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Greg Helman, senior pastor of Blue Rock UB (Waynesboro, Pa.), reports: “Blue Rock Church has hired Adam Lane as their new worship/music director. He is a recent graduate of Huntington University with a degree in worship leadership. His expertise and humble heart will complement the growing ministry that God is doing at Blue Rock. Adam and his wife, Shalom, live in nearby Hagerstown, Md.
Vision involves seeing your church’s future through God’s eyes rather than your own. We easily focus only on what we can see and do. We look at what has happened at our church in the past, and we assume the future will be the same way. As a result, we frequently repeat history.
But vision provides a brand new picture for your church. It gives you hope that transcends the image that past history paints. It shows you what could be, even if you can’t touch it or totally figure it out. It opens a window in front of you that is different from anything that you have seen before.
As we embark on the journey of life that God has placed before us, I challenge you to seek God’s heart for your individual church. Look beyond the limits you have always seen in the past. Catch a glimpse of what God wants to place deep in your heart. Give birth to the vision of what God wants to do.
Find the foundation for your vision through studying his Word. When God’s truth and the vision connect, then run toward the picture that is there. We then should praise our God for allowing us to see the reality of the vision that he had in mind for us all along.
On Monday and Wednesday mornings, the Healthy Ministry Resources staff starts the day at 7 a.m. with a devotional time. We share updates from our lives, and from things we’ve heard across the church. The persons who travel a lot usually bring back stories from the churches and mission fields they visit. Phone calls and emails bring additional information.
We read from a devotional book, which this year has been Robert J. Morgan’s “From This Verse.” Then we pray.
Each day, we pray for a United Brethren church or missionary. This week it happens to be two churches in Maryland:
We’ve been doing this for over a decade. The national office staff exists for our churches, and praying for you is one way we keep that mission central.
Pastor Tim Hallman prepares to unleash the kids, ready to part with their toys.
On August 17, 2009, Pastor Tim Hallman of Anchor Community Church (Fort Wayne, Ind.) preached from Luke 12:33, “Sell your possessions and give to the poor.” The message was directed at children, who gathered around the front of the church.
He gave them an assignment: go through their toys and bring some to church the next Sunday. We would then sell the toys and give the money to the poor–specifically, to a micro-business opportunity in Peru which would benefit a poor family. The money would be channeled through UB endorsed missionary Anna Geivett, who serves with Food for the Hungry in Peru.
These were the options provided by Food for the Hungry:
On August 23, the children showed up with all kinds of toys, books, stuffed animals, and other items. After a short message, Tim told the children to walk through the sanctuary with their toys. Adults then bought the items from the children–a quarter, a dollar, a couple dollars. The kids then brought their money to the front of the church, where it was counted. Over a period of about ten minutes, the children sold all of the possession they had brought.
When it was all counted, the total raised came to $241–enough to finance each of the four projects!
It was a great lesson not only for the children, but for adults, who have much bigger toys which could be sold to benefit someone in need.
Emily brought a whole bag of stuffed animals, which she placed on this cart and wheeled around the sanctuary until they were all sold.
Two adults count the money as kids bring it to the front of the church.
Church legal expert Richard Hammar talks about the 10 greatest legal issues facing today’s churches. Here’s the list. The article, on the Brotherhood Mutual site, gives brief explanations of each, along with good links for additional reading.
1. Negligent selection of youth workers.
2. Registered sex offenders.
3. Same-sex marriages.
4. The duty to warn (giving employment references).
5. Child abuse reporting.
6. Church security.
7. Church computer policies.
8. Employment liability: the ministerial exception (staff classified as clergy).
9. Discrimination based on morals or religion.
10. Automatic excess benefit transactions (taxable fringe benefits for pastors).
The reason Healthy Ministry Resources exists is found in the success of each of our local churches. I want to be a lead cheerleader in encouraging each of our churches to be engaged in the harvest that God has for us. We are here for you. Thank you for the opportunity to serve you and the United Brethren in Christ Church in this capacity.
I believe the local church is the vehicle that God uses to reach a hurting world and to grow people up in their personal journey of faith. I believe that God wants to create in us a movement that shows our communities the love and compassion that is born out of the lives of believers who are sold out to follow hard after Christ.
Beulah “Dot” Hasler has been named senior pastor of McGuire Bend UB (Dayton, Iowa) effective July 1, 2009. She is an ordained minister in the United Methodist Church. McGuire Bend continues sharing pastoral leadership with three United Methodist churches in that area. The previous pastor at McGuire Bend, Remigio Panlaqui, was assigned to UMC churches in Fremont and Cedar, Iowa.
My wife Sandy and I moved to Huntington on July 27. Our belongings followed us a few days later. Since then:
As I write this, I am at the end of my first official day as bishop. I am glad that I have had a few days over which to stretch all of that activity. But it raises a flag to me of the importance of making sure I do what is needful and productive. Staying busy is easy, but working God’s plan is where we all need to focus.
I came across this article, “Quoting Satan,” on SermonCentral.com. It is by Chad McCallum, pastor of Compass Point church in Byron Center, Mich. While we often kick ourselves for not being effective Christians, this article imagines how we must look to Satan–a strong, flexible, resilient force that he’s been unable to stop.
I know a church where people have strong opinions about what their church should be, but their opinion has no relation to what God says the church should be. They are people of power. And in the UB church–probably all churches–people with power tend to be people with money.
Nobody will say to them, “We’re going to build a church here, and we don’t need you or your money. We could use you and your money, but if you’re just going to be an obstinate person used by Satan to create problems–no, we don’t need you.”
I’ve had those conversations. It’s not easy, not something I relish. But it’s necessary.
