May 16, 2010 Service Preview

“In the evening I went very unwillingly to a society in Aldersgate Street where one was reading Luther’s Preface to the Epistle to the Romans. About a quarter before nine, while he was describing the change which God works in the hear through faith in Christ. I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone for salvation; and an assurance was given me that He has taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death.”

So were the words of John Wesley during the evening of what we have come to know as his "Aldersgate Experience." This evening changed his life drastically! It was after this experience that Wesley began a movement in England that made its way over to America. It was this movement that formed a basis for the Methodist Episcopal Church. We have a rich church heritage, with roots from various churches that came together to eventually make the United Methodist Church we have today.

This Sunday we celebrate Heritage Sunday & Aldersgate Sunday. We celebrate our past! During our service, we will sing hymns written by Charles Wesley. We will learn more about what makes us unique as United Methodists. It is important to honor our past so that we can look to the future. At the Oakfield church, we will have displays throughout the church that honor the past of the Oakfield church. We will have an time during the worship service where people are welcome to share memories of their time as a member of the Oakfield church.

I hope you can join us for this service! The scriptures for Sunday are:

• Acts 1:1-11
• Ephesians 1:15-23
• Luke 24:44-53
  

Upcoming Events

It with great excitement that I wanted to highlight events for next Sunday and beyond:

• On May 23, 2010 at Tabor UMC we will be celebrating the dedication of our new church addition. Our 8:45AM service will have a special musical duo performing. We will also have past pastors of the church worshiping with us. Rev. Steve Polster, the Assistant to the Bishop of the Wisconsin Annual Conference will also be joining us. Please stay for grilled brats, hamburgers and hot dogs and an open house!
• On May 23, 2010 at Oakfield UMC we will be welcoming new members to the church.
• On May 28, 2010 we will be having Brent Vernon perform at the Oakfield Church at 7:00PM. Please check our website for details.

Health Care Reform

Back in March, the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America passed a law that significantly changed our health care system. Leading up to this vote and leading up to President Barack Obama's signing of the bill, there was a great deal of controversy and debate on both sides. I realize that a lot of the changes outlined in the bill will not be taking place for awhile. I will admit that I have not really been thinking about the legislation recently.

I was reading an article in the Good News magazine that brought this topic back to my mind. Specifically it dealt with the issue of whether or not the United Methodist Church supported this piece of legislation. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said the following upon the passing of this legislation, "[M]ore than 350 organizations, representing Americans of every age, every background, every part of the country, who have endorsed this legislation. Our coalition ranges from the AARP...to the United Methodist Church."

Really? I realize that not everyone is familiar with our Book of Discipline. As far as I know, no one is allowed to speak on behalf of the United Methodist Church. The General Conference of the United Methodist Church did vote to say health reform was necessary. It did not advocate for any particular piece of legislation. The General Board of Church and Society seemed to phrasing things in a way that promoted the passing of this legislation. As a result this was interpreted by own own Speaker that we endorsed this legislation. Yikes.

It appears a lot of folks were angered by this result. I wish to keep to myself my own views on health care reform. Regardless of those views, I am disappointed that there is an appearance that our denomination took a stand on this issue. You risk alienating a part of your membership when you appear to be taking a stand on such a controversial issue. I hope the committees and agencies of the United Methodist Church are more careful in the future.

Gas Station Reflections

Yesterday, just before lunch, I was walking back from the local Oakfield gas station, BFG. As usually tends to happen when I am on a walk around town, my mind wanders. You see, I was at the gas station for a different purpose than usual. I met a young couple with children that needed help with a tank of gas. They were getting paid the next day and just needed a little bit of help to get them to that paycheck. The churches of Oakfield and Tabor helped them out. I was glad to be able to help out!

While making small talk with this couple, I found out that one of them was involved in a pretty bad accident while playing softball. It left him briefly unconscious and in a lot of pain. Given the stories that I have heard from this couple, I was troubled to hear of this recent story. Hadn't they gone through enough already? Hadn't life already given them enough blows after the last few months? What's the next thing that's going to happen to these people?

In my devotionals, I have read about how we are to react to adversity in our lives. We all face adversity in our lives. This I understand. We aren't supposed to look at it as God being against us or trying to make our lives difficult. God is with us through the adversity of our lives. It is when we overcome adversity that we realize what we are capable of with God's presence in our lives. We are never alone. As a friend told me, "If God brings you to it, He'll bring you through it." But, there are times, when it does seem like too much.

Then I think about this couple. They have faced so much...for so long. I am happy to know that they do attend church, and are looking for a more permanent church home. I am thankful they through all they have gone through, they do not see God as being against them or in their name. Bless them for their faith. I hope I would have the same faith and devotion if I were in the same situation.

It is my hope that they will be able to get back on their feet, with God there every step of the way. Amen.

May 9, 2010 Service Preview

"Jesus said, 'The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and make you remember all that I have told you.'" - John 14:26 (Good News)

The Holy Spirit is difficult to explain. You can't physically see him, but you think you see his influence everywhere. We are told that he resides in all of us, but we may not always know how and when he acts in us...or when he does not act in us. Jesus speaks of the Holy Spirit coming after he leaves the world. He will teach us everything and help us remember. He said this to the disciples, who experienced the Holy Spirit descending upon them and the believers, not too long after Jesus ascended to heaven.

Where is the Holy Spirit today? He's still there, strong as ever. We need only understand what the Holy Spirit does for us and how we sense his presence.

We will also be celebrating both Mother's Day and the Festival of the Christian Home in the hymns that we sing and prayers that we lift up. The Tabor Children's Choir will be singing for the congregation. They will also have gifts to hand out to mothers. There will be baked treats at Oakfield for mothers.

The Bible readings for this Sunday are:

• Acts 16:9-15
• Revelation 21:10, 22-22:5
• Psalm 67
• John 14:23-29

I hope to see you in church!

Fox Cities Half Marathon

While I was out for my morning run yesterday, I realized that it had been some time since I have ran a race. I have run three half marathons while I was living in Oshkosh. I ran the Oshkosh Half Marathon twice and the Fox Cities Half Marathon one time. Yesterday I decided that I would like to even up the number of races that I have run.


On September 19, 2010 at 7:00AM, I will be participating in the Fox Cities Half Marathon. Over the last three weeks, the warmer weather beckoned me outside to start running again. This morning, I completed a six mile run and it felt great! I know that I can be ready for it by September. It is my hope in 2011 to finally run the marathon that I have always wanted to run...but, not yet.



As Weaver gets older and actually allows us to get up at my "normal" time of 6:00AM, and with Christa no longer teaching, I have the opportunity to get up in the morning and run again. I appreciate the peace and tranquility that comes in a morning run. There aren't too many distractions, except for some beautiful country landscapes.

Running clears my mind from distractions and gives me an opportunity to prayer, to ponder a difficult situation or come up with some new ministrey ideas. Between that and some strength training, I look to get to good racing shape by September!

Circles of Support

This afternoon, I will be attending a meeting to learn more information about Circles of Support. They are an organization that helps people make the transition from incarceration to the community. They serve Fond du Lac, Oshkosh, Green Bay, the Fox Valley and surrounding communities.

They recently opened an office in Fond du Lac and I am curious to find out about the role at the faith community can have with this organization.

Once I have a better idea of how we can help out, it is my hope that perhaps the Oakfield and Tabor church can find a way to support Circles of Support. Please check out the link above to find out more information.

Some Changes in the Week

I wanted to write about a few changes in my ministry as a pastor. I have taking Mondays as a Sabbath day for rest and rejuvenation. I have changed this day to Friday. So, this is the first entry that I have written on a Monday in quite some time.

My Office Hour schedule has also changed:

Oakfield

• Mondays & Wednesdays from 10:00AM - Noon
• Thursdays from 1:00 - 3:00 PM
  

Tabor

• Mondays from 1:00 - 3:30 PM
• Thursdays from 9:00 - 11:30 AM

I plan on spending more time at the Tabor church with these additional office hours. I hope to build a stronger connection with the Eden community this way as well.