Ron’s Reflections

Five wounds of Christ can be identified in the final scenes before Jesus death.    The crown of thorns pricked at Christ’s head.   A spear pierced Christ’s side.    Whips tore at Jesus’ back.  And nails punctured his feet and hands.    Not a pleasant scene, but we cannot grasp the significance of the cross without reflection on Christ’s suffering. 

Because of these wounds, and the suffering of Christ hanging on the cross, we know Christ relates to our suffering, our wounds and our woundedness.    

All of us are wounded in some way, some in many ways.    Being wounded is part of being human.   Some wounds come from our own mistakes or sinful acts, leaving wounds and scars that we must deal with the rest of our life.    Other wounds are inflicted on us by others.    Intentional or not, the verbal barbs of others wound us as surely as the thorns pricked at Christ’s head.   The actions of others can pierce us just painfully as the spear pierced Christ.

As I prepared ash for our Ash Wednesday service, the ash leftover from last year and spoiled, resulting in a tar like substance.   As I cleaned up the mess, I reflected on how the ash represents our mortality and sin and our woundedness.   If we let sin go unchecked we end up with a mess like that old ash that had not been tended.   If we allow our wounds fester before seeking help, healing becomes much more difficult.

That is what Lent is about.   Time to check on our sins and woundedness and see what needs attention.

For Christians know that sin and woundedness is only half the story.   The message of the cross, that empty cross after Easter when Christ experienced resurrection and overcome his death and suffering, is that we too can experience healing of our wounds.    We must seek to move beyond our wounds and to allow God to heal our woundedness.   This is possible in Christ where we find reconciliation, healing and new life. 

This is the focus of our Lenten series.    Come and experience that which is only available at the foot of the cross:  reconciliation, healing and new life. 

Ron

Faith had an incubator group in the church that spent a year in spiritual leadership developement, writing a new Mission Statement and developing an 8 page set of goals with specific strategies that supports the new Mission Statement.   

The new Mission Statement is  ”

Now the hard part!    The planning is done.   And while that process was long and difficult, now the hard part begins.   How do we implement this Mission Statement?    How to we live into our dreams and goals.     While 2009 was a year of planning, 2010 will be a year of doing.    Of taking specific action to live out the statement and to take concrete action on some of those goals.     

It will be exciting at times.   Frustrating at times.   Challenging at times.    Tiring at times.   It will ask us to do better what we already do well; and change some things that need improvement.    We have an ambitious set of goals for the next five years and they cannot all be done at the same time.  So we will have to discern God’s timing and priority and always be open to changing the five year plan.    For this is to be a dynamic living plan not a static document.

And we will be tempted to work on those goals based on our own skill and wisdom.    But if we want to succeed, we will need to constantly look to God for guidance and wisdom, power and strength, compassion and patience.     And we will need God to supply us with  people with a passion and any funds needed to minister in the ways we have dreamed.

Come join us on our journey to fulfill that mission statement.   We begin with a new sermon series in January and February that will challenge us to Practice our Faith.   Through prayer, faith sharing, rediscovery of our scripture and more.

 Ron

Faith had an incubator group in the church that spent a year in spiritual leadership developement, writing a new Mission Statement and developing an 8 page set of goals with specific strategies that supports the new Mission Statement.   

The new Mission Statement is  

Faith United Methodist Church is a community of faith celebrating God’s grace through worship, faith development, and ministry to the world.

Now the hard part!    The planning is done.   And while that process was long and difficult, now the hard part begins.   How do we implement this Mission Statement?    How to we live into our dreams and goals.     While 2009 was a year of planning, 2010 will be a year of doing.    Of taking specific action to live out the statement and to take concrete action on some of those goals.     

It will be exciting at times.   Frustrating at times.   Challenging at times.    Tiring at times.   It will ask us to do better what we already do well; and change some things that need improvement.    We have an ambitious set of goals for the next five years and they cannot all be done at the same time.  So we will have to discern God’s timing and priority and always be open to changing the five year plan.    For this is to be a dynamic living plan not a static document.

And we will be tempted to work on those goals based on our own skill and wisdom.    But if we want to succeed, we will need to constantly look to God for guidance and wisdom, power and strength, compassion and patience.     And we will need God to supply us with  people with a passion and any funds needed to minister in the ways we have dreamed.

Come join us on our journey to fulfill that mission statement.   We begin with a new sermon series in January and February that will challenge us to Practice our Faith.   Through prayer, faith sharing, rediscovery of our scripture and more.

 Ron

A group within the church has been working on a new  mission statement and five hear ministry plan for the church.   This draft statement will be discussed within the church and then adopted or revised.   We will reflect on it in worship on September 20.   What do you think;

Faith United Methodist Church is a community of faith celebrating God’s grace through worship, faith development, and ministry to the world.

Does that reflect who we are and who we want to become as a church?

Ron 

The Faith UMC has been going through a spiritual planning process where leaders are trained and the church values, mission, goals, and strategies are established.   We have a new draft Mission Statement that was first shared with the church at our Administrative board meeting on August 17.  

I am going to tease you just a bit, by not sharing the whole Mission Statement, I will do that shortly.

But I was struck as I reviewed it again this week what strong words it contained.   

Community

God’s Grace

Celebration

Worship

faith development

ministry

world

You can probably piece together something close to our draft statement from those words.   But before you do that.  Stop a moment and reflect on each of those words.

Strong words to live up to as Faith looks to the future.

Ron

The Hope for Tomorrow Africa Children’s Choir from Uganda and the surrounding area came through Hutchinson August 4th as part of their swing through Kansas.  

Wow!   What can you say that would adequately describe them.    They certainly lifted my hopes for the future of Africa and the world!   The children were from the Humble United Methodist Church school at Kampala, Uganda.   This school founded in 2004 takes in orphaned children from Uganda, Sudan, Kenya, Rwanda and Burundi.   They now have about 250 and dreams of establishing more schools, one in each of those countries.

The choir included 22 children from 5 to 11 years old traveling with 8 adults.   The Hutchinson area United Methodist Churches banded together to host the choir and set it up in the Fox Theature, holding 1200, more than any of our churches could handle.   I would estimate the crowd at 1150.

The children shook the place up with praise and thanksgiving.   Performing 12 spiritual selections that included traditonal African songs, dance and dress.    They were in constant motion for about an hour of our 80 minutes together.

I was able to spend much of the prior two days with them as they also took a day off here in Hutchinson.    The Hutch churches wanted to be sure we provided excellent hospitality during their stay, but we were humbled by the hospitality that they extended us.   We wanted to be a blessing to them, but they were a blessing to us.   Thanks yous and hugs for everything you did for them and hugs for just being there.    These children come from such difficult circumstances, having so little, yet are the most thankful, gracious, joyful children you will ever be around.   They can teach the American church much.

Their pastor encouraged us to come and visit them at the school and help with some construction, medical needs, etc.   I hope the Hutchinson area churches can band together again and organize a mission trip.

Still a little dazed from the past two days!

Ron Kite, Pastor Hutchinson’s Faith United Methodist Church

 Learn more at these links

News article about the school

http://www.umc.org/site/apps/nlnet/content3.aspx?c=lwL4KnN1LtH&b=2433457&ct=4411257

photos of the school & Uganda from a traveler

http://scottieo.smugmug.com/gallery/408700_Ev2pk/1/14244659_BW9NB#P-1-12

We just completed our Crocodile Rock VBS.    Wow!    We had some good problems to solve.  Like reordering T-shirts because we ran out.    We reached 50 children during the week with an average attendance of about 38.   These numbers are about twice the numbers from last year.    I think around 25 adults and youth volunteered at various points during the week. 

This was due to having a great team, a great set , and great word of mouth advertising.   After the first and second day we continued to get new registrations from families who heard of the fun their neighbors were having.

It was great to hear the church come alive as the sanctuary space was cleared out for VBS.  It was refreshing to hear the kids singing, having a great time and learning something about how to live their Christian life.  (Fear Not!)  

See a few pictures on the website hutchfaithumc.org.   

We extend our thanks to the Children’s Theature and the Grace Bible church who let us use items for our sets

Ron, pastor Faith UMC

To all in the Hutchinson area:

We are starting a new sermon series at Faith UMC on May 31 that I am calling ReThink Church.   This series title has been borrowed from the United Methodist Church’s new promotional emphasis by that name.  That campaign asks the question, what if Church were not just a church, what if church were a verb?   And what if  the  “open”  in the United Methodist’s slogan was a verb.   Bringing deeper levels of meaning and challenge to the thought:  Open Doors, Open Minds, Open Hearts.

These type of questions have been rattling around in my reflections as I think about the church and how we need to ReThink church for the emerging generations.  Come and think with us as we explore questions and images of the church.  

Ron

Thump.   Thump.   I have heard it regularly for awhile now.   About three weeks, I think.  That is how long a robin has been trying to get into the church.   Robin tries the office door, the stained glass windows by the office door, the west door by the bathrooms.   I don’t know why it wants in or why it has chosen our little church.   Maybe it is praising the creator it sees in the vivid color of the stained glass.  But Robin is consistent.   Rarely missing a day (and maybe it has never missed a day - I may just have not been around at the right time on some days.)

That has me to thinking.   If only us humans would desire to get in the church.  And not just the building, but the real church.  The church which seeks God, supports each other and serves the world.   If only we sought to get into church as much as Robin.

And then the lady.  A guest from out of town.  Dropped in one morning this week to ask if the church would be open that afternoon if she wanted to pray.  Around 3:30 pm she said.  I said I would try to remember to leave it open (our office hours are mornings), but if I forgot and a car was here then bang on the door.  At 3:15 she comes, prays for about 20 minutes and leaves.   She understood church!

She spoke with me briefly.   She had a parent at a nursing home in town.  She did not desire to share much but I gathered time was short for her loved one.   She just needed a place to pray.  Asked if she could return over the next few weeks.  Sure, anytime, come on in or bang the door if you see I am here.   If you are in town on Sunday we worship at 8:30 and 10:45 am.   Come and worship our Lord!

A bird and a lady.   One wanted in.   The other came in to pray.   They understand church.   A place to pray, praise, connect, heal, serve.  

Ron 

Here at Faith UMC we had a wonderful Easter worship and celebration.   At the start of Lent I asked the question, What if Easter was the end of the story.  (See prior blog.)   On Easter Sunday we came back to that question.

Of course, Easter was the beginning of a new story.  A story where God desired to come close to us, redeem us, and be in close and constant relationship with us.

We spoke how that was of significant benefit for us in two ways.  First, and the one many Christians point to first, is eternal salvation.    Being with God in eternity.

But we too often in modern times forget the second.  Christ wants to help us today!   In this life!   Accepting Christ is not just ticket to heaven, God desires to help us in real ways in this life.

If we will include God in our lives God will give us the strength and courage to face anything that comes up in our life.   And if we but look around our lives and the lives of those around us, we can see God still at work in today’s world.   Miracles big and small.    Coincidents that are really Godincidents.    We often don’t notice God’s activity in this world because we do not look, with eyes to see.

Watch!   Look around!   Notice what God is doing in the lives of ordinary Christians, and also seekers, and even atheists.    Lives are saved from illness or death.   Relationships are healed or at least improved.  The hungry are fed.   The unemployed find opportunities.    The weak are strengthed.   Those in grief or emotional pain are comforted.   The list goes on.  God still acts!

Those seeking, find.   Take some time.   Time to look.  Time to pray (communicate with God.)   Time to listen for that still small voice.   Time for Christ and Christ’s Spirit to work in you.

The graces, gifts, of God are all around.   Will you accept the gift?

Ron