Mondays are for District Assembly Ramblings

I am sitting here at the beautiful cafe and fellowship area at Kokomo Church of the Nazarene watching the Missions Convention on the simulcast. I have my drink from Sonic and I am chilling with some other pastors. Later today I will be giving my first pastor’s report at District Assembly. Tonight we get to ordain some people. Should be a fun day so let’s get on with some ramblings.

Nazarenes Like to Party

Last night at the opening worship service with all the youth who were in town for DA, there was a great spirit. What was especially fun was seeing the generations really worshiping together. The music was loud, the bass was thumping, there was some yelling and lots of clapping (although not in rhythm, there are far too many white people here for that) and everyone seemed to just enjoy being together.

One thing I have always appreciated about Nazarenes is their worship. Even though there are plenty of things that can be lacking from our worship, Nazarenes have always been serious about it. My dad is not an guy who dances around while he worships, but growing up I would often see him raise his hands, or pray out loud, or give a hearty amen during a sermon. He felt free to worship in his own way. Looking around last night it was apparent that people felt free to worship, even if it wasn’t there thing. There were a couple of songs that were really rocking and some of the crowd were just sitting down and taking the whole thing in, but many of the group, especially from the older demographic had hands raised and were offering prayers, thankful to see hundreds of youth worshiping freely.

Guns and Churches Again

Well, one pastor finally went there. This guy is encouraging his congregants to bring guns to worship in a celebration of their second amendment rights. This is not the Sunday to bring your friends! Or it is the ultimate Sunday to bring your friends. What do you even say about that? I can see the church signs out front now.

Got Jesus, Got Guns, We are the Place for Both!

Come this Sunday, Our Pastor is a Pistol!

This Sunday Worship brought to you by Remington!

Gun Safety begins at Church

My Pastor’s Report

Here is the report I am offering on my church this year. We are under strict guidelines about giving only a two minute report. I like this rule. Anyways, here is what DCC will be reporting this year.

Pastor’s Report Duneland Community Church 2009

The heart of our story as Christians is an astounding belief. The heart of our faith is belief in resurrection, that Jesus who died was raised back to life by God the Father. We believe the one thing it is not rational to believe: that which is dead can come back to life again. It is not just the story of our Lord, but it is our story as followers of Jesus. We experience this resurrection in our own lives. We die to self and are raised with Christ that we may live and have life abundantly. Our faith simply cannot exist without resurrection.

So it shouldn’t surprise us when we see our churches experience resurrection as well but it still does. Just as watching every life that is redeemed through being united with Christ in his death and resurrection, it is surprising, joyful, and overwhelming every time we see a church redeemed and saved from the death through the resurrecting presence of God. We at Duneland Community Church know all about God’s ability to bring life out of certain death. The story of our church is sown in a church that was willing to lay down and die that new life could spring forth. In the ten years since there has been moment after moment of resurrection.

After losing a founding pastor, there was resurrection. After a church split there was resurrection. After a reunification there was resurrection. After yet another pastoral transition, uncertainty of sustainability, a vision vacuum and the loss of so many who called this church home, once again there has been resurrection. This shouldn’t surprise us, yet it still does. It still amazes us every moment we get to live inside the perfect moment of resurrection. To see certain death rendered inert by the life giving presence of the Spirit of God is a mystery which could never cease to amaze and inspire.

So we at Duneland Community Church have this to report: Resurrection! We know the resurrection presence of God. We know the reconciliation of members of a family long held apart by brokenness that comes only through God’s grace. We know the return of the Spirit of God, rushing in like a mighty wind to breath life in old bones and to raise up an army of God devoted to his glory. We know what it feels like to see our young men and women prophesy, and our old men and women dreaming dreams and all our people to see visions of what God has for us as his church.

We report that we are still here, and that is an act of God itself. We report that we are not simply hanging on, we are moving forward. We are searching desperately for the heart of God in our community and seeking our place in furthering the Kingdom of God here. We report that Jesus’ promise that he would build a church that the gates of hell could never overcome because it is a church of resurrection is still true. The forces of evil can only threaten death but God can and does promise and deliver resurrection. So we gather here to celebrate and to proclaim the truth of our faith that we all already know. God is still in the resurrection business and we are here as a testimony that business is good.