The Bible in a Year

Wow. It's been more than a month. Way more. I would have guessed 3 weeks, tops. That's how time goes for me...fast and fleeting. I set out towards a goal with great intention, but if there's no structure to help keep me focused, before long I'm captured by and following next important (or merely bright and shiny) thing.

My intent this year is to dig into the bible the way Julie Powell dug into Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. The whole shebang in one year. And I know that if I'm to be successful, I need a good structure. For me that means 3 things.

1. Declare it out loud
2. Have a structure that adds it to my day
3. Do it with others

So today, as one year fades and the next is on the edge of popping open, I invite you to join me in a structured reading of the bible that will have us going through the whole thing in one year. Craig Miller of the United Methodist General Board of Discipleship has put together a form to help us. You'll find it on the web at http://bibleyear.ning.com/. It lists the scriptures for each day and gives a place to comment and see what others are saying about the readings.

There are six readings for each week. The seventh day has no reading. You can use that day to reflect on the week's readings or catch up if you need to. The reading schedule is based on Eugene Peterson's The Daily Message: Through the Bible in One Year.

So here goes!

Simple Church

At a meeting I attended on Saturday, they passed out copies of a book called Simple Church.

"A simple church is a congregation designed around a straight-forward and strategic process that moves people through the stages of spiritual growth."

I really like the wording. It boils down into simplest terms what I think is the fundamental purpose of any type of faith community.

Designed Around: Programs, ministries, and meetings revolve around one thing - moving people through the stages of spiritual growth. In United Methodist language we'd say, "making disciples for the transformation of the world." But understood from a Weslyan perspective, that's exactly what "moving people through the stages of spiritual growth" is.

Everything that is done is done for a reason. There is a clear aim. Everything - from announcements in worship, to pastoral care, to how leaders respond to everyday crises - serves that aim.

A Straight-forward & Strategic Process: There is a fundamental process in place for helping people grow spiritually. That process is simple and understandable - by everybody. The parts all fit together to lead people to an intended end result

That moves people through stages of Spiritual Growth: It's understood that people will be at various places in their spiritual journey. Growth in their relationship with God, others, and self is expected and fostered.

This means that there is, in the congregation, an agreed upon desired end result, and agreement about the basic stages of spiritual growth that lead to that end.

Now THERE'S a question for your congregation. What's the desired end result you want from people's involvement with your church? What are the basic stages of spiritual growth that have to be lived through before that end result can be reached?

A vote for hope

I've finished my first two weeks of church conferences. Six congregations. Each different in both in location and personality. Each utterly compelling.

I generally start off the gathering by asking those present something along the lines of "So why, when there are so many other things you could be doing instead, why do you come to church...and what, if any, difference does that make in your life?"

There's usually silence...then someone begins and the stories start to flow....

Stories of finding hope....of finding family.....of finding purpose...

...of wanting stability....and a new beginning...

Stories of people who welcome questions...and don't judge answers....

who listen for the mystery underneath it all...

...and give themselves to making things better.

"There are Sunday mornings when I don't feel at all like coming to church. But then, when I open the newspaper and see the hopelessness that fills the world, I change my mind and head on over. On those days, coming to church is a vote for hope."

An experience and a conversation share space in my mind this morning.

The experience

I spent a chunk of yesterday worshipping and then eating with the small and hispanic Mabton congregation. There were 8 adults - half of them looked to be in the early to mid-20's - and about as many children. Unrelated to the adults, the children came from the neighborhood around the church and many (if not all) had been part of the "vacation bible school" held this past summer. 5 volunteers from the Tumwater United Methodist Church were there as well, having come for the weekend to work on the roof of one of the classrooms.

Worship was long by anglo standards, but in that setting seemed just right. We sang -- a lot. And prayed -- a lot. Near the end, we shared communion. But really, the whole thing felt like a time of communion -- of being "with" ourselves and each other and God. There was no sleeping through this service and no rote anything. What would happen next in the service? Only the pastor, Ruben Escalera, knew. And I think he only knew as we went along and he sensed what was needed next.

Our singing was really loud and as off-key as I've ever heard a group of people sing. And Ruben encouraged us to give it even more. "The angels in heaven may have beautiful voices, but they do not have what we have! - our experiences on earth that make us so grateful!" Or, our flesh and blood bodies, which Ruben encouraged us to use by clapping or stamping or moving as we sang. "Worship should use all of us and all of our senses!" We sang in Spanish and I followed as best I could. I struggled at first to get the meaning of each phrase I was singing. Finally I let go of figuring it all out and simply invested the unfamiliar words with my own gratitudes.

During our times of prayer, prayers of gratitude dominated: for the beauty of the day, for work in a time of high unemployment, for family and friends, that the gas in the car's gas tank lasted till pay day, for a life that was changing for the better. Prayers of concern were pleas for spiritual shifts:, a more Christ-like attitude, a clearer sense of God's path, strength to avoid temptation, more trust and less worry, more people following the precepts of Christ.

We both participated in and listened to a sermon on Mark 9. "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief." He left us thinking...what do we each believe? How much do we believe it? 70%? 80%? 90%? What's the impact of our unbelief on our lives and lives of others?

That's when I remembered the conversation.

The conversation

I was talking a couple weeks back with Dan (my partner in CourageousSpace Coaching and Consulting). He was relating an experience he'd had with a group of people from a congregation that had brought him in to talk about congregational renewal. He asked the group, "On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 low and 10 high, how much do you really believe that God has an intent or vision for your congregation's future?"

A majority of the people answered "2" or "3".

"Lord we believe; help our unbelief"

Do justice, Love Kindness...

What a great weekend...though I need a weekend to recover from it! I spent it at Lazy F Camp and Retreat Center (located just outside of Ellensburg, WA) with 20 youth from the district (and about 6 other adults)to reflect on the topic, "Change Your World - Now"

This was the first district youth retreat in a number of years, and the timing of it kept many away because of sports, band, and other kinds of school commitments. And, the flu too, took a toll. But those who came?? Oh. My. Goodness!!

I knew it was going to be a different kind of weekend right from the start. You know that awkward registration time when people are arriving and don't know each other yet or feel comfortable? The youth had a lovely way of welcoming people as they arrived, pulling them into a game or conversation. It wasn't anything planned. There was no script that said, "go up and talk to new people when they walk in the door." It was their natural instinct.

Marieke (on the camp staff) supervised one of the three work groups on Saturday that tackled projects that needed doing around camp. "They worked really hard, and they had this great way of making it all really fun, too...they're really full of life and joy"

Ryan (also on the camp staff) was blown away. He opened Saturday evening's dance with a hoe-down and square-dancing. (you'd have to know Ryan to know that this would totally goofy fun) After he left, the youth took it to brand new realms - square dancing to hip-hop music.

They really seem to get that church is about being a community of practice, where we develop certain "muscles" within ourselves, practice them with one another, and find support as we try to use those muscles in how we live our lives and interact with all people and situations.

For those of you who have been reading Bishop Schnase's book, "Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations" - that's exactly what he's getting at. Radical hospitality, passionate worship, intentional faith-development, risk-taking mission and service, extravagant generosity.

The retreat approached it all from a totally different angle...but in the end that's what the retreat was about and what the youth embodied. Being in the midst of that kind of community is energizing and inspiring...and to this 51 year old introvert also a tad bit exhausting.

But it's Monday morning, and I had a long nap yesterday and a good night's sleep and I'm missing those kids.

Ancient words for today's people

Everything matters.
You are not alone.
You are more than you know
The awful thing is not the final word.
Today is all we have. Today is enough.
We need each other.
St. Benedict's Way of Love

I love this rephrasing of St. Benedict's Rule. It feels like the lifeline that the Christ's message is supposed to be. So many live the hopelessness of the opposite of these thoughts; that's why there's church. So there's a place where people can hear and learn to live this message.

(One of the pastor's in the district has this painted on (his/her) office wall. Any guesses who?)

In the beginning...

...was the first post. And here it is.

This is a blog as I work with the Seven Rivers District of the Pacific Northwest Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church (try saying that 6 times fast). We're a geographically and theologically diverse bunch of Christians located in the center of Washington State. The district is bordered by Canada to the north, Oregon to the south, and the Cascade range to the west. Our eastern border ranges from Walla Walla and Dayton in the south end to Grand Coulee in the north.

We have the unique distinction of having 2, count 'em, 2 district superintendents. Steve Schroeder and I (Mary Huycke) job share the position. As far as we've heard we're the only district in the US that has two people sharing the work. Steve and I each work 1/2 time in this role and 1/2 time in another role -- Steve as the pastor in Twisp, me as a church consultant and ministry coach with CourageousSpace. I liken our work as superintendents to being the round connector piece in a tinker-toy set, (OK, that's dating me). In the ds role, we help connect local congregations and clergy connect to one another, to other congregations, and to the ministry done jointly by larger groupings and agenices within the United Methodist Church.

Communication is basic to how we connect. Hence this blog. It's one way we can share what's going on as our congregations explore what it means to be a faithful, fruitful Christian community in their own particular setting at this particular time in history. That's always the key question for a church, but more than ever, churches are intentionally addressing it.

According to the General Conference of the United Methodist Church, the goal and work of each local congregation is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
This fall each of our congregations will be receiving a self-assessment tool from the Annual Conference (via Steve and me) to help them assess how they're doing in that work. What's working...and what may need some shifting.

The questions are designed to help a congregation look at themselves through 3 lenses 1) Who are we and who is our neighbor? 2) What's our definition of a Christian disciple, how do we think they're "made", what are we doing to do that, and how successful in it are we? 3) To what extent is our work impacting the lives of people beyond our doors; to what extent do we as a church walk alongside the community in direct ministry to community needs?

Much of what we'll be sharing in this blog are what these conversations stir up and what's it's like to be engaged in this work. That's what the title of blog refers to. God is deep at work in our communities. Our call is to listen and then step into the flow.