Pioneering meditation for 7/29

Pioneering:   Meditations for Our Transformation

Number 2                                                                 July 29, 2012

Jobs Galore

He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.  Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.  Luke 10:2-3

In this passage, Jesus is sending out 36 teams of witnesses into the countryside.  His comment about the size of the harvest compared to the size of the work teams has a lot of meaning for us, particularly in the recession/depression we are facing here in Carlisle. 

Nothing was mentioned about how these persons were selected or paired; nothing mentioned about the training they took.  But that makes an important point – witnessing requires only God’s being with us.  And with half our population without a church affiliation, the fields are ripe for witness.

Christ offers full employment, and a terrific, unmatched benefits package to every one of us.  There are jobs galore in every aspect of Transformation!  In fact there is work available in all three major areas mentioned in the Introduction meditation for every one of us pioneers along the way.  The Transformation Team is recruiting persons for task teams in many areas.

At the risk of this meditation becoming a classified ad, here’s a breakdown of kinds of jobs available in each area.

The Administrative and Organizational area will need persons to form the committees and prepare the paperwork for entry into the Conference as a new church.  The Transformation Team will lead this effort, but there will be many tasks for which they will need help.

One task we can all do is to support and encourage our Transformation Team members.  The Transformation Prayer Team is one example of how we can do this.

We will need to maintain and even grow our Continuing Ministries and Pastoral Care programs so that the outreach of our church and the uplifting care for our family members can continue to shine brightly.  This is our bridge-building vision.

And in Spiritual Growth, all of our family members can find work both personally and in fellowship to mature as pioneering Christians ready to become settlers in this new church God is building in us.  We must diligently practice esteeming each of our sisters and brothers in the work they are called to do, or in the ‘time out’ they are called to observe.  We need to learn complete dependence on the strength of Christ for the work we’re called to do.  This may call for some great sacrifice on our part.  Maybe a sacrifice of wealth or goods, surely a sacrifice of pride.

Even when we’re called to sit on the bench, we have a sacred opportunity to lift up one another in prayer and to continue to participate and support our ongoing education, mission outreach, Congregational Care, and Cooperative Ministry activities.

Some of us may have larger responsibilities or may be called to labor from dawn to dusk, just as the vineyard laborers in Jesus’ parable recorded in Chapter 20 of Matthew’s Gospel.  Some of us may be on the sidelines for a time; or may need some maturing and training before we’re ready.  Sometimes the tasks we’re asked to do are well within our personal skills and preferences; sometimes they will not be. 

In 1st Corinthians chapter 12, Paul writes about gifts, and service, and works given through the manifestation of the Holy Spirit “for the common good.”  God does not withhold the gifts and talents needed to do God’s work.  And even more blessedly, God doesn’t saddle upon one set of shoulders all the skills.  Each of us is useful.

We will have a great opportunity to practice John Wesley’s Covenant Prayer which speaks to all these conditions:

I am no longer my own, but Thine.  Put me to what Thou wilt, rank me with whom Thou wilt.  Put me to doing, put me to suffering.  Let me be employed for Thee or laid aside for Thee, exalted for Thee or brought low for Thee.  Let me be full, let me be empty.  Let me have all things, let me have nothing.  I freely and heartily yield all things to Thy pleasure and disposal.  And now, O glorious and blessed God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Thou art mine, and I am Thine.  So be it.  And the covenant which I have made on Earth, let it be ratified in heaven. Amen.

The point is this: if it is our desire to follow Christ in this Transformation, each of us will have work for the common good Paul spoke of, and for our personal spiritual growth.

Common Prayer.  O Great God of Light, You have given us the opportunity to show our devotion to You by the honest labor of witnessing and building your Kingdom, of building and maintaining bridges of love and communion within our fellowship and to all we are called to invite to know Christ:  On this trail to your Promised Land continue to teach us the pioneering skills we need for the common good to prosper our fellowship.  Let us employ them to Your Glory.  And draw us closer to that day when we raise our voices in one loud Alleluia to You.  We pray this in the Holy Spirit, who equips each of us for the many jobs we can do for Your Kingdom.  AMEN.

Transformation Team emphasis for the next two weeks:

Recruiting members for work teams, especially for: administrative structure, funding and staffing; the bi-weekly team meetings; And if you haves a better pioneer symbol, please call me!

Please address your feedback and comments to Charles L. Reynolds at papoo99@comcast.net or to my home phone, 717.258.1949.  Or you can reach me by mail at 5 Bayberry Rd, Carlisle PA 17013.

Overview of Transition Team meeting, 7/12/12

The Emerging Unified Church of Carlisle

Overview of Transition Team Meeting

July 12, 2012

On Thursday, July 12, 2012, the Transition Team conducted its third meeting. In the proposed Timeline for Unification published in “Imagine” which we had received in November, 2011, a number of tasks had been identified leading us to unification.  The Transition Team has begun the initial work on these tasks by identifying individuals to join members of the Transition Team to complete each task. Some of the guiding principles for these work teams are: Transition Team members and additional participants should attach themselves to no more than two tasks; the chair of each work team will be elected by the team; each work team will have representatives from each church; and the work team must be in full agreement when it goes to the Transition Team with its recommendation(s).

 The work areas include: Communications, Timeline, Administrative Structure, Identification of Church Name, Incorporation of New Church, Plan for Funding Ministry, Worship (Worship Life of the New Church), Grow (Christian Formation for All Ages), Serve (Service and Outreach Opportunities), Connect (Congregational/Pastoral Care), Transitional Facility, Transitional Staffing, Physical Assets, Heritage Preservation, Site Location and Childcare Programs.  Three work areas have been identified as URGENT: administrative structure, funding and staffing. 

The majority of our time at this meeting was spent identifying individuals whom we thought would be an asset in completing each of these tasks.  Transition Team members will be contacting the pastor assigned to each task and then contacting those individuals whose names have been suggested to join each work team.  If you are interested in an area, please contact one of us.

Dennis Downey has been elected as the vice chair of the Transition Team.  Pastor Jim serves as the chair.

Transition Team

Pastoral Team                       Allison                        First                            Grace

Jim VanZandt, Lead               Ron Axsom                 Dennis Downey          Colleen Kulp

Bishop Neil Irons                    Ann Cook                   Tracy Horgan              Kerm Leitner

Mira Hewlett                           Jeff Harpel                  Debbie Washinger       Randy Noaker

Susan Stewart                         Joanne Reynolds         Lois Weibley                Dianne Otto

 Dennis Keller, District Superintendent

 Our next scheduled meeting is Tuesday, July 24 at 9:30 am. 

Charles Reynolds has graciously agreed to develop a devotional to surround and support our transition efforts. We will post the meditations here as well as in print in the churches, and we invite you to pray along with us and the prayer teams.

If you would like to contribute to the meditations, please contant Charles at papoo99@comcast.net.

Common Prayer.  O Great God of Light, You sent Your only Son to lead us into fellowship with you.  At the end of our days, we will all stand before You together.  May it be that in this life we stand beside one another as well, to serve, encourage, and hold one another accountable in love.

Teach us new pioneering skills as we make this transformation from three families to one, and put us to use to build bridges in this community by sharing the love of Christ among ourselves and with others.  In the name of Christ, the Pioneer and Perfecter of our faith.  AMEN.

Pioneering:  Meditations for Our Transformation

Number 1                                                                 July 15, 2012 

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Pioneer and Perfecter of faith.  Hebrews 12:1-2a

As Christ was a pioneer, so we are pioneers.  Not in the geographic or scientific sense, but in the Kingdom sense.  We are being called to pioneer in Carlisle (at one time a pioneer outpost itself) so the Kingdom of God comes here, and does not pass us by. 

We are not the first to pioneer.  Countless congregations in other places and at other times in the twenty-one centuries since Christ’s ascension and the appearance of the Holy Spirit have been pioneers, doing what God is now leading us to do here and now.

I am praying that you will receive two meditations a month over the next year, leading us to that date in July 2013 when we will worship as one congregation and as one new church.

I am praying that you will receive and use these meditations in your personal devotions.  Each will deal with at least one aspect of Transformation written as food for thought to stimulate your thinking, conversations, and prayer.

These meditations will offer insight into three major areas of Transformation: administrative and organizational; continuing ministries and pastoring; and spiritual development in personal and fellowship aspects.

We’ll look at the administrative and organizational tasks needed to establish our United Methodist Conference connection and create the local church boards, committees, and staff to help our new church function.

Even while we are changing, we’ll still have ongoing responsibilities for Christ’s work in outreach, evangelism, missions, and congregational care.  So some of the meditations will be about continuing ministries and pastoring our three congregations into one body.

And since this Transformation is about us more than about brick and mortar, some of the meditations will be aimed at strengthening our spiritual and emotional selves, and enriching our personal involvement in fellowship among the present three campuses.

Pioneering is a process of giving up something valuable so we and our families can gain something far more valuable.  We put aside a lot of other things to pay attention to our families and the things we own.  Well, this Transformation business is going to have an effect on your spiritual family and property.  For one, each of us is called to sacrifice. 

Pioneers left many things behind, or found out on their journey that they had to let go of a lot of the baggage they first thought was necessary.  If you’ve ever read about the pioneers who went west on the Oregon Trail, you’ll know that several hundred miles of the trail could be easily followed by furniture, pianos, and books tossed off the wagons to lighten the load.  In a sense we’ll be facing the same situation, both with cherished physical property, and also with cherished emotional ties.  But then, as they say “You can’t take it with you.”  You won’t appear at Heaven’s Gate with anything more than your soul.

Pioneers depended on one another and so must we if this is to succeed.  We must be joined with one another and with the Holy Spirit.  I realize we all have lives to live and plenty of things that need our attention.  But surely, the Transformation of our three fellowships into a new church with a new name deserves some of our attention.

So I’m asking two things of you.  First, please set aside a regular time to digest, reflect, and respond to these meditations.  If these don’t help you, then seek something better suited for your spiritual journey. 

Second, talk with one another about Transformation.  And please call, write, or e-mail the editor with your thoughts about the meditations. If you have ideas, let’s talk!

Hello! Welcome to our blog! Through this media we will post thoughts from the pastors, updates on the transition, devotions, and interesting tidbits from each of our three campuses.

There is so much going on. We want to keep everyone informed, and also offer another way for you to get to know your pastors and your brothers and sisters at the other campuses. We welcome your feedback as we get to know you and what you need from us.

The information from the transition team and the meditations are also being shared in print in the churches.

This is an open blog, in that anyone can read the posts and comment on them. The pastors, however, will be doing the posting as well as moderating the comments before they are made public. We are aware of how easily things can go awry with this kind of communication. Eventually, this blog will be incorporated into the website of the new church.

We hope you find this a useful tool in our transformation.
May God's blessing be on us as we journey together into the future God has planned for us!