A couple of weeks ago we pulled into the parking lot at New Church, also new one-day-a-week work church, and were greeted by an old friend. He immediately asked "Brittany, have you heard the news?" The news was that New Church had been broken into the night before. Just one of the four buildings but it was the one building that had the most to lose, in ways. Three computers were taken, a printer (it was realllllllllyyyyy an awful printer), the back up to one of the computers, a box of cell phones that had been donated for a fundraiser and, as we found out today, some software that we used regularly. On those computers were all the databases for the church members and the youth ministry, all the minutes for church meetings, mock-ups for bulletins, newsletters, any mailings that have been sent out, pretty much everything. They also took the church Suburban...which again, was old and kinda gross, but still it ran and it was nice to have around.
The robbers took stuff. They didn't take the spirit of the church. But they did violate a space. I remember back when Old Church was broken into. They broke into my office and stole a computer (again, a realllllllyyyy awful one) and a brand new camera plus a few other things. It took me a long time to feel comfortable in the church building again. My office door was equipped with a bolt lock, the stain from the fingerprint dust never really did come off the door and the marks where the door was pried open were never painted over. There were always reminders that the church wasn't the safe place I really wanted it to be.
Not having spent much time at New Church, yet, I'm not personally feeling that violation, but the rest of the church staff definitely is feeling violated. The door locks to the offices have yet to be fixed, we are all working on borrowed computers and every so often we find that something else is missing...like the software today. The church that once felt safe, doesn't feel so safe anymore.
The robbers took things that we probably won't ever get back. They also took a little bit of our trust in mankind. But what they didn't take away is God. What they didn't take was the people who gave Thanks that same Sunday for the robbery, for the realization that it's just stuff and the gratefulness of a people who have a church building to call home. The robbers didn't take that away.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Thursday, November 10, 2011
20's-30's-40's
Some of the greatest conversations I have about faith happen in the most unlikely places. Today I was with one of my favorite people to talk with about faith--I'll call her Faith Friend. She had me captive for a few hours, so we had a good conversation!
In the midst of the conversation I had a bit of a light bulb moment. I recently attended a meeting at new church that was kind of a visioning meeting, looking ahead at where they want to be. It came up that this particular group of people is concerned with reaching out to the 20-30-40 year old set. Faith Friend and I are both in that group. We've both grown up in the church and while I'm continuing in a traditional church setting, she is exploring new options. Part of what she is looking for is a place where discussions happen. That got me to thinking...
I am becoming more and more convinced that the church universal has created their own image problem by making faith too religious, IE putting a lot of rules and regulations on faith that aren't either biblical nor are they friendly. That religious factor has turned many off of church, which has resulted in the vacancy of the 20-30-40 and maybe more set.
In my time with the Young Adults in one of those age groups, I noticed that they were more apt to come to a time of discussion than traditional worship. They became engaged in the discussions and gained just as much from those times as from traditional worship.
What would happen if, instead of all the hoopla of traditional worship, we gathered together in groups, maybe small groups within a larger group? Intentional groups though, not just randomly putting people together. What would happen if those groups were together and listened to a speaker for a few minutes, maybe 10 altogether, and then talked about it? I'm not talking about easy topics of discussion either. Let's talk about the taboo things, let's get gritty and real. What would happen if instead of being expected to sit and receive, we were expected to participate in our worship experience through discussion and practice? I wonder if church wouldn't be more appealing if we tore down some of the walls that we have put into place and were willing to think outside the box.
Some thoughts that I will continue to ponder.
In the midst of the conversation I had a bit of a light bulb moment. I recently attended a meeting at new church that was kind of a visioning meeting, looking ahead at where they want to be. It came up that this particular group of people is concerned with reaching out to the 20-30-40 year old set. Faith Friend and I are both in that group. We've both grown up in the church and while I'm continuing in a traditional church setting, she is exploring new options. Part of what she is looking for is a place where discussions happen. That got me to thinking...
I am becoming more and more convinced that the church universal has created their own image problem by making faith too religious, IE putting a lot of rules and regulations on faith that aren't either biblical nor are they friendly. That religious factor has turned many off of church, which has resulted in the vacancy of the 20-30-40 and maybe more set.
In my time with the Young Adults in one of those age groups, I noticed that they were more apt to come to a time of discussion than traditional worship. They became engaged in the discussions and gained just as much from those times as from traditional worship.
What would happen if, instead of all the hoopla of traditional worship, we gathered together in groups, maybe small groups within a larger group? Intentional groups though, not just randomly putting people together. What would happen if those groups were together and listened to a speaker for a few minutes, maybe 10 altogether, and then talked about it? I'm not talking about easy topics of discussion either. Let's talk about the taboo things, let's get gritty and real. What would happen if instead of being expected to sit and receive, we were expected to participate in our worship experience through discussion and practice? I wonder if church wouldn't be more appealing if we tore down some of the walls that we have put into place and were willing to think outside the box.
Some thoughts that I will continue to ponder.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Thinking out loud
When I first started in Youth Ministry, another Youth Pastor called me up one day and invited me to coffee with a couple of other people. That gathering started a larger gathering and for a few years up to 15 youth pastors/parachurch workers in the area got together once a month to just talk ministry and life. The people at these gatherings changed constantly, as people came into and left ministry in the area. Out of that initial gathering, a group of us started a monthly event for our youth. There were three of us that started that monthly event. Two of those guys left ministry within the year. Three other guys came on board. Little did we know what God was doing.
Over the course of a few years, our friendships grew from just hanging out at youth events, to hanging out whenever we could get together...not just to plan youth events together. It was probably my favorite time in ministry, hands down. Then two of the guys left ministry. One moved away, one needed to be out of ministry for awhile for a multitude of reasons. People came in, things changed and in the end, there is only one of us ministering to youth in the area still...though I work for him now, so technically I'm still in a type of ministry! Ha!
Today, three of the four of us got together for lunch. It was good, relaxing and fun. Driving home, it occurred to me, that during that time in ministry, when the four of us gathered regularly to talk and pray together, I was at my most positive and productive. I was energized and excited to do ministry and probably the most effective as well. Which got me to thinking. What would happen if churches required their leaders to be in a fellowship of other church leaders regularly? Would it help to ease burnout if church leaders had groups of people from outside their church but in ministry to talk with and laugh with and be real with? Would it change things if we made church leaders connecting with church leaders a big deal? Or would that just become a chore? Another meeting to go to? Something else to run?
I have no answers. I'm just thinking out loud.
Over the course of a few years, our friendships grew from just hanging out at youth events, to hanging out whenever we could get together...not just to plan youth events together. It was probably my favorite time in ministry, hands down. Then two of the guys left ministry. One moved away, one needed to be out of ministry for awhile for a multitude of reasons. People came in, things changed and in the end, there is only one of us ministering to youth in the area still...though I work for him now, so technically I'm still in a type of ministry! Ha!
Today, three of the four of us got together for lunch. It was good, relaxing and fun. Driving home, it occurred to me, that during that time in ministry, when the four of us gathered regularly to talk and pray together, I was at my most positive and productive. I was energized and excited to do ministry and probably the most effective as well. Which got me to thinking. What would happen if churches required their leaders to be in a fellowship of other church leaders regularly? Would it help to ease burnout if church leaders had groups of people from outside their church but in ministry to talk with and laugh with and be real with? Would it change things if we made church leaders connecting with church leaders a big deal? Or would that just become a chore? Another meeting to go to? Something else to run?
I have no answers. I'm just thinking out loud.
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