The Church as Family

My memories of church have an unhappy beginning. I was two years old. We had just moved 2000 miles by train from my birthplace in New Brunswick, Canada, to Milton, WI, my mom’s hometown. That first week after our return Mom dropped me off in the nursery before church, and I was unhappy. Very unhappy. I bawled. We have visited that church many times in my adulthood, and every time I pass that room I am reminded of that traumatic experience.

But things got better. Much better. We spent the next ten years in that church and community, a period I look back on with great fondness and appreciation.

They say “It takes a village,” and this village — and especially this church — took that seriously. The adults, from the young ones of my parents’ generation to the most elderly, paid attention to us kids and cared for us. It felt like we had a large extended family.

It wasn’t something I appreciated at the time, of course. I assumed that life for kids everywhere was the same as it was for me. But as I grew older I began to understand what a remarkable group of people they were who had embraced us. I have checked with other “kids” from that time, and now, almost six decades later, they too appreciate the support they received from that community of people.

As the years passed I would return to that church and be greeted warmly by those good people, who comprised, sadly but inevitably, an ever smaller group. Today there are but two left —Lucille is 96, and Peg is 101 — but they remember me and still care about me.

I have the greatest appreciation for the kindness and support of the folks in that church. I have never met a better group of people.

When I think back on that formative decade in my life I am reminded that how we interact with the young people in our church can have a lasting impact on their lives. Actions that may seem little to us — the kindnesses, the moments of conversation, the example we set — can make a difference to them that we cannot anticipate.

I was fortunate. I had good parents who raised my four brothers and me. And I had the church family, who helped raise me, too. May we do the same for the kids in our church.

- NL

Tradition on Fire

As a part of my own ordination process in the UMC, I recently had to go through a "barrage of tests" to determine various aspects of my personality and learn how traits might impact my ministry. It was a long and draining process, but a blessing to see an outsider's view of what my gifts--and challenges--could be while pursuing my vocation.

While much of the results seemed right on-point (I'm energetic, creative, a big-picture person, and not-always-good on follow-through), one seemed ridiculously out-of-place. According to the results, I don't like history or tradition.

I was floored. Me, the Church-History-Scholar, anti-tradition. Mrs. "I wrote my senior thesis on renaissance music and to this day geek out over Tudor England," against history. I could tell you more than you'd ever care to know about the development of far too many hymns and hymnals. And yet, there was my paper reflection looking back at me, claiming my dislike of what came before. Obviously, the results were off. But why?

It seems the tests missed that my love of history stands beside my yearning for relevance. History, on its own, is never enough. A meditation by Franciscan friar Richard Rohr reminded me that we must always have one foot in our historical faith communities and one foot in the larger world; one foot rooted in a good tradition that will hold you accountable to honest (though often difficult) truths and one foot in our own worlds of service, occupation, and subgroups. Christianity, more than anything else, is a lifestyle which should move beyond mere belief and styles of worship and into new systems to support each other as we live lives contrary to dominant culture. As Rohr said,

"How else can we imitate the surrender of Jesus, who did exactly the same in relation to his own Jewish religion? He never left it, and yet in some ways he always left it when it did not heal or help people. He formed his own little "parachurch" within and yet alongside the Jewish priestly system, which became, rightly or wrongly, its own separate religion which we now call Christianity."

We've been talking at First Congo a lot recently about what our mission is to be NOW. Who we are, where we've been, and what we want to be. And a big part of that is determining how to share our identity, our message, with others beyond our walls. As anyone familiar with 12-Step programs can tell you, we don't really embrace an idea ourselves until we actively carry it with us and teach it to others. We have to find the Love, and then give the Love away. 

It's amazing to me how these two things don't always happen in the same group.  And yet, both grounds are so, so important. Our history, our tradition, is what makes us who we are, is our well-spring and home base. The other, the outside, is the channel away from home that keeps our well from pooling up or becoming brackish. God may lead us beside still waters, but those waters are never stagnant. As composer Gustav Mahler is accredited with once saying, "Tradition is tending the fire, not worshiping the ashes."

And so we must. We must all put on our Educator hats, and go forth from this place to give the Love away to those in search of it. With that mission, however, a slew of questions. If our world looks different than it did last time we thought about such things, how does that change how we share our same tradition? How does our tradition's depth of beautiful worship, history of social justice, and identity within the gospel shape our responses to the world outside? And how can our gatherings at our well-spring better prepare us to go forth as Love-givers in the community?

May we carefully--and creatively?--tend the fire, and set the whole world aflame.

Sermon Reflection | February 17, 2013

Read: Luke 4:1-13 and Luke 5:1-11 and Matthew 5:13-16
Listen: Reflection from the Turnaround Church Workshop, part one and part two
Dig a little deeper: 

The workshop that 6 of us attended this weekend was called the Turnaround Church Workshop.  The point was to talk about how we can be in the 20% of churches that are growing rather than in decline. 

Here is a song that was played at the end of the groups reflection to remember that this isn't a numbers game this is about inviting people to our community so that together we can "let the light shine."  Together, we can work to bring about a better world-- to heal the broken-hearted among us and around us.  

Some interesting statistics we learned:

• 17% of the US population is worshiping in Sunday mornings (18% in Wisconsin!)
• More than 80% of US churches are in numerical decline
• 87% of people who come to church and stay do so because they were INVITED
• 73% of people who have never gone to church say they have never been invited

Questions:

Eventually, we'd like to have a discussion outside of worship about some of what we learned, so that we can share but also get feedback instead of in the context of a sermon/message which is only one-sided.  Stay tuned for some information on when that discussion will take place. 

For now, I have a few questions-- 

1. Why do you think the church is in decline?

2. If you are a part of a church community, how did you get there?  If you aren't, what would it take to get you to come to worship?

3. Worship attendees-- is there anything else you want me to add to this blog?  I'm trying to keep it short and sweet, but please feel free to add thoughts in the comments! 

First Congo Celebrates Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day, blog-readers!  Our congregation has been living this holiday right this year, from the annual Chop Suey Valentine Luncheon to a beautiful night of chatting and dancing to live Polka music with the residents at Prairie Place Assisted Living facility.  Unfortunately, I didn't get any good photos of the Valentine Dance, but I can assure you the moves of 6 (7 if you count little Evelyn) of our volunteer church members were off the charts!  Considering this volunteer opportunity was organized pretty last-minute, it was a great turnout.  Sometimes, "sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ" means dancing with some people who haven't had a chance to dance in a while!  

I did get some good photos, however, of the Chop Suey Valentine Luncheon!  I hope you'll enjoy them! 

Live Music from several Ripon musicians 

On the piano, our own Maria!

These ladies told me the aprons are new this year.  I think they were a perfect touch!

Two handsome Dietriches 

Norm and Sue

Ed, one of our oldest and dearest members.  Always dressed to impress!

Julie and Lyle

A fun time was had by all! 

And none of us went without dessert! 

P.S.  I apologize for the delay in this week's sermon reflection.  It will be posted tomorrow morning!  

Harvey Milk and LGBT Rights

A few moments ago, I finished watching “Milk,” a historical documentary about the life, death, and legacy of Harvey Milk.  Harvey Milk was a local businessman turned politician in the Castro district of San Francisco in the 1970s.  He was also the first openly gay person to be voted into public office in the United States, and a portion of his career focused on campaigning against police persecution and anti-gay ordinances by Anita Bryant in Florida and others across the nation.  The culmination of his activism was the successful voter rejection of Proposition 6, an ordinance which would have mandated the firing of gay teachers or any school employees that supported gay rights.  

On November 27, 1978, Harvey Milk (and Mayor Mascone) was assassinated by his conservative colleague, Dan White.

I’m overcome with a sense of such grief.  Grief that an individual would choose murder over sensible debate or a respectful difference of opinion.  Grief that so many in this movement eventually died from an AIDS epidemic that was largely ignored by the public and the government because of its initial classification as “gay cancer.”  Grief that, twenty years later, we are still allowing the debate of a homosexual’s hospital visitation rights, employment rights, and human rights to even occur.  

Milk was so convinced that his activist lifestyle could incite his assassination that he tape-recorded a message to be played in the event that it came to fruition (the transcript of that recording is here and is worth reading).  In spite of the violence and resistance, Harvey Milk gave a message of hope.  Hope that closed minds could be opened and hope for a better future.

“And the young gay people in the Altoona, Pennsylvanias and the Richmond, Minnesotas who are coming out and hear Anita Bryant on television and her story.  The only thing they have to look forward to is hope.  And you have to give them hope.  Hope for a better world, hope for a better tomorrow, hope for a better place to come to if the pressures at home are too great.  Hope that all will be all right.”    - Harvey Milk

I believe more strongly than ever that this is the civil rights issue of our generation.  We have come so far since the 1970s, but there is still so much to be done to assert equal human rights, regardless of sexual orientation.  I stand with my LGBT brothers and sisters, in activism and in hope that a brighter future of equality is ahead.

What are your memories of Harvey Milk and the anti-gay resistance of the 1970s and 1980s?  Does the debate of the repression of LGBT rights have a legitimate place in our society? What is The Church's role in the LGBT movement? 

- SP

Resources

Started by Dan Savage, the It Gets Better Project is a nonprofit organization that shows "young LGBT people the levels of happiness, potential, and positivity their lives will reach – if they can just get through their teen years. The It Gets Better Project wants to remind teenagers in the LGBT community that they are not alone — and it WILL get better."

The book "And the Band Played On" by Randy Shilts is a heart-wrenching account of the neglect of the public and government at the beginning of the AIDS epidemic.  I can't recommend it enough, especially since it gives particular context to the characters of "Milk."  

Pres House: My Home away from Home

Though I dearly miss Sunday mornings at First Congregational Church of Ripon, I excitedly report that I have become part of a second church community: Pres House, a student-focused Presbyterian Church located at the heart of UW-Madison's campus. Admittedly, I was initially a little skeptical to dive into a new church environment; First Congo and its members have been my home and family my entire life. However, after a few weeks of attending worship services and church events, I finally released my anxieties and let God fully immerse me in the next stage of my faith journey.

I would like to share some of my experiences at Pres House, which could perhaps ignite new ideas for fellowship events at First Congo.

Pres House holds a "Documentary and Dessert" each semester where church members gather together to view a documentary about a social issue, enjoy a dessert and conclude the event with a discussion about how we, as Christians, can respond to that particular issue. This semester the documentary examined the poverty line in the United States.

Last weekend we hosted an open mic night where singers, saxophone players, guitarists and even a kazoo player shared their talents, accompanied by board games, hot cocoa and cookies. This event was also held to raise money for "World Vision" a Christian organization aimed at providing basic needs to poverty stricken countries and those in need of disaster relief.

To extend our fundraising efforts for World Vision, Pres House is holding a 30-hour Famine in a few weeks. Those who wish to participate are asked to make a $30 donation and fast for 30 hours. The church will be hosting another fellowship event during the time of the fast as a way to increase community with one another and learn more about fasting from a biblical and spiritual perspective.

Over the summer members of the church formed a marathon team, which involved raising thousands of dollars for World Vision. The team members trained together throughout the summer in Madison and eventually ran the Chicago marathon in the fall. Some church members who are not runners came along with the team to cheer them on.

In a few weeks, 3 to 4 students are each preaching for about five minutes on one Bible passage. In this way, members of the congregation have the opportunity to think critically for themselves about scripture and share their thoughts with the rest of the church.

Finally each spring break, members of Pres House have the opportunity to go on a service trip elsewhere in the county. Last spring, a group traveled to Joplin, MO to help a man rebuild his home after the devastating tornado. The year before that, students traveled to Washington D.C. to learn more about homelessness, ways to appease the problem and how to think about the living conditions of citizens in Madison. In a few months members of the church will drive to Alabama in honor of the 50th anniversary of the start of the civil rights movement in Birmingham. The group will also visit Montgomery and Mobile in hopes to learn more about race in 2013.

Pres House continuously offers events, but many of them are only feasible with the help of many individuals and their talents. The student body of the church is smaller than First Congo, in fact. I encourage members of First Congregational Church of Ripon's congregation to foster an even stronger community through film, athletics, music, travel and other activities.

Sermon Reflection | February 3, 2013

Read: Luke 4:21-30 and Jeremiah 1:4-10
Listen: Called Since Birth
Dig a Little Deeper:

Here are some good reflections from the Center for Excellence in Preaching

Bring back the 90's by wearing some awesome WWJD gear.  But when people ask WWJD, don't just say, "he would cuddle some sweet children."  Say, "he would offer a new perspective that would probably really tick you off." 

Here is some good information about the UCC and Holy Communion.  

This is probably too nerdy for most people, but hey-- it's your choice to click or not click.  The Last Supper as told by Instagram. 

Sermon Follow-up Questions:

So, do you have any thoughts on when to stir the pot and when to be a peaceful presence?  What are some topics for you that are worth riling people up?  What's the point of riling people up instead of just living totally peaceful and happy lives?  

Looking back, I wish I would have talked a little bit more about the difference between pacifism and non-violent resistance.  This is something I'm still trying to understand myself, which is probably why I didn't preach on it.  I am a person who is deeply opposed to violence and war, but at the same time I hope for a world-made-better.  When I look at the way Jesus spoke and acted, I know that we can't just be idle and watch the world go by the way it is, but how do we do that without opening ourselves to violence.  On one hand Jesus seemed to know-- he just walked away from the cliff, right?  But on the other hand, his death is one of the most violent in all of history.  Anyone wanna help me out?  This is deep stuff, so I understand you might not have an easy response, but give it a shot.  Give me some thoughts!  

Finally, this has nothing to do with my sermon, but it has been my love-song all week.