A Simple Funeral

Okay, so sometimes I park a few items here for memory sake.

This happens to be one of them, and I welcome your thoughts or suggestions about this basic outline for developing a funeral with a family...

PRELUDE

Seating of Family

SPECIAL MUSIC

WELCOME

PRAYER

HYMN

SCRIPTURE

EULOGY

SCRIPTURE

HOMILY

PRAYER

THE LORD'S PRAYER: Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for Thine is the Kingdom, and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

COMMENDATION OF THE BODY

BENEDICTION

EXIT OF THE FAMILY

POSTLUDE

Random Happenings around the Interwebs

Some of the recent links that have been helpful, interesting, thought provoking, and/or amusing.

The Alloy of Law excerpts from Brandon Sanderson (same guy who is finishing up the Robert Jordan Wheel of Time series)

http://www.tor.com/features/series/the-alloy-of-law

Kudzu Life: The Troublemaker Series #3: The Clergy

http://kudzulife.blogspot.com/2011/09/troublemaker-series-3-umc-clergy.html

Sharing God's Goodness Through Grief:

http://www.morethandodgeball.com/youth-ministry/guest-post-taste-and-see-%E2%80%93-sharing-god%E2%80%99s-goodness-through-grief.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+simplyjosh+%28MoreThanDodgeball.com%29

Metanoia from Daniel Wilcox, as shared by Pastor Rick Bloom:

http://infiniteoceanoflightandlove.blogspot.com/2011/09/change-our-mindsour-lives-metanoia.html

The Pastoral Passion Need Not Fade:

http://justcallmepastor.wordpress.com/2011/09/11/the-pastoral-passion-need-not-fade/

10 Disturbing De-s of the Bible:

http://www.nakedpastor.com/2011/09/07/the-10-disturbing-de-s-of-the-bible/

Peace,

$500,000

I have spoken with several folks recently, who when a loved one passed away they came into a goodly size sum of money.

I have also worked with several churches who have had the same blessing shared with them.

I posit for your consideration:

You just received $500,000, how would you use it?

Your church just received $500,000 how would they use it?

For those who would have the fortune of being able to speak from experience, I would like to ask you to imagine what would happen right now - not what was, as that experience has certainly shaped how actions might change or be affected at this moment.

Peace,

Extra Cannonical Thoughts from the Cannon of My Sermon

I spoke this morning about the difference in "giving up my life" for a cause I believe in.

We are called as Christians to be willing to do exactly that.

The persons who destroyed the World Trade Centers, the Pentagon, and those who attacked Pearl Harbor (a tangential commonality) all had such a belief as well.

The difference comes at the cost of the life of others.

Those who must destroy others, find their life forfeit as a side-effect of such action.

Those who stand up, in courage, for their belief ultimately find their death because of the action of others.

The thought occurred to me that those who must destroy another to rid the world of that belief, and to make their own superior, must by the very reason that such behavior is necessary, be in an unreasonable belief system.

If my ideology is strong enough, by its own merit, then it will have a life beyond my physical might. The very power of reason, and moreover, its substance, as I act out such belief, will provide the means by which such ideology can surround the world. My death then becomes a warning peal to all others that what I stood for was a threat.

Those who cannot change the world with their belief, and subsequent action, must therefore destroy all opposition, because it cannot stand on its own merits.

May I have the grace and ability to do as I believe, and believe in such a way as to convince others, rather than find needs to destroy them, so that my beliefs may live.

Peace,

Quote of the Day

From a friend at church:

"There is nothing in my hand that was not put there by another."

Thanks Alex. I found it to be a helpful hermeneutic with Stewardship Campaigns on the way.

Blessing of the Animals

To help facilitate the Blessing of the Animals, we will be having one worship service at 10AM, Sunday October 2nd.

Each year on or near the Feast Day of St. Francis, which falls on October 4th, there are requests for a liturgy of blessing for animals. This practice has a history at St. Andrew UMC, sometimes taking place in the Spring, near Easter, as a celebration of new life. This year, 2011, we will be celebrating the Blessing of the Animals October 2nd.

We have the all church campout on October 1 and 2 here at the church. We will be using this time to remember the simple times when people lived together in small communities, with the animals living in and among the people.

We invite all persons of the church, the Happy Hollow Preschool, the Music Academy and other members of the Santa Maria Valley Community to join us, with your pets invited as well. We will be outside on our courtyard lawn. Large animals may be staked along the side yard of the church, near the outdoor chapel, and small pets are invited in appropriate carrying cases. If you need space for a horse trailer or otherwise, we do have space for these vehicles on our upper parking lot in the dirt area.

We have incorporated the Blessing of the Animals into the normal order of worship, and we will celebrate Communion as well, as we usually do the First Sunday of the Month.

For more information, please feel free to call the church office (805)937-2470, or my phone (805)421-3521, or even send me an email david.camphouse@gmail.com

Blessings in advance.

Visitation Thoughts

Pastor’s Corner, September 2011

I feel as though we have only just begun. We started this journey of faith together two short years ago, and much has happened, in the life of the church, in your lives and in mine. So, I feel like, even for those that I have had a chance to visit with over a meal, coffee, in your homes, or workplace, or even here at the church in my office, I need to sit down and check in with you again.

I hope that during the Fall we can find time to do exactly that. I am, once again, asking for your help. Please call the church office (805)937-2470, or my phone (805)421-3521, or even send me an email david (dot) camphouse (at) gmail (dot) com to set up a visit. I will be working on checking in with those who do not call ahead to set up an appointment, but I would encourage you to go ahead and set something up according to your schedule early on, so that in trying to get to everyone, and dealing with the regular concerns of the church administration, weekly preaching, and emerging issues, like hospital visits, and funerals, that we can be sure to connect.

One of the joys of meeting with the people of St. Andrew during the Summer and Fall of 2009 when I arrived was that several people got together with friends and family to host a meal, or to come by the church as we talked. I was so blessed because I have often discovered that our memories are enhanced as we share tales with one another, spurring stories from other people who are gathered there too. The tapestry of lives is then put together in a different way than if I were just to hear from one person at a time.

Some of you may be wondering if I have an agenda with these meetings. My purpose in these meetings is to come with a very simple agenda, to hear your story, how your life has been intermingled with the life of St. Andrew UMC, and to listen to you as you help me get to know you more clearly. If you have agenda items you want to discuss when we visit, those are perfectly acceptable to me, whether they are church business items, life changes, or questions for me about me and my life. I am open to all of these, and just a time to visit.

Thank you for helping me get these visits scheduled, and understanding as Alesia and I call to set up these appointments so I can get to know you, Santa Maria St. Andrew UMC, and the Santa Maria Valley.

Blessings,
David Camphouse