unifying outreach that we all serve together. This is one of the most important changes leaders want Salem to make.

Our mission is to make disciples of Jesus Christ who will transform the world. Every week we pray, “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” God invites us to be a part of that process, renewing the world so that it is restored to the goodness of creation. Theologian and pastor Tim Keller calls this, “restoring health, beauty, and freedom.” This means engaging the world around us as God’s hands and feet, the body of Christ.

In their book, When Helping Hurts, authors Brian Fikkert and Steve Corbett write, “[God] wanted His people to 'loose the chains of injustice,' and not just go to church on Sunday. He wanted His people to 'clothe the naked,' and not just attend midweek prayer meeting. He wanted His people to 'spend themselves on behalf of the hungry,' and not just sing praise music" (p. 40). In other words, it’s not enough simply to worship regularly. We are called to practice the habits that form us in the way of Jesus and transform the world. That means worshiping each week, practicing the Works of Piety each week (Bible study, Sunday school, fasting, etc.), and practicing the Works of Mercy each week (feeding the hungry, visiting the sick and prisoners, etc.).

The Works of Mercy are an important focus for Salem this year. Doing good to others makes a difference in peoples’ lives. What will you do this year to be a part of God’s mission to transform the world?

So What Did We Learn?

2011-12-10T16:13:00.001-06:00

Our Study Committee did a wonderful job this summer preparing a report to meet the requirements of The Book of Discipline for our future construction. Anna Dunnwald, Kristy Flack, Dave Jandik, Dan Whitaker, Kathy Wickham, and I presented the Study Committee Report to the Leadership Board and Staff this fall and together discussed Salem’s strengths and weaknesses. All of this information will be shared with the Charge Conference in order to authorize the building project and elect a Building Committee at the beginning of 2012. They will work with an architect to develop preliminary plans. Salem has nearly $500,000 from the buyout. This is good seed money. Salem will need a capital campaign to raise money for construction and will most likely need to build in phases.

Near the end of the Study Committee/Leadership Board/Staff conversation, the questions was asked, “So, what did we learn tonight?” It was a great question. In many ways, there were no big surprises. We know that Salem lacks physical space and needs to build. We know the neighborhoods around Salem need Salem to be the church, showing the world what it means to be the world God intended in creation. Still, we learned much about ourselves and our community (the entire report can be downloaded from the website).

Space is a major issue for the congregation. We currently have less than one-fourth of the square feet we had in the downtown building. Now that Salem is growing again and reaching new people, our attendance and participation is increasing. The facilities we created to make our initial move to this new location need to be enlarged in order to continue growing and have enough space for ministry. While we always need to consider the ways space can be used in the community (in coffee houses, restaurants, schools, members’ homes, the mall, etc.) most congregations in our culture seek to establish a physical presence and a place to gather together for worship, edification, fellowship, and service.

Salem needs significantly more space in the narthex (entrance/lobby including informal seating areas), sanctuary, fellowship hall, kitchen, storage, classrooms, nursery, meeting rooms, offices, hallways, and restrooms. It is likely that more parking is needed too. Again, taking over the 4000 square foot building from New Creation UMC and adding the two portable buildings helped Salem begin in this new location. Now more space is needed.

Our location has homes all around it, but it is also in the midst of a large commercial area with Target, Walmart, Westdale Mall, restaurants, a car dealer, banks, and so on. With our location and 8.4 acres, we have the opportunity to create a physical presence that could become an anchor and a witness for Jesus in the neighborhood. It could also bring beauty. The look of a traditional church building, for instance, with a steeple or bell tower would be clearly identified as a church. Moreover, ringing Salem’s bell once again would be a wonderful witness in the neighborhood.

Salem’s facility also could be used in external, missional ways by hosting community ministries and having showers and sleeping areas to host mission trips that come to Cedar Rapids to work in flood recovery or other ministries.

Since we exist to make disciples of Jesus Christ who will transform the world, then we need to work on bringing Salem/shalom (peace, wholeness, completeness, well-being, health, joy, beauty, salvation) to those around us. Therefore, in addition to traditional ministries, Salem must focus on the whole person by considering ministries such as a:

park/playground area – a safe place for families and children to play and have fun;
gymnasium/fitness area – open not only for the congregation but for the people of the neighborhood;
coffee house type area and other meeting areas with Wi-Fi – invite people to come and work in a nice, quiet environment;
preschool – there are many young families in the community.

There are serious needs in the community. Marriages, families, and kids are struggling and dealing with broken homes and lack of shalom in their lives. There is a great deal of financial debt and even foreclosures and bankruptcies. People are losing jobs and struggling to live hand to mouth. There are numerous health problems and education problems. Our community needs the church to show them what it means to be the world God intended in creation. Salem has an opportunity live out its name.

There are a lot of people for Salem to reach. Currently, Salem has 305 members and an average attendance of 190. Salem’s attendance is growing and there is tremendous potential. The population in the 3-mile radius surrounding Salem is 43,094 (4,271 within a 1-mile radius) and growing. There are very few congregations given this population density. How many people can we reach? If Salem reached 10% of the population, that would be 4,300 (3-mile radius) or 430 (1-mile radius). If we extrapolate the number of people already reached in this decade (28), then we would reach another 112 persons in the next eight years. If we follow the general advice to “double your double” then we would reach a little less than 800.

Some of us would be more comfortable with 250-350 in the congregation. Some of us would have no problem with 800. For others that would be way too big. We are called to plant and water. God provides the growth. One of the healthiest things a congregation can do is multiply. Therefore, Salem should consider starting a new faith community on the Blairs Ferry land. The point is, “the harvest is plentiful.” Still, the goal is not simply bigger numbers. The goal is disciples transforming the world. The community needs more churches to be a blessing to all the families of the earth.

At the end of the Study Committee/Leadership Board/Staff conversation, we determined that Salem’s three greatest strengths are our warm welcoming of others, our mission focus, and our teaching. Salem’s three most significant weaknesses are lack of space, lack of youth and youth ministries, and lack of outreach (i.e. hands on mission work transforming the world). The three changes we would like to see happen are a building project, the development of outreach (hands on mission work), and more people engaged fully in the life of the church.

The leaders affirmed we want this congregation to grow and noted our growth should not be simply to add members but to make disciples of Jesus Christ in order to transform the world. The leaders also affirmed a willingness to make the difficult decisions required for change and growth and noted that change is hard, especially when it changes something that you prefer or that is important to you.

The journey of faith is an adventure! This is a wonderful time to be a part of Salem.

Think of Us as Stewards

2011-11-05T15:37:00.000-05:00


Elie Wiesel

ElieWiesel survived the holocaust and has written more than fifty books, including Night, a story based on his experiencesas a prisoner in concentration camps. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in1986. During his acceptance speech he said, “At special occasions, the Jewishtradition commands us to recite the following prayer: ‘Blessed be Thou…forgiving us life, for sustaining us, and for enabling us to reach this day.’”

OnNovember 20 Salem will celebrate our one year anniversary in our new location. We will come together for one worship service at 10:00 am on the 20th.I am excited for us to offer our gratitude to God for giving us life,sustaining us, and enabling us to reach this day. While it is very appropriatefor us to recognize that our very existence and sustenance comes from God andto celebrate that, it also calls for a response. God invites us to worktogether. As Paul writes to the church in Corinth, “Think of us this way, asservants of Christ and stewards of God’s mysteries. Moreover, it is required ofstewards that they be found trustworthy” (1 Corinthians 4:1-2 NRSV).

Beingstewards means that we are like managers of the household. The word “steward”comes from an Old English word that referred to the ward, i.e. the keeper, ofthe pig sty. The steward didn’t own the pigs but was a responsible farm handwith oversight of the entire hog farming operation. The extended farm family,including all the hired help, had enough to eat and a decent livelihood if thesteward did his job well.

“Steward” translated from the Greek New Testamentword oikonomous,literally means “manager of the household.” We are all stewards of God’shousehold, the divine reign over all creation which Jesus described as “thekingdom of God” (Stewardship2009-2012Copyright © 2008 by Cokesbury).

So theweek before we celebrate our one year anniversary, we’re going to celebrate ourstewardship. This is not the same thing as a “pledge Sunday.” Yes, stewardshipincludes our money and possessions. Jesus certainly said a lot about that. Butit is more than that. For instance, we are each called to be stewards of ourfamilies, of the spiritual gifts and talents God has given us, of our time, andof our money and possessions. Furthermore, as a congregation our stewardshipincludes the care of the neighborhood around us, the use of our properties, andthe way we handle the money that is given through the church.

First, wehave to recognize that we are managing God’s household. It’s not ours.Therefore, our actions as stewards must be in alignment with God, the Creatorand owner of all that is. “The earth is the LORD’S and all that is in it, the world, and those who live init” (Psalm 24:1 NRSV). If we are to be good stewards, itis vital that we listen to what God tells us to do, so we are managing God’shousehold as God wants.

We are sending a letter around November 9 to the congregation, asking us all to consider these things as God’ssteward. When we gather for worship on the following Sunday, November 13, wewill listen for what God says to us and then respond to that. Part of thatresponse will include answering the question, How is God calling me to stewardthe money and possessions that have been entrusted to my care? No one will beasked to turn in a pledge card or even share the answer to that question. It is important, however, that we do answer the question.

TheLeadership Board has had good conversation about stewardship and agrees that wedo not need pledges in order to create a budget. A budget is simply our planfor using the money that the church receives. We do need to teach, model, andencourage good stewardship, which includes practicing the joy-filled spiritualgift of generous giving. Being a giver is much different than being a donor.

Donors contribute their “fair share.” They give out of their abundance anddesire to help. But they maintain control, giving what they want andwithholding their giving if the recipient no longer seems worthy. That might beokay for a community organization. But the church doesn’t receive donations. Onthe other hand, good stewards in the church give joyfully out of gratitude forall that God has done for us and recognize that we do not maintain control ofwhat belongs to God.

While wedo not need donations towards a church budget, we do need to focus on ourstewardship year round. We are changing the name of the Leadership Boardsub-group from “Finance” to “Stewardship.” We will focus on a different aspectof stewardship each quarter of 2012. We will start with personal finance. Weare planning on offering Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University at thebeginning of next year to help us eliminate debt, save for the future, and givelike never before.

This isan exciting time for Salem. We have much to celebrate and much to look forwardto. Think of us a stewards.

A Heart Strangely Warmed

2011-10-05T16:51:00.001-05:00

One of the biggest issues facing Salem is the creation and implementation of an intentional discipleship process. Our mission, the reason we exist, is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. So how do we do that?

I believe the habits we practice in our lives are very important. So did John Wesley. When he was at Oxford, he insisted that the members of the Holy Club be disciplined in their study, prayer, and good works. Wesley called these practices the means of grace (worship, reading scripture, receiving Holy Communion, prayer, Christian conversation, and doing good). That is, they are the primary ways in which we receive God’s grace. He realized something important, though. These time-honored traditions weren’t enough.

That became even more clear when he traveled to America on a missionary journey. Wesley went to Georgia in 1735-1737 to minister to the colonists and Native Americans. Bishop William Willimon tells the story in his book Why I Am a United Methodist. It was a painful journey for himself as well as for the colonists he went to serve. Disheartened he headed back to England.

On the way back, in 1738, the unhappy Mr. Wesley met the Moravians, a German pietistic sect which stressed the need for an inner, personal assurance of salvation. Their firm, assured faith reminded Wesley of how uncertain was his own faith. The question of the rich young ruler (Luke 18:18), “What must I do to be saved?” was the question that tormented Wesley.

He was still working on the assumption that an assurance of salvation, knowing he was a true Christian, was mostly a matter of affirming correct beliefs and performing appropriate action. While still off the coast of England on his way home from Georgia, Wesley wrote in his journal, “I went to America to convert others, but who shall convert me?”

Wesley’s personal assurance of salvation was to come a few months later in London in May 1738 (just three days after his brother Charles reported a “strange palpitation of the heart” on Pentecost which enlivened his faith). John now felt that he met the criteria for being a “true Christian” which had been set by his Moravian friends. Here is his account of his life-changing, heartwarming experience at Aldersgate Street:

“In the evening I went very unwillingly to a society in Aldersgate Street, where one was reading Luther’s preface to the Epistle to the Romans. About a quarter before nine, while he was describing the change which God works in the heart though faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone for salvation. And an assurance was given me, that he had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death” (Journal, May 24, 1738).

After his Aldersgate experience, Wesley realized, like the Moravians, that until one has experienced personal, heartfelt assurance of salvation, one is only an “almost Christian.” This became one of his well known sermons: The Almost Christian (1741). It expanded upon one of his favorite biblical images: having the outward form of godliness but denying its power (2 Timothy 3:5). Wesley said one can look like a real Christian on the outside. But in order to be a real Christian one had to have an inner, heartfelt experience of the saving grace of God.

In that sermon, Wesley described the almost Christian as a sincere person who avoids evil, does good, and uses the means of grace. Interestingly this trilogy came to be fixed as the General Rules for Methodists (do no harm, do good, stay in love with God).

Wesley knew that practicing the means of grace are very important. But he became convinced that true religion is a matter of the heart, characterized by Spirit-inspired joy, holiness, and peace. Therefore, he described an altogether or real Christian as a person who loves God with heart, soul, mind, and strength and loves neighbor. A real Christian has true faith and that inner, heartfelt experience that one’s sins are forgiven.

As we create and implement a discipleship process, we want to make altogether or real Christians. We do not want almost Christians. Of course, we are not able to change hearts; only the Lord can do that. As Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 3, we are to plant and water but only God gives the growth.

Have you had an Aldersgate experience?

Leadership Transitions

2011-08-29T17:48:00.000-05:00

What is leadership? Nicholas Murray Butler, former President of Columbia University, once said, “There are three kinds of people in the world…those who don’t know what’s happening, those who watch what is happening, and those who make things happen.” Leaders make things happen in the world.

In the church, our leaders are responsible for making things happen by overseeing people and ministries. I am very excited to announce that Salem has new staff persons. And they are great!

Along with our paid staff, Sharon Vavra (Administrative Assistant) and Bill Heald (Traditional Music), we now add Louis Busch (Building Superintendent). After many years of excellent years, Gary Novak has resigned to lessen the stress on his work schedule. We are grateful for Gary and all he has done for Salem. Louis has been serving as a Trustee on the Leadership Board and is already doing a great job of overseeing the building and property.

We are also adding new, unpaid staff persons: Deb Black (Care Ministries) and Joe Dunnwald (Discipleship). We are formalizing what Deb Black already has been doing for the last couple of years. She has a passion for caring for people. She has gained a tremendous amount of experience and training, including a year of CPE (Clinical Pastoral Education) which is required for all ordained United Methodist pastors.

Joe’s ministry began on the campus (University of Iowa, Coe College). From there he served for six years as an associate pastor of the Oakhill Jackson Community Church in Cedar Rapids. Salem is blessed to have Joe and Anna and their family as a part of Salem as Joe responds to the call to ordained ministry in The United Methodist Church.

As the staff oversees people and ministries, one of the most important things we will do is meet together regularly for good communication and to make sure we are all headed in the same direction. Therefore, the staff will begin meeting weekly in September. As we continue we will want to add other persons to our staff too, especially in areas such as Outreach/Mission and Witness/Evangelism. The area of Witness develops and strengthens our evangelistic efforts, sharing the story of what God does through Jesus Christ. Regarding Outreach, we already have the Outreaching Missions committee led by Dorothy Higdon, leading Salem to local and larger community ministries of compassion, justice, and advocacy.

These areas are transitioning from the oversight of our Leadership Board to our staff. While we have had persons on the Leadership Board assigned to nurture (worship, care, discipleship), outreach, and witness, we have realized that the Leadership Board has not worked much in these areas. Rather, the Leadership Board has focused on the administrative areas of Trustees, Finance, and Staff-Parish Relations Committee (SPRC).

Therefore, since these areas are transitioning over to staff, the Leadership Board will transition to its primary focus: three groups of four people for Trustees, Finance, and SPRC. The Leadership Board will continue to function as the executive agency of the charge conference (the yearly meeting that officially speaks and acts for Salem), to which it is amenable.

The Leadership Board will govern and the staff will lead people and ministries. The pastor is the leader responsible for the overall ministry and effectiveness of the congregation. The staff members, who are hired and work for the pastor, lead their particular areas of ministry. And the people of God (laity) are equipped by the staff members to do the work of ministry. The SPRC is responsible for accountability and review with the pastor and staff members.

At Annual Conference this year, our keynote speaker, Michael Slaughter, pastor of Ginghamsburg (Ohio) UMC, presented four qualities needed in people selected as leaders. He said leaders need:

to be engaged in the life and mission of the congregation; active and effective in front line ministry;
to be inspired by the vision of the pastor and the mission of the local church (to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world);
to be invested in the church; no one should be in leadership who doesn’t tithe;
to have an informed, holistic (Salem/shalom), biblical understanding of the church and go away each year to be trained at another church.

I just shared these four qualities with the Leadership Board at our last meeting so we can begin discussing these. As members end their time on the Leadership Board or transition over to staff, we will be looking for new leaders for Salem.

This is an exciting time. The rest of this year we will have these transitions with staff and the Leadership Board. Besides these, the biggest issue before Salem is the creation and implementation of a discipleship process. That’s why we exist: to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. Following Jesus is always an adventure!

A Blessing to the Earth

2011-08-01T16:54:00.000-05:00

In worship we have been reading the stories of our ancestors in Genesis. The Covenant God made with God’s people, beginning with Abraham and Sarah, is that because the LORD blesses us we will be a blessing; all the families of the earth will be blessed by us (Genesis 12:1-3). Through Jesus we have been grafted on to God’s people. So we are meant to be a blessing to all the people of the earth.

Tom Long, a preaching professor in Atlanta, tells a story about the city where he lives that sounds like 1974 in Cedar Rapids when Interstate 380 was built next to Salem’s former downtown property. “A decision was made to build a new freeway into Atlanta…A swath of houses was condemned, and eventually a whole neighborhood was torn down to make way for the highway. For a short time, though, families were still living in those houses, homes that many of them had lived in for generations, but they knew that soon the bulldozers would come and tear them down. The effects were demoralizing on the neighborhood, of course, and most of the residents stopped doing any maintenance at all. Paint peeled, wood rotted, doors fell off hinges, roofs caved in. There were, however, a few residents who, oddly, continued to care for their homes. They painted porches, planted flowers, and repaired window screens, knowing that their houses were slated for destruction. Somehow, even knowing that they were temporary, that the land on which they lived was not their dwelling place forever, did not destroy their desire to make life good and beautiful where they lived” (Accompany Them with Singing—The Christian Funeral, Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2009, p. 131-132).

God created us in God’s image. Even so, Long says our earthly tents are slated for the bulldozer to make way for something new. In the meantime, though, God calls us to do all we can to care for Creation. That’s why in the United Methodist Church, our mission is to make disciples of Jesus Christ who will transform the world. We are to help care for and renew God’s Creation.

John Wesley understood God’s grace as power — the power to live a transformed life, the power to transform the world. He never doubted that we are saved only by God’s grace through faith. But Wesley believed God calls us to participate, to be fruitful. God saves us by grace so that we can do something. So we can work for God’s will in the world. That’s why one of Wesley’s rules for living is to do all the good you can. “Whoever does good is from God” (3 John 11b).

That’s why our congregation seeks to live out our name. “Salem” comes from the Hebrew word, shalom, meaning God’s peace. Much more than the absence of conflict, God’s peace is wholeness, completeness, health, well-being, beauty, love, joy, and salvation. Living out our name, Salem, means that we will be a blessing to the people of the earth.

Following Jesus means doing something in the world, engaging in doing good, serving in mission. We must ask ourselves, how are we living as disciples of Jesus, transforming the world? What are we doing? How are we making life good and beautiful where we live? What are we doing to bring Salem (shalom) to our neighborhood, city, nation, and world? How are we blessing all the people of the earth?

We are called to live out the answers to those questions individually and together as Salem. Many opportunities already exist: serving Green Square Meals, serving with Matthew 25, volunteering at a public school, working with Block by Block and other flood recovery efforts in the city, helping Books without Borders, supporting Justice for Our Neighbors, making prayer shawls, and giving to Nothing but Nets. These are just a few examples. What is God calling you to do? What ministry might you start?

We do not believe that this world will simply pass away. This is God’s Creation and in the beginning it was good! God is renewing this Creation and invites us to participate. Everyone who is a part of Salem is expected to participate. What will you do?

Seminar: Death and Funerals

2011-07-19T07:00:00.006-05:00

What do we do when someone dies? Where is heaven? What is our theology? What is our ritual (practice)? I am offering this seminar on death and funerals to look at the funeral liturgy of the United Methodist Church, to read a short paper examining the Christian theology and practice surrounding death and resurrection, and to do some thinking and planning about our own funerals. All materials will be provided.

This seminar will be beneficial for everyone regardless of age. It will meet twice. Session 1 will be offered on Wednesday, July 27 at 10:30 am and again on Thursday, July 28 at 6:30 pm. Session 2 will be offered on Wednesday, August 3 at 10:30 am and again on Thursday, August 4 at 6:30 pm. You do not need to attend both Wednesday morning and Thursday evening sessions as they are the same each week. In addition to the group time, I will meet with participants individually to discuss funeral plans, if they wish.

The Next Step: Staff

2011-07-16T15:23:00.000-05:00

I am starting my fourth year as the pastor of Salem. In many ways it feels like a fresh start. We are past the chaos and destruction of the flood three years ago. We have landed in our new location. We have not only stabilized we are growing. We have a Study Committee doing the foundational research for a future building project. This is an exciting time.

Over the last three years, we have moved forward simply by taking the next step. Now our next step is to form up the church staff. A church staff is a group of people working together to lead the congregation. Three places in the New Testament Paul refers to a “co-worker” in ministry (Romans 16:9; Philippians 2:25; 1 Thessalonians 3:2). The Greek word that’s used is “sunergos,” which means working together. This is where we get our English word, “synergy.” Synergy means the combined activities of a group is greater than the sum of the individual parts. As Ecclesiastes 4:9 says: “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil” (NRSV). Of course, Jesus showed us the importance of working together by calling a team of disciples to follow him and sending them out in pairs.

Before the flood, Salem had several staff persons. We have been operating the last three years, however, with minimal staff, and we have not been meeting together regularly. We have paid staff for the office (Administrative Assistant), for traditional music (Organist/Choir Director), and for our facility (Building Superintendent).

We need staff persons overseeing ministry and people in other areas such as contemporary music, discipleship, care ministries, outreach, and witness. While our giving has increased and our finances have improved greatly, we do not yet have money to pay new staff. Therefore, at least to begin with, our new staff persons will be unpaid.

It will take some time to hire staff in all these areas. I have spoken to a couple of people already. Still, it is important to hire the right people rather than simply fill a position. Bringing together an effective staff team will create synergy, helping Salem accomplish much more together than we could on our own.

Salem participates in the Healthy Church Initiative. In one of the books we are reading there is a good summary about the pastor, staff, and Staff-Parish Relations Committee/Leadership Board. The Leadership Board “no longer manages the ministries of the congregation or attempts to lead it. The board governs. The pastor is the leader who is responsible for the overall ministry and effectiveness of the congregation. The staff members, who are hired, terminated, and work for the pastor, manage their particular areas of ministry. And the people of God (laity) are equipped by the staff members to do the work of ministry…[The SPRC/LB] hold the pastor and staff members generally accountable” (Direct Hit: Aiming Real Leaders at the Mission Field by Paul D. Borden [Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2006] p. 114).

Please note that church staff are not more exceptional Christians. Paid or unpaid, they will not do anyone else’s ministry. Leaders are meant to equip the people of God to do their ministry (Ephesians 4:12). Bishop Will Willimon says every great reformation of the church has included the restoration of the legitimate baptismal ministry of the laity. Leaders help the laity to live up to the promises of their baptism.

I invite you to pray with me for God to raise up staff leaders for Salem in all these areas.

N.T. Wright on Reading the Bible

2011-06-22T07:21:00.000-05:00

Mike Slaughter at Annual Conference

2011-06-09T15:48:00.001-05:00

I am home from Annual Conference. This year we heard the preaching and teaching of Mike Slaughter, pastor of Ginghamsburg (United Methodist) Church. Mike and his staff have had a big influence on me over the years. I invite you to watch the video of Mike's teaching session at Annual Conference. He speaks about the mission project "Christmas Is Not Your Birthday," the one leadership board of twelve people, the DNA of a missional movement and more.

In this second video, Mike speaks directly to the lay people of the United Methodist Church in Iowa.

Study Committee at Work

2011-05-28T15:39:00.000-05:00

We have taken the first step necessary for Salem's future construction, establishing a Study Committee. Anna Dunnwald, Kristy Flack, Dave Jandik, Dan Whitaker, Kathy Wickham, and I are working together to meet the requirements of The Book of Discipline (2008). ¶2543 Planning and Financing Requirements for Local Church Buildings mandates a Study Committee to analyze the needs of the church and community; project the potential membership with average attendance; write up the church’s program of ministry; and develop an accessibility plan. After the Study Committee finishes its work, it presents its report to the Charge Conference in order to authorize the building project and elect a Building Committee.

In order to accomplish our task, we are using a congregational study from the book Direct Hit: Aiming Real Leaders at the Mission Field by Paul D. Borden [Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2006] p. 127ff. This detailed study examines Salem’s history, demographics, community, beliefs and practices, and gathers important documents. Copies of the study are available on Salem's website.

We have met twice in order to get organized and prepared. Now we are using the month of June to do the research and to gather the necessary information. We will begin putting that data together in written form in July.

When the research has been compiled but before the Charge Conference occurs, the Leadership Board and Staff will have a conversation with the Study Committee. After looking at the research, we will answer the following questions:

What are the three greatest strengths of this congregation?
What are the three most significant weaknesses of your church?
What three changes would you like to see made in your church?
Do the leaders want this congregation to grow significantly?
Are the leaders willing to make the difficult decisions required for change and growth?

Again, after the study is completed and and the requirements from the Discipline are fully met, this information will be shared with the Charge Conference in order to authorize the building project and elect a Building Committee. Drawing on this preliminary work of the Study Committee, it will be the responsibility of the Building Committee to determine the building facilities we need and to work with an architect to develop preliminary plans. And all of that will come before the congregation too. We will have several Church Conferences throughout this process!

Therefore, please note that the Study Committee will not determine what Salem will build or even what a majority of people in the congregation want to build. A recommendation from the Study Committee will be based on the gathered facts not opinions. This research is necessary in order to build a foundation from which we can make good decisions.

This is an exciting time for Salem. I invite you to pray for the Study Committee. This is vital work that will help us decide how we should move forward.

Annual Conference

2011-05-28T15:13:00.000-05:00

Annual Conference, the yearly gathering of Iowa United Methodists, occurs June 4-7 in Des Moines. This year, Momodu Kamara is representing Salem along with me, and Rev. Dave and Dorothy Higdon are members of the Annual Conference too.

You can keep up with what is happening at Annual Conference by checking out www.iaumc.org/annualsession. There you will see news items, announcements, photos, videos, a link to a live stream so you can watch video of what is happening live, and a twitter feed. Momodu is preaching on the Sunday following Annual Conference and will give a report to the congregation.

Being United Methodist

2011-05-14T21:58:00.000-05:00

Check out this article: "Why a Baptist Pastor Became a United Methodist." It highlights some interesting things about us United Methodists. What do you think?

Choosing Our Words

2011-05-14T21:48:00.000-05:00

I like this video. It's actually an advertisement, but it makes me think about how we might be creative with our words as witnesses of Jesus Christ.

Our Process for Moving Forward

2011-04-29T15:20:00.000-05:00

We have talked and prayed about how we will move forward in our new location. Generally, that conversation has been about what we need to build now that we are settling in our new location and we have received the voluntary buyout money. The impetus for building has been furthered by the lack of space we have experienced. We have received positive response to what we have done with the space so far. Still, we are all aware that we have a small amount of space for gathering (traditionally, the “narthex” or entrance/lobby area) and fellowship (our small fellowship room has been a tight squeeze). Furthermore, at times we have not had enough room in the sanctuary. We packed more than 230 people in one service at our Westside 6 gathering for Ash Wednesday. Likewise, we just had over 300 people in two services on Easter Sunday. How amazing! Dealing with a lack of space can be frustrating, but it is also exciting. Many congregations, who have been where we are and go on to build, report fond memories of this growing time in which we find ourselves. This is an adventure!

So how do we make decisions about what we will do? We continue to pray that God will lead us. Thankfully, as a United Methodist congregation, we have a process for moving forward from The Book of Discipline (2008). ¶ 2543 Planning and Financing Requirements for Local Church Buildings gives us helpful guidance. If you would like to read it, we have copies of this full paragraph in the church office. Unfortunately, The Book of Discipline is not freely available online. Therefore, here is a summary of our process for moving forward.

Our first step is to establish a study committee. This initial group of people will analyze the needs of the church and community; project the potential membership with average attendance; write up the church’s program of ministry; and develop an accessibility plan.

After the study committee finishes its work, it will present its report to the Charge Conference in order to authorize the building project and elect a Building Committee. The Building Committee will use the information and findings of the study committee and any other relevant information to estimate carefully the building facilities needed. The Building Committee will then develop preliminary architectural plans, secure an estimate of the cost of the proposed construction, and develop a financial plan for defraying the total cost, including an estimate of the amount the membership can contribute in cash and pledges and the amount the local church can borrow if necessary.

Salem shall not enter into a building contract until we have cash on hand, pledges payable during the construction period, and (if needed) a loan that will assure prompt payment of all contractual obligations and other accounts when due.  Salem is bound by the Rule of Thirds: 1/3 of the cost must be in cash, 1/3 can be in pledges, and 1/3 can be in a loan. The “fourth third,” so to speak, means that Salem’s yearly cost for the building cannot be more than 1/3 of the yearly budget.

The Building Committee will then submit to the District Board of Church Location and Building for its consideration and preliminary approval a statement of the need for the proposed facilities; the preliminary architectural plans, including accessibility plans; the preliminary cost estimate; and the preliminary financial plan. 

After the district gives preliminary approval, we will hold a Church Conference for the Building Committee to present to the entire congregation the preliminary architectural plans; the preliminary cost estimate; the preliminary financial plan; and  the Building Committee’s recommendation. A majority vote of the membership present and voting at the Church Conference is required for approval. 

After approval by the Church Conference, the Building Committee then will develop detailed plans and specifications and secure a reliable and detailed estimate of cost, which will be presented for approval to the Charge Conference and to the District Board of Church Location and Building. With that approval the Building Committee may begin the building project.

Please note that we are required to have both Charge Conferences and Church Conferences. A Charge Conference is comprised of the district superintendent, pastor, Leadership Board, and any retired pastors. A Church Conference also includes every member of the congregation. The meeting is open to anyone, but only church members are allowed to vote. This all may seem a bit overwhelming. Hopefully, this process will help us make good decisions for God’s kingdom and be good stewards with all that we have been given.

In the meantime, our Leadership Board (as the executive agent of Salem’s Charge/Church Conference) continues to be responsible for decisions about our land and building. If you see something that needs to be done or you have a good idea for something in our new location, please communicate that first to the Leadership Board for approval. It would be especially appropriate to talk to Louis Busch or Deb Black. They are the current chairpersons of the Trustees, which is the entire Leadership Board. Salem has many people who are generous with their time, gifts, and expertise. We want to encourage and celebrate that!

Likewise, let us honor our authority so that we keep order and live in peace with one another. Salem’s authority resides in the Bishop/Superintendent/Appointed Pastor, our Charge/Church Conference (making major decisions for the congregation), our Leadership Board (carrying out those decisions and making necessary decisions monthly), and our Staff (carrying out those decisions and making necessary decisions daily).

We Are Arminian

2011-04-18T14:14:00.000-05:00

Jacobus Arminius

Rachel Held Evans has a fun blog posting about how to make arminianism cool. This is good stuff for United Methodists to talk about. Heather Hahn, a United Methodist news reporter, has an interesting article here. She briefly explains,

"In John Wesley’s day, the big debate among Protestants took place between two theological schools: the Calvinists and the Arminians. The Calvinists took their name from John Calvin, the 16th century reformer who taught that God predestines the elect for salvation and foreordains eternal damnation for others. Calvin emphasized God’s sovereignty and foreknowledge.

"The Arminians take their name from Jacobus Arminius, a Dutch priest who was born around the time Calvin died. Arminius criticized Calvin and his followers for limiting God’s salvation. Arminius taught that God gave humans the free will to accept or reject God’s love. John Wesley was firmly in the Arminian camp."

Here is another good article that speaks to the issue of arminianism in the UMC. Many of the people I meet in United Methodist congregations have not learned the differences between these two schools of theology, and therefore do not understand our (UM) theological positioning.

Check it out and let me know what you think.

Last Supper on Wednesday?

2011-04-18T13:22:00.000-05:00

New research claims that Jesus' Last Supper was on the Wednesday before his crucifixion rather than on Thursday (Maundy Thursday, traditionally). Click here for more.

Now What?

2011-03-28T16:55:00.000-05:00

In September 2009, more than a year after the flood, the Salem congregation decided to accept the voluntary buyout for the downtown buildings and properties. At the same time, we presented a renewal plan to the East Central District Board of Church Location and Building as well as to the Bishop and Cabinet for approval. We acknowledged that the Spirit establishes the purpose of the Lord and often in surprising ways. Therefore, we knew we had to trust in God and remain open to the surprising ways of God. In doing so, we felt led to three possibilities. One, if New Creation UMC decided to close, we could assume their mortgage and continue a United Methodist presence there. Two, we could purchase an existing church building in an underserved part of the city. Or three, we could begin to develop the nearly ten acres of land Salem owns on Blairs Ferry Road.

A year ago, during Lent, we fasted and prayed that God would lead us to a new place. Fasting is a discipline that helps us hear from the Lord. While many of us as individuals have personal preferences, what matters is hearing from the Lord.

New Creation UMC did decide to close. Salem did assume the remaining mortgage and moved to our new location in November of 2010. On February 24, 2011, we signed the final papers for the voluntary buyout and received checks totaling $891,245.27. The mortgage Salem assumed from New Creation was paid off shortly thereafter. We paid back the money we borrowed from ourselves in order to make the transition. The Leadership Board is looking at how best to invest the remaining money, a little under a half million dollars. Now what?

We are in the season of Lent once more, and we are again fasting and praying that God will lead us. We have located on 8.4 acres of land and we have started growing. What does it mean for us to be the church in this new location and how do we use this land as good stewards and as laborers in God’s mission in the world?

Meanwhile, we still have the 9.6 acres of land on Blairs Ferry Road. What do we do with that resource? There are lots of possibilities. It seems there has been a desire to have a United Methodist congregation in that area. We could do that in a variety of ways. For instance, we could start a second campus of Salem; we could invite another congregation to work with us (the Buffalo UMC is very close); we could give or sell the land to another church.

If we want to be faithful in God’s kingdom, fasting and praying helps us figure out where God is already at work. This is John Wesley’s doctrine of prevenient grace. The United Methodist Book of Discipline (2008) defines prevenient grace as "the divine love that surrounds all humanity and precedes any and all of our conscious impulses.” It is our “first glimmer of understanding concerning God’s will” (¶101). God is always at work even before we realize it. Therefore, rather than bringing our own preferences to the front, we want to figure out where God is already at work and how we can be a part of that.

Discerning God’s will is not always easy. It is certainly easier to comprehend in hindsight. In the present, we often take a risk and step out in faith. As we do, sometimes doors close. If so, we simply step back and then step out in faith again in a new direction. We do trust, however, that God will sustain and lead us. What an exciting adventure!

Membership Orientation Class

2011-03-28T16:45:00.000-05:00

Several people are ready for membership at Salem. Therefore, there will be a new member orientation class on Sunday, April 10. Non-members who are already living out the membership vows (professing Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and upholding the church with their prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness) and have expressed an interest in membership will be invited to participate. We will receive new members on Easter Sunday (April 24)

Ash Wednesday

2011-03-09T09:14:00.001-06:00

Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of our Lenten journey towards Easter. The Westside 6 United Methodist congregations are worshiping together this evening, 7:00 pm at Salem. All are welcome. As we begin Lent today, the following is from the church's liturgy:

INVITATION TO THE OBSERVANCE OF LENTEN DISCPLINE

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ: The first Christians observed with great devotion the days of our Lord’s passion and resurrection, and it became the custom of the Church to prepare for them by a season of penitence, fasting, and prayer. This season of forty days provided a time in which converts to the faith were prepared for baptism into the body of Christ. It was also a time when those who had committed serious sins and had been separated from the community of faith were reconciled by penitence and forgiveness, and restored to the fellowship of the Church. The whole congregation was thus reminded of the mercy and forgiveness proclaimed in the gospel of Jesus Christ and the need we all have to renew our baptismal faith.

I invite you, therefore, in the name of the Lord, to observe a holy Lent, by self-examination, penitence, prayer, fasting, and almsgiving; and by reading and meditating on the Word of God. And, to make a right beginning of repentance, and as a mark of our mortal nature, let us now bow before the Lord, our Maker and Redeemer.

Buyout Finally Complete

2011-03-05T15:05:00.000-06:00

On February 24, we met with the city’s representatives and signed the ﬁnal closing papers for the voluntary buyout. Salem received three checks totaling $891,245.27 for the downtown properties. It has been more than two-and-a-half years since the flood that destroyed Salem's downtown physical location. Finally, that chapter is complete!

Fasting for Lent

2011-03-05T14:54:00.000-06:00

Like last year, I am encouraging our congregation to fast during Lent which begins on Ash Wednesday, March 9. This is certainly not an expectation but rather an invitation. Fasting is a spiritual discipline; it means abstaining from food for spiritual purposes. Fasting and prayer go together. Therefore we devote the time normally used for eating to reading scripture and prayer. Furthermore, the feeling of hunger is a reminder to draw near to God. Doing so often leads to greater intimacy with the Lord and to hearing more clearly what the Lord is saying to us. While there are interesting physical things that happen when we fast, far beyond anything physical is the spiritual. This is a discipline that helps us hear from the Lord and be in the Lord’s presence.

Jesus teaches us in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6) about giving, praying, and fasting as virtues of the kingdom people. Jesus does not say, “If you fast.” Rather he gives directions for “When you fast.” Jesus also teaches that we should refrain from calling attention to what we are doing. We do not act miserable because, in fact, we are not miserable. We are feeding on God!

Please remember that some people are not able to fast, such as those who are diabetic, pregnant, or heart patients. Please do not abstain from food if it is unhealthy for you. There are other ways to fast. For instance, we can abstain from the internet, chocolate, television, or something else. It has to be something important to you daily, though. This is the practice of “giving up” something for Lent and would be given up the entire season of Lent, from March 9 until Easter Day, April 24. Again, the major work of fasting is in the realm of the spirit. Keep prayer and fasting together.

If you are fasting by abstaining from food there are several options:

Twenty-four hour partial fast. You can drink fresh fruit juice during the fast. If you fast from lunch to lunch you would not eat two meals (supper and breakfast). This could be done once a week. Richard Foster says in his book Celebration of Discipline, “Outwardly you will be performing the regular duties of your day, but inwardly you will be in prayer and adoration, song, and worship. In a new way, cause every task of the day to be a sacred ministry to the Lord.” It is important to pay attention to the inner attitude of your heart. Breaking the fast should be done with a light meal of fruits and vegetables and rejoicing.
Another partial fast – the Daniel fast. This involves giving up particular foods and drink for an extended period of time. Following Daniel’s example in scripture, this usually means giving up rich food, meat, and wine. Daniel asked to only eat vegetables and drink water. This could be done for three days, seven days, or even twenty-one days.
Twenty-four hour normal fast. Again do not eat two meals but only drink water (and healthy amounts of it). This could be done once a week. You will feel hunger pains, however, it is not real hunger. While the human body can only survive a short time without water, we can live for many days without food. Foster says the stomach is like a spoiled child and a spoiled child does not need indulgence but discipline.
Thirty-six hour fast. Do not eat three meals and drink only water. For instance, to fast on Wednesday, eat supper on Tuesday evening, then eat nothing more until breakfast on Thursday morning. This could be done once or twice a week. The ancient church manual, the Didache, prescribed two fast days a week – Wednesday and Friday. John Wesley revived this teaching from the Didache and urged early Methodists to fast on these two days. Later in Wesley’s life he fasted every Friday.
Three to seven day fast or longer. Foster says a fast for that time period would probably have a “substantial impact on the course of your life.” The first three or four days are usually the most difficult, physically. The sixth or seventh day you begin to feel stronger and more alert. By the ninth or tenth day the body will have eliminated most toxins, hunger pains will be minimal, and you will feel good. Physically, this is the most enjoyable part of the fast. Anywhere between twenty-one and forty days, hunger pains will return. This finally is the first stage of starvation. The body has used up its reserves. The fast should be broken with small amounts of fruit or vegetable juice. The stomach has shrunk and the digestive system has gone into a kind of hibernation. You must be very careful as you begin eating again!

Please consider fasting during Lent. Again, this is an invitation, an encouragement and not an expectation. If you choose to join me in this spiritual discipline, let us begin preparing now for a season of fasting and prayer.

After Ash Wednesday, we will have a prayer gathering each Wednesday at 8:15 pm at one of the Westside 6 congregations (Asbury, St. James, St. Mark's, Salem, Sharon, Trinity). I would love to hear if you are fasting and if you have any questions.

Membership at Salem

2011-03-05T14:43:00.002-06:00

Several persons have inquired about membership at Salem. This includes people formerly a part of New Creation UMC, people who are new to Salem, and people who were a part of Salem before landing in our new location. We are thrilled that there is such interest in becoming members. I want to take this opportunity to share the pathway to membership at Salem and the expectations of members.

The pathway to membership includes living out the membership vows for six months or so and then participating in the membership orientation class that I lead, usually on a Sunday afternoon. We meet for a couple hours and then new members are our guests at a special dinner in their honor.

While we encourage membership, please know that everyone is welcome to be a part of Salem without becoming an official member. Membership is not about privileges; it is about commitment and responsibility. It is the next step up for those who make a greater commitment to God’s kingdom through Salem, submitting to the authority of the church and to the expectations of following Jesus.

Salem members confess Jesus Christ as Savior and promise to serve him as Lord. Specifically, members vow to faithfully participate in Salem’s ministries by their prayers, their presence, their gifts, their service, and their witness. So what do these membership expectations look like?

Prayers – Jesus prayed regularly in his life. Like Jesus, we exist in relationship with God. Members pursue this deep relationship and formation through regular participation in Bible studies, small groups, and Sunday school classes. Members are the kind of people who regularly pray like Jesus.

Presence – The defining characteristic of Jesus’ disciples in the Gospels is that they are with Jesus. We are with Jesus when the body of Christ gathers and especially when we gather to listen to the Word of God. Therefore, members are present for worship each week unless sick or out of town. Members are the kind of people who regularly gather together.

Gifts – What do we have that has not been given to us? Everything belongs to God. As creatures, we are stewards of God’s creation. Members invest their resources to support Salem locally as well as the church worldwide by tithing (giving 10 percent of their income) and then giving more as the Lord leads. Members are the kind of people who give regularly, generously, cheerfully, and proportionally.

Service – Jesus came not to be served but to serve. Members regularly serve within the congregation (ministry) and outside the congregation in the world (mission). Members are the kind of people who discover their God given skills, talents, and gifts and put them to use.

Witness – Jesus calls his followers “witnesses” repeatedly. Witnesses simply share what they know or have experienced. Members offer their witness to others by telling the story of Jesus. Members are the kind of people who spread God’s love and grace and interject Jesus into their conversations with others.

Please let me know if you are ready to make this commitment or would like to talk about it further. Remember, we ask that you are living out these expectations before making it official as a member. I will hold a membership orientation class during Lent so that we can receive new members at Easter.

State of the Church 2011

2011-01-28T16:35:00.000-06:00

As we begin another new year, it is good to examine the state of the church. It has been more than 2½ years since the flood and that long since I became the pastor of Salem. This past year the big question was, where would we land as a congregation? We fasted, prayed, and read scripture together as we sought God’s guidance. Then on May 24, nearly two years after the flood destroyed Salem’s downtown buildings, the congregation voted to accept the gracious offer from New Creation UMC to receive their 8.4 acres and phase one building for the cost of their remaining mortgage (about $312,000). This was a major turning point in the life of Salem.

We gathered for our first worship services in our new location on November 21, 2010, Christ the King Sunday. We experienced a collective sigh of relief. After twenty-nine months of destruction, stress, grief, decisions, and hard work, how wonderful to take a breath and revel in God’s peace and restoration.

Now, in assessing the state of Salem, there are some benchmark statistics to which we want to pay attention. They include membership, worship attendance, baptisms, professions of faith and participation in connectional giving (apportionments).

Salem’s membership includes 303 persons. Last fall I presented the Leadership Board with 129 names. These are persons on our membership list but who are not actively participating with their prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness as membership requires. The Book of Discipline (¶228) gives the Leadership Board responsibility to care for these members by reenlisting them in active participation, helping them transfer to another congregation where they are active, or helping them withdraw their membership. If none of those things occurs, Salem’s annual charge conference will be asked to officially remove them from membership in two years (Fall 2012).

Our worship attendance has bounced back even stronger. When we moved into the former Kenwood Park Presbyterian building not long after the flood, Salem averaged a little under 170 people in worship in two services. Later, when we moved to the Kenwood Park UMC, attendance dropped to 150 in one service. When that one service moved to 11:45 am, attendance dropped again to about 125. Over the next year, attendance increased a little to 135.

After initial attendance figures of 215 and 250 our first two Sundays, we now are averaging about 180 in two services. There are many new, wonderful people who have begun worshiping with us. Furthermore, this is an opportune time to reach out to others and invite them to “come and see” what is going on with Salem.

Other key indicators are baptisms and professions of faith. Since the earliest times, the vows of Christian baptism have consisted first of the renunciation of all that is evil and then the profession of faith and loyalty to Jesus Christ. Last year we celebrated 2 baptisms and 6 professions of faith. We received 11 persons into membership. Baptisms and professions of faith show us how many new Christians we are reaching. Look for bigger numbers here in 2011.

Our giving was down last year. That should be expected in our situation! For the first time in Salem’s history, we were not able to pay our apportionments in full. We did pay about 26%. We also gave about $14,000 to missions. Currently, we are just making it financially. Unfortunately, we still are not paying our apportionments. I am confident this will change. Our Leadership Board greatly desires to get back to fully supporting our connectional giving. It took a couple years to deal with the aftermath of the flood. It may take a couple more to get back fully on our feet.

Closing on our downtown properties and receiving the voluntary buyout money will help us considerably. We have now completed all the paperwork in order to close on our properties. While we cannot guarantee this, it is possible we could finally close in the next month or two and receive the $871,000 buyout money. That will be a big step in helping us get control of our finances again.

So how do we increase these benchmark statistics? We live as the church: a) We worship our God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. B) We practice the habits of discipleship: reading scripture, prayer and fasting, receiving holy communion, and participating in small groups (everyone at Salem should be a part of some kind of smaller group for learning, loving, serving, fellowship, and accountability). Disciples of Jesus also practice “hands on” mission: feeding the hungry, clothing those in need, caring for the sick and those in prison, and working for peace and justice in our community and in the world. c) We reach out and welcome. We reach out and welcome. We reach out and welcome.

On a practical note, now that we are getting settled in our new location, we will continue to work on our buildings and how we use them. Obviously, space is at a premium. The Leadership Board has asked a couple of people to put together a decorating plan to be approved. We have also begun work on a Facility Use Policy. Because our buildings are primarily public space, belonging to the church, we need to be mindful of how decisions are made. If any of us on our own made decisions about the buildings or how we would use them, it would lead to chaos and conflict. Therefore, please respect the authority of the Leadership Board to make the decisions for the congregation. You are always welcome to share any ideas or concerns you have with someone on the Leadership Board. In order to keep peace and order, we need to honor our structure. If you have a request for use, please share it with our administrative assistant in the office.

I participated in a meeting last week with school administrators and other clergy. The person next to me asked about our name. I never get tired of answering that question. “Salem” comes from the Hebrew word shalom. This is usually translated as peace. God’s peace, however, is not just the absence of conflict but the wholeness of life. Shalom means completeness, wholeness, health, peace, joy, love, friendship, well-being, justice, and salvation. Salem/Shalom is God’s will for the cosmos, for the renewal of creation, for the transformation of the world. I think that is what Jesus meant when he said he came so that we could have abundant life (John 10:10). May we embody Salem in our own lives and in the world.

Read the New Testament in 90 Days

2011-01-24T10:07:00.000-06:00

Salem is reading the New Testament in 90 days, beginning Monday, January 24 and ending on Holy Saturday, the day before Easter (April 24, 2011). Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, will mark the halfway point, 45 days.

Typically, we will read just two or three chapters a day. As we read let us be intentional about what it means for us to live together in a way that inhabits the world of the Bible rather than trying to make the Bible fit into our world. That is, Jesus is our Lord. We are his disciples. Therefore we do not ask Jesus to fit into our lives. We ask the Lord to fit our lives into Jesus. We are his body in the world today.

Download the bookmark with the reading plan here.

Habits for the New Year

2011-01-12T13:45:00.000-06:00

January 1 is a wonderful time to make some resolutions for the upcoming year. How do we intend to live our lives? After all, life is the most precious gift from God. What we do with it is our response to God. Some of the most popular resolutions in our culture include losing weight, being healthier, getting organized, learning something new, and getting out of debt. Of course, most resolutions fail within the first month. We make the resolution, but often we don’t have a plan to make it happen.

Likewise, as followers of Jesus, it’s not enough to simply want to be a disciple; we need a plan and a process to make that happen. Discipleship is a pattern of life. It’s the practices we cultivate in our lives as we submit to our Lord, Jesus. One of the early Church Fathers, Tertullian (c.160 – c.225) said, “Christians are made, not born.” It takes work. Just like Olympic athletes are made and not born, the kind of people we become is directly related to the habits we practice in life. We follow Jesus by the practices we make a part of life every day.

The Apostle Paul tells the church at Philippi that they are to conform their practices to Christ as well as to Paul and Timothy, who are models in discipleship. “Brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example” (Philippians 3:17 NLT). Again at the end of the letter Paul says, “Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me – everything you heard from me and saw me doing” (Philippians 4:9 NLT).

These practices of discipleship are, for us as Christians, habits for the new year. They are the patterns of life we have learned from disciples older than us in the way of Jesus. They include doing what John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, called Works of Piety and Works of Mercy. Wesley's Works of Piety are acts we do that express reverence and love for God, such as studying Scripture; hearing Scripture read and sermons preached; receiving the Lord’s Supper; praying; fasting; coming together for conversation and mutual support; and living healthily.

Works of Mercy are acts we do that care for our neighbor. Simply, they are doing good to others. Wesley specifically named feeding the hungry; providing clothing and shelter for those in need; visiting the sick and those in prison; welcoming the stranger; comforting the afflicted; offering counsel, advice, and encouragement to those who need to know God or desire to grow in their relationship with God; earning, saving and giving all one can; and opposing slavery (issues of justice).

John Wesley called these "channels of grace” because they are practices or habits that help form us as disciples of Jesus Christ. As we practice these habits, the Holy Spirit uses them to further transform our hearts and lives. This is how we are sanctified, or made holy. The Holy Spirit works in us to renew the image of God in us so that we look, speak, and act differently from the world. Certainly they do not earn us salvation. Rather they are fruit that flow from salvation. Wesley understood their absence, however, to indicate an absence of faith.

Therefore, Salem, let us practice these habits this year. More than just good intentioned resolutions, we will have a plan to make them happen. For instance, we will gather to worship each week and receive the Lord’s Supper at least monthly. Beginning January 24 we will read the New Testament in 90 days. On Wednesdays we will gather to study Luke and Acts in the Bible. We will fast and pray during Lent. We will gather in small groups for conversation and mutual support. We will do good to others in a variety of ways. We will feed the hungry and provide clothing for those in need. We will visit the sick. We will get out of debt in order to give all we can to others. We will work for justice and peace. As we practice these habits this year, may we live as disciples of Jesus Christ, transforming the world.

John Wesley's Covenant Prayer

2010-12-31T15:41:00.000-06:00

John Wesley established covenant services as an important part of early Methodist life. He wrote in his Journal, “Urged the wholly giving up ourselves to God and renewing in every point our covenant that the Lord should be our God.” Toward the end of his life, they were usually celebrated on New Year’s Day. It is appropriate for us to begin 2011 by renewing our covenant with the Lord God.

In the old covenant, God chose Israel to be a special people and to obey the law. Our Lord Jesus Christ, by his death and resurrection, has made a new covenant with all who trust in him. We stand within this covenant and we bear his name. On the one side, God promises in this covenant to give us new life in Christ. On the other side, we are pledged to live not for ourselves but for God. Therefore, may we renew the covenant which binds us to God.

Let us claim the covenant God has made with his people, and accept the yoke of Christ. To accept the yoke of Christ means that we allow Christ to guide all that we do and are, and that Christ himself is our only reward. Christ has many services to be done; some are easy, others are difficult; some make others applaud us, others bring only reproach; some we desire to do because of our own interests; others seem unnatural. Sometimes we please Christ and meet our own needs, at other times we cannot please Christ unless we deny ourselves. Yet Christ strengthens us and gives us the power to do all these things. Therefore let us make this covenant of God our own. Let us give ourselves completely to God, trusting in his promises and relying on his grace:

I am no longer my own but yours.

Put me to what you will, rank me with whom you will.

Put me to doing, put me to suffering.

Let me be employed for you, or laid aside for you,

exalted for you, or brought low for you.

Let me be full, let me be empty.

Let me have all things, let me have nothing.

I freely and wholeheartedly yield all things

to your pleasure and disposal.

And now, glorious and blessed God,

Father, Son and Holy Spirit,

you are mine and I am yours. So be it.

May this covenant made on earth continue for all eternity.

Amen.

Merry Christmas

2010-12-25T16:50:00.000-06:00

The Christmas story is the story of what God has done with the brokenness of the world. In the midst of sin, pain, grief, suffering, loss, brokenness, God intervened. God disrupted what had been going on. This is a story that goes back to the very beginning.

As it says in Genesis, the first book of the Bible, “In the beginning, God.” God created the world and everything in it. Simply by speaking, God created the entire cosmos. It is the very theater of God’s glory, the kingdom over which he reigns.

The pinnacle of that creation was when God made humans in the image of God. God created us to be in relationship with God and with one another. It was paradise in the Garden of Eden. It says in Genesis that God would come and walk with the man and woman, Adam and Eve, in the cool of the evening.

And then a catastrophe happened. Brokenness. The fall. Humans were tempted and led away from our good beginning. It got so bad that God was sad he had created humans at all. So God destroyed humanity and started over. But as soon as things got going again, all the problems with humans started over too. The humans after the Great Flood turned out to be no different than the humans before the Flood.

So God decided to work towards regaining the paradise of the original creation in a different way. God began working with humans. God chose a people, the Israelites, to be his special people to help redeem the world. And God gave them a land of their own. But the people, as humans, continued to be unfaithful to God. They continued to mess up and create havoc and brokenness in life. So God punished his people by taking them out of their land into Exile.

God’s people wondered when God would save them, put things right. Life was messy. Not just for individuals – that has always been the case. But for all people. The goodness, the paradise of God’s original creation was long gone. It was only a dream.

But the Israelites continued to believe they were God’s chosen people and that God would act in the near future to bring his kingdom. But life was hard. They lived under the oppression of the Persians, then the Greeks, then the Syrians, and finally the Romans. Still, Israel clung to the hope that God would intervene to cleanse and renew his creation. They waited for a Savior, a Messiah.

They waited for four hundred years, hoping for a Messiah to save them and usher in God’s renewed kingdom and creation. They thought the Messiah would be very, very powerful: a king with the heart and strength of a warrior and the holiness of a priest. That probably makes sense. After all, they thought this Messiah would save them from the Romans and topple the empires of the world.

And then it happened. Quietly. A baby was born to Mary and Joseph. And God’s angel announced to the shepherds: “Do not be afraid. I am bringing you good news of great joy for all people: your Savior has been born today.”

Instead of a warrior, priestly king, we got a baby.

500 years ago, Martin Luther, said: When God speaks to humans, God always speaks in baby talk. That is, God humbles himself and comes down to our level.

This is what we celebrate at Christmas. This is what the Christmas story in Luke 2 means. That God loves us so much that he came to be one of us in Jesus. He became human so he could live with us and talk with us. And that is how God is making the world right again, renewing his creation, ushering in his kingdom.

And so, entering life on our level, bending over into this playpen we call home, God again spoke, coming as a baby, as one of us. In Jesus, has God come to us.

The 19th century philosopher and theologian, Soren Kierkegaard, told a parable about a great king who fell in love with a lovely servant girl. He wanted to tell her of his love, but he wanted to approach her in a way in which she might freely, willingly love him.

As a high and mighty king, he would overwhelm her. She would perhaps fear him, or respect him, but could she love one so high and so remote from her and her world?

So the king devised a plan. He took off his royal robes and dressed as a poor peasant. He slipped away from the palace, descended into the village below, and took up the life of a poor peasant. There he wooed the young woman. Making her acquaintance, he gradually got to know her and she gradually got to know him. Eventually, she grew to love him. They moved toward marriage. At last he revealed himself to her as king. They live happily ever after in the palace, recipients of true love.

In many ways God attempted to reveal himself to us. Now, God has been revealed to us as a Son, word in the flesh, God with us.

“In many and various ways God spoke of old to our ancestors by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son” (Heb. 1:1-2a).

Merry Christmas!

Salem's New Website

2010-12-10T17:45:00.000-06:00

Salem has a new website. You can check it out at www.SalemChurchCR.com. Also, the sermons I preach at Salem are posted on the website here. I am adding a shortcut to the sermons I preach on the links list on my blog.

Christmas Is Not Your Birthday

2010-11-29T16:02:00.000-06:00

Once again, the Church continues to challenge the way we live during December. The Church says, “Christmas is not your birthday. Celebrate your birthday when it is your birthday. Celebrate Jesus’ birthday on Christmas.” Shopping and spending money on stuff does not celebrate Jesus’ birthday. Jesus said he came to bring good news to the poor, to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free (Luke 4:18). Jesus did not come so some of the wealthiest people in the world (that is us) could have more stuff.

Christmas is a wonderful time of year. Still, it is not about consumption but compassion. It is not about presents but presence. It is a time to be generous. Therefore, I want to challenge us all to celebrate Jesus’ birth by giving to mission with our money (and our time and service, too!). The Missions Committee has identified Heifer International as a mission emphasis for our entire congregation to support. You can read more about Heifer here. Salem has a wonderful heart for mission.

This could be hardest for those of us with younger children or grandchildren. In my own family we have been talking about this for a couple of years. It is essential that we form our children as Christians. That does not mean we cannot decorate or share presents or celebrate all the goodness of Christmas. It does mean we have to struggle constantly against the ways our children are formed in the world. This will not happen easily or quickly. I am challenging us to give at least an equal amount to mission. Even buying one less present, though, and giving the money to those in need is a good start. If you have any questions about how to go about this, please do not hesitate to contact me. May we live in such a way that our lives proclaim, “Happy Birthday, Jesus!”

We Made It

2010-11-29T15:57:00.000-06:00

After nearly two-and-a-half years, Salem gathered for our first worship services on November 21 in our own, new location. God is good! Considering it was new for all of us, our first Sunday went very well. We had about 215 people in the two services. A week later, on November 28, we had 249 for our Grand Opening celebration. Following the ancient tradition, we consecrated the church building for the proclamation of the Word and the celebration of Holy Communion.

At the beginning of this year, the big question for Salem was: Where would we land as a congregation? Like the Israelites who wandered in the wilderness for forty years before entering the Promised Land, it felt like Salem did not have a home. The flood in 2008 forced Salem on a journey.

Now we have taken our first steps in a new place. In many ways it feels like we need a moment to take a breath and relax a bit. It is good to celebrate and thank God for the ways in which God has taken care of us.

While we celebrate, it is good to remember our new building is not just a place for us to gather. It is a base of operations for our mission. I like how the Department of Defense uses the term infrastructure to refer to all buildings and permanent installations necessary for the support of military forces when they are deployed in operations (barracks, headquarters, airfields, communications, military equipment, etc.). Likewise, the church needs buildings or other installations to support the body of Christ as we are deployed in our mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

So congratulations, Salem. We made it! I hope we will be encouraged now that we have finally landed. I hope we can take a breath and relax a bit. I hope we will celebrate all the goodness of God. I hope we will participate in God’s mission to bring Salem (shalom, peace, wholeness) to the world, especially to the neighborhoods surrounding our new home.

Salem Holds First Worship Services in New Location

2010-11-22T15:49:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, Salem gathered to worship in its own, new location for the first time since the flood in 2008. It has been quite a journey. God is good!

For local media coverage, click here and here.

Here We Go! Now What?

2010-11-02T16:43:00.000-05:00

Salem will celebrate our Grand Opening in a new location on the first Sunday of a new Christian year, November 28, the first Sunday of Advent. We hope to move our offices by the middle of November and hold our first worship services (9:00 am and 11:00 am) on the previous Sunday, November 21. On that last Sunday of the Christian year, we celebrate the reign of Christ and our commitment to Jesus’ reign. That also will give us an opportunity to gather together in our new location and see how everything works before our Grand Opening.

I am especially grateful to the members of the Building Task Force for their time and work: Louis Busch, Linda Jandik, Joy Louk, Mark Minger (chair), Richard Pankey, Bob Thompson, Sharon Vavra, and Paul Vieira. They have done a wonderful job. Furthermore, many people from the congregation have worked and helped, too. Thank you! I believe we will be very pleased with our facility when we relocate around the middle of November.

We have been waiting with great anticipation to make this move. Now that we are finally making the transition, what needs to happen? First, on November 21 we will have an opportunity to make a commitment to the kingdom of God through Salem. Second, we need to prepare for guests and get ready to not only welcome them but also help them become part of Salem.

To begin with, on our first Sunday in our new location, November 21, we will have a commitment Sunday. This is wonderful timing as we celebrate not only our arrival to a new home but also the reign of Jesus Christ. As we begin in a new location, it is vital that we step up and commit to the future of Salem. A local church is not an institutional entity on its own; it is comprised of people. Salem can only move forward if people commit to God’s kingdom through this local church. We all have an opportunity to be part of this grand adventure. Salem needs your commitment as a disciple of Jesus, someone who will take responsibility and ownership for Salem.

Attendance and giving are down. In fact, right now our operating budget is in crisis. Still, we believe that some of the Salem people will come back. We believe that we can reach many new people. Salem must grow and get healthy again as quickly as possible. The first step towards that is a commitment from the people who will comprise Salem. You will receive a letter the first part of November, asking you to prayerfully consider your commitment. We will offer those commitments on our first Sunday in our new location, November 21.

Second, we need to prepare for guests and get ready to not only welcome them but also work to help them become part of Salem. In order to have guests, of course, we need to invite them. Depending on what research you are looking at, 70% – 90% of new people come because of the direct or indirect influence of a person in the congregation. We exist to make disciples who will transform the world. Therefore we must engage the world around us and invite others.

From the moment we arrive in our new location we need to be ready to welcome newcomers, identify them, and respond to them. Thankfully, Salem is already a warm, caring, and welcoming congregation. We will need to work at being even more welcoming. For instance, the first five minutes after the worship service are critical. We need to be intentional about seeking out three people we do not know and welcoming them and inviting them to fellowship before we seek out our friends and spend time with them.

We need to have systems in place that help us identify newcomers. More than simply recognizing guests, we need to get their names and contact information. That way, we can respond to them in order to help them come back. We do not want people to come in the front door only to slip out the back door without us working to assimilate them in the life of Salem as disciples of Jesus.

In order for Salem to be ready for this, I invite you to come to an orientation meeting in our new location on Wednesday, November 10 at 7:00 pm (after the prayer walking). We will organize how we will connect with our newcomers, the guests who come to Salem. This is not just for a few people and it is not difficult. It is vital for everyone to participate. We do need to be organized. If you are unable to participate at that time, let me know so we can either connect you in one of the processes or offer this at a different time too.

This is an exciting and important time for Salem. Do not stand back to see what happens. You are what happens.

Starting Again

2010-09-29T15:27:00.000-05:00

Salem is experiencing a “re-start,” a new church plant with an existing core of people. Like a new church start, we must focus on the basics: worship, a core group of people, a process to disciple people in the way of Jesus Christ, and multiplication.

Worship. When we move into our new location we will finally (after more than two years!) have a place of our own to gather for worship. That means Salem will once again have two worship services on Sunday morning, at 9:00 am and 11:00 am. We are planning on live musicians to lead the singing in our contemporary service. The traditional service will include the piano/organ and choir. As we grow, we will get ready to start a third service at 7:45 am. Our new sanctuary will be a wonderful space in which to worship.

Core Group of People. As an existing congregation, Salem already has a core group of people. This is a tremendous blessing and I am extremely grateful for everyone who has kept Salem going over the last two years since the flood. Your faithfulness and loyalty is the reason Salem has this opportunity to re-start in a new location.

Discipleship Process. One of the most important things for Salem to focus on is creating a process to disciple people in the way of Jesus Christ. This gets to the very heart of why we exist. Our mission is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. So how do we do that? The truth is, most congregations do not have a plan and a process to make that happen. We will. Our discipleship process will not simply be to gain knowledge but to put into practice the habits necessary to be a people who look, speak, and act differently from the world. As transformed people, then, we are able to transform the world. Certainly, this is what it means for Salem to live out its name. “Salem” comes from the Hebrew word shalom. This is usually translated as peace. God’s peace, however, is not just the absence of conflict but the wholeness of life. Shalom means completeness, wholeness, health, peace, joy, love, friendship, well-being, justice, and salvation. Salem/Shalom is God’s will for the cosmos, for the renewal of creation, for the transformation of the world. We will work towards that in our own lives and in the world.

Multiplication. As Salem begins again in a new location, we have an awesome opportunity to reach out to others and welcome them. Because this is a “re-start” for Salem in a new location, we will be perceived as a new congregation, a new thing. Research has shown that it only takes two Christians to bring one person to faith in Christ in churches three years old or less. In five year old churches it takes twelve Christians. In a ten year old church, it takes seventy-two Christians. Bringing new people to new congregations and ministries is far easier than bringing new people to established congregations. We do not want to squander this opportunity for every single person of Salem to reach out to new people and welcome them. There are neighborhoods all around our new location. We will reach out to them.

We will have an outreach campaign. We have a new logo and soon we will have a new website. We will mail cards to our new neighbors and place door-hangers on their front doors. Perhaps we will have one or two outdoor events at our new location and invite the neighborhood. More important than any of those things, however, are the personal invitations you give to the people you know. We all have unchurched neighbors, friends, family, and co-workers all around us. Welcoming all these persons means reaching out to them first. To help with this, we have “invite cards” you can hand out to people you know.

As we think about multiplication, it is important for us to think beyond our own walls. New church starts are encouraged to help start another new congregation within their first ten years. Churches are living organisms. They are meant to multiply, to reproduce, to birth other congregations. Of course, Salem needs to be a healthy, mature congregation in order to do this. As an existing congregation that owns nearly ten acres of land on Blairs Ferry Road, however, Salem has a head start.

We do not multiply simply for the sake of more people in the seats. Jesus began his ministry by proclaiming, “The kingdom of God has come near” (Matthew 4:12-17; Mark 1:14-15). Our calling as the Church is to proclaim, pray for, and embody God’s kingdom in the world, here and now. True, the kingdom of God is not fully realized yet, but it has begun. We have had a foretaste of the complete reign of God and we are to embody that foretaste in the world as we work with God towards the renewal of creation.

This is a momentous time in the life of Salem and in the kingdom of God. God invites us to be a part of this awesome journey. Please do not sit back and watch and wait to see what happens. You are the church. This is your time.

Leave Taking Worship Service

2010-09-13T10:38:00.001-05:00

Salem's leave taking worship service was yesterday afternoon, officially deconsecrating the flooded building downtown as the congregation prepares for the buyout and a new location.

Click here and here for the local media stories.

Click here for the leave taking service bulletin.

Salem's Bell Removed

2010-09-09T12:13:00.001-05:00

Salem's bell was removed on August 25, 2010 and moved to Salem's new location. Pictures by Mark Minger. Music (Awesome God) performed by Eden's Bridge - The Best of Celtic Praise and Worship.

Iowa United Methodists in the News

2010-09-07T14:55:00.000-05:00

KCCI reporter Katie Ward interviewed Bishop Julius Trimble on the Cnnference's "You Can Make the World a Better Place...Be Encouraged" effort.

Wednesday Night Prayer Walking

2010-08-28T10:03:00.000-05:00

Just before Easter in 2002, Joy and I visited Seoul, Korea. We met with Bishop Sundo Kim, the pastor of the largest Methodist church in the world, Kwanglim Methodist Church. Bishop Kim was appointed to the congregation in 1971. There were 150 members. Over the next 30 years the church grew from 150 to 80,000. To begin with they had no money or resources. But every Wednesday evening became “soul winning” night. They gathered for thirty minutes of Bible study. Then for thirty minutes they went out by twos visiting door to door. At each house they simply talked about God and what they had experienced in their lives. They shared their personal stories. Then for thirty more minutes they gathered back at the church to share testimonies of what had happened that evening. Doing this they grew day by day and built the Kwanglim Methodist Church (20,000 people) and several branch churches (60,000 people).

Kwanglim became the largest Methodist church in part because of the many branch churches. We toured one branch church near the North Korean border. I asked how they gathered people for that congregation. The pastor there said they brought together a core group of people from the Kwanglim mother church. These were people who already lived in the area of this new branch church. Then the core group began bringing people—friends, neighbors, business associates—and they grew and grew.

When Bishop Kim shared the ten most important keys of their church ministry, the first one was prayer life. He said prayer makes miracles happen in your ministry. He said money is never the problem. Prayer is always the issue. They began having a 5:00 am prayer meeting (John Wesley did this too!). Prayer is the first and most important key for any church. He called it “the secret of church growth.”

This example of “soul winning” night and the primary importance of prayer has come together in a special way for Salem. I am very excited to share our leaders’ enthusiastic desire for Salem to begin a time of prayer walking in the neighborhoods around our new location on 33rd Avenue. Simply put, prayer walking is prayer that is targeted for the place you are walking. We want to pray over our land and neighborhoods as we prepare to take responsibility for a new territory. Pastors are sent by the bishop and churches are deployed to a whole community, not just a congregation.

Beginning September 15, then, we will gather at our new location at 6:00 pm each Wednesday and spend 20-30 minutes together in prayer. Then we will go out into the neighborhoods for prayer walking. Finally, we will come back together again to share our experiences. We will do this from 6:00 – 7:30 on Wednesdays.

We will talk specifically about how we will prayer walk when we get together the first Wednesday. We will not be knocking on doors, though it is possible we will encounter our neighbors and even have an opportunity for conversation and invitation. The main intent, however, is to go out in groups of two (or more) and walk (or drive if necessary) and pray on our new land and in the neighborhoods surrounding us. For a wealth of information about prayer walking, see this interesting website.

Bishop Arthur Kulah, the resident bishop of Nigeria, spoke to our Annual Conference gathering in June this year. He said walking in America is an exercise – not so in Africa. In Africa walking is much more than that. When they walk they talk, discuss, connect, and share fellowship. In Africa walking is communication. Bishop Kulah was called upon to preach to the country after civil war. He did not know what to say. So he took a walk along the coast to one of their churches. It took him almost five days to reach his destination. As he walked on the first day, nothing happened. On the second day he sat down to rest and God spoke to him.

In the paradise of God’s creation, the LORD God would come and walk in the garden with the man and woman at the time of the evening breeze (Genesis 3:8). Let us join together in walking with the LORD on Wednesday evenings and communicate with our God and see how God leads us.

Salem's Story

2010-08-28T09:55:00.000-05:00

[Recently I was asked to share Salem’s story with the East Central District as a witness of discerning God’s call and beginning new ministry. Of course, most congregations are not thrust into it as Salem was. Still, as God’s people we are always formed and reformed, made over and over again. This is the article I wrote.]

How is God at work in our community? How can our church participate in God’s mission to renew creation and usher in the kingdom of God fully? How will God’s Word continue to be spoken and heard in our community? What is the consequence of our praying, “Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven?” These are some of the questions Salem has been asking since the flood of 2008.

We looked at a church building that was for sale. We determined to accept the buyout of our downtown property. We considered building on the land that Salem already owns on Blairs Ferry Road. There were many opinions about what we could or should do.

We determined we needed to try and discern how God was moving in our community and in our congregation. Therefore, I encouraged our congregation to fast during Lent to help us hear God’s voice in our midst. I used Richard Foster’s wonderful book, Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth, to help us prepare. Fasting is a spiritual discipline that helps us draw near to God, leading to greater intimacy with the Lord and to hearing more clearly what the Lord is saying to us. Those who were fasting as well as others in the congregation were invited to gather once a week to pray together.

The ancient church manual, the Didache, prescribed two fast days a week – Wednesday and Friday. Our founder, John Wesley, revived this teaching from the Didache and urged early Methodists to fast on these two days. Later in Wesley’s life he fasted every Friday.

At the same time I encouraged our congregation to read scripture together. By reading two chapters a day, we read through the Gospels and Acts during Lent. We printed a bookmark to help us stay on track. I encouraged the congregation to be intentional about what it means for us to live together in a way that inhabits the world of the Bible rather than trying to make the Bible fit into our world.

After fasting, praying, and reading scripture together, I shared with the congregation our goal of unanimity. Unanimity means being of one mind and it is a gift of the Holy Spirit. It means allowing God to set our minds on the same thing. By ourselves, people can never be in unanimity. It is not the same thing as a democratically organized church, taking votes and relying on majority decisions. Decisions are made by consensus. Unanimity is a miracle that is possible only by the power of the Holy Spirit.

In his wonderful book, Does God Need the Church?, German theologian Gerhard Lohfink writes, “In the gift of unanimity, not in its own activity lies the theological mystery of the Church, its power and the fascination that goes forth from it. Living in unanimity is the first and most important mission of the Church.” Lohfink shows that the church does not operate on a model or by pastoral plans and strategies. Rather, the Spirit of God moves in purposeful and often surprising ways to accomplish God’s will. As God’s people we place our trust in the Lord and in God’s provision for us while remaining open to the surprising ways of God.

While we were fasting and praying during Lent, seeking God’s guidance and direction for Salem, New Creation UMC was making their own decisions. Ultimately, they graciously offered their 8.4 acres and phase one building for the cost of their remaining mortgage. Salem accepted the offer and found itself at a major turning point. God was leading us to a new location.

As Salem begins again in a new location, we have an awesome opportunity to reach out to others and welcome them. Because this is a “re-start” for Salem in a new location, we will be perceived as a new congregation, as a new thing. Research has shown that it only takes two Christians to bring one person to faith in Christ in churches three years old or less. In five year old churches it takes twelve Christians. In a ten year old church, it takes seventy-two Christians. Bringing new people to new congregations and ministries is far easier than bringing new people to established congregations. We do not want to squander this opportunity for every single person of Salem to reach out to new people and welcome them. There are new neighborhoods all around this new location. We will reach out to them. Moreover, there are unchurched neighbors, friends, family, and co-workers all around us too. Welcoming all these persons means reaching out to them first.

We will not do this simply for the sake of more people in the seats. Jesus began his ministry by proclaiming, “The kingdom of God has come near” (Matthew 4:12-17; Mark 1:14-15). Our calling as the Church is to proclaim, pray for, and embody God’s kingdom in the world, here and now. True, the kingdom of God is not fully realized yet, but it has begun. We have had a foretaste of the complete reign of God and we are to embody that foretaste in the world.

For us, that is what it means to be Salem. “Salem” comes from the Hebrew word shalom. This is usually translated as peace. God’s peace, however, is not just the absence of conflict but the wholeness of life. Shalom means completeness, wholeness, health, peace, joy, love, friendship, well-being, justice, and salvation. Salem/Shalom is God’s will for the world, for the renewal of creation.

Perhaps that all sounds easy. It is not. Usually, in times of change there is opposition and conflict, stress and angst. There may well be a struggle with the spiritual forces of evil (Ephesians 6:12). It is, however, an exciting adventure in the kingdom of God. What else would we expect following Jesus?

What is God calling your church to do? What are you willing to do to discern God’s call and take action in your community? Every church in the East Central District is invited to join in a “Season of Prayer” as together we determine the location of our ministries in the lives of people in our communities and world. Churches will self-select partners with other congregations in this journey between February 6 – March 8 next year. We will then be invited to participate in a “Season of Action” during Lent (March 9 – April 23), leading up to Easter (April 24). More information will be shared at pastors’ professional interviews and charge conferences.

Reading Scripture in Worship

2010-08-28T09:52:00.001-05:00

For worship in September we continue in the Season After Pentecost (ordinary time) and return fully to the Revised Common Lectionary. In fact, we will begin reading all four scriptures appointed for each Sunday. Lectionaries are ancient, however, the revitalization of the current lectionary is usually traced back to the Second Vatican Council: "The treasures of the Bible are to be opened up more lavishly, so that richer fare may be provided for the faithful at the table of God’s Word. In this way a more representative portion of the holy Scriptures will be read to the people over a set cycle of years" (The Documents of Vatican II, Walter Abbott, ed. [Piscataway, N.J.: New Century, 1974], p. 155).

While we will read all four lections, the sermon will usually focus on one or two of the scriptures. Even so, the Holy Spirit will speak to us in all the readings. We gather each week to hear what God says to us.

Church Bell Removed

2010-08-26T16:11:00.000-05:00

The bell was removed from the downtown building and moved to Salem's new location. Check out the local media coverage here and here.

Mission Video

2010-08-26T15:56:00.000-05:00

Witness an Iowa-made Personal Energy Transportation (PET) vehicle being delivered to "Naomi" in July 2010. She is a 20-year-old woman in Nigeria and has crawled all her life until she received the PET. The PET was reassembled by Yusuf in his carpentry shop.

Getting Ready For Guests

2010-07-31T10:41:00.000-05:00

Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers,

for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.

(Hebrews 13:2 NRSV)

When we have guests over to our home, we do what most people do. We get ready. We vacuum and clean, prepare food, and set up the house. When guests are coming, we also fix things that have needed fixing or replace things that need replacing. When it is just my family, we clean and pick up. But often we do not fix or replace things because we get used to them and we are willing to live with them. It does not have to be the best for my family. But when guests are coming over, we do those extra things to make it as nice as possible. We want to offer our best. We want our guests to feel special and enjoy being with us.

That is what we are doing as we prepare our new location on 33rd Avenue. We are not just preparing a place for “us.” We are getting ready for guests! We are going to reach out to all the neighborhoods surrounding our new location and invite our neighbors to be our guests. Our hope, our mission is to reach new people and bring them more fully into the kingdom of God. The church building is simply a tool to help us fulfill our mission: making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. Therefore, like at home, we are getting ready for guests. We are making things as nice as possible. We are fixing up the place. We want our guests to feel special and enjoy being with us.

All of this is rooted in the biblical understanding of hospitality. According to Bishop Robert Schnase, radical hospitality is the first practice of a fruitful congregation. Christian hospitality means inviting, welcoming, receiving, and caring for those who are strangers so that they find a spiritual home and discover for themselves the unending richness of life in Christ. Hospitality has an outward focus, receiving and welcoming others who are not yet a part of the faith community (Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations, Robert Schnase, Abingdon Press, 2007).

The most important thing we can do to welcome our guests is to create an atmosphere of hospitality. The biblical virtue of hospitality is caring for strangers in such a way that they are transformed into guests. In Genesis 18 Abraham provides generous hospitality to three visitors. Abraham runs to meet them, invites them to stay and rest, and washes their feet. He rushes to prepare them a meal and serves only the best food. It’s interesting to note the strangers also offer their best gift to Abraham and Sarah – the message that Sarah will become pregnant and they will have a son.

How can Salem offer hospitality to strangers (visitors) and turn them into our guests? Like Abraham we too must take the initiative to go (run!) and meet our visitors, to make them feel warmly welcomed, and to provide for their needs. I have already had several conversations with our new neighbors and I have been inviting them to come and visit us. Everyone in the congregation is to be a part of that – running to meet our visitors and welcoming them. When we bring new people into our midst, we must give them our best – the best parking, the best environment (including sensory experiences of beauty, space, form, texture, color, and sound), the best seats, the best attention, the best food, the best care, the best of everything. We show Abraham and Sarah’s kind of hospitality to people because God loves them and wants us to share God’s grace with them and treat them as very special guests. Our environment should be better than fine restaurants and Disneyland at welcoming and caring for guests. God’s grace is second to nothing in this world.

Called Forth

2010-07-09T16:08:00.000-05:00

When Jesus came to the tomb of his friend, Lazarus, he ordered that the stone be removed. Even Lazarus’ sister hesitated. She said, “He has been dead four days." Jesus promised they would see the glory of God. So they took away the stone and Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”

As Christians we believe in resurrection. We believe that God brings life from death. Salem has the chance to embody that theology. It is perhaps an opportunity that few congregations have. It has come at great cost. Still Jesus cries out, “Salem, come out!”

Salem has been called forth to new life, to begin again in a new place. What does this mean for us? To begin with, we give thanks to our God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God has rescued us and given Salem new life. We are God’s people, the people of his kingdom. God has not abandoned us. God has, indeed, been faithful to us, working in ways we have not always known or understood.

Furthermore, we will continue to seek God’s will. Jesus taught us to pray, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed by your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:9-13; Luke 11:2-4). Jesus taught us to pray for God’s kingdom to come on earth, here and now. Wherever God’s will is done here and now, it is a sign of God’s kingdom. During Lent we fasted and prayed, seeking God’s will for Salem. Now we have a new place to gather, however, we must continue to fast and pray, seeking God’s will. This new location is a mission field, an opportunity to reach out to others in the name of Jesus and invite them by God’s grace to participate in God’s kingdom. Jesus did not cast vision or develop a plan. He simply sought his Father’s will. “Your kingdom come. Your will be done.” It is not about our kingdom or will but God’s. Only God’s agenda matters.

We will continue to simply be the church. Our 2008 Book of Discipline says, “Under the discipline of the Holy Spirit, the church exists for the maintenance of worship, the edification of believers, and the redemption of the world” (¶ 201). That is, we exist “to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.”

Therefore, we will gather for worship in our new location. As we do we will reach out to others and welcome them. We will nurture ourselves and those who join with us as disciples of Jesus Christ, and we will continue to work in God’s mission of renewing creation.

As we begin again in a new location, we have an awesome opportunity to reach out to others and welcome them. Because this is a “re-start” for Salem in a new location, we will be perceived as a new congregation. Research has shown that it only takes two Christians to bring one person to faith in Christ in churches three years old or less. In five year old churches it takes twelve Christians. In a ten year old church, it takes seventy-two Christians. Bringing new people to new congregations is far easier than bringing new people to established congregations. We do not want to squander this opportunity for every single person of Salem to reach out to new people and welcome them. I have already had several conversations myself with persons who have expressed interest in visiting Salem in our new location. I have had conversations with people who have friends, family-members, and co-workers living in the neighborhoods around our new location. Welcoming all these persons means reaching out to them first. If we will reach out to others and welcome them as Salem does, I will not be surprised if the size of Salem doubles within the first year.

Please note, we will not do this simply for the sake of more people in the seats. Rather, we will continue to live out our name, bringing Salem to those around us. “Salem” comes from the Hebrew word shalom. This is usually translated as peace. God’s peace, however, is not just the absence of conflict but the wholeness of life. Jesus said, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:10 NRSV). Shalom means completeness, wholeness, health, peace, joy, love, friendship, well-being, justice, and salvation. Salem/Shalom is God’s will for the world, for the renewal of creation.

Churches see providence on flood anniversary

2010-06-14T01:29:00.001-05:00

This article from the Cedar Rapids Gazzette on flooded congregations includes information about Salem.
Churches see providence on flood anniversary

Salem's Journey to a New Location

2010-05-25T15:52:00.002-05:00

Salem has embarked on a journey to a new location. With our Conference Superintendent, Rev. David Crow, conducting the church conference, the congregation voted to accept the gracious offer from New Creation UMC to take over their 8.5 acres and phase one building for the cost of their remaining mortgage (about $312,000). There were 95 ballots handed out to professing members and members of the charge conference. There were 84 yes votes, 9 no votes, and 1 abstention for a total of 94 ballots returned. The motion passed by 89%. Therefore, Salem will move to 3715 33rd Ave SW later this summer.

This is a major turning point in the life of Salem. It has been nearly two years since the flood destroyed Salem’s downtown buildings. Now God is leading us to a new place. I am reminded of God leading the Israelites to the Promised Land. The LORD God told Moses to leave Sinai, where the Israelites received the Ten Commandments, and journey to the land that the LORD had promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

The LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Moses said to the LORD, “See, you have said to me, ‘Bring up this people’; but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. He said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” And he said to him, “If your presence will not go, do not carry us up from here” (Exodus 33:11a, 12a, 14-15 NRSV).

Like Moses and the Israelites, we do not make this move on our own. We are led in the power of the Holy Spirit. We will journey to a new location only by God’s grace and power. Let us join Moses in his beautiful cry of desperate dependence on God, “If your presence will not go, do not carry us up from here.”

The Leadership Board has empowered a Building Task Force to help us make this journey. This is a gifted and experienced group of people and includes Louis Busch, Linda Jandik, Joy Louk, Mark Minger (chair), Richard Pankey, Bob Thompson, Sharon Vavra, and Paul Vieira. These persons were nominated by the Nominations and Leadership Committee (Percy Caviness, Linda Curson, and myself) and confirmed by the entire Leadership Board for this important responsibility. The Building Task Force will report to the Leadership Board. The Leadership Board, however, will not redo the Building Task Force’s work but rather will serve as "quality control."

The Building Task Force will determine and accomplish what we need to do with our new building and property in order to make it Salem's home. You are welcome to contact any of the Building Task Force members to share your thoughts. Please know, we will not make decisions based on personal preferences but rather by seeking what is best for the kingdom of God. Salem belongs to Jesus. We are his church (Matthew 16:18). In creating this space anew, we will glorify God, edify our members as disciples of Jesus Christ, reach out to new people with God’s peace (wholeness, completeness), and be good stewards. What we do with this space will help set the tone for future building and expansion.

New Creation UMC will not close until the end of June. Therefore, we want to complete whatever work needs to be done in July and August so we can move to that location by the first of September at the latest. If we can accomplish what we need to sooner, we will move earlier than that.

Following the LORD God is an exciting adventure. Thanks be to God!

(click here for local media coverage)

A Response to New Creation's Offer

2010-04-27T15:30:00.000-05:00

I am very grateful for the offer from New Creation UMC. Since they are closing at the end of June this year, they have offered their 8.5 acres, phase one building, and blueprint plans for expansion to Salem for the cost of their remaining mortgage (about $312,000). Our brothers and sisters there must have had a difficult time deciding to discontinue after eighteen years. Furthermore, in the midst of grieving they had to decide what they would do with their land and building. While they had more than one option to consider, they chose to have a kingdom vision and offer it to Salem. In the face of death, they chose resurrection for New Creation and for Salem.

In the meantime, we were fasting and praying during Lent, seeking God’s guidance and direction for Salem. I am thankful for everyone who fasted and prayed! A church does not operate on a model or by pastoral plans and strategies. Rather, the Spirit of God moves in purposeful and often surprising ways to accomplish God’s will. As God’s people we place our trust in the Lord and in God’s provision for us while remaining open to the surprising ways of God.

New Creation’s offer is a gracious gift. The Spirit of God is on the move! We have the opportunity to receive their land and building and continue a United Methodist presence there on the southwest side of Cedar Rapids. This location next to Target (near Westdale Mall) is a greatly underserved area. There are new neighborhoods immediately next to the church property, across the street (Edgewood Road), and down Highway 151 into Fairfax. There are also very few churches in the area. What an opportunity for us to be the church, to be the church to the people who live in those neighborhoods, to be Jesus to our neighbors.

Accepting this offer would be very good stewardship too. We would only pay $312,000 for a property worth about $1,200,000. With the $750,000 from buyout money we could pay off the outstanding mortgage completely and invest the remaining $438,000 in expansion.

This offer from New Creation seems like a gift from the Lord. It includes a good mission, a good location with major roads, a good opportunity for expansion, and good stewardship. And we still have the Blairs Ferry land! Saying “yes” to New Creation does not mean saying “no” to the Blairs Ferry Land. We are still very excited about what God is doing there. Perhaps it will be an extension of Salem, like a multiple campus. Perhaps it will be a whole new congregation birthed by Salem. Perhaps it will be a retreat center. However the Spirit of God moves, it will be a wonderful place for a worshiping faith community.

The flood thrust Salem into a difficult situation. It has been painful and stressful. But God is able to bring good out of destruction. God is good! Salem consists of wonderful people with a long history and a heart for mission. We have an opportunity that few congregations ever have. We can start fresh, keeping the best of who we are while moving in new ways. This is a great adventure. Thanks be to God!

Salem to Decide about New Creation's Offer

2010-04-27T15:25:00.000-05:00

On April 3, 2010 the New Creation United Methodist Church officially offered to Salem their land, building, and blueprint plans for expansion. New Creation will officially discontinue at the end of June this year. Salem’s Leadership Board met on Tuesday, April 13, 2010 at New Creation to see and discuss the offer. The Leadership Board decided unanimously to recommend to the Salem congregation this offer from New Creation. Therefore, in order to reach an official decision, we will have an Open House at New Creation, a congregational meeting, and a Church Conference.

There will be an Open House at New Creation United Methodist Church on May 2 from 5:00 – 7:00 pm. This will give everyone interested the opportunity to see the land, building, and plans for expansion as well as the location and surrounding neighborhoods. New Creation is located at 3715 33rd Avenue SW. It is next to the west side Target. Turn west off of Edgewood Road onto 33rd Avenue and it will be just ahead on the left.

Additionally, there will be a congregational meeting on Sunday, May 16 at 12:45 pm (immediately following worship) in the Fellowship Hall. The Leadership Board will provide sandwiches and salad. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss New Creation’s offer for our future. This meeting will not include the official vote. Rather, it will be an opportunity to share information, discuss questions, and determine whether or not we have consensus (unanimity!) about our decision.

Finally, Salem will have a Church Conference with our Superintendent, Rev. David Crow on Monday, May 24 at 7:00 pm in the sanctuary of Kenwood Park UMC. This will be the official decision that determines whether Salem will accept the offer from New Creation to receive their land, building, and blueprint plans for expansion and assume the cost of their mortgage in the amount of $312,235.17.

An Offer for Salem's Future

2010-04-06T14:27:00.004-05:00

The New Creation United Methodist Church, on the southwest side of Cedar Rapids, is officially discontinuing at the end of June 2010 after eighteen years. On Easter Sunday we announced that they are offering Salem their land (8.5 acres), phase one building, and blueprint plans for expansion. Salem would need to assume their outstanding mortgage, a little over $300,000. That is about a fourth of the property value. The Flood of 2008 destroyed Salem's church building. With this offer from New Creation, there could be resurrection for both congregations.

Our next step will be the Leadership Board's decision to pursue this or not. We will do that in the next couple of weeks. If the Leadership Board chooses to pursue this offer, we will then prepare to have a Church Conference. That will be Salem's official decision. We will have at least one congregational meeting before a Church Conference as we did when we worked on the decision for the buyout of the downtown property. Again, we are looking for unanimity (clear consensus, one mind) in the congregation. And we will have an open house at New Creation to give everyone an opportunity to see the location, property, building, and surrounding neighborhoods.

Whatever decision Salem makes, this is very exciting. We have been fasting and praying during Lent, seeking what it is the Lord God is doing. We have traveled Holy Week with Jesus, encountering the triumphant entry into Jerusalem, the Last Supper, the betrayal, Jesus’ suffering, his death, and now his resurrection. And we proclaim: God not only raised Jesus from death, God raises his people to new life!

The Kingdom of God

2010-04-05T16:24:00.001-05:00

Jesus began his ministry by proclaiming, “The kingdom of God has come near” (Matthew 4:12-17; Mark 1:14-15). It could also be translated as, “The kingdom of God is at hand.” Besides preaching this, Jesus also taught us to pray for God’s kingdom, saying “Our Father in heaven, hallowed by your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:9-13; Luke 11:2-4). Jesus proclaimed that God’s kingdom has come. He taught us to pray for God’s kingdom to come on earth, here and now, not as a reward when we die. Wherever God’s will is done here and now, it is a sign of God’s kingdom.

One of the most beautiful descriptions of the kingdom of God in all of scripture occurs at the end of the Book of Isaiah:

For I am about to create new heavens and a new earth; the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I am creating; for I am about to create Jerusalem as a joy, and its people as a delight. I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and delight in my people; no more shall the sound of weeping be heard in it, or the cry of distress. No more shall there be in it an infant that lives but a few days, or an old person who does not live out a lifetime; for one who dies at a hundred years will be considered a youth, and one who falls short of a hundred will be considered accursed. They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit. They shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat; for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be, and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands. They shall not labor in vain, or bear children for calamity; for they shall be offspring blessed by the Lord— and their descendants as well. Before they call I will answer, while they are yet speaking I will hear. The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, the lion shall eat straw like the ox; but the serpent—its food shall be dust! They shall not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain, says the LORD (Isaiah 65:17-25 NRSV).

Our calling as the Church is to proclaim, pray for, and embody God’s kingdom in the world, here and now. Jesus announced the kingdom has come. True, it is not fully realized yet, but it has begun. We have had a foretaste of the complete reign of God and we are to embody that foretaste in the world.

This is what it means for us to be Salem. “Salem” comes from the Hebrew word shalom. This is usually translated as peace. God’s peace, however, is not just the absence of conflict but the wholeness of life. Jesus said, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:10 NRSV). Shalom means completeness, wholeness, health, peace, joy, love, friendship, well-being, justice, and salvation. Salem/Shalom is God’s will for the world. “Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth…”

Go back and re-read the description of God’s kingdom in Isaiah 65, but substitute “Salem” for “Jerusalem.” Salem is the ancient name for God’s beautiful city, Jerusalem, and it is the name under which we gather as a congregation. The kingdom of God is at hand! May we, Salem, embody God’s kingdom in the world.

Unanimity

2010-03-05T14:15:00.002-06:00

How do we as a congregation make decisions? This is an important question for us, considering we have been and will be making major decisions for the future of Salem Church.

In his wonderful book, Does God Need the Church?, German theologian Gerhard Lohfink fleshes out the characteristic signs of the Church. One of the foundational marks of the Church is gathering. When the New Testament refers to the Church, it usually uses the Greek word ekklesia, meaning assembly or congregation. The new community of Jesus gathered in Jerusalem after Jesus’ resurrection and ascension called itself the ekklesia of God. The early Christian communities were public assemblies of the whole people of God. In fact, the origin of “ekklesia of God” is the people of God gathered at Sinai in the Old Testament. In the book of Deuteronomy, Israel was gathered around the mountain and received the Ten Commandments. It was called “the day of assembly” and it was the foundational assembly of Israel, the event that constituted Israel as a people. As the ekklesia of God, the Church continues to live through and in its concrete gatherings. When we assemble, we are formed and re-formed as the people of God.

In the book of Acts in the New Testament, we see several of these assemblies. They are gatherings in which everything that is crucial for the community is discussed. They congregate to hear about what is moving the community, what has been happening. They assemble to ask what its way is to be. What is our next step? What is God’s will for us? How can we be God’s instrument for the world? They come together to interpret what has happened to them and what God’s will is for them.

That interpretation occurs in prayer. When the community gathers, they constantly devote themselves to prayer and listening to Scripture. They interpret their own situation in terms of God’s earlier words and deeds.

It is clear they are unable to make decisions on their own. After all, they assemble as the people belonging to God. Lohfink writes, “The assembly of the ekklesia thus has a center that sustains everything and that it cannot make of itself. It is a gift: the Spirit of Jesus. Only from this center can it find unanimity, and that unanimity is then its entire strength.”

Unanimity means being of one mind and it is a gift of the Holy Spirit. It means allowing God to set our minds on the same thing. By ourselves, people can never be in unanimity. It is not the same thing as a democratically organized church, taking votes and relying on majority decisions. Decisions are made by consensus. Unanimity is a miracle that is possible only by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Lohfink writes, “In the gift of unanimity, not in its own activity lies the theological mystery of the Church, its power and the fascination that goes forth from it. Living in unanimity is the first and most important mission of the Church.”

The Apostle Paul, writing to the community at Philippi, says the same thing.

If there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. (Philippians 2:1-4 NRSV).

This is our story. This is who we are. So how do we as a congregation make decisions? We make decisions by opening ourselves to the power of the Holy Spirit and being formed as the people of God through prayer and Scripture until we have unanimity, one mind. We cannot achieve this on our own. It is a gift of the Holy Spirit. Only then will we know the will of God in our own current context and situation.

As a congregation, beyond weekly worship we have assembled a few times since the flood. In the fall of 2008 we gathered to talk about our future. That became a very contentious assembly (don’t worry, there are some of those in the New Testament too!). Last fall, in 2009, we gathered again to talk about our future and decide on the voluntary buyout for our downtown property. While we did not have complete consensus we were moving towards unanimity. By the time we had our charge conference, we had unanimity – a consensus decision to accept the voluntary buyout.

As we face more decisions for our future, let us gather together and seek unanimity through prayer and Scripture. May the Spirit of Jesus grant us one mind as we seek God’s will, for we are God’s people.

Fasting for Lent, part 2

2010-01-30T15:47:00.003-06:00

I am encouraging our congregation to fast during Lent which begins on Ash Wednesday, February 17. This is simply an invitation and not an expectation. There will be a short meeting following worship (about 12:45 pm) on Sunday, February 7 for everyone planning to fast during Lent. We will make sure everyone understands how to fast, answer questions, and encourage one another.

As I said at the beginning of January, fasting is a spiritual discipline; it means abstaining from food for spiritual purposes. Fasting and prayer go together. Therefore we devote the time normally used for eating to reading scripture and prayer. Furthermore, the feeling of hunger is a reminder to draw near to God. Doing so often leads to greater intimacy with the Lord and to hearing more clearly what the Lord is saying to us. While there are interesting physical things that happen when we fast, far beyond anything physical is the spiritual. This is a discipline that helps us hear from the Lord and be in the Lord’s presence. Also, as Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount, we should refrain from calling attention to what we are doing. We do not act miserable because, in fact, we are not miserable. We are feeding on God!

Please remember that some people are not able to fast, such as those who are diabetic, pregnant, or heart patients. Please do not abstain from food if it is unhealthy for you. There are other ways to fast. We can abstain from the internet, chocolate, television, or something else. It has to be something important to you daily, though. This is the practice of “giving up” something for Lent and would be given up the entire season of Lent, from February 17 until Easter Day, April 4. Again, the major work of fasting is in the realm of the spirit. Keep prayer and fasting together.

If you are fasting by abstaining from food there are several options:

Twenty-four hour partial fast. You can drink fresh fruit juice during the fast. If you fast from lunch to lunch you would not eat two meals (supper and breakfast). This could be done once a week.

Twenty-four hour normal fast. Again do not eat two meals but only drink water (and healthy amounts of it). This could be done once a week.

Thirty-six hour fast. Do not eat three meals and drink only water. For instance, to fast on Wednesday, eat supper on Tuesday evening, then eat nothing more until breakfast on Thursday morning. This could be done once or twice a week. The ancient church manual, the Didache, prescribed two fast days a week – Wednesday and Friday. John Wesley revived this teaching from the Didache and urged early Methodists to fast on these two days. Later in Wesley’s life he fasted every Friday.

Three to seven day fast or longer. The first three or four days are usually the most difficult, physically. The sixth or seventh day you begin to feel stronger and more alert. By the ninth or tenth day the body will have eliminated most toxins, hunger pains will be minimal, and you will feel good. Physically, this is the most enjoyable part of the fast. Anywhere between twenty-one and forty days, hunger pains will return. This finally is the first stage of starvation. The body has used up its reserves. The fast should be broken with small amounts of fruit or vegetable juice. The stomach has shrunk and the digestive system has gone into a kind of hibernation. You must be very careful as you begin eating again!

Please consider fasting during Lent. If you choose to join me in this spiritual discipline, we will meet for a short time following worship on February 7 to help us prepare.

Meeting Outside the Church Building

2010-01-30T15:35:00.002-06:00

John Wesley, the instigator of the Methodist movement, was an Anglican clergyman. In March 1739 he left London and met his friend, the evangelist George Whitefield, in Bristol. He then did something stunning. He preached outside in a field. Wesley wrote in his journal:

[March 31, 1739 ] “I could scarcely reconcile myself at first to this strange way of preaching in the fields, of which [Mr. Whitefield] set me an example on Sunday; I had been all my life (till very lately) so tenacious of every point relating to decency and order that I should have thought the saving of souls almost a sin if it had not been done in a church. April 1.—In the evening (Mr. Whitefield being gone) I began expounding our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount (one pretty remarkable precedent of field-preaching, though I suppose there were churches at that time also), to a little society which was accustomed to meet once or twice a week in Nicholas Street. Monday, 2.—At four in the afternoon, I submitted to be more vile and proclaimed in the highways the glad tidings of salvation, speaking from a little eminence in a ground adjoining to the city, to about three thousand people.”

Wesley was passionate that people should not perish from their sins. Yet he was unable to reach them from church pulpits. After the success of these outdoor gatherings, Wesley never hesitated again to preach in any place where an assembly of people could be brought together. He preached another fifty years, often proclaiming the gospel in fields, meeting places, homes, chapels, and on the street. Wesley never left the Anglican Church. He still preached in any church that welcomed him (there were plenty that did not!). He determined, however, “to be more vile” and preach in any place where people gathered.

While Jesus' habit was to worship every week at the synagogue, he also did much of his preaching, teaching, and healing in other places (a hill side, the market place, walking along a road, in someone's home). John Wesley preached in open fields, on horseback, and in any other gathering place. Is God calling us, like Wesley, to realize that most people are not coming to hear the gospel in our worship services? If people are not coming to us, then we must go to them. God may be calling us, like Wesley, to tell the story of God in Jesus Christ any place where people gather, any place where we can gain a hearing.

Perhaps this is especially pertinent for us since Salem currently does not have a church building. Regardless of what the future holds for Salem, we will always gather together for worship. We will always assemble together to “build up” the community. Hopefully, we will soon have a place of our own for these bigger gatherings. Still, almost all of our smaller gatherings (classes, Bible studies, meetings, etc.) could meet outside of a “church building.” In fact, looking at Jesus and John Wesley, maybe they should! The best places to hold these smaller gatherings are in our homes. Other public locations work well, too, such as restaurants, coffee houses, and libraries.

The point is, the church is not confined to a building nor should it be. We are the body of Christ in the world and we are mobile. We will proclaim and embody Jesus in the world wherever we go. What an exciting adventure!

Fasting For Lent

2010-01-04T11:45:00.003-06:00

I am encouraging our congregation to fast during Lent. This is certainly not an expectation but rather an invitation. Since Lent begins on February 17 (Ash Wednesday), those of us who choose to do this need to begin preparing now. I am using Richard Foster’s wonderful book, Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth, to help us prepare. Much of this post is directly from his book. Fasting is a spiritual discipline; it means abstaining from food for spiritual purposes. Many persons in the Bible fasted, including Moses, David, Elijah, Esther, Daniel, Anna, Paul, and Jesus. This is an ancient discipline that we too would do well to practice.

Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) about giving, praying, and fasting as virtues of the kingdom people. Jesus did not say, “If you fast.” Rather he gave directions for “When you fast.” A few chapters later the disciples of John the Baptist approached Jesus and asked why both they and the Pharisees fasted but Jesus’ disciples did not. Jesus replied, “The wedding guests cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast” (Matthew 9:15 NRSV).

Many of the great Christians throughout church history fasted and encouraged fasting, including Martin Luther, John Calvin, and John Wesley. The ancient church manual, the Didache, prescribed two fast days a week – Wednesday and Friday. Our founder, Wesley, revived this teaching from the Didache and urged early Methodists to fast on these two days. This was such an important spiritual discipline that Wesley refused to ordain anyone to the Methodist ministry who did not fast on those two days. Later in Wesley’s life he fasted every Friday.

Fasting is a spiritual discipline, therefore it must center on God. God questioned the people in Zechariah’s day, asking “When you fasted…was it for me that you fasted?” (Zechariah 7:5 NRSV). Intriguing and amazing things often occur when we fast – physical benefits, success in prayer, enduing with power, spiritual insights – but these must never replace God as the center of our fasting.

So how do we fast? First, some people are not able to fast, such as those who are diabetic, pregnant, or heart patients. Please do not abstain from food if it is unhealthy for you. There are other ways to fast. We can abstain from the internet, chocolate, television, or something else. It has to be something important to you daily, though.

If you are able to fast from food and choose to do so, Richard Foster suggests starting slowly, learning to walk before attempting to run. Therefore, if you have not fasted previously, the first thing to try is a twenty-four hour partial fast from lunch to lunch. Do not eat two meals (supper and breakfast). You can drink fresh fruit juice during the fast. This should be done once a week for several weeks, paying attention to the inner attitude of your heart. Foster says, “Outwardly you will be performing the regular duties of your day, but inwardly you will be in prayer and adoration, song, and worship. In a new way, cause every task of the day to be a sacred ministry to the Lord.” Breaking the fast should be done with a light meal of fruits and vegetables and rejoicing.

After a few weeks, you are ready to attempt a twenty-four hour normal fast from lunch to lunch. Again do not eat two meals but only drink water (and healthy amounts of it). You will feel hunger pains, however, it is not real hunger. While the human body can only survive a short time without water, we can live for many days without food. Foster says the stomach is like a spoiled child and a spoiled child does not need indulgence but discipline.

Fasting is not simply abstaining from food in order to create a void. It is a spiritual discipline. Therefore we fill that void. Devote the time normally used for eating to reading scripture and prayer. Also, as Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount, refrain from calling attention to what you are doing and do not act miserable. In fact, we do not act miserable because we are not miserable. We are feeding on God.

After having achieved several fasts with a degree of spiritual success, it is time for a thirty-six hour fast. Do not eat three meals and drink only water. For instance, to fast on Wednesday, eat supper on Tuesday evening, then eat nothing more until breakfast on Thursday morning. After that, you could consider a three to seven day fast. Foster says fast for that time period would probably have a “substantial impact on the course of your life.”

When my wife and I spent time with our brothers and sisters in Korea in 2002, we learned their practice of regularly fasting for 3, 7, 10, 21, and 40 days. Foster says it is wise to understand the process your body goes through in these longer fasts.

The first three days are usually the most difficult. The physical discomfort (hunger pains) are the worst and the body begins ridding itself of toxins that have built up over years of poor eating habits. There is often a white coating on the tongue and bad breath and headaches (especially for caffeine drinkers).

The fourth day the hunger pains begin going away. Some people become weak or dizzy. It is important to rest and move slowly. The sixth or seventh day you begin to feel stronger and more alert. By the ninth or tenth day the body will have eliminated most toxins, hunger pains will be minimal, and you will feel good. Physically, this is the most enjoyable part of the fast.

Anywhere between twenty-one and forty days, hunger pains will return. This finally is the first stage of starvation. The body has used up its reserves. The fast should be broken with small amounts of fruit or vegetable juice. The stomach has shrunk and the digestive system has gone into a kind of hibernation. You must be very careful as you begin eating again!

Again, the physical aspects of fasting are intriguing, but the major work of fasting is in the realm of the spirit. Prayer and fasting go together. So I am encouraging us to fast during the forty days of Lent. If you do not abstain from food, consider fasting from whatever you choose the entire period of Lent. If you abstain from food, consider fasting once a week or even twice (Wednesdays and/or Fridays). Begin with the twenty-four hour partial fast and then move to the twenty-four hour normal fast and then finally to the thirty-six hour normal fast. In fact, you could begin fasting this way in January so that you are ready for the thirty-six hour normal fast when Lent begins on February 17 (Ash Wednesday). If you have fasted previously, you may choose to fast for 3, 7, or even 10 days or longer.

Again, this is an invitation, an encouragement to fast during Lent and not an expectation. If you choose to join me in this spiritual discipline, let us begin preparing now.

State of the Church

2010-01-03T20:43:00.003-06:00

A year ago I wrote my first “State of the Church” for Salem. What a difference a year makes. I have come to understand much more clearly Salem’s heart for mission. How amazing! During a difficult year as we moved forward following the flood, our congregation continued to give regularly to mission. Our Mission Committee does a wonderful job of being a “town crier” in our village, keeping before us the needs of others locally and globally. In December, we delivered a check for $1,200 to Matthew 25 to support their Thanksgiving and Christmas meals for people in need in Cedar Rapids. It looks like we will give about that much to our Advent offering for local shelters. What a way to celebrate “Christmas is not your birthday!” Way to go, Salem!

During the first part of 2009 we instituted a new organizational structure, the Leadership Board. The Leadership Board members have given a great deal of time this year. I have appreciated their work and leadership. This streamlined structure has been very helpful. As we move forward we will create a three-year rotation for the Leadership Board. Then our next step is to expand our structure a little by including an entire team for Nominations and Leadership Development. This group will work year-round not only to develop leaders but also to help assimilate all people into the life of the congregation.

Worship attendance has decreased this last year. When I arrived we averaged close to 180 people in worship in two services. When we moved to the Kenwood Park UMC in May, attendance dropped to 150 in one service. When we began meeting at 11:45 am in September attendance dropped again to about 125. Attendance increased a little during Advent to 135.

We started 2009 with $29,000 in the checking account. This amount was carry-over from previous years. We met all of our 2009 financial responsibilities, including paying our apportionments in full. In doing so, however, we also used up the extra $29,000 entirely.

As the angels proclaimed to the shepherds after Jesus’ birth, “Do not be afraid!” God will continue to see us through. Though our pledges for 2010 decreased some from last year, we will continue to stay afloat and move forward. We are decreasing the budget as much as we can. The one thing that could happen, perhaps for the first time in Salem history, is that we might not be able to pay our apportionments in full in 2010. We will certainly do our best. Salem’s heart for mission is magnificent. We all know, however, that it is not business as usual right now.

We are also changing how we handle our finances. For ten years, Mike Weaverling has taken responsibility for keeping the books as our treasurer. Mike is stepping back so this year we will begin keeping the books in the church office. We have a great finance team with responsibility spread around. I want to offer a huge thank-you to Mike Weaverling for his many years of service and to Chuck Scott for helping to implement the new process in the church office.

The big question for Salem is, where are we going to land as a congregation? Many are frustrated. Like the Israelites who wandered in the wilderness for forty years before entering the Promised Land, it feels like we have not been home for a long time. It is a journey and the journey changes us. When the Israelites finally entered the Promised Land they were not the same people as when they left Egypt.

We know we will not return downtown. We voted to accept the voluntary buyout. The buildings downtown will probably be demolished in 2010. Now we are looking at two potential places in the city for our location: the southwest side (the area where New Creation UMC has been located) and the land we already own on Blairs Ferry Road in the Cedar Rapids-Hiawatha area. These are both very good possibilities. The flood thrust us into a difficult situation. It has been painful and stressful. But God is able to bring good out of destruction. We have an incredible opportunity. We have options and possibilities that few congregations have. God is good!

This year, then, we expect to make our decision about where we want to locate based on where we will reach out to the community. We will figure out a base of operations, that is, where we will gather. This will not be our final church building, as we need to reach out and grow the church (the people!) before we build the house. We need to let the foot grow, so to speak, before we buy the shoe.

We have lost some people. Others have stepped back, waiting to see what happens. This is all normal. But many of the Salem people have stayed. This is a great congregation! It makes me think of Dietrich Bonhoeffer who said, "The ultimate question for a responsible man to ask is not how he is to extricate himself heroically from the affair, but how the coming generation shall continue to live."

Bonhoeffer was a young Lutheran theologian and pastor from Germany. There was chaos in his country. War was imminent. He had been hounded and silenced by the Nazis for his vocal opposition to the persecution of Jews. American friends offered him safety but he struggled with his decision to leave Germany. “I have come to the conclusion that I made a mistake in coming to America,” he wrote. “I shall have no right to take part in the restoration of Christian life in Germany after the war unless I share the trials of this time with my people.”

Back in Germany, the Gestapo arrested Bonhoeffer. He spent two years in prison. Then, just days before being liberated by allied troops, Bonhoeffer was hanged. He was 39 years old. His last act was to lead and share in a liturgy of communion with his fellow prisoners. His last words were: This is the end, but for me the beginning of life.

Thank you, Salem, for sharing in this time of trial. The restoration is coming and it will be wonderful!

Goodbye, Oreo

2009-12-07T10:37:00.005-06:00

My family had a very difficult day last Friday. We put our dog, Oreo, to sleep after fifteen years with us. My daugher, Kaitlyn, wrote about this on her Facebook page. Since only her Facebook friends are able to read it directly there, I wanted to share what she wrote here:

Anybody seen the movie Marley & Me? I bet most of you have. I cried so hard at the end of the movie…(well, I cry in every movie), but this was a heart-breaking, cry your eyes out until you think you've soaked your t-shirt all the way through movie…I never thought I would experience it.
Nobody wants to go through that.

Maybe you're reading this and you know what I'm talking about because you've been through it before. Maybe you've had a dog or a cat or another pet that you have had to put down. You've experienced that grief of losing something you love dearly. It's hard. I now know, it's more than just hard, it's…painfully hard. Something you have to go through in order to have that knowledge of just how HARD it is.

I'm going to tell you a little about that experience I had today.

Today is December 4th. It's extremely cold out, and there is just a little snow on the ground. Our appointment was at eleven o'clock this morning. Everybody in my family wanted to be there when it happened. But when I got in the car and looked back at my dog, a white and black fluffy ball sitting hunched over on her red plaid blanket, I wasn't so sure I wanted to be there. I thought I might get sick for a minute. But I knew this was important. I had to be there. This was something I wasn't going to forget.

Because, of course, Oreo was my first and only dog I had ever had. Ever.

For those of you who didn't know her, my dog was Oreo, a 15 year old black-and-white border collie/cocker spaniel mix. She was named for the white stripe down the middle of her black head. She had spots on her nose and the rest of her body. She even had a little black mustache! :) My parents got Oreo a year before I was born. So I have NEVER lived a day of my life without her. I have never had another pet (or even wanted one, I don't think) besides Oreo. (Okay, well, my sisters both have some fish but they aren't MY fish. I don't even really like fish. So Oreo was my only pet.)

We have so many pictures to remember her by. We have baby pictures of me and Oreo; Oreo laying down on the floor next to me, her head on my blanket; Oreo and me sitting in the backyard; Oreo looking out the window next to me, or peeking over the crib at me. She was very protective over me. She was my best friend, always at my side.

I know (perhaps) I wasn't always the nicest to her. I remember chasing her around the kitchen table in Hudson with a bow in my had, trying to tie it around her. I think I chased her around about five times before she bit me. And it wasn't that hard, either. Just a warning. She's never been a mean dog, it's not her in her character to bite anyone. One time, she bit my little sister (and she really deserved it) but then felt so bad she sat beside her as she cried while my mom bandaged her thumb.

She loved squirrels. She loved to chase after them, and she even caught one once! (She let it go though.) She loved playing ball, and had a little squeaky soccer ball she'd play with. Tennis balls, too. But these things didn't interest her that much as she got older. She couldn't see so well, and I can't remember the last time we tried to point out a squirrel and she didn't recognize it. Also when she was younger, my dad would wrestle with her until she started to chase her tail and run up and down the house, making us LAUGH like crazy! She was so funny…

The car ride over to the hospital was one of the hardest things for all of us.

I was already crying, but I knew it was going to get worse. Sitting in that small little room, all crowded around the dog, petting her and crying. The poor thing didn't know what was the matter with all of us. They explained what they were going to do, and I knew all of it before it happened. But, knowing something and experiencing something are two different things. I had heard about this before.

They give her a shot so she will become very sleepy…

Oreo never liked shots. Well, who does? She yelped and then kinda sat down. Then she sank down to the floor and was very still. Peaceful. We petted her some more. And then it was time.

They give her one more shot into the bloodstream…

I honestly don't know if there really is a dog heaven. But I hope so. I stood there and looked at her, limp on the counter, and stroked her fur. She had the softest fur…

She had a pretty strong heart. It was still beating! I could see her chest rising and falling…slowly, very slowly, but still at work. The shot wasn't working. So…they had to give her another one, more direct…

Then she was asleep.

Gone.

There was no life in her eyes. But I knew she had a good life, and was a great gift to us. Thank God for animals, right? I knew this was "the right thing to do"…and that she would no longer be in pain. She would no longer have to be carried up and down the stairs. Her teeth wouldn't hurt anymore. She would be just fine. I just kept thinking, over and over, "sometimes the hardest thing and the right thing are the same". But did it have to be this hard?

Maybe you've never had a dog. But let me tell you, they aren't kidding when they say "dog is man's best friend". A dog will listen to you when you're down. A dog will let you put your arms around his neck and and cry into his fur, and he won't even tell a single soul when you whisper to him that you ate the last cookie. A dog will look into your eyes and you know, without words, that he will love you forever. That he will stay by your side. Even if you yell at him and tell him he's got the worst breath ever (see, you insult him!) he doesn't care. In fact, he'll wag his tail and lick your toes until you really don't care if his breath stinks.

But my dog, my dog was so special to me…I told you I had never lived a day without her. So at the exact moment she stopped breathing, I knew my life was going to be different. My life was already changing enough…and now my dog had to leave me…

I felt like I lost a chunk of my heart…

Christmas Is Not Your Birthday

2009-12-07T10:11:00.002-06:00

In Seinfeld, the popular TV series from the 1990s, one of the characters, George Constanza, is unhappy about having to buy Christmas gifts for family, friends, and co-workers. George is cheap and devises clever ways to save money. So he makes up a charity and gives everyone a note card that simply says, “A donation in your name has been made to The Human Fund.” George’s scheme works pretty well until his boss gives him a check from the company for $25,000 as a donation to The Human Fund.

Christmas is not a time to be cheap. It is a time to be generous. The question is, to whom are we being generous? I said last year that I would offer this challenge now: let us consider what we spend on Christmas gifts and give at least an equal amount of money for mission.

In our culture, from 1999 to 2006 the average spending on Christmas gifts was around $1,000. In 2007, Christmas spending dropped a little to $859. Last year was a big change as most people planned to cut their gift spending by 50%. This year that trend continues as people are planning to spend an average of $417, down from $431 last year. The American Research Group conducted their twenty-fourth annual survey on holiday spending and found that planned spending is at the lowest level recorded since 1990 when planned spending was $399 (it was $419 in 1991).

This cut in spending, of course, coincides with the poor economy. While the cut in spending is a good thing, it is good also to remember that Jesus was concerned about inward motivations as well as outward circumstances.

Therefore, many congregations today challenge the way we live during December. We say, “Christmas is not your birthday. Celebrate your birthday when it is your birthday. Celebrate Jesus’ birthday on Christmas.” Shopping and spending money on stuff does not celebrate Jesus’ birthday. Jesus said he came to bring good news to the poor, to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free (Luke 4:18). Jesus did not come so some of the wealthiest people in the world (that is us) could have more stuff.

Christmas is a wonderful time of year. Still, it is not about consumption but compassion. It is not about presents but presence. It is a time to be generous. Therefore, I want to challenge us all to celebrate Jesus’ birth by giving to mission with our money (and our time and service, too!). The Missions Committee has identified local shelters as a mission emphasis for our entire congregation to support. I am very impressed as I have begun to see more clearly and understand Salem’s heart for mission. I know we can meet this challenge.

This could be hardest for those of us with younger children or grandchildren. In my own family we have been talking about this for a couple of years. It is essential that we form our children as Christians. That means we have to struggle constantly against the ways our children are formed in the world. This will not happen easily or quickly. I am challenging us to give at least an equal amount to mission. Even buying one less present, though, and giving the money to those in need is a good start. If you have any questions about how to go about this, please do not hesitate to contact me. May we live in such a way that our lives proclaim, “Happy Birthday, Jesus!”

What Is the Vision?

2009-11-02T07:49:00.003-06:00

I am often asked about the vision of the church or sometimes about my vision for the church. This often leads to confusion when I respond that I do not have one. Surely the pastor must have a vision for the congregation? Well, no. Let me explain. When it comes to vision the most quoted text is Proverbs 29:18 in the King James Version: “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” There is a distinction, however, between vision (something people produce) and revelation (something people receive from God).

A better rendering of the Proverbs verse is, “Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint” (NIV). This is the sense of several new translations: “Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint” (ESV). “When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild” (NLT). “If people can’t see what God is doing, they stumble all over themselves; but when they attend to what he reveals, they are most blessed” (The Message).

The point is, God does not ask us to operate by vision, that is, by what we think or generate. God’s people live by revelation, that is, by what we receive from God. We are not to project our own agendas or visions. For Christians, God alone sets the agenda. We must seek God’s will and adjust our lives to that.

In the Bible (Genesis 12) we see that God revealed to Abraham that he was forming a people. It was not Abraham’s idea or dream or vision. God revealed it to him! Abraham did not have the power to become the father of a great nation. He did not even have the power to become a father. But God spoke and it began to happen. God began to form a people for himself through a childless couple.

Gerhard Lohfink, the New Testament scholar and biblical theologian from Germany, notes that the Bible does not seem to be concerned with vision or models or strategies. He writes,

The story of the gathering of the people of God from Abraham until today never took place according to a model. It was always the Spirit of God who brought about new initiatives in the Church, often quite surprisingly and contrary to every expectation. God’s plans do not coincide with our human plans. Therefore following the plan of God means trusting in God’s promises and remaining open to things that are humanly unforeseeable, in the knowledge and confidence of being sustained and led. The Bible does not concern itself anywhere with pastoral plans and strategies. Instead, on almost every page it reveals that God does not act anywhere and everywhere, but in a concrete place. God does not act at any and every moment, but at a particular time. God does not act through anyone and everyone, but through people God chooses. If we do not come to recognize that again there will be no renewal of the Church in our time, for this principle of salvation history is true today as well. (Does God Need the Church? Toward a Theology of the People of God, p. viii)

Jesus did not cast vision or develop a plan. He simply sought his Father’s will. Our prayer must be the one Jesus teaches us: “Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10 NRSV). It is not about our kingdom or will but God’s. Only God’s agenda matters.

Certainly revelation is also what God speaks to us in the Bible. We have a written record of God and his people in the pages of Scripture. God opens that up to us in new ways by the power of his Spirit. As God’s people we remain open to the surprising action of the Holy Spirit.

Discerning God’s will is not always easy. God’s revelation is easier to comprehend in hindsight. In the present, we often take a risk and step out in faith. As we do, sometimes doors close. If so, we simply step back and then step out in faith again in a new direction. As Gerhard Lohfink says, “following the plan of God means trusting in God’s promises.” We may not know what God knows. As the Apostle Paul says, “For now we see in a mirror, dimly…now I know only in part” (1 Corinthians 13:12 NRSV). We do trust, however, that God will sustain and lead us.

What a difficult time for Salem right now. We are waiting. We are impatient. We have pulled back from attending worship at 11:45 am. We are questioning our future. The stress and anxiety continue. Yet, now is the time for us to faithfully and patiently wait on God’s revelation. It is so important that we not try to force God’s hand but rather receive what God grants us. Therefore, instead of concerning ourselves with our own strategies, rather than casting a vision we have produced, let us continue to pray for God to show us what God is doing. Let us continue to pay attention to what God reveals to us. And may we be surprised by the action of the Holy Spirit.

Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

One Hundred Disciples: Fall Stewardship Campaign

2009-11-02T07:45:00.002-06:00

Our Fall Stewardship Campaign challenges us to honor all of our membership vows. This is not simply a financial campaign. Rather, we are challenging the entire congregation to renew all of the practices that form us as disciples of Jesus Christ so that we can transform the world.

As members we confess Jesus Christ as Savior. At the same time we promise to serve him as Lord. Many people are thankful to accept Jesus as Savior. Fewer, however, serve him as Lord. If Jesus is Lord, then Jesus is the Master, the Boss of our lives. We do not get to pursue our own personal agendas. We pursue God’s agenda for us and for the world.

We need help doing this as it is so contrary to our nature. There are several practices that help form us as disciples of Jesus Christ. We promise to practice these habits as members of the church. We affirm that we will be loyal to Christ through the United Methodist Church and that we will faithfully participate in the ministries of Salem Church by our prayers, our presence, our gifts, our service and our witness.

Therefore, our Fall Stewardship Campaign challenges us to commit our lives in faithful participation. Everyone will receive a letter with instructions and a pledge form to fill out and bring back to the consecration service on November 22 (or send to the church office ahead of time). Please prayerfully consider your response. This is important.

For John Wesley, founder of the Methodist movement, being a Christian was serious business. He was highly critical of “the almost Christian,” one who has the outward form of godliness but not the power (2 Timothy 3:5).

John Wesley once said, "Give me one hundred people who fear nothing but sin and desire nothing but God, and I care not whether they be clergy or lay, they alone will shake the gates of hell and set up the kingdom of God upon the earth.”

100 Disciples: Fall Stewardship Campaign

2009-10-02T18:00:00.002-05:00

Each Fall churches look at the budget for the coming year. Often there is a financial campaign, asking church members to make a pledge to God’s kingdom through the local congregation. The pledges, in turn, give an indication of how much money will be available for the church’s budget.

In the Fall churches often talk about tithing or proportional giving (giving in proportion to one’s income). Tithing is “the setting aside of one-tenth of one's income for God as is specifically noted in the Bible. Tithing has been the traditional minimum standard of giving for Christians. The United Methodist Church has taken the official position that tithing is the standard for United Methodists, and the practice of tithing is to be actively encouraged in every local church” (A Dictionary for United Methodists, Alan K. Waltz, © 1991, Abingdon Press).

While all of this can be good, there is a problem. It can give the impression that we have to raise money for a budget and therefore that is why we give our money to the church.

The truth is, it is not our money in the first place. “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it” (Psalm 24:1a NRSV). First, God gives to us. God allows us to be stewards, managing what belongs to God. In so doing, God forms us in his image to be a people who share and give. We give, then, because God calls us to give, to be like God the Father and Creator. Giving is a spiritual issue for each of us and for the Church. We do not give in order to raise money for a church budget.

Jesus spoke about money and possessions in sixteen of his thirty-eight recorded parables (42%)! Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” He also said, “No one can serve two master; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth” (Matthew 6:21, 24 NRSV).

We are called to give generously and cheerfully, trusting that God will take care of us. Unfortunately, we are not doing too well. In the United Methodist Church, instead of giving a minimum of 10% we give an average of about 2% (and we are the wealthiest people on the planet). If Jesus was right, if our giving, wealth, and possessions are a spiritual issue, then we are struggling spiritually. We are struggling in our formation as God’s stewards who give and share like God. Where is our heart? Who is our Master? As Jesus said, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God” (Matthew 19:24 NRSV).

This points to a bigger issue. Our purpose in the Church is not to raise money for a budget. Our goal is not even to make members who will give. Our mission is to make disciples of Jesus Christ who will transform the world. Our giving is but one part of our discipleship.

In the ancient Church, Tertullian (c.160-c.225) said, “Christians are made, not born.” Just like Olympic athletes are made and not born, the kind of people we become is directly related to the habits we practice in life. There are several practices or habits that help form us as disciples of Jesus Christ.

We promise to practice these habits as members of the church. All members affirm that they will be loyal to Christ through the United Methodist Church and will faithfully participate in the ministries of the local congregation by their prayers, their presence, their gifts, their service and their witness. Specifically, these habits look something like this:

We worship together every week unless sick or out of town;
We pray for our church and the world;
In addition to worship, we pursue spiritual growth and deep relationships in Bible studies, classes, small and medium size groups, and Sunday school classes;
We help one another discover our spiritual gifts and use them regularly to serve in the church and in the world, especially in peace and justice ministries;
We seek to offer warm hospitality to those who come into our midst;
We give to the church in proportion to our incomes (tithe);
We share God’s grace and truth with those all around us in our circle of influence: in our homes and neighborhoods, at work, with our friends and family members – all the places we go and all the people we know;
We participate however we can wherever we see God working in the world.

Christians are made by the habits we practice in life. Again, we are not just making members; we are making disciples of Jesus. How do we know how well we are doing at making disciples? We just have to examine ourselves. The test of the Bible is not how loud we shout or how popular we are. The test of the Bible is the kind of people it produces. Our congregation, Salem Church, is the test for the truthfulness of the scriptures. The Church, by the power of the Holy Spirit, is the embodiment of Jesus in the world today, carrying out God’s mission.

So yes, this Fall we will ask all members to give to God’s kingdom through Salem Church. We will ask all members to give to the church in proportion to their income. Not because we need to raise money for a budget, but because as God’s people we share what God has given us. We give because we are made in the image of God and God gives.

We will not only ask members to give, however. Rather, we will remind members to honor all of our membership vows and renew all the practices that form us as disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

It is true: since the flood last year, Salem’s attendance and giving has declined. Certainly that reality will be reflected in the budget for next year. That, however, is not the point. If we practice the habits of discipleship the budget will take care of itself. In fact our little budget would only be a small part of the ministry and mission we would support throughout the world. Let us live as disciples of Jesus Christ with wild abandon! Our founder, John Wesley once said, "Give me one hundred people who fear nothing but sin and desire nothing but God, and I care not whether they be clergy or lay, they alone will shake the gates of hell and set up the kingdom of God upon the earth.”

Salem Will Pursue Buyout

2009-10-02T17:55:00.001-05:00

Salem Members met on September 20th to discuss the proposed voluntary buyout of our downtown buildings and property whereby the City of Cedar Rapids would pay Salem $699,127 (the 2008 pre-flood assessed value). While not an official vote, the clear consensus of the meeting was to accept the buyout.

Therefore a plan for accepting the buyout and moving forward will be presented for approval to the District Board of Church Location and Building and also to the Bishop and Cabinet. Salem church members will officially vote on the matter at an upcoming Church Conference.

Congregational Meeting on Sunday

2009-09-18T14:00:00.002-05:00

We will gather for a congregational meeting on Sunday following worship (about 12:45 pm). The Leadership Board will provide lunch.

The purpose of the meeting is to determine whether we will participate in the voluntary buyout from the city. We will not have an official vote. The official vote will come later at the Charge Conference. We will, however, determine the will of the congregation. If it is to pursue the buyout, then we will seek the approval of the District Building and Location Committee as well as the Bishop and Cabinet. If we receive those approvals, then the congregation will vote at the official meeting of the church, the Charge Conference. (If the process leads us to a Charge Conference vote, it will be held at a time other than our yearly Charge Conference that has already been scheduled for October 11.)

At this time, more than 100 persons have indicated they will participate in the congregational meeting. That is a tremendous turnout! Obviously, this is an important step towards Salem's future.

Worship, Part 2

2009-09-03T13:00:00.009-05:00

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. Acts 2:42 NRSV

I have received many comments and questions about my last blog on worship. I shared a quote from the middle of the second century from Justin Martyr in his First Apology. It is a description of the normal Sunday worship in the early church. Here is another version of that quote:

[1] On the day which is called Sunday, all who live in the cities or in the countryside gather together in one place. [2] And the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read as long as there is time. [3] then, when the reader has finished, the president, in a discourse, admonishes and invites the people to practice these examples of virtue. [4] Then we all stand up together and offer prayers. [5] and, as we mentioned before, when we have finished the prayer, bread is presented, and wine with water (Bard Thompson, ed., Liturgies of the Western Church [Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1980], p. 9).

One of the questions I heard was, “Why should we go back only to Justin Martyr? Shouldn’t we go all the way back to the holy writ of the New Testament?”

That is a good question and very perceptive. For instance, Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians addresses issues of worship (1 Corinthians 14). While we have bits and pieces in the New Testament and other sources, liturgical scholars tell us we do not have any clear evidence for the process of Christian worship until we get to Justin Martyr. His description does seem to elaborate on the New Testament scripture Acts 2:42: "They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers" (NRSV). This is the first summary of Christian worship in the New Testament. Again, unfortunately, it is not a complete description of worship in the New Testament era nor do we have one. We have snippets here and there as well as theories, but ultimately we just do not know. Therefore, Justin Martyr’s writing is our earliest and best look at the worship practices of the ancient church.

The central act has always been the reading and preaching of scripture to which are added the prayers of the people and the sacrament of Holy Communion. We do know that the practice of reading scripture in the ancient church was carried over from the synagogue where the Torah (the first five books of the Old Testament) was read in a continuous fashion. Wherever the reader stopped reading one week, that is where the reader began the next week. This practice is known as lectio continua or continuous reading. The Reformation 500 yeas ago revived this practice of reading scripture in worship.

Another practice that arose in the early church is lectio selecta or selective readings. This is the practice of the Revised Common Lectionary which we usually follow at Salem. It selects scripture readings based on the Christian year that tell the story of God’s salvation in Jesus Christ.

In choosing texts for worship, scripture must always be the master. God speaks first. We submit to the authority of what God says to us in scripture, not by considering what the preacher wants to say or thinks the congregation needs to hear. Reading scripture is one of the primary ways we are formed as God’s people. United Methodist Bishop William Willimon writes,

The church is a community gathered around the story of God in Jesus Christ as recounted in Scripture. The pastor bears the chief burden of lifting up that story to the church on a weekly basis, to ‘open the Scriptures’ to those who, in baptism, are called to align their lives to this story (Pastor: Theology and Practice of Ordained Ministry [Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2002], p. 81).

Next month I will look more closely at the identity-forming practice of reading scripture in the synagogue and how that carried over to the ancient church.

UMCOR with Salem

2009-08-12T11:42:00.004-05:00

On Sunday, July 26, Rev. Tom Hazelwood was our special guest preacher. Tom is the Assistant General Secretary for disaster response in the United States for UMCOR (the United Methodist Committee On Relief). His presence gave people an opportunity to ask questions and speak with him directly. It was a good reminder that Salem is not alone. We are part of a larger connectional system that cares deeply about Salem.

Some of you may remember that Tom was with us for worship on my very first Sunday with Salem last year (at Lovely Lane UMC). That was just a few weeks after the flood. He spoke to the congregation that day. Now a year later, he has been back to spend more time with Salem.

Tom has written a very kind blog about his visit with us and how impressed he is that, even in the midst of the flood, Salem has remained strongly engaged in mission. Click here to read it.

New Creation Possibility

2009-08-10T10:59:00.002-05:00

Word is spreading about the possibility of buying out the New Creation UMC property. We need to be sensitive to our brothers and sisters of New Creation as they struggle with a decision to continue. Here is some background information:

Salem leaders participated in a conversation November 13, 2008 with New Creation and several other UM congregations. New Creation said their budget was in crisis and they couldn't pay their mortgage.
At Annual Conference in June, their pastor suggested we have a conversation about Salem's interest in their property.
I spoke with their pastor on July 25, 2009 about their situation as well as Salem's. New Creation has asked for a "viability study" to see if they should continue. They are pushing ahead, but if things don't change by Christmas they will be out of money.
The New Creation building is located next to Target at Westdale mall. It is 4,000 sq. ft. and sits on 8.5 acres.
It could be a short-term stepping-stone or a permanent location. There is plenty of room for expansion and several plans have already been drawn up.
It would be the fastest way to get into our own place. While space and expansion would be issues, it is already large enough for our worship gatherings.

At this point this is just talk. Before it is appropriate for Salem to make any decisions in this matter, New Creation must first decide whether they will continue as a congregation and if so whether they will remain connected to the property. This must be a difficult time for New Creation. We went down a similar path with our new church start in Des Moines, Colony 320. Our prayers are with our brothers and sisters of New Creation.

Worship Time Change

2009-08-10T10:45:00.002-05:00

Beginning September 13 our worship service time will change to 11:45 am. This will be temporary (less than 6 months). Kenwood Park has been so gracious in sharing their space with us and allowing us the best of the three time slots for worship this summer. Since our intention is to move on from the Kenwood Park UMC building as soon as possible, however, they need to be able to return to their own schedule. (They will worship at 8:30 am, have Sunday School at 9:30 am, and worship at 10:30 am.) Therefore, 11:45 am is the first opportunity we will have to use the sanctuary on Sunday mornings. While this seems very late for most people, other congregations in our situation usually need to meet on Sunday afternoon or evening. So I am grateful for this time.

Our Sunday morning discipleship classes for children and youth will meet from 10:30 - 11:30 am. Adult classes will meet as they determine.

All Things New

2009-08-07T10:37:00.002-05:00

My friend, Aubrey, is starting a new congregation in Alabama. To begin with, the name for their new church is "All Things New." A video was created that explores the significance of their name. Aubrey says the video is a "beautiful and true rendering of the gospel. This concept piece artistically captures the transformative and renewing power of God's Kingdom." I agree. It's a powerful video. I would love to show it during our worship on All Saints Day (November 1) when we read Revelation 21:1-6a.

All Things New from Matt Minor on Vimeo.

You can visit the All Things New website here.

The Year That Was

2009-07-31T18:15:00.004-05:00

Salem has faced some major issues. The Flood of 2008 was the worst disaster in Iowa's history and one of the ten worst in the nation. Our buildings, gathering space, furnishings, equipment, and base of operations were destroyed. The church office was also destroyed, including all the data, information, history, and filing therein. The staff changed radically with a new pastor and no associate pastor, discipleship director, or contemporary music director. The chaos interrupted many of the ongoing congregational ministries. The flood directly compromised many in our congregation. The flood displaced the Walk to Emmaus community after 133 walks at the Salem site. It has been a difficult, stressful year.

But God is good! We created a timeline to help us remember what has happened during the past year and celebrate what has been accomplished. Many things have changed. But we are still the people of God, participating in God's mission to the world. Exciting things have happened and continue to happen. Check it out. This is an adventure!

Voluntary "Buyout" Paperwork Signed

2009-07-31T18:11:00.002-05:00

On Monday, July 20, we signed the paperwork for the voluntary “buyout” in Cedar Rapids. Our Leadership Board decided to do this as the deadline was upon us and we needed to sign the paperwork if we ever wanted to be considered for the buyout.

Salem is eligible for the voluntary property acquisition program ("buyout") as the Salem properties downtown are located within a flood-impacted neighborhood and our properties are determined to be "beyond reasonable repair," which is defined as a rehabilitation cost that exceeds 60% of the pre-flood assessed value of the property.

We are able to back out of the buyout at any time up until closing. If we participate in the buyout, we will first need the approval of the district building and location committee, the approval of the Bishop and Cabinet, and the approval of our congregation (charge conference).

If we participate in the buyout, it could take a year or longer to close on our downtown properties. The money is available, however, and closings will begin in the coming months. Salem would receive a check for almost $700,000, the 2008 pre-flood assessed values. That is $488,166 for the main church building; $180,152 for the annex building; and $30,809 for the parking lot (total = $699,127). Salem has also just received $50,000 of Jumpstart money. Any of that money not used for renovation will be deducted from the total buyout price. If Salem would receive any insurance money, that would not be counted against the buyout.

Worship

2009-07-31T18:05:00.003-05:00

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship,
to the breaking of bread and the prayers. Acts 2:42 NRSV

Because we have been sharing space, thanks to the great kindness of our Kenwood Park UMC brothers and sisters, we have been assembling for one worship service on Sunday mornings. I have heard from a few people that, for them, our one service is either too traditional or it is too contemporary (yes, I have heard both!). Furthermore, the comments generally refer to the songs we sing or the style of the music.

Perhaps it would be helpful to share my approach to worship. This is part of the doctoral dissertation I am working on, so I have done quite a bit of research in this area. A big question for me is, How did the ancient church worship? “Walking backwards into the future,” means looking to the early church as we move forward in the twenty-first century.

About the middle of the second century, Justin Martyr wrote in his First Apology a description of the normal Sunday worship. It’s our earliest and best look at the worship practices of the ancient church. He wrote:

And on the day called Sunday there is a meeting in one place of those who live in cities or the country, and the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read as long as time permits. When the reader has finished, the president in a discourse urges and invites [us] to the imitation of these noble things. Then we all stand up together and offer prayers. And, as said before, when we have finished the prayer, bread is brought, and wine and water (Cyril Richardson, ed., Early Christian Fathers, p. 287).

The central act was reading scripture. The early church read scripture "as long as time permits." In fact for the first three centuries, Christian worship was comprised mainly of getting together, greeting those gathered, reading from the Old Testament scriptures, the New Testament letters, the Gospels (the “memoirs of the apostles”), and then hearing a sermon. As an aside, it’s interesting to note that after the sermon, anyone not yet baptized was dismissed. Then the congregation prayed together and shared in holy communion before dispersing. This was the ancient practice of worship.

What is missing? For the first three centuries, other than a psalm that might be sung between the scripture readings, there was very little singing. Singing first appeared when Christian worship became more elaborate in the fourth and fifth centuries. Even then, however, the singing often functioned to mask some action, such as moving into the sanctuary or getting the clergy to the altar-table.

Ironically, in the latter half of the twentieth century and now in the twenty-first century, there have been “worship wars” over the style of music used for singing. Some congregations and Christians have even come to consider singing equal to (or greater than!) the reading and preaching of scripture in worship. As we walk backwards into the future, what might the ancient church be saying to us?

Of course, we Methodists have always been “a singing people” and that is true of Salem too. The next time we gather for worship be sure to open the hymnal to page vii and read John Wesley’s directions for singing. Much of our Christian and United Methodist theology is contained in our hymns. One of the interesting issues for Salem, though, is that our United Methodist hymnal has only been used for a few years. I have learned that some of the classic Christian or Methodist hymns are relatively unknown. As the congregation learns some of those songs, I need to learn some of the songs that have been a part of Salem’s worship for decades.

We will sing in our worship. Music and singing can be a wonderful part of worship. 500 years ago, the reformer, Martin Luther, said of worship “that nothing else be done in it than that our dear Lord Himself talk to us though His holy Word and that we, in turn, talk to Him in prayer and song of praise.” We will sing many hymns from centuries past. We will also sing songs from modern writers. We will sing both ancient and modern songs whether we have one gathering for worship or more than one with the hymns and songs accompanied instrumentally in different styles.

Regarding musical styles, we all have our own preferences and musical “tastes.” But worship is not about us. It is about God. In baptism we are dead, buried, and out of the way. My desires or preferences are not important.

The singing as well as the style of the music are not the heart of worship. Rather, we gather together, we greet one another in the name of the Lord Jesus, we read scripture in order to align our lives to God’s narrative (preaching), we pray together, and we receive Holy Communion. Then we are sent back out into the world to live as the people of God. In worship we are responding to God who has acted to give his life to us and to bring us to partake in God’s life.

We Live in Cedar Rapids

2009-06-29T17:40:00.003-05:00

“Unless the LORD builds the house,
those who build it labor in vain.”
Psalm 127:1 NRSV

I said last month that we intended to step out in faith and try to buy a home even though our house in Des Moines has not sold and it would take about 45% of my income to pay for two homes. On June 13, the one-year anniversary of the flood crest, we moved to a home in Cedar Rapids. We moved not knowing whether we would qualify for another mortgage. Originally, it looked like we would be approved. We found out, however, that the debt-to-income ratio for two homes might be too much.

My wife has a friend in Des Moines whose sister lived in Cedar Rapids (right across the street from the schools our kids attend). Her family bought an acreage outside of the city. They were getting ready to move there this summer. We visited them and discovered their home in Cedar Rapids was a great fit for our family. We told them we wanted to buy it, but we did not know if we would qualify for another loan. Furthermore, we needed to move out of our rental home in Ely before we could ever close on the loan if we were approved. Regardless, they offered to move out quickly and invited us to move into their home. Though we offered, they said they would not charge us rent; they did not want to make any money off of us. So with much help, we moved in.

Three days later the bank called and said they could not approve us for the loan. The debt-to-income ratio was too high. The next day, the bank called back and said they reworked the numbers and they would approve us for the loan.

Then our real estate agent in Des Moines called us. She said she thought we would receive an offer on our house in Des Moines in the next couple of days. We are waiting...

Many of us wonder where Salem’s church home will be and when it will be. As a congregation, we too are called to step out in faith. God will provide. It may not be where we think. It may not be when we think. But God will provide. What an adventure!

Where Will We Live?

2009-05-29T16:01:00.002-05:00

“For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel:
Houses and fields and vineyards shall again be bought in this land.”
Jeremiah 32:15 NRSV

The prophet Jeremiah was in jail in a city under siege. The enemy army was invading Jerusalem. The end was in sight. Most of the people would be carried off into exile in Babylon. The nation had no future. The land had no value. There was no hope.

At that moment Jeremiah’s cousin, Hanamel, came to Jeremiah in jail. He wanted Jeremiah to buy his field. The field was in Anathoth, a few miles outside of Jerusalem, where it had most likely already been overtaken. No wonder he wanted to sell it! What a bad investment. In the face of invasion buying land was foolish. But the Lord directed Jeremiah to buy his cousin’s field. It was an act that showed great hope in God for the future. That future hope, though, was made tangible in the present moment. Jeremiah bought land.

I have been thinking about this story. Our home in Des Moines still has not sold. It has been on the market for 15 months now. We tried selling it during the two years previous to that as well. In the meantime, the home we have been renting in Ely has sold and we need to move out by June 14. We have not found anything appropriate to rent. Besides, rent would cost about the same as a monthly mortgage payment. We would qualify for another mortgage. Beyond coming up with a down payment, however, buying two homes would take about 45% of my gross income. Like Jeremiah’s real estate deal, that seems very foolish.

Where will we live? That has caused a lot of stress. I’ve been trying to figure out how it works financially. But what if our housing situation isn’t a financial issue? What if it’s a faith issue? In the midst of a city that was devastated, serving a homeless congregation, what does it say if my family buys a home? It may look like an unwise investment. But we believe in God’s future. We believe God can restore this city. We believe God will renew this congregation. Like Jeremiah, we’re going to buy land and invest in this community.

An Irish worship band, Bluetree, wrote a song titled God of This City. It is a powerful anthem for us here in Cedar Rapids. The chorus says,

Greater things have yet to come,
and greater things are still to be done in this city.

God is not done with us. Homes and vineyards will again be bought in this land. The Lord is God of this city, Cedar Rapids.

First Sunday New Location

2009-05-01T14:41:00.003-05:00

This Sunday we will worship for the first time in our next temporary location, the Kenwood Park United Methodist Church. It is located at 175 34th St NE in Cedar Rapids. It's just a block south of where we've been for the last eight months.

Also, we will gather for worship at a new time and in one service (instead of two). Beginning this Sunday we will worship at 9:30 am with children's and youth discipleship classes from 10:40 - 11:30 am.

For more information you can check out Salem's blog here.

This Time Is a Gift

2009-04-23T13:30:00.003-05:00

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.”

Ecclesiastes 3:1 NRSV

We are moving to our third location in the last ten months since the flood destroyed our building downtown. We are very grateful for the hospitality we have received from the congregations of Lovely Lane and Echo Hill and now from Kenwood Park. For many of us it has been difficult losing our home. A United Methodist congregation without a building feels naked!

Still, this time is a gift from God. Moreover, it is a gift that very few congregations receive. We get to begin again. In so doing we have the opportunity to think about what it truly means for us to be the Church. Here are some things to consider.

Our 2008 Book of Discipline defines the local church: “The local church provides the most significant arena through which disciple-making occurs. It is a community of true believers under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. It is the redemptive fellowship in which the Word of God is preached by persons divinely called and the sacraments are duly administered according to Christ’s own appointment. Under the discipline of the Holy Spirit, the church exists for the maintenance of worship, the edification of believers, and the redemption of the world” (¶ 201).

Stanley Hauerwas, a professor at Duke University, was named “America’s Best Theologian” by Time magazine. He says the Church is to be a community of character. One of his students, Rodney Clapp, summarized Hauerwas’ understanding of the church in an article: "Worshiping together and supporting one another in community, Christians are a sign to the world. Sustained by the miracle of the Holy Spirit, the church is a palpable presence proving, by its existence and unique character, that the way of the world is not the only way—and certainly not the true way—to live" (Christianity Today, September 5, 1986):

We do not want to squander this gift of beginning again. I hope we will think seriously about what it means for us to be the Church.

Here are some questions worth struggling with as we move forward. What does it mean for us to be a holy people – God’s people! – who love God and neighbor and bear witness to Jesus in the world? What does it mean for us to live together in a way that inhabits the world of the Bible (rather than trying to make the Bible fit into my world). What does it mean for us to be a worshiping congregation of praise and thanksgiving? What does it mean for us to be a community of truth, challenging the reigning plausibility structure in the world? What does it mean for us to exist for the world rather than for ourselves? What does it mean for us to be God’s embassy in Cedar Rapids? What does it mean for us to prepare the members of Salem to use their spiritual gifts in service to the world in their public lives? What does it mean for us to live in deep relationship with one another? (I have drawn most of these questions from Lesslie Newbigin. He identifies characteristics of the Christian community in his book, The Gospel in a Pluralist Society.)

Beginning again, we can re-start Salem in a new way. At the same time we can think about what we want to carry forward from the past. There is certainly treasure in Salem’s tradition. Likewise, there may be some things we want to leave in the past. It depends on how we answer the question, what does it mean for us to be the Church in this time and place? Thank God for the gift of this time.

Here We Go

2009-04-10T12:03:00.001-05:00

We are having a congregational meeting on Sunday, April 19, at 10:00 am in the sanctuary. We learned this past week we need to move out of our current location on April 29. The Leadership Board proposes that we accept the offer of Kenwood Park UMC to share their space. We have worked out the details of how that would look and we will share that information at this congregational meeting. While it will not be an official Charge Conference, our new Conference Superintendent, Dave Crow, is preaching that day and so will be with us for this meeting.

The Leadership Board also wants to share our vision of moving out to the land Salem owns on Blairs Ferry Road and how we could become a significant United Methodist presence in that part of the city. We are also still very interested in keeping our downtown presence and being in ministry with Matthew 25 there. We will not vote on these things on April 19. Meeting at Kenwood Park UMC for the next four months will give us the opportunity to solidify these plans and bring them to the congregation.

Membership at Salem

2009-03-27T09:19:00.002-05:00

We have accomplished much on our official membership list. It takes time and precision to re-create a membership list lost in the flood! I am thankful for all the work our administrative assistant has given to this project as well as for the many volunteers who have spent countless hours contacting people to confirm their membership status.

While we are not completely finished, we have discovered that we have many active members as well as our treasured older members who were formerly very active. Like other congregations we also have some members who confirmed their membership status but have not been upholding our membership vows. As a congregation we are responsible for reaching out to inactive members and helping them become active again. A name written on a page does not make a member.

Salem members promise to be loyal to Jesus Christ through The United Methodist Church and do all in our power to strengthen its ministries. Specifically, we promise to faithfully participate in its ministries by our prayers, our presence, our gifts, our service, and our witness. This last vow, witness, was added last year by the 2008 General Conference, reminding us of our responsibility to interject Jesus into the conversation in all we do. At the end of Luke and throughout Acts Jesus calls his followers “witnesses” repeatedly.

“You are witnesses of these things.” “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” “…not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.” “…and for many days he appeared to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people” (Luke 24:48, Acts 1:8; 10:41; 13:31 ESV).

A witness simply shares what he or she knows or has experienced. As members we offer our witness, telling and embodying the story of Jesus. One of the easiest ways to accomplish that is to be intentional about inviting others to gather with us, especially at our worship services! In an article entitled The Best Church Advertising, Dean McIntyre writes: “Every person in the church — child, youth, and adult, church member and staff — tells someone outside the church family about the church and invites that person to visit. It must be every person. Members can't elect NOT to do it, thinking that others will. It takes EVERY person's commitment. Do it once a week, every week. Pick a new person to talk to each week; and after a period of time, follow up on a person you've already talked with and do it again. That's it — one person talking to one other person once a week. Invest sixty seconds per week in the future of your church.”

Statistically, the average Korean Methodist invites two people to worship every single week. The average American United Methodist invites one person every thirty-eight years! The Methodist Church in Korea is living out its witness while the UMC in our country declines.

Easter is the high point of the Christian year. What an opportunity to share our witness! I have already heard that some of you are inviting others. May we all continue to bear witness to Jesus in the world.

UPDATE: Moving On

2009-03-27T09:18:00.001-05:00

As of March 25 the buildings we are currently using have been sold to a new church start (Calvary Chapel Cedar Rapids). Because they will not officially occupy the buildings until July or August, they have generously offered to let us stay as long as it is possible. They are going to do some work on the school building, however, that might require our departure. They probably need a couple of months (perhaps May and June) to get the work done. Therefore, we likely need to move out shortly after Easter. I am very grateful that we will not need to move before Easter!

Previously, the Kenwood Park UMC offered hospitality to us, inviting us to share their building until we determine our mission and location. Our next step is meeting with Kenwood Park leaders to work out some details. When would our worship services occur? How do we combine youth and children’s ministries? What sort of space is available for our offices? What ministries can we share and what need to remain separate? And so on. While no decision has been finalized, we have begun the conversation about what it would look like for Salem to share space with Kenwood Park. A recommendation from the Leadership Board will be presented to the congregation.

Where Are We Going?

2009-03-10T17:09:00.001-05:00

Many people in the congregation continue to ask, Where is Salem going? What are we doing? For many, it feels like Salem is a ship adrift on the sea with no direction. That is a normal feeling. I want to address the questions by explaining what has been happening and how we can move forward. The work that has occurred since I arrived, besides just reacting to the flood, has been to restore the infrastructure of the congregation.

Infrastructure is generally considered to be the underlying foundation needed for an organization to operate. For example, a society needs roads, water, power grids, communications systems, schools, and hospitals in order to function. “Critical infrastructure” refers to those elements that, if damaged or destroyed, for instance by a flood, tornado, earthquake, etc., would cause serious disruption of the organization.

Salem lost critical infrastructure when the floodwaters surged last summer. We experienced “serious disruption.” Most obviously, we lost our building, our gathering space, our base of operations. At the same time the church office was destroyed and all the information contained therein. All of that would be difficult enough, but Salem also endured a pastoral change at basically the same time. Instead of the pastor who had been here for nine years, the pastor known and trusted, a new face and voice was thrust upon the congregation right in the middle of the disaster. At the very least that meant a tremendous loss of continuity. And on top of all that, there were other staff and leadership changes. It was not just a flood. It was a perfect storm, so to speak, and because of it Salem has been a ship, listing a little, adrift on the sea.

Still, we have been working to restore the infrastructure. We now have our budget, new organizational structure, and leaders in place. We still have much work to do on ministry teams and other systems, but we now have almost all the vital infrastructure in place for us to move forward. Almost. We do not have a building, a base of operations.

The Department of Defense uses the term infrastructure to refer to all buildings and permanent installations necessary for the support of military forces when they are deployed in operations (barracks, headquarters, airfields, communications, military equipment, etc.).

Likewise, the church needs buildings or other installations to support the body of Christ as we are deployed in our mission. Before we know what kind of building we need or even where it should be, we have to know our mission. Mission determines location. We have our budget, our organizational structure, our leaders; now we have to redefine our mission and determine where we locate in order to carry out that mission.

Some wish Salem would go back to our downtown building. Some wish Salem would build on the new land. Some wish Salem would merge with another congregation, and so on. We all have our own desires. But more importantly, What is our purpose, or rather, what is God’s purpose? What is our mission?

As a United Methodist congregation, our mission is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. But what is our niche, our context? What is it that we can do fruitfully? How and where can we work with God in accomplishing this purpose?

Salem will no longer be a ship adrift on the sea with no direction. We have to know our destination port, however, in order to get the ship moving in the right direction. We have our budget, structure, and leaders. Now we are ready to redefine the mission for Salem Church and locate accordingly.

Moving On

2009-02-03T09:14:00.004-06:00

We have been notified that the Kenwood Park Church buildings have been sold, contingent upon an inspection. We are very grateful for the gracious hospitality our brothers and sisters of Echo Hill Presbyterian Church have shown us in letting us use the buildings rent-free after we were forced out of our own buildings by the flood. According to our agreement with Echo Hill, we will need to vacate the buildings in 60 days. While we may receive some flexibility in that timeline, our 60 days will end on March 21.

We knew that this would be a temporary location for us. It is likely our next stop will be a temporary location, as well. This is our reality post-flood. We have received gracious offers from other congregations to use space in their buildings. We will continue those conversations and bring a recommendation to the church for our next location. Please pray that we will follow the Lord on this journey.

KCRG-TV channel 9 did a story about Salem last Sunday and the move facing us. You can see that here.

State of the Church

2009-01-19T15:58:00.004-06:00

It has been about six months since the flood and my arrival to pastor Salem Church. As we begin a new year, it is good to examine the state of the church. The flood is the worst disaster in Iowa’s history. It is one of the ten worst in our nation’s history. Along with the terrible destruction throughout the city, many of our own members lost homes and business. Likewise, it devastated the Salem church building. We received gracious hospitality from Lovely Lane UMC and from Echo Hill Presbyterian Church in providing us space to gather. Still, Salem has experienced loss, chaos, and instability from the disaster. As if that wasn’t enough upheaval, two-and-a-half weeks after the flood, Salem received a new pastor.

Even in the midst of disaster, however, Salem has continued to gather as a worshiping community. Each week we gather together to worship the Lord God and support one another in community. Though it would be easy to simply look inward, we have continued paying our apportionments in full and giving well beyond that in mission.

At the same time, others have been giving to us. Salem has received about $30,000 for flood relief from persons and churches all around the country along with a number of tangible gifts. Hundreds of people helped us muck out and winterize our building downtown. And we received another $12,000 to give directly to our own flood survivors.

The first six months have not been easy. Slowly, however, there is something new happening in the city, a transition from merely responding to the flood to beginning long-term recovery. The first six months have been reaction to the flood. Along with the rest of the city, our own planning for the future is getting underway. Though this is not happening as quickly as most want, it is normal. It is the reality of disaster.

We are getting some infrastructure in place. Much work has been done on the budget. While we have made some decreases, we have also increased money in the areas of discipleship, worship, and evangelism, bringing the budget into a healthier balance. The overall budget is significantly less than it was a year ago.

I am proposing a new, transitional organization for 2009. You can read about that here. The budget and transitional structure are both big issues that will be decided by the Administrative Council on January 20.

We are also beginning to get some ministry teams into place, such as the pastoral care team. Soon we will be forming and equipping vital church systems, such as assimilation (connecting people). Salem’s budget, organization, ministry teams, and systems are all part of the infrastructure that we are rebuilding.

Along with the infrastructure, preparing for the future means redefining Salem’s identity and mission. Some things will not change: we exist to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. We have a heart for mission. Some things could change: the location of our gathering space or the people to whom we reach out.

We have already identified the crisis of the Church reaching the two youngest generations, the young families with children and youth, the people in their twenties and thirties. In order to reach people no one is reaching, we’ll have to do things no one is doing. We will have to be missional (going to the people) instead of attractional (expecting them to come to us). This act of “going to” is what God has done in the incarnation of Jesus Christ. God came to us. Now God invites us to go along in God’s mission to the world.

In the meantime, we have begun having conversations with other congregations to talk about sharing ministry or space or even merging. Nothing is definite. We are just exploring possibilities. Mainly, these conversations have been “get to know you” sessions. One of the biggest questions for us in these conversations is, How can we be better, more fruitful in mission together than apart? We have made arrangements to continue these conversations in January.

Salem consists of wonderful people with a long history and a heart for mission. We have an opportunity that few congregations ever have. We can start fresh, keeping the best of who we are while still moving in new ways. This is a great adventure – exciting, scary, difficult, amazing! We may not know what the future holds, but we do know who holds the future.

The Lord bless us and keep us. The Lord make his face to shine upon us, and be gracious to us. The Lord lift up his countenance upon us, and give us peace.

Grace and Peace,
John Louk

A Proposal for a Transitional Organization for Salem

2009-01-19T15:45:00.003-06:00

I am proposing a new, transitional organization for Salem for 2009. This information has been shared with the Executive Leadership team as well as the congregational Q&A session on December 17. The decision will be made by the Ad Council at the January 20 meeting (our Charge Conference in November gave the Ad Council authority to make this decision).

The Book of Discipline 2004. The mission of the Church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world (¶ 120). The Book of Discipline requires that a local congregation be organized so that it can pursue its primary task and mission in the context of its own community…In doing so it shall be organized so that adequate provision is made for these basic responsibilities:
1. planning and implementing a program of nurture, outreach, and witness for persons and families within and without the congregation;
2. providing for effective pastoral and lay leadership;
3. providing for financial support, physical facilities, and the legal obligations of the church;
4. utilizing the appropriate relationships and resources of the district and annual conference;
5. providing for the proper creation, maintenance, and disposition of documentary record material of the local church;
6. seeking inclusiveness in all aspects of its life (¶ 243).

The basic organizational plan for a local United Methodist congregation includes a charge conference, a church council, a committee on pastor-parish relations, a board of trustees, a committee on finance, a committee on lay leadership (¶ 244). However, alternative plans may be developed in accordance with the provisions of ¶ 247.2. (¶ 244.2).

When we look ¶ 247.2 it says when the membership size, program scope, mission resources, or other circumstances so require, the charge conference may, in consultation with and upon the approval of the district superintendent, modify the organizational plans; provided that the provisions of ¶ 243 are observed. Therefore, we look back to ¶ 243 once again and see that we may organize however we wish as long as we pursue the mission of the Church in our local context and provide for the six basic responsibilities listed above. The district superintendent has already indicated he will grant his approval.

Proposal. That Salem adopt a transitional organization in 2009 for a simpler and more efficient system while we discern and implement our future. Rather than the current organization of Administrative Council, SPRC, Trustees, Finance, and Lay Leadership, we would have one Salem Church Leadership Board, comprised of 12 persons and the pastor. The current Lay Leadership Committee would nominate the 12 persons and present them to the administrative council for election. The 12 nominated would be representative of Salem members, mature Christians, and good leaders.

Practice. The Salem congregation would be under the authority of the one Salem Church Leadership Board. This Board would provide all of the oversight required by the United Methodist Book of Discipline. The Leadership Board would function as the executive agency of the charge conference, to which it is amenable (¶ 244.1). The Board would help create the mission, vision, practices, and policies for the congregation.

Church members would be encouraged to share their input, feedback and wisdom with the pastor, staff, and Leadership Board through a variety of forums. Regular decisions about ministry and mission would be made by the pastor, staff, and leadership team as directed by the Holy Spirit. Major decisions (as determined by the Book of Discipline) would continue to be made by a church/charge conference.

The Outreaching Missions Team would continue. Other positions such as Treasurer and Financial Secretary would continue as well. These (along with other positions and teams) would be considered ministries and/or would be further developed into systems. Necessary systems include Worship, Discipleship, Evangelism, Mission, Finance, Assimilation, etc. They are vital ministries of the congregation but do not need to be part of the Leadership Board. All church members are called into ministry, serving as God has gifted them. We will work on creating an environment of permission, equipping and empowering all to be in ministry.

The Salem Church Leadership Board would function for 2009 as a transitional, organizational structure. During that time, it is possible Salem could come together with another congregation. If so, we would need to make changes again in order to create the best organizational structure for the new merger. If Salem continues on its own, the one Leadership Board could be continued, modified, or replaced.

Salem Church Leadership Board Members. The pastor plus 12 people: Chair, Lay Leader, SPRC, SPRC, Finance, Finance, Trustees, Trustees, Lay Leadership, Nurture, Outreach, Witness. Because the Board would provide all of the oversight required by the United Methodist Book of Discipline, two members would be designated to have specific responsibility for SPRC, two for Finance, two for Trustees, and one would be responsible to work with the pastor on Lay Leadership. There would also be three persons responsible for Nurture, Outreach, and Witness. The entire Board, however, would work together on these and all other responsibilities. The Board would be led by a Chairperson and the congregation’s Lay Leader.

Christmas Is Not Your Birthday

2008-11-21T12:22:00.002-06:00

Maybe Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store.
Maybe Christmas... perhaps... means a little bit more.
~ Dr. Seuss (1904-1991) How The Grinch Stole Christmas

Perhaps Christmas does mean a little bit more. I have struggled with how we celebrate Christmas for several years. I wonder if you struggle with it too.

For the last ten years the average spending on Christmas gifts has been around $1,000. Last year, Christmas spending dropped a little to $859. This year, most shoppers are planning to cut their gift spending by 50%. The American Research Group conducted their twenty-third annual survey on holiday spending and found that shoppers are planning to spend an average of $431 on gifts this year. This is the lowest amount recorded since 1991.

I am really pleased to see this shift, however, I imagine the reduction in spending is mainly because of the poor economy and not because of a sudden realization that Christmas does not come from a store. But we are the church. We do know. Christmas is the story of how God came to us as one of us in the birth of Jesus. And yet, we continue to run to the store.

Many congregations today challenge the way they live during December. They say, “Christmas is not your birthday. Celebrate your birthday when it is your birthday. Celebrate Jesus’ birthday on Christmas.” Shopping and spending a terrible amount of money on stuff does not celebrate Jesus’ birthday. Jesus said he came to bring good news to the poor, to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free (Luke 4:18). Jesus did not come so the wealthiest people in the world (that’s us) could have more stuff.

Christmas is a wonderful time of year. Still, it is not about consumption but compassion. It is not about presents but presence. Therefore, I want to challenge us all to cut back even more on gifts this year and instead give to mission with our money (and how about with our time and service, too?). Even buying one less present and giving the money to Nothing But Nets or for clean drinking water, etc. is a good start. Check out Advent Conspiracy or speak to our Missions Committee for more ideas. We can all do this.

Next year, I will challenge us to consider what we spend on Christmas gifts and give an equal amount of money for mission. Christmas is not your birthday. Furthermore, we will choose one mission project for the whole congregation to support. Then, whatever we spend on Christmas, if we give an equal amount for that mission, we can write one big check from Salem.

Is this different? Perhaps. The truth is, we are Christians. We are different. We celebrate time differently. Our new year begins the First Sunday of Advent and not on January 1. We celebrate holidays differently. The week before Easter this year, I was talking to the part-time custodian at First Church in Des Moines. He is a young guy in his twenties. He plays the drums and would talk to me about playing in bands. He asked, “What are you doing for Easter?” I said, “Well, we’re going to worship on Easter morning.” He said, “No way! On Easter? You’re going to go to church on a holiday?”

Most of us recognize that he did not understand what Easter is all about. And yet, I wonder if most of us who know what Christmas really means struggle with how our lives reflect that.

New Wine Demands Fresh Wineskins

2008-11-17T20:22:00.004-06:00

Jesus said, “No one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost, and so are the skins; but one puts new wine into fresh wineskins.”
(Mark 2:22 NRSV)

Three weeks ago we met together during the Administrative Council meeting to talk about our future as a congregation. Many who participated in that Q&A session came thinking we would talk about the possibility of purchasing a building. Instead, that evening I said several things that took us in a new direction. For the sake of communication, I want to reiterate what I said that evening, add a little more specificity, and answer some questions that have arisen.

I said two things: 1.We are not ready to build or buy a building. 2. We need to take the next year or two and define our identity: Who are we? What is our mission? What leadership do we need?

Before we focus on “brick and mortar” we need to be a healthy, strong congregation engaged in a radically different world in the 21st century. How different is the world today? 40% of 16-29 year-olds have intentionally opted out of the church. They say, “Whatever you call me, don’t call me a Christian.” And 20% of those folks claim to be an atheist or agnostic. There have always been people in the younger generations that have left the church. But that number is growing so much larger now. Furthermore, for the first time, the younger generations have a negative view of the Church and Christians. Research from George Barna indicates we will have half the people in the church in 2015 that we had in 2005. Looking to our own denomination, the average age of United Methodists is about 60 while the average age in the culture around us is the mid-thirties. This is a major swing over the last half of the twentieth century. Fifty years ago the average age in the Methodist Church was younger than the average age in the country.

The world around us has changed in radical ways over the last fifty years and we have not done a good job of engaging that world and continuing to reach the younger generations. For one thing, we have continued to expect people to come to us rather than taking it upon ourselves to go to them. This is the difference between an attractional church (how to attract people to come to us) and a missional church (how to reach out to where people are). Being missional is biblical. God came to us in Jesus, reaching out to be with us where we are. That’s what the incarnation means: “The Word became flesh and lived among us” (John 1:14 NRSV)

No one wanted the flood that destroyed our church building and community earlier this year. But God can bring good from destruction, beauty from ashes. The flood gives us the opportunity to make radical changes to be fruitful in the 21st century. What does that mean? If we continue to do the same things we have done, no matter how good, we will continue to get the same results. Therefore, in order to reach people that no one is reaching, we will have to do things that no one is doing. It is not enough just to want to have the younger generations. We will have to do new things that may not fit with our own preferences. As Jesus said, new wine demands fresh wineskins. New situations demand new rituals, practices. The old cannot contain the new.

Salem already has a heart for mission. That is a little different, however, than being missional. Is the congregation, however, willing to do the things that no one is doing in order to reach the people no one is reaching? For instance, are we willing to change our organization and leadership style? Can we change the style of our worship services? Will we do whatever it takes to share the good news of Jesus Christ and embody the kingdom of God in the world around us? Our name, Salem, means peace. It comes from the Hebrew word shalom, which means God’s peace, health, love, wholeness, friendship, truth, justice, and salvation. What are we willing to do, to give up, to change in order to embody that for the people missing from the church in our community and in the world?

If we choose to follow this path it will be hard. We could lose people. Yet, whatever we choose to do will be hard and we could lose people. Moreover, if we do not follow this path, it is very possible it will only be a matter of time before our congregation ceases to exist. Honestly, we may not be able to accomplish this change. The old proverb, “Birds of a feather flock together,” is true. It is enormously difficult to reach people who are not already a significant part of the congregation. Still, as one of my teachers told me, “I’d rather attempt something great for the kingdom of God and fail than not do anything at all.”

Will we choose this path or not? The Executive Leaders want to have another congregational Q&A meeting to have more discussion. We will schedule another conversation in December.

Here are some questions that have arisen:
Q. If we do not focus on “brick and mortar” now, does that mean we won’t have a church building for the next two years?
A. No. We have to have someplace to gather for worship. It just means we will not go out and spend a significant amount of money on a building. The truth is, we cannot afford to do that anyway. For instance, the million-dollar price tag for the King of Kings building is beyond our current capability.

Q. So where will we meet?
A. For the time being, we will continue to meet in our current location. Salem also has been invited into conversation with four area United Methodist congregations to talk about merging or sharing ministries/space: Kenwood Park, Buffalo, New Creation, and St. James. We will participate in these conversations and see where they lead.

Q. What does it mean when you say Salem does not have members?
A. I only mean that currently we do not have an accurate, official list of members, since the church office was destroyed. The good news is that we may have found some documentation that could help us rebuild the membership list. This is an important issue and we will straighten it out as soon as possible.

Q. If we need to make radical changes, was Salem a good church before the flood?
A. Yes! Salem has a rich history with many wonderful people. Moreover, Salem has historically had a heart for mission. We simply need to make changes because the world around us has changed so radically in the last fifty years and we have not been reaching the younger generations.

You may have other questions. I invite you to share them so we can do our best to answer them. (There will be cards in the bulletins on which you can write a question.) In the meantime, let us all pray for God to guide us and lead us.

Invading the World

2008-11-17T19:19:00.005-06:00

I often hear church folks wondering how we can attract people to come to church. We have a rich history and wonderful people. Who wouldn’t want to come to Salem Church!? Even so, I wonder if we might not have things turned around. Our God seems to always be on the move, unwilling to wait for people to make the first move. The incarnation of Jesus Christ is God’s supreme move, coming to us, reaching out to us. “The Word became flesh and lived among us” (John 1:14).

Following God’s missionary example, however, has been difficult. Figure 1 shows how most churches in our culture have operated. The biggest circle is the individual. What seems most important is getting the individual saved, in the traditional language. In some newer churches the language is more about improving one’s life. Either way, the Christian life is about the individual and his or her needs. Once the individual’s needs are met then we think about how one might serve the church. After that, if there is anything left over, we talk about how the church could serve the world.

Sociologists tell us that individualism is the defining hallmark of America. That may help explain why the individual has become so important in the church in the west over the last couple of hundred years. But this is backwards, according to the late British bishop and missionary Leslie Newbigin. He spent forty years as a missionary in India before returning home to reflect on a theology of mission.

Figure 2 shows, according to Newbigin, what it really means to be the church. The big circle—what is most important—is the world. God so loved the world that he sent Jesus (John 3:16). The next circle shows the church, the people of God within the world. The church is the tool God uses to accomplish God's mission in the world. Finally, the individuals who follow Jesus together make up the church.

Here, the church is not simply about meeting my needs. In Jesus we receive an invitation to join the mission of God’s people, sharing the kingdom of God in world. The world is the object of God’s love. The church is the instrument God uses to show his truth and grace to the world. It is not a place one attends but a community of God’s people, proclaiming and embodying Jesus Christ in the world.

Newbigin said this is the misunderstood doctrine of election. To be chosen does not simply mean we get to go to heaven. Election is about whom God chooses to be incorporated into God’s mission to the world. This is what it means to be the church. Therefore, rather than asking how we might get others to come to Salem Church, perhaps we should ask: How are we invading the world and sharing God’s grace and truth? How is our community—right where we live—being affected by the presence of God’s kingdom? What is God's mission for us?

Moving Forward

2008-09-26T16:05:00.003-05:00

O God, we pray for this congregation, Salem Church, and our future with you.
Show us what you are doing, Lord, and allow us to be a part of it. Amen.

We have prayed this prayer for the last several weeks in our worship services. Now the Administrative Council has unanimously agreed to consider purchasing the King of Kings Lutheran Church building. As we continue to pray, how will we as a congregation decide to move forward?

Some things are outside of our control. We do not control time. If the Kenwood Park building sells, we will need to be out in sixty days. Furthermore, if we do not begin making decisions now, we will not be ready to act later. We cannot make time stand still. Life is not static. Change happens. The question is, will we be intentional about making change to follow God’s leading or will we passively receive change that we do not choose?

The future of our downtown location is also beyond our control. We should have a better idea in another month what decisions the city will make and how they will impact our downtown site. Will there be a flood wall between our building and the river? Will it be taken over as green space around the river? Will the city buy us out? We just do not yet know.

Some things, however, we do control. We control how we pursue our mission. Many of us have personal opinions about where we should locate. But our mission determines our location. We exist to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. The question is, what is Salem’s niche in the Cedar Rapids area? How do we fit together with the other United Methodist congregations and ministries? Salem is not an island unto itself. We are part of the connectional team of United Methodist people.

Besides the other UM congregations, we know that the Trinity and St. James congregations are trying to rebuild at their same locations. The Matthew 25 ministry continues. St. Paul’s UMC is working downtown on the east side of the river. If it would be possible to go back downtown, what part of our mission would necessitate our physical presence there? What would we do that would not be covered by these other ministries in the downtown area?

Furthermore, if our mission determines our location, Who are the people around us not being reached by the United Methodist Church (not just Salem) in a significant way? We can answer that by simply looking at the people of the Church. We are getting older. There are not as many kids and young families. Our denominational State of the Church Report 2007 (p.6) says, “The membership of The United Methodist Church is aging. And little indicates the church is effectively reaching out, or is willing to reach out, to attract younger people” (click here for the full report).

In response to this report, Lovett Weems, at Wesley Theological Seminary, wrote Ten Provocative Questions and presented it to the Council of Bishops. Regarding aging he said, “When the Methodist and Evangelical United Brethren Churches stopped growing in the 1960s, the average age of members was well below the general population, and that continued until about 1975. Since 1975, the average age in U.S. United Methodism has gone up consistently.” This failure to reach younger people is quite clear. 50 years ago the average age in the United Methodist Church was younger than the national average. Today, the average age of United Methodists is around 60 years old while the average age in the United States is in the mid-thirties!

I have heard repeatedly of Salem’s concern for reaching children and youth. If that is a passion, a burden on our heart, then how will we be intentional about accomplishing that? Obviously, what has been done in the past is not working. We may need to make radical changes in order to reach the younger generations, changing such things as style, communication, worship, budget, and location, etc.

So where are the kids, youth, and young families located? Not downtown. There is a significant presence of United Methodists there but not many young families. There is a growing presence of kids and youth in the area around the new land on Blairs Ferry Road and a significant presence of kids and youth around the King of Kings Lutheran Church building, but a much smaller United Methodist presence in those areas.

Could it be that God is leading us out of the flood and into a new territory in order to reach out to these missing children, youth, and young families and invite them to join us as disciples of Jesus Christ so that together we can work to transform the world?

If Salem begins anew with this mission, will we lose people? Yes. The truth is, however, we will lose people no matter what decision we make. Some people will come and some will leave in any major transition in a congregation. Taking the gospel seriously always leads to risks and sacrifices. My prayer is that we will all be open to God’s leading and allow the Holy Spirit to work through us as a community.

Still, if we have a Kingdom vision, that is, if we understand that all of the congregations are working together in God’s mission field and not competing with one another, then we are not losing people. If some of our members decide to leave Salem and instead begin participating with St. Mark’s, for instance, or another congregation, then we have not lost anyone. We are one part of the United Methodist mission in Cedar Rapids. And as United Methodists, we are one part of the body of Christ together with our brothers and sisters from all the different Church traditions.

So let us continue to pray (and listen!). Ultimately, this is not about our good ideas. This is about what God is doing. Let us open our lives to God who will steer our hearts to follow his will.

Making Disciples

2008-08-30T22:15:00.002-05:00

Our mission is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. So how do we make disciples? The Apostle Paul tells the church at Philippi that they are to conform their thinking and their practices to Christ, as well as to Paul, Timothy, and Epaphroditus, who are models in discipleship. “Brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example” (Philippians 3:17 NLT) Again at the end of the letter Paul says, “Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me – everything you heard from me and saw me doing” (Philippians 4:9 NLT).

This may seem somewhat presumptuous to us, maybe even pompous. Paul says this five or six times in the New Testament, “Imitate me, follow my example.” It’s not presumptuous, however, it’s discipleship! And we didn’t learn it from Paul. We learned it from Jesus. Jesus chose Twelve to be his disciples, to follow him closely. Jesus was the model, the Master. The disciples were the students observing, learning, following, imitating. Then he sent them out to do what he did and say what he said.

Paul does the same thing. He says, “Here’s Jesus. I imitate him; now you imitate me.” There’s a great picture of this in 1 Corinthians. Paul writes to the church at Corinth and says “Imitate me, follow my example, pattern your life after mine.” Then he says, “Because I’m asking you to do this, I’m sending Timothy to you. His conduct will remind you of my pattern of life from Jesus” (see 4:16-17).

Discipleship is a pattern of life. It’s the practices we cultivate in our lives as we submit to our Master, Jesus. One of the early Church Fathers, Tertullian (c.160 – c.225) said “Christians are made, not born.” It takes work. We follow Jesus by the practices we make a part of life every day. Conforming our thinking to the mind of Christ has to work out into the habits of our everyday lives. There’s an old saying:

Watch your thoughts, for they become your words
Watch your words, for they become your actions
Watch your actions, for they become your habits
Watch your habits, for they become your character
Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny

So what are these habits of discipleship? They are the patterns of life we learn from disciples older than us in the way of Jesus. They include doing what John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, called Works of Piety and Works of Mercy. John Wesley called these "channels of grace." Wesley's Works of Piety included: prayer, searching the scriptures, holy communion, fasting, Christian community, and healthy living. Works of Mercy are simply doing good. Again, Wesley specifically named: doing good, visiting the sick and prisoners, feeding and clothing people, earning and saving and giving all one can, and opposition to slavery.

As we talk about Sunday School and Wednesday evening ministries, we aren’t just talking about programs we do for our kids. I expect all adults and kids who are a part of Salem Church to participate in Works of Piety and Mercy. I don’t believe adults can disciple children, youth, or other adults unless he or she has been and continues to be a disciple too. Further, making disciples isn’t primarily about gaining knowledge. It is more about a way of life. Knowing about God or Jesus is not the same thing as knowing God and following Jesus. May all that we do glorify God and build up His kingdom.

Three Weeks Into the Water

2008-07-31T10:49:00.002-05:00

I have been with you for three weeks now. Much has happened in this short time. We have been worshiping at Lovely Lane UMC since the flood (may God bless them for their hospitality!). Now, on the first Sunday in August (3rd) we will gather for worship at our Salem East location (the former Kenwood Park Presbyterian Church building). With the change in location we will also change our worship time to 9:30 am. We will continue to have one service for the rest of the summer at 9:30 am. Our location, time, and single service are all temporary. Please know, there will be changes. The stability and tradition Salem enjoyed has evaporated with the flood waters for the time being. That means, as a congregation we need to be patient, flexible, and light on our feet. Following Jesus isn’t easy but it is an adventure!

While we are preparing to begin worshiping at Salem East, the real estate agent selling the building has been showing the building to several people. Potential buyers have shown quite a bit of interest. Given the need for space in Cedar Rapids and the current interest in the building, it is at least possible it could sell. If that happens, we will need to move on to another gathering space within sixty days. Therefore, we need to figure out now where we will move next. We affirm that the church is not a building. It is the people, the disciples of Jesus Christ. Brothers and sisters, we are going to prove that in the coming months! Salem is a church without walls.

Because we need to have efficient communication and decision-making, I have formed an Executive Lead Team. I have asked the chairpersons of the administrative committees to serve: Linda Curson (Ad Council); Dave Clark (past Ad Council); Mark Minger (incoming Ad Council); Dan Kendall (Trustees); Richard Pankey (Finance); Dave Jandik (SPRC); Dick Talbott (Lay Leader). Besides communication, we will be able to make necessary decisions quickly and lay the ground work for larger decisions. All major decisions, however, will be made by a church conference wherein all Salem members are invited to attend and vote. For instance, whether we return to our downtown location or move somewhere else will be decided by the congregation.

One of the ways I communicate with with this blog, a personal journal that includes links, images, videos, and gives you the opportunity to jump into the conversation by adding your own reflections and comments for me and others to read (you will need to sign in to leave comments). The blog site also keeps all the previous articles (called “posts” over there to the right), so it is an up-to-date listing of all that has been written. This is a great way to communicate quickly and efficiently. You can also subscribe to my blog (the simplest way uses your web browser). By subscribing, the new content of my blog is automatically “pushed” to you. Just scroll to the bottom of the blog and click on “subscribe to posts.” Then, whenever I add a new post (article, news, etc.) it will show up for you immediately. I won't have a new post every day, but I will post at least weekly or perhaps a couple of times each week and whenever we need to get some news out quickly.

New Pastor of Salem Church

2008-07-01T10:44:00.000-05:00

“To the church of God that is in Corinth [and Cedar Rapids!], to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, together with all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (I Corinthians 1:2-3 NRSV).

Brothers and Sisters, I am very excited to begin this new adventure as the pastor of Salem Church. Many have asked me how I am feeling about being appointed to Salem considering the flooding of 2008 that has wreaked havoc on us. After all, this is one of the 10 worst disasters in the nation's history. But what an opportunity to be the church, the people of God. We are not constrained by buildings. We the people of Salem Church are a royal priesthood. We exist to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. How are we part of God’s mission in transforming Cedar Rapids? Following Jesus may not be safe, but it is good.

I am looking forward to getting to know you soon. My wife, Joy, and I have three beautiful daughters: Kaitlyn is 13, Annie is 11, and Mara is 8. Joy and I met at Simpson College and married in 1992. I attended Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary before my first appointment as pastor to the Hudson UMC. I was then selected for the Beeson Pastor Program, a one-year doctoral fellowship in Biblical preaching and church leadership, at Asbury Theological Seminary. We moved to Des Moines in 2002 to begin planting a new church, Colony 320. After four years we merged with First Church in Des Moines where I served two more years as the associate pastor. Now, after fourteen years of pastoral experience, it is our privilege to join you on the journey in Cedar Rapids. Perhaps we come together now “for just such a time as this.”

I am often asked how I prefer to be addressed. Pastor? Reverend? Supreme Commander? You are welcome to call me John. Many people actually call me John Louk as though it is one name (like Jean-Luc Picard of Star Trek: The Next Generation). Oh, and how old am I? I was born the same year humans first landed on the moon.

May the Lord God bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

Church Under Water

2008-06-12T22:41:00.002-05:00

I spoke to Pastor Linda Bibb this evening. She’s the outgoing pastor at Salem Church where I have been appointed effective July 1. Salem is just a couple of blocks from the Cedar River in downtown Cedar Rapids. She told me they were evacuated from the church building at 4:00 pm yesterday. The wonderful people of this congregation worked together sandbagging and moving as much as they could to the second and third floors. But the river was too much. Linda said the water is at least 8-10 feet deep at the church building. There is a car port over one of the entrances and the water is above that car port. So the water could be to the second floor now.

This picture from the Cedar Rapids Gazette shows how high the water was earlier today at the Dairy Queen which is right across the street from Salem United Methodist Church. Unfortunately, the river hasn’t even crested yet so the flooding will probably get worse.

We will attempt to get to Cedar Rapids tomorrow. In the midst of all this we are trying to secure a home to rent in less than three weeks. Please join me in praying for our brothers and sisters of Salem Church and for all who are so deeply affected by the flooding, the storms, and the tornados that have caused such devastation in people’s lives. God brings beauty from destruction! We may not know what the future holds, but we know Who holds the future.

My Last Sunday

2008-06-04T22:07:00.003-05:00

Last Sunday I preached for the last time at First Church. You can listen to the sermon here. It was a wonderful day. At the beginning of the service, the Lead Pastor, Kevin LaGree, invited my family to the front of the church and said the church had a surprise for us. At that moment five people in the congregation stood up and came forward. It was such a cool moment. They brought prayer shawls to each member of my family and placed them around our shoulders. The prayer shawls are an important ministry of First Church. Each shawl is beautifully knitted and crocheted and blessed and given to a person in need of the congregation’s prayers. They symbolism was clear: We are going on to a new place of ministry covered with the prayers of our brothers and sisters in Des Moines.

Following worship the Staff-Parish Relations Committee hosted a farewell reception for my family. It was a great experience to have so many people greet us lovingly, and to see friends who surprised us by showing up. And not only that – there was cake too!

I thank God for the two years we have had with so many wonderful people at First Church. The people have been kind and gracious and generous to me. I have enjoyed getting to know them, hearing their stories, sharing in their lives, working and worshiping together.

The people of First Church have also shown such love and kindness to my family. I have heard more than once that my wife and our three girls will be missed more than me – I can certainly understand that! They are so beautiful!

It has been my privilege to work with a very fine staff, especially Kathy and Adele in the office, Duane, our building manager, and Tin-Shi, directing the music. They are gifted people who work hard and bear much fruit.

I am also grateful for the time I have had in ministry with our Lead Pastor, Kevin LaGree. I cannot adequately express how much I like and respect Kevin. He is a wonderful pastor and preacher. I have learned so much from Kevin and I know I will be a better pastor and preacher in the future because of the time I have had at First Church. I have enjoyed the conversations we have shared, talking about theology and the practice of ministry. Kevin is such a good thinker. But even more importantly, he is a man of prayer.

At the end of the worship service this last Sunday, I blessed the people as God’s people are to be blessed: The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

Kaitlyn's Movie

2008-05-31T12:39:00.002-05:00

My daughter, Kaitlyn, made a movie at the end of last year. She has now posted it online for others to see. It’s a stop time animation. I thought it was really cool. In fact, I was quite amazed as she did this on her own without any help. She started by taking 97 digital pictures of scenes she created and ended up with this...

The End of 9:00 am

2008-03-22T13:54:00.001-05:00

We are ending the 9:00 am worship service as of now. I’m sorry for the abruptness. I know this isn’t the best situation but this is how it's working out. We have the early 7:30 am Easter sunrise service tomorrow, and then I'm gone on vacation the next Sunday. We wouldn't be having the 9:00 am service while I’m gone. Then if we start the 9:00 am service back up when I return from vacation, it would only be for a few more weeks (since I am moving to another church this year). So we'd stop it and start it and stop it again. Furthermore, I'll be doing the 10:30 am service all of April as Kevin is gone on vacation during that time. Therefore, while it's not the best timing and we haven't had a chance to really talk about it, we're ending the 9:00 am service after tomorrow. If you have any questions or comments, don’t hesitate to let me know.

Jesus' Last Week

2008-03-20T11:39:00.002-05:00

We are now in the midst of Holy Week (the days from Palm Sunday to Holy Saturday), traveling with Jesus during the last days before his death. Today is Maundy Thursday (or Holy Thursday) which gets its name from the new commandment (mandatum novum in Latin) Jesus gives to love one another in John 13:34. Tomorrow, Good Friday, marks Jesus’ trial, crucifixion, and death. This is all part of the story that leads to the celebration of Jesus’ resurrection on Easter Sunday. The message, “He is risen!” turns the events of Holy Week into a celebration of joy. This is the story of Jesus the Christ.

I invite you to participate in our Maundy Thursday worship at 7:00 pm this evening. My sermon, “Everyone Will Know,” is based on John 13 and Kevin LaGree is celebrating Holy Communion.

Tomorrow, our Good Friday worship service is at 7:00 pm. Kevin LaGree’s sermon, “Lead Us, Lord,” is based on Isaiah 52:13-53:12 and Hebrews 10:16-25.

This Sunday is the beginning of Easter. Our first celebration is at 7:30 am on the front steps. (The sun will rise at 7:12 am that morning.) As the sun rises over the downtown, we will gather on the front steps of the church, in a place that could resemble the stones around Jesus’ empty tomb. In that place we will celebrate Jesus’ resurrection. My sermon, “Do Not Be Afraid,” is based on Matthew 28:1-10. Last year we worshiped at 6:30 am at the Simon Estes Amphitheater along the river downtown and it was about 25 degrees with a wind chill in the neighborhood of minus sixty! It should be a little warmer than that, but if it’s too cold, we’ll go inside. We don’t want to press the Lord too much by asking for healing from frostbite two years in a row!

Everyone is invited to the Easter brunch in Fellowship Hall at 8:30 am. Special music begins in the sanctuary at 10:00 am and our second worship celebration begins at 10:30 am. Kevin LaGree’s sermon, “O Come, Let Us Adore Him,” is based on Colossians 3:1-4 and John 20:1-18. Why doesn’t Mary recognize Jesus when she meets him outside the empty tomb? What relevance does the command the Risen Christ gives Mary have for us?

This is the perfect time to invite others to come to worship with us. I recently saw the statistic that 84% say they would come if someone invited them.

New Website

2008-03-08T16:08:00.000-06:00

The big news continues with the launch of our new website for First Church. I’m very excited for you to check it out. Please let me know what you think. This has been a long process and there is still more to be done (we’ll be adding images now that we’re live). But the new site is finally up and we can continue working with it. I think it's great.

Come and worship tomorrow morning, and don’t forget to change your clocks tonight. Most of us will lose a little sleep tonight in order to gain a little sunlight in the morning and lose a little sunlight in the evening. Makes sense, right?