Community Groups 2008 Measures

For the month of December, I have been mulling over what’s next for PAC Community Groups in 2008. To begin with, Community Groups are most clearly about the quality of our relationships with God and other people. Secondly, Community Groups offer us an opportunity to grow in maturity towards how we behave with others (including God) based on God’s principles and promises in the Bible. Finally, Community Groups provide an opportunity to bring hope to our communities and beyond by serving the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual needs of others.

An old adage is you get results based on what goals you choose to measure as long as you are accountable to those goals and measures. So I am starting with what measures we need to construct in 2008 to ensure Community Groups meet the goals of the vision of PAC. The broad areas of measurements that encompass Community Groups are:

1. Are we growing in our relationship with God?
2. Are we growing in our relationships with other followers of Christ?
3. Are we growing in our relationship with others who haven’t yet trusted Jesus?

2008 Community Groups - Vision Ideas:

The year 2008 will become a unity of Community Groups where people are passionately studying the Bible. A team of hosts and leaders is in place that is constantly trying to connect people to the life giving community of PAC. Together, we will strive to know God deeply, develop authentic community in every neighborhood and bring hope to the world through releasing leaders.

This ministry through the power of the Holy Spirit will be the rock on which the foundation of transformed lives is built. Leaders will begin to have vivid visions of what is to come in their lives and will be called to leave this place planting churches, ministering in the inner city and reaching different people in our culture.

This ministry will impact every ministry in our community. The power of the Holy Spirit will cause our people to undergo a mighty shift in priority causing a “missional” attitude to be present in the majority of people. Our people will engage the communities they live in and will begin to influence major highways of community culture they serve.

Community groups will not be a club atmosphere, but will be endlessly multiplying as they catalyze culture. We are called to let the world see our love as we bring healing to our communities. Matt 9:35, “Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages of that area, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness.”

Three current opportunities for us to grow in our relationships in 2008:

1. Growing in our relationship with God? - Attend the January 14, 2008, core class, “Discovering Community” at PAC. Enroll today by calling Alicia at PAC. (609-799-9000 ext 27)

2. Growing in our relationships with other followers of Christ? – Consider being available for the Visitation Ministry or the Prayer Ministry at PAC. Training will be January 13 and January 27 at PAC. Contact Alicia at PAC to sign up. (609-799-9000 ext 27)

3. Growing in our relationship with others who haven’t yet trusted Jesus? Learn more about some of the projects currently available at CAMA Services, http://www.camaservices.org/.

Onward We Go – CAMA Services

Last Christmas, Chloe and I found ourselves in St Paul, MN, spending holiday time with Chloe’s brother and wife. We are all fans of Garrison Keillor, whose PBS radio show heard nationally on Saturday nights, hales from St Paul. We had heard he was opening a new book store so we set out through the snow and cold to see what books he had for sale. We found the store in a trendy neighborhood section of St Paul and enjoyed browsing and buying his goods. At checkout, we were given a holiday card with a poem written by Garrison for Christmas 2006. I reread it this morning and it struck me its message captures the plight of all people around the world.

“A little girl is singing for the faithful to come ye
Joyful and Triumphant, a song she loves,
And also the partridge in a pear tree
And the golden rings and turtle doves.
In the dark streets, red lights and green and blue
Where the faithful live, some joyful, some troubled,
Enduring confusion, old age, and symptoms of the flu
While taking out the garbage and keeping the walk shoveled.
Not much triumph going on here – and yet
There is much we do not understand.
And my hopes and fears are met
In this small singer holding on to my hand.
Onward we go, faithful, hopeful into the dark
And are there angels hovering overhead? Hark.”
GK 12/2006

Two thousand years ago, three wise men said, “onward we go” as they set out into the dark to find the Messiah with angels hovering overhead. When they arrived they were filled with joy. They worshiped the Child and gave Him gifts from their treasure chests.

Today we can be filled with joy by opening our treasure chests to people through the services of Compassion and Mercy Associates (CAMA Services), http://www.camaservices.org/.

CAMA provides a variety of relief and development ministries that flesh out the good news of God’s love for people—body and soul. CAMA is associated with the Christian and Mission Alliance as an organization that focuses on specific projects meeting holistic needs of people.

Please visit CAMA’s webpage and then click on Projects at the top of the page. There you will find 15 projects (currently today) where you can provide specific needs to people in all parts of the world. Three projects to consider this Christmas 2007 are:

1. West African Flood Relief
2. Kindergarten Renovation (school renovations)
3. Church based Community Development (hpc development)

This is a great opportunity to go online and easily make a difference in someone’s life.

Onward we go! May you be overflowed with joy this Christmas 2007!

Thanksgiving 2007

I read a promise in Romans this morning and it struck me that I can base my Thanksgiving this year on it.

The passage says, "...does that mean that God will break his promises? Of course not! Though everyone else in the world is a liar, God is not. Do you remember what the book of Psalms says about this? That God's words will always prove true and right, no matter who questions them" (The Way, Rom 4:3b & 4).

May God's Word be a blessing and a source of strength for you this Thanksgiving!

Three thoughts on prayer

A few weeks ago I attended the C&MA Metro District Prayer Conference which is held annually this time of the year. I share three thoughts on prayer from that event. Which one stands out to you today?

1. “God is the only one who hears and is able to attend to what he hears”. Professor David McGrew

2. “A prayer-less soul is a Christ-less soul. Prayer is the lisping of the believing infant, the shout of the fighting believer, the requiem of the dying saint falling asleep in Jesus. It is the breath, the watchword, the comfort, the strength, the honor of a Christian”. Charles Spurgeon

3.“Our prayer must not be self-centered. It must arise not only because we feel our own need, as a burden we must lay on God, but also because we are so bound up in love for our fellow men that we feel their need as accurately as our own. To make intersession for men is the most powerful and practical way in which we can express our love for them". John Calvin

Next Steps for PAC Community Groups

We are at the end of our six week campaign to build new community at PAC. We have heard many reports from Community Groups that are encouraging to us. Groups have been revitalized, the material was relevant to people’s needs, people who don’t attend our church have connected with these groups and are continuing to attend… on and on.

Looking ahead, we hope most of the 80 plus Community Groups will decide to continue on together as Community Groups at PAC!

Our first suggestion is that you take a six week holiday before you start a new study. This time period does include Thanksgiving and Christmas. Do continue to meet several times during this six week time but don’t start a new study until January. Instead enjoy and celebrate as a group knowing God, developing community and bringing hope to the world with the activities of the holiday season just ahead.

Some study content options you after January 1st are:
The first option would be to continue with the “Doing Life Together” DVD series which included the “Growing to be Like Christ” material just completed. We have two recommendations for you. If you want to focus in on the basics of Christianity, then the “Beginning Life Together” DVD is a good choice for you. This series deals with finding God’s purpose for your life. A second option is if you want to continue with content centered on fellowship, we recommend another DVD in the series called, “Connecting with God’s Family”

The cost of the “Doing Life Together” DVD series materials for either option is $65 to be paid for by your Community Group. PAC will help you in obtaining these materials if you need help.A third option if you don’t want to continue with the DVD series is to do your own study. We have many recommendations of content material for you. Contact your Community Pastor for more information.

For your Community Group to continue to meet, you need to do the following:

1. Select the leader for your group. In many cases you probably already know who this person. Community Hosts did not have to be members of PAC to facilitate a group. However, to be a leader of a Community Group going forward, you do need to be a member of PAC.

2. To become a member of PAC, you can attend our next membership class which will be held this Saturday, November 17, at PAC. The class is called Discovery Community and is held from 8:30 am to 1:00 pm. More instruction will be given to you that morning regarding membership.

Please call PAC and ask for Alicia to register for this course. Currently 54 have registered for Saturday’ class.There will be leadership training available for all Community Leaders. Details are forthcoming.

Even though many of the Community Groups may not have 10 participants, please stay together as a group. With even with as few as 4 people in your group, you provide a future opportunity for others to connect with you. New people always want to connect to PAC and they may be looking to join your group.

Your Community Pastor will be contacting you during the next six weeks to help you through this time with your questions.

May God bless you as you build Community Groups in your neighborhoods, so we all can bring hope to the world!

Week 5 - A Taste for God's Word i.e. Jesus Lived so we could really live!

One fine day a few years ago, Chloe and I were enjoying a perfect summer afternoon, riding our bikes on the eastern shore of the Chesapeake Bay when we happened upon a garage sale. The residence looked appealing so Chloe’s bike veered effortlessly to the right up the driveway and I instinctively followed her. We browsed for awhile enjoying the treasures, when I came upon what would become a very good friend of mine. I am always drawn to old books at sales like these. Rummaging through the piles I came upon “The Way”; a Bible popular in the early 1970s with college students (my generation) published by Youth for Christ. Holding it my hands brought back enjoyable memories of those days. I brought it to “garage sale checkout” and found out it was free so I took it. This free book has become my favorite Bible for my devotions. In the front of the book is a convenient table where I keep track of the chapters I’ve read. I have kept track of my reading progress for a few years now.

Recently, I decided to start my day in the Gospel of Luke. The Introduction to Luke pounded me to alertness. It states, in part, “Victory, defeat, joy, pain, birth, death – life is all of these. Jesus knew joy - and tears. He knew birth and life and – death! But after He was murdered, he rose from the dead! And that was His life was all about. He lived so we could live – really live – and that is why He said we can know joy which runs so deep that no disappointment can fully squelch it. And through Luke’s account of Christ’s life you will see Him “fleshing out” this kind of living – the integrity and depth and power all of us want, so that so that when our successes and accomplishments disappear like smoke and all that we have left is sand in our mouths, we still have what He had. Life.”

With “fleshing out” in mind, I started Chapter 1. These are familiar verses to me about the events leading up to the birth of Christ so I thought I would breeze through them quickly so I could check them off as read. What happened to me was completely something else. Thirteen verses in Chapter 1 spoke to me directly this morning! Amazing! One verse in particular that spoke to me was Luke 1: 37, “For every promise from God shall surely come true”. Another was verse 79, “and heaven’s dawn is about to break on us, to give light to those who sit in darkness, and death’s shadow, and to guide us to the path of peace.”

What happened that morning was so powerful to me that I carefully read only one chapter of Luke a day for the next 24 days. Each day, I underlined verses where God spoke to me; “fleshing out” promises and truths giving me the path to peace and the life He has for me. Jesus lived so we could live – really live! Unconstrained, bottomless study in the book of Luke, one chapter a day, helped me to flesh it out and personalize it to my life! This has become a good discipline for me and each day I look forward to spending time with a very good friend of mine, “The Way”.

Session 4 – Entering God’s Presence

This week our speaker is author, Anne Ortland and our subject is prayer. If you haven’t already tried this as a Community Host, please listen to the Leadership Lifter which is at the top of your menu for Week 4 on the DVD. You will hear what Anne hopes will be the outcomes of this session. You will also hear some valuable preparation tips that will aid you in hosting this week’s meeting with your Community Group. Then continue to preview this week’s session, play only the first part of the DVD that ends before the first question. I think this week’s introduction is particularly outstanding!

Now pause and reflect on what God has to tell you about what you just saw on the DVD. Then practice prayer by then asking God to put on your heart the special message God has for your group meeting. Meditate on our memory verse this week, Psalms 46:10, “Be still and know that I am God...” as you think about what you have just seen.

I believe that by preparing in this way will be transformational for your group and especially the people in your group as you grow deeper in Christ together.

Please also check out the last blog written Saturday which talks about next steps for your group.

God bless you as you hold your meetings this week!

Half Way Look Ahead

We are at the half way point of our six week Community Group study, “Growing to be like Christ”. With only three weeks left before the end of this series, it is time for us to do some forward looking and see what is next.

Our original plan was to grow PAC’s small group ministry as well as align the small groups with the new vision of the church presented by Boyd earlier this summer, www.princetonalliance.org.

The core of the PAC vision is to “Know God, Develop Community and Bring Hope to the World”. In straight forward words this translates, “believe, belong and serve”.

Our hope is to make it possible for many more people to connect to our PAC family by belonging to a small group. We planned the Community Group campaign in part for this very purpose.

In early September, 85 people responded to our call and said that they would host a new small group for six weeks. This was to be in addition to 30 existing small groups that have their roots in the care circle ministry. While we were unable to find groups for all of these who said they would host at this time, we did succeed in launching 80 Community Groups! These groups are now following the weekend sermons with the Growing to be Like Christ” DVD material.

Looking ahead, we hope the 80 will decide to continue on together as Community Groups. While the current sermon series will end in three weeks there are some options for groups that continue to consider using for content material.

First option would be to continue with the Doing Life Together DVD series which included the “Growing to be Like Christ” material. We have two recommendations for you. If your Community Group is new to PAC or if you just want to focus on the basics of Christianity, “Beginning Life Together” is just for you. It deals with finding God’s purpose for your life. Second option is if you want to continue with something more around fellowship, we would recommend another DVD in the series called, “Connecting with God’s Family” The DVD materials for either option cost $65 and will have to be paid for by your Community Group. PAC will help you in obtaining these materials.

If you don’t want to continue with the DVD series, you can do your own study. At PAC we have many recommendations for content material for you. Contact your Community Pastor for more information.

For your Community Group to continue to meet, you need to do the folowing:

1. Pick the leader for your group. In many cases you probably already know who this person is who is best suited to lead your Community Group. Our guidelines were that Community Hosts did not have be members of PAC. However, to be a leader of a Community Group after the campaign, you do need to be a member.

2. To become a member of PAC, you can attend our next membership class which will be held Saturday, November 17, at PAC. The class is called Discovery Community and is held from 8:30 am to 1:00 pm. More instruction will be given to you that morning regarding membership.

3. There will be leadership training available for Community Leaders. Details are forthcoming.

4. Even though many of the Community Groups don’t have a full membership of 10, by staying together even with as few as 4 people you provide the opportunity for others to connect with you in the future. We are always adding new people at PAC and they may be looking to join your group.

Your Community Pastor will be contacting you during the next three weeks to help you through this decision time. May God bless you as you build Community Groups in your neighborhoods, so we can bring hope to the world!

Week 3 - Personal Time with God

By now your Community Group has met one or two times. Hopefully people are connecting to our PAC church body through this small group experience. There are over 80 groups now meeting covering the same material weekly that you are.

As a reminder, our mission purpose for the six week Community Group campaign is to:

1. Connect many new people to our church body at PAC by joining a small group. (Bring them In)

2. Provide an opportunity for people to grow deeper in Christ while they grow closer to a group of people trying to do the same. (Build them up)

3. Move the church out into the community…hence the name Community Groups. (Send them out)

This coming week our session deals with personal time with God. Lately I have been involved with several challenging human situations which has caused me to remember the following:

“We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.

The Lord works from the inside out. The world works from the outside in. The world would take people out of the slums. Christ takes the slums out of people, and then the people take themselves out of the slums. The world would mold men and women by changing their environment. Christ changes men and women who then change their environment. The world would shape human behavior, but Christ can change human behavior.”

Thinking about this helps me remember who I really am and who God really is. He is adequate for all we need... after all God is sovereign over all. I am more able to not be overwhelmed by life and to be truely thankful that God is adequate for me.

Bottom line...we need personal time with God to get His perspective on our lives. May you make room to schedule personal time with God this week and see the difference that will make!

The Power for Living - Week Two

We hope the first week of Community Group meetings touched people’s lives by providing an opportunity to meet new people and even possibly feeling a little more connected to PAC.

This week as you prepare for the second session, first listen to the “Leadership Lifter” on your DVD. You will find the Leadership Lifter at the top of the page after you click on Session Two. Listening to the Leadership Lifter first is very helpful because it contains the heart of the message the teacher is trying to convey in this session.

This week, our session is led by John Ortberg. Magnification of his message can be found in his book, “The Life You Always Wanted”. John calls us back to the dynamic heartbeat of Christianity – God’s power to bring change and growth.

John’s hope in this session is that everyone will walk out of the meeting with determination to deliberately seek to open themselves up to the activity of the Holy Spirit in their lives. The Holy Spirit is not just for well known Christians like Billy Graham or Mother Teresa or Chuck Colson.

John’s plea to us is to not be cheated out of the greatest adventure of living with God, walking daily with the Holy Spirit. Believe it is possible that thoughts that enter our minds are really promptings for us from the Holy Spirit to take action. Promptings may be for us to provide some compassion for someone who really needs mercy or an encouraging note to someone who is in the dumps or even possibly to confront with the truth someone who needs to hear it.

Believe these thoughts are really the Holy Spirit working in our life. Be determined to enter this week seeking the adventure of living with the Holy Spirit in our lives. Realize that God meets us not in a monastery but on Main Street, and that all of everyday life has the potential to be lived as Jesus himself were the one living it.

Week One - Growing Deeper in Christ

Here we are in Week One and over 80 Community Groups at PAC are participatiing in the six week study, “Growing to be like Christ” Session one is about growing deeper in Christ. The message of the first session is that "doing comes out of being", what flows out of our mouths originates in our hearts. Matthew 15:18a says "But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart".

By now you have had your first meeting, you might have felt awkward, strange, and even had the feeling what am I doing this for? I want to encourage you Communty Hosts to check out a website that encourages hosts and members with great tips and ideas about the small group experience; http://www.lifetogether.com/Default.aspx?alias=www.lifetogether.com/member. This site is organized around the lifestage of your group. Also, your Community Pastor will be checking in on you to see how you are doing and offereing prayer for your needs and requests.

On the right side of this page is Hebrews 12: 1-3, the scripture for our first session. I have put portions of this passage in bold font that spoke to me as I spent time in the session this week . Scroll down through other passages I have posted over the summer. Reading these postings will tell you pretty much who I am in Christ and what I hold to be true in my life. This is my authenticity, who I am. The A,B,C's of Community Groups are Authenticity, Belonging, and Caring.

Authenticity - is our basic desire to be fully known.

Belonging - is our basic need to be a part of something bigger than our selves so that, interacting with others, we can learn about our selves and receive:

Caring - we need to know that we are considered precious by others. We need to be loved.

The problem is that, on our own, we can get this exactly backwards. We start to think that if we are authentic - if people come to know us for who we really are - they will reject us. We will not belong, and if we don't belong, we will not be loved. So from a human perspective, we see a conflict between being authentic and being loved.

But the good news is... Jesus fully knows us AND fully loves us - enough to die for us on the cross. And once we really accept the grace provided by the cross we can begin to be authentic with God. We can stop pretending that we can be good enough and accept the fact that through Him we truly belong in the Kingdom of Heaven. In that security we can ask God to help us see ourselves - authentically.

So with Jesus, the Love comes first, when we accept this unconditional love, Belonging and Authenticity follows.

So why do we need community groups? Because when we are alone, we fall back into human conventions. Like thinking that A comes before B and B before C. Even when we come here for corporate worship - we put on our best clothes and we tend to leave all the stuff that needs to be brought before God at home in closets. We're afraid to bring that stuff here because if we did, we might not Belong. And, as a result, we might not be loved.

So what we need is a place that's modeled on God's A,B,C's of community - not ours. Where the Caring comes first and the sense of Belonging follows. Together, these create an environment in which it is safe for us to be Authentic. And here's the good part - at this point a feedback loop kicks in - when a more authentic version of you is loved (even while being held accountable), you really feel like you belong and this allows you to be even more authentic, and when this version of you is loved, you belong even more..

When this upward spiral takes place lives are transformed as we grow in Christ, together. I believe that this spiral occurs more easily in Community Groups than in large ones and it occurs most easily in Community Groups where the caring - unconditional caring - comes first.

As you grow deeper in Christ and your community group, I encourage you to make the caring come first. You'll be amazed at what happens next.

Please attend Discovery Community on Saturday, October 20 at PAC

This fall, Princeton Alliance Church is offering three new core classes that are essential for all people who call our church their home. The first course offered in this series is called Discovering Community. This class contains vital information about our PAC Community.

Since we are a people of many different backgrounds, this class is designed to clearly explain who and what we are. The purpose of the class is to help discover the basic structure, strategy, and importance of community group as we impact our community one neighborhood at a time.

Discovering Community replaces the Discovering PAC class which had been taught for over a decade as the membership class to join PAC. If you are not presently a member of PAC, Discovering Community is the pathway to joining our community. If you are currently a member of PAC, taking this class is not a requirement for continued membership, but rather a concise fresh view of our PAC vision as we go forward.

The Discovering Community class is especially important for Community Pastors and Community Hosts. The course is visionary in nature, leadership focused and essential for people who desire to build community in our area.

Please plan to attend the next class offering which will be the morning of October 20 in the Great Room at PAC. Further details for this class will in the bulletin this weekend.

Community Group Campaign - Brief Status

Our Community Group Campaign starts this weekend, October 6/7. To help start new groups for this campaign we need to do the following tasks:

1. Determine which new Community Groups will be able to have 6 people minimum by next weekend. These are the viable new groups that will have enough people to meet at the start of the campaign.

2. Give to these viable groups names from the list of people who have requested to join new Community Groups. Ask Community Hosts to call and invite these people to their groups in the next few days.

Groups need about six people to start the campaign. More people will be available to be added in the early weeks of the campaign.

Community Host Sign up Status

PAC is looking for people to host new Community Groups this fall. Going into this weekend, 72 people have already signed up to be new Community Hosts. They will host new Community Groups during the six week fall campaign which begins October 6/7. Included are two Chinese only groups and six Spanish speaking groups. Remember our goal was to add 45 to 50 new groups this fall so we are thrilled at this response. Of the new groups, 24 have been oriented and have received their DVD materials to be used during the six week campaign.

In addition, 13 have agreed to serve as Community Pastors helping connect the new community groups to PAC staff. All new Community Hosts will be given a Community Pastor to help resource them as well as connect them to PAC.

Community Host orientations are scheduled following Sunday sevices at 10:40 am and 12:30 am on September 16 and September 23. They are held in room 203. In addition, orientation will be available Monday nights, September 17, 24, and October 1 in Room 212 in the Great Room.

Following orientation, each new community host should attempt to find at least 4 to 6 people to join them. If they need to fill out their groups to the recommended 8 to 12 people, PAC will have a list of people who have requested being placed in a community group. Matches will be attempted based on location of community groups first and then children preferences and day of week of meetings.

Community HOST Sign up is going very well at PAC

We are finding and orienting new Community Hosts for our fall small group campaign at PAC. Remember our goal is to add 40 to 50 new small groups to the 35 exisitng groups at PAC. The campaign starts the weekend of October 6 and lasts for six weeks until the weekend of November 11.

To date (TA DA TA DAH) we have 49 people who have said they want to host a Community Group this fall. This is after the two weeks around Labor Day weekend with three prime weekends to go! All but one of these 49 is a new small group.

Right now PAC is trying to form as many new groups as possible this fall. We have already met our goal of 45 to 50 so the new goal is everyone be in a Community Group. This may be 80 to 100 new groups.

These are exciting times for PAC. Everything is changing at once this fall. This is a great chance to connect as many people as possible through the Community Group ministry.

I think it is important that new groups ask people into their groups that do not attend PAC such as neighbors, family, friends, etc. This is a great opportunity to include people into your groups that you may have thought about for a long time.

My vision remains that there are more people in Community Groups than attend our weekend services.

Fall Campaign reminder - Need Community Hosts

There is a Small group campaign coming this fall at PAC. In a few weeks you will learn more about it from the pulpit.

The fall campaign will give us opportunities to not only learn about why God calls us to be connected in community with each other, but why it is also important to serve our community.

For six weeks the small groups will gather in homes, watch and discuss a weekly video teaching session provided by Life together entitled, “Growing to be Like Christ” All the materials are available from PAC. Everyone will be doing the same material during the 6 week campaign.

Right now, we are looking for Host Homes where groups can meet to go through this six-week DVD study together. We want to have enough homes so that 500 people can be in a new small group study. That means we need 40 to 50 host homes!

Will you consider opening your home to a group for the campaign?

Wayne's back home

I realized that I haven't updated my thread about Wayne (Chloe's father) since June 19. Wayne is back at home and doing well. He now has to be in a motorized wheelchair as his lungs are so weak that he can't take more than a few steps without becoming winded. He actually has two motorized wheelchairs, one in the house and one in the garage. The garage wheelchair allows Wayne to be outdoors. He only has one step to traverse between the house and the garage which he is now doing even when he is alone. He is very resourceful as always. He has Hospice checking on him everyday, Monday through Friday. He has neighbors who help him everyday. He has friends and family that stop by and spend time with him, As always he has nature in his backyard. Check out a picture of Wayne near the bottom of this blog and also what he enjoys seeing out his window in the backyard. Wayne will celebrate his 97th birthday in about one month.

Looking for Community Host Homes

This coming fall PAC will be having an important spiritual growth campaign to add 50 new Community Groups to our small group ministry. This campaign is designed to answer the question, “What on earth are WE here for?”

I am proposing two verses to be the theme verses for Community Groups:

1. Transformation: Philippians 1: 6,9. And I am sure that God who began the good work within you will keep on helping you grow in his grace until his task within you is finally finished on that day when Jesus Christ returns. My prayer for you is that you will overflow more and more with love for others, and at the same time keep on growing in spiritual knowledge and insight.

2. Power of Transformation: Ephesians 4:16. He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.

The fall campaign will give us opportunities to not only learn about why God calls us to be connected in community with each other, but why it is also important to serve our community.

For six weeks the small groups will gather in homes, watch and discuss a weekly video teaching session provided by Life together entitled, “Growing to be Like Christ” All the materials are available from PAC. Everyone will be doing the same material during the 6 week campaign.

Right now, we are looking for Host Homes where groups can meet to go through this six-week DVD study together. We want to have enough homes so that 500 people can be in a new small group study. That means we need 40 to 50 host homes! Will you consider opening your home to a group for the campaign?

Here’s what you DON’T need in order to become a Host Home:

You don’t need to be a Bible scholar – Pastor Boyd and Pastor Josh do all the teaching, and all you have to do is push play on the DVD!
You don’t need to be a born leader – if you’ve never led a group discussion before and want to give it a try, the DVD video gives coaching tips to the hosts, and the discussion guide gives you step-by-step instructions to follow.
You don’t need to have a decorator home – people aren’t coming to look at your home or eat a big meal (although a few snacks would be nice!). People in our church want to connect with each other in a deeper way, and we need Hosts who are willing to exercise the gift of hospitality and just provide a place. It doesn’t even have to be in a home – you could host a group at work, at a recreation center, or at school! The only requirement is that you have a TV and a VCR or DVD player.
You don’t have to be a church member – If you are not a member, we want you to be involved! You can still open your home and host a group. This might be the time you’ve been waiting for to join our church!

We are excited as we envision our entire congregation connecting on a deeper level, and the impact this could have on our church and our community! We really are BETTER TOGETHER. The Community Group Campaign will run for six weeks, from October 6/7 through November 10/11.

We have prepared answers to some Frequently-Asked Questions for Host Homes which will be available to you shortly.

Please prayerfully consider becoming a Community Host for this fall campaign.

Comunity Group DNA

My blog has evolved into two components:

On the left side of the page are postings that I write related to things I am finding important in my life. These generally are core beliefs of mine or at least things that are important to my life at the time when I write them.

On the right side are Bible verses that I find significant during my daily devotions. I enjoy highlighting words in these verses that I believe God is speaking to me. Finally, I summarize the idea of these verses by giving them a heading. These headings are leading to themes for the postings.

Since April 24 of this year, my daily devotions have been reading one chapter a day in the New Testament, first in the Gospels and now Paul’s letters. I do them early in the morning when my mind is at is creative best. I enjoy reading each verse unhurriedly and then graze on its meaning. This is really opening my mind as to my role of Care Pastor as PAC.

So when you read my blog, read both the left and right side. (I seem to add to the right side much more than I do the left side at present)

Earlier this year when I first started blogging, I posted this piece on the A, B, C’s of small groups. It is what Community Groups are all about; the DNA of small group activity. I believe that this piece is essential enough to re-post it again. I will comment on it from the Community Group perspective in the future.

Here it is:

“The A, B, C's of community in small groups are Authenticity, Belonging, and Caring.

Authenticity - is our basic desire to be fully known.

Belonging - is our basic need to be a part of something bigger than our selves so that, interacting with others, we can learn about our selves and receive:

Caring - we need to know that we are considered precious by others. We need to be loved.

The problem is that, on our own, we can get this exactly backwards. We start to think that if we are authentic - if people come to know us for who we really are - they will reject us. We will not Belong, and if we don't belong, we will not be loved. So from a human perspective, we see a conflict between being authentic and being loved.

But the good news is... Jesus fully knows us AND fully loves us - enough to die for us on the cross. And once we really accept the grace provided by the cross we can begin to be authentic with God. We can stop pretending that we can be good enough and accept the fact that through Him we truly Belong in the Kingdom of Heaven. In that security we can ask God to help us see ourselves - authentically.

So with Jesus, the Love comes first, when we accept this unconditional love, Belonging and Authenticity follows.

So why do we need community? Because when we are alone, we fall back into human conventions. Like thinking that A comes before B and B before C. Even when we come here for corporate worship - we put on our best clothes and we tend to leave all the stuff that needs to be brought before God at home in closets. We're afraid to bring that stuff here because if we did, we might not Belong. And, as a result, we might not be loved.

So what we need is a place that's modeled on God's A,B,C's of community - not ours. Where the Caring comes first and the sense of Belonging follows. Together, these create an environment in which it is safe for us to be Authentic. And here's the good part - at this point a feedback loop kicks in - when a more authentic version of you is loved (even while being held accountable), you really feel like you belong and this allows you to be even more authentic, and when this version of you is loved, you belong even more..

When this upward spiral takes place lives are transformed as we grow in Christ, together. I believe that this spiral occurs more easily in small groups than in large ones and it occurs most easily in small groups where the caring - unconditional caring - comes first. So, if you are not in a small group, get in one. If you are in a small group, do what you can to make the caring come first. You'll be amazed at what happens next.”

Blog Title Change

Now that Boyd has made public the vision for PAC for the next 10 years, I have taken the cloak off of the title of my blog. This blog going forward will now reflect my thoughts concerning the importance of the small group ministry at PAC to meet the objectives of the 10 year plan.

Brief Update on Wayne

Wayne is still in the hospital. It has been five weeks now. He was cured of his original lung infection but because he has been in the hospital so long, he contracted a second infection which put him in quarantine for a few days. He is a battler though and he has beat that set back also. He can go home when he can walk a presribed distance and be able to climb two steps. His strength building therapy hit a plateau for awhile and did not improve but now he is improving slightly.

He still doesn't complain and is a blessing to all of the hospital workers. His has had many different visitors who encourage him and in return he encourages them.

Chloe and I will travel to Iowa to be with him. We will be there about two weeks. We hope to get him home and arrange for his care in his home. Yes, Wayne still lives in his own home thanks in part to a lovely Christian couple, Val and Carl, who are his neighbors across the street. We are blessed to have them in Wayne's life.

Chloe and I (and Wayne) are at full peace of heart in this situation. Wayne has had much prayer and love heaped on him. We know that Wayne is living on extended time but he remains a vibrant person interested in the lives of others. We still have much to learn from Wayne if he stays around a little longer.

John 14:27 “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart! And the peace I give isn’t fragile like the peace the world gives. So don’t be troubled or afraid.”

Wayne's World

This morning Chloe and I sit in Wayne’s hospital room in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, his home town, waiting to meet with his doctor. He has been in the hospital for eight days having great difficulty breathing. Wayne is Chloe’s father and had just spent a week with us in NJ. We were not sure if he was going to survive so Chloe and I decided on Tuesday that we needed to be with him. We left NJ early Wednesday morning on separate planes (due to cheap Internet tickets with me staying only a few days and Chloe staying two weeks) to be with him and to meet with his doctor to determine a quality of life plan for Wayne going forward.

Wayne was born in 1910 in a primitive home dug out of the river bank at Sugar Bottom on the banks of the Iowa River a few miles south of here, illustrating what starting out dirt poor really means. Wayne has lived during nearly all of the twentieth century as well as the start of the current century. The amazing thing is that Wayne has never got old. Throughout his life he has had an astonishing ability to go with the flow and change himself to always be relevant. His life is worthy of note and I believe follows the life Christ modeled for us. I have been reading the Gospels of Luke and now John recently and I thought I would attempt to write some thoughts on a life well lived, a life lived to the fullest, Wayne’s World.

So, why didn’t Wayne get old after almost 97 years? First of all, Wayne always takes care of himself. Physically, Wayne is fit. In the 1960s, Wayne walked two miles to and from work every day because the family had only one car. Chloe’s mother was a teacher and needed the family car. He is still a good eater even today as I watched him gobble down his hospital lunch tray. Wayne’s generation defines what it means to be a hard worker. At 96, he was out last winter in the freezing cold chipping ice around his driveway. Wayne was an avid outdoor sportsman and conservationist. He shot his last deer at age 89. He still likes to fish even though he is afraid of boats because he never learned to swim. Mentally, Wayne is sharp. He plays cards (pinochle) three days per week at the senior centers around town. This is like a nine to five job for him as well as 20 or so other seniors like Wayne. They have day long pinochle tournaments with the winners receiving postage stamps for prizes. Wayne is always up on current events and has an opinion on everything (from the Democratic point of view). Wayne is the consummate plugger. “Plugger” was a comic strip about a guy who could always make do with what he had. Wayne once had a fly swatter that broke in the line of duty. Rather than buy another one for a quarter, Wayne repaired the flyswatter by replacing the plastic flap with strips of denim to swat the flies.

Where Wayne shines though is emotionally and spiritually. Wayne is never down and doesn’t seem to worry much. I think this is because he always looks outward to others and puts them first. Wayne exemplifies John 13:34-45 which says, “So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” Wayne never complains and never talks about his problems to others. Rather, he is always interested in their lives and how things are going for them. Most amazing is that Wayne still volunteers at a soup kitchen once a month. Spiritually Wayne acknowledges who God is and who he himself is He never forgets to return thanks to God for each meal realizing that all we have is provided by God for us. Wayne looks forward to each day like a good steward. By the end of every day Wayne has made something better than he had found it.

By the way, we did meet the doctor and here’s the scoop. Wayne has pulmonary fibrosis, the serious kind, with a bacterial infection. The treatments will hopefully kill the bacterial infection but will not make his lungs better. His base line has slipped to requiring oxygen for the rest of his life. We are developing a strategy for him to be able to return home with the help of a Godly neighbor assisted by Hospice. His quality of life will include him living out his days in his own home. I’ll close with a verse I read today in Wayne’s room, John 14:27 “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart! And the peace I give isn’t fragile like the peace the world gives. So don’t be troubled or afraid.”

This is Wayne’s World today. Praise God!

A Psalm and a Prayer

I am an admirer of Garrison Keillor and his Prairie Home Companion radio show, heard on Public Radio. I have seen his show live in three locations, The World Theater in St Paul, MN, his home theater, in the Town Hall, NYC, and last summer at Ocean Grove, NJ. Garrison even was a nearby neighbor of mine when I lived in Troy Township, WI, as he lived in the next township just to the south of me. I relate to his sense of humor, outlook on life and to his music.

Last Christmas, when we were visiting Chloe’s brother and family in the Twin Cities, I was thrilled when I heard that Garrison was quietly opening his very first book store located in a trendy neighborhood in St Paul. The buzz was that his store was stocked with books that mainly were his personal recommendations. We made it a priority to fit a visit to his store during our time left there to see what books he offered.

One cold winter day, Chloe and I drove to St Paul with her brother (also a long time Keillor fan) for lunch in a deli in the same building as the book store. After lunch, we went down the stairs and entered the new store, still in the final stages of opening up. Chloe and I quickly started grabbing books of interest to us. Finally we met at the checkout and then decided how many books we really wanted to carry home on the plane and culled the herd, so to speak, to about seven books.

I was happy with my book choices that day but by far my favorite book is “Good Poems for Hard Times” by Keillor. In the introduction (which sold me the book), Keillor’s says “Forget everything you ever read about poetry, it doesn’t matter—poetry is the last preserve of honest speech and the outspoken heart. A person could perish of entertainment, especially comedy, so much of it casually nihilistic, hateful, glittering, cold, and in the end clueless. People in nursing homes die watching late-night television and if I were one of them, I’d be grateful when the darkness descends. Thank God if the pastor comes and offers a psalm and a prayer, and they can attain a glimmer of clarity at the end.”

“A psalm and a prayer”, clear, concise, pure, peaceful, gracious, powerful…that phrase really resonated with me when I read it. This is to a great extent what people want and really need in their hard times. Psalms are songs, God’s poetry for us. When we read psalms to others, God speaks spiritually to them and thereby ministers to their deepest needs. I have been reading Psalms to people in need for the last several months, people in their final days on earth, people with surgeries to repair or replace body components, people who just need a lift. Each time I have read a psalm slowly and prayerfully and then offered a prayer, I have witnessed grace flowing through these words that powerfully brings peace and heals the soul.

Recently, I called on someone who needed a lift. On the drive over, Psalm 27 came to my mind. It is a beautiful promise to us in the form of a poem from God. I share it with you now. May it bring you peace as you read it prayerfully.

Psalm 27 A psalm of David.

1 The Lord is my light and my salvation—
so why should I be afraid?
The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger,
so why should I tremble?
2 When evil people come to devour me,
when my enemies and foes attack me,
they will stumble and fall.
3 Though a mighty army surrounds me,
my heart will not be afraid.
Even if I am attacked,
I will remain confident.
4 The one thing I ask of the Lord—
the thing I seek most—
is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
delighting in the Lord’s perfections
and meditating in his Temple.
5 For he will conceal me there when troubles come;
he will hide me in his sanctuary.
He will place me out of reach on a high rock.
6 Then I will hold my head high
above my enemies who surround me.
At his sanctuary I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy,
singing and praising the Lord with music.
7 Hear me as I pray, O Lord.
Be merciful and answer me!
8 My heart has heard you say, “Come and talk with me.”
And my heart responds, “Lord, I am coming.”
9 Do not turn your back on me.
Do not reject your servant in anger.
You have always been my helper.
Don’t leave me now; don’t abandon me,
O God of my salvation!
10 Even if my father and mother abandon me,
the Lord will hold me close.
11 Teach me how to live, O Lord.
Lead me along the right path,
for my enemies are waiting for me.
12 Do not let me fall into their hands.
For they accuse me of things I’ve never done;
with every breath they threaten me with violence.
13 Yet I am confident I will see the Lord’s goodness
while I am here in the land of the living.
14 Wait patiently for the Lord.
Be brave and courageous.
Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.

Good Soil

For over a week now, I have been enjoying spending time in the book of Luke, one chapter a day in my current favorite Bible, “The Way”. Yesterday in chapter 8, I read the parable of the farmer scattering seed and was moved to write some thoughts by this passage.

Parable of the Farmer Scattering Seed (Luke 8)

4 One day Jesus told a story in the form of a parable to a large crowd that had gathered from many towns to hear him: 5 “A farmer went out to plant his seed. As he scattered it across his field, some seed fell on a footpath, where it was stepped on, and the birds ate it. 6 Other seed fell among rocks. It began to grow, but the plant soon wilted and died for lack of moisture. 7 Other seed fell among thorns that grew up with it and choked out the tender plants. 8 Still other seed fell on fertile soil. This seed grew and produced a crop that was a hundred times as much as had been planted!”
9 His disciples asked him what this parable meant.
11 “This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is God’s word.
12 The seeds that fell on the footpath represent those who hear the message, only to have the devil come and take it away from their hearts and prevent them from believing and being saved.
13 The seeds on the rocky soil represent those who hear the message and receive it with joy. But since they don’t have deep roots, they believe for a while, then they fall away when they face temptation.
14 The seeds that fell among the thorns represent those who hear the message, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the cares and riches and pleasures of this life. And so they never grow into maturity.
15 And the seeds that fell on the good soil represent honest, good-hearted people who hear God’s word, cling to it, and patiently produce a huge harvest.

Spring has sprung in New Jersey and my thoughts are wandering towards gardening which I like to do. Proper soil condition is needed for the seed to first geminate, then grow into a strong plant and finally yield a respectable harvest. It may be the most important factor in a successful harvest.

Jesus is saying here that when the Word of God sown, seeds will fall on four different types of people, i.e. human soil conditions. Three soil conditions will fall short of a harvest but one that soil condition will succeed in producing a harvest.

The hard path where some seed fell represents the hard hearts of those who hear the words of God, but then the devil comes and steals the words away and prevents people from believing.

The stony ground represents those who enjoy listening to sermons, but somehow the message never really gets through to them and doesn’t take root and grow. They know the message is true, and sort of believe it for awhile; but when the hot winds of persecution blow, they lose interest.

The seeds among the thorns represents those who listen and believe God’s words but whose faith afterwards is choked out by worry and riches and the responsibilities and pleasures of life. And so they are never able to help anyone else to believe the Good News.

But the good soil represents honest, good-hearted people. They (1) listen to God’s words and (2) cling to them and then (3) steadily spread them to other people who will soon believe. This is the type of people that need to rise up and be movers and shakers in developing community at PAC so people can discover how to live life to the fullest.

He lived so we could live - really live

One fine day a few years ago, Chloe and I were enjoying a perfect summer afternoon, riding our bikes on the eastern shore of the Chesapeake Bay when we happened upon a garage sale. The residence looked appealing so Chloe’s bike veered effortlessly to the right up the driveway and I instinctively followed her. We browsed for awhile enjoying the treasures, when I came upon what would become a very good friend of mine. I am always drawn to old books at sales like these. Rummaging through the piles I came upon “The Way”; a Bible popular in the early 1970s with college students (my generation) published by Youth for Christ. Holding it my hands brought back enjoyable memories of those days. I brought it to “garage sale checkout” and found out it was free so I took it. This free book has become my favorite Bible for my devotions, especially when I travel. In the front of the book is a convenient table where I keep track of the chapters I’ve read. I have kept track of my reading progress for a few years now.

Early this morning, with “The Way” in my hands, I decided to start my day in the Gospel of Luke. The Introduction to Luke pounded me to alertness. It states, in part, “Victory, defeat, joy, pain, birth, death – life is all of these. Jesus knew joy - and tears. He knew birth and life and – death! But after He was murdered, he rose from the dead! And that was His life was all about. He lived so we could live – really live – and that is why He said we can know joy which runs so deep that no disappointment can fully squelch it. And through Luke’s account of Christ’s life you will see Him “fleshing out” this kind of living – the integrity and depth and power all of us want, so that so that when our successes and accomplishments disappear like smoke and all that we have left is sand in our mouths, we still have what He had. Life.”

With “fleshing out” in mind, I started Chapter 1. These are familiar verses to me about the events leading up to the birth of Christ so I thought I would breeze through them quickly so I could check them off as read. What happened to me was completely something else. Thirteen verses in Chapter 1 spoke to me directly this morning! Amazing! One verse in particular that spoke to me was Luke 1: 37, “For every promise from God shall surely come true”. Another was verse 79, “and heaven’s dawn is about to break on us, to give light to those who sit in darkness, and death’s shadow, and to guide us to the path of peace.”

What happened this morning was so powerful to me that I decided to start carefully reading only one chapter of Luke a day for the next 24 days. Each day, I hope to underline verses where God is speaking to me; “fleshing out” promises and truths giving me the path to peace and the life He has for me. Jesus lived so we could live – really live! Unconstrained, bottomless study in the book of Luke, one chapter a day, will help me flesh it out personalized to my life! This will be a good discipline for me and I look forward to spending time with a very good friend of mine, “The Way”.

Faith belongs to risk takers

IF, “Faith belongs to risk takers.”

AND, “If you haven’t taken a risk, you don’t need faith.”

THEN, “Faith is a vision of what God has already put in place to take care of you.”

New Psalmist Baptist Church, Baltimore, MD. Bishop Walter Thomas, on Palm Sunday, made these provocative quotes in his message – truly representing the way he has led this church since becoming senior pastor in 1975, Warren Bird reported in LEADERSHIP NETWORK LEARNINGS http://learnings.leadnet.org/ (First-hand reports of what innovative churches are doing!).

Warren Bird has been a close friend and teacher/mentor to me since we first met at PAC in 1998. We have spent countless hours talking about innovation and church growth in today’s world. I have learned much of what I know on the subject to date and have been challenged by the conversations we have had. Warren has developed relationships with amazing network of successful growing churches as well as written much on innovative churches.

Last night I was scanning this blog which Warren contributes to on a regular basis. When I came upon these three quotes concerning faith, I was reminded again that Christianity is really an action sport and living by faith is not always for the faint hearted. These three quotes on faith caused me to reflect about taking faith based risks in my own life. Twenty-five years ago I wrote in the inside cover of my Bible, “No reserve, no retreat, no regret”

Many times in my life I have stepped out in faith into the unknown not knowing how things would turn out, notably in 1996 moving to a new company in New Jersey leaving a secure career in Minnesota and then leaving this career of 32 years in 2001 to start a new career in ministry.

Hebrews 11:6 is my current favorite verse on faith. Faith is how we please God. We really have nothing in this life to offer Him that He doesn’t already have except ourselves, in a sense being available to Him. We make this choice by faith. We can go boldly into His presence with our prayers and petitions because of faith. His promise is that He will reward those who earnestly seek Him. We trust this promise by faith.

God always has been faithful to me even when my faith was faint hearted. II Timothy says that when we are faithless, He is faithful because He cannot deny Himself. In a sense even faith is from Him, not me.

While I liked all three quotes at the top on the posting, my favorite quote is the third one because He knows my future and has already made provision for it. My next step in life will be made the same as my other ones, by FAITH.

A,B,C's of Small Groups

My job brought us to New Jersey from the midwest in 1996. After we visited many churches over a one year period, we found Princeton Alliance Church in December 1997 and quickly decided this was the church for us. We joined PAC in early 1997. We got involved in a small group shortly afterwards. We met Bill and Tia Smallwood who invited us to join a new small group led by them. Bill and Tia have a real gift of making new people feel at home. It was in this small group that I eventually met Bill Clark who became one of my closest friends at that time. Bill and I had many rich discussions and I grew from our friendship and time we spent together. At the time I was completing my first career of 32 years and many times was able to use much of what Bill and I discussed in company employee meetings (my job then was to lead a company business unit of 1100 people).

One of Bill and my discussions centered on man's deepest need to be fully known and fully loved. The problem man faces is that if he believes that when he is fully known, he won't be fully loved because peple will know his faults and shortcomings and not love him. We crafted these thoughts in the document below based on these discussions.

"The A,B,C's of community in small groups are Authenticity, Belonging, and Caring.

Authenticity - is our basic desire to be fully known.

Belonging - is our basic need to be a part of something bigger than our selves so that, interacting with others, we can learn about our selves and receive:

Caring - we need to know that we are considered precious by others. We need to be loved.

The problem is that, on our own, we can get this exactly backwards. We start to think that if we are authentic - if people come to know us for who we really are - they will reject us. We will not Belong, and if we don't belong, we will not be loved. So from a human perspective, we see a conflict between being authentic and being loved.

But the good news is... Jesus fully knows us AND fully loves us - enough to die for us on the cross. And once we really accept the grace provided by the cross we can begin to be authentic with God. We can stop pretending that we can be good enough and accept the fact that through Him we truly Belong in the Kingdom of Heaven. In that security we can ask God to help us see ourselves - authentically.

So with Jesus, the Love comes first, when we accept this unconditional love, Belonging and Authenticity follows.

So why do we need community? Because when we are alone, we fall back into human conventions. Like thinking that A comes before B and B before C. Even when we come here for corporate worship - we put on our best clothes and we tend to leave all the stuff that needs to be brought before God at home in closets. We're afraid to bring that stuff here because if we did, we might not Belong. And, as a result, we might not be loved.

So what we need is a place that's modeled on God's A,B,C's of community - not ours. Where the Caring comes first and the sense of Belonging follows. Together, these create an environment in which it is safe for us to be Authentic. And here's the good part - at this point a feedback loop kicks in - when a more authentic version of you is loved (even while being held accountable), you really feel like you belong and this allows you to be even more authentic, and when this version of you is loved, you belong even more..

When this upward spiral takes place lives are transformed as we grow in Christ, together. I believe that this spiral occurs more easily in small groups than in large ones and it occurs most easily in small groups where the caring - unconditional caring - comes first. So, if you are not in a small group, get in one. If you are in a small group, do what you can to make the caring come first. You'll be amazed at what happens next.

Bill Clark and Pat Colgan
October 2000"

This is my first blog. My purpose is to talk about small groups and their value to a ministry of a large church.