Pastor’s Corner – September 2008

Summer is over!  The kids and teachers are back in school.  Therefore, the only fun time left is the weekend.  What can we do that would be fun on Sunday?

How about come to church!  No, really!  On September 14, 2008, we are going to do something completely different.  We are going to have an outdoor festival!  We will start with worship.  It will not be like every other Sunday, and I am not going to tell you how it will be different.  It is called a surprise.  I will let you know that you should come dressed to enjoy a day outside like at a picnic.  For children of all ages, you may want to bring clothes that you can get wet and a towel.  (The water will not be part of the worship service, unless there should be a baptism.)

After worship, we will cook out on the grill outside the fellowship hall.  Bring hot dogs and hamburgers for your family and bring a salad, veggie plate, and/or dessert to share.  We can eat in the fellowship hall or maybe bring a blanket and enjoy the outdoors.

After lunch, you may have an opportunity to satisfy a lifelong ambition; to let the preacher know that he is all wet!  There will be a dunking tank and I will get in it.  For $1.00 you get four opportunities to immerse me.  The money will go to the youth to cover the Youth-A-Palooza trip in January.  Other people can take a turn in the tank as they wish.

We will also have an inflatable water slide and a smaller water toy for kids.  Frisbees and outdoor games will be available so that everyone who wishes can have some fun.

What is the purpose of this?  The purpose is to have fun at church!  Invite a friend who thinks church is dull and never any fun.  Take advantage of the opportunity to let others see joyous Christians in fun fellowship.  Paul liked the word Rejoice so much that he repeated it in his instructions to Christians.  We need to share in fun and festivities and rejoicing as a vital church in middle Georgia.  We need to celebrate the heritage of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) to let our uniqueness show.  We work hard; let’s show how we worship and fellowship in joy and fun.

Who will be the first to drop me in the drink?  Come find out.

Shalom, Darrell

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Pastor’s Corner – August 2008

When I was in junior high and high school, it was fashionable to wear large crosses as a sign of your faith.  I had one that was about three inches long with turquoise in-lay (I am fairly certain that it was not genuine turquoise as the chain and the cross after a few months began to turn my neck green).  Nearly everyone wore a cross that was always visible.  Not so surprisingly, the presence of the cross did nothing to insure Christ like behavior.

This week (mid-July) I heard about the debate going on in South Carolina regarding a vehicle plate bearing a cross against a stained glass window and the phrase “I Believe” below the plate’s number.  The debate revolves around whether or not the plate would violate the separation of church and state.  I will not take a stand one way or the other on that question as part of this debate. Rather I would offer an alternative to the plate.

It will cost $2000 (paid by the group wanting the plate) to create the master design used to manufacture the plate.  It also usually costs a bit more to buy a specialized plate for your car.  If this spreads to all the states, it will require $100,000 just for the masters.  I will not speculate on the amount of money spent by individuals to put such a tag on their car.

My question in all of this is wouldn’t it be more Christ like to use this amount of money to feed the hungry, quench the thirst of the parched, and clothe the naked?  The actions of Christians will speak infinitely louder than any of our words can.  If you want people to know you are Christian, get a bumper sticker or a decal.  Let your real effort be in action to serve the most in need around you.

In the Gospels, Jesus says that where our heart is we will put our treasure.  In other words, what we love the most will get the lion’s share of our resources.  If our real love is in things, then we will decorate our possession with signs of religion.  If however, our love is in God and all of Creation, we will seek ways to provide justice and love to all those around us.

I hope and pray that there will be more people who show their faith by caring for their brothers and sisters in Creation than by hanging a plate on their car.

Shalom, Darrell