3. Tremors

Every Advent and Lent until 2 years ago I had terrible neck and shoulder pain.  It would start with a couple tense muscles and get worse from there.  I tried various over the counter medications and found some relief but usually, a week after Christmas and Lent, it would just go away.  Two years ago when I started feeling the advent/lent pain I did something different, I went to a physical therapist.  Since then at the first sign of the tension, I get my hand weights out of the closet and practice ways to relieve the tension.

Too often we live with the tension, seldom naming it or working to release it.  Here are the five tensioned mentioned by Hugh Halter in chapter 3.  They are:

1. The tension that comes from a broken heart.

2 The tension that comes from the simple frustrations of energy and resources wasted.

3. Tensions can bring fear.

4. Tension that arises when you see the structure of church falling and you realize everything the church stood on may go down too.

5. The tension related to our identity.

I think at one time I have experienced all of these tensions (plus the ulcer creating tension of not being able to pay bills and make payroll).  I really loved the honesty of the letter included on pages 16 & 17—the pastor who works hard, loves deeply and felt a failure.  But the tension I feel is a combination of both tension and longing. Longing for all the church could be and tension around how far we still have to go. 

One of the things I am working on in my appointment is growing the leadership.  One of my key strategies in bringing change and growing leadership is to model what ministry might look like and then hope that others go, yes!  I want to be part of that!  Of course, when you are in the midst of it, it can feel like just a lot of craziness, long hours and major tension. But Sunday that tension decreased.

Which is strange because on Saturday night, the church I serve was robbed.  They got away with lots of computers and other items that could be easily sold at a swap meet.  At both worships, I asked for prayer for the church as we addressed this robbery.  We had just changed leadership at the church and so had a new Trustee chair: he was just great, jumped right into it.  For the first time in 3 years, we also had lay leaders; they also were in the mix.  Other laity—some staff, some not—helped out too.  At the end of the day I felt, “WOW! How lay run this church is becoming, how exciting that is!”  I went home and slept like a baby.

This week, there is still tension and lots to do cleaning up and figuring out who needs what, but I am grateful and almost a bit giddy too.

What tensions are you feeling in your local church?  Do you talk about them?  Do you have any ideas how to resolve them?

-Rev. Nicole

smumc.com

2. Elvis Has Left the Building

I am an Elvis fan.  Elvis may have left the building, but he has certainly not left my I-Pod.  In our book, the author, chapter 2 is titled “Elvis Has Left the Building.”  Each year at Annual Conference, I have a ritual that requires me to look around during the Opening Worship and wonder “who has left the building?”  As I begin my fourth decade of attending Annual Conference, I have witnessed a change.  There has been a departure of those who preceded us.  I remember back in the 80’s, there was a concern about the future and there was a call to reach out to Baby Boomers.  Obviously that has passed.  Now the Baby Boomers are making their exit from the work force and life.  Unfortunately, in some ways the Baby Boomers may be the first generation our conference adequately did not reach.  Each successive generation seems to be more dismal regarding the success of our conference reaching out to the generations that follow the Baby Boomers.  

There are many asking “Why?’  There are many pointing fingers.  I suspect there are a variety of reasons why “Elvis” has left the building.  Perhaps the first question to be asked is, “Who is ‘Elvis’”?  Followed by the question, “And, why did he leave the building?”

To begin with, is Elvis, is it the  Baby Boomers?  My generation has certainly left the building.  Even the dedicated youth that attended Methodist Camp with me, mostly have left the building, either for other denominations or completely away from Christianity.  Yet, maybe Elvis is not the Baby Boom Generation.  Perhaps Elvis is the generation that followed the Baby boomers, the one we call Generation X?  I suspect they are are even more sparse in our conference.  Or maybe Elvis isn’t restricted to a generation.  Is it a group of people?  Over the years, it seems like Republicans have left the building.  Sometimes at Annual Conference, I am tempted to break out in song, “Where have all the Republicans gone?  Long time passing...When will they ever learn?”  Forty and fifty years ago, maybe Republicans represented half of all our conference representatives.  Then again, maybe “Elvis” is another group.  How about the working group?  More and more, it seems like there are more retirees than workers out in the congregation during Annual Conference?  Or, how about a particular ethnic group?  So, the question remains, “Who is “Elvis?” and “Why did he leave the building?”

Who knows?  Maybe “Elvis” is not the people in the pew, nor the person behind the pulpit, nor the singers in the choir loft.  Maybe the “Elvis” that has left the building is Jesus.  And because Jesus has left the building, the “concert” is over.  With no “music,” why remain in the seats?  So, the “concert goers” are now leaving the building as well.  “So, when will we ever learn?”

Reflection:  Who is Elvis and why did he leave the building?

-Stan

1. Fiona

Eight years ago my ministry changed.  Where I served moved from one worship to two with the expressed purpose of connecting with people who wouldn't connect with traditional UMC worship.  People came who had little to no faith background.  Early on one of them asked to be baptized.  We sat down and shared what the life of faith was about for the next month in a series of conversations and questions.  

In the midst of that time I felt, yes this is what I am called to do.  Sharing the journey with someone new renewed my call and my experience of the life giving way of Jesus Christ.

I wish I could say I have had dozens of these experiences but the truth is there have been a small handful of experiences like this in my ministry.  

Sometimes I look at my ministry and think, what is the point?  For while I am blessed to serve in a church where newcomers find their way here almost weekly, many are people who are just looking for greener pastures as their last congregation didn't change/changed to much/changed pastors/needs to change pastors/is too big/too small, etc and they "audition" us to see if they like us better.  My experience tells me that even if we "win" we lose.

Where did it go so wrong?   What can we do about it?

I plan to spend the next 20+ weeks reconnecting with why this is where I have given my life.  What about you?

Nicole

Prelude: Do You Read the Aquila?

Do you read the Aquila?   If you don't, you might want to give it a look.  It is a publication of our Conference that is beautifully written, visually exciting and filled with great articles.  December 2009 Comments Page spoke so honestly, it made me cry.  The topic?  "Why do young people leave our churches?"  That is a great question and thoughtful answers by our youth and young adults give a real sense of their struggles and concerns.

But do we need anyone to tell us why people leave our churches?  Don’t we know?

Some point to the music.  Yes, it is probably impossible to reach many of today's people with organ music.  Some point to the old churches that haven't been updated since they were built 50, 60, 70 years ago.  Some point to the lack of churches willing to change.  I can nod my head yes to all of those, but that really isn't why, is it?  So, let's add bad sermons, bad coffee and bad nurseries to the list.  Does that cover it?  While these are also issues, they too are not the reason.

Many of us in the Cal-Pac Conference (lay and clergy) eat, dream and burn to see our churches vital and live.  So we try various things. We fast.  We pray.  We go to conferences.  We read. Every gathering we go to clergy share ideas.  I cannot remember the last time I attended any clergy get together (no matter how informal) where we didn't try to fix the church.  We care, deeply, totally care.  Even in the midst of all the bad news (or at least not any great news), we believe that God has a better day for us all.  We show up and don't give up.  We are sad when those we love go off to the Saddleback Churches of our community (were I serve we are 5 minutes from this amazing church), but we stay on the bus and pray that God would take our anger, our confusion, our exhaustion and save us once again.

This is why I like “The Tangible Kingdom”.  It lifts up my head and speaks a word that makes me go, “OMG, THIS IS TOTALLY HELPFUL AND ENCOURAGING! The Tangle Kingdom’s focuses on what gets lost in the desire to revitalize our church:  theology—and in this case, theology about the Kingdom of God, this new way begun in Jesus. 

Jesus lived a different story and he invited us to watch and learn and take that to the world.  This is what The Tangible Kingdom is about. 

I know you are busy.  I know you don’t need one more thing.  But this book will be worth it.  So join us next week and enter into the dialogue.

Rev. Nicole Reilley

SMUMC.com

New Book Study to begin Next Monday: January 11, 2010

Hi All, Hope the holidays were good and the New Year has begun well!

Our new book study begins next Monday and we are reading The Tangible Kingdom by Hugh Halter and Matt Smay.  There are 22 chapters (21 plus "A Day In the Life...).  I think that taking this one at a slow pace (a chapter a week) would be best as there is lots to talk about.  So for next week, please read the "Introduction" and "Fiona."

I am still looking to add a couple people who would do some of the posting.  I thought this would be more interesting for us all.  If you'd be willing, email me at RevNicole@aol.com and I will put a schedule together based on who is interested.

Looking forward to next week!

Nicole Reilley
SMUMC.com