Member Mission Newsletter #26     

This month:  
STORIES
Member mission and a congregation’s local community

A couple helps the hungry in their church's outreach
Working member mission into Sunday worship
Retreat explores a missionary spirituality
RESOURCES
Reflecting with God: Connecting Faith and Daily Life in Small Groups by Abigail Johnson
Sermons: “Biblical Faith, Fanatics, and Extremists” – spiritual health; “Conversations at the Well” – daily work and social interaction; Transfiguration Sunday – transfiguration in today’s world
New: Workbook for When the Members are the Missionaries [Rough Draft]
FOR MEDITATION
A fresh way to talk of God’s mission, the good news, and evangelism
LETTERS
Email from the high school twins on their wider world mission in Thailand
From a pastor in Kashmir, India
From a retired educator and leadership developer

           

STORIES

 

 

Last October at St. Matthew’s, Snellville, GA, Gini Peterson convened a Sunday morning group to study WTMATM.  The group went beyond the eight planned sessions to meet three more times.  One member had a coworker in the bank who believed she was “not doing what she should be doing by working in a bank.”  The member said, “You are doing exactly what you should be doing.  Here’s the book (WTMATM) that says so.  Read it!”  She read it and it found that it affirmed that she was indeed doing mission as a competent and reliable bank worker.

 

After discussing the stories of Part One, the group decided to finish the book individually and left the text for a lively discussion of a community outreach project the congregation was about to undertake.  They  would be one of seventeen churches in a network called Family Promise.  They discussed the resources they would need and how to recruit the volunteers they would need. 

 

Starting in April, they will house for dinner and the night groups of families numbering up to fourteen people for a week at a time.  Each church will do this three times a year.  Family Promise provides the cots and the night tables – and interpreters where language is an issue.  Each church supplies dinners, recreation, help with homework as needed, and valuable one-on-one time.  In the morning, Family Promise picks up the fourteen for the day at their center for showers and, then, work and school.  The goal is to provide the counseling and support for each family to become self-sustaining by stages.  As income grows, families move to transitional housing where they contribute to part of the rent.  In time, each family takes over their full housing costs as their income improves.

 

In the 31 years Gini has lived in Snellville, she has seen the almost all-white community fill with people of color. Snellville is 35 miles from Atlanta and 20 miles from Athens.  A local high school today has students from 42 language groups.  St. Matthew’s now has members from the Caribbean, Central America, and West Africa.  St. Matthew’s also draws in many from more rigid churches who value being in a church where issues are discussed openly and a variety of opinions are shared.
     Contact: Gini Peterson, 2266 Lexington Ave., Stone Mountain, GA 30087; 770-879-0321; ginireid@bellsouth.net.

 

        
A couple helps the hungry in their church's outreach

 

Charles and Marg add to their small church’s contributions toward the local food shelf which  aids forty households.

 The families are limited to one visit per month.  More than 125 people are aided in this way.  Twenty-three families received Christmas dinners last year.  The food shelf serves a community of about 2500.  Housed in a local church, the food shelf reports to a county community action program which offers training for the workers.  The community action agency is financed through contracted services it offers and by grants from county, state and federal agencies.  It is governed by a board of directors and reports to the granting agencies.
[For a picture, go to Newsletters > Member Mission News #26 on the web site.]

 

Working member mission into Sunday worship

 

The doors of Trinity Church, Plattsburgh, NY have glass panels to indicate, promote, and remind all entering to seek to be part of an open community.  “Welcome, Strengthen, Equip, and Serve” top the photo of the entrance on the bulletin cover.  Below the photo is the mission statement: “Trinity Episcopal Church is a welcoming community of Christian disciples where our faith is strengthened and we are equipped to serve Jesus Christ.”  Member mission flavors the reading of the lections and the sermons.  On Lent 3, the Gospel story of the woman at the well was enacted by members.  The sermon described people in their daily work and social interaction as participating in the work of Christ to be discerning mirrors to each other and, thereby, to provide “living water” and to know that in Christ each of us can change.  [The Gospel script and the sermon are on the website as noted below.]  All stand for the thanksgiving after communion and the blessing to signal that they are “commissioning prayers.”  Just after the dismissal come the words “The Worship is over. The service begins.” borrowed from St. Bartholomew’s, New York City.
     Contact: The Rev. Dr. John T. Sorenson, Trinity Church, 18 Trinity Place, Plattsburgh, NY 12901; 518-561-2244; lakesinai@charter.net.

 

 

 

The Worship and Adult Spirituality Commission of The Church of the Advent in Kennett Square, PA planned a retreat to explore finding God in the “busyness of our lives” and integrating “our ‘Sunday lives’ with our ‘weekday lives.’” With Wayne Schwab as their leader, the retreat was held Friday evening and Saturday, March 11 - 12, 2005 at the new Wapiti Retreat Center of the Diocese of Pennsylvania near Northeast, MD on the banks of the broad Elk River.  “Wapiti” is the Shawnee word for elk.

 

With “Finding God in the Busyness of Life: An Authentic Spirituality is a Missionary Spirituality” as its theme, the retreat approached the journey inward / journey outward for today as needing to unite prayer and action.  Life is indeed hectic and overly busy.  The Christian needs to be able to discern what God is doing in the midst of a busy moment and join what God is doing there now.  That is the journey outward.  The journey inward, then, is learning to discern God in the busy moments of daily life.  So that was the focus of the retreat – learning to discern what God is doing and to join God in that work. Elements from Friday night through Saturday afternoon were: God’s mission and authentic spirituality; a word from God in the midst of chaos and tension; making sense of our busy life styles with a pattern for daily prayer; and quiet time for individual meditation.  Presentations were accompanied by shared reflections and discussion.  All was well received by the participants.  For a schedule and content write membermission@aol.com. 
     Contact:  The Rev. David Thomas, Episcopal Church of the Advent, 401 N. Union St., Kennett Square, PA 19348; 610-444-4624; dthomas4442@comcast.net.

 

RESOURCES

 

Reflecting with God: Connecting Faith and Daily Life in Small Groups by Abigail Johnson (Herndon, VA: Alban Institute, 2004) has this useful outline for seeing God at work in daily life: (1) Naming the Experience – Choosing an event on which to reflect; (2) Exploring the Experience – Finding another layer to the event; (3) Digging Deeper – Expanding your thinking; (4) Making Faith Connections – Finding God at work in this event; (5) Leaning – Naming your discoveries; and (6) Praying – Taking time with God.  Each step has a number of questions to help your reflection.  Find this list at www.alban.org/weekly/041122_ReflectingwithGod.asp.

 

Sermons:
“Biblical Faith, Fanatics, and Extremists” – John’s story of the man born blind leads to addressing both our own mission to see to our own spiritual health and our mission to build spiritual health in the wider world.  The Rev. Roger Alling; Lent 4, Year A, John 9:1-13 (14-27) 28-38; Saint Boniface Church, Sarasota, FL; 3/6/05.
“Conversations at the Well” – Members enacting the Gospel story of the woman at the well precede the sermon (the script is included).  The sermon describes people in their daily work and social interaction as participating in the work of Christ to be discerning mirrors to each other and, thereby, to provide “living water” and to know that in Christ each of us can change.  The Rev. Dr. John T. Sorenson; Lent 3, 2/27/05; John 4:5-42; Trinity Church, Plattsburgh, NY.
Transfiguration Sunday – Moments of transfiguration are seen in today’s world as moments when we or others make some part of life more loving or more just.  These are evangelizing moments and they connect easily with Ignatian spirituality.  The Rev. Mark Norris, Church of the Holy Family, Omaha, NE – worshiping temporarily with St. Andrew’s in Omaha; Last Sunday after Epiphany, 2/6/05; Matthew 17:1-9.
[All three sermons are found on the web site at Making the Vision Work > Sermons.]

 

NEW – Workbook for When the Members are the Missionaries: Part one – Developing Your Own Roadmap for the Journey Ahead; Part Two – Six Steps to Member Mission for a Congregation [Rough Draft] by A. Wayne Schwab and Elizabeth S. Hall.  A needed simplifying of the book, Part One helps members, alone or in groups, to discover their daily missions; Part Two – with Power Point slides – guides the pastor step-by-step in leading a congregation to take up member mission.  Be part of the field test for editing by using it and recommending revisions. Now $16.00 including postage; order from membermission@aol.com or Member Mission Press, PO Box 308, Essex, NY 12936; p/f 518-963-7541; make checks payable to Member Mission Press. 

 

FOR MEDITATION

 

We need ever fresh ways to talk of God and God’s work among us.  Here is one:
God’s mission is to overcome evil, sin, and death and bring the whole creation to the fulfillment intended for it.
The Gospel: In Jesus Christ, God has overcome evil, sin, and death; and shares that power with us everywhere we are; the church is the visible center of God’s sharing through its teaching and worship.
Evangelism is calling nonchurch people into God’s mission in Jesus Christ.
Have you been trying fresh ways to connect God’s mission, the good news, and evangelism?

 

LETTERS

 

Edwina and Phoebe Clarke, the twins on mission in the wider world as they teach English as a second language to children in Thailand, Email us: that mopeds are everywhere; that they spent the first four days trying to learn Thai; that they visited tribal villages; that they have had classes in Thai cooking and massage; that they try to remember to take off their shoes when they enter Thai homes; that Edwina has settled for teaching the speaking of English rather than reading it; that Phoebe teaches 47 at a time; that both teach 10-year-olds; that you don’t admire a granny-skirt unless you’re ready to wear it; that hot pepper seeds are often in “green beans”; and that they’ll spend the last two weeks improving the libraries.

 

C. M. Khanna (the Rev.) writes from Kashmir, India:
Greetings to you in the precious name of Jesus.
In the latest news letter, the explanation regarding baptism by Revd. Alice (MMNews #25) is very enlightening. This has created ripples in my theological understanding which I had before this letter.  This challenged me to inform the members of local church that the task of mission of God in their lives.  The truth is that at the moment our people are more religious than spiritual. . . that Christ expects us to be spiritual rather than religious which is nothing but Christian ritual like baptism and observing fasting during lent.  On the other hand, my work among the local Kashmiri Muslims is encouraging.  The last three workshops on Discipleship have given some dividends. 14 among the trainees took baptism and continually I am telling them to be spiritual rather than religious.  Coming of new converts are not welcomed by the local Christians as they imagine that their coming into the new community will be a threat to their supremacy.  Hence I am landed into trouble. Moreover I have no moral or financial support from any that make me to redefine my ministry and evolve a suitable strategy for mission work.  C. M. Khanna.
[He goes on to outline his needs of both kinds of support.  We will email his letter to those who want to help.  Write membermission@aol.com.]

 

Hank Myers (the Rev. Henry L. H.) from Canton, GA and a former seminary professor and national church officer for leadership training, when asked what notes Education for Ministry groups might strike in member mission, commented:
“Thanks, Wayne.  I'm (still) fairly high on reconciliation, which is what ‘group process’, labs, and training in ‘conflict resolution’ (especially in the south in the 50-60's) was all about (still is), following the example of our Lord, the model Revolutionary, always getting in trouble, thrown out of the synagogue, turning the other cheek.   Not a kindergarten sport.  We (some) misinterpret its meaning when we go limp. [Hank went on to illustrate as follows.]  William Safire (not everyone’s cup of tea), in his column today (1/10/05) addresses the question of whether in the aftermath of the tsunami cataclysm in Asia you can question God and keep the faith.  He goes back to Job’s seemingly meek King James translation (“Though he slay me, yet will I trust him” Job 13:15) vs. the much different modern translations (“He may slay me, I’ll not quaver”).  Safire goes on with a bit of sharp exegetical hermeneutics.  Far better, I suspect, than most sermons/prayers re such catastrophes and ending with three ‘lessons from Job’ for today: (1) the victims in no way “deserved” a fate inflicted by the Leviathanic force of nature; (2) questioning God's inscrutable ways has its exemplar in the Bible and need not undermine faith; and (3) humanity's obligation to ameliorate injustice on earth is being expressed in a surge of generosity that refutes Voltaire's cynicism.*  That column is probably far and away better than most sermons yesterday on our Lord’s first baptism, with water; his second was with fire.   Hank
[*Unfortunately, the aid is slow coming – see the NYTimes of 4/6/05.]