church – Page 5 – Salvaged Faith

Time flies when you are surrounded by cardboard

Posted on October 15, 20121 Comment

Six weeeks ago: I said yes to my Bishop and began hunting for a place to live.

Five weeks ago: I announced to my congregation that I was accepting the invitation to a new adventure in ministry.

Four weeks ago: we began to pack and say goodbye and let things go one by one.

Three weeks ago: I found myself in Nashville for training for my new position with Imagine No Malaria at UMCom.

Two weeks ago: Frantically handing over ministries and leaving instructions, I find myself down for the count with the worst sinus infection I’ve ever had and I start my new job.

One week ago: I said good-bye to my church family and began to transition to the next with new colleagues and new phone numbers and new emails and new everything.

Today: I’m sitting in our new home, directing conference calls, settling in, and starting a very different life for a short stretch of time.

I tried blogging through some of the chaos near the beginning, but then I didn’t have the time I needed to really process all of the change. I knew I needed to, but I kind of bottled it all up and have bits and pieces of thoughts saved as private posts here and there. As I get the time to look back through them, I’ll see if there is anything “salveageable” in them.

I think for today, however, the best metaphor for what my life has been in the past few weeks is to think about my kitty cats.

My cats Tiki and Turbo are shy. They are extremely loveable and very nice, but they are introverts. They don’t do well around people and would prefer to hide under the bed… at least for a few hours or until people have left.

They have traveled and spent time in other houses before. Mostly my brother-in-laws house, where they spent most of our two week vacation hiding behind a chair where they thought no one could see them.

As soon as we arrived in the new place, we put them in the laundry room where they could have some space, but wouldn’t have to see all of the people moving all of the stuff.

The problem was, they didn’t want to come out when the chaos was over. We found them hiding behind the dryer, huddled together, just hoping that no one would see them.

As my husband and I eventually dragged them out of their little cozy corner (who am I kidding, it wasn’t cozy – it was dark and dusty and a little dank, too), they were tramautized. Hearts pounding, heads bobbing back and forth, not sure of what to do or where to run and hide.

I carefully cradled one cat, Brandon the other, and we showed them the house. We took them through every room and set them lovingly on their familiar pieces of furniture. And the whole time, their heads bobbed and weaved, sniffing and smelling, trying to take it all in, overwhelmed by the differences and yet the familiarity. It was dizzying to watch them… and yet I knew how they felt.

So many things have changed in the last few weeks, and yet so many things have remained the same. It’s like the world is upside down, but it’s the same world. It’s not better… it’s definitely not worse… it’s just disorienting. I’m still craning my neck and peeking around corners and “sniffing” out what all this new life entails. I’m still unsure, and yet starting to get situated, excited, full of anticipation.

I knew the cats would be fine when Turbo hopped into bed with us last night and found “his spot” right between our pillows. And even though Tiki never made it up the stairs to our master suite the night before, he found his own way and pounced on our feet… right on schedule as the sun started to rise. They seem to be enjoying new places to run and hide, new adventures around every corner… and yet they also seem to be a little bit more cuddly and cozy – wanting to be closer than before.

Change makes you think about what is really necessary and what is really important. It brings your life into focus. It makes you want to be cozier with the ones you love and cherish the home you have. It has been a whirlwind of a month, and we are still surrounded by cardboard… but everything is finally starting to settle into place. Tiki just used all of the boxes as an opportunity to leapfrog from one pile to the next and perch a top the highest one so he could survey his new territory. I feel like even in the chaos, I’m on top of the world, enjoying the view, and ready to tackle anything.

All Will Be Well

Posted on September 25, 2012Leave a comment

: by ClearlyCassidy

Julian of Norwich, in a time of doubt and struggle, wrote: All shall be well, and all shall be well and all manner of thing shall be well.

This is my last column in the Circuit Rider because on October 1, I will be beginning a new journey as the Coordinator for Imagine No Malaria with the Iowa Annual Conference. It is a long job title but a very short and intense ministry that I am very excited about beginning.

My new position will take me across the state, working with clergy and laity, young and old, small churches and the biggest churches, as we together raise funds to end death and suffering from malaria by 2015. While it might seem like only an outreach project, the truth is, I understand this campaign to be something bigger in the life of our Iowa Annual Conference of the UnitedMethodistChurch. Working together on this effort will help us build bridges between conservative and liberal sides of our church. Focusing outward on mission and partnering with our community to raise funds through health fairs and 5k runs and lemonAID stands will help us build relationships outside the walls and revitalize our churches. That is something that YOU have experienced here in Marengo. As we turned our hearts to both local and global mission, the Holy Spirit moved in and a spark of love and light ignited in this church.

When I came here to Marengo, neither you nor I knew what to expect. There is a song that I played frequently in those days to myself called “All Will Be Well” by the Gabe Dixon Band.

The new day dawns, / and I’m practicing my purpose once again. / it is fresh and it is fruitful if I win but if I lose, / Ooooo I don’t know. / I will be tired but I will turn and I will go, / Only guessing til I get there then I’ll know, / Oh oh oh I will know.

I was fresh out of seminary and you were ready to become a fruitful church… but we didn’t know it was going to work between us. It was a wild guess on our parts… but something amazing for God’s part.

All the children walking home past the factories / could see the light that’s shining in my window as I write this song to you. / All the cars running fast along the interstate / can feel the love that radiates / illuminating what I know is true / All will be well. / Even after all the promises you’ve broken to yourself, / All will be well. / You can ask me how but only time will tell.

I don’t know what God has in store for this church… but I know that God will be with you and all shall be well. I know that God has led you to embrace an amazing mission: to reflect the light of God in Marengo and Iowa County as you step out into the world and pass it on. I know that the Holy Spirit has been moving strongly in your midst and that God will not leave you or forsake you. I know that all will be well. You can ask me how, but only time will tell.

Keep it up and don’t give up / and chase your dreams and you will find / all in time.

You are my first church… and I love you dearly and I will miss you terribly… but all shall be well. Keep your hearts focused on what God has called you to do. Give your lives to living out that vision. God bless you all.

Mission Makes Disciples

Posted on September 19, 2012Leave a comment

I knew that Imagine No Malaria was about saving lives. I knew it was about God’s mission. But the more I sit in training, the more I hear the stories of people impacted by the campaign, the more I understand the training and empowerment of both church folk in the U.S. and the on the ground work in Africa, the more I realize that this work is about discipleship.

I have had a glimpse of the way mission makes disciples at my church in Marengo. As we turned our eyes outward instead of inward and opened the doors of the church and stepped outside, we found that we grew in our faith. As we reached out in love – both to our neighbors and to our brothers and sisters across the globe – we found we were encountering Christ. And as their heart for mission grew, so did the sense of spirit that moved through that church’s midst. And the reason is that they began to understand mission was about more than simply a check, but it was about faith in action.

Throughout this campaign, we are teaching people how to put faith into action. We are going to seek out those with the gifts for generosity and invite them to claim those gifts. But I really think that the heart of this campaign is about empowering individual people to make a difference for Christ. The skills we will teach and the gifts we will nurture will not only help us to be successful with Imagine No Malaria – we are actually building capacity for local church leaders to reach out to their local community in partnerships, developing donor networks, inviting people to give testimonies, increasing the strength of our connection, and capturing the creative spirit of our clergy and laity.

I watched a video segment yesterday where a young man, an inmate with a history of trouble, found his faith in the prison system. When his chaplain told him about Imagine No Malaria, he put aside $5 of the $15 he makes each month in the prison industry – money that was to be used to buy shampoo and soap and basic things… and he gave it to make a difference. He gave it because Jesus invites us to heal the sick. He gave it because it was what he could give.

As United Methodists, we believe that we not only make disciples, but we make disciples who make a difference. As I have been preaching through the book of James this month, I have been reminded over and over again that our faith is nothing if it is not lived through our words AND deeds. We have to reach out… not because it earns us points with Jesus, but because mission is what we were saved to do.

When we are engaged in mission, the initial faith that saved us is deepened. When we are engaged in mission, our life becomes less about “me” and more about God’s vision for the world. When we are engaged in mission, we find that we are in turn blessed by those we serve with (** note: not for or to, but with**).

When we are engaged in mission, we truly are living out our calling to be disciples of Jesus Christ. And while we might fight about the Call to Action and debate about the hot button political topics of the day and look suspiciously at those different from us across the table, Imagine No Malaria is different. The United Methodist Church has the opportunity right now to join with one another across the globe to do this one big thing in the name of God – to transform the world as we live out our faith and our mission. It is unprecedented. It is amazing. And it is entirely possible.

As someone who walked away from General Conference disheartened about “the institution,” I suddenly find myself in the midst of the institution… and yet, this campaign is about people coming together, focused on God, focused on a simple uniting task, focused on the elimination of deaths by malaria. While at times I have felt like I am on a very slowly sinking ship, I believe this project is rekindling hope in my heart that God isn’t done with us yet and that together we can truly revitalize our church and transform the world.

Assumptions

Posted on September 18, 20121 Comment

I remember vividly a leadership event when I was in middle school. Well, I vividly remember two things about it. First – we were at Kirkwood Community College and we got to eat in their awesome cafeteria and drink Clearly Canadian sparkling water. For some reason, that was a big deal 😉 Second, there was a message that stuck with me. It was about assumptions and our leader told us that when you assume, you make an “ass” out of “u” and “me.”

The book of James has an awful lot to say about when we open our mouths and what we choose to let slip out of it. And as I have been listening this week, I have realized that assumptions do just as much damage as a hurtful word.

When we make an assumption, we have spoken without all of the facts. And that means that we have not taken the time to truly listen to another person. We have not spent the time with them and asked questions about them or the situation. We have placed ourselves in a position where we believe we have all the information we need… a position of arrogance and, likewise, judgment that the other person or situation is not worthy of investigation and time.

When we make an assumption, we have allowed our wants and desires and impulses to rule the conversation without taking the time to pray and seek God’s counsel. We react with positive or negative gut reactions, rather than looking beyond ourselves to a larger context and environment. When we make an assumption, we have not done the difficult work of weighing how a person or situation will impact not only a local climate, but also a global climate or the Kingdom of God.

I write all of this, because these past two weeks have been awash in assumptions. I confess that I have made assumptions about how others would react to news of my position that did not always place me in a position to respond pastorally. There have been assumptions made at various levels of the connection about timing, ease of transition, and the rippling impact of change. But others have also made assumptions about what I will or won’t be doing, the process of how the position came to be and how/why I was asked, and what the impact on the church will be.

Assumptions hurt. There has been damage along the way and there are misconceptions to clear up and healing that needs to happen… and it won’t be immediate. The truth is, the answers to some of those questions are still unclear. Other assumptions might have a foothold in reality, but either the assumptions don’t have the whole story or stretch something out of proportion.

Today, I begin my training for my work with Imagine No Malaria. From what I know already, the bulk of my work will be communicating the importance of the mission, training and empowering and developing lay and clergy across the state to embrace the mission and to give generously, but above all, telling the good news that lives are being saved and that we are doing God’s work. I will travel, have a lot of one-on-one meetings, and spend a good chunk of time with databases and reporting. Some of those things might themselves be assumptions. I am trying to let go of those ideas I hold in my mind so that I can be open and learn as much as possible about what my life will look like over the next nine months.

And I want to invite you, when I get back, to ask me lots of questions. Open your mind and let us explore together with God what is in store for all of us.

And now for something completely different…

Posted on September 9, 20122 Comments

The following is the announcement I made this morning at our worship service.

This morning, I need to share with all of you some rather big news. This is not going to be easy to say, so I’m just going to come out and say it.

Starting October 1, I am beginning a new journey in ministry. I am humbled and honored to have been asked by Bishop Trimble to coordinate the Imagine No Malaria campaign for the Iowa Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. After a lot of wrestling – with God, with myself, with the larger church, with my husband… I can no longer deny that God is asking me to be a part of this exciting new project.

For the next two years, I will be traveling the state helping all of us, as United Methodists, raise $4 million dollars to help end deaths from malaria. I will be training volunteers, helping to resource fundraising events, and sharing the stories of what everyday, ordinary people are doing to help combat this global disease.

As excited I am about this big thing that God is calling me to do… I am equally heartbroken to be leaving you. In fact, one of my biggest obstacles to saying “yes” to this position is that I really do not want to leave you… the people of the First United Methodist Church of Marengo. Both you AND I have dreamed about years of ministry together in this place.

But sometimes our plans are not God’s plans.

I realized that whether I leave tomorrow or ten years from now, our work together will never be finished… there will always be more to do.

I realized that while I have walked with you this far, there are other people that God is waiting to send this direction to help you grow and thrive in ways I could never do.

And when I prayed long and hard about it, I was finally able to say yes to this position because I know… I trust… I believe with all my heart that YOU will be okay. That God will take care of you. That the larger church will take care of you and will send someone here who can take what we’ve done and help you to shine.

So I need all of you to do a couple of things for me.

1) I need you to remember that these past five years have not been about what I have done – they are about what YOU have done. You showed up. You took chances. You recommited yourselves. I helped to steer along the way, but nothing that we have accomplished together would have happened without you. You are stronger than you realize. You are more amazing than you give yourselves credit for. Whoever might stand in this pulpit is not the church…. YOU ARE. And it is up to YOU to continue this work… work that started long before I ever showed up and that will last long after the youngest of us gathered here is old.

2) I need for all of you to feel comfortable coming and talking with me over the next few weeks about whatever it is you are feeling. Whether you are angry or upset or disappointed or overjoyed… please come and talk to me. This is sudden, and surprising, and it is not easy for any of us to digest. Whatever you are feeling – it is okay.

3) I need you to work with our District Superintendent. He has promised to work his hardest to help bring a pastor to this church who is the right fit as quickly as possible. I know that there have been times in the past when you have felt like the black sheep and the neglected step child. But now you know who you are and what you are about. I believe you are a resurrected and thriving church and an example for small congregations all across Iowa. You are not going to let you stumble. And over the next month, he is going to need your help and support as he gets to know the church better in order to help bring the best possible person to be your pastor.

4) Last, I need you to pray. I need you to pray for me as I begin this crazy new adventure. I need you to pray for one another. I need you to begin praying right now for your future pastor. I need you to surround that person – whomever they might be – with love and support and grace.

In our sermon this morning, we were reminded that we are a living church – not a dead one. We are a church who has shown the fruit of mercy and compassion in our lives. God is here and will sustain you. Thank you for letting me be a part of the journey for this leg of the road.

What Could Happen?

Posted on June 26, 2012Leave a comment

This summer, my church began a series exploring the work of the Holy Spirit in the book of Acts. One Sunday, I asked them to begin imagining what could happen in our community and in our church if we truly let the Holy Spirit guide us and transform us. Here are their responses:

We would be a church on fire… people couldn’t help but join in the infectious joy!
our church would “glow” with love – unbelievable!
The “church” (people of the church) would be more committeed to each other, the church, the community and the world.
a wonderful and peaceful world
the church and community would be stronger
community outreach and invitation to visit so we have a growing church
I believe the spirit exists in all of us – we need the key to unlock the heart, enjoy the treasures above.
more peace and good will towards all peoples.
love and compassion
everyone would come to every worship, bible study, help at VBS, nursing home, MOW. No one in the church or community would go hungry, be cold. Everyone would feel blessed, and loved.
we would be able to do any thing there would be nothing we couldn’t do as God’s disciples and as a church
we would all live in love – all anger, hate, jealousy and evil thoughts would be gone. We all would be brothers and sisters in love – true disciples of Christ
we would be a united church in discipleship
we would be more connected when we were not confined to the walls of the church alone once a week
miracles could happen within our church and beyond
we would have more personal reflection and accountability
anything and everything
move us closer in knowing and doing His will for each other
People would truly care for one another
Prayer
we would be one – working for the glory of God
community coming together, working with everyone
spread the love and compassion among all – Pass It On
become true Christians
we may get along better
be more tolerant
tithe could fund people who are hungry, homeless, ill, etc.
The word of the Lord would be better understood by all of us.
Our lives would truly be in the service of the Lord.
peace & satisfaction
joy and comfort
It would set the church on fire to go out and serve others – we would be Christ’s disciples in word and action!

That is a beautiful list…. I want to be a part of this church!!! I want to be a part of a group of people who are dedicated to truly letting the Spirit into their lives and living out their discipleship and I’m so grateful that I am among people who are ready and excited to take this journey seriously.

selling the good silver

Posted on May 14, 2012Leave a comment

Our church hosted a rummage sale as a part of our city-wide garage sales this weekend. We invited congregation members to bring us their items, we sorted and priced them and the church kept the proceeds. About 8 people put in a bunch of work and over two days we made almost $600… not too shabby!

One of our big ticket items was a silver coffee and tea service set from the church. It had been stored under a cabinet for years and then made its way up to a third floor storage room. I’m not sure when it was used last, but I can verify it has been at least five years. Also for sale were silver spoons, forks, and knives from the church – many complete with a “Methodist Episcopal Church” engraving. They could be purchased for 10 cents each.

As we priced out the items and wrung our hands about whether or not to add them to the garage sale, we came to a conclusion… we are not the church of 1950. It is rare for someone to wear a tie in our church. Sports jackets and suits are rarely seen on a Sunday morning and are becoming less common even for funerals. Our congregation is full of casual everyday folks… and silver isn’t for casual everyday use.

Rather than clutter up our cupboards with items we will never use, we can offer them to a good home and use that money for the current ministry of our church. $175 will send two kids to camp, or buy a full years worth of sunday school materials for the nursery class. $175 will nearly purchase two new lighter-weight tables for our fellowship hall or it will pay one months worth of the electric bill this spring. It will do a whole lot of things that a fancy silver set in the storage room will not.

But I think more than the money we received for that set, we also were reminded that our identity has changed.

Marengo is a blue collar town. Marengo is full of older folks on fixed incomes and young folks struggling to raise their children. Our mission field has changed and instead of being stuck in old ways, we are excited and willing to sell off a few of those old contraptions in order to become and live into the church of the 21st century in small-town Iowa.

I heard not one peep of disappointment in our decision to sell the good silver. A few folks picked up a set of silverware for nostalgia. And the coffee/tea set found a good home.

That, I believe, is a good day of ministry.

Life Goes On

Posted on February 3, 20122 Comments

My number one personal ministry goal for 2012 has been to encourage lay leadership and to empower my congregation to make decisions, take ownership, and answer the call of God in their own lives.

One of primary ways our church is answering that challenge is by reorganizing our leadership structure and by adopting a single board model. We spent a few months tweaking this process in the fall and then the second week of January, our new board met for some planning, team building, and organizing.

But then I left for vacation. I took two full weeks off from the church. And, holy cow, did I need them.

I was exhausted. All the planning of the fall… all of the work surrounding Advent and Christmas… the build-up to the new structure and implementation… it was a lot going on all at once. Getting away was important.

If I am 100% honest with all of you, I assumed life at the church would coast on by while I was gone. I wasn’t expecting any major problems. I know my folks and they are good people and would get on fine while their pastor wasn’t there. They’ve done it before, they could do it again.

What I didn’t expect was for them to take things by the reins and keep on charging forward! =)

I get back and find out that six of our leadership team attended a training while I was gone (I was hoping 2 or 3 would go). And not only did they attend, but they got together for pizza afterwards and debriefed and now want to begin meeting weekly to keep these ideas alive and to support one another. In my wildest dreams, I was hoping I might get some of our ministry leaders together once a month, and they are asking ME to meet weekly. Hallelujah!

As I was getting ready to head out of town, a new ministry was formed in about 10 minutes. Conversations went back and forth between Sunday School and the Sanctuary and two days later, we have 15 casseroles in the freezer ready to be sent out at a moments notice to folks coming home from the hospital, new parents, grieving relatives, and stressed out families.

Yesterday afternoon, I recieved a phone call from a lay person who had organized three couples to host a chili lunch after church. They don’t want it to be a fundraiser, just a way for people to get together and have a good meal. All I needed to do was add it to the calendar.

I feel absolutely honored and blessed to be a part of this church right now. These folks keep surprising me, encouraging me, and you can just feel the Spirit of God moving in our midst.

I have never been a details person. I don’t work well behind the scenes. What I do best is seeing the big picture. When I translate that into ministry, I truly feel called to empower, support, and connect my lay people in the work of ministry that we do as the Body of Christ. For four years, we wrestled with having enough people who trusted in themselves and God enough that they could take the leap of faith and DO ministry. I ended up doing a lot more detail work than I should have, walking beside folks, and helping them to understand they CAN do this work, too… that it is not all the pastor’s responsibility.

Coming back from this vacation, seeing the work and ministry and growth that has happened already this year, I feel like we have crossed a HUGE milemarker. We are well on our way. God is good. And the church is alive and well.