The Neighbors

What kind of relationship do you have with your neighbors?

Then think about what kind of relationship you have with the neighbors of your church or work.

I got to thinking about it a little more today. We had outside worship, at a strange hour, with lots of animals, dogs, cats, a bunny and a horned toad. You see today was World Communion Sunday, and for the life of St. Andrew UMC, we also celebrated the Feast of St. Francis with a Campout last night at the church, followed by a Blessing of the Animals during worship today.

We don't really know the names of our neighbors. We prayed for them all last year about this time as we walked the neighborhood. But we didn't meet them at the door to say hi. (There were a few chance encounters of folks out to check things). We have since hosted a wedding reception for our most immediate next door neighbor, but don't have much we have done to engage all of our over-the-fence neighbors, or even those within two blocks of the church.

Part of the communication plan for this coming year probably ought to involve something to engage those neighbors, so we can communicate with them, about special events, and how to manage those things (including perhaps the HS and College Football games held at the HS across the Street), as well as concerns and issues as some have noted in the past - like sprinkler (or lack thereof) issues, and trees that may be fall hazards.

Have you engaged your neighbors at work or church? Do you have a plan of action for this? What has worked, and been most effective in talking with these the most immediate of you neighbors?

Peace,

Witnessing

Have you ever been convicted?

You know that deep turning of your soul that reminds you of a particular action you did or should have done.

I had that experience just now. The doorbell rang, and it wasn't the very wonderful and gracious lady who has provided meals for my sick wife, child and myself for the past few days with another kind offering of great food. My daughter ran to the door and pulled back the curtain, and it was young men dressed in shirt and tie, holding pamphlets and Scripture books.

I opened the door wary and yet with enthusiastic greeting. I was immediately set-upon to shill the church these young men attend. I asked if they would then be coming to my church, as I am a pastor, too. This of course caught them offguard, shoved a few pamphlets and treated to silence and quick looks at one another as they formed the next step in their strategy.

Out came those most carefully applied words of traditional evangelism in the last 40 years, "If you were to die tonight, would be assured that you were going to Heaven."

It was at that moment that I lost my sense of decorum, laughed quite boisterously and said, "Really, that's your opening? You really need to work on that."

I did conclude with, "Yes, I am a pastor. Yes, I am assured I am going to Heaven. Thank you." Then I shut the door.

My wife, being the ever-faithful ecumenist, offered her apologetics and tried to remind me of what these young men were really trying to do. And I applaud her greatly for this, knowing full well, that if it had been her, I would have been attempting to redeem them at that moment as well.

She then offered this great line, "How scared of God do you have to be to go door to door trying to get others to be so scared of God that they would come to your church?"

And then it hit me. The moment of conviction fell upon my poor little head, and I think I know what I need to do in the next few weeks.

I had prayed for our neighborhood over the past year, and I have mentioned that I need to go visit with our neighbors. I haven't done it yet, and the time has come. God has whomped me over the head with this kind of reminder, that I have something else to offer, with an outstanding church.

I expect to spend time in the next few weeks going to our immediate back fence neighbors and saying hi, introducing myself, and asking what we can be doing to be better neighbors. I might get laughed at. I expect to get yelled at, because we have not done what some of our neighbors have "demanded" that we do. There are old wounds from the church, both ours and others.

At the end of it all, I want to remind folks that I am not there to convert them. The truth is God does that job. Mine is to help them find fellowship, and a place of sanctuary with our common space, the fence and community we share. This means we are present in those moments to help birth transforming love.

As for what I might do about the church that came visiting, my mind is still spinning.

Pastor's Corner December 2010

Reflections on National UnFriend Day 2010

On his show November 11th Jimmy Kimmel called for a National UnFriend Day to be celebrated November 17th.
video here: http://abc.go.com/shows/jimmy-kimmel-live/national-unfriend-day

The basic principle makes sense. Kimmel says we need to get back to what friendship is really about, interpersonal relationships, developed with actual contact, emails, phone calls and face-to-face visitation. As one who lives in an industry defined by how many visits you make, and how many are making a personal relationship commitment to Jesus Christ (and by extension the local church, which is to be God’s visage in the world), this issue is before me all the time.

So, what do we do with all the people who are friends, acquaintances, and followers?

I have posited in the past the theoretical boundary of Dunbar’s Number. Wikipedia offers a quick definition as such:

Dunbar's number is a theoretical cognitive limit to the number of people with whom one can maintain stable social relationships. These are relationships in which an individual knows who each person is, and how each person relates to every other person. Proponents assert that numbers larger than this generally require more restrictive rules, laws, and enforced norms to maintain a stable, cohesive group. No precise value has been proposed for Dunbar's number. It lies between 100 and 230, but a commonly used value is 150.

I consider too, the old adage, “just give me twelve committed persons and I can change the world”. I have to admit that as an introvert in a very extroverted position I tend toward the 12 for comfort, but I have found the value of friends that number into the thousands.

The truth is Dunbar’s number is theoretical, but it also pretty accurate for the number of deep meaningful relationships any one person can maintain. The semantics of such a definition leave room for many other tangential relationships. I was told of a school principal, who would pour over the 2000 names of the students coming into the school each year who would practice all summer long to learn the names.

I grew up in a town of 12,000 people, and I can recall that it was rare that I came across someone I didn’t know, at least peripherally, and at a little bit of effort, couldn’t get to know better.

I guess that’s what is so intriguing to me about Facebook, and in turn, the Church. We have so many peripheral connections. I wanted to be more intentional about those. I wanted to try to find out more about these great people. I have to admit, I have made some unusual friends on Facebook (and through the church for that matter), like the folks in the chat group for the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan, my high school nemesis, fraternity brothers, and my family.

In some ways I look at it all kinda like Sunday mornings at church. There are a lot of people there. I may not get to meet or know them all, but I have a way to connect. When something comes up I have a chance to pray with them, or for them. I can encourage these friends across miles and lifetimes, with the hurts they experience, the joys they celebrate, and indeed the dreams they express.

Facebook is merely a tool, for helping to get my mind ready for a deeper relationship. The other pieces will have to follow, visits, talks, and written conversations. It is both the modern business card, as a means of introduction, and the Christmas card, as a way of keeping up with friends from years gone by.

As you might have guessed, because of these aspects of Facebook, I opted out of National Unfriend Day. I think relationships are important. And an understanding of the medium can help develop meaningful relationships. However, I do think Jimmy Kimmel got it right about this, Facebook does not stand for real relationship. Facebook is a bookmark in the lives of others, which needs nurturing and attention so that meaningful relationship can be made. Perhaps that is the truth of Sunday morning as well. And the truth is, I am in both places to make an impact, learn about others, and develop something greater, with an eye to another friend I want folks to know because of me, Jesus Christ.

Peace,
David Camphouse

More Tech Contemplations

I was talking web stuff the other day with our webmaster.

She expressed some concern when I shared that I was willing to post my sermons on the net in audio files for download. I also am contemplating doing video of the sermons and posting those (especially for Rick since he has not seen the "Appliance Dances" that have made their way into several sermons of mine over the years)

What do you think?

I was thinking of it as a dynamic and wonderful way to be challenged and intgrated into the larger demographic. We were struck by a grafitti artist the other week, and I noted to our folks who were outraged that this effectively "changed" our signs 2 times in short order, following that up with the reminder that people tend to ignore signs after two weeks, and that it takes 17 times for something to be noticed these days (thanks to multimedia).

I am reminded of Maxie Dunham and the issues surrounding his video and subsequent mash-up prior to Annual Conferences regarding the Constitutional Amendments for the UMC. What made that dialogue so interesting to me, was not that there was a mash-up of a YouTube video, but that Maxie and his representatives got bent out of shape about it. This is where if and when someone does change my stuff around it is a point of entry for dialogue. I have found this to be true on this blog and expect it to be true in life as well. The real challenge (and I admit I have fallen prey) is not to get "baited in", but to carry on meaningful discourse when the whole thing goes WONKY.

Just my thought. Care to share yours?

My Story

Sunday, July 5 seems like an appropriate time to tell my story in a new congregation.

You see it is my birthday, and somehow the introduction to a new congregation would seem to dictate that I open myself up to this new crowd of folks, especially as I ask them to open themselves up to me, so that together we can be transformed by the living God, through the power of Jesus Christ, and the action of the Holy Spirit.

The text this morning comes from Mark 6:1-13, and tells the story of how it was when Jesus went home to be in ministry. I realize that the backlash came because the people knew his origins, but I can also see how it added to the message that he brought, because it was so different from what they knew of his origin.

Therein lies the power of transformation - knowing how it was, and what God is doing now - lends itself to the greater truth of what God can do if we allow God to do some work along the way. I have been transformed by Jesus Christ, but I can say with certainty that God has not finished working the Holy Spirit within me such that I will be transformed again, and I am in the midst of transformation even now.

So here's to being transformed, and telling our stories, or where we have been, and what God is doing now.

An Act of Kindness

During my freshman year at Emory University I lived in the dorms at Thomas Hall. Like many dorms they had a bank of washers and dryers for the students. I was like many other students, at least after the first few weeks of classes when we adjusted a little more and trusted our classmates not to steal our clothes if we left unattended for any period of time in the laundry. I left my clothes in the dryer to run to class and dry while I was away. That night I came back from class, well after my clothes would have finished in the dryer. I fully expected that like on several other occasions the clothes would be plucked from the dryer and just thrown on the sorting tables in a rumpled mess. But, this night was different, I came in to find my clothes all sorted and folded (underwear too). I was amazed and floored. This was such a simple guesture but it brought me to tears in thankfulness for the kindness shown to me.

This week as I have been waiting on plumbing to get done so that I could get my laundry washed and dryed I thought of this story. I used the memory to prompt my reflection on those who have shown little kindnesses to me in my moving and settling into a new appointment. This morning it all came flooding back as I stepped into my office to find the 20 boxes of books that had been in the hall placed nicely stacked in my office. They weren't unboxed, since I was toting the baby this morning it made a world of difference, and was a little kindness shown along the way. I sent a silent thank-you to the person(s) who did this.

I also thought of the many people who helped us get moved and settled. The several folks at Ojai UMC who helped us pack, and get things moved to Santa Maria; the amazing folks who came and washed walls, and tore down popcorn ceilings; my brother-in-law to-be who did such great work doing handyman repairs in prep for our move; the many professionals who did their jobs with class and a fantastic attitude; our real estate agent and mortgage broker who have been helpful and encouraging in this process. There are just so many to name.

I think it is time to start thinking of how I can help encourage more of this behavior, and how I can contribute to the proliferation of adding kindnesses to our society.

Leading the Church

I Refuse to Lead a Dying Church, by Paul Dixon was recently on my reading list. I perused the book and found several key items. 

I was reminded of them yesterday when I read a quote by Adam Hamilton, from his Annual Conference. "I'm really not interested in serving an organization whose best years are behind it."

I concur. I too am refusing to lead a dying church. I will however continue to serve a church who is looking to build into the future. This takes me back to my basic Vision Statement for Ministry.

"Extending Ministry" is my personal Vision, and this means doing some strategic planning with the local church, the District, and even with the Conference, and into the world. God is continually renewing the world around us, and creating new opportunities for us as a church, and as individuals to declare the Gospel.

Peace,

Boot Camp Notes II

What are the agencies that “rent” from us? What additional connections do we have with those groups? How many of them attend this church? How did they come to use our place for their ministry? What groups have recently been displaced and are looking for a new location to do their activity? Can we offer them space?

Who determines what worship looks like? What information is gathered from all age groups to see what they are wanting in worship? What are we doing to meet their need to give back to God in Worship?

Plan multiple “people gathering” events
- not the “just 4 us” events
- just for them events

Boot Camp notes

Pray first. Prep the people. Get the prayer support. Connect to the community by praying over it. Develop a sense of what the call of the church in the community is to be.

Listen!

After the Mission and Vision of a church are established, it is time to put legs on the words. Putting things into action is great, but it can be even more revealing to put the ministries already in action before the people, affirm those ministries, and advertise the church at work.

Commission the people of the church to the ministries they are already participating. Consider doing this once a week, once a month or annually. I think monthly or weekly is more successful, as it sends the people out with a new task each week. Think of sending each person to a single ministry. If there are other people who do this same ministry, ask them to stand in place, and affirm/send them in the commissioning of the one.

Now, for the work of determining the ministries to be sending folks into, and building a commissioning liturgy for each ministry/person. Is this a generic statement, or personalized each week to each person or ministry?

Get the congregation to name the community agencies, persons of interest, connections they want the pastor to make. Get out in the community and meet them. Meet the congregation in their homes, at their work place, in third spaces to get to know the community better, as well as the congregation.

What are the places people congregate in town? Where are the people who are forgotten? (i.e. the hookers, the migrant workers, the half-way houses) Who are the most important people in town? (Is there someone who knows those people and can make introductions?)

Who is being left out of church? How do you know this?

Juxtapositions

I was reading through my bloglines the other day. I ran across these two articles. I put the two together, and want you to ponder the two as well. We need church to be attractive, and we need life to be lived in reality and with relationship as the key.

Would You Put Your Pastor in a Box?

(Filed under: Evangelism & Outreach)

One church would, and they're even aiming two. In a David Blaine-esque stunt, they've promised to suspend their pastor in a box for three days if 4,000 people show up on Easter.

You can visit the site, but there's not much more to say about it other than that.

This type of marketing doesn't sit exceptionally well with me. It communicates that you should go to whichever church will pull the biggest stunt, and it creates a pressure for one-upping other antics. One youth pastor will drink a cheeseburger that has been run through the juicer, but the other will shave his head.

I realize we should be willing to go as far as necessary to make disciples, I just don't think I'm convinced that these sorts of stunts are a good way to do that.

“We have turned churches into 'vendors of religious services and goods' where people shop for worship, instead of 'a body of people on a mission'. People choose a church by what makes them feel good, instead of belonging to a community in which God will kill us, and then raises us up into the new life of obedience!”

- Marva J. Dawn, Living in the Lamblight,
ed. by Hans Boersma