Today was Stodgy Presbyterian's annual Youth Sunday. I've attended a few of these, and they can vary from very good, to simply awful. This one wasn't all that bad, and had some areas of humor.
First off the kids had a ball, they enjoyed singing the songs, and doing their parts in the skit. The use of music was good, using some good contemporary praise songs. However, the liturgical dance was uneven, partly due to the choreography not being up to par, and partly due to the background music (with lyrics that would correspond with the dance) was not as loud as it should have been. That last part is due to the antiquated sound system we're stuck with here. I did say we were Stodgy !!
The skit was in place of a sermon, and emphasized that God keeps his promises. In this case, it was God's promise to Noah not to use water to destroy the earth again, sealing this promise with a rainbow. There was humor, but the congregation really enjoyed hearing the pastor's voice as the voice of God. After service, I said to him, no cracks about the 'voice of God' from the pulpit next week.
I enjoyed the service, but I fully expect to hear complaints from the grey-hairs about inappropriateness of this or that. Frankly I don't care, without taking some steps outside the box, a congregation does not grow, whether in numbers or in faith. This congregation is more like Laodicea than Philadelphia, and I pray that it grows hot in the faith and in its outreach.
And so it goes .... !
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Hi ho, hi ho, its off to work ....
Today is the first day I've felt good enough to go to work in about a week. Needless to say, I would have rather have gone to work the first few days of this week than spend it at home going through the fun chronicled in the previous post.
However, the past week has not been all that bad. I heard from a friend at Plodding Theological Seminary that they were given permission to circulate their PIF, unofficially of course as they have not been officially certified to receive a call, but this is progress.
So, they've been busy all week finishing up the PIF, and getting them in the mail, and researching CIFs. Should be interesting to see what turns up and where.
As for me, I have a weeks worth of Honey Do's that have piled up, the biggest being the lawn. Unfortunately, its been wet most of the week, so the grass has grown. The fortunate thing is the weather reports all talk about sunshine, highs in the 80's, and clear so I'll be able to get the lawn done tomorrow. My only question is that should I let the mulching mower do its thing, or should I bag the first cut.
I've heard both suggestions, I'm leaning to the mulch as it will return the nitrogen to the soil, but with the grass so high, I'm not sure that the mower will chop the blades fine enough.
Decisions, decisions .... maybe I'll just procrastinate until Tuesday. Urp, its going to rain ... oh well.
... and so it goes !!
However, the past week has not been all that bad. I heard from a friend at Plodding Theological Seminary that they were given permission to circulate their PIF, unofficially of course as they have not been officially certified to receive a call, but this is progress.
So, they've been busy all week finishing up the PIF, and getting them in the mail, and researching CIFs. Should be interesting to see what turns up and where.
As for me, I have a weeks worth of Honey Do's that have piled up, the biggest being the lawn. Unfortunately, its been wet most of the week, so the grass has grown. The fortunate thing is the weather reports all talk about sunshine, highs in the 80's, and clear so I'll be able to get the lawn done tomorrow. My only question is that should I let the mulching mower do its thing, or should I bag the first cut.
I've heard both suggestions, I'm leaning to the mulch as it will return the nitrogen to the soil, but with the grass so high, I'm not sure that the mower will chop the blades fine enough.
Decisions, decisions .... maybe I'll just procrastinate until Tuesday. Urp, its going to rain ... oh well.
... and so it goes !!
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Creeping Crud, or a Mussel Cramp ... ???
This past weekend we went down to visit with friends in 'Nother State Completely. While there, on Friday they took us to have dinner at a restaurant we used to eat at when we were living in that state.
I had the seafood with penne, something I usually had before. This time I was surprised to see mussels in shell, along with the usual shrimp and other seafood. I love mussels, and these looked good; nicely opened after cooking. As you may know, if they don't open, you don't eat them.
Sunday, after 11AM worship, we went to lunch with another set of friends, and readied ourselves for the trip back to Plodding. Well, my stomach felt kind of wonky, so I figured I had better visit the euphemism before the trip. Felt a bit better, so we took off.
As we hit the turnpike, I started to feel all achy and the gut starting doing flips. At the next rest area, I again visited the euphemism and said to SWMBO, you had better drive the rest of the way. I then set the passenger seat back, and moaned all the way back home.
Hit the house, opened the door, ran for the hall euphemism; which was my residence (it seemed) for the next day and a half. On Tuesday, after a day of more of the same; Immodium was not helping, so I made a beeline that morning for the local 'MedExpress'. Its one of those walk-in places, but they are very good for these emergency type of problems, that really aren't the type of emergency the E.R. would need to see.
The doctor wasn't sure if it was a bug, or the mussels, so he wanted to do some tests, and then recommended more Immodium and a yeast tablet to reintroduce good stuff back into my plumbing. I didn't have a fever, so he wasn't sure if it was a virus, or bacteria, and he was hesitant to issue any antibiotics as it would do more harm than good if it wasn't a bacteria. I tended to agree, as I'm not one to take antibiotics for every little fever. So he sent me home, reminding me to drink fluids, take the Immodium, and not to eat mussels. He also said that if I was really feeling weak, come back in and they'd set me up with IV fluids. Oh joy !!
Needless to say, for most of the week I've been pretty worthless. Not really eating much, and when I have, not having much fun afterward. That said, today is not the day to have a problem, as I'm the Alpha Course coordinator, and need to be prepared for a group coming tonight.
So, this morning I fortified myself with Immodium, and went about the business of getting supplies for the course. I would have done this on Monday, but due to other issues (heh) was unable to shop, and BTW also missed the Session meeting scheduled that evening. I was so out-of-it Monday, that I totally repressed any thought of going anywhere, and forgot to call to let them know I was not able to attend.
Now, I'm still not quite sure what is causing the problem, and apparently the problem is still with me, although not as violent as at the beginning of the week.
I'm hoping that the tests will come back with some idea of what it was.
And so it goes .....
(oh my ... )
I had the seafood with penne, something I usually had before. This time I was surprised to see mussels in shell, along with the usual shrimp and other seafood. I love mussels, and these looked good; nicely opened after cooking. As you may know, if they don't open, you don't eat them.
Sunday, after 11AM worship, we went to lunch with another set of friends, and readied ourselves for the trip back to Plodding. Well, my stomach felt kind of wonky, so I figured I had better visit the euphemism before the trip. Felt a bit better, so we took off.
As we hit the turnpike, I started to feel all achy and the gut starting doing flips. At the next rest area, I again visited the euphemism and said to SWMBO, you had better drive the rest of the way. I then set the passenger seat back, and moaned all the way back home.
Hit the house, opened the door, ran for the hall euphemism; which was my residence (it seemed) for the next day and a half. On Tuesday, after a day of more of the same; Immodium was not helping, so I made a beeline that morning for the local 'MedExpress'. Its one of those walk-in places, but they are very good for these emergency type of problems, that really aren't the type of emergency the E.R. would need to see.
The doctor wasn't sure if it was a bug, or the mussels, so he wanted to do some tests, and then recommended more Immodium and a yeast tablet to reintroduce good stuff back into my plumbing. I didn't have a fever, so he wasn't sure if it was a virus, or bacteria, and he was hesitant to issue any antibiotics as it would do more harm than good if it wasn't a bacteria. I tended to agree, as I'm not one to take antibiotics for every little fever. So he sent me home, reminding me to drink fluids, take the Immodium, and not to eat mussels. He also said that if I was really feeling weak, come back in and they'd set me up with IV fluids. Oh joy !!
Needless to say, for most of the week I've been pretty worthless. Not really eating much, and when I have, not having much fun afterward. That said, today is not the day to have a problem, as I'm the Alpha Course coordinator, and need to be prepared for a group coming tonight.
So, this morning I fortified myself with Immodium, and went about the business of getting supplies for the course. I would have done this on Monday, but due to other issues (heh) was unable to shop, and BTW also missed the Session meeting scheduled that evening. I was so out-of-it Monday, that I totally repressed any thought of going anywhere, and forgot to call to let them know I was not able to attend.
Now, I'm still not quite sure what is causing the problem, and apparently the problem is still with me, although not as violent as at the beginning of the week.
I'm hoping that the tests will come back with some idea of what it was.
And so it goes .....
(oh my ... )
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Its been a while ....
... since I last posted my thoughts or rants. Perhaps this is a good thing!! Perhaps I've been too busy, or just that I've not felt moved to write anything. So, some rambling, random thoughts.
Lessee ... its Holy Week, there's a Communion Service on Maundy Thursday, and Tenebrae on Good Friday here at Stodgy Presbyterian. One I can attend, the other I have to be at work, which has happened the last three years. I've missed going to a Tenebrae service, as it does have some very meaningful moments when its done correctly.
SWMBO has attended the Tenebrae services here, and she has said that they are very good, so I do regret having to miss them. I would have requested the day off, but there are some required days off coming up that I have to take, so I'll head to work instead.
This year the new C.E. director has actually told people that they are NOT going to call the Easter Egg hunt and brunch on Saturday the 'Bunny Breakfast'. It is going to have an egg hunt, and a bunny will be there, but the focus will be on what we're celebrating the day after. Her response when people protested: "We're a CHURCH, not a social club!" Actually shut a few people up!!
On Easter I'll be handing out the Alpha Course's new booklet from Nicky Gumble, Why Easter along with an Alpha Course FAQ/Signup sheet to visitors at Easter Worship. I've been advertising both our Holy Week services as well as the Alpha Course in the local weeklies these past two weeks.
I'm aiming at those people who may be Christians, but who are not sure, or who have not attended lately. If you look at the ad, it asks two questions that I know many people are asking around this time of the year. Hopefully I'll see a response, but I also suspect that I may have to cancel the course again this time around.
That said, the C.E. ministry has been doing Wednesday night activities for the kids, grammar through high school. They want to do a family dinner, then activities. We have been talking about merging our Alpha dinner with theirs and then having the adults join us for Alpha. I may do the Alpha Express version for them. It gives all the points, but takes less time, which may work for these parents; since many of them don't have the time to attend on Sunday. Perhaps dinner and a video would help them ?
We'll see.
.... and so it goes !!
Have a Holy and Blessed Easter !!
Lessee ... its Holy Week, there's a Communion Service on Maundy Thursday, and Tenebrae on Good Friday here at Stodgy Presbyterian. One I can attend, the other I have to be at work, which has happened the last three years. I've missed going to a Tenebrae service, as it does have some very meaningful moments when its done correctly.
SWMBO has attended the Tenebrae services here, and she has said that they are very good, so I do regret having to miss them. I would have requested the day off, but there are some required days off coming up that I have to take, so I'll head to work instead.
This year the new C.E. director has actually told people that they are NOT going to call the Easter Egg hunt and brunch on Saturday the 'Bunny Breakfast'. It is going to have an egg hunt, and a bunny will be there, but the focus will be on what we're celebrating the day after. Her response when people protested: "We're a CHURCH, not a social club!" Actually shut a few people up!!
On Easter I'll be handing out the Alpha Course's new booklet from Nicky Gumble, Why Easter along with an Alpha Course FAQ/Signup sheet to visitors at Easter Worship. I've been advertising both our Holy Week services as well as the Alpha Course in the local weeklies these past two weeks.
I'm aiming at those people who may be Christians, but who are not sure, or who have not attended lately. If you look at the ad, it asks two questions that I know many people are asking around this time of the year. Hopefully I'll see a response, but I also suspect that I may have to cancel the course again this time around.
That said, the C.E. ministry has been doing Wednesday night activities for the kids, grammar through high school. They want to do a family dinner, then activities. We have been talking about merging our Alpha dinner with theirs and then having the adults join us for Alpha. I may do the Alpha Express version for them. It gives all the points, but takes less time, which may work for these parents; since many of them don't have the time to attend on Sunday. Perhaps dinner and a video would help them ?
We'll see.
.... and so it goes !!
Have a Holy and Blessed Easter !!
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Monday Session Meeting
The Session of Stodgy Presbyterian met this Monday evening, and not much really happened besides the usual reports and stuff.
Then I gave my report of the Saturday special called meeting of Presbytery. When I mentioned the vote on 08-B, one of the elders spoke up and asked, What, do they vote on this every year?
I said, not really, its just that a certain faction will not take no for an answer.
And so it goes ....
Then I gave my report of the Saturday special called meeting of Presbytery. When I mentioned the vote on 08-B, one of the elders spoke up and asked, What, do they vote on this every year?
I said, not really, its just that a certain faction will not take no for an answer.
And so it goes ....
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Plodding Presbytery Votes!
Today was the day of the Special Called Meeting of Presbytery to vote on the Amendments to the Constitution of the PCUSA.
There are a few amendments, as well as some ecumenical statements that were sent down to Presbytery for a vote, but the main reason most people were there were for the Amendment 08-B, to change the paragraph that contains the 'fidelity and chastity' clause that bars non-celibate singles from ordination. The pro side in this change calls the paragraph the one that bars homosexuals from office, the con side calls it the one that bars all those who are not married, or chaste in singleness.
I'll get to that in a bit, but the events leading up to the actual voting on the amendments was interesting. The moderator, in his remarks prior to our worship time, asked that no matter our opinions, that there would be no applause or groans during the discussion time, or when the results were announced.
The moderator then noted that since the original printing of the docket, there was some interest in adding a time of listening to the original docket, and asked for a vote approving this change. It was disapproved by voice vote, which took a few people by surprise, as someone then rose to ask for recognition.
It evidently was the person who was going to talk in favor of the amendment during that time of listening, as the commissioner moved that a time be set aside before the vote to hear a 7 minute talk from both sides on the amendment. When asked by the moderator who was going to speak, the commissioner replied that she would speak for, and someone else would speak against. Again, to this commissioner it sounded like the commissioner was trying to get the listening time added in through a back door. It was also loudly defeated.
So onto the voting. An omnibus motion to consider and pass all the amendments and evangelical statements in the affirmative was moved and seconded. During discussion 08-B was pulled from that motion, as was expected. But in addition, a few others were also pulled.
The omnibus motion then was passed, and we moved to 08-B. The moderator, in a move to allow more speakers, made a motion to change the amount of time each speaker could speak from 3 minutes to 2. This was approved on a majority voice vote.
We then moved to the discussion time. There were a good set of speakers both for and against. One person for talked about his son and his partner who, in his opinion, were unable to participate in the life of the church, this commissioner obviously was passionate about voting for the amendment. Then there was the elder speaking against the motion, who talked about his son, who died of AIDS, and who was not reconciled with the church. When he talked I heard the love and sadness in his voice as he talked about when he passes on to his heavenly reward, how he will again see his wife, other children, but will miss this one son because he won't be there. There were a few gasps in the room when he said this, which surprised me as that issue goes straight to the heart of the Reformed faith, we are all depraved, and are all sinful, but God gives us the grace to recognize this, and accept that He has chosen us, and as part of being chosen we are required by God to repent our sins, and "sin no more".
As I mentioned, there were a few people on line; some in the pews took offense when Dr. Gagnon went over his time by a few sentences trying to finish his point. Indeed, I've heard that trying to get him to stop once he gets going is a hard thing to do. But others on the pro side ran over too, although, I have to admit, not as long as he did ;)
The 20 minutes set aside for pro and con discussions soon ran out, and the moderator then asked for a motion to set aside another 20 minutes for more discussion. He seemed to have been taken aback at the loud no vote that this got, so the discussion ended at that point.
The time came to vote, and it appeared that a voice vote was not even considered, as the moderator called for the ballots to be handed out. A very simple ballot, which basically asked should paragraph G6-xxxxx be amended as laid out in amendment 08-B? Once the ballots were taken up, we moved on to the other amendments and statements for a vote.
One by one the amendments were brought up and passed. There were a few I voted no on, one of which was the change to the Ordination Exam requirements. It is being changed to let the CPM decide whether or not the inquirer or candidate meets the academics required to pass the Ordination Exams. I voted no because I feel that since the Exegesis exam was changed so as not to require a proficiency in Greek or Hebrew, since passing both is a requirement and the Seminary has already judged the student proficient in those languages; the Seminary could also judge whether or not the student was ready to take the Ords, whereas the CPM, being detached from that process, would rely on grades from the Seminary. So why add another hurdle?
A recently ordained minister I know told me he voted against that because he was worried that the amendment change would allow the CPM to require a inquirer's or candidate's attendence at a PCUSA affiliated seminary, a few of which he would not recommend at all. I thought about that, and also agreed with his analysis.
All in all, the amendments to this point had passed, and we moved on to the ecumenical statements. The first on the recognition of the Roman Catholic Baptism as being valid, just affirms in writing what is currently being done today. No one rose to speak for or against this statement. However, there were a few no votes heard during this vote.
The next statement with the Episcopal Church brought out some comments. One of the professors at the local seminary pointed out the turmoil currently brewing in the Episcopal Church USA, and said while he had no problem with the theological statements in this Ecumenical Statement, he did have a problem with the part about recognizing ministers, since the PCUSA would be buying into one of the same problems we were voting on in an amendment today (referring to the elephant in the room).
This voice vote was so close, we had to do a standing vote. The result was that this statement passed, but on a vote of 140 for to 135 against. I voted against, because of that very problem. One other that was mentioned to me was that another section appeared to recognize that bishops and the presbyteries were somewhat alike. Shades of papism !! ;)
The final two ecumenical statements with the Korean Presbyterian Church USA, and the Moravian Church passed on unanimous voice votes.
We finally came to the results of the 08-B vote, the moderator asked if the votes count was completed, the clerk replied it was, and the moderator then asked the associate pastor to the presbytery for prayer. He then read the results: 105 for, 206 against with 1 abstention, the Amendment was not agreed to. Despite the request that there be no audible groans or applause, a few groans were heard, but quickly stifled.
The proceeding were then concluded with the report of the membership clerk that there were 312 commissioners in attendence, with a majority of elders present, and with 90 churches (out of about 150) sending at least 1 elder. I wonder what the 60 churches who didn't send anyone, even on a Saturday, were thinking. Perhaps they already left the denomination "in place", had no clue, didn't care one way or the other, or were just tired of the whole mess.
That said, it appears that Stodgy Presbyterian seems to have been forgotten at Presbytery, even though I've attended 3 out of the 4 Presbytery meetings held prior to this one as commissioner from SPC. When I went to be verified as an elder commissioner for SPC, the staffer who had the list of churches showing how many elders they could have in attendance, didn't even have SPC on the list. I guess they're only worried about us if we don't get per capita in on time.
And so it goes ....
There are a few amendments, as well as some ecumenical statements that were sent down to Presbytery for a vote, but the main reason most people were there were for the Amendment 08-B, to change the paragraph that contains the 'fidelity and chastity' clause that bars non-celibate singles from ordination. The pro side in this change calls the paragraph the one that bars homosexuals from office, the con side calls it the one that bars all those who are not married, or chaste in singleness.
I'll get to that in a bit, but the events leading up to the actual voting on the amendments was interesting. The moderator, in his remarks prior to our worship time, asked that no matter our opinions, that there would be no applause or groans during the discussion time, or when the results were announced.
The moderator then noted that since the original printing of the docket, there was some interest in adding a time of listening to the original docket, and asked for a vote approving this change. It was disapproved by voice vote, which took a few people by surprise, as someone then rose to ask for recognition.
It evidently was the person who was going to talk in favor of the amendment during that time of listening, as the commissioner moved that a time be set aside before the vote to hear a 7 minute talk from both sides on the amendment. When asked by the moderator who was going to speak, the commissioner replied that she would speak for, and someone else would speak against. Again, to this commissioner it sounded like the commissioner was trying to get the listening time added in through a back door. It was also loudly defeated.
So onto the voting. An omnibus motion to consider and pass all the amendments and evangelical statements in the affirmative was moved and seconded. During discussion 08-B was pulled from that motion, as was expected. But in addition, a few others were also pulled.
The omnibus motion then was passed, and we moved to 08-B. The moderator, in a move to allow more speakers, made a motion to change the amount of time each speaker could speak from 3 minutes to 2. This was approved on a majority voice vote.
We then moved to the discussion time. There were a good set of speakers both for and against. One person for talked about his son and his partner who, in his opinion, were unable to participate in the life of the church, this commissioner obviously was passionate about voting for the amendment. Then there was the elder speaking against the motion, who talked about his son, who died of AIDS, and who was not reconciled with the church. When he talked I heard the love and sadness in his voice as he talked about when he passes on to his heavenly reward, how he will again see his wife, other children, but will miss this one son because he won't be there. There were a few gasps in the room when he said this, which surprised me as that issue goes straight to the heart of the Reformed faith, we are all depraved, and are all sinful, but God gives us the grace to recognize this, and accept that He has chosen us, and as part of being chosen we are required by God to repent our sins, and "sin no more".
As I mentioned, there were a few people on line; some in the pews took offense when Dr. Gagnon went over his time by a few sentences trying to finish his point. Indeed, I've heard that trying to get him to stop once he gets going is a hard thing to do. But others on the pro side ran over too, although, I have to admit, not as long as he did ;)
The 20 minutes set aside for pro and con discussions soon ran out, and the moderator then asked for a motion to set aside another 20 minutes for more discussion. He seemed to have been taken aback at the loud no vote that this got, so the discussion ended at that point.
The time came to vote, and it appeared that a voice vote was not even considered, as the moderator called for the ballots to be handed out. A very simple ballot, which basically asked should paragraph G6-xxxxx be amended as laid out in amendment 08-B? Once the ballots were taken up, we moved on to the other amendments and statements for a vote.
One by one the amendments were brought up and passed. There were a few I voted no on, one of which was the change to the Ordination Exam requirements. It is being changed to let the CPM decide whether or not the inquirer or candidate meets the academics required to pass the Ordination Exams. I voted no because I feel that since the Exegesis exam was changed so as not to require a proficiency in Greek or Hebrew, since passing both is a requirement and the Seminary has already judged the student proficient in those languages; the Seminary could also judge whether or not the student was ready to take the Ords, whereas the CPM, being detached from that process, would rely on grades from the Seminary. So why add another hurdle?
A recently ordained minister I know told me he voted against that because he was worried that the amendment change would allow the CPM to require a inquirer's or candidate's attendence at a PCUSA affiliated seminary, a few of which he would not recommend at all. I thought about that, and also agreed with his analysis.
All in all, the amendments to this point had passed, and we moved on to the ecumenical statements. The first on the recognition of the Roman Catholic Baptism as being valid, just affirms in writing what is currently being done today. No one rose to speak for or against this statement. However, there were a few no votes heard during this vote.
The next statement with the Episcopal Church brought out some comments. One of the professors at the local seminary pointed out the turmoil currently brewing in the Episcopal Church USA, and said while he had no problem with the theological statements in this Ecumenical Statement, he did have a problem with the part about recognizing ministers, since the PCUSA would be buying into one of the same problems we were voting on in an amendment today (referring to the elephant in the room).
This voice vote was so close, we had to do a standing vote. The result was that this statement passed, but on a vote of 140 for to 135 against. I voted against, because of that very problem. One other that was mentioned to me was that another section appeared to recognize that bishops and the presbyteries were somewhat alike. Shades of papism !! ;)
The final two ecumenical statements with the Korean Presbyterian Church USA, and the Moravian Church passed on unanimous voice votes.
We finally came to the results of the 08-B vote, the moderator asked if the votes count was completed, the clerk replied it was, and the moderator then asked the associate pastor to the presbytery for prayer. He then read the results: 105 for, 206 against with 1 abstention, the Amendment was not agreed to. Despite the request that there be no audible groans or applause, a few groans were heard, but quickly stifled.
The proceeding were then concluded with the report of the membership clerk that there were 312 commissioners in attendence, with a majority of elders present, and with 90 churches (out of about 150) sending at least 1 elder. I wonder what the 60 churches who didn't send anyone, even on a Saturday, were thinking. Perhaps they already left the denomination "in place", had no clue, didn't care one way or the other, or were just tired of the whole mess.
That said, it appears that Stodgy Presbyterian seems to have been forgotten at Presbytery, even though I've attended 3 out of the 4 Presbytery meetings held prior to this one as commissioner from SPC. When I went to be verified as an elder commissioner for SPC, the staffer who had the list of churches showing how many elders they could have in attendance, didn't even have SPC on the list. I guess they're only worried about us if we don't get per capita in on time.
And so it goes ....
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Time of discernment ...
No, I'm not trying to discern what to do about Amendment B. I'm solid on that, sin is sin. I need say no more on that ...
No, my time of discernment is being used to decide what, if anything, I can do as Elder for Evangelism, and chair of the Nominating Committee. I've been getting ready for an Alpha Course after Easter, getting advertising setup for our Easter services, leading a Lenten Bible study, and trying to figure how to energize members to volunteer as Elders and Deacons.
If you've been following this blog, and I commend you on your pain threshold if you have, you'll note my frustrations at trying to teach a bunch of country club Presbyterians about becoming disciples who understand that church is not just something you do for an hour on Sunday.
And so, I pray .. for myself (Lord knows I need it), and for the church, and for guidance.
No, my time of discernment is being used to decide what, if anything, I can do as Elder for Evangelism, and chair of the Nominating Committee. I've been getting ready for an Alpha Course after Easter, getting advertising setup for our Easter services, leading a Lenten Bible study, and trying to figure how to energize members to volunteer as Elders and Deacons.
If you've been following this blog, and I commend you on your pain threshold if you have, you'll note my frustrations at trying to teach a bunch of country club Presbyterians about becoming disciples who understand that church is not just something you do for an hour on Sunday.
And so, I pray .. for myself (Lord knows I need it), and for the church, and for guidance.
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