My friend Chrissy took this photo last summer.  I wish the door to change was always friendly looking and fun like this.  Often in my mind change, is the dark scary cave with spider webs and bone fragments on the floor, or a step off of a 1500 foot cliff.

Isaiah 40:8 The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of God stands forever.

Heavenly Father, I pray that you guide us through the changes that come each day.  Help us to accept that life is change, and yet you are the constant in our lives.  You get us through, help us embrace the changes and thrive.  You are the center point, our rock and our redeemer. 

I pray for our soldiers, especially those overseas and who find themselves in the path of danger.  Protect them and bring them all home safely.  Help them and comfort them.

I pray for children everywhere this summer.  Let this be a time of joy for children everywhere, with lives filled with love and your protection.  May they all have enough to eat and the care they need from all of us. 

I pray for churches.  Help the church to grow, to nurture and teach; to show the love of Christ to each other and to the world!  Amen

This blog site is also going to experience some change in the next couple of weeks.  It will have a new look and the blog will not be the front page.  But embrace the change and enjoy the journey.  Blessings,  Erin

“You never know who God is gonna use, a princess or a baby.  Maybe even me or you.” song lyric by Rich Mullens.

I have a couple of very dear friends who are atheists.  I don’t know why.  Perhaps my purpose is to pray for them, and of course to share my faith with them.   I have attempted on several occasions to discuss faith, God, Jesus, salvation and spiritual awareness with them.  They think I am completely wrong to have faith in something I cannot prove to them.  They don’t understand my faith.  I don’t understand their lack of faith.

One friend was over for dinner this weekend.  His son is dating a lovely young woman who has been raised in the Catholic church and a private parochial school.  She knows her church doctrine, and biblical teachings, as well as the theology she has been taught since she was four. 

My friend wants a wonderful relationship with his son and the girlfriend.  I find they frequently engage in spiritual discussions, and he is listening to her.  She is confident in her delivery when sharing her beliefs.  I love it.  She is able to share thoughts I have not been able to with him.  I believe she is getting through to him.  I am praying for her.  I want her to persuade my friend to give God a chance to transform his heart and his life.  It seems easier for her.  She is not worried that he will think she is simple or stupid.  Does that hold me back?  My friend cares very much about his son and this young woman, so he cares what she has to say.  I don’t know that she is fully aware of this, but she is using it to evangelize.  She is gentle, and loving about sharing her faith.  It is awesome.

I think evangelism has become a really bad word, synomomous with obnoxious, over zealous, “don’t confuse me with the facts”,  my way or the highway, fundamentalist and intollerant thinking.  I will beat you with my bible until you get it and morale improves, kind of thinking.  Terrible things have been done in God’s name or followed by the words, “God wills it!”  I personally want no part of that.

My own conversion was brought about with grace and love.  I am always hoping salvation comes to each of us in a gentle and grace filled way.  I am always believing there is room religion for progressive thought. (Spoken like a true protestant), Luther, Wesley, and Calvin all founded new churches with reform and new thought.

Let us pray today that God will utilize our gifts.  That we let people know we are children of the most high God by our actions, our love and our grace.  If we see someone God is using to do wonderful things for his kingdom, let us pray for them.  You never know who God is going to use, maybe you or me!

Psalm 34:8 “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.”

Sometimes when churches get a person who says, “I can help with …(nursery, youth ministry, hospitality, finance committee, choir…) they plunge into a black hole from which they may never return.  Half a century later they receive an award for 47 years of continuous service with the finance committee.  They may have felt that after a year or two, they wanted to do something else.  Perhaps they were even “called” to do something else, but they were trapped and felt they couldn’t let people down. “Who would take over where they had been?”

Ecclesiastes 3:1 “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.”

It is important to find our place, to find where we want to help out and serve.  It is good to do something we love in service to God.

Listen in your prayers and you will know the season.  Let volunteers follow that nudge in their spirit from God.  There is a rhythm to the seasons of our lives.  Often times we have different things to share and give at different seasons of our lives.  Be willing to make a change.  Pray for your replacement, it could be someone is waiting to be called to take your place and you should not rob them of the opportunity to serve with their best as well.

I spoke about prayer recently at a small neighborhood church in Indian Hills Colorado.  The woman in the photo beside me, is my very dear childhood friend.  She had not been to this church for a number of years as she lives in a different town, but came to hear the talk.  She was looking forward to visiting this church again because it was the place she found God.  I didn’t know that about her and her history with this church.

It was the place I found God also.  I was excited to visit the church where I had met God so many years before, and started my own spiritual journey.

This is the real purpose of neighborhood church.  It is a place where people find God.  It is a place where they can pray.  It is a place to grow in their spiritual walk and to learn about redemption and forgiveness and those really big ideas that Jesus brought for all of us.

The church I attend now is not my parents church, or my grandparents church.  I think it is quite modern.  Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t.  But it suits me well.  It allows me to continue to grow, and to linger in the presence of God.

Church reform and change is not new.  Jesus was Jewish.  There are a lot of rules in the Torah, and in the first five books of the old Testament.  Jesus changed some of the rules.  He ignored some of the old rules.  He grew impatient with those who got really wrapped up in the rules and lost track of the main thing.

The first Church in the book of Acts was in people’s homes, it was small and grew and faced difficulties.  If people in the book of Acts had not invited other people to join in prayer and study, the church would have died in that first 100 years.  Inviting other people to share in the fellowship of the church is absolutely crucial to its  longevity and growth.

The church became more than a few informal prayer gatherings here and there, it became an institution.  The Catholic church was born. 

Then in the 1600’s things changed again.  Martin Luther brought us grace by justification and Protestant religion had a new (but based in Catholicism) set  of rules.  Shortly after the Baptists came into being and then John Wesley brought us Methodism.

Interestingly enough, the Catholics and the Protestants have often been at odds and even at war over the decades.  And yet,  they share the core belief and basis is that Jesus Christ is the son of God, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilot, was crucified, dead and buried.  The third day he rose from the dead, ascended into heaven and from there he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.  Most believe in the Holy Spirit, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, and in life everlasting.  

Whatever we fight over isn’t even the main thing.  Because that creed is the main thing right there.

The modern church will change.  We must invite new people all the time, every week.  We must love one another.  It was the last commandment Jesus gave the disciples at the last supper (a Seder). 

A new generation waits to find God.  Each generation seems fairly certain they want to live their lives without the rules of their fathers.  But they will set their own rules.  Goodness know the Lutheran church has rules just like the Catholic church. 

The important thing is to open your church to be modern.  Love the new seekers coming to visit.  Invite them.  Allow them to be part of the process in bringing your church to this new transition.  God transforms each of us.  We are not the same today as we were yesterday, or twenty years ago.  Be open to change. 

I truly hope to see growth in neighborhood churches.  I personally want to be a catalyst in this area and inspire people to pray for, plan and execute this growth and change. 

1. Pray for your church, hold a prayer vigil. 
2. Start a grass roots marketing plan,  invite people in your neighborhood, have a hour of prayer once a week for a year.
3. Shine your light.  Love the new people that come, embrace change and new ideas.  Open your minds and your church for tremendous new growth.  Find those seekers and let God work.

OK.  You are ready now.  Go do it.  God bless you.

A vigil – from the Latin word vigilia meaning wakefulness.

While in the past 20 years some churches have grown, some are shrinking in size.  All churches especially mid-size and small churches have struggled as folks who were the pillars of the congregations have aged and died off.  Most churches have not had a plan to increase the size of their own church in 100 years.

76 Million people do not attend church.  People are recognizing the spiritual part of their being.  Many are actively seeking a way to grow in spirit.  Know that there are people in your own community looking for a way to find God, to nurture the spiritual part of their lives.

Mega churches have sprung up and several have membership from 12,000 to 20,000.  The percentage of volunteers in those Mega Churches is astounding.

A couple of years ago I spent a week at Willow Creek in South Barrington, IL where they had 22,000 members and over 18,000 were signed up as volunteers in some capacity at the time I was there.  I was blown away at their success and productivity.  I participated in a seminar focused on building up volunteers in churches.  I studied their marketing strategy. Much of what they do will work regardless of the size church you have. 

I also have worked in a marketing firm and served on a large church staff.  But I am a small church person.  So my heart is here and I have been pondering a plan to rebuild the small church community who find themselves with dwindling members and limited finances.

To rebuild your small community or neighborhood church, you will need to get the people together that are on board with the idea of growth.  You may believe everyone wants the church to grow, but it isn’t true.  Growth will represent change and some will go kicking and screaming into change of any kind especially at the church.  But remember the church is God’s house.   It is in our care.  This is our watch.

Organizing and executing a Prayer Vigil is a powerful tool in opening doors and windows of opportunity for your church.  A Prayer Vigil needs to be a 12 hour, or 24 hour time frame of continuous prayer for your church.

You will need a sign up board showing the designated hours of the vigil.  People need to sign up for a one hour period of time where they commit to coming to the church and being in prayer for that one full hour for the church.  They will need to show up a little early, and perhaps stay a few minutes late for the sake of uninterrupted coverage.

People will ask if they can just pray from home, but showing up and being focused at the church keeps those distractions we often experience while at home, at a minimum.  It is easier to pray in the sanctuary at church, especially for this longer period of time.  The short answer is no.  You want people to show up and pray for the allocated period of time, at the church and focused.

It will be helpful to have between 8 and 12 people committed and excited to help make this event happen.  You can do this with less, but see how many you can get.

Logistically speaking, 

• -Divide the prayer vigil time into three or four hour blocks of time, and assign a leader to each block. 
• -In a 12 hour vigil you will have three leaders with four hour blocks of time or four leaders with three hour blocks of time.

Leader support:

• -Each leader should have their own list of the people who have signed up to pray for one hour during their block. 
• -A day or so before, they need to call and check to be sure people are still planning to be there for the hour they signed up for. 
• -Verify you are talking about the same hour and date. 
• -The leader should say they are excited about the prayer vigil and glad this person has signed up for this important time set aside to pray for their church.  People are busy and value should be assigned to people’s time and prayers.

The time block leaders serves a couple of other important functions as well.  We can be a chatty and social bunch in church congregations.  I have seen people show up to pray, and start chatting with someone in the parking lot or talking on their cell phone and an completely loose track of time. They go in to take over from the person who has now been there praying two hours and needed to leave an hour ago.  The leader keeps us on track and focused.

I am all for kids in the service, more so than in the nursery.  But prayer vigil time is quiet and I have also seen two or three moms or grandparents show up and leave several kids each screaming at the top of their lungs, running up and down the hallways or parking lot.  The leader can also take care of these types of situations keeping things quiet and prayerful.

If someone doesn’t remember, or has an emergency and doesn’t come for their hour, the leader can pray in their place as well so the vigil remains continuous prayer.  It is really good to have double coverage.

Planning and setting the day:

Give yourselves a little time to get the event organized and let people know it is happening. A Saturday is best.  Some people will be off work (not everyone), and you can end right before the Sunday Service.  Ending right before the service is a powerful finish for the prayer vigil.  You have a time where your whole group comes back together, and I think this is a very important part. 

If you are doing a 12 hour vigil, you can begin at noon on Saturday, and end at Midnight on Saturday and then it will only be a few hours until the Sunday morning service.  For a 24 hour vigil, you can begin at 8:00 am on Saturday, and will be able to end at 8:00 am on Sunday morning.

I always worry about midnight to 6:00 am coverage on the 24 hour vigils, but somehow teenagers and night owls get it done.  Some people work nights and this is no problem, some just stay up all night anyway especially on the weekends. 

It would create something like jet-lag for me, although I have heard it is a wonderful experience praying in a candle lit sanctuary at 3:00 am, but I may never know.

Prayer Points and Notes:

Have some half size sheets of paper with points and notes about the common interest you have in growing the church.  A few suggestions follow here, but feel free to make your own point and note sheet.

• -Most Holy God, we pray your blessings on this church, help it to grow.
• -Let this church be a place where people find you and nurture their faith.
• -Let people always feel your presence here and speak to our spirits.
• -Let this be a church of service and love.
• -Let this church be a place where people grow in their spiritual walk.
• -Help us to understand what we need to do to bring new people here.
• -Reveal to us the changes we will make so people can find you here.
• -Open the way for us the way to share our faith.
• -We pray that your will is done here, God, not ours, but your will. 
• -This church be Your House, a House of Prayer, and let it grow.
• -Show us how to invite and welcome new people here.
• -How can we be a blessing to the community and the people who are seeking you God?
• -Let us be a people who shine the light and love of the Gospel.
• -Let us be a congregation of grace and love.
• -Reveal to us how we build this church up.
• -Bring peace and understanding to the members of the church.
• -How can we let new seekers see the value in being children of the Living God?
• -If changes come here, help us accept the changes and let them be useful for our spiritual growth.
• -Let us embrace change and call it good.  Allow the change to bring about the best in each of us.
• -Let this church expand it’s membership and it’s mission.
• -Let anyone in our community who has ever thought of visiting here, come and see what this church has to offer now.
• -You showed the world what grace and redemption look like up close, help us to walk in your way and share it with other.
• -Life is growing and changing in all areas.  Help us continue to grow in our spirits.
• -Gracious God, we pray your blessings on this church.  Help us grow and be a blessing.

 With an hour to pray, read each of these and contemplate them.  Make sure bibles are in each pew or seat.  But encourage people to pray and not just sit and read for an hour.

Some people can pray with music going, and some cannot.  If you use music, make sure it is soft and not disruptive.  You can have upbeat, inspiring music at the service tomorrow.  It will be a time of worship and rejoicing.

Be sure to pray together in worship the following morning.  Read Mark 11:22 through 11:25 aloud in church.  Have faith and watch for miracles.  You have just opened the doors of possibility to create something great in your church with God.  You have opened the windows to be a blessing in the community and to expand.  Fear not. Believe and have faith in God.

   Later this week – A Marketing Plan – Step Two in Growth and Rebuilding

Church was the place where people gathered on Sunday in Worship with music and prayers and gratitude in their hearts.  It is the place we are married and buried and hopefully baptized.  Those are important life events

The small community church has been a place we break bread together in the form of Pot Luck, or Hot Dish with meat loaves, jello molded into pyrex bowls with small fruit pieces suspended in the rippling color of the jello.  There were upside down cakes and a variety of puddings, potato salads and mystery casseroles with some type of canned soup featured as the sauce.  We did not go for the  food, although some was very good, some was not.  We could have eaten at home.  We went to be part of a larger thing.  We went to be part of our church family.  It was fun. 

This weekend I visited the church where I found God.  I gave a talk there about Prayer and Shining Your Light.  It got me thinking how we moved every year when I was a kid following my dad’s work as a Crane Operator and community church was the only constant thing in my life.  It was an anchor.  I could show up at the new school as the new kid, but I already knew another person or two at the school from church.

Now the rule was we had to be able to walk to the church in the new town where we moved, because my folks had one car and if my Dad was working, my Mom wanted to be able to get to functions at the church.  It was how we got to know people, became part of a new community and new church family since we were so far from our own family. 

Consequently I have attended a number of churches of different denomination to include Methodist, Church of Christ, Presbyterian, Community Fellowship Christian, Baptist, Mennonite, and I even was the only Protestant child in a Catholic elementary school in Denver in the 1960’s.  They were less than thrilled, but felt God had sent them a heathen to convert and did their best to get me through the conversion process.  Sorry it didn’t work out as they planned.  But this tapestry of doctrines and theologies has made my spiritual life rich and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

They have held bible studies and made lunches for shut-ins.  They have hosted Vacation Bible School and provided food and crafts to children whose family didn’t attend or support the church. Several I have known made hundreds of warm little quilts for babies, and old people in nursing homes each year.  Church people I didn’t even know brought food and 2 quits to my home when my son was born. (We had a church we attended, but there were 4 or 5 other churches in our neighborhood.)  What a kind thing it was.

The small community church is dying right now.  In your neighborhood and mine, the last 3 people are preparing to turn off the light and lock the doors for the last time.  Are we going to let this happen on our watch?

I believe there can be a rebirth of the community church.  I am going to outline three ideas over the next three posts.  These are going to be viewed as controversial and I know not everyone will appreciate my ideas on saving the community church; but here goes.

1. A Prayer Vigil
2. A Marketing Plan
3. Modern and Simple Community Church

Come back tomorrow and we will visit the Prayer Vigil.

John 13:34  A new commandment I give you; Love one another.  As I have loved you, so must you love one another.

Davinci Last Supper

Father God, Let us love each other as you have loved us. Thank you for your grace and the redemption that was brought to us through this sacrafice.

Photo by Michal Marcol

The journey begins.  The week that changed the world as we know it starts today.  It is the journey to the cross. 

Palm Sunday is a celebration.   We look from our perspective today, and 2000 years ago Jesus rode into Jerusalem.   People laid down their cloaks, and palm branches and celebrated the spirit of God made known to us.  We sing songs.  We rejoice.

There was great excitement as Jesus entered the city.  People crowded around and watched and cried out “Hosanna”.  Some understood the Messiah had come without a doubt.  Some had heard rumors, some were curious, some were skeptics.  No one knew that day what would happen in a week. 

It is a different perspective for us today, as we know what is in store. We know there will be trials, betrayal, suffering, pain, and death.  There will be a resurrection.

My friend and teacher Rev. Randy Jessen asks, “Would you lay down your cloak?  What would you lay down?  Would you go back later and retrieve what you had laid down?”   

With joy we come before the most Holy God.  Let us lay down our pain and suffering.  Let us release our anger and heavy burdens.  Let us keep moving forward with you Father God, so that we do not return to retrieve those things we laid down and need to leave behind.  Let us know the spirit of God.  Let us sing new songs to you and celebrate.  The celebration of our blessing of redemption is a week away.  Help us find comfort, truth and grace.  Amen.

I like Lent.  My husband says it appeals to my minimalist side.  It is a time of preparation.  It is a journey of the spirit.

1 Peter 1:13 Therefore, gird your minds for actions, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.  1:14  As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance,  1:15 but like the Holy one who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior.

Father God, help me be holy.  Help me to be as Peter says with my mind ready for action, sober in spirit (steady, reliable) and my hope completely on the grace brought by the revelation of Jesus Christ.  Yes, let me be completely about the grace. 

This is a time of preparation for Easter, for the symbol of sacrifice.  It is a journey to discover the mystery of you and you loved each of us first, even before we loved you.  It is good to travel the path with other seekers of holiness.  It is good to go to Lenten studies and share a humble bowl of soup, to sing, to read and especially to pray. It is good to feel called and loved and be part of the body of Christ.   Thank you God.  Amen.

Photo by Erin

The main thing is to keep the main thing, the main thing.

As Christians we have many examples of what is important in life when we look at the life of Jesus.

He said to be “fishers of men, and cast your nets upon the sea”, “Heal the sick.”, “Have faith, your faith has made you well.”  In Mark Chapter 25 he tells us about the kingdom of heaven. 

Mark 25:34 – 36 Come you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.  For I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me drink; I was a stranger, and you invited me in; naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison, and you came to me.

Grace and compassion for others, is the main thing.  Prayer and keeping our spirits whole is also important.  God will give us the nudge and whisper to our spirits the ways we can be part of the kingdom.  It isn’t always some huge difficult thing.  It is often something simple for us, but can be life changing for the recipient.   Go into the world today.  What do you have to offer? 

God, help us to all find the beautiful gift we each have to share with the world.  Let us touch another life with joy and encouragement.  Let us alleviate human suffering.  Let our love shine for our neighbors.  And let us love you God, with all our hearts and all our souls, and with all our minds. Keep us from loosing track of what is important.  Let us not be distracted with unimportant tasks, gossip, and planning for things outside of our control.  Guide us, be with us.  Amen.