19 Oct Mattru Hospital Undergoing Major Work

Mattru Hospital in Sierra Leone is undergoing a renovation, which is expected to be completed in October. Funds are being provided by the United Nations Population Fund, through the office of the First Lady of Sierra Leone, Mrs. Sia Nyama Koroma.

On a visit to the hospital, Mrs. Koroma lamented the poor conditions, and included Mattru Hospital in her vision to establish hospitals of excellence.

In a special service on October 3, the hospital was handed over to the contractor to be refurbished. Bishop Billy Simbo, who also chairs the hospital board, thanked the First Lady, and admonished the people of Mattru Jong to monitor the progress of the project and not engage in stealing building materials.

02 Oct Assaulting the Gates

The mission that Jesus gave to us was quite clear and simple.

• He told his church to go and make disciples.
• As we do that, we would teach those disciples the commands of Christ, which are summed up in loving God with all our heart and loving others.
• Then, to make sure that the testimony of our lives is seen to all, we would baptize that new disciple in the name of the Father, the Son and the Spirit.

You have heard it before, but the beauty of it to me has never changed.

It was my privilege to attend a conference with about 55 denominational executives who are on the same page about the mission. We met September 14-16 in Nashville, where we:

• Shared stories of how our God is working through our churches to make new disciples.
• Discussed strategies for being more effective in reaching out to a lost and dying world.
• Prayed together that we would remain faithful and fruitful in accomplishing this mission.
• Reaffirmed that Christ had clearly told us that the gates of hell would not hold back the church of Jesus Christ.

The one thing that we did NOT talk about was changing the mission.

So I want to encourage each of you to stay focused on the mission Christ has placed before us. Let’s recognize the opportunities to push back the darkness and  bring the light of Christ into a broken and hurting world. Let’s together assault the gates of hell.

28 Sep Precautions Churches Can Take Against H1N1

Here are some precautions churches can take regarding the H1N1 (swine flu) virus. These ideas have been gathered from here and there.

• Encourage people to get a flu shot, and make people aware of where they can get one. Offer church funds to pay for flu shots. 
• Make sure church staffmembers get vaccinated.
• Encourage people to stay home if they are sick, if they feel like they might be getting sick, and for a couple days after they’ve had the flu. Encourage children with ill household members to stay home.
• Take extra precautions with at risk populations: anyone under age 24, and especially children under 5.
• Be very strict with nursery workers, since infants are at greatest risk. If an adult has had the flu recently or been exposed to persons with the flu, find someone else to serve in the nursery. You might require that nursery workers be vaccinated.
• Churches might want to take extra care in cleaning areas where people congregate–sanctuary, lobby, children’s area.
• Place hand sanitizer in high-traffic areas for public use.
• Announce a temporary alternative to handshaking, like just saying hello, giving a little hand-wave, nod, or bow. Don’t feel obligated to shake hands or give a hug. If you have a greeting time during the service, don’t force people into this by saying, “Shake hands with three people you don’t know.” Provide a substitute greeting.
• If you do shake hands with people at church, be sure to wash your hands afterwards (good advice even when it’s not flu season).
• Have ushers, children’s workers, and persons serving communion use hand sanitizer.
• Encourage people to cover a cough or sneeze. Use your elbow or shoulder instead of your hands when a tissue or handkerchief isn’t available.
• Some frequently-touched areas to clean with an alcohol-based cleaner: doorknobs, desks, counters, keyboards, lightswitches, crash bars, drinking fountains, bathroom levers and knobs, toys, potluck utensils, refrigerator handles, remote controls.
• Some churches have announced that pastors will, for the time being, no longer shake hands with parishioners after the service, and have done away with holding hands while singing, reciting the Lord’s Prayer, etc.

25 Sep The House Hunt Ends for Ron and EJ Ramsey

Ron and EJ Ramsey are closing on a house today. It’s located in southeast Fort Wayne in a development near the intersection of Covington Road and West County Line Road. They hope to get possession by September 30, do some painting, then get moved by October 15.

They previously had two houses that they thought were a “go,” but they fell through. Very frustrating for them.

Of this house, Ron writes, “We feel blessed to be able to have such a home. It is only 5 years old and has been very well taken care of. So we are in sorting and packing mode right now.”

24 Sep H1N1 Claims a UB Young Adult

Kimberly Young (right), a 22-year-old from Mt. Zion UB (Wayne, Ohio), died yesterday of complications from the H1N1 (swine flu) virus. She began showing flu symptoms last week, and was treated for the flu at a hospital. But her fever returned this past Tuesday, and she died the next day. Her asthma likely contributed to her death. The funeral will be held this Saturday, Sept. 26, at Mt. Zion UB.

Wherever people gather, the risk of spreading the flu rises. Businesses, schools, and colleges are gearing up for what could be a major flu outbreak this winter. It would be wise for churches, also, to take precautions.

Some things to know about H1N1:

• The best form of prevention is the vaccine. The seasonal flu vaccine, distributed every year, is available now. The specific H1N1 vaccine will be available later this fall. Get both. Each protects against a different virus, and they are intended to work alongside each other.
• Person-to-person contact is the easiest way to transmit the flu virus.
• A person diagnosed with H1N1 is considered contagious up to 72 hours before symptoms start and a day or two after symptoms end. If your fever breaks on Friday, don’t come to church on Sunday. And be aware that others in your household, who may not have developed symptoms yet, could still be contagious if you send them to church.
• Children under 5 years of age are at increased risk. The risk is greater for children under 2. And infants less than 6 months old are the most vulnerable, because they are too young to receive the vaccinations.

Much information is available at Flu.gov

14 Sep 52 Sundays: Make the Most of Them

Each year we start out with 52 weekends where we have the opportunity to gather with other believers and seekers. We get the chance to show off our God and to bring glory to him. Those 52 weekends seemed to crawl along when I was young, but now they race by with increasing speed.

I want to encourage each of our churches to take a good look at your worship services and to do all that you can to maximize their effectiveness. There is no such thing as a throw-away Sunday.  We only have 52. Somebody might only come into your church once. Make sure that you have prayed like it is the last service you might have. Eternal destinies are at stake.

It is not all on our shoulders. But it is imperative that we do our part to pray, plan, and strategize about what you are doing on the weekend. Then trust God and leave the results in his hand. It is an amazing partnership that God allows us to be a part of. To join united with the Spirit of God to see lives transformed by the gospel.

11 Sep Beyond Christianity as a Transaction

I’m in Chicago attending MinistryCOM, an annual conference for Christian communications professionals. Nearly everyone is on staff at a megachurch. They are a tech-savvy bunch. They carry laptops, consult smartphones, use Twitter and Facebook, write and read blogs. Very connected. And highly competent.

This is my fourth year attending MinistryCOM. I always learn valuable stuff.

Yesterday I attended the “Branding 101” workshop, something they do every year. The topic of branding crops up constantly. Large churches focus a lot of attention on their brand identity–how they are perceived, and the experience people have in attending. This was my third time attending Branding 101. Today, it was led by two guys from CHANGEffect, a Christian firm based in Chicago. They hit the subject from some new angles.

Here’s one thought I found interesting. It concerns our consumer mentality.

They said we often present Christ as a transaction–you accept Christ, you get a ticket to heaven. But we shouldn’t be surprised, then, that so many of our people take the attitude, “What does the church do for me?”

Isn’t that true? Our pews are filled with folks who just take take take, and if they don’t like the meal you provide, they complain. Like people griping because their steak is medium and they asked for medium well.

Rather than view themselves as consumers, people need to understand that they are becoming part of a movement. They need to view themselves as citizens, rather than as consumers. They are citizens of a community to which they belong, and in which they have responsibilities.

In your church, do you have consumers or citizens?

They also cited several trends in society which churches need to adapt to. Let me mention two of them.

• We need to move from products to experiences. Products meet needs. Experiences fulfill desires. What are people experiencing at your church? To reach younger generations, you need to provide a total experience, not just a collection of well-done elements.
• From communication to dialogue. Communication involves telling. Dialogue is sharing; it’s two-way. When people attend your church, are they just sitting there watching the show, or is there interaction?

09 Sep What It’s All About

The bottom picture shows Rev. Prudencio Lim, superintendent of the United Brethren Philippines Conference, speaking to some of his people. In the Batangas province, they baptized 25 people on Holy Thursday last April. Notice the setting–a very public place. That photo should inspire.

01 Sep Are You Ready to Chase a Lion?

2 Samuel 23:20-21 tells about an obscure man in the big picture of the scripture. But his peers woudn’t have considered him obscure. He was the kind of guy you would have looked at and wondered, “What is he thinking?” If you were going into battle, you would be very glad to be on his side. His name was Benaiah.

Mark Batterson, pastor of National City Church in Washington, D.C., wrote a book entitled “In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day.” Benaiah chased a lion into a pit on a snowy day, and then went into the pit and killed the lion.

I simply shake my head in amazement until I begin to apply this story.

I encourage you to consider the Christ who lives in you. “God did not give us the spirit of timidity but the spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7). He wants us to walk with courage and stand for what is right.

This is not a call to the church to simply get on our soapbox about the political issues that we care about, but rather to understand that many people around us need to see Christ’s love lived out in extreme ways. Do the people we rub shoulders with see that we love Christ and each other? They should.

My prayer is that God will fan into flames a burning desire in me to reach others for Him. Lord, let it spread through out your church. Is there anybody out there that is ready to chase a lion?

28 Aug Four Slots Still Open for Israel Trip

The Pastor’s Familiarity Tour to Israel still has slot for four senior pastors; 13 have been filled. Denny Miller is leading this trip February 19-26, 2010.