We went to a "boot camp" last May to learn about all things related to church planting and part of that education was, not surprisingly, about money. That's usually one of the first questions people ask if they're curious about what we're doing. Sometimes they're a little hesitant about asking because they don't want to offend, but it's a good question. How exactly is this whole thing funded?
About half of it over the next three years is being funded from our denomination (or, for you United Methodists out there, our annual conference), but the other half is coming from donations from friends, family, and acquaintances and (we hope) people who commit to being a part of this new church. We sent out a letter to our family and friends a few weeks ago asking not so subtly for them to support us financially. And this was a learning for me: The person leading the boot camp said, essentially, that those family and friends won't necessarily be giving out of altruistic purposes or they feel led by God to give. All that may be true, but the main reason they're giving is because they trust and believe in me.
It's easy to feel a little awkward about that, but when I think about my own giving, it's true. I wouldn't give to the Washington County Hospice if it sent me a letter, but I supported it because my Aunt Cathy was doing a walk to support it. Same with numerous other charities that we support. We give because of the relationships.
Our intern at Urban Village Church, Anne Williamson, preached at another church last Sunday night and she said a really helpful thing. She was using Luke 1:26-38 and noted that Mary said yes to the angel not because she knew what exactly would happen in her future or because all of her questions would be answered. Mary said yes because she knew who was making the request. It was God. Mary trusted God, loved God, and may have thought that this request was absurd, but she said yes because of trust and love.
I have prayed this week that my trust and faith God can continue to deepen so that I can continue to say yes to whatever it is that God is asking.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Grabbing the baby Jesus
I went to my son's preschool Christmas program this morning at Old St. Mary Church on south Michigan avenue. He was very excited to have us see him in his elf costume, but the real excitement came from a little boy who was probably about 3 years old. My wife and I were chatting with another parent waiting for the program to start when this boy came sprinting down the aisle of the sanctuary. He had his eyes and feet focused on the little barn that was constructed in the front of the church. More specifically, he was dying to get to the baby Jesus. He grabbed the doll and started looking at him and about ten seconds later the boy's mom grabbed him and whisked him away.
We're told to wait during the Advent season. Children are told to wait as they count down the days until Christmas. Adults are told to wait and use this period of waiting as a time for spiritual growth and reflection. But we don't often hear how we are supposed to wait. I don't think it's a passive waiting, but an eager one, like a boy who simply cannot control himself because of his desire to see the baby Jesus.
Faith in God through the living Christ enables us to engage in active waiting and anticipation. Something sacred and abundant is always in our midst because God is faithful and has surprises and adventures in store for us every day. Let us then throw off the covers in the morning and, like this little boy, run into the day actively waiting and watching to see where Jesus might be.
We're told to wait during the Advent season. Children are told to wait as they count down the days until Christmas. Adults are told to wait and use this period of waiting as a time for spiritual growth and reflection. But we don't often hear how we are supposed to wait. I don't think it's a passive waiting, but an eager one, like a boy who simply cannot control himself because of his desire to see the baby Jesus.
Faith in God through the living Christ enables us to engage in active waiting and anticipation. Something sacred and abundant is always in our midst because God is faithful and has surprises and adventures in store for us every day. Let us then throw off the covers in the morning and, like this little boy, run into the day actively waiting and watching to see where Jesus might be.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Second Urban Village worship
We had our second worship as Urban Village Church last night and it was another great experience. We had about 110 people attend and in the midst of singing the songs and listening to Trey preach and investigating strange noises, I also took time to look around and just marvel at everything.
I thought back to the day in June 2007 when I first read the article in Chicago Magazine about the South Loop neighborhood, when the idea was first planted. I thought about the time that Trey and I went to our district superintendent a few months later with this idea of doing something together. Neither of us really could be sure whether we'd get the green light. I thought back to this summer when we'd be thrilled if one or two people expressed even a scintilla of interest in this new church. And then last night. Dozens of people had come together. It really is remarkable and speaks to taking that next step whenever God plants an idea in your head. I believe God does that all the time (planting the ideas), but too often we don't do anything with it. I've been guilty of this many times. Life happens, after all. We have the day-to-day stuff that we must attend to and we don't really have time to take action on God Ideas. But, truly, amazing things can happen if we even give these ideas the tiniest bit of attention and take the smallest steps. Things may not always take off quickly and may not flourish like you initially envisioned, but still. It's a pretty awesome thing to see something come out of nothing. I think there's a story in Genesis about that.
I thought back to the day in June 2007 when I first read the article in Chicago Magazine about the South Loop neighborhood, when the idea was first planted. I thought about the time that Trey and I went to our district superintendent a few months later with this idea of doing something together. Neither of us really could be sure whether we'd get the green light. I thought back to this summer when we'd be thrilled if one or two people expressed even a scintilla of interest in this new church. And then last night. Dozens of people had come together. It really is remarkable and speaks to taking that next step whenever God plants an idea in your head. I believe God does that all the time (planting the ideas), but too often we don't do anything with it. I've been guilty of this many times. Life happens, after all. We have the day-to-day stuff that we must attend to and we don't really have time to take action on God Ideas. But, truly, amazing things can happen if we even give these ideas the tiniest bit of attention and take the smallest steps. Things may not always take off quickly and may not flourish like you initially envisioned, but still. It's a pretty awesome thing to see something come out of nothing. I think there's a story in Genesis about that.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Candy cane give-away
We're all out.
Eight of us teamed up over the last few days to hand out candy canes tied to cards that publicize our next worship service (this Sunday night at 7 p.m. at 637 S. Dearborn). We probably handed out 1,500 of them all over the city on street corners and near L stops. Some observations:
**I was surprised that more people didn't take them. Maybe it was because I got better at it, but on Sunday when I went out only about a third of the people took them. On Tuesday, that went up a bit and then yesterday, it went to about half.
**There were very generally four types of people. First were the people who had their heads down and weren't going to look at me even if I was giving away $100 bills. Second were the people who were polite enough, made eye contact, but said no thank you. Third were the people who took the candy canes without breaking stride, like I was handing out water and they were running a marathon. Fourth were the people who were vocally appreciative, took the candy, and gave me a smile. Those folks were in the minority, but it still made me feel good.
**A few interesting stories, too. One woman asked me if this church was that "expatriate Methodist church." One man took a look at the card, read the phrase that said, "Love all," and said, "A church that loves all? I'll believe it when I see it." One other man looked at me and grudgingly took the candy cane as if to say, "Oh, alright, if it will make you feel better." A few folks were shocked that they were free.
**I have no idea how effective this will be--I guess we'll find out (hopefully) on Sunday, but the more I did it, the more I kind of enjoyed it. Even in the frigid weather we had yesterday.
Eight of us teamed up over the last few days to hand out candy canes tied to cards that publicize our next worship service (this Sunday night at 7 p.m. at 637 S. Dearborn). We probably handed out 1,500 of them all over the city on street corners and near L stops. Some observations:
**I was surprised that more people didn't take them. Maybe it was because I got better at it, but on Sunday when I went out only about a third of the people took them. On Tuesday, that went up a bit and then yesterday, it went to about half.
**There were very generally four types of people. First were the people who had their heads down and weren't going to look at me even if I was giving away $100 bills. Second were the people who were polite enough, made eye contact, but said no thank you. Third were the people who took the candy canes without breaking stride, like I was handing out water and they were running a marathon. Fourth were the people who were vocally appreciative, took the candy, and gave me a smile. Those folks were in the minority, but it still made me feel good.
**A few interesting stories, too. One woman asked me if this church was that "expatriate Methodist church." One man took a look at the card, read the phrase that said, "Love all," and said, "A church that loves all? I'll believe it when I see it." One other man looked at me and grudgingly took the candy cane as if to say, "Oh, alright, if it will make you feel better." A few folks were shocked that they were free.
**I have no idea how effective this will be--I guess we'll find out (hopefully) on Sunday, but the more I did it, the more I kind of enjoyed it. Even in the frigid weather we had yesterday.
Tuesday, December 08, 2009
Christmas connections
I seem to be in a bit of a networking slump. I've mentioned in previous posts that networking and making contacts is the lifeblood of starting a new church. I had great success in October. November was also pretty good until about the middle of the month and then things started to slow down, meaning not as many people were returning phone calls or e-mails. I've learned pretty quickly that there are times of bounty and times of scarcity when it comes to this kind of thing, but obviously times of scarcity are harder to deal with.
I've been more intentional, then, about going to events that community organizations put together. Last night, for example, the Greater South Loop Association had its holiday party and tomorrow night, the South Loop Neighbors organization will have its holiday and I went to and will go to both of these. I think the thing that makes this a bit more challenging is that Christmas is often a time to reconnect with those closest to you. It's the time we send out the letters and go to parties with friends, but here I am still trying to build relationships, meet new people. That's an ongoing process that, for the most part, I really enjoy, but it can get discouraging.
I participated in a hard-core networking task last Sunday as I stood outside the Target on Roosevelt Road handing out candy canes tied to cards that publicize our next worship service (this Sunday night, 7 p.m., 637 S. Dearborn). That was a pretty cold experience, in more ways than one. First, it was literally pretty chilly and, second, I was a bit surprised that only about a third of the people actually accepted these candy canes. Many were very polite about it ("No, thank you"), but, still, I left with quite a few candy canes in my bag. I'll be going out to L stops today, tomorrow, and Thursday to do the same thing. Sometimes I wonder whether I'm doing any good by doing this. I think I am (I should say we are because others from our church are doing this, too). I sometimes run my mouth off about leaving the church building and hitting the streets but I need to recognize that it's not always easy. In the midst of all of this, though, God is with me and us. The birth of Jesus tells me so.
I've been more intentional, then, about going to events that community organizations put together. Last night, for example, the Greater South Loop Association had its holiday party and tomorrow night, the South Loop Neighbors organization will have its holiday and I went to and will go to both of these. I think the thing that makes this a bit more challenging is that Christmas is often a time to reconnect with those closest to you. It's the time we send out the letters and go to parties with friends, but here I am still trying to build relationships, meet new people. That's an ongoing process that, for the most part, I really enjoy, but it can get discouraging.
I participated in a hard-core networking task last Sunday as I stood outside the Target on Roosevelt Road handing out candy canes tied to cards that publicize our next worship service (this Sunday night, 7 p.m., 637 S. Dearborn). That was a pretty cold experience, in more ways than one. First, it was literally pretty chilly and, second, I was a bit surprised that only about a third of the people actually accepted these candy canes. Many were very polite about it ("No, thank you"), but, still, I left with quite a few candy canes in my bag. I'll be going out to L stops today, tomorrow, and Thursday to do the same thing. Sometimes I wonder whether I'm doing any good by doing this. I think I am (I should say we are because others from our church are doing this, too). I sometimes run my mouth off about leaving the church building and hitting the streets but I need to recognize that it's not always easy. In the midst of all of this, though, God is with me and us. The birth of Jesus tells me so.
Thursday, December 03, 2009
Mary's witness
From my contribution to our eNews:
Tuesday was World AIDS Day and, rightfully so, emphasis has been given in recent years on the AIDS epidemic in Africa. While that certainly deserves our attention, I also remember Darryl on Dec. 1.
I first moved to the Chicago area in 1992 and soon started volunteering with an organization that was then called Open Hands Chicago. My task was pretty simple--deliver meals in the Uptown and Edgewater neighborhoods to people with AIDS who were unable to make meals for themselves. Darryl was one of those people. We were never close, but our relationship reminded me that there were real people at these addresses who struggled as they lived with this disease.
It's appropriate that World AIDS Day comes during the Advent season. While I enjoy the pre-Christmas preparation as much as anyone (I'm listening to "Silent Night" on Pandora as I type this), it's important to remember the radical words that Mary sang when she discovered that she was pregnant: "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowlinesss of his servant...He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty" (an excerpt from Luke 1:46-55).
Mary reminds me that God came first to the the forgotten, the sick, the lonely. We must never forget that because the only way that God will lift up the lowly and fill the hungry with good things is through you and me doing things like delivering meals, advocating for the voiceless, and loving the lonely.
Tuesday was World AIDS Day and, rightfully so, emphasis has been given in recent years on the AIDS epidemic in Africa. While that certainly deserves our attention, I also remember Darryl on Dec. 1.
I first moved to the Chicago area in 1992 and soon started volunteering with an organization that was then called Open Hands Chicago. My task was pretty simple--deliver meals in the Uptown and Edgewater neighborhoods to people with AIDS who were unable to make meals for themselves. Darryl was one of those people. We were never close, but our relationship reminded me that there were real people at these addresses who struggled as they lived with this disease.
It's appropriate that World AIDS Day comes during the Advent season. While I enjoy the pre-Christmas preparation as much as anyone (I'm listening to "Silent Night" on Pandora as I type this), it's important to remember the radical words that Mary sang when she discovered that she was pregnant: "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowlinesss of his servant...He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty" (an excerpt from Luke 1:46-55).
Mary reminds me that God came first to the the forgotten, the sick, the lonely. We must never forget that because the only way that God will lift up the lowly and fill the hungry with good things is through you and me doing things like delivering meals, advocating for the voiceless, and loving the lonely.
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