We've Moved!

We've Moved! We're now at our new home at www.revcollins.com.

2009 Newsletter Available

The February 2009 edition of The Parish Visitor, the church's newsletter, is available on the downloads page of www.coffeyvillefirstumc.org.

Emergency Assistance Fund

We collected $868.62 for the Emergency Assistance Fund on Christmas Eve. Thanks to everyone who contributed.

Vision Team Meeting Still On

Today's Vision Team meeting is still on.

Shut-In List

We’re trying to compile a comprehensive list of all members of First United Methodist Church who are shut-in. If you know of someone who should be on the list, drop Linda a line at linda@coffeyvillefirstumc.org.

Church Office Open

School's on for today and the church office will be open (although you might give us a little extra time to get in).

Church Office Still Closed Today

The church office is still closed today (Tuesday, January 27, 2009) because of snow and ice (mostly the ice).

Fund Balance Report

We started 2008 with $13,663.49 in the General Operating Fund and ended with $16,876.35. We got there through faithful giving during difficult times. Thanks to you all and may God bless you.

Church Office Closed

The church office is now closed. I sent Linda home early because of the deteriorating conditions of the roads. Remember, if school is canceled or delayed tomorrow, the church office will be closed or delayed.

You 404’d it. Gnarly, dude. — Update

Problem solved. A shout out to Rick Beckman, creator of Thesis Openhook.

Sermon Available for Download

Today's sermon, bulletin, and scripture insert are all available for download on the "Podcasts" page of our website: www.coffeyvillefirstumc.org.

Update: The "Podcasts" page has now been changed to Multi-Media — Podcasts.

Faithful Inclusiveness

According to an article in Sojourners, Rick Warren's prayer was far broader than I realized. Here's an excerpt from the article by Arthur Waskow:

I was especially moved by his speaking, in English, the Jewish “Sh’ma“ about God’s unity and the Muslim “Bismillah Er Rachman Er Rahim” — “In the name of God who is Compassionate and Merciful.” I doubt that most Christians knew what he was doing in either case, but Jews and Muslims did.

Warren didn't water down his own beliefs, but was aware that others might not share them, an important starting position for sharing one's Christian faith. Waskow continues:

And I respected his going out of his way to affirm that he spoke in Jesus’ name not as if Jesus were the self-evidently, universally accepted God Incarnate, but rather explicitly that Jesus is the aspect of God that Warren himself feels called by.

The full article also discusses the great benediction given by Rev. Lowry and notes that it contained lines from "Lift Every Voice and Sing," something I immediately caught, but many on air commentators apparently did not. As I have indicated in an earlier post, I was enthralled with Lowry's benediction, and though I often disagree with Warren, I was impressed with his thoughtful faithfulness in this case.

The full article is at: http://www.sojo.net/blog/godspolitics/2009/01/22/gods-inaugural-spokespersons/.

New Website Up

Looking at that last post, I realize that it may not be particularly obvious that the new website is up.

You 404’d it. Gnarly, dude.

Our redesigned website is now up and running. Unfortunately, if you bookmarked or made a favorite out of the old home page you get an error message that reads as follows:

You 404’d it. Gnarly, dude.

Surfin’ ain’t easy, and right now, you’re lost at sea. No worries, though—simply pick an option from the list below, and you’ll be back out riding the waves of the Internet in no time.

* Hit the “back” button on your browser. It’s perfect for situations like this!
* Head on over to the home page.
* Punt.

The wording of this error page doesn't match the rest of the site and I'm trying to change it. In the meantime just click on the "HOME" tab in the top left hand corner and reset your bookmark or favorite.

Update: My first attempt to change the page made it worse and the second made no discernible difference. For the time being, I'm just going to have to content myself that the page goes with our "Surf's Up" 2008 VBS theme.

The End of U.S. Sponsored Torture

From the New York Times:

One of Mr. Obama’s orders requires the C.I.A. to use only the 19 interrogation methods outlined in the Army Field Manual, ending President Bush’s policy of permitting the agency to use some secret methods that went beyond those allowed for military interrogators.

My Christian conscience feels better already. The whole article is available at http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/23/us/politics/23GITMOCND.html?_r=1&hp.

New Baptismal Font

The new baptismal font Tracy and Iris Alban made for the sanctuary, photographed in Tracy's workshop. A new pulpit and new altar table are in process.

Sermon Available for Download

Jenny's sermon from this past Sunday, "Listening to the God Who Knows Us," is available for download on the sermons page of the church website at: http://www.coffeyvillefirstumc.org/Sermons.html.

Guess Who's United Methodist

From United Methodist News Service:

Two United Methodist veterans of the civil rights movement were invited to share the inaugural platform on Jan. 20 when Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th president of the United States.

The Rev. Joseph Lowery, 87, gave the benediction after President Obama’s inaugural address. Dorothy Height, 96, was also invited to be among the special guests. Both had worked alongside the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., whose birthday was celebrated a day earlier.

The full article is here: http://www.umc.org/site/apps/nlnet/content3.aspx?c=lwL4KnN1LtH&b=2429867&ct=6637097&tr=y&auid=4425137

United Methodist News Service has video of Rev. Joseph Lowery's benediction here: http://media.umcom.org/umns/_2009/20090120_inauguration/rev_lowery_inaguration.asx

Redesigned Website

We're getting pretty close to bringing the church's redesigned website online. We're not there yet, but you can get a sneak peak at http://blog.coffeyvillefirstumc.org. Let me know what you think.

In the Year that King Uzziah Died

"In the year that King Uzziah Died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lofty; and the hem of his robe filled the temple" (Isaiah 6.1, NRSV). So begins the account of the call of the prophet Isaiah. King Uzziah had been a popular, successful king, and his death provoked anxiety about Judah's (the southern kingdom if Israel) future. So it was probably not a coincidence that it was at this time of anxiety that Isaiah had his vision of the real King of Israel, the Lord of Hosts. Of course, the Lord of Hosts ruled not only Judah but the whole world and that still holds true today. I don't want to pour cold water on inaugural celebrations, but it's important for us, as Christians, to remember that presidents come and go, the Lord, the true king, abides.

*Please note that I was telling my congregations the same thing eight years ago when George W. Bush was inaugurated.

Sermons on CD

The church purchased a new digital recorder that produces great quality recordings and we're gearing up to produce copies of the sermon on CD (Compact Disc). If you know someone who can't make it to worship but would like still like to hear the sermon please let us know. We're willing and able to provide inexpensive CD players.

Office Closed Tomorrow

Just a reminder that the church office will be closed tomorrow in honor of Martin Luther King Day.

VeggieTales

We had 14 kids and numerous parents at this afternoon's VeggieTales Movie Event. That came after having 10 kids in the Children's and Youth Sunday School Classes this morning. I just got home and I originally went over to church at about 7:10 this morning. I'm blessed to have a job I love.

Quote of the Day

Via Sojourners:

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."

—Martin Luther King Jr.

The Ethics of Sweatshops

My understanding of the ethics of sweatshops just got more complicated.

Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/15/opinion/15kristof.html?partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

Apportionment Payout

We've received the year end apportionment data for the forty largest churches in the annual conference. We contributed 100% of our apportionments for a total of $33,144. Ranked by the amount of apportionments paid, Coffeyville First is 27th out of more than 330 churches in the conference (I don't remember the exact number). Well done people.

Exciting Theological Development

I got the chance to speak with Bishop Jones during a break. He told me that N. T. Wright's concept of "Life after life after death" with paradise as an intermediate stage before the final restoration of the new heaven and new earth matches the understanding of John Wesley found in his Notes on the New Testament.

John and Charles Online

Jenny and I are at the Kansas Area Seminar on Professional Ministry. We just learned of a great online resource for the works of John and Charles Wesley: www.divinity.duke.edu/wesleyan/texts/index.html.

Taking Risks

By way of Will Willimon's blog (see the link at right), I found the mission statement of the North Alabama Annual Conference: "Every church challenged and equipped to grow more disciples of Jesus Christ by taking risks and changing lives." That got me thinking, what risks do we at Coffeyville First need to take? Have an answer? Drop me a line at johnandjenny@revcollins.com

No Vision Team Meeting

The Vision Team meeting for this Wednesday is being postponed because Jenny and I will be in Wichita (see the previous post).

Off to Wichita

Jenny and I are off to Wichita for the Kansas Area Seminar on Professional Ministry tomorrow. We'll be back Thursday. Jenny's dad will be here to take care of Elizabeth.

An Atheist’s Praise of Evangelism in Africa

An interesting blog entry by Brian McLaren over at God's Politics.

Three Technological Developments

Yesterday we made three technological developments that you might be interested in:

1. Embedded Video: For the Video sermon illustration for this coming Sunday, I've managed to take the movie clip and embed it in the presentation. What this means: playing the movie is as simple as moving through to the next slide and thus the sermon should flow more smoothly.
2. Website: With help from Tony Wood I've gotten started on rebuilding the church website upon the more expansive, widely used, and free Wordpress platform. The old website will remain in place until we launch the new one.
3. Recording Sermons: We've wanted to make recordings of the sermon available online and by CD for shut-ins, but the process was very time consuming and the results were of questionable quality. We received a new portable digital recorder (a Tascam DR-1) that in early tests is easily and simply producing very high quality recordings.

UMNS on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube

From UMNS (United Methodist News Service):

UMNS now offers a Twitter feed to keep followers informed with daily headlines and links to its stories online. The feed will also include updates and other pertinent information from the News Service. You can find our feed at: http://twitter.com/UMNS. UMNS also has a Facebook page – go to www.facebook.com and write “UMNS” in the search engine – and you can find UMTV stories on YouTube, Google video, and GodTube.

Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration

Come celebrate the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. and the continuing of his dream on Saturday, January 17, 2009, at 10:00 a.m. at the First Christian Church, 9th and Elm, Coffeyville, KS. Refreshments follow. Celebration sponsored by PINCH.

De-Dowdyfied

The November/December/January 2008-09 edition Circuit Rider (a magazine for United Methodist clergy) had an article titled "The Art of the Coffee Hour" which included "A Quick Guide to Hosting Coffee Hour." The fourth suggestion was:

Pay attention to the room. Most churches could stand to be de-dowdyfied. Most rooms where we have coffee still look like last year's tag sale or last century's parlor. That doesn't send the right message to newcomers. Make sure the room is clean, comfortable, and easy to move around in.

This is important within the context of welcoming newcomers. What looks homey and familiar to long time members, all to often looks dowdy to a new person. Aside from the curtain on the stage, our room for the coffee hour (fellowship hall) has already been "de-dowdyfied." Throughout the church building as a whole, "de-dowdyfication" is an important project where much has already been accomplished.

Taizé Worship Service Tomorrow

Tomorrow is the first Wednesday of the month, and thus date of our next Taizé worship service.

The End of Christmas

Today is the 12th and last day of Christmas. My thanks to USD 445 for giving the kids all twelve days off. (Although I would have added tomorrow, Epiphany).

Return to Regular Posting

We've been out of town with family, so even though I've been doing a lot of reading, I haven't done much blogging. We're coming home today, so you can expect more regular blogging beginning tomorrow.

The Breadth and Width of Salvation

I've been reading over this short Christmas—New Years vacation at Hays. One of the books I've been working on is Who Will be Saved? by Will Willimon. He's been making the argument (as I understand it) that God not only desires the salvation of all, but that God will perhaps achieve the salvation of all—"our eternal destiny isn't over until God says it's over, until God gets as much a victory as God wants." (Willimon, 67) I've always struggled with universalism (the proposition that in the end all will be saved), both because I believe that God respects human freedom, including the freedom to say "no" to God's offer of salvation in Jesus Christ, and because the Bible makes so many references to the existence of hell. I once amused a fellow seminarian by bluntly stating that I would like to be a universalist, but that Jesus talks about hell way to often for me to believe that. However, I was really struck by the following from Willimon as a recommended course of action:

To deny universal salvation as implication and possibility, as hope and desire, is to limit and to restrict the power and grace of God. To assert with absolute certainty universal salvation is to restrict the freedom and grace of God. Still, we may, indeed we ought, to hope and pray and to work for what we hope. (Willimon, 66)

I've never believed that everyone will be saved, but I've never doubted that saving all is God's ultimate desire and will, therefore it naturally follows that we should align our hopes with God's will and work for what we hope. As Willimon wrote earlier in the same chapter:

One reason why the church flags in its evangelistic drive is its mediocre soteriology. When God's great 'Yes' degenerates into a constrained 'perhaps,' there is little urgency to tell the world. (Willimon, 60)

As a church and as individuals, we need to regain our sense of urgency.

Update: A clarification, it's not that I don't like the idea universalism, it's that I don't believe in it. I believe that there are people who repeatedly and continually say no to God's will being done in their lives and their selves and that in the end God accepts this no.