Heaven breaking into earth--Kingdom moments in 2018

One of the purposes of my life is to help bring in the Kingdom. The Kingdom is a realm, a space, an experience where everything for a moment is right.  Heaven breaking into earth.  On this last day of 2018 let me share three moments when I experienced the Kingdom in 2018.  My hope for everyone reading this blog is you will have many moments yourself of experiencing the Kingdom in 2019.

One was on our family trip this past July.  My parents, sister’s family and us decided to go to Ely.  We were able to rent a cabin on a beautiful lake.  On the first night Amy and I went canoeing.  The experience we had is one that calls many to go north in the summer.  We started paddling and stopped talking.  The silence was beautiful. The sound of the paddle in the water was all that we needed to sustain us.  Soon we saw a loon—that beautiful bird that Minnesotans have identified as our own.  The bird that very slowly takes off from the water in an angle that is closer to 180 than 90.  The loon issued its call.  It’s a call that will stop a conversation between people.  The conversation will stop because something feels right about the world when that sound is heard.  Amy and I took our paddles and placed them on our lap.  We listened.  That’s all that is needed when something so majestic is around us. 

Sitting in a canoe on a beautiful July evening watching a loon with silence calling us.  This is heaven breaking into earth--the Kingdom.

A second is a series of moments that took place over time at Chain of Lakes. This past February the Building Team at Chain of Lakes was commissioned.  The Team was asked to develop plans for a first phase building.  As Presbyterians we naturally started brainstorming different types of community partnerships that could be established in the creation of a building that would address needs in the community.  Day Care, Pre School, maybe even a gym.  I volunteered to be part of a sub-group who would examine the possibility of building a gym. 

Our sub-group contacted the Blaine Basketball Association.  We asked them if a need existed for gym space.  Was there a need?  They shared that if we would build a high-school sized gym that it could be rented every night of the week from September through March.  Chain of Lakes could have thousands of people coming into our facility. 

We never would have imagined this.

Over time the Building Team embraced the concept of building a gym as part of the first building.  The Building Team told the Session of Chain of Lakes.  The Session embraced it.  The Session shared this idea with the congregation.  The congregation embraced it.  And over a period of six months Chain of Lakes was united on the concept of our first building.

I’m not surprised because building a gym makes so much sense.  But I’m surprised because reaching a place of unity is never easy.  It’s delightful to get to a place where a group of people can look at each other and say, “We agree on this.”  This realization didn’t happen in one particular moment.  This unity happened among a series of moments that “magically” seemed to be directed by an outside force.  I can’t prove that an outside force was directing these moments,  of course, but the ultimate landing place is so improbably and so delightful that I can only conclude that something was directing us.  This is heaven breaking into earth—the Kingdom.   

And a third moment was when Hannah passed her Driver’s Test in September.  She hadn’t been able to pass her Driver’s Test.  I didn’t doubt her ability to drive a car safely, but it didn’t matter what I thought.  The State of Minnesota made if very hard to even get a Driver’s Test.  As I tried to sign her up for a test in August I discovered there weren’t any openings for three months.  We even looked at driving to a faraway Minnesota town, staying overnight, and taking a test.  A three month backlog for a Driver’s Test? That is a system that needs changing.

One day in September I drove over to the Arden Hills Driving Test with hopes that I might be able to set up a test for Hannah.  When I got there I realized I was too late.  The door was locked.  I saw a flyer on the door and looked at it with hopes that it would have some information.  As I was doing this a car drove up.  A voice beckoned from the car, “Can I help you?” I walked up to the car saying that I was trying to set up a driver’s test for my daughter.  I told the man that I couldn’t get a test for a month.  “I tell you what,” the man said.  Come on Friday and ask for Mark and you can get in.”

Ask for Mark and I can get in?  After going on-line and not finding a test for three months?  After far-away places around the state and considering a road trip?

“Ask for Mark and you can get in.”

I called Hannah and told her the news.  We came on Friday and asked for Mark.  She got in right away.  She took the test.  And, of course, she passed.  For some back-up help I asked for prayer support from a small group of mine while she took the test.  And the date was Amy’s birthday

I couldn’t have planned or even anticipated that this would happen in such a way on this date.  This is Heaven breaking into the earth—the Kingdom. 

I experienced these moments, but they aren’t mine.  I believe they come from God who sustains us and who promises that these moments will continue to happen.

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The Unchurching of America

Yesterday Jean Hopfensperger completed a series in the Star Tribune called “the unchurching of America.” This is the final article of four she ended up writing.

The first was about how a way of life is finishing as churches close and denominations fade away http://www.startribune.com/as-minnesota-churches-close-a-way-of-life-fades/486037461/. 

She wrote about the burden on local churches with fewer pastors http://www.startribune.com/fewer-men-and-women-are-entering-the-seminary/490381681/

And she wrote about the growing segment in American culture that profess “none” as their religion.  http://www.startribune.com/fastest-growing-religion-in-minnesota-the-nation-is-none/498664191/

I wrote responses to in my own blog.

In July I wrote this: https://chainlink-chainoflakesncd.blogspot.com/2018/07/the-unchurching-of-america.html

In September I wrote this: https://chainlink-chainoflakesncd.blogspot.com/2018/09/who-gets-to-write-this-stuff-responding.html

Last month I wrote this: https://chainlink-chainoflakesncd.blogspot.com/2018/11/the-unchurching-of-america.html

Yesterday Hopfensperger wrote about how no one model fits churches as they take their message to this culture of the growing “nones.” She shared examples of different types and styles of ministry. She wrote about a new church called “New City” a new congregation founded led by Rev. Tyler Sit.  According to their web site New City is dedicated to environmental justice.  It took me some searching on their web site to discover that they are a United Methodist congregation.  She also wrote about a Liberian congregation in Brooklyn Park and the mega-mega church in the north Metro called Eagle Brook.

One quote from Hopfensperger's article that resonated with me was by Scott Thumman, director of the Hartford Institute for Religion Research who said, “The model that fits with modern society are malls are boutiques. There will be very large churches and smaller niche churches.  Dinner church.  Bluegrass church.  Pop-up church.  We’ll have a greater variety of styles.”

This is the reality of the religious landscape in Blaine.  Here we have the mammoth Eagle Brook who is the large mall.  The rest of us fit in the boutique category.  We have a new church just starting down the road who is committed to starting new congregations. We have a Catholic church and two main-line churches (Lutheran and Methodist), and then we have all sorts of “flavors” of church.

For now Chain of Lakes Church—the congregation I serve—fits the boutique.  We were started using an old model of starting church—the parachute drop.  Parachute the pastor into a new area, who will gather the denominational adherents and then start a church.  With only seven families who came to the first meeting on my first day, this model revealed its flaws.

But since then Chain of Lakes has constantly improvised to learn how we can find our niche in the community.  We’ve become known as the church who will help homeless youth.  Despite our young age Chain of Lakes has received awards for our ministry with homeless youth.  Just recently we started a musical theatre ministry called “Common Good Theatre.” We believe that youth and kids will want to be involved in theatre, even if it’s being led by a church.  As Chain of Lakes moves closer to building a gym in a first-phase building, we will have more recreational ministries.    

As my coach, Tom Bandy, has often told me, “go find what is missing in the community and then create a ministry that meets that need.  And then go do that ministry very well.” 

I have conversations all the time with people who have hard questions about God and church.  They might have had a bad experience in their own faith journey that has caused them to question the need for faith.  A person can just open the newspaper and read about how the Catholic church protected priests who abused children.  No one wants that.  In these conversations I do the best I can to encourage these hard congregations.  Then I share that our congregation (though certainly not perfect) takes the safety of children extraordinarily seriously.  “Check us out and see for yourself,” I’ll say.  Some do; some don’t.

Church leaders who haven’t developed “the mall” will continue to have to wrestle with their own niche in the community.  Finding this niche can work and it can work in an extraordinary way.  Though it takes plenty of starts and stops and changing and adapting.  One of the mantras I share often at Chain of Lakes is “we’re masters at Plan B.”

The good news is that inside almost every human is knowledge that there is something out “there.” Most know at some level that what we see on this earth is not the end.  There’s a force or goodness or “something” out there that wants to connect to us.  It’s the spiritual quest.  Even though the church is struggling that spiritual quest hasn’t changed.

So even though Hopfensperger is right that the unchurching of America exists, church leaders who can respond to these spiritual questions can design faith communities that work.  We can’t just open up the denominational hub and expect the adherents to come.  We must be aware of the needs in the community and then create ministries and experiences from a faith-based perspective that meet them.  Those who do this well will succeed.

Feeling Stressed? Take the Advent pledge

Andy Williams was right in that this is the most wonderful time of the year.  It's also the most stressful. Whether you call this the Advent season, the Christmas shopping season, dealing with family season or “root for the Vikings” season, this time period presents plenty of challenges.   

Statistics bear this out.  According to a survey by the American Psychological Association, 38 percent of people said their stress level increases during the holidays.  The Principal Financial Group, revealed that 53 percent of people feel financially stressed.  In my research for this blog I discovered that there is an active debate about how many pounds the average person gains between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Without going too deep into that I think we can agree that the potential for weight gain exists. 

Jesus didn’t come into the world so people grow in stress, financial debt, and weight.

In the sermon I shared yesterday at Chain of Lakes Church I encouraged people to take the Advent pledge.  Everyone present took the pledge.  Let me share this Advent pledge as one way to stay centered during this (wonderful) (stressful) time of year.  If you’d like to watch the entire sermon go to the Chain of Lakes Vimeo page at: https://vimeo.com/chainoflakes

Advent Pledge

I will live complaint-free for the rest of Advent

I will bear with people who push my buttons

I will not lose my cool in an aggressive or passive-aggressive way

I will always take the high road

Are you willing to take the pledge?
Share your thoughts in the comments section or on my Facebook page.

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A New Social Network--Parties for the Homeless

I’m guessing that I’m like most preachers in that Advent is one the hardest seasons to share a sermon.  The story of the birth of Jesus is one of the greatest stories that humans have been given.  Every time I peer into this story I’m touched that God would choose to enter the world in such a way. The setting wasn't one into which I would imagine the future Messiah would be born.  Assuming Luke and Matthew have it right, there were no other adults present when Jesus was born.  Mary was a teenager and not married.  Joseph had planned to divorce her before an angel showed up and told him to get married.  The two had walked about a hundred miles from Nazareth to Bethlehem.  They did this so Cesar and the invading Roman government could received a tax.  After Jesus was born he was placed in a manger or a feed trough. 

This was messy—and Jesus was born into the mess. 

The Advent question I always ask is what is going to change because the world has celebrated the birth of Jesus.  Will the lives of the followers of Jesus look more like the life that God calls us?  Will our spirits look more like the Fruit of the Spirit?  Will we be filled and grow in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control?  Will the world look more like the Kingdom that God envisions?  Will there be fewer homeless people, will the poverty rate decrease, will nations give up their weapons, will there be fewer incidents of violence against women?

Okay I get it.  My expectations for the season are high.  And I’ve lived enough of these seasons to know that for much of the time the answer to the above questions is “no.”  Or even worse, the answer is an indifferent, “huh?”  Once Thanksgiving is done many are catapulted into the busiest and most stressful time of the year.  It’s doesn’t help that it is dark and cold.  Most of the time crossing off all that needs to be done on the “to-do” list makes the season a success.  Just making it through Christmas without adding too much more to our credit card debt or adding to our waist line or having a family fight makes the season a success.

But I still have hope.  And I still preach sermons with hope.

Yesterday at Chain of Lakes Church I started a new Advent sermon series called, “The Ultimate Social Network.” The sermon can be viewed at the following link: https://vimeo.com/304128199?fbclid=IwAR2IyYzCKWzJj6Vqpu7t3LCr_oqb19zNHhrPHX8PbkFpcNtJUYfzq9cSU  
In the sermon I shared that as soon as Jesus was born people started to be networked to him.  What’s most amazing to me is the first people who visited Jesus were the shepherds.  Living outdoors, a shepherd will go for extended periods of time without sleeping under a roof.  Watching the sheep, a shepherd will have to risk safety to repel an invader.  Making quick decisions, a shepherd will have to decide whether to risk the safety of the flock to go find a sheep who has gone astray.

           

In sharing the message of the birth of Jesus first with the shepherds I think we learn about the character of God.  There’s a morality to what God was doing. It is as if God was saying, “I have a special place in my heart for those who don’t have a roof over my head.  I have a special place in my heart for those who are vulnerable.  I have a special place in my heart for those who are struggling.  I chose to make my announcement to the shepherds.

Thousands of years later we know about these shepherds.  This is networking on the highest level.  That is the networking that God can do. 

I closed the sermon with a challenge which I’m encouraging you as a reader to accept.  I’m asking people to give $15 to HOPE 4 Youth for every Christmas party they attend before the end of the end of 2018.  The challenge is simple, but could make an impact on the lives of homeless youth in Anoka county.  I’ve started a Facebook page called, “Parties for the homeless.” If you have a moment, consider liking the page.  The link is here: https://www.facebook.com/Parties-for-the-Homeless-535340900314773/?modal=admin_todo_tour

Would you take the challenge?

I have no idea how much money could be raised for homeless youth in Anoka County. And to be honest, this was a spur-of-the-moment idea that came to me.  It would have been better if I had this idea two months ago and had more time to think through how to set this up.  But I’m willing to give the idea a try.  This preacher is always looking for new ways to share and live out the Christmas story.  This new social network could help change the world!

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A tribute to my mom as she celebrates her eighth decade

This past Friday evening my family gathered at the Hubbell House in Mantorville, MN to celebrate my mom’s 80^th birthday.  The date of her birthday is in January.  She’ll be in Arizona with my dad then, so my family celebrated her birthday early.

I can’t help but share some of her story as she closes in on completing the eighth decade of life.  Here’s to you Jackie (Jacqueline) Ann Moore! 

She grew up on a small dairy farm outside of Mantorville.  As a child she walked about a mile or so to a one-room school house.  She’s the oldest of three.  She was surrounded by family on both her mom and dad’s side.

She met my dad at Mankato State, got her degree in elementary education, got married and began her life as an elementary teacher in Paullina, Iowa.  Female teachers couldn’t teach while being pregnant (someone explain the logic of that), so she stayed home to be with Pam, my younger sister, and me.

My dad took a teaching job at the Junior College in Worthington, so my family moved there.  Her life revolved around faith, family, friends, and the community.  It was a good life.

The two of them decided to move to Kansas City as my dad took a sabbatical in the early 1970s to help out Cross-Lines, a social service agency in the inner-city.  One of her many tasks was to be in charge of an emergency food shelf.  I remember driving with her to take food to people living in what we called, “the projects.”  She was a long way from the rural life of Mantorville. 

She went back to school when we came back from Kansas City to get more education.  She taught children with learning disabilities in the Worthington School District until she retired.

I’ve said often that the best way to be a parent is to have a strong marriage.  She has successfully traveled that journey with love for my dad for the past 57 years.  I don’t remember seeing my parents arguing until I was in college.  Their marriage was like the quality of the prairie grass—deep-rooted, strong, and connected.

As a parent I never questioned her love for me.  If someone had asked me as a child if my mom loved me I wouldn’t have understood the question.  I didn’t know it was possible for a parent not to love their children.  She gave my sister and I the freedom to be ourselves.  When we expressed interest in something she and my dad would do all they could to help us be successful.   

And she showed up.  I can’t remember her or my dad ever missing a music concert, sporting event or any other ceremony that involved my sister and me.

Her parenting touch naturally moved into her being a grandparent.  This past Friday her grandchildren shared stories of “Grandma camp.”  Every year for a number of years she and my dad would take their four grandkids and go on an adventure.  On Friday we heard stories of adventures to the headwaters of the Mississippi River, going to the zoo in Omaha, traveling to Missouri to visit a college, and camping in the backyard of their home. 

If I was limited to one word to describe my mom that word would be “determined.”  That quality came out in a family story that I’ve shared often.  A local builder wanted to put apartments in the neighborhood where my family lived.  Since our neighborhood was filled with kids my mom was concerned about the amount of traffic that would ensue.  She went by herself to talk to the City Council about her concerns.  I remember her coming home from that meeting.  “I don’t think I made any friends tonight,” she said.  She had told the men on the City Council what she thought.  The editor of the local newspaper didn’t like that she was questioning what was happening.  She and my dad owned apartments in another part of town.  The headline of the paper read something like, “apartment owner questioned apartments.”  The patriarchy of the town wasn’t pleased with this determined woman—my mom. 

Her example of determination far outlasted the response of the men of Worthington.

I know I can speak for my sister in saying it’s a privilege to have you as our mom, Jaqueline Ann Moore.  We love you!  Thanks for being everything that two children would ever need!

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Making an Impact on Vulnerable Youth through School Partnerships

In this season of thanks allow me to give thanks for the partnerships that Chain of Lakes has developed with three schools in the Anoka-Hennepin School District.  Those schools are Blaine High School, Anoka Regional High School, and Anoka Technical School.  I’m especially thankful this week because Chain of Lakes was recognized for our partnership with Blaine High School this past Monday at a ceremony at the Anoka-Hennepin District office. A video of the ceremony is here: https://www.facebook.com/chainoflakeschurch/?ref=bookmarks.  Check the video tab on the page to find the video.

These partnerships come out of some core principles that the Local Mission Team at Chain of Lakes has established.  These principles are: 1) We want to help vulnerable youth; 2) We do this through relationships with people, partners, who are in direct contact with vulnerable youth; 3) We listen  closely to the needs that the partners tell us exist; We respond to these identified needs in a exceedingly generous way.

The Local Mission Team of Chain of Lakes has gone out of our way to build relationships and a partnership with a staff person at each of these three high schools. We try to meet with that staff person at least once every sixty days. When we meet with them we ask repeatedly—what are the needs that you are seeing, and how can we help.

The mistake that churches can sometimes make in a partnership is the church wants to establish the needs.  People in the church might have an idea for something that we think would help.  But because that idea might not be meeting a need, that idea—which can lead to a lot of passion—ultimately might not make an impact.

Chain of Lakes Church has developed a separate tab on our web site that shares the specifics of what our congregation has done over the past five years in these partnerships. Looking at this web page makes my heart fill with joy. The site is here: http://www.colpres.org/homeless-youth/

The relationship between Chain of Lakes Church and Blaine High School is the longest relationship that Chain of Lakes has.  It started with a phone call to Robin Burge-Ross who at the time was the Social Worker at the school. We asked how we could help. She said she had a huge need for Christmas gift baskets for youth in the school. We said we would get to work.  Ultimately the people of Chain of Lakes provided a large number of Christmas gift baskets. A partnership was developed. We started meeting with Robin about every month. Trust was developed. From that trust everyone’s imaginations took hold. 

In these conversations we talked about having a Box City where youth from Blaine High School would experience homelessness. The students would sleep in a box on the tennis courts and then go to school the next day. Chain of Lakes would provide the boxes, the porta potty, adult volunteers, and find speakers for a program. An organizing team made up of reps from the Outdoor Adventure Club from the school and folks from Chain of Lakes was developed.  We have grown to trust each other.  Box City has developed where the team organizing the event only met three or four times in organizing this past year's event.  I didn’t attend a meeting. The event was the best ever. The Blaine High School choir took a collection for HOPE 4 Youth during their concert that took place on the night of Box City. They collected $5,000.

Some might wonder if a partnership between a church and a school violates the Establishment Clause of the Constitution.  Our partnerships do not. The primary purpose of the partnership is not to bring youth or adults to Christ or to Chain of Lakes. We don’t talk about our faith unless we are asked.  We don't hide from our faith and have had people connect to Chain of Lakes.  The connection was initiated by the person who came.  Ultimately we believe through our actions we are sharing the heart of Jesus.  We're sharing ourselves in a non-imposing way.

The partnership between Chain of Lakes and Anoka Regional High School and Anoka Technical High School are the same way. The people of the Local Mission Team have developed a relationship with the Social worker of each school. We try to meet with that person at least once every sixty days. When we meet with them we always ask the question, “How can we help?”

Some might wonder how Chain of Lakes can support three partnerships while also helping HOPE 4 Youth. Chain of Lakes was awarded the faith partner of the year award by HOPE 4 Youth in 2017. For me it comes back to the generous heart of the people of Chain of Lakes. The people of Chain of Lakes want to make an impact.  We've developed a "whatever it takes attitude" in overcoming the inevitable obstacles that develop.  We publicize the needs of each of the three schools on consecutive months.  Then we make the case to the people of Chain of Lakes about why their support is so important. The people have always responded.  

If someone asks me if Chain of Lakes is doing “too much,” I gently respond with, “it’s not possible to help a vulnerable youth(s) too much."  When we ask for food or money from the people at Chain of Lakes we always say that people have the freedom to make their own decisions. 

And frankly if we error, I’d rather that we error on the side of giving too much compared to too little.

In this season of Thanksgiving, I want to encourage all churches to develop a partnership with a school. The rewards are so high and the impact on a vulnerable youth is immeasurable.

The Unchurching of America

Yesterday the Star Tribune continued its occasional series called, “The Unchurching of America.” Jean Hoffensperger wrote an article about the religious “Nones.” These are people who don’t belong to any religion.  They don’t believe in God or don’t believe in the church or are not connected to a church.  Hoffensperger wrote that “the share of adults who identify as “none” has more than doubled since the 1990s—to 56 million and climbing.” The article can be read here: http://www.startribune.com/fastest-growing-religion-in-minnesota-the-nation-is-none/498664191/  

Like other articles in this series, it has prompted plenty of comments.  As I write this blog, 595 people have shared some sort of comment on the Star Tribune web site. 

Jean Hoffensperger is certainly doing a service to religious people by writing this series. I responded to her first article written this past July in this blog, https://chainlink-chainoflakesncd.blogspot.com/2018/07/the-unchurching-of-america.html  I do quibble with the headline of the article (“Fastest Growing Religion is ‘None”) as by definition someone not attached to a religion cannot be defined as part of a religion.  

Religious leaders like me must address the issues that Hoffernsperger has written about in this series.  As someone who helped lead the redevelopment of one Presbyterian church and has helped lead the start of a new Presbyterian church practically from scratch, I live and breathe these issues.   The reality of religious “Nones” is not new to those of us in religious leadership.  The challenge is how to connect to this group of people from a faith-based perspective. 

Despite the rise of religious “Nones” good news does exist.  The good news is that God has not changed, the message of Jesus hasn’t changed, and I would even argue that the spiritual quest for “something out there” has not changed.  By definition most humans are searching for something. 

In the article Hoffensperger shared vignettes about four people who are part of the religious “Nones.” In reading their stories, I came to see that none of them shared that “something out there” doesn’t exist. All of them had some sort of experience in church. Each of them could be described as spiritual, but not religious. 

On my Facebook page last Sunday I shared six critiques of the church by young people not affiliated with a church that David Kinnaman identified in his book “Unchristian.”  Those critiques from “un-churched” young people were the church is 1) Antihomosexual; 2) Judgmental; 3) Hypocritical; 4) Old-fashioned; 5) Too involved in politics; 6) Out of touch with reality.  A robust debate broke out on my Facebook page when I lifted up these critiques.  I’m guessing that the four persons highlighted in Hoffensperger’s article would identify with these six.

Put overly simply, one way for congregations to connect with people is not to reflect these six  critiques that Kinnaman identified. 

Another way to respond is for local congregations to work hard at adapting.  This past Saturday the leaders of Chain of Lakes Church, the community I serve, spent most of the day making plans for the upcoming year.  We spent significant time vigorously talking about how to connect with the wider community.  We’ve already decided that most of our first-phase building will be a high-school sized gym.  We plan on breaking ground in March 2020.  The plans we developed this past Saturday for reaching the community in 2019 were innovative.  I wouldn’t have dreamed them up myself.  .

Congregations have done a terrible job of adapting our message to the changing attitudes of the wider culture.  Recently I walked into a congregation where I spent a lot of time in my youth.  That building was almost the same as it was 30 years ago. The music was played on the same organ; the hymn book was practically the same. The pews were the same as they were 50 years ago.  The sanctuary has stayed the same while the culture has changed dramatically.

Businesses have always understood the importance of adaptation. While on the Star Tribune web site this morning, I read an article about Toyota & Pizza Hut collaborating on a pick-up truck that would cook pizza while the pizza is being delivered.  The link is here: http://www.startribune.com/toyota-to-help-pizza-hut-cook-on-the-run/499992021/  The idea sounds a bit “out there” to me, but these businesses have identified the need to adapt.

I also believe that part of the frustration among the religious “Nones” is the perception that the Catholic Church did not adequately respond to the sexual abuse crisis.  I attend a small group of lay people from my wife’s Catholic church.  This group repeatedly shares frustration about the Catholic Church’s unwillingness to change.  Too much power was placed with too few people.  This group wants to see change within the church they love.  They are frustrated by the lack of options for change that they perceive they have. 

The Pew Research Study recently did a study of people who attend church.  They essentially asked what they wanted from church.  They responded that they attended church 1) to become closer to God; 2) so children would have moral foundation; 3) to be a better person; 4) for comfort in times of crisis.

I believe that local congregations can do these four.  However our methods of doing them have to change.  And until congregations are willing to adapt in a compassionate way to the needs of the wider culture, the religious "Nones" will continue to grow.

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The hate u give or resist

America needs a movement that resists hate. 

I’m thankful that this past weekend no one was killed while worshiping in a synagogue, and no one received a pipe bomb in the mail. Despite this respite I doubt that many believe that these acts of hate won’t happen again.

I spent the weekend watching “The Hate U Give” at a movie theater in Mounds View, attending the Tina Smith/Karin Housley debate at the Fitzgerald Theater and preaching how the purpose of the church is to develop 2G disciples.

The movie was intense and instructive. Starr Carter, brilliantly played by Amandla Stenberg, was a 16 year old girl growing up in a poor African American neighborhood called Garden Heights.  The neighborhood reminded me of the South Side of Chicago where I lived and organized for a brief time and visited on a recent trip.  Starr attended an affluent, predominantly white private school, Williamson Prep. While traveling in a car with a long-time friend, Khalil, the police pulled over the car. What eventually happened was no surprise. The white police officer told Khalil to get out of the car. The police office eventually shot and killed Khalil as Khalil reached into the car to get a hair brush.

The rest of the movie showed how Starr’ family, the people of Garden Heights, the criminal justice system and the whites attending Williamson Prep responded to the killing.  This was a more than a “white officer kills unarmed black man in a traffic stop, so let’s beat up on the police and change the criminal justice system” story.  One of the best parts of the movie was when Starr’s uncle, an African American police officer, shared with Starr how the officer could come to the decision to fire the fatal shots.  Another plot line of how a gang and its leader controlled the neighborhood revealed how drugs and money suppressed the people of Garden Heights. Hate was a central character in the movie.  Not surprisingly it was put at bay at the end of the movie, but no one naively would think that it wouldn’t come out of the shadows again.

The debate between Smith and Housley was conducted civilly and mostly without rancor.  People wanting to know where each stood on the issues got their wish.   Both candidates couldn’t help touch on the canards that their political parties have encouraged them to share. Smith shared that Housley’s views on health care wouldn’t help people with pre-existing conditions; Housley let slip that Smith favored open borders.  Fortunately these “gotcha points” were only shared at the edges of the debate.

As the people of the United States prepare to vote, I’m guessing most will be glad that the election will soon be over. We can go back to watching commercials that sell products and not create ugly stereotypes about people/political candidates.  If asked, what percentage of Americans would want another month of political commercials?  I'm guessing less than one in ten.  I’m all for free speech, but I don’t think the authors of the 1^st Amendment could imagine such repetitive vitriol.  I’m waiting for leaders to develop a system of campaigning that leaves the country in a better place.

Which brings me back to the premise of this blog—that America needs a movement against hate. Time magazine printed a cover called “Beyond Hate” and seven articles that shared important perspectives on moving beyond hate.  I read every article.  Nancy Gibbs wrote an article that resonated with me the most.  http://time.com/5441420/gibbs-beyond-hate/ The whole piece is worth reading.  The following five sentences articulated her view:

“We’re having a master class on hate because we’ve no choice; it has moved from the part of our character we work hardest to suppress to the part we can least afford to ignore.  Hate slipped its bonds and runs loose, through our politics, platforms, press, private encounters.  And the further it travels, the stronger it grows.  People unaccustomed to despising anyone ever, find themselves so frightened or appalled by what they see across the divide that they are prepared to fight it hand to hand.  Calls for civility are scorned as weak, a form of unilateral disarmament.”

A week ago yesterday I shared in a sermon the difference between being a friend and being part of a tribe. (The sermon can be viewed at: https://vimeo.com/297704833)  I defined a tribe as a commitment to an idea that is more important than anything else. The relationship to others in the tribe is based on a view and not a complete relationships.  Tribes become scary when they attack (often with hate) those who disagree with the views.    

I don’t know what a movement that resists hate looks like—but America is ready for one.

Box City

This past Thursday evening, October 25, Chain of Lakes Church and Blaine High School partnered to share Box City.  Box City is an event where students and adults from Blaine High School and Chain of Lakes sleep in boxes on the Blaine Tennis courts.  The purpose of the event is to simulate for participants what it must be like to be homeless.  Participants sleep in a box on Thursday night and then go to school or work on Friday—just as a youth who is homeless would have to do.

Helping and preventing youth homelessness is the heart-burst issue at Chain of Lakes. Box City is one of the many ways that the people at Chain of Lakes help.  Ultimately our congregation wants to be part of a movement to end youth homelessness.  

We work to end youth homeless through partnerships.  Chain of Lakes has a partnership with three high schools, Blaine High School, Anoka Regional High School, and Anoka Technical High.  We were just recently approached to have a partnership with another school whose mission is to educate homeless youth.  These partnerships start by developing a relationship with the Social Worker(s) or other staff at the school.  We ask one basic question—“How can we help?” The roles in the partnership are simple. People from the school identify the needs; the people from Chain of Lakes response to the needs. In these partnership meetings I have said multiple times that the role of the people of Chain of Lakes is not to guess at what the needs are. The schools can tell us the needs. The role of the people at Chain of Lakes is to respond with effectively to the needs.

Chain of Lakes has also partnered with HOPE 4 Youth in multiple ways, ever since HOPE 4 Youth was started. That partnership goes beyond what I can share in a short blog posting.  Chain of Lakes was presented with the Faith partner of the year by HOPE 4 Youth in 2017.

This is the fifth year that Box City has taken place. The people from Chain of Lakes partner with leaders from the Outdoor Adventure Club of Blaine High School.  We’ve worked together for so long that we only need two or three meetings to organize the event. This year I didn’t even attend the planning meetings.

But I wouldn’t miss participating in Box City. I need to be reminded what it’s like to be homeless.

It was inspiring to have a group of ten people from Chain of Lakes participate in Box City and to have my daughter, Hannah, participate.

Box City started with a program in the media center of the high school. Two youth who live at HOPE place spoke. HOPE place is the only residential facility for homeless youth in Anoka County. It’s run by HOPE 4 Youth. Beau Fields was one of the speakers. Beau participates in Chain of Lakes. He was baptized at Chain of Lakes in June 2017 and comes to worship almost every Sunday.

One highlight this year was a presentation by Richard Bahr. He cofounded Threshold to New Life https://threshold2newlife.org/ and also recently authored a book, “Those People.”  https://www.amazon.com/Those-People-True-Character-Homeless/dp/0990807398

In this presentation he talked about the views that many people have about the homeless. He shared a story of how one person is homeless because he shares all his money with his daughter.  Wow!  His presentation really was a call to look at a homeless person with compassion and not judgment. He challenged everyone to work through the inevitable stereotypes about a homeless person and to try to learn with compassion the story of a homeless person.

After the program it was time to go to the tennis courts. When we got to the tennis courts most people built their “home” for the night by setting up their boxes. Some of the students were very creative in putting their boxes together. They created a village of boxes. I put two boxes together and placed them by a fence. It took me a while to put my “stuff” into the box. The slight rain didn’t help.  Fortunately this year it wasn’t cold this year.

As part of Box City people from Chain of Lakes came around with peanut butter sandwiches. Nothing flashy, but helpful. Many of us spent much of the evening standing around burn barrels that were set up and talking.  

At 10:00 I went into my box. Fortunately I had a pad that another person from Chain of Lakes loaned to me. I covered myself in blankets and tried to sleep. Not easy to do. Even with my mat the ground was very hard. I woke up freezing at 1:30.  Eventually I was able to move some of my “stuff” so that I could stay warm for the night. I woke up at 5:30.  Most of the youth awoke at 6, and we cleaned up the tennis courts.

The youth participating in Box City are fabulous. In five years I can’t remember ever hearing a complaint about sleeping in a box. The way that the youth help each other and want to help is inspiring.

In his presentation Richard Bahr shared how physically demanding it is for a person to be homeless. I could relate to this in sleeping in a box for one night. The experience gave me once again a lens to view the world from a homeless person’s perspective. I take so much for granted by sleeping in a comfortable bed every night.  It is a privilege to sleep in a box and be reminded for a short time what life is like for a homeless person.

Enjoy a short video that Channel 5 News did on Box City
https://kstp.com/news/minnesota-moment-sleepout-in-blaine-raises-money-for-homeless-youth/5122856/?fbclid=IwAR1D_ELaGKfKYc0LYo11KFH1GA20NztYmPuK6dWb2cTLBc6KsgS4onN-rLY#.W9MryrnDmCs.facebook

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Visiting Chicago and Willow Creek

Yesterday at the end of our MEA trip to Chicago, Amy, Hannah and I attended worship at Willow Creek. Their main campus in South Barrington is right off of I-94, and on the way back to the Twin Cities.  I’ve never been to Willow Creek, so away we went. I’ve read some of the books of their founding pastor, Bill Hybels, and have attended their Global Summit.

The three of us spent four days enjoying Chicago. We did what out-of-town tourists do in the Windy City. We ate deep dish pizza, went to the Art Institute of Chicago, walked around Millennium Park, and saw a show at the Paramount Theatre in Aurora. A family friend of Amy’s was in the show. The theatre was delightful and the quality of the show was high. I went for a run with Hannah in the neighborhood near where we stayed. The three of us walked around Navy Pier, drove around the neighborhood on the South Side where I used to organize for ACORN, went to the top of what’s now called the Willis Tower, and ended our trip by going to Willow Creek.

Allow me one rant about visiting Chicago. Tolls! Eliminate them! I’m guessing that we stopped at least twenty times over four days paying tools. What good is that? Tolls tie up traffic and are not user-friendly. I believe that highways are a public good and communities benefit by high quality highways.

As we were leaving Aurora about 11 pm Friday night we ran into a toll. We needed to pay $1.10 to get on the freeway. The only way to do it was to find that amount in change and throw it in the toll receptor. Being from out-of-town we didn’t know the toll was coming and we didn’t know that the tollbooth only took change. I’m guessing we could have driven through and paid later on I-PASS, but we didn’t know that.  My suggestion is to increase the gas tax and eliminate the tolls. The highways would be much more user-friendly—especially for out-of-towners

We ended our trip by attending Willow Creek.

Willow Creek has experienced turmoil in the past year as their founding pastor, Bill Hybels, resigned amidst accusations of sexual misconduct. Heather Larson and Steve Carter were appointed as successors to Hybels. They both resigned along with the board of the church.

A link about the resignations is here: https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2018/august/willow-creek-bill-hybels-heather-larson-elders-resign-inves.html

A link to the independent investigation that is now happening is here: 

https://religionnews.com/2018/09/18/national-association-of-evangelicals-president-others-to-oversee-new-investigation-of-hybels-willow-creek/

The story is a tragedy.

Willow Creek is located on a gigantic complex of land with many buildings. Their worship space seats 7,000 and has three levels. The three of us got to the main building about a half hour before the service started. Hannah found out about a high school worship service that took place at the same time and attended that.

Amy & I sat about six rows from the front. We received no information when we walked in the worship space. There weren’t many people there at the start of the service, but right at 11:15 the worship band started.  The worship order was praise. Three songs, a prayer, announcement, offering, sermon of about thirty minutes, Communion and closing. I’m not sure how often the church celebrates Communion.

A crowd did eventually arrive. Amy & I estimated that about 800 people attended the service.  The band was marvelous, the people who attended worship were engaged, and the sermon by Matt Wright on forgiveness was okay. I appreciated that his teaching on forgiveness was based on the work of Lewis Smedes, whose books I have enthusiastically endorsed. That was solid. But Matt Wright started the sermon with a story about how he fainted when his wife was delivering their third child. He saw the epidural needle and went down. The story related to forgiveness as a pastoral colleague shared the story with the church without Matt Wright’s permission. Of course, that shouldn’t have happened. But the optics of a guy talking about his pain amidst his wife delivering a baby didn’t seem right.

It was obvious that Willow Creek is in transition. Steve Gillen, acting senior pastor of Willow Creek, shared during a “stewardship” announcement that the church is expecting to receive $550,000 a week in revenues in 2019, down from $685,000 a week in 2018. Multiply that decrease by 52 and the challenges are obvious.

I’m glad I went to Willow Creek; I don’t need to go back. I pray that the truth of what happened will come out. And my prayers are with everyone as Willow Creek discerns how to move forward.

A Tribute to John Gagliardi

Over the weekend John Gagliardi passed away.  He might be the greatest football coach who has ever prowled a sideline in Minnesota—comparable to Bud Grant and Bernie Bierman. I’ve already been reading the tributes to Gagliardi from his players.  They loved him deeply. I wrote the following tribute to him when he retired in 2012.

Congratulations to John Gagliardi on an amazing football career at St. John’s University.  Sixty years of coaching football at the same school, 489 wins?  Wow.

I played football for Carleton from 1982-1985.  Our team played St. John’s three times in my career and like the other twenty-six times Carleton played St. John’s we lost. Since my playing career was over I have followed MIAC football and especially Carleton football very closely.  John Gagliardi deserves every kudo that is given to him.  However with the utmost respect I can’t help but say I’ve never seen a coach able to win games that seemed out of reach.  I wouldn’t at all call him lucky as he was a brilliant coach who ran a brilliant program.  But I wouldn’t hesitate to call him charmed.

When I heard the news yesterday that he had retired two stories came to my mind.

The first happened on September 21, 1985, my senior year.  This was the third year that Carleton played in the MIAC.  We had taken our lumps the first two years, but we felt ready to contend for a championship.  We had routed the first two teams and now we had St. John's where we wanted them.  We were at home, and playing with confidence.  The week before St. John’s had barely beaten Bethel, who at the time finished at the bottom of the conference.  

This was going to be our statement game.

The game was rugged.  We scored at the end of the first half to take our first lead (10-6) ever against St. John’s.  Gagliardi was pacing the sidelines.  We were down by three early in the fourth quarter when our offense went on a signature drive.  We went deep into their territory.  A pass put the ball inside the five yard line.  We were going to score and win the game!  But then—.  A penalty was called on us.  Our quarterback was sacked.  We tried a field goal to tie the score—no good.  They took over, and we suddenly couldn’t stop them.  A touchdown for St. John’s and then a field goal.  St John's 23; Carleton 10.

In about 20 minutes the direction of each of our seasons changed. Something had dramatically happened in the game—could it be the charm?  St. John’s went on to win the conference—aided by another charmed win the following week against St. Thomas.  We finished the season at .500—which did start a run of almost a decade of upper division finishes in the MIAC for Carleton.  But we had come to win the game—and somehow we lost.

The second story is one I will never forget.  In the fall of 2008 Carleton went on an improbable run of victories.  We were one victory away from our second conference championship.  The only team that was left to beat was St. John’s.  Again we had them right where we wanted them—at home, we were playing with confidence, St. John’s was not as good as in the past. 

By this time I knew about the Gagliardi charm.  I went to the game telling myself not to believe Carleton would win the game.  I had been disappointed too many times in the past.  I wouldn't give in to believing.

The game again was close and rugged.  I had the privilege of sitting next to two Carleton teammates and my revered coach, Bob Sullivan (Sully).  With little time left in the game Carleton was down by four and had fourth and goal.  We held our breath to see if the Knights would finally break through.  The Carleton quarterback dropped back, threw a fade in the end zone and it was ………….caught—touchdown Carleton!!! 

We were finally going to beat St. John’s and win the conference.  The charm had been broken, and we were already celebrating.  My teammates, Sully, and I jumped up and down like giggly kids who had received the greatest gift possible from Santa Claus. 

Carleton kicked off.  We were still celebrating as St. John’s returned the ball to the 40. They completed a pass, then a long pass, and then the pass we won’t forget.  A long arching spiral down the St. John’s sideline that went for a touchdown.  You—have—got—to—be—kidding—me.  St John's 14; Carleton 10.  I immediately knew the mistake I had made.  I had disrespected the charm.   
 

Congratulations, John Gagliardi.  You were brilliant.  Your teams broke my heart, but they always earned my respect. 

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