Following Jess Discernment Lawrenceville First Christian Chrch 2018 The Rev. Melinda McDonald
Love, Hope, and Faith This is my commandment, that yo love one another as I have loved yo. Yo did not choose me, bt I chose yo. And I chose yo to bear frit, frit that will last John 15:12, 16 NRSV I believe that God created s for LOVE. [Raise yor hand if yo agree.] I believe God designed s to have HOPE in or hearts as we carry ot God s mission of LOVE. [Agree?] I believe God has been and will contine being FAITHfl to God s beloved.
Life and living is a recrsive process a spiraling, 3-D process. All the work First Christian Chrch has engaged in the past few years has broght this commnity of faith to the place yo are now. Yo have done some important fondational work as this chrch faces into the ftre God has in store. 1 Nothing is lost in God s Way of being and doing. 2 DO YOU AGREE? FCC is committed to following Jess farther on the Way of God s kingdom. We are trsting God for the path ahead.
Are we there yet
Sorce: David Brown of Pinnacle Leadership Associates
The Christian Chrch (Disciples of Christ) mission and vision Or mission is derived from Acts 1:8 To be and to share the Good News of Jess Christ, witnessing, loving, and serving from or doorsteps to the ends of the earth. We strive for God s vision for s: To be a faithfl, growing chrch that demonstrates deep Christian spiritality and a passion for jstice based on Micah 6:8, to do jstice, to love kindness, and to walk hmbly with God.
As 21 st centry Disciples of Christ, we proclaim this identity: We are a movement for wholeness in a fragmented world. As part of the one body of Christ, we welcome all to the Lord s Table as God has welcomed s.
What is the specific personality of Lawrenceville Let s focs on what we can do, not what we can t. Let s name or assets. A clarification: God does the transforming work. Another clarification: we are stewards of God s mission here. First Christian?
There are set goals for interim ministry. * Clarify the identity of the specific congregation. Keeping or focs on identity as this is top priority for ftre work and development. Also, a clear identity helps others know if this commnity of faith is a good fit for them. Having a clear prpose for or congregation acts like a boat rdder/directing mechanism for or mission work. Or chrch can make decisions based pon or specific mission and keep or efforts focsed on the mission which we believe God is calling s.
Please go to David Hayward s (aka Naked Pastor) graphic designs to look p his Two Views of God. I sed this graphic with the artist s permission for or presentation. I made a small donation to se this powerfl image. Pastor Melinda
A Few Points from a Christian Centry article, Or Life Together. Athor is Christine Pohl, Christian ethics Asbry Theological Seminary. Article adapted from book, Living into Commnity: Cltivating Practices That Sstain Us. Celebration norishes people! Expressing gratitde begins by paying attention. Keeping promises faithfl in small ways yields a witness. Living trthflly as a disciple of Jess risky to be vlnerable, telling trth lovingly. Offering hospitality Matt. 24:3, I was hngry and yo fed me.
01 02 03 04 The path forward is an experiential one and experimental one. Clergy mentor, David Brown, named this way, HOLY EXPERIMENTS. The UCC of Ohio has a website dedicated to this way of doing and being chrch. This is the way real life is; we try things and they do or don t work as we hoped and then we try again. This mission, LFCC, is God s mission. We are the stewards of it. Let s remain calm and follow on. This commonsense approach is one that Campbell and Stone were trying in the frontier of Kentcky back in their time! Yo have spent some time in small grops with directed inqiry. Now, as a large grop, we will see if we can come to consenss and try to do the important next step for God s mission known as LFCC going forward. How do we contine or jorney of faith?
The Way Forward The following information is sed by permission from the Rev. David Brown, my transitional ministry advisor.
Arise ot Face Do not rely on Derive Allow Follow Bild Arise ot of a deep commitment to following Jess. Face into challenges with an attitde of openness. Do not rely on technical soltions or system analytics. Derive from prayer, conslting or faith, and making best gesses. Allow s to innovate while maintaining or traditions. Follow God s Spirit that is ever ndging s. Bild the airplane while flying it! Holy Experiments
Holy Experiments Reqire Listening, learning, and collaborating among orselves WE! Commnicating in love Staying open to God s direction as we go Prsing and following nforeseen new missional pathways Willingness to fail and to learn from failre Coming together to evalate or experiment [MM] Using consenss rather than majority voting to make decisions [MM]
Participants in Holy Experiments Are attentive, self aware as part of the whole grop and as individals. Are focsed on framing pertinent qestions and responding to real challenges. Use integrative thinking se both/and thinking, Craddock s cold be this, cold be that and holding varios views simltaneosly. Possess corage willing to take risks. Demonstrate resilience willing to fail forward. Trst in God believe God is still at work in the world!
PAYING ATTENTION Moses and the Magi Moses and the brning bsh that did not disintegrate The magi were watching the night skies intently We tend to see that which we are sed to seeing, viewing within or sal way of perceiving. Ex Rorscharch tests / ink blots and the line drawings do yo see the old lady wearing a hat or a yong lady?
The Proposal for or first Holy Experiment I already mentioned what I sensed was or first priority in slide eight. Anyone recall? Based on my observations of this congregation, I am sggesting that we try on a contemporary mission statement: Loving like Christ, Thinking like Christ, Acting like Christ. It s easy to remember and tre. We need a niche Lawrenceville First has a heart for nrtring families and children. Or something that yo discern and decide by or next meeting on 10/21.
WHAT WE KNOW God provides what we need to do what God calls s to do. There is enogh time to do what God calls s to do. We have the capacity to do what God calls s to do. There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. 1 John 4:2, The Message God knows how to lead God s people thogh transitions. Credit to David Brown for this slide.
Keep calm and follow on Let s worship together and practice gratitde and hospitality together. Let s consider how we can focs orselves for mission. Let s contine doing what we do as FCC. Let s review or Listening Hearts discssions. Let s try on this mission statement with the added focs and see if it fits or find better words for what fits LFCC and pass along to Melinda. Let s meet together October 21st to finalize the wording for a contemporary mission/prpose statement. Melinda will generate the notes from or Lenten Listening Hearts sessions. Or goal is to prodce a working mission statement that will serve as the rdder for what we do locally. Or participation in the mission of Camp Christian remains a part of or identity for the GA Region.
Big Qestions for Next Time What does it mean for s to be Jess disciples in Lawrenceville in 2018? What might we offer or commnity that derives from or identity as Disciples? What is God p to in Lawrenceville and how might we engage in more relational mission activity? What if we began to strctre all that we do as chrch arond a focsed prpose?
Living into a mission that fits or first holy experiment! Or prpose needs to match or chrch s character. The words that we claim as or specific identity gide s as God s mission, LFCC. *THIS IS ONLY A SPRINGBOARD pray, think, meditate on who we are. First Christian Chrch is faithflly following Jess farther on the Way by Or core vales inclde love, faith, compassion and commnity. LFCC, get it? Loving like Christ, thinking like Christ, acting like Christ. Or focs for mission: nrtring children and families locally and in the Georgia Region s ministry of Camp Christian.
Together let s pray God, we have no idea where we are going. We do not see the road ahead of s. We cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do we really know orselves, and the fact that we think that we are following yor will does not mean we are actally doing so. Bt we believe that the desire to please yo does in fact please yo. And we hope that we have that desire in all that we are doing. We hope we will never do anything apart from that desire. And we know that if we do this yo will lead s by the right road, thogh we may know nothing abot it. Therefore we will trst yo althogh we may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. We will not fear, for yo are ever with s, and yo will never leave s to face or perils alone. Amen. Thomas Merton, THOUGHTS IN SOLITUDE, 83, adapted. [LH book, 167.]