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Darwin Dunten, pastor of First UB in Findlay, Ohio, is posting daily about the progress of his wife, Polly, after undergoing surgery July 28 to remove a brain tumor. There are good days and bad days. You can send notes of encouragement to
Valerie Reynolds, Senior Pastor, Mt. Hope UB, Carson City, Mich.
Last week I spent some time with John and Valerie Reynolds in Carson City, Mich., where Valerie is pastor of the Mount Hope UB. She showed me an article she wrote for the local newspaper. I liked it and wanted to share it here.– Ron Ramsey
What’s happening to church today? Part of the problem is that we misunderstand the nature of the church. Our language is a dead give-away. We talk about “going to church,” the same way we talk about going to the store, going to the mall, or going to Wal-Mart.
We think of the church as a place we visit–and leave–rather than the reality that we should be living “church” every day. The early Christians, however, didn’t talk about “going to church.” They talked about being the church.
Acts 2: 42-27 is an example of “being the church.”
“They committed themselves to the teaching of the apostles, the life together, the common meal, and the prayers. Everyone around was in awe–all those wonders and signs done through the apostles! And all the believers lived in a wonderful harmony, holding everything in common. They sold whatever they owned and pooled their resources so that each person’s need was met. They followed a daily discipline of worship in the Temple, followed by meals at home, every meal a celebration, exuberant and joyful, as they praised God. People in general liked what they saw. Every day their number grew as God added those who were saved.”
After Peter’s sermon, “there were added about 3000 who became believers.” And it happened because the people were not just going to church, but they were being church. They lived it. They did these things “day by day.” These early believers were still rubbing shoulders with people in their community. They didn’t sever all relationships with unbelievers–and neither should we.
Every day we should be rubbing shoulders with neighbors, coworkers, friends, family, clerks at stores and gas stations. The early church grew because they tried to meet needs outside of the church as well as within it.
They didn’t come to church to sit in a pew. They came to church to learn, fellowship, share meals, and then go out and impact their world.
As mature, growing, or new believers, we need to remember that our conversion is not the end of the story. It is only the beginning. Be the church.
Jeff Bleijerveld and Donna Hollopeter are at the Salem UB church (Chambersburg, Pa.), conducting the first of four Mission Team Leadership Training events. The training will last through Saturday. The goal is to train persons who can lead mission trips.
Nine people pre-registered for the Pennsylvania edition. You can still register for the events in Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan.
L-r: Lee Shortridge, Michael Slane, Jonathan Krull, Jay Duffer.
Four new members are joining the Huntington University faculty this fall.
Lee Shortridge, assistant professor of art. His resume includes a Master of Fine Arts degree in 1982 from Rosary College Graduate School of Fine Arts in Florence, Italy (he focused on drawing and painting). Shortridge has taught courses for Southwestern Oklahoma State University, Oral Roberts University, Bradley University, and Northeastern University. His areas of expertise include graphic design and fine arts.
Michael Slane, assistant professor of theatre. He holds a Masters degrees in theatre from the University of Kentucky (2001) and Ohio University (2008). His areas of expertise include theatre design and technology.
Jonathan Krull, visiting professor of philosophy (a one-year appointment). He earned his bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Bethel University in St. Paul, Minn., and is pursuing his Ph.D. in philosophy at the University of South Carolina.
Jay Duffer, visiting professor of theatre (one-year appointment). He holds a Master of Fine Arts degree in theatre arts from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and a Bachelor of Music degree in music education from Baylor University. He is a professional actor, director and playwright. He has performed in venues ranging from Off-Broadway and New York theatre to regional houses as well as working in productions overseas.
For the past few years, Duffer has directed the popular New York-based sketch comedy troupe, Freedumb. The troupe played to sold-out crowds at the 2006 and 2007 Chicago Sketch Comedy Festival, the 2005 and 2006 Toronto International Sketch Comedy Festival, and the 2007 DC Comedy Festival. From 2004-2007, he served as the executive director of New Works for Threads Theatre Company, a faith-based arts company that promotes and supports Christian writers in the secular marketplace.
You can read more about them on the Huntington University news page.
My children gave me a large book for Christmas, The All Encompassing History of Country Music. It’s been fun reading that. It’s not the type of book you sit down and read cover to cover. I read it in sections.
Interestingly, a lot of country and bluegrass music has roots in Scottish music. Ramsey is a Scottish name. Maybe that’s why I have such an affinity for country music.
I don’t like all country music, because some of it is trash, but I like the old stuff, the bluegrass. A lot of the early bluegrass had Christian themes to it. Probably my favorite song of all time is “Great Speckled Bird,” an old bluegrass song from a long time ago. The Great Speckled Bird is mentioned in the Bible; see if you can find it.
At Mainstreet Church, whenever someone complained about our music, I would tell them, “I don’t like it either. You should be glad you’re not singing what I like, because it would be with a twang.” When I left, they brought in a bluegrass band for the going-away party.
NorthPointe Church (Lewis Center, Ohio) baptized six persons in a member’s pool last Saturday. Pastor Dan Kopp tells about some of them:
Exciting stuff.
Huntington University will welcome new and returning students on Friday, August 22, for Move-In Day.
The first-time freshman class and the overall new student group, including freshmen and transfer students, are both expected to be 10 percent larger than previous record levels. The university anticipates that the new student group will break the 300 mark for the first time in Huntington’s history.
Also on Friday, Livingston Hall officially will open to students. The modern student residence is designed to house 150 undergraduates, primarily freshmen and sophomores. Construction began in the summer of 2007.
Move-In Day will kick off a three-day orientation weekend for new students, including the Huntington University Plunge, small group sessions and social activities. The plunge, sponsored by the university’s Joe Mertz Center for Volunteer Service, involves groups of new students as well as faculty and staff volunteering at various locations in the Huntington community.
Huntington University works on a governance system. If we have an issue with the university, we don’t go to a staff person, but to Dr. Dowden. He’s responsible to the board of trustees. The trustees establish the guiding principles and boundary principles for the University, but they let Dr. Dowden and his staff handle day-to-day things.
In a church, the governance board operates the same way. The pastor is given authority to lead, but the board sets certain boundaries (such as, he can’t spend more than one percent of the budget at a time without getting permission). The staff work under the direction of the pastor and are accountable to him, not to the board. The board then holds the pastor accountable.
A governance board doesn’t need more than 3-5 people. Some churches have made their elders group their board. Some call it the Executive Leadership Team or Church Leadership Council. Whatever the name, this group focuses on two things:
Darrel Bosworth, Pastor, Kilpatrick UB Church (Woodland, Mich.)
I’m a member of the West Michigan LEAD team, which is focused on supporting the Imagine This church plant in Grand Ledge, Mich. Mike Caley, another member of that LEAD team, wrote about it previously.
My church, Kilpatrick, has been speaking and talking a lot in the last two years about getting beyond ourselves. We ask, “Who are you talking to about Christ in your workplace?”
We’re in the LEAD team to try to build some of that missional DNA about birthing churches into our congregation. We’re not in a position to plant a church on our own, but through the LEAD team, we can partner with other churches to do it.
As a LEAD team, our purposes are:
We’ve begun considering where to plant the next church. In Michigan, a number of United Brethren churches are located on the I-96 corridor from Fowlerville to Grand Rapids. We’re looking at some places there.
I keep a lot of CDs in my car. I mostly listen to Christian stuff, but I also have a lot of bluegrass. I enjoy listening to the Gaither Vocal Band. I became aware of Linda Randall on one of the Gaither Homecoming videos, and bought her CD. Her songs really speak to me.
God on the Mountain. I love that song. I’ll put it in and keep repeating it for 30 miles, because it really touches me. The gist is that the God you meet on the mountaintop is the same God who will be with you in the valley. You have pain and hurt in the valley, but it’s the same God. I’ve been through a lot of valley experiences in my life, with health issues, and that song has meant a lot to me.
I have some Ray Charles music, a lot of stuff from Hank Williams, Sr., and some music by Cowboy Copas, my cousin, who was a star on the Grand Ole Oprey. Then I have some tapes that trace the history of country music.
I do listen to some talk radio when I travel, but only until it makes me mad. Then I turn it off and put in a tape.
What kind of music do you listen to in the car?
