Raise challenging questions. Speak from your core values. Surface unresolved conflicts. These are the pearls of wisdom that I gathered from my intensive course at Trinity Lutheran Seminary last week, while studying the qualities of effective leadership. Like most everything else, leadership is much easier said than done. The most important first step to take is understanding yourself as a leader. We all have God-given gifts, passions, and skills that God calls us to share with those around us. We all are leaders, capable of equipping others to have a meaningful impact at Lord of Life and in world. How are you feeling called to lead?
The courage to raise challenging questions is essential for growth. Through the process of asking these questions, we can better understand who we are as a community. By being grounded in our mission and rooted in the Gospel, we can learn to view radical and invocative ideas as opportunities for meaningful dialogue.
Knowing who we are requires the ability to speak from our core values. These values are formed by our identity as Christ-followers, and articulating them often takes practice. Take a few minutes to jot-down what you believe are your core values. Are you running out of space on your scrap paper or is your paper blank? Coming up with a list of core values can be difficult, but our values are what shape us. The values of Lord of Life, congruent with the values we find in Scripture, are what make this place come alive on Sunday morning and throughout the weeks. All the way from the 108 preschoolers playing and learning here, to the many Bible studies and recovery groups supporting and teaching here, our mission is formed by the people God serves in our space.
In the midst of ministry, not everything is as life-giving. Surfacing the unresolved conflicts in relationships and within our community is the not so fun side of being in community together. But, one cannot garden without pulling weeds. Whenever I am involved in conflict, I try and tackle the challenge head on, while staying focused on the future. Being open and honest about the current struggle is important, but we must live as Resurrection-people, by living with the assurance that God will bring restoration and healing.
This Sunday, we will experience the joys of Lord of Life’s Ministry Fair. Many of our outreach partners will be represented, along with the many ministry areas from Lord of Life. It will be a bustling morning filled with opportunities to meet inspiring people and share meaningful conversation. There is no better time to think about your own leadership roles within this community. The question is not whether God is calling you to lead, but where?
In hopefulness,
Lucas
One of the greatest gifts that God gives us, is the opportunity to love and serve one another. Even though Jesus said to do it and to do it often exhausts us, it also continues to be a deep source of joy and a blessing for all involved! “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:12).
Each year, the ELCA has a day of service to kick off the school year, called “God’s work. Our hands. Sunday.” It is an opportunity for congregations around the United States to be the Church in the community as we serve and love our neighbors and demonstrate God’s love among us and through us. One participant declared, “We love Jesus by serving others!” This past Sunday, families and individuals, young and old, came out to serve and “Live Generously,” as our T-shirts exclaimed!
This year, we shared in three projects. One group showered the West Chester Police Department and West Chester Fire Stations with food, posters, cards, and affection, visiting a total of six stations!
Another crew prepared our fellowship hall for our Family Promise guests by putting up the mobile walls, loading in beds, nightstands, lamps, and then cozied up the rooms by making beds, creating welcome signs, and assembling care bags for each person. After they were done, they also prepared a delicious lunch for the entire crew.
Our third team helped with several outdoors projects at Union Elementary School, including playground clean up, trimming and mulching the back side of the building, and unearthing an outdoor classroom that had been overgrown for some time.
It was fun and empowering to see how our one congregation, one body of Christ, motivated by the invitation to serve could make such an impact on our community in the name of Jesus. This was certainly God’s work, through our hands, feet, words, kindness, and generosity.
So often, when we seek to be a blessing, we are also blessed. That’s how the Spirit of God works in our lives. We are simultaneously loving and being loved, serving and being served, encouraging and being encouraged.
One of the songs from worship last Sunday morning spoke to this reality of gratitude for all God’s good gifts.
For the beauty of the earth,
for the beauty of the skies,
for the love which from our birth
over and around us lies:
Christ, our God, to thee we raise
this our sacrifice of praise.
For the joy of human love,
brother, sister, parent, child,
friends on earth and friends above;
for all gentle thoughts and mild:
Christ, our God, to thee we raise
this our sacrifice of praise.
Folliott S. Pierpoint, 1835-1917
As you step into the rest of your week, continue to live generously, following the example of our loving Creator!
Peace.
Pastor Lowell
Last week, I wrote about the devastation of Hurricane Harvey as it took aim at the Gulf Coast, not once, but twice. Now, as I write, Hurricane Irma is bearing down on Haiti, following a demolishing blow to islands in the Caribbean. Irma is projected to lash Florida, this weekend, and then possibly crawl up the coast with more relentless destruction. Residents on islands and the mainland are scurrying for higher ground – or at least property that is at a safer distance from the shore – unsure of what this category 5 storm is going to do. They are bracing for the worst.
On the other coast, massive wildfires are burning from California to Montana, now consuming over 1.5 million acres of precious forestland. 800,000 immigrants, who came here as undocumented children, are trying to figure out what the recently rescinded “Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals” (DACA) protections means for their future.
Across the globe, massive floods have impacted 16 million in South Asia, not to mention escalating wars, food insecurity, and the plethora of other natural and man-made disasters that bring daily despair.
So often, we are overwhelmed by the need. We want to help. We want to give. We want to share. We want to make a difference, but we feel ill-equipped for the struggle and destruction around us.
Romans reminds us that we can make a difference. Filled with the power of the living God, we step forward trusting that the Holy Spirit will empower and guide us for loving and serving our neighbor. “Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers” (Romans 12:9-13).
You may have heard of Jim McIngvale, known as Mattress Mack to many in the Houston area. He wanted to make a difference for those suffering in his community, so he did the only thing that made sense to him. As the owner of a large furniture store, he opened his doors to anyone in need. Warm beds, hot meals, and compassionate conversations brought hope to hurting people in his corner of the world. Watch his story here: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/houston-businessman-jim-mcingvale-opens-furniture-stores-to-evacuees/.
This weekend, God calls us to serve, too. After refueling and reconnecting in worship, we’ll head out into our communities to serve. We’ll be showering the West Chester Police Department and West Chester Fire Stations with food, posters, cards, and affection, helping with outdoors projects at Union Elementary, and setting up for the Family Promise homeless shelter and preparing a delicious lunch for the entire crew. Pick a project and sign-up if you want or just show up ready to serve on Sunday. We are collecting restaurant gift cards, snacks, and drinks to fill the baskets for the police and fire departments of West Chester.
There is much destruction and sorrow in the world, but there is also one Jesus Christ who brings hope to the hopeless, light into the dark, and life from death.
Called to serve!
Pastor Lowell
If you are looking for a way to contribute to the relief efforts for Hurricane Harvey, Hurricane Irma, or other natural disasters around the world, Lutheran Disaster Response is one of the best organizations around. “Lutheran Disaster Response brings God’s hope, healing and renewal to people whose lives have been disrupted by disasters in the United States and around the world. When the dust settles and the headlines change, we stay to provide ongoing assistance to those in need.” You can find donation and volunteer opportunities here:
www.elca.org/Our-Work/Relief-and-Development/Lutheran-Disaster-Response
Thrivent will match up to $3 million in personal donations made online through Thrivent.com to specific disaster relief organizations (including Lutheran Disaster Response) responding to Hurricane Harvey.
As I write, Hurricane Harvey is coming back to shore to thrash the Gulf Coast, once again. After dumping record amounts of rain over the last week, Harvey swirled back out into the Gulf of Mexico to refuel for a Round 2 beating on the Texas and Louisiana coastal cities. Many are predicting that rain totals may reach at least 50 inches by the end of the week.
The Houston Chronicle states that there have been as many as 13 million people affected in over 50 counties, with 13,000 water rescues, and 31 deaths, including a police officer in his cruiser and a family of six in a van. 10,000 people are sheltering at the convention center, while 274,000 are without electricity. 14,000 Texas National Guard troops have been deployed with another 24,000 in the queue for next week. (www.chron.com August 30). These numbers are staggering and we have no idea what the level of need will be after the waters recede, other than the recovery will be massive and will extend for years.
A Lutheran pastor in Indiana posted a reflection earlier this week:
“My daughter came downstairs for breakfast, saw the pictures of Houston on TV, and said – without hesitation – ‘We have work to do.’ It took me a minute to realize she was talking about the ELCA Youth Gathering, and the recovery work we'll contribute to next June.
I am proud of her for not asking, ‘Oh, shoot, how will this affect me and my friends having a good time?’ but instead for instantly seeing her calling in the midst of this tragedy. And, this makes me realize even more how important these experiences are for our youth.”
It is no accident that 30,000 teens - yes, you read that number correctly – will be descending on the greater Houston area in June 2018. Who could have imagined, when the initial planning began for this gathering of Lutheran High School students more than four years ago, that Houston would be ground zero for this devastation?
A friend of mine lives on the banks of the Ohio River. Their home was built to include flood vents, confident that rising waters will sometime threaten their property and home. These vents allow water to flow in and through the house in the hopes of reducing structural damage from flooding.
This can be a powerful image for us as people of faith who often find our identities in the waters of baptism. We speak of dying and rising, washing away sin and rebirth, cleansing and renewal, but we also recognize that God’s love and generosity flows in and through our lives. As we pray for and stand with the people of the Gulf Coast, may we remember that God calls us to love and serve our neighbor.
Here we go!
Pastor Lowell
If you are looking for a way to contribute to the relief efforts for Hurricane Harvey or other natural disasters around the world, Lutheran Disaster Response is one of the best organizations around, with a rating of 93 out of 100 on Charity Navigator. You can find donation and volunteer opportunities here:
www.elca.org/Our-Work/Relief-and-Development/Lutheran-Disaster-Response
What a weekend! This past Friday, Saturday, and Sunday were loaded with congregational goodness and you were part of it!
Friday night, busy teens took time out of their late-August days for a Sr. High Lock-in. Twenty of us spent the night playing wacky games, studying the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-12), worshipping around the campfire, and snacking and munching our way through the night. What an excellent way to kick off the Fall!
Saturday morning brought set-up crews for Summerfest and the continuing work of preparing the Preschool classrooms that will soon be bustling with children and their families – 104 kids at last count are signed up for the 2017-2018 school year! Wow!
When Sunday came around, we gathered for one celebratory worship together with our seminarian Corey Wagonfield, who shared snacks with everyone during the Children’s message preached. Little Annabelle Potter had a bundle of family to surround her for her baptism and welcome her as a child of God.
Following worship, we shared a massive potluck of BBQ pork (thanks to Phil Panning and John Morrell for providing the meat), macaroni and cheese, side dishes, salads, and sweet treats, before enjoying an afternoon of field games and bingo, colorful face painting, target practice with the dunk tank, and creativity at the tie dye table.
Big thanks to all who planned, set up, cleaned up, led, and participated in any of these events. You can view photos from these events on our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/LordofLifeWestChester) and in our upcoming printed Lifeline newsletter.
Our theme for this year of worship, learning, and serving moments is “God Blesses the World through Lord of Life.” We are blessed when God meets us in times of worship, education, and fellowship. God uses us to be a blessing as we are sent into our neighborhoods for living, school, work, recreation, and service. Our dollars and other gifts are a blessing as God uses them to impact churches and communities around the globe.
We want to hear your stories. Tell us how you’ve seen this in your life or the lives of others. How have you witnessed God blessing the world through Lord of Life?
Introducing...
“Blessings in the Bug.”
For the next month, a 1974 yellow VW Bug will be our mobile recording studio, ready to capture your reflections.
It’s as easy as 1,2,3:
1. Think of a Blessing.
“How have you been blessed by Lord of Life?”
or
“How have you seen Lord of Life be a blessing?”
2. Climb in the VW Bug.
3. Record your blessing.
Use your phone or the provided ipad to record: introduce yourself and then give a 1 minute reflection in the VW Studio. If you use your own device, please upload it to YouTube and send a link to
You can also record elsewhere and send it to us.
Psalm 71:15 says, “I will tell of your goodness; all day long I will speak of your salvation, though it is more than I can understand.” Thanks for helping us name and celebrate how “God Blesses the World through Lord of Life.” We’ll let you know in the coming weeks how we’ll share these encouraging stories of faith and hope.
Wishing you peace.
Pastor Lowell
Last week, I attended the inaugural ELCA Rostered Minister’s Gathering in Atlanta, where 900 pastors and deacons assembled for a week of worship, lectures, workshops, service projects, and fellowship. There were congregational leaders, military, hospital, and prison chaplains, campus pastors and seminary professors, and interim and retired ministers, as well as regional and churchwide staff. The event was promoted as a time to be encouraged, challenged, and renewed as leaders in the church, and did not disappoint.
Encouraged.
Each day, I had opportunities to reconnect with friends from around the country and meet new friends and colleagues as we shared the joys and struggles of ministry. Bible study leaders led us into the rich story of Jesus meeting the disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24), with comparisons to this chaotic season filled with death and resurrection moments. Our own Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton confronted the rumors that Christianity is dying, with a bold response, “The Church of Jesus Christ is not dying, but changing!” She continued by sharing stories of how God is using people, congregations, and ministry organizations in new and creative ways to share hope with the world. God is doing a new thing! (Isaiah 43:19).
Challenged.
There were many good moments of challenge, too. Presiding Bishop Eaton, in her opening remarks, reminded us, that ministry can be overwhelming and we can lose focus. “As leaders, you need to love Jesus because Jesus loves you... then, you need to love your people!”
Rev. Ronald Bonner, in his workshop Racism and the Church: No Bigotry Allowed, argued, “If you can fix the heart, you can fix the other part... Racism will end when white people stop accepting racism as normative.” As we spoke candidly about our own biases and histories, none of us could have imagined the events that would unfold in Charlottesville by the end of the week.
Rev. Dr. James Forbes, Jr., Senior Pastor of Riverside Baptist Church and professor at Union Theological Seminary (both in New York City), preached on Romans 12, saying, “the invitation to offer our lives as living sacrifices is not a graveyard death, but an invitation to die to our priorities, die to our selfish agendas, die to our fear, and say ‘My life is in your hands, Lord.’”
Renewed.
Just before we went on our separate directions, popular speaker and writer, Rachel Held Evans, spoke pointedly about the ways we beat ourselves up as people of faith for not being and doing enough for the sake of Christ. She said, “Our insufficiencies are the point. Death is something empires worry about, not resurrection people. We need to let [things] die! We win with surrender. We have a God who knows the way out of the grave.” Although Easter is a long way off, promises of resurrection fuel us, today.
I was also renewed by being part of the musical team for worship and other events throughout the week.
Thank you for valuing continuing education and professional development. This gathering was a tremendous boost. The introductory words proclaimed, “We are a church that believes God is calling us into the world – together. Together, we can achieve things on a scale and scope we could never do otherwise. As we continue to deepen our ecumenical partnerships, confront racism and boldly respond to the needs of the world, this gathering provides the opportunity for leaders to gather and explore what God has in store for us.”
Always being renewed,
Pastor Lowell
For more about this event and to view a photo gallery, https://www.livinglutheran.org/2017/08/25087/
Smack! The door slammed shut in front of me. I may have been a few feet from entering the classroom, but when the bell rang, the teacher shut the door – even if all the students were not in their seats. It was a daunting and embarrassing walk to my seat after the door was closed. With my shoulders slouched and my head down the teacher would shout, “90 percent of life is just showing-up!” Although this trademark saying was meant to teach a lesson about the importance of being on time, it turned out to be an important life lesson that I continue to carry with me.
When traumatic and life-changing events occur in our lives, and our heart aches, often all we need is someone to walk alongside us. As a Christian community, we are not meant to bear our burdens alone. Recently, Ava Fiebig and I attended a week-long training event focusing on Stephen Ministry. This is some of what we learned:
What is Stephen Ministry?
Stephen Ministry equips people to provide confidential, one-to-one Christian care to individuals in their congregation and community who are experiencing difficulties in their lives.
Who is a Stephen Minister?
A Stephen Minister is any caring congregation member who feels called to serve in this role. Once called, Stephen Ministers receive 50 hours of training in providing emotional and spiritual care. As our community continues to grow, the need for active listeners also continues to grow. Stephen Ministers care, listen, encourage, and pray for those in need.
Who would benefit from a Stephen Minister?
Almost anyone can benefit from having someone present to listen to what is on their heart. Grief, divorce, illness, job loss, loss of a home, military deployment, loneliness, and spiritual crisis, are a few examples of life struggles that a Stephen Minister can walk alongside you through.
This past week, I was reminded of the importance of presence and how simply showing-up is vital to our calling to help one another in difficult times. As you are enjoying the last days of summer, I urge all of you to take the opportunity to be present, especially with those around you who are struggling. If you feel called to share your skill for listening, please join me for an informational meeting about becoming a Stephen Minister at Lord of Life this Sunday, August 13, in the Fellowship Hall following 9:30 worship.
With Christ's Presence,
Lucas