March 2010 Newsletter

Dear Friends,

“The Present Future is Coming!” You may have seen that announcement and wondered what it meant. Here’s the answer: The Present Future is a very important movement forward for our church. Allow me to explain:

There are many churches, including ours, that are struggling. There are many factors in our society, our culture, and within our church itself that have brought us to the place we are now: lower attendance, reduced giving, fewer leaders, and so forth. Like I said, these are issues many churches are facing. What do we do about this? Give up? Ignore our current reality? Just hope that things will get better? No, none of those approaches will work, nor will many of the programs available for church growth be as helpful as they once might have been. Our world, and Christianity’s place in it, has so drastically changed that for us to be faithful to our calling as a church we need to rethink how we fulfill our mission. It isn’t so much that our mission has changed as is the approach we need to take to be faithful in fulfilling our mission. The Present Future will help us in this task.

The Present Future is a special seminar, based on a DVD series by Reggie McNeal by that title, and including the subtitle: Six Tough Questions for the Church. The ten sessions are as follows:
1. Preparing for the Future
2. What Are You Looking At? (Looking at the world around us.)
3. The Collapse of the Church Culture, part one
4. The Collapse of the Church Culture, part two
5. From Church Growth to Kingdom Growth. (There is a difference.)
6. A New Reformation: Releasing God’s People
7. The Return to Spiritual Formation
8. From Planning to Preparation
9. The Rise of Apostolic Leadership. (Leadership requirements for spiritual leaders.)
10. What’s Next? (Next steps for aligning ourselves with God’s future for us.

As you can see, this is serious and important stuff. We are fortunate to have as our facilitator Rev. Sam Brink of the American Baptist Churches of Wisconsin, who has a great understanding of this material and is using it with his own church.

The Present Future is being held over two weekends. The schedule is as follows:
Friday, March 19, 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm.
Saturday, March 20, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm.
Friday, March 26, 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Saturday, March 27, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm.

There will be free childcare, and lunch and snacks will be provided. All you need to do is register your attendance either by calling the church office at 722-4312, or emailing me at pastorjjs@tds.net.

The Present Future is open to all of our church family – young and old, members and non-members alike. Obviously, it will require a big commitment of your time and energy. But our church is worth it. God’s Kingdom is worth it. And our future may depend upon it.

In His Name,
Pastor Jim

Missions - America for Christ Offering

Each March we receive the American for Christ offering. This year’s theme – “With Willing Hands: Connect. Care. Celebrate” – is a powerful reminder that Jesus’ public ministry was all about connecting and caring for people in need. The America for Christ Offering 2010 strengthens our churches by providing support to our region and our American Baptist Home Mission. Here are some of the ways the offering is used:
· American Baptist Homes and Caring Ministries
· Campus Ministries Chaplaincy and Pastoral Counseling Services
· Children in Poverty
· Christian Centers (such as the Milwaukee Christian Center)
· Disciple-making Church Conferences and Seminars
· Intercultural Ministries
· Missional Church Learning Experiences (such as Rev. Sam Brink facilitating our Present Future seminar.)
· New Church Planting Resources
· And much more . . .

Please consider what you can give to help us reach America – for Christ. Thank you.

Why Apologize?

(prepared by the Samaritan Center of the Fox Valley)
Love Story, a popular movie of the 1970’s, included the famous line: “Love means never having to say you’re sorry.” No, It’s just the opposite. Love often means saying you’re sorry, and real love will include apologies by the offender and forgiveness by the offended. This is the path to restored, loving relationships.
We all have a sense of morality: some things are right and some things are wrong. When our sense of “right” is violated we get angry and resentful towards the person who has violated our trust. The wrongful act stands as a barrier between us and the relationship is fractured. We cannot live as though the wrong has not been committed even if we desire to do so. Something inside of us calls for justice. While justice may bring some sense of satisfaction to us, it does not restore the relationship.
Something within us cries out for reconciliation when wrong-doing has fractured a relationship. The need for apologies permeates all human relationships. Without apologies, anger builds and pushes us to demand justice. When, as we see it, justice is not forthcoming, we often take matters into our own hands and seek revenge.
When we apologize, we accept responsibility for our behavior, seeking to make amends with the person who was offended. Genuine apology opens the door to the possibility of forgiveness and reconciliation.
Without apology the offense sits as a barrier and the quality of the relationship is diminished. Good relationships are always marked by a willingness to apologize, forgive and reconcile.

(Excerpt from “The Five Languages of Apology” by Gary Chapman and Jennifer Thomas.)

Faith Questions

The Adult Sunday School class will begin a new study on Sunday, March 14th, entitled Faith Questions. This 8 session class focuses on some of the difficult questions we encounter in our relationship with God. Questions such as Has God played fair? Does God always bless believers? Does God know our next move? Where is God in this mess? Other important questions will be explored as well. So join us on Sunday mornings at 9:00 am.

A Little Humor

Several men are in the locker room of a golf club. A cell phone on a bench rings and a man engages the hands free speaker-function and begins to talk. Everyone else in the room stops to listen.
MAN: “Hello.”
WOMAN: “Honey, it’s me. Are you at the club?”
MAN: “Yes.”
WOMAN: “I am at the mall now and found this beautiful leather coat. It’s only $1,000. Is it ok if I buy it?”
MAN: “Sure, go ahead if you like it that much.”
WOMAN: “I also stopped by the Mercedes dealership and saw the new 2010 models. I saw one I really liked.”
MAN: “How much?”
WOMAN: “$65,700.”
MAN: “OK, but for that price I want it with all the options.”
WOMAN: “Great! Oh, and one more thing…the house we wanted last year is back on the market. They’re asking $950,000.”
MAN: “Well, then go ahead and give them an offer, but just offer $900,000.
WOMAN: “OK. I’ll see you later! I love you!”
MAN: “Bye. I love you, too.”
The man hangs up. The other men n the locker room are looking at him in astonishment. Then he asks, “Anyone know who this phone belongs to?”

Tree Farm Potluck

A Tree Farm Potluck is scheduled for Sunday March 14th following the worship service. Everyone is welcome to join in for great fellowship and food! Bring a dish to pass and your own table service.

HFH Celebration of Partnership 2010

You are invited to the Fox Cities Area Habitat for Humanity’s Celebration of Partnership, which is being held on Tuesday, March 16th, at the Radisson Paper Valley Hotel in downtown Appleton. There will be a social hour from 5:30 – 7 pm, with hors d’oeuvres, including a “create your own pasta” station, music and a silent auction. The program will be held from 7-8:30 pm. Please RSVP to Carrie at 920-967-8881 or email her at carriek@fchabitat.org.