Tony Campollo on Mixing Religion with Government

Mixing religion with government is like mixing horse manure with ice cream. You know, its not going to mess up the manure, but its going to raise havoc with the ice cream and I contend that religious movements are ice cream and government, I hate to say it, is kind of like the horse manure.

—Tony Campollo

Disaster Training

We'll be hosting a "Disaster Recovery Tools and Training" event tomorrow in the fellowship hall from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. It will be led by Church World Service, FEMA, KSVOAD, UMCOR (the United Methodist Committee on Relief) and others. This is an excellent opportunity to put our building to good use.

Equipment Arriving

We have received a shipment, which included the projector for the sanctuary, for the new multimedia system.

Sabbath

Because of the funeral scheduled for Friday, I'm taking my Sabbath today.

Website Upgrade

I made some minor cosmetic changes to the website. If it doesn't look right, just hit the reload button.

Joys and Concerns Email List

A while back we started an email mailing list for Joys and Concerns. I thought this would be a really popular list, but so far I haven't had any takers. Are there problems with the signup process (button on the right)? If so please let me know by email or comment.

New Hours for Here's Hope Ministry

Due to the heat and the need to be open late for the sake of those who have jobs, the hours for Here's Hope (the Ministerial Alliance flood relief "store") will be from 10:00 am until 1:00 pm and 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm beginning this coming Monday. Hopefully this will enable more people to volunteer.

Multi-Media Project Materials on the Way

Materials for our multi-media project (the screens for use in worship services) are on the way. We got an email notification yesterday.

Adopting a CCC Student

As Jay Shearhart announced Sunday, we are adopting a Coffeyville Community College student (from Coffeyville) for the upcoming Fall semester. We'll be paying for tuition, books, and fees at a total cost of around $1,500. The Church Council voted to raise money for this program from special giving (above and beyond regular giving, we want to adopt a student, but we still need to pay the electric bill) instead of taking it out of the general fund. If you would like to donate to this cause write CCC student on your check or donation envelope. 

The other, non-monetary side of this program will be an attempt to provide guidance. To put it bluntly, we're conceited enough to believe that hanging out with us is a good thing that would enhance a student's performance.

Long Term Recovery Committee

We are transitioning from the short term recovery process to the long term recovery process. A long term recovery committee is being formed. I'm on the executive committee of this new committee.

Regular Posting to Return Soon

I apologize for the lack of regular posting during the past week. For those of you in the know, yesterday's procedure went fine and the results were that there is nothing to worry about. Thanks for your prayers. Jenny and I both have meetings up in Independence this morning.

Found My Good Robe

For those of you who were wondering, I found my good robe. It was at home in the front closet.

Conference Capital Campaign Begins

From www.kansaseast.org:

The United Methodist Kansas East Conference’s $5.3 million capital campaign that will raise funds to support camping, campus ministry and church development throughout the conference is officially underway with the hiring of campaign director Laura Murphy, who started July 16.

Read the Entire Article

VOAD Meeting

Don't worry, all the vehicles outside the church this morning are for a county-wide VOAD (Volunteer Organizations Assisting in Disaster) meeting. You didn't forget anything.

Voice of the Day

Via Sojourners:

When Jesus commanded us to love our neighbors as ourselves, it was not just for our neighbors' sakes that he commanded it, but for our own sakes as well. Not to help find some way to feed the children who are starving to death is to have some precious part of who we are starve to death with them. Not to give ourselves to the human beings we know who may be starving not for food but for what we have in our hearts to nourish them with this to be, ourselves, diminished and crippled as human beings.

- Frederick Buechner, Secrets in the Dark: A Life in Sermons

Harry Potter a Christian Story After All?

Was Harry Potter a Christian story after all? Newsweek has an article that asks that provocative question.

Humans = Dung Beatles

Theology:
Theology is the study of God and God's ways. For all we know, dung beetles may study us and our ways and call it humanology. If so, we would probably be more touched and amused than irritated. One hopes that God feels likewise.

Frederick Buechner, Beyond Words: Daily Readings in the ABC's of Faith, 386.

Theos is the Greek word for God and the suffix -ology denotes a field of study or academic discipline, thus theology is the study of God and God's ways. And yes, Frederick Buechner did just compare us to dung beetles.

New Email List

We have a new email list for congregational joys and concerns. We often have joys and concerns during the week that have to wait until Sunday to be announced. We don't want to post these joys and concerns on the blog because they are semiprivate, but we do want members of the congregation to know. Click on the "Join our Email List" button on the right to sign up for this new list. If you have any problems, send me an email at john@coffeyvillefirstumc.org and I'll put you on manually.

An additional way to order T-Shirts

If you want a new t-shirt (see post below), but are uncomfortable shopping online, shoot me an email at john@coffeyvillefirstumc.org and I'll be happy to order one for you.

T-Shirt Sunday

The Vision Team will be sponsoring a T-Shirt Sunday on September 9, 2007. Everyone is encouraged to wear their First United Methodist Church t-shirt. Direct printed (silk screened) t-shirts of a new design are available from the "T-Shirts" page of our website starting at $13.99. A limited number of t-shirts of the old design made by heat transfer are available for $5 from the church office.

July Newsletter Available Online

The newsletter for July is now available at www.coffeyvillefirstumc.org on the "Newsletter" page.

Newsletter Article

Since our last issue of the Parish Visitor, a devastating flood has hit Coffeyville. About a fourth of the town was utterly destroyed, including homes, businesses, hotels, restaurants, a grocery store, churches, parks, etc. Many people were, and still are, displaced. Seeing the floodwaters, and the destruction they have left behind, has affected us all. We have seen up close what the forces of nature can do and how powerless we are in the face of them.

But in the midst of this natural disaster, wonderful things have been happening. God can work, and is in fact at work, bringing good out of the bad. The churches in town, coordinated by the ministerial alliance, have set up a distribution center for those affected by the flood where they can get free clothes, furniture, toys and personal items. Many people have worked many long hours sorting, packing, and transporting clothes to get them ready for the distribution center, named, “Here’s Hope,” and we thank you for all you have done.

We have learned that in disasters, such as the flood we experienced, things do not always move as smoothly or as quickly as we would hope. But we have seen so many people come together to work on the issues to help us move forward as a town.

In this time of recovery, the Holy Spirit is among us, bringing us closer together as a community. I see that happening both in our church community, and in the community at large. Through the hours we have spent together sorting and folding clothes, dividing up breakfasts, sorting food or simply the conversations we have with one another at church, in the community or on the phone that perhaps have taken on deeper meanings in the past several weeks, we are growing closer to one another.

It will take a long time for Coffeyville to recover completely from the flood of ’07. But we can know for certain that God will be with us, showing us the light so that we can find our way even in the darkest times.

VOAD Meeting Next Wednesday, Our Place

The next Montgomery County VOAD (Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters) meeting will be in the Fellowship Hall. VOAD attempts to cordinate relief efforts between various organizations. The next meeting will be here so that we can alternate between meeting in Coffeyville and Independence. You may be asking yourself what this has to do with you and why I'm putting it on the blog. The reason is that I'm wondering if anyone would be willing to make cookies.

Movie Event: A Snoodle's Tale

Our next movie event will be shown Sunday, July 29, 2007 at 4:00 p.m.
This movie event is open to everyone. As always, admittance, juice boxes and popcorn are free. Send us an email if you would like more information.
We'll be watching A Snoodle's Tale. As always, popcorn and juiceboxes will be provided. You're encouraged to bring blankets, camp chairs, pillows, etc. If you want to learn more about the show, Netflix has a review.

City Seeking Volunteers

From the City of Coffeyville:

Help for flood victims of Coffeyville, Kansas

If you or someone you know were in the flood affected area and you need help with removing appliances or debris or help cleaning please call 620-251-0981.

We have volunteers ready to go to work to help with the clean up process.

If you would like to volunteer to help with the clean-up process call Joe at 620-252-6030 or go up to Veterans Memorial Stadium at 1610 Veterans Drive.

To volunteer to help with phone banks call Jana at 620-252-5521.

There are many areas to help out!!!

Rev. Marilyn Gregory to Preach this Sunday

Rev. Marilyn Gregory of Independence First United Methodist Church will be filling the pulpit this week while Jenny and I are away for a family reunion. Rev. Gregory's sermon title is "The Other Side of the Coin" based on Luke 10.38-42.

City Press Release: Volunteers Needed

Press Release: July 19, 2007 – Volunteers Needed to Assist With Flood Recovery

Location: Coffeyville, Kansas
Authority: Cindy Price – PIO
Contact: cprice@coffeyville.com

Volunteers are needed in Coffeyville to assist with flood recovery. Those interested in assisting residents with debris removal should call 620-252-6030 to volunteer. Masks and gloves will be provided for volunteers. Assistance is also needed with passing out water and ice and answering phones. To volunteer for these duties or for more information, call 620-252-5521.

If you want to be part of cleaning out houses with a United Methodist team, call the church office at 620-251-3240 or send an email to john@coffeyvillefirstumc.org.

Slow Posting

You may have noticed that my rate of posting has taken a nosedive the last few days. That is because our connection to the internet has been sporadic. The Cox Cable guy just left and we're running at full speed now. More to follow.

Disaster Response Training

Disaster Response Training will be held Sunday, July 22, from 2:00 to 4:00 pm at Wesley United Methodist Church in Parsons. Any and all persons interested in participating in Disaster Response and Volunteer in Mission Teams for disaster work are strongly encouraged to attend this training. You'll need this training to work with United Methodist groups here in Coffeyville.

Angel Food Form Available Online

The Angel Food form for August is now available for download on our website on the downloads page.

Coffeyville Community Night of Prayer

Coffeyville Community Night of Prayer

Sponsored by the Coffeyville Ministerial Alliance

Friday, July 20, 2007, 7:00-8:00 pm

Roosevelt Middle School
Coffeyville, Kansas

Speaker: Bishop J. D. Wiley
Senior Pastor, Life Center Cathedral
New Orleans, Louisiana

Special Music: Men's Quartet
and Teresa Ledford

ISP Problems

We're currently having some problems with our internet service. Posting will be sporadic until these issues are resolved.

Taize Service Tomorrow

Tomorrow's Wednesday Gathering will be a Taize Worship Service.

New Animal Shelter Survey

Jim and Susan Correll have asked the members of the Ministerial Alliance to share the following with their churches:

The Coffeyville Animal Shelter Survey will help us understand how we might partner with the City of Coffeyville in providing improved care of our community's stray animal population. Even in the midst of the flood's destruction, there will never be a better opportunity for us to organize a not-for-profit group to partner with the city in building and operating a new animal shelter. The survey is short, just 12 questions and will take no longer than 3-5 minutes to complete. Click the link below to complete the survey.

www.sekmarketplace.com/survey

Paper surveys are available lfor those without Internet service by calling 620-252-5349.

Spiritual Hunger

Via Sojourners

We hunger to be known and understood. We hunger to be loved. We hunger to be at peace inside our own skins. We hunger not just to be fed these things but, often without realizing it, we hunger to feed others these things because they too are starving for them. We hunger not just to be loved but to love, not just to be forgiven but to forgive, not just to be known and understood for all the good times and bad times that for better for worse have made us who we are, but to know and understand each other to the same point of seeing that, in the last analysis, we all have the same good times, the same bad times, and that for that very reason there is no such thing in all the world as anyone who is really a stranger.

—Frederick Buechner
from Secrets in the Dark: A Life in Sermons

Church Council Meeting Reminder

A reminder that tomorrow's church council meeting is at 7:00 pm, not 8:00.

Flood Bucket Contents

For those of you who were wondering, the contents of a typical flood bucket are pictured above.

Update: I forgot I had already posted a list of contents here.

Help Available for Flood Cleanup

If you rent or own your home, and it was damaged by the flood, volunteers may be available to help with cleanup, cleaning debris, or removal of contents.
 
This volunteer service is not available for commercial properties.
 
Call 620-332-2537.

Flood Bucket Supply

Some of the 1200 flood relief buckets we have received from the United Methodist Committee on Relief.

No Breakfast Duty Next Week

As you may know, we've been putting together meals for the national guard, the police, fire fighters, etc. the past two days. Food comes from the hospital and we put it into containers. We've been starting around 6:00 every morning. Well, we're being spelled of breakfast duty as of next Monday. Our facilities will still be used, but volunteers from other churches will be coming in to give us a break.   

Community Night of Prayer

All are invited to come worship together in a "Community Night of Prayer," sponsored by the Coffeyville Ministerial Alliance, to be held on Friday, July 20, from 7:00 to 8:00 pm at Roosevelt Middle School.

Loving humility is the strongest of all things

Via Sojourners, and in honor of my brother James, who recommended The Brothers Karamazov to me:

"At some thoughts one stands perplexed, above all at the sight of human sin, and wonders whether to combat it by force or by humble love. Always decide 'I will combat it by humble love.' If you resolve on that once for all, you can conquer the whole world. Loving humility is a terrible [extreme in degree or extent or amount or impac] force: it is the strongest of all things, and there is nothing else like it."

- Starets [Elder] Zosima,
from The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky

Flood Bucket Distribution

Flood Buckets from the United Methodist Committee on Relief are available to help those returning home in cleaning up. A flood bucket is a five gallon bucket with a resealable lid that contains the following:

Bleach (two 1-quart or one 82 oz. bottle.)
5 scouring pads
7 Sponges
1 scrub brush
18 cleaning towels (reusable wipes)
Liquid laundry detergent (two 25 oz. or one 50 oz. bottle)
1 household cleaner, 12-16 oz. bottle
Disinfectant dish soap, 16-28 oz. bottle
50 clothes pins
Clothes line (two 50 ft. or one 100 ft.)
5 dust masks
2 pair latex gloves
1 pair work gloves
24-bag roll of heavy-duty trash bags, 33-45 gallon
1 Insect repellant spray, 6-14 oz. can
1 Air freshener, 8 or 9 oz. can

These are available at St. James United Methodist Church, 502 Cedar ST (5th and Cedar), from 10 am to 5 pm.

Flood Buckets

Yesterday we received 500 Flood Buckets (five gallon buckets filled with cleaning supplies) from the United Methodist Committee on Relief. I just received a call that we will be receiving 700 more tomorrow. Volunteers are needed to help unload them. Please call 620-251-3240 or email johnandjenny@gmail.com.

Talking Points from Monday's Bus Tour

Jenny and I both accompanied bus tours of the flood damage as chaplains yesterday. The following points were shared with those on the bus tour:

"The damage you will be seeing throughout this tour will be almost overwhelming."

"We have all seen the video of the damage done by Hurrican Katrina, and the tornado in Greensburg."

"The damage that this flood did to our community is every bit as devastationg — in a bit of [a] different way — as the damage done by those storms."

"It is not going to be easy to look at. It is not going to be easy to realize that many of these homes will never be able to be repaired and occupied."

"There will be a number of assessments made in the near future about the structural stability of the homes, and the extent of [the] damage that the mold on the inside of the homes [has] done."

"We can't say right now which homes may be repairable and which ones won't, but [sic]those assessments will take time."

"One of the things that will have to happen before the search crews being able to enter [sic] the homes and ensure that there are no additional victims — before you are able to go into your home to remove any of the property which you may be able to save, is that the house will have to be adequately ventilated for anyone to go inside."

"The search teams will be using a process of graduated force to safely enter the homes. In some cases, this will involve turning the knob on a door or doors. In some cases, it will involve having to force the door open."

"In some cases, it may involve breaking out windows to ensure that the structure is sufficiently ventilated to allow the search crews — and in a few days you — to enter the home safely."

"I can assure you that these crews will not use any more force than is absolutely necessary to make these structures safe for the search crews to enter — and for you to go in and get your property."

During a Ministerial Alliance meeting, Jeff Morris, Coffeyville City Manager, shared that in some houses, mold growing inside has used up all the oxygen. (This is determined by sticking a handheld oxygen sensor through an open door.) Search Teams cannot open a window from the inside because they would never make it to the window. In such a case, windows must be broken from the outside. Such breakage is being kept to a minimum.

Boxes and Trucks Needed

We need large sturdy boxes to pack sorted clothing in so that it can be moved to distribution points. We need the boxes as soon as possible. We also need people with trucks to gather at the church around 9:30 so that we can start moving flood buckets to St. James United Methodist Church where they will be distributed. Please call the church at 620-251-3240 if you can bring a truck.

Monetary Donations

We've been asked about monetary donations. I'll have an address soon for folks who want to send them directly to the ministerial alliance. But you can also send them to the church. We will assist our members displaced by the flood and forward money onto the ministerial alliance to help with emergency shelter expenses and other recovery efforts. You can send money by making a check out to "Coffeyville First United Methodist Church" and put "Flood Relief" in the memo line. You can mail your check to:

Flood Relief
First United Methodist Church
304 W 10th ST
Coffeyville, KS 67337

Boil Order Update

The Coffeyville Journal has an update on the boil order for the city. It has been rescinded in the city but is still in force elsewhere.

Flood buckets are coming

Flood buckets filled with flood cleanup materials are coming from the United Methodist Committee on Relief. The drop-off point for the Parsons District is Independence, as it is the most central location for all the flooded locations. The plan is to reserve 800 of these 5 gallon buckets for Coffeyville. They come on pallets, and can be transported in that manner or broken down to be put in small vehicles. Needless to say we need some volunteers to help get them to Coffeyville.

Special Offering for Flood Relief

In case your wondering, we will be taking a special offering for flood relief.

Food Needed

We have a lot of clothing and quite a few household items. The greatest need right now is food.

Crisis Response Training

A training event entitled, “In His Presence in Crisis: A Christian Response to Crisis”, is being offered by the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team to train lay people in better ways to respond to the grief flood victims are suffering and to offer support.

The training event will be held at the First Baptist Church on Tuesday, July 10 from 10:00 am until 12:00 noon. The training event will be repeated Wednesday, July 11 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm and Thursday, July 12, from 7:00 pm until 9:00 pm. All training events will be held in the sanctuary of the First Baptist Church at the corner of 9th and Elm.

Redirect to coffeyvilleflood.com

For some reason a Google search for coffeyvilleflood.com is redirecting people to this site. If you're looking for just flood news and not church-related flood news, you want to go here.

Light Posting

Posting has been light the last few days, but not because of a lack of activity. The Ministerial Alliance has been meeting on a regular basis and the churches of coffeyville are moving forward together. More news to come.

Not Accepting Clothing at this Time

We are not accepting Clothing at time because we need to sort what we already have.

Clothing, Food, and Furnishings Drive

The Coffeyville Ministerial Alliance will begin collecting food, clothing, and small household furnishings (items one person can carry in unassisted) tomorrow (Thursday, July 5) at 8:00 am in the Lobby of the First United Methodist Church, Tenth and Elm. The church will be open from 8:00 to 12:00 and 1:00 to 5:00 Monday through Friday.

Obviously, we're going to need some help moving and sorting items. If you can help let us know.

Boil Water Advisory

Coffeyvilleflood.com has a new post stating that Coffeyville is under a boil water advisory.

No Wednesday Gathering July 4

We will not be having a Wednesday Gathering tomorrow because of the 4th of July holiday.

No Yoga Tonight

There will be no yoga class tonight (July 3, 2007).

From coffeyvilleflood.com

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FROM THE CITY OF COFFEYVILLE

The City of Coffeyville drinking water, while safe to drink, is at a critical level and people must limit their consumption to essential use only. The water levels are at the 5.0 foot level. When the 4 foot level is reached, the water will be at risk of contamination and citizens will be forced to boil water. The Water Department installed a temporary pump Sunday night to produce some water, however, it is not enough to meet the demand. Additional temporary pumps will be installed Monday night, and it is anticipated the City will begin producing enough water on Tuesday to meet the demand. It is critical for our citizens to limit their water usage.

Lisa Kuehn
Executive Director
Coffeyville Area Chamber of Commerce

Flood Updates

Our own Tony Wood has started a blog with flood information. Go to www.coffeyvilleflood.com.

Displaced Members

We're trying to keep track of members who have been displaced by the flood. So far we know of three, please let us know of any others.

Church Office Open

And we have no plans of closing.

Flood Update

We received a call from a "City Official" who asked us to pass on the following information:

• Hydrocarbons (from diesel fuel from the refinery) are in the floodwaters. Because of this people with respiratory problems need to be particularly cautious. Because of the hydrocarbons and tettetanus, everyone needs to stay out of the floodwaters.
• The city has no plans to shut off the water or the electricity at this point. But there is a request not to waste water. Late Update: The radio just announced that the water plant is offline and we are running on reserve water. It is absolutely necessary to conserve water.
  
• There are plenty of meals for folks in the shelters.

Sandbags

Because of the rain and the danger of flooding, sandbags are being filled at the Boys and Girls Club and the old Wal-mart parking lot. Hope to see you there.

VeggieTales Movie Event

The next VeggieTales Movie Event will be July 29, 2007 at 4:00 pm. We'll be watching A Snoodle's Tale. As always, popcorn and juiceboxes will be provided. You're encouraged to bring blankets, camp chairs, pillows, etc. If you want to learn more about the show, Netflix has a good review.

Owen Chase Horner

We're happy to announce the birth of Owen Chase Horner to Allyson and Greg Horner. Owen was born at 12:37 pm today. He weighed 6 pounds, 11 ounces and measured 19 inches long.

Trustees' Meeting Moved Up to Tuesday

The next meeting of the Board of Trustees has been moved to Tuesday, July 3, 2007 at 5:15 pm because of the 4th of July holiday.

No Wednesday Gathering July 4

There will be no Wednesday Gathering on July 4 due to the holiday.

United Methodist News Service

United Methodist News Service is the official news source for the denomination. They have stories, podcasts and email updates.

Information on the Wesleys

The General Board of Global Ministries has a nice page with links to information on Samuel, Susanna, John, and Charles Wesley.

Day Off Tomorrow

I'm going to try and take tomorrow off. Blogging will resume Tuesday.

Quote of the Day

"A wrong attitude towards nature implies somewhere a wrong attitude towards God, and the consequence is an inevitable doom. For a long enough time, we have believed in nothing but the values arising in a mechanised, commercialised, urbanised way of life: it would be as well for us to face the permanent conditions upon which God allows us to live upon this earth."

—T. S. Eliot, "The Idea of a Christian Society," 1939.

VBS Raises $280

Vacation Bible School raised $280 for Heifer International this week. The kids have voted to purchase a Water Buffalo for the use of a family in need.

This means that very soon, another family will be able to join Larry the Cucumber in the Water Buffalo song. (If you didn't catch that last VeggieTales reference, don't worry about it.)

Tip of the Hat to the Coffeyville Journal

In "A note from the Editor" on page 8A today, concerning editing of "Church news":

"Editing of the respective articles is done only as related to excessive length, not to content– however do not take advantage of this by attacking other faiths and beliefs. These are positive pages and expressions of faith– not negative. You will note that a certain infamous Kansas church, known for their hatred of everything and everybody is not on this page, though they send an article to the Journal every week."

If the editor has in mind the same "certain infamous Kansas church" that I'm thinking of, and I'm sure they are, my hats off to them. I especially like the refusal to use that particular church's name. I've long felt that any attention given to this church only serves to encourage them.

Quote of the Week

Via Sojourners:

"While there is little evidence that human nature has changed for the better over the past two millennia, a few historical events, like Britain's abolition of its extremely profitable slave trade, suggest that human history has also been something more than an endless contest of greed and power."

—David Brion Davis, a Yale University historian, in a column by Michael Gerson. This year marks the 200th anniversary of the end of the British slave trade, which Gerson calls “history’s strongest counterexample” to the claim that religion in public life only spawns hatred and extremism. (Source: The Washington Post)

Newsletter Available

After the previous post this is probably unnecessary, but the newsletter is now available on our website.

Newsletter Error

This afternoon I found an error in the newsletter. Because of some formatting errors in the final printed version, it is not possible to tell what was the Bishop's blog post and what was not. A corrected version can be found on our website or in an earlier blog post.

Chair Lift Cost

The total cost of the new chairlift when installed was $17,875. It was variously and roughly estimated that a new elevator in roughly the same place would run $150,000 - $300,000. The money for the chair lift came from various memorials and recent bequests.

No Hymn Sing Next Sunday

We'll be having a regular (well, as close as we ever get to regular) service next week. I post this because someone asked if we would be having a second Charles Wesley Hymn Sing this coming Sunday (for the second 4,500 hymns that Charles wrote). We'll wait awhile before we do that again. Sunday I sang 12 full hymns at the morning service and 6 full hymns at the Asbury service in the afternoon. Even for me, that's enough for a while.

Brian McLaren: The Need for a New Rhetoric

A good post on the need for love to guide all our conversations:

A Long Obedience in the Same Direction

Kansas Bishop Scott Jones had this to say in his most recent blog entry:

"I love the title of Eugene Peterson’s commentary on the Psalms, “A Long Obedience in the Same Direction.” I value that and aspire to it."

"The last two Sundays I have worshipped in a chapel at a state park. It is led by United Methodist people, and sometimes people from the nearby congregations come to worship there. But there are always people who attend while they are camping or vacationing at the park. It gave me great pride that this lay woman and a lay speaker were faithfully leading worship every Sunday so that God could be praised and God’s word be preached. It is a quiet story, but one that is replicated all over Kansas."

"We sometimes give attention to our largest churches or the ones that can connect technologically. It is true—they are important. But we must not lose sight of the faithful pastors and laity who are serving God in our small towns and have been doing it for generations. The lay speaker spoke of her father, a Korean War veteran who died last winter. This Memorial Day he would have been playing taps at the local cemetery, and she was missing that fact. He had played taps there every Memorial Day for 50 consecutive years. A long obedience in the same direction."

"Thank God for faithful servants."

I think this is an important word for us to hear in the midst of our current struggles, in the midst of our attempts to reach out to younger people, in our ongoing efforts to better connect with technology. While it is dangerous to get so caught up in the past that we cannot see the future nor act in the present, to neglect and forget the past is to risk losing the knowledge of who we were and to lose the knowledge of who we were is to risk forgetting who we are. The first Methodists were established in Coffeyville by a circuit rider, W. T. Selby in 1870. We have been here a long time. Let us draw courage from the example of those who came before us and continue “a long obedience in the same direction.”

VBS Off to a Good Start

VBS is off to a good start today. Things seem to be running smoothly and we have 33 kids.

Pilates Cancelled

We will not be having Pilates this coming Monday because of Vacation Bible School.

No Youth Tomorrow

In observance of Father's Day.

Inclusive Language in the NRSV

In case your wondering about the translation of the Bible we read in worship, The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV), consider this summary from Wikipedia.org

"In the preface to the NRSV, Bruce Metzger wrote for the committee that 'many in the churches have become sensitive to the danger of linguistic sexism arising from the inherent bias of the English language towards the masculine gender, a bias that in the case of the Bible has often restricted or obscured the meaning of the original text.' The RSV [Revised Standard Version] observed the older convention of using masculine nouns in an inclusive sense (e.g. 'man' instead of 'person'), and in some cases used a masculine word where the source language used a neuter word. The NRSV by contrast adopted a policy of gender-inclusive language: 'The mandates from the Division specified that, in references to men and women, masculine-oriented language should be eliminated as far as this can be done without altering passages that reflect the historical situation of ancient patriarchal culture.'"

"One of the conventions NRSV uses is to expand gender exclusive phrases. For example, if a translation used 'brothers' to refer to a group that is not known to be all male, NRSV may use 'brothers and sisters.' Where such adjustments are made the more literal translation is noted in a footnote."

—Wikipedia.org, "The New Revised Standard Version."

Note that the statement is "in references to men and women." In the NRSV, God, even God the Holy Spirit, is still referenced by the masculine pronoun. I hope this provides you with some comfort if the previous two posts were making you nervous.

And ... Campolo on the Feminine Traits of God

"These same Fundamentalists are threatened by anything that even seems to be tending toward feminist thinking, as is evidenced by their upset over the use of inclusive language in church liturgy or in any translation of Scripture. You can count on their outrage in response to any suggestion that God transcends what some of us consider to be culturally prescribed definitions of masculinity. Whenever I preach about the mothering side of God—revealed for instance, when Jesus talked about wanting to gather people together as a hen gathers her chicks (Matthew 23.37)—I can expect letters of condemnation during the days that follow."

"Christian feminists believe that discovering the female side of God has made it easier for them to relate to God, but more important is the biblical case for affirming God's feminine traits. Consider the fact that when God's spirit is referred to in the Hebrew Bible, a feminine noun is used, and in the original Greek version of the New Testament, the Holy Spirit can be understood as being feminine."

— Tony Campolo, Letters to a Young Evangelical, 199-200.

In my experience it's not just Fundamentalists who are threatened.

Tony Campolo on Women and the Church

From Letters to a Young Evangelical:

"I want to tell you something vitally important that is too often hidden from Evangelicals: Jesus was a radical feminist! Although it was common in his time to relegate women to a position inferior to men's, Jesus treated them as equals. He invited them to be students of the Torah [Old Testament], which back then was a privilege reserved for men (Matthew 10:35-42). He broke the taboo on touching women when they were menstruating (Mark 5:25-34). He was even willing to transgress ancient Jewish standards of social respectability by establishing relationships with women of questionable ethnic and moral backgrounds (John 4.1-27)."

—Tony Campolo, Letters to a Young Evangelical, 193.

Screen Progress

The vision team met today to review the final plan and price list from Jordan Audio Consultants for the installation of video systems in both the chapel and the sanctuary. You can look some of Jordan Audio's previous projects at www.jordanaudio.com.

Taize Service Tomorrow

Tomorrow's Wednesday Gathering will be a Taize Service. Childcare will be provided.

Devotional Blogging

I'm off this morning, but as I lie in bed listening to the thunder and watching the the lightening flash, I was reminded of the words of the Psalmist in Psalm 104:

"17 The clouds poured out water;
the skies thundered;
your arrows flashed on every side.
18 The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind;
your lightnings lit up the world;
the earth trembled and shook." (NRSV)

These words come in the context of the psalmist recounting the exodus and praising God for delivering the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt. The Psalmist is asserting, contrary to pagan claims, that it is the God of Israel, and not the fertility god Ba'al, who controls the storms and the rain they bring. The pagans believed that Ba'al rode the thundercouds and threw down lightening bolts, the Psalmist is saying that it is not Ba'al but rather the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who reigns over the storm and dispenses the good things of life.

Back at Home

We're back (actually we got back about four hours ago). Sorry that I didn't keep the blogging up, but I was having quite a few problems with the wireless service at Baker yesterday. I have lots to tell and will probably be trying to unpack annual conference over the next week.

Good to Great at Annual Conference

I've been happy to hear both Bishop Jones and Dean Jones make reference to Jim Collins' book Good to Great this annual conference. Good to Great was been guiding the Vision Team as we attempt to discern the future of Coffeyville First.

Abundantly Far More

Ephesians 3.20-21 (NRSV):

"Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen."

Gregory Jones has just pointing out how far this passage goes: "to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine." That phrase: "Abundantly far more." Not just a little, not even just a lot, but "Abundantly far more." Are we willing to open ourselves up to "abundantly fare more" that God wants to accomplish in and through Coffeyville First.

Plenary Session

Right now we're listening to L. Gregory Jones, Dean and Professor of Theology at Duke University Divinity School. He's doing an excellent job of talking about Christian formation and the need to keep the standards high and helpful. I'm hoping that we can get a copy of the DVD and watch it in small groups.

Legislative Committees

Legislative Committees met yesterday. I was co-convener at committee three, I had forgotten how nerve-racking being a convener can be. Nonetheless, we seem to have made it through alright.

Bridges to the Future

The Annual Conference Session just approved a new capital campaign to improve conference ministries in the area of camping, campus ministry, and church growth and development. This campaign is being called "Bridges to the Future."

Young(er) Clergy Gathering

We're back. Annual Conference convened again at 8:00 this morning. It's an early start after the Young(er) Clergy Gathering that started about 8:30 last night and ran until to after 11:00. That's much later than Jenny and I normally stay out, but we were having a wonderful time. One of the great joys of annual conference is getting to see colleagues.

Wi-Fi at Baker University

Update, I have managed to get online in the Collins Center at Baker University where Business and Worship sessions of Annual Conference are being held. this means that I can blog on a far more regular basis. So far the conference is running smoothly. The bishop preached an excellent sermon for the opening worship session.

Chair Lift Installation

Is finished.