Christmas Caroling

Last night, Eden UB Church went Christmas Caroling. This was our either our third or fourth year going. Well, this year was by far the best!

This fall, when we had our Fall Festival, we took all donations from that, plus other gifts from people in the church, and decided to give away food baskets. In the last two months, we've had people bring other things to church with them. In addition to food, we collected soap, shampoo, paper towels, toilet paper, toothpaste and toothbrushes, deodorant, detergent, and other stuff. We also supplemented each food basket (which is designed for Christmas dinner complete with a frozen pie, bag of potatoes, and a ham) with fresh fruit. But we didn't stop with just the 9 food baskets. We also made up about 10 fruit baskets to give to everyone who was nominated for a food basket.

Ten of us showed up for caroling, and IT WAS A BLAST! We were out for nearly two hours but it zoomed by fast. In addition to the baskets, each home got a Christmas Gospel of John and an invitation card to Eden. But we didn't go out looking for people to come to church. We went out to BE THE CHURCH. I got to pray with almost every family. We just wanted to show people the love of God. That is what Christmas is all about: Jesus came to earth and became flesh and dwelt among us. He left heaven for us! So last night, we left the warm confines of our building to go and share the light and love of Jesus Christ with those who are in so much physical and Spiritual need.

The first family was really poor and, as I understand it, about to be evicted from their rental, about 1/4 mile from Eden. The mother was already in tears when we crossed the street singing "We Wish You a Merry Christmas." That family consists of parents, three little girls under 10, and occasionally the grandparents. All living in a 4-5 room house.

Another stop was to a family where the grandmother's trailer had burned so she was living with her daughter and grand kids. There were 4 boys there. They were really surprised.

A fruit basket went to a family of 4 brothers, middle aged, who have severe mental disabilities. One of the brothers is crippled. It seems like their legal guardians take advantage of them, but I'm not sure about that. They have so little.... I drive by their house every time I go to Eden Church. I wonder how many people just drive by, with out ever trying to help; without ever being the Light of the World. Folks, these people need help! All of these people need Jesus Christ in some way or another, like the rest of us.

Its time for the church to be the Church Jesus wants us to be!

It is times like this that I go home and sleep, knowing that I was being a little more like Jesus. That is my prayer for today: that I become more like Christ Jesus in every area of my life and that I give my life completely over to Him.

"Let it snow..."

Yesterday was the first significant snowfall of the season. Disclaimer: I should say compared to the flurries we've had thus far. We were supposed to get a dusting. Well, the dusting came and the snow was still falling. All in all we've probably had close to an inch. I love the snow. Winter is ugly without a nice dusting of the white fluff.

So whats so bad about a little snow? I mean we SE Ohioans can handle blizzards and floods and bad windstorms and the occasional ice storm. Well, it was dry snow, so it would not compact on the roads, making driving very hazardous. Plus, most people were unaware that a snow clipper had set it. One of my best female friends was in a bad accident. She was on her way to a wedding (one which I was also to attend, but soon opted out due to the conclusion of this short tale), and her truck flipped multiple times. We were on the phone just about three minutes previously. I called her and asked how the roads were.
"Hey Tiffany, how are the roads?"
"Adam."
"huh?"
"Adam."
"yeah, what?"
"The roads are bad. I just flipped my truck."

Thank God she is okay, just a few stitches.

So, we made the choice to cancel church services. I hate doing that! Eden is located on a state route and is normally okay on the main road. But our parking lot, if you can call it that, is right off the road, so any plowed snow greets people as they pull in. Also, many of our older core group lives on the main roads, but most of our new people and young families have to drive on slick county or township roads.

A pastoral confession: I hate to disturb my Christmas sermon series that I've been working on and praying about for 4 months. In two weeks, we are having our Christmas Program (which everyone should come to if you can!), but today was going to be our first real practice. Well, that's kinda been put off. I wonder, can you conduct dress rehearsals via telephone?

We serve a great God. And to be honest, (this is another thing pastors always think but never tell) I am kinda glad I didn't have to preach today. Even with all my planning and praying, I felt unprepared, mentally. This week has been a rough one for several reasons.

But this snow reminds me that God is always in control. He kept my friend safe, He kept the Eden congregation safe but not letting them try to venture out today. And that wedding? I'm sure it went off great.

So, God, let it snow. 'Cause I reminded of His purity and how He has made me clean by the washing away that comes through the blood of Jesus, the Lamb. And as a good friend told me, "That'll preach, brother!"

God Bless!

It's That Time Again...

This week Eden decideded to have our Wednesday small groups on Tueday due to Thanksgiving and travel for the holiday. Well, I was on my way to the church when I got a call from my lay leader. He wondered if we should cancel.

I guess that one of our regulars called him and stated that the roads were getting slushy in places and it was only going to get worse. So, I told him to call the groups and cancel. Not even December, and we're already canceling due to the threat of snow. Its going to be a long winter!

Recent Happenings At Eden UB Church

I thought that in the midst of talking about other churches that I have visited in the recent past, I should give an update about Eden UB. After all, it's my hope that this blog can be a communication tool. So, here is a brief bit about the last several weeks at Eden.

• On Saturday, Nov. 1, Eden had a Fall Festival. It was a huge success! We had a couple of hayrides around the community. There were games for the kids, plenty of food (the deserts were awesome), and just a bunch of fun. People from the church brought family and friends who don't attend church anywhere. It was a great thing. Eden is trying to make some inroads into the community, and we did it. We estimated that around 50-60 people total showed up. It was such a blessing for me. The Lord has been dealing with me about empowering others to do the ministry and to trust Him for the results. So I asked Carla Browning to do it, and she did a fantastic job. God truly did bless the Fall Festival!
• Last Saturday, Nov. 15, Eden Church had it's second annual Thanksgiving Dinner. The church I grew up at always had both a Thanksgiving dinner, and a Christmas dinner. Both were mostly fellowship events, and rarely did many guests from outside show up. So when Eden started having a Thanksgiving dinner, I was adamant that it be both outreach and in reach. I have a conviction that the best bonding between Christians occurs when we are serving others. Well, we had a really good turnout. We had the about the same as last year (around 40). This year, we tried an experiment: We only advertised by our church bulletin and through our outside sign. No fliers, no newspaper. We got the same results. Point? Evidently people at Eden are starting to get excited about what God is doing, so they are inviting more and more people to come! This is a good thing! Melody Hauber coordinated the meal and she did a great job!

In our denomination, we are talking about if the UB Church has started to make a turn around. Folks, turning around a church is much more slower than turning around a business. But Eden, I pray, is starting to move in the right direction. We're not there yet; With God, you never are finished until you get to Heaven. But we keep seeking God and doing His will, the congregation's best days are still to come!

Hey, if you want to come and experience what God is doing in the life of this congregation, come be our guest! 11 AM Sunday is our Worship Celebration.

My Hajj to Huntington-- New Hope Church

The Sunday night before Labor Day, Christina and I decided to go to New Hope Church in Huntington. They were the only UB church in Huntington that stated they had Sunday night services. Now, I don't think you must have Sunday night services. Eden has Bible Study on Sunday nights because in June I stopped preaching in the evening and we switched to something I thought would be effective.

Anyway, the reason we were going is because we wanted to attend as many UB churches as possible. Well, when we got there, we were the only ones. No body else showed up. We were at the right place, but evidently they had cancelled their services. That was their peroggitve. But I was wondering if they even had Sunday nights anymore. Here is my point: Miscommunication is bad for ministries. If the cancelled for any reason (and there are plenty of good ones, I know) they needed to let others know. They have a nice sign out front. They should have used it. If they no longer have Sunday Night services, they need to adjust what their website and the UB website says.

Now I realize as much as any one person out there that un-saved people are most likely to come Sunday Mornings. However, I have learned a very painful lesson in my ministry: When the Church says something or starts something, we have to follow through until we come to a new change of pace or direction.

I know the pastor of New Hope: Bishop Ray S. He is the former Bishop of the UB. He's a passionate man. But my evaluation of New Hope is a C-. They have a nice facility from the looks of the outside, and a nice parking lot; a well manicured lawn, but not much landscapping. They seem to have a decent amount of property for the future. But the communication problem really prevented me from giving a full and accurate report. Hence the C-.

When I come out to Huntington again soon, I'll try it again.

M Hajj To Huntington IN- Conclusion Part 1

Here's a confession of a young pastor: I sometimes get distracted from things and move on. I have abandoned numerous sermon series part way through, but that is a topic for another post. But I am now going to start finishing (an oxymoron, I know) the blog series I started Labor Day Weekend.

I went to Huntington IN in over Labor Day weekend and I experienced the best UBdom has to offer. I attended two churches: College Park (which was for a long time considered the flagship of the denomination) and Emmanuel (a 1970's plant by College Part, now three times the size). I really wanted to go to Anchor Community, but time didn't permit it.

So, after reading a book called "Jim and Casper Go To Church", I thought that I'd do a review of each church I visited.

So they will now follow in the next few posts.

My First Catholic Mass & What I Learned from Chad

Today marks a first for me. I attended my first Roman Catholic Mass.

I am in Columbus for an Ohio School Board conference. One of the people there with our team is our librarian/teacher/media specialist. His name is Chad and he is a remarkable guy. I've known Chad for about 14 years. When I was but a wee lad, Chad attended my church, Mt. Hermon UB, for a spell when he was in high school. When I was in high school, he was the geography and British Literature teacher. When it came time for me to take his class, he transferred to the hybrid position he has now. In 2003, he re-enlisted in the Army Reserves. In 2006, he was sent to Iraq as an intelligence liaison. Needless to say, he is a pretty cool guy. He is the kind of person you enjoy being around. I've enjoyed discussing everything from teachers contracts to the finer points of theology. What does this have to do with a Mass?

Between sessions, Chad and I decided to walk to the historic St. Patrick's Church in downtown Columbus. On the way, Chad told me that during his time of church hoping, he found his home in the Catholic Church. I was surprised. I didn't know he espoused any particular faith, let alone Christian. We talked all the way to the church. When we got there, we found out they had a daily Mass at 11:45. It was 11:50, so we went in. Now I know a lot about Catholicism, but even I was slightly lost during the service.

I enjoyed the priest's homily, but we missed nearly half of it. He was talking about a saint from Italy during the 4th century who was a pacifist. Then I remembered, it is Veteran's Day. The majority of the remainder was taken up by the Eucharist. Chad was considerate to stay kneeling with me in reverence while the others went up for the sacrament.

Now, I do have serious qualms about the Catholic church and it's teaching. But, I only heard one mention of Mary as the "Mother of God" and to be honest, it reminded me of a very liturgical United Methodist wedding I attended a few years back.

Chad and I walked to an indoor market place for lunch and we continued our talk over NY style pizza and curried Indian vegetables. I was always quite impressed by this man. But today I saw a new side of him. Is Chad an evangelical? I'd say close, but not quite. A true Christian? I saw more of Christ in him today than I see in many people who claim to be. As he and I both said, God looks on (and knows) the heart.