#pastorbesties Embarrassing Moments

Young Adult Study Group

Young Adult Study Group Beginning September 9th, following the Oasis service, our young adults will gather for lunch, fellowship, & a time of study & conversation together! From noon until 2pm, we’ll meet in Room 14-16…Bring your lunch (or have it delivered here!) & be ready to connect with one another & grow together. (Childcare will be available) This group is open to young adults age 20-40. Full class listing is available on our website or contact Pastor Melissa (pastormelissa@faithumcop.org) for more information! 

To see some samples for our first study, visit http://animate.wearesparkhouse.org/.

 September
2—No Meeting
9—Animate—God: Faith is a Quest
16 –Animate—Religion: Spirituality is not enough
23— Animate—Jesus: The Revolution of Love
30—Visit Brookfield Zoo (Adult tickets are $15; Children’s tickets 3-11 are $10.50) 
October
 7—Animate—Salvation: Abundant Life Now
14—Lunch (We’ll go out for lunch together—Location TBA)
21—Animate—Cross: Where God is
28—Animate—Bible: A Book Like No Other

 

November Newsletter

Dear Friends,

                There have been statistics & articles & books written in the last few years sharing the information about why younger generations are either leaving the church or finding the church irrelevant.  There are some great reports as to why this is happening, based on interviews with young people inside & outside the church.  You can find some of this information in books like UnChristian by Gabe Lyons; When Christians Get it Wrong by Adam Hamilton; They Like Jesus but not the Church by Dan Kimball; You Lost Me by David Kinnnaman.  Or, you could always talk with a young person.

                There are many reasons why I hold office hours at Panera on Tuesday nights.  It has been a joy to hear from some of you as you’ve shared your hopes & dreams for Faith United Methodist Church and your stories of faith and your questions & struggles.  One of the other reasons why I hold office hours at Panera is to be in the community & hear from & talk with people who are outside of the church.  Recently, I overheard this conversation from a table of young people about one of their upcoming wedding & complaints about the pastor, "He's just so frustrating. I mean just because we're getting married in his church, he thinks that he can say God & Jesus. I mean, I don't have a problem with them, but I don't want to invite them to the wedding, you know what I mean?"  I wish that I could say that this was a unique situation, but truthfully some of the weddings that I have officiated at the Twin Towers have made similar requests. 

                My initial response is usually one mixed of sadness & anger…But the bigger question is, how do we as a church respond to young people?  To their questions?  To their concerns?  To their challenges for the church?

                I think the first response is to listen…To hear what these young people have to say about their faith, the church, and life in general…Not to change their mind, but to hear what they have to say.  I wish that I would have talked to the table of young people at Panera about their reasons for not wanting to invite God to their wedding.  I think the next response is to build a relationship…To share our own stories & to begin to share our lives together. 

                I heard once that if you want to understand the world around you, ask someone younger than you.  I think there’s a lot of truth to that.  Find someone that you can talk with about what they think & believe about God…You may discover that you’ll understand your own faith more!

                I’d love to talk with you more about your hopes, dreams, fears, struggles, questions…your stories.  You can join me at Panera (on LaGrange next to Pier 1) on Tuesday nights from 5-7 or set up another time to meet & share!

Passion & Possibility

So...When did you know?  Whenever I meet someone for the 1st time & I tell them that I'm a pastor.  Then, I always get the comments about my age or being young...As a young adult in ministry, it's easy to feel like the only one...Although I had some younger pastors growing up, I never thought it was possible to be young & be a pastor.  I think that's part of the reason that I wanted to be a youth director & not a pastor.

Enter a helpful associate pastor & an invitation to Exploration 2000...Exploration is a United Methodist discernment event for young people to hear their call into ordained ministry in the United Methodist Church.

I went to Exploration 2000 in Dallas, TX...I pretty much knew what my call was, but I wasn't sure that I could actually answer it yet...I honestly don't know how I got to Exploration-- I remember it being my 2nd plane ride ever and going with a former pastor of mine...And I'm not sure that I totally remember any of the speakers from the event...Although I looked at a list recently & they were really good-- people that I read now and think are amazing!

What I remember was looking around the room & not feeling alone...I remember sitting in my small group and not feeling crazy...I remember being a part of worship & feeling the presence of God in new ways...I remember talking to people at the seminary tables & feeling slightly overwhelmed, but very excited... I remember leaving thinking that I actually could answer the call that God had whispered.

As Exploration 2011 nears and young people are registering & speakers are preparing & the design team is working hard, my prayers & thoughts join with all who are blogging & praying today (and everyday of course!) for the event...I continue to pray for those who are hearing the whisper of God & think they're too young or they might be a little crazy or they feel alone.  Trust me, you're not.  If you need to have a large confirmation of that, attend Exploration.

July Newsletter

Dear Friends,

                I’ve been saying it’s summer for so long that I forgot that there was an actual “1^st day of summer”!    There are so many cues from our being that indicate it’s time to be summer, but the calendar & sun have some different ideas, of course.  It doesn’t mean that we have slowed down any with plans for summer!  There are so many ways that you can be involved with our children & youth ministries –even if you don’t have children! 

                As you read this our mission team to Nashville will be in full swing—working hard on repairing, cleaning, and working with people whose homes have been damaged by rain, flood, & other weather related catastrophes.   Please pray for this team of 17 as we work hard, play hard, & pray hard.  We look forward to sharing our stories when we return! 

                The summer session of Sunday school begins on July 10!!  July’s theme will be: “Shake it up!” as we hear some of the stories that won’t be covered during Vacation Bible School.  In August our themes will be: “Baptism & Communion”.  If you are interested in helping with any of these sessions this summer, please contact me or see the signup sheet at the Connection Center.  The curriculum & materials for each session can be found in the Sunday school box in the office.

                Speaking of Vacation Bible School—It’s coming!  It’s coming!  Plans have been made & leaders have been combing over their material to help create the best experience that we can for children!  This year’s theme: “Shake it up!” will teach children about God’s love through story, craft, science, & food!  VBS will be July 18-22^nd from 6-8:30pm.  If you are interested in helping, please contact Christy Claus (antigone_42@yahoo.com) or Kelly Matchen (thematchens@comcast.net) to find the best place for you to use your gifts, talents, & passions!  Registration forms can be found at the Connection Center in the Lobby or on our website (www.faithumcop.org). 

          Don’t forget about Tee up for Youth either!  On July 24^th we will golf, be entertained, & raise money to support our children & youth ministry programs for the year.   Many people have asked what this money helps to fund in varying degrees of skepticism, curiosity, & excitement.  The truth is that the money raised during Tee up for Youth does not cover the entire budget for our children & youth programs.  But it does help to ensure that programs like Sunday school, God Squad, Vacation Bible School, Youth Group, Confirmation, & more! are able to exist & grow.  Please support this fundraiser in any way that you can.  I, personally, can’t golf (I’ve never even been mini-golfing!)  but look forward to the dinner & silent auction & hearing the stories of the golfers! 

          In August, we will be putting together a youth ministry team.  This team will help to create, build, & strengthen the youth program at the church.  If you are passionate about working with youth (6^th grade- 12^th grade), please come & talk with me or join us for the meeting in August (date TBD).

          There is so much happening!  There are so many stories of God’s grace bursting through that it is just incredible!  The truth of the matter is that none of this happens without you.  Through your prayers, presence, gifts, & service we are able to serve God’s people in magnificent ways and live into our calling to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.  If there is a way that you would like to serve our children & youth, please contact me, come & visit me at Panera (on LaGrange next to Borders) on Tuesday nights from 5-7pm, or let’s schedule coffee! 

          On a personal note—I would like to thank all of you once again for your overwhelming support in celebrating my ordination.  For the phone calls, emails, cards, & words of congratulations, I thank you!  For the gifts, princess cake, & hugs, I thank you!  I can’t even begin to put into words how full my heart is & I am humbled by your generosity & love.  Thank you.  

May Newsletter

Dear Friends,

                I remember when I was in school that after Easter, time seemed to go forever…Because there really wasn’t too much more time before it was summer break!  But getting there seemed to drag…..I’m not sure how teachers & professors felt, because no matter what the grade level, classes started to get just a little bit squirrelly.  Call it Spring Fever, Senioritis, Cabin Fever or whatever the days leading up to the final bell or the last paper are on everyone’s mind. 

                Many of our students are in this mode—whether preparing for summer or graduation or even summer jobs.  Especially as our college students come home, think about the ways that you can support them: celebrate their accomplishments, hear their stories, or listen to their questions about changing majors or thinking about what they want to do with the rest of their lives.  Take them out for coffee, ice cream, or even a home cooked meal (it’s probably been awhile!).  While you’re building this relationship, talk about ways that you can be supportive when they go back to school too (even though that’s the last thing on any students’ mind!).

                If you know a young adult who might be looking for a church or have questions about faith, I’d love to talk with them.  I hold office hours at Panera (on LaGrange, next to Borders) every Tuesday from 5-7pm or I’d love to meet them for lunch or dinner at a place of their choice.  If you’re a young adult currently in the church, know that I’ll be calling, emailing or facebooking you soon to set up one these conversations!  Nothing more than getting to know you better and seeing what more we can be doing to be in ministry with young people. 

                Not a young person, but passionate about helping young people explore their faith?  I’d love to talk with you too!  Let’s set up a time for lunch or coffee to chat and dream!

                Even though summer is just around the corner, it doesn’t mean break time for the Church.  We’ve got so much happening this summer with Vacation Bible School, Mission Trip to Nashville, Small Groups, Gathering for our new service beginning in the fall…There’s no time for Spring Fever!  No matter what activities that we have happening, we don’t do them just to keep busy.  We do these things to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.  With each event or program that we plan, host, or develop, it’s not with our own needs in mind, but it’s keeping in mind those who are not yet here.  Those who need to hear a message of love & grace…Those who need to know that someone cares enough to listen to their frustrations…Those who need to know it’s okay to ask questions of faith without being judged…Those who need to know that the church isn’t a scary place….Those that need to find a home & family of Faith in the same way that you have found. 

                This is all so very exciting!  Thank you so much for all the support & dedication that you’ve given to the ministries of Faith United Methodist Church.  It is only with the support of the people that we are able to be the church that God calls us to be. 

There's how many?

To say that I'm overwhelmed by all of the options that I have at my fingertips is the least...Oh, don't get me wrong-- I love it! It is by far refreshing to not have to drive an hour to the nearest Starbucks or half an hour to the nearest grocery store...And to have 2 Targets near me in less time than it would take me to get to 1 is pretty darn awesome! Let's be clear...as much as I'm overwhelmed, I'm also excited!

But I wonder how many is too many...And I'm not just talking about grocery stores or Starbucks. But all of the options that we have...I mean for crying out loud, how many different brands of toothpaste are out there! At what point do all of these options impede our ability to make a decision. We have to weigh out all of our options and get the best reviews and then there may even be a test period. At which point we hope that we've found the best option for ourselves. But then again...

What does that mean for spiritual life? In my new role, I'm focusing on youth & young adults and I've been doing a lot of thinking about these specific areas of ministry. Some because I happen to fall into the young adult category-- and with all of the options out there in terms of religion or spirituality, what is it that helps to make the decision?

I think we've grown accostumed to treating our spirituality or faith in the same way we do as our toothpaste. Examine it, review it, test it out, and if it works for me I'll stick with it. Which to some degree is important-- while faith is stepping out and hoping/believing that there is a path, there is a certain degree of skepticism regarding churches or institutions. And maybe I'm a product of my generation with skepticism for the church. The truth is, though, that I love the Church. There are times when I grow angry or frustrated with the church, but I love the Church. I have found a home in the Church and it makes me sad that others have not yet found that home or have not found it to be a safe place. And so the question returns...How do you "convince" people to choose your church/faith/home when there are so many options and skepticism out there.

It's not an easy task, but it's also not impossible. If I believed that it weren't possible for lives to be transformed through the power of Jesus Christ, well...I wouldn't be a pastor! I do believe that people's lives can be changed and that there is hope beyond what this world will tell us to hope in.

I am excited to embark on this journey and to work and walk with others who share this same dream and vision!

Need to Share...

I just have to share my day yesterday...I am so overwhelmed by everything in a good way!

Now, the day didn't start out very well...I had planned on getting up at 5:00 in the morning so that I could get on the raod by 7:00 to head up to B-Town to drop off some of the chocolate that I had picked up for my mom and to freeze pretty much all of the chocolate that I had picked up! So anyway, I planned to get up at 5:00....Yeah...It didn't happen. I apparently hit the "off" button instead of the "snooze" button. I should have known better than to get up at 5:00-- I have a hard time getting up at 8:00! (I know that probably means I need more sleep...)So, I started the day off schedule and that made me not so happy...Okay it made me cranky...So, I finally got on the road about 8:30...an hour and a half after I had originally planned...

On Friday, I got a message from the chair of my dcom and he's part of the evangelism committee for the conference. He called b/c they were planning the upcoming Evangelism event for the conference and they had gone through the previous years' evaluations and wanted to do something intergenerational/generational evangelism...Well he called me and I understood that he was in need of some resources-- names, topics, etc...So I called him on my way up to B-Town (I'm in the car for an hour and 15 minutes!) and he told me kind of what they were looking for and asked if I could help. "Absolutely!" was my response and in my mind I'm thinking of folks that I can put him in touch with or resources...When he said, "Great! Your workshop will be about an hour and 15 minutes." He said that my name came to his mind first when they were talking about this workshop and wants me to lead it! I'm leading a generational evangelism workshop for the conference! And this year the keynote speaker for the workshop is none other than Tony Campolo! Tony Campolo is an internationally known speaker/evangelist/social justice advocate...So, this is probably not going to be a small event! Yikes!!

So, then I got up to B-Town and separated my chocolate...Good Lord I have a lot of chocolate! I would have liked to spend a little bit more time up there and stayed for longer...I don't think I've been up to B-Town in a while...As a matter of fact, I can't remember the last time that I was there. Eventually I'll get there...

Stopped in Dekalb to pick up tableclothes for SUMC's "Cinco de Mayo dinner"...I ended up getting 2 different kinds and we decided to use the cheaper ones, so I'll be making a return trip up there to return the other 8 tableclothes! I found green & orange clothes that matched the crepe paper someone had picked up...Yay! That capped off our decorations for the night! It looked really great down there and the food smelled great (and tasted great too!)...

We had an amazing turnout for the dinner...I forgot to keep track of how many people were in there, but we were pretty full...I don't think that every chair was full, but it was close at one point! It was simply incredible!!! We made $467.25 at this dinner....AWESOME!!! All that will go to Vacation Bible School this summer...Yes, ALL OF IT! Everything for the dinner was donated...It was simply incredible!! I am so proud of all the people who helped this dinner come together like it did...These folks are simply incredible!

So, for the day that started out with me kind of cranky...It ended up incredible!!

One of the things that I think is the most important in the ministry that I do is building up leadership of those who are younger. I think that youth and children have an important place in the life of the church, the worship of the body, and within the leadership of the church. It is important to note that children and youth are not the future of the church, but they are the present of the church. They should be able to experience their faith and God in their own ways and lead in the doctrines and the path of their family or what they discover as the right path for them.

I feel a swell of pride when a child or youth that I have worked with takes a step out and does something within the leadership of the church-- either in worship or committees. I know that it doesn't have much to do with me, I am only a nurturer and supporter of those gifts and abilities that are already there. I cannot and do not create gifts and/or abilities in people, but I am able to recognize strengths in people and foster the growth and allow opportunities for them to share those gifs with others. I say that it makes me swell with pride, but again I know that it is not me who did anything...In the end it was that individual and God and their letting God speak in them, through them, and in spite of them--whatever the case may be-- if it's preaching, reading scripture, voting, making a point in a meeting, singing a song, dancing, laughing, or something else...

One of the thigns that I have learned over the past 3 years is not to wait until the end of the time I am with a group to give the larger opportunities. I am so proud of the group that I work with for their courage, ability to quesition, faith, acceptance, and vitality. I only hope that they take the gifts that they have and continue to build upon them. More than that, I hope that they never lose the courage and self-confidence that they have because someone tells them that they can't...

It makes me sad when some adults think that it is their place to "correct" someone younger. Yes, there is a time and place for constructive criticism, but it is not in the first 5 minutes of a speaking engagement or in a corrective tone telling a child to be quiet. I would hope that more adults would come to the realization that the younger generations are precious and something to be fostered and grown rather than shot down and given no reason to grow...

Empowerment!

Ah, summer is definately upon me as I bask in the glow of the computer screen and know that... I don't have any school work to be doing at this time! Of course that doesn't mean that I'm bored by any stretch of the imagination as I am getting ready to leave for Mississippi on Wednesday. I'm really excited about this conference and not just because I've been working on planning it, but because young adult seminarians from around the country are going to be gathering together to unite! And if you want to talk really and truly...Young Adult Seminarians from around the world (Dana is from Romania!). It's really exciting and I really just want to get down there. But, there are still some loose ends that I wish I could tie up right now, unfortunately the people that I need to talk with are already at our site in Jackson. So, hopefully we can get everything all straightened out by the time the event takes place. YASN is something that I'm passionate about and I know that GBHEM is proud of the work that we're doing, but I really wish that the Church would take notice. Not to take notice in order to gain attention, but to be encouraged that this is the new generation of leaders for the Church and we are excited to be here and we want them to be excited for us.

My ministry is based around empowering young people and I mean young people from children to tweens to teens to college age and beyond. These people need to know that they have a very important place in the Church and the Church needs to welcome them with open arms. I'm tired of churches who claim to want a children's or youth ministry, but when it comes time to actually do something, they back down. I'm not talking about any one church in specific as I hear this over and over from my friends and colleagues. It's very sad and it really breaks my heart. I believe that is why God has called me to this particular ministry. I've been there too and I know what it's like to be told that you can't do something and to feel like you're worthless. But nobody is worthless-- everybody has wonderful gifts and graces and talents and it's up to them how they use them. It's exciting to me when I see a young person's face light up because of something that they just learned about their faith. I know that children and youth have an amazing spirituality, but all too often they are told to suppress it and to hide it because it's not real or they're just being "cute"... It's not just being "cute"--- that's the Holy Spirit moving! If you would let your guard down once in a while, you'd act like that too! Remember that we're supposed to be like children! That means child-like and not child-ish!

Where do I fit?

So, I brought dinner to a group of college students this evening and I was pretty psyched about it. I thought that it would be cool to be with a group of students around my own age and able to have relevant types of conversations. As I say within the group I suddenly felt very much older... It was very odd to be in group that I looked very similar to (age-wise), but that I talked so much older than. I've discovered that I'm in an interesting quandry where I don't fit in places. I didn't fit in with this group of college students because I'm not in that place in my life anymore. I also don't fit in with a lot of the seminary students because I'm not quite in the same place in my life there. It's a very awkward situation to be in and something that I hadn't really given much thought to before tonight. I don't want to go backwards in my life and return to my college days, but I don't want to be so far removed from them. I guess I didn't realize it so much when I was back in DBQ a few monthes ago because I was so consumed with catching up with friends. It's interesting to see at times, because I think that there are definately groups of college students that I do fit in with. Why do I have to be so weird?