I will never understand the people who go to the store in their pajamas. If we wanted to see u in them we would come to your house.

This status caught my attention, for I have long desired to walk about openly in my super cheerful pj’s. I still desire to indulge my youthful exuberance – to take a walk on the wild side in my bright blue, cherry patterned flannel night shirt and long bottoms. PJ wearing has always brightened my day when the going gets tough. I liken them to comfort food for the soul. Little did I realize that this behavior was controversial or at least difficult to understand. So I followed the Facebook comments to this posting. Much to my surprise, the Christian community has a lot to say on this topic.

Dare I step outside in my pj's?

The public commentary concerning this topic was mixed. Many took the side of the misunderstood pajamas wearers.  They heartily extended their support to those sporting flannel sock monkey apparel through understanding that many find shopping more relaxing while in their comfy clothes. One anonymous man commented why he thinks people publicly wear pajamas:

I think it’s because it’s nice and relaxing. Which it is and also who cares how a person looks when they go to the store it’s not like anyone needs to impress others with how they dress. As long as they are comfy in it.

Another, less understanding, stated that donning nightwear during the daytime in public is a sign of the downfall of society:

The downfall of the American society: a lack of propriety by people who are too lazy to spend all that time and effort putting on real clothes before leaving their house. (Secretly though, it’s not that hard to get dressed once you’re over age five and have mastered those tricky buttons and zippers.)

One even attributed wearing pj’s to the store as unloving (yikes):

To all those who have made comments about public pj wearing as it relates to Christian liberty:

I’m not casting stones because I stand guilty of this faux pas myself. That being said, I believe part of loving your neighbor as yourself is having good manors, tact and decorum. Good manors and the like are more about treating people around you with respect, not necessarily making yourself look good. By treating other with respect, you show them you love them, thereby obeying Christ’s commands.

So if the aforementioned comment is accurate, it seems that Christ commands us to not wear our jammies to the store. It offends people and is in poor taste as well as being unloving. (Egads!) I suppose that it could be said of anyone wearing any outfit – any outfit you don’t approve of.

Surely, that homeless woman with the Kroger’s shopping cart could find something more appropriate to wear while strolling through campus. You know the lady I am referring to – the one with the unkempt hair and the support stockings that keep falling to her ankles. I am sure her attire has offended many – after all that faded daisy house coat has got to be from the 50′s. When was the last time she laundered those clothes? Geez. She needs to be more loving and put on something less offensive.  (I wonder where Jesus’ brother James would seat this woman at his church gatherings.)

That being said, not only could our attire be unloving since it offends, but public pj wearing is also an heart issue and a sin issue if we are to believe what another person posited.

wearing pajamas to public is not a pajamas issue but a heart issue.
there’s sin in being lazy and in not loving your neighbor. and there’s also sin in caring about what people think of you. both could be an idol.

Okay, so now I’m really confused. If I wear pj’s outside of my own home, then I am being lazy and not loving my neighbor. I have offended others by not respecting them with my attire, so I better choose carefully what I wear. On the other hand,  if I care what others think of me, then now I have sinned yet again. So many rules. So many differing opinions. So many fallible humans to please. Help!

So I ask, “Why not please God?” Why not be free from all these petty rules? Why put ourselves under some arbitary regulations when we have been bought with a price? Have we not be set free? Have not the bonds of slavery been released? Galatians 5:1 says,

It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.

So, idk. Why make a fuss about what someone is wearing? Honestly anymore I just appreciate that someone is wearing clothes. So will I make a trip to ACME in my jammers? Should I dare to offend? Or should I live under the law of liberty?

Once my family accepted that this change was not some passing fancy or childish whim, I began receiving Christian placards and knick-knacks as gifts.  One wedding gift, a wall clock  bearing the inscription “We are one love together,” typifies a common born-again stereotype. My faith had been reduced to refrigerator drivel. (Sigh) But worse than framed platitudes is that my family considers me to be a religious extremist. Honestly, that makes me cringe. Who in their right mind wants to be known as or called an extremist? Not me.       

This is one placard, I just might consider putting over my toilet.

 You see, I want people to like me, but more importantly to like Jesus. I like to hear what is going on in folks’ lives. I want good things for those I care about, and nothing could be better than knowing Jesus. I don’t always talk about my faith. No one likes a pushy person, but when I do talk about Jesus, I hope that people will want to listen – to just give him a chance. After all, if I am sharing Jesus with you, it’s because you are important to me. So, if that makes me a “Jesus Freak,” an extremist, then that’s alright with me. Or so, I console myself.        

One problem though, religious extremism has been blamed for societal ills for as long as religion has existed. There are historical reasons for this.  From the brutal child sacrifice of the Chaldeans to right-wing acts of terror against abortion clinics, from Colonial slave trade to American racial segregation, from the savagery of the Spanish Inquisition to the near genocide of Native Americans, and from the Salem Witch Trials to the exploitation and oppression of women, such terrors and destruction are all done in the  name of religion. This list could go on ad nauseum. Indeed, these atrocities have all been committed in the name of religious fundamentalism. That sort of  terror is what typifies extremism. But is this a fair assessment?        

In the article, Taming Religion, Mark Galli, senior managing editor of Christianity Today, addresses the trend to tame the religious extremists of today, whether of Islam or of Christianity. He observes the perception that both religions, practiced to the extreme, are a societal threat both to democracy and to religious freedom. Indeed, the horror and mayhem of “9/11″ confirmed this assertion. This is not just a view held in the United States, but worldwide. Galli remarks,       

Many Africans are concerned about religious extremism, including within their own faith. Indeed, many Muslims say they are more concerned about Muslim extremism than about Christian extremism, and Christians in four countries say they are more concerned about Christian extremism than about Muslim extremism.        

In the Galli article, Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, a senior Russian Orthodox Church spokesman, concludes that the danger with religious extremism is that it “results in deaths.” In his editorial, Galli agrees. He points out that a particular extremist from Galilee died as a result to of his extremism. In fact, Galli goes as far as to call this Jesus of Nazareth, The Extremist. (Jesus, an extremist. Say what?)       

Galli further notes that many extremists “take care” of themselves. For instance, Martin Luther King Jr. dared to stand opposed to segregation. King dared to equate this civil injustice with “sin,” calling it “unrighteous.” He dared to stand by the truth of the Bible. Defiant, King brought God’s perspective into the political arena. His extremist actions of civil disobedience and protestation led to his own death.   (I see where Galli is going with this.)       

Christians agree that Jesus was wise – a man of peace. Milk toast moderates pick and choose what parts of scripture are valid. Galli points out that Jesus, The Extremist, did not just bring words of peace and joy. He brought words that separate and divide.        

 ”I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.” (Matt. 10:34–35)        

Or words like:        

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal” (Matt 6:19–20)        

Pretty divisive words, huh?     

Radical Living Gets Noticed

Jesus was an extremist, and so were those who followed him, men like Peter, Paul, John, and the rest of the apostles. More extremists followed their path of radically living out what they preached. Many deaths resulted.  Remember the Christian martyrs like Stephen who died in Jerusalem, or the thousands more who died in the Roman Colosseum, or still yet, those who were burned at the stake for putting the Bible in vernacular language, men like Tyndale, another extremist.  More deaths followed. What about those Christians who are today’s martyrs? Those extremists are reportedly imprisoned and slain in places like China, India, and all throughout the world for their beliefs. More deaths will surely follow.       

Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you.  1Peter 4:12

Seemingly, man must suppress the piercing words of the one true Extremist, Jesus Christ. People use various methods to hold down this truth. They use force to stuff it down – to silence it. Perhaps, they fear its power to change. It’s power to give civil equality to all regardless of race or gender. For the the Bible tells me, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free,  male nor female.” Some kill those who proclaim it, while others mock and make fun of those who follow Christ. Yet more, use clever scholastic means to distort the truth. They pick and choose what is relevant or worth living, because if one had to live as Christ did and as he preached, then the life that one believes he is owed would be impossible to live. Botta bing, botta boom. So much for Western individualism and the pursuit of happiness.       

Many reason, “Oh, that nice, lamb-hugging Jesus really did not mean that I need to love my neighbor as myself.”  But what if he did? Then what? That means a life lived with the interests of others being foremost. You are no longer the center of your own life. In The Wrath of Khan, Spock once said, “The needs of the many out weigh the needs of the one.” Looks like that dear, old Vulcan was on to something radical. The audience swoons at his nobility. Spock too was extreme. It led to his death. Something that extraordinary, that fantastic must lead to verifiable deviation from the path most taken. People take notice when you live out what you say you believe. People can tell when you take the path less trodden.     

How great is the company of preachers who have suffered willlingly for His name.

If you’re like me and want to tell the “Old, Old Story of Jesus and His Love,” don’t be embarrassed to stand out. Tell His Story. If friends and family think they’re insulting you by calling you an extremist, wear the label “Jesus Freak” with honor. Know that you are in good company with people who just can’t keep quiet about Jesus – people like the apostles and those currently persecuted and imprisoned for their faith. People whose stories are told in the Jesus Freaks Books by dcTalk.    

Or if you will, consider this middle-aged, house wife and mother of four boys. I like to talk about Jesus. If people think that I am a tad too consumed with Jesus, or if they have the need to snicker at how I live my life for Jesus (By no means do I have this down. I’m still “hot mess.” ), then I am okay with that. I’m better than okay, I’m freaky with it! My name is Lisa and I’m a Jesus Freak.

We as parents want so desperately to impart our faith on our children. I know that I do. I naively believe just because I live out my faith in daily life that my beliefs will be my children’s beliefs and that my God will be their God. But, personal experience proves it just ain’t so, just ask my mom.

I was raised in a God fearing home. I learned the Golden Rule, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”  I studied the Lutheran catechism, learning that by faith alone is one saved. I followed all the rules, a dutiful daughter, a disciplined student, and a model citizen. I appeared to love God, country and family with all my heart, just a couple of problems, freedom is intoxicating and human hearts are easily led astray. Only two months at The Ohio State University and I was caught up in the excitement and freedom of campus living, a way of life that had nothing to do with God let alone the beliefs of my parents. A new exciting world had opened up before me and I was diving in head first – no toe-dipping for me.

My inner animal finally freed from parental confines.

The great big world had proclaimed its message of freedom to me.  No more oppression, no more imposed rules, no more boring, irrelevant church or stained glass Jesus. This captive had been set free. The “world” had made new proselyte. Who once lived as found, now was lost and loving it.

Now as a parent of four boys, ages 16, 14, 12 and 10,  I can’t help but wonder, “What will become of my children’s faith?” Will they flee the church as I once did? What will happen to them as they venture out on their own? Will they too plunge head long into the thrilling darkness of campus living? Are they biding their time awaiting their jail break? Ponder that.

Whether you know it or not, the world is proclaiming its “good news” to our young collegiates. The world says, “You are free. You are no longer are bond to the rules and traditions of your family. Knowledge will enlighten you and set you free from your ancestral bonds. Look how shiny and dazzling this place is. There is nothing that you cannot accomplish or experience.” 

Wake up. Your children are captives. They are either imprisoned by your parental rules and obligations or by the delights of the world. They are enslaved and oppressed by you, mom and dad. They are blinded by the dazzling beauty of this world. They have been caught - hook, line and sinker.

How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” Romans 10:14-15

And the truth shall set them free…

Even if the youth hear the truth, will they understand? If they understand, will they even care? Is ”truth” still all they need to be set free?  Today experience is desired more than truth or knowledge. This was also true in the 1960′s. People were fed up with their parents ways and the oppression of the established systems. The young were sick to death of the truth, or so it seemed. The Beatles said it best, “All you needed was love,”  coupled with a sweet joint, good friends and some occasional LSD. Experience life in the moment, no strings, no regrets. Put a flower in your hair.

Who will set the captives free? This is a good question. I wish I had a good answer. Perhaps, we could look to the 60′s – to the Jesus Movement. Out of that movement, a young hippie stepped forth to proclaim the good news. His name was Lonnie Frisbee. He was empowered by the Spirit to set the youth free from the slavery of LSD, eastern mysticism, the occult, and the other captors of the day.

Lonnie was a flawed young man, who had a drug history and an secretive struggle with homosexuality, yet God still used him in powerful ways.  His ministry of“kerygma” cut the youth of the day to the “quick,” as evidenced by mass baptisms. He proclaimed the good news and the youth rejoiced in it. They were convicted and repented and came to Jesus.

Calvary Chapel and Vineyard both have strong historical ties with Frisbee. At Calvary, Frisbee proclaimed Christ and Chuck Smith equipped the converts. A new denomination rose from their combined ministerial gifting. Not only was Lonnie a key leader in establishing Calvary Chapel, but he was deeply involved in growing Vineyard. Both evangelical church movements are tied heavily to the ministry of the charismatic Frisbee, who was empowered to supernaturally proclaim truth and to reveal freedom to those who so desperately longed for liberty.

In this clip Lonnie gives a testimony. His soft spoken demeanor and the authencity of his message reached into the longing hearts of the hippie generation. He proclaimed Christ. Those deemed too far gone and lost came into a relationship with Jesus. Witness what joy that young movement exuded.

Click here to view the embedded video.

So I started telling other people. I wanted everybody to experience the experience of Jesus Christ. That when I first got turned on to doing drugs, I thought that was the truth and so I turned others onto drugs. But when I found the real truth, I really started spreading the gospel. It didn’t all happened with a big gigantic crash of thunder and lightening and then I was enlightened, but it was listening to his voice through his word as he spoke to me and then being obedient to what I read and obedient to His Spirit, as he led me these series of what seemed to be coincidences in my life started happening in my life and there became so many coincidences that I realized that wasn’t anymore room for coincidence. I started telling everybody about Jesus, and that resulted in I lost everybody. I lost my parents and my brothers and my friends, all my friends they just left me. They marked me off as a fanatic. And I was crazy and I flipped out on another trip, like maybe what I did on LSD, except that this lasted. I was real and it was solid and it changed my life. ~ Lonnie Frisbee

So, then who will set the captive youth of today free? Who will proclaim the favorable day of  the Lord? I wonder, will this generation’s young  have ears to hear? Are they able to hear the truth in a culture where truth is relative? I’m sure people, like Chuck Smith once said the same of the dirty hippies of his day.

Remember – and see what the Spirit did. Open your hearts and lend an ear. Hear what the Spirit says. The captives can be set free.

It must be the Lenten season, right? Turn on the television or the radio. McDonalds promotes its filet-o-fish sandwich.  The campy wall bass now calls out via cell phone to those seeking a “meatless” repast. The local news reports on people heartedly devoted to completing the Northeast Ohio fish fry circuit, after all you only have forty days to partake in all that battered, fried goodness. So many parishes to hit. So little time.

People suddenly are giving up the things they love. Some deny themselves sugar, others “smokes.”  Denying oneself pleasure is the object of the season. Then there are those who cease to consume meat. One will abstain from all meat including fish for 40 days while another will substitute red meat with fish on Fridays only. People seem to pick and chose what they do. Are there rules?

I’ve asked people why they abstain from meat, substitute fish on Fridays or why they give up anything during the season of Lent. Most people answer that don’t know why they do it. It’s just what one does during this time of year if you’re Catholic. Many evangelicals say that they just like the idea of giving up something for the Lord. My favorite reason for abstinence comes from those who have no religious motivation. They just want to fit in with their Catholic and well-meaning Protestant friends. It’s fun to fit in.

I grew up in the Lutheran Church. I had little exposure to this concept of giving up something for Lent. Lutherans observed the Lenten season and were encouraged to solemnly consider Christ’s sacrifice and our relationship with our Savior, but did not practice fasting (honestly, I never met a Lutheran who would willingly give up a meal). It wasn’t until I attended the public high school that I came into contact with this idea of seasonal abstinence. (How fitting that this season was the forerunner of bikini season).

At first, I was rather perplexed by the Lenten practices. Quickly, I warmed up to the idea that I could do something for God to show Him just how great I was and how much I loved Him. I had always been drawn to the idea that somehow I could validate my devotion to the Lord through some act of my will. What better way to prove your love than to impose self “suffering.” I found this ritual completely delightful. The bonus was that as a teenage girl, I could refuse to eat and it would be considered godly and not psychologically unhealthy. Godly devotion trumps parental concern. I win and get to serve God. What could be better?

That was the perpective of a teenager who struggled with a border line eating disorder, but is it much different from how Lent observers reason today? Seriously, how does giving up something benefit God? What can man do for the Lord that God lacks?

It seems that people who observe Lent through self denial are well intentioned. They desire to worship the Lord and to honor Him. Many seem very sincere in their abstention, sincerely mistaken. The Lord himself points out the folly of misguided human tradition.

Then the Lord said, “Because this people draw near with their words And honor Me with their lip service, But they remove their hearts far from Me, And their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote. Isaiah 29:13

Jesus rebukes the religious people of his day in Mark 7: 7-8.

“Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God. For you ignore God’s law and substitute your own tradition.”

No where in scripture does Christ command that his followers participate in a 40 day fast of remembrance commemorating his death and resurrection. The only rituals which Christ instituted are communion and baptism.

Now people have told me that fasting is a way to draw near to God. They say that spiritual disciplines are a means to see more clearly the way and will of the Lord,“For man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Perhaps they are onto something. Didn’t Jesus fast for 40 days and nights in the desert prior to entering his adult years of ministry? Didn’t Jesus, who happened to be God, do battle with Satan in the wilderness, weilding the word of God as his only weapon? Perhaps this is the goal of eating fish on Fridays?

Yes, clearly I am Lent picking. My main beef (he-he) with Lent is not that people want to be near to God or even that they have a need to reflect on what Christ accomplished on the cross. Those are good things to consider. What vexes me is that people, through human rituals and observance, are trying to be righteous before God through their own efforts. This is just plain madness. Paul raved about this foolish tendency in Galatians 3.

1You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. ²I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard? ³Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?

Christianity is all about freedom. Freedom from sin. Freedom from “works” and the law. Freedom from slavery. Freedom from death. Galatians 5:1 reads:

 ¹It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

So, let’s not deceive ourselves during this traditional season of penitence. We are not bound by rules or regulations, nor do we need to observe special seasons and festivals. Each day we live in Christ is a victorious feast of community in relationship. The rules have been abolished. There is no need for filet-o-fish advertisement campaigns. No longer a need to fill McDonald’s coffers with slave money. We are free to eat meat -  free to dig into a Salisbury steak dinner on Friday.

I say free the fish!

I love this festive season. The kids look forward to trips to the pumpkin patch. There is firewood to be delivered and Jiffy Pop to burn. Leaf piles grow,  inviting all to jump into with glee. Cider, don’t even get me going about the cider. The smell of spiced cider simmering on the stove delights the senses and promises of pumpkin bread yet to be devoured. Soon jack-o-lanterns will be carved and pumpkin seeds will be roasted and seasoned to perfection.

What a time to play dress up and to stay up late watching your favorite “scary movie.” Kids visibly tranform into monsters, heros, princesses and frogs and run door-to-door demanding a treat else you suffer the risk of a “trick.” Adults get dressed up as well, playing with their children and with one another. Oh, the games they play.

These are the activities of the season – ingrained into our culture as much as apple pie and baseball, yet so many Christians stand opposed to these festivities. Why? This has always baffled me. Why stand outside and opposed to your culture?  After all, most Christians have no problem celebrating Easter or Christmas, but Halloween, now that’s a different story.

I’ve heard Christians tell me that they want no part in Satan’s holiday. Are they kidding me? What makes Halloween more depraved than any other celebration? They tell me that dressing up in monster outfits honors demons and shames Jesus. Seriously? Thay insist that Halloween is the day of witchcraft and black magic. Huh? Okay, One of my kids did dress as Darth Maul and Darth Vader. True, they used the Force and enslaved the free world through violence and oppression, but Satanic? I think not. Geez.

Ummm...yeah this is a great way to evangelize in your neighborhood.

Occasionally, Christians argue that this holiday was rooted in a pagan festival called the Samhain. Basically, the Samhain was a Celtic harvest festival which celebrated the end of summer at which time the Celts believed that the boundaries between the living and the dead were able to be crossed. In order to protect and hide oneself from these evil spirits, the living had to masquarade as the dead; thus, deceiving the Banshees, and therefore, escaping Death’s clutches yet another year. To disguise oneself became a matter of survival in a dark world ruled by the fear of death.  So, it seems that Halloween may indeed be linked to a pagan festival. But what of other more “Christian” festivals? Are their origins any less godless?

Christmas’s origins are as pagan as Halloween’s. December 25th corresponds with the winter solstice. On that day, Romans celebrated the Dies Natalis Solis Invicti. This was the birthday of the Unconquered Sun. This allowed for many solar deities to be worshipped on the same date. The Persian god Mithras, Roman Sol, and Syrian Elagabalus  all were worshipped throughout the Roman Empire on the 25th. Christian Christmas also corresponds to the Roman Festival, the Saturnalia, where social roles were reversed, as masters became servants and servants masters,  and much merrymaking occurred. The church fathers, such as Bede, even agreed that Christ was most likely born in the springtime. Therefore, Christmastime has more incommon with pagan celebrations and debauchery than with Christianity.

Though Easter’s origins can be tied to the Jewish Passover, many argue that this holiday has the most pagan of beginnings. The etymology of the word “easter” has its base in the names of fertility goddesses, such as Eostre. Most fertility goddess had festivals in spring which directly corresponded to the time of Easter’s observance. Also, other “resurrection” gods were worshipped in the springtime. Among the “gods” celebrated are Bacchaus, Adonis and Attis. The most compelling correlation, which supports pagan beginnings for Easter, is between Attis and Christ. Attis was the consort of the Phyrgian fertility goddess Cybele. He was believed to have had a virgin birth and was gored to death by a wild bore after he self-castrated himself. He died as a result of this violence, but was reborn, bearing the scars of his death, as a eunuch. Therefore, many argue that Easter has a great, if not greater, connection to the occult.

So, if Halloween is to be feared and avoided by Christians, then too ought Christmas and Easter. Perhaps Paul said it best in his letter to the Colossians.

¹⁶ So don’t let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths. ¹⁷ For these rules are only shadows of the reality yet to come. And Christ himself is that reality. ¹⁸ Don’t let anyone condemn you by insisting on pious self-denial or the worship of angels, saying they have had visions about these things. Their sinful minds have made them proud, ¹⁹ and they are not connected to Christ, the head of the body. For he holds the whole body together with its joints and ligaments, and it grows as God nourishes it. ²⁰ You have died with Christ, and he has set you free from the spiritual powers of this world. So why do you keep on following the rules of the world, such as, ²¹ “Don’t handle! Don’t taste! Don’t touch!”? ²² Such rules are mere human teachings about things that deteriorate as we use them. ²³ These rules may seem wise because they require strong devotion, pious self-denial, and severe bodily discipline. But they provide no help in conquering a person’s evil desires. Col 2:16-23

See, we were set free from this world. As Christians we have a new freedom to live as beloved sons and daughters. We no longer have to worry about conforming to the things of this world. It’s not about what you do or don’t do. It’s about who you are, because of who Christ is.

Halloween is fun. Kids love it. Communities act like communities. It’s one night a year that people go door to door and greet their neighbors. People slow down and talk to one another. It’s fun and it’s freedom in practice.

If anything, Christians should be even more involved  in this hallowed evening. Christians should have the best parties, have  tastefully haunted displays, open their homes to neighbors, display the warmest hospitality, give out the best candy, and above all show your community that you are a part of it!

This past weekend my friend, who’s a Christian, hosted a great get together in our neighborhood. She invited friends and opened her garage to the local high school students. Those students put on the best PG haunted house in town. The high school students had a great time socializing. What an amazing way to be in the world and not of the world. This is Christ’s witness – Christ focused love.

Kudos, Angie. May Christ be glorified through your serving endevour.

Christians, instead of whining about how terrible kids are and how wicked Halloween is, do something radical. Throw the best party in town – it doesn’t have to be huge. Just make a statement for Christ. One that is anything but whiny.

Luther wanted an open discussion.

It seems only fitting to acknowledge the earnest stance that Martin Luther took against the establishment when he nailed these 95 Theses to the doors at Wittenberg.  He wanted to openly discuss these ninety-five propositions, but Pope Leo and the institutionalized church were not in a talking mood. They were outraged.

Luther did not intend to break from the Catholic Church, but he saw that there were some heresies within the church that needed to be addressed. He was calling for repentance by using the language of the Vulgate, “Poenitentiam agite”, as he quoted John the Baptist in Matthew 3:2 and later Jesus in Matthew 4:17. The rage of the mighty papacy rose up against Luther and thus ensued the Protestant Reformation. (Well, that’s the short of it.)

Being raised in the Lutheran Church, Reformation Day was an notable day. I recall that we would pile into our lemon-yellow Honda Civic and head over to Concordia Lutheran Church in downtown Akron. The stain glass window rose majestically into the sky. This was indeed a “mighty fortress.” Concordia was magnificent in stature to our humble Redeemer in Cuyahoga Falls.

Our annual pilgrimage to Concordia

We filed into the sacred space and donned our musty choir robes. I remember stumbling over the weighty robes as we entered onto the balcony to sing in celebration of the Reformation. ( I thought it was a balcony, but it could have been the main worship center.)

It usually rained and that made the robes smell even more dank, but that never seemed to bother me. My eyes were always drawn upward to the brilliant glasswork before me. My mind and heart were fixed upon the song we were about to perform. I took this singing thing quite seriously, after all if it weren’t for Luther and those Theses, I’d be a – dare I say - Catholic.

You see, one thing a good Lutheran girl did not want to be called was Catholic. To this day, I’m not sure why, the idea of being Catholic brings a cold sweat to my brow. It think it all goes back to those revered Reformation services that paid homage to this brave act of independent thought. Luther was a righteous rebel. His act of defiance was a stand for the gospel – for grace alone.

Tetzel was the name that made my blood boil. “As soon as a coin in the coffer rings, the soul from purgatory springs.” This phrase accompanied the sale of indulgences which Johann Tetzel claimed insured forgiveness for sins not yet committed. The monies from their sale went to the papal coffers to fund the building of St. Peter’s Basilica. The charges Luther brought against Tetzel and the Church were scandalous.

I, as a ten year old girl, was disgusted by the idea of paying for forgiveness. Sola fide was the slogan I recall to be paramount. I guess that is why I hated it when people would say to me, “Oh, a Lutheran. You are pretty much a Protestant Catholic.” Gross me out the door. Even today I am annoyed when people lump Catholic’s and Lutheran’s together, but I digress.

The lasting impact of my past as a Lutheran and my Reformation Day experiences is this, that if some doctrine or idea of man is contrary to the inspired Word of God then it must be challenged. So, as Luther we ought to challenge a doctrine that is in opposition to the gospel.  We as believers, disciples of Christ and Fellow heirs to the Kingdom of God, must stand up and state was is true and right. If the institution is wrong – is errant – who cares. Abolish it. Tear it down. Get back in touch with the Head of the Church, who is Christ.

We can repent – not only as individuals, but also as a church. Why become hostile when the way we do something is challenged or merely questioned? I recommend people revisit Luther’s 95 Theses. They are an intriguing and illuminating read. I have included them below for your convenience. Dialogue is good. Pursuit of the truth – even better. Best is clinging to the truth – absolutely!

Out of love for the truth and the desire to bring it to light, the following propositions will be discussed at Wittenberg, under the presidency of the Reverend Father Martin Luther, Master of Arts and of Sacred Theology, and Lecturer in Ordinary on the same at that place. Wherefore he requests that those who are unable to be present and debate orally with us, may do so by letter.

In the Name our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

• 1. Our Lord and Master Jesus Christ, when He said Poenitentiam agite, willed that the whole life of believers should be repentance.
• 2. This word cannot be understood to mean sacramental penance, i.e., confession and satisfaction, which is administered by the priests.
• 3. Yet it means not inward repentance only; nay, there is no inward repentance which does not outwardly work divers mortifications of the flesh.
• 4. The penalty [of sin], therefore, continues so long as hatred of self continues; for this is the true inward repentance, and continues until our entrance into the kingdom of heaven.
• 5. The pope does not intend to remit, and cannot remit any penalties other than those which he has imposed either by his own authority or by that of the Canons.
• 6. The pope cannot remit any guilt, except by declaring that it has been remitted by God and by assenting to God’s remission; though, to be sure, he may grant remission in cases reserved to his judgment. If his right to grant remission in such cases were despised, the guilt would remain entirely unforgiven.
• 7. God remits guilt to no one whom He does not, at the same time, humble in all things and bring into subjection to His vicar, the priest.
• 8. The penitential canons are imposed only on the living, and, according to them, nothing should be imposed on the dying.
• 9. Therefore the Holy Spirit in the pope is kind to us, because in his decrees he always makes exception of the article of death and of necessity.
• 10. Ignorant and wicked are the doings of those priests who, in the case of the dying, reserve canonical penances for purgatory.
• 11. This changing of the canonical penalty to the penalty of purgatory is quite evidently one of the tares that were sown while the bishops slept.
• 12. In former times the canonical penalties were imposed not after, but before absolution, as tests of true contrition.
• 13. The dying are freed by death from all penalties; they are already dead to canonical rules, and have a right to be released from them.
• 14. The imperfect health [of soul], that is to say, the imperfect love, of the dying brings with it, of necessity, great fear; and the smaller the love, the greater is the fear.
• 15. This fear and horror is sufficient of itself alone (to say nothing of other things) to constitute the penalty of purgatory, since it is very near to the horror of despair.
• 16. Hell, purgatory, and heaven seem to differ as do despair, almost-despair, and the assurance of safety.
• 17. With souls in purgatory it seems necessary that horror should grow less and love increase.
• 18. It seems unproved, either by reason or Scripture, that they are outside the state of merit, that is to say, of increasing love.
• 19. Again, it seems unproved that they, or at least that all of them, are certain or assured of their own blessedness, though we may be quite certain of it.
• 20. Therefore by “full remission of all penalties” the pope means not actually “of all,” but only of those imposed by himself.
• 21. Therefore those preachers of indulgences are in error, who say that by the pope’s indulgences a man is freed from every penalty, and saved;
• 22. Whereas he remits to souls in purgatory no penalty which, according to the canons, they would have had to pay in this life.
• 23. If it is at all possible to grant to any one the remission of all penalties whatsoever, it is certain that this remission can be granted only to the most perfect, that is, to the very fewest.
• 24. It must needs be, therefore, that the greater part of the people are deceived by that indiscriminate and highsounding promise of release from penalty.
• 25. The power which the pope has, in a general way, over purgatory, is just like the power which any bishop or curate has, in a special way, within his own diocese or parish.
• 26. The pope does well when he grants remission to souls [in purgatory], not by the power of the keys (which he does not possess), but by way of intercession.
• 27. They preach man who say that so soon as the penny jingles into the money-box, the soul flies out [of purgatory].
• 28. It is certain that when the penny jingles into the money-box, gain and avarice can be increased, but the result of the intercession of the Church is in the power of God alone.
• 29. Who knows whether all the souls in purgatory wish to be bought out of it, as in the legend of Sts. Severinus and Paschal.
• 30. No one is sure that his own contrition is sincere; much less that he has attained full remission.
• 31. Rare as is the man that is truly penitent, so rare is also the man who truly buys indulgences, i.e., such men are most rare.
• 32. They will be condemned eternally, together with their teachers, who believe themselves sure of their salvation because they have letters of pardon.
• 33. Men must be on their guard against those who say that the pope’s pardons are that inestimable gift of God by which man is reconciled to Him;
• 34. For these “graces of pardon” concern only the penalties of sacramental satisfaction, and these are appointed by man.
• 35. They preach no Christian doctrine who teach that contrition is not necessary in those who intend to buy souls out of purgatory or to buy confessionalia.
• 36. Every truly repentant Christian has a right to full remission of penalty and guilt, even without letters of pardon.
• 37. Every true Christian, whether living or dead, has part in all the blessings of Christ and the Church; and this is granted him by God, even without letters of pardon.
• 38. Nevertheless, the remission and participation [in the blessings of the Church] which are granted by the pope are in no way to be despised, for they are, as I have said, the declaration of divine remission.
• 39. It is most difficult, even for the very keenest theologians, at one and the same time to commend to the people the abundance of pardons and [the need of] true contrition.
• 40. True contrition seeks and loves penalties, but liberal pardons only relax penalties and cause them to be hated, or at least, furnish an occasion [for hating them].
• 41. Apostolic pardons are to be preached with caution, lest the people may falsely think them preferable to other good works of love.
• 42. Christians are to be taught that the pope does not intend the buying of pardons to be compared in any way to works of mercy.
• 43. Christians are to be taught that he who gives to the poor or lends to the needy does a better work than buying pardons;
• 44. Because love grows by works of love, and man becomes better; but by pardons man does not grow better, only more free from penalty.
• 45. 45. Christians are to be taught that he who sees a man in need, and passes him by, and gives [his money] for pardons, purchases not the indulgences of the pope, but the indignation of God.
• 46. Christians are to be taught that unless they have more than they need, they are bound to keep back what is necessary for their own families, and by no means to squander it on pardons.
• 47. Christians are to be taught that the buying of pardons is a matter of free will, and not of commandment.
• 48. Christians are to be taught that the pope, in granting pardons, needs, and therefore desires, their devout prayer for him more than the money they bring.
• 49. Christians are to be taught that the pope’s pardons are useful, if they do not put their trust in them; but altogether harmful, if through them they lose their fear of God.
• 50. Christians are to be taught that if the pope knew the exactions of the pardon-preachers, he would rather that St. Peter’s church should go to ashes, than that it should be built up with the skin, flesh and bones of his sheep.
• 51. Christians are to be taught that it would be the pope’s wish, as it is his duty, to give of his own money to very many of those from whom certain hawkers of pardons cajole money, even though the church of St. Peter might have to be sold.
• 52. The assurance of salvation by letters of pardon is vain, even though the commissary, nay, even though the pope himself, were to stake his soul upon it.
• 53. They are enemies of Christ and of the pope, who bid the Word of God be altogether silent in some Churches, in order that pardons may be preached in others.
• 54. Injury is done the Word of God when, in the same sermon, an equal or a longer time is spent on pardons than on this Word.
• 55. It must be the intention of the pope that if pardons, which are a very small thing, are celebrated with one bell, with single processions and ceremonies, then the Gospel, which is the very greatest thing, should be preached with a hundred bells, a hundred processions, a hundred ceremonies.
• 56. The “treasures of the Church,” out of which the pope. grants indulgences, are not sufficiently named or known among the people of Christ.
• 57. That they are not temporal treasures is certainly evident, for many of the vendors do not pour out such treasures so easily, but only gather them.
• 58. Nor are they the merits of Christ and the Saints, for even without the pope, these always work grace for the inner man, and the cross, death, and hell for the outward man.
• 59. St. Lawrence said that the treasures of the Church were the Church’s poor, but he spoke according to the usage of the word in his own time.
• 60. Without rashness we say that the keys of the Church, given by Christ’s merit, are that treasure;
• 61. For it is clear that for the remission of penalties and of reserved cases, the power of the pope is of itself sufficient.
• 62. The true treasure of the Church is the Most Holy Gospel of the glory and the grace of God.
• 63. But this treasure is naturally most odious, for it makes the first to be last.
• 64. On the other hand, the treasure of indulgences is naturally most acceptable, for it makes the last to be first.
• 65. Therefore the treasures of the Gospel are nets with which they formerly were wont to fish for men of riches.
• 66. The treasures of the indulgences are nets with which they now fish for the riches of men.
• 67. The indulgences which the preachers cry as the “greatest graces” are known to be truly such, in so far as they promote gain.
• 68. Yet they are in truth the very smallest graces compared with the grace of God and the piety of the Cross.
• 69. Bishops and curates are bound to admit the commissaries of apostolic pardons, with all reverence.
• 70. But still more are they bound to strain all their eyes and attend with all their ears, lest these men preach their own dreams instead of the commission of the pope.
• 71. He who speaks against the truth of apostolic pardons, let him be anathema and accursed!
• 72. But he who guards against the lust and license of the pardon-preachers, let him be blessed!
• 73. The pope justly thunders against those who, by any art, contrive the injury of the traffic in pardons.
• 74. But much more does he intend to thunder against those who use the pretext of pardons to contrive the injury of holy love and truth.
• 75. To think the papal pardons so great that they could absolve a man even if he had committed an impossible sin and violated the Mother of God — this is madness.
• 76. We say, on the contrary, that the papal pardons are not able to remove the very least of venial sins, so far as its guilt is concerned.
• 77. It is said that even St. Peter, if he were now Pope, could not bestow greater graces; this is blasphemy against St. Peter and against the pope.
• 78. We say, on the contrary, that even the present pope, and any pope at all, has greater graces at his disposal; to wit, the Gospel, powers, gifts of healing, etc., as it is written in I. Corinthians xii.
• 79. To say that the cross, emblazoned with the papal arms, which is set up [by the preachers of indulgences], is of equal worth with the Cross of Christ, is blasphemy.
• 80. The bishops, curates and theologians who allow such talk to be spread among the people, will have an account to render.
• 81. This unbridled preaching of pardons makes it no easy matter, even for learned men, to rescue the reverence due to the pope from slander, or even from the shrewd questionings of the laity.
• 82. To wit: — “Why does not the pope empty purgatory, for the sake of holy love and of the dire need of the souls that are there, if he redeems an infinite number of souls for the sake of miserable money with which to build a Church? The former reasons would be most just; the latter is most trivial.”
• 83. Again: — “Why are mortuary and anniversary masses for the dead continued, and why does he not return or permit the withdrawal of the endowments founded on their behalf, since it is wrong to pray for the redeemed?”
• 84. Again: — “What is this new piety of God and the pope, that for money they allow a man who is impious and their enemy to buy out of purgatory the pious soul of a friend of God, and do not rather, because of that pious and beloved soul’s own need, free it for pure love’s sake?”
• 85. Again: — “Why are the penitential canons long since in actual fact and through disuse abrogated and dead, now satisfied by the granting of indulgences, as though they were still alive and in force?”
• 86. Again: — “Why does not the pope, whose wealth is to-day greater than the riches of the richest, build just this one church of St. Peter with his own money, rather than with the money of poor believers?”
• 87. Again: — “What is it that the pope remits, and what participation does he grant to those who, by perfect contrition, have a right to full remission and participation?”
• 88. Again: — “What greater blessing could come to the Church than if the pope were to do a hundred times a day what he now does once, and bestow on every believer these remissions and participations?”
• 89. “Since the pope, by his pardons, seeks the salvation of souls rather than money, why does he suspend the indulgences and pardons granted heretofore, since these have equal efficacy?”
• 90. To repress these arguments and scruples of the laity by force alone, and not to resolve them by giving reasons, is to expose the Church and the pope to the ridicule of their enemies, and to make Christians unhappy.
• 91. If, therefore, pardons were preached according to the spirit and mind of the pope, all these doubts would be readily resolved; nay, they would not exist.
• 92. Away, then, with all those prophets who say to the people of Christ, “Peace, peace,” and there is no peace!
• 93. Blessed be all those prophets who say to the people of Christ, “Cross, cross,” and there is no cross!
• 94. Christians are to be exhorted that they be diligent in following Christ, their Head, through penalties, deaths, and hell;
• 95. And thus be confident of entering into heaven rather through many tribulations, than through the assurance of peace.

Think of the church like a sandwich wrap. The mission is like the outside of the sandwich. It is wrapped around its fivefold purpose. This mission holds the church together and provides the reason why we do what we do as a church. The delicious, aromatic substance of the church is what is bound by her mission. The substance of evangelism, discipleship, ministry, worship and community is her purpose and is held intact by her mission. (Oh, I had a hankering for a wrap today.)

Sandwich wraps = Church's mission enfolds her purpose

How well a church understands her mission and the reasons for that mission partially determines how effective and faithful a church is. Also to be considered is how well the mission field is defined. Questions must be asked. Who are we reaching? Why? Are we equipped to reach that particular group? What must we change to be effective without altering the substance of the message? These questions and more need to be considered, when there is a call for change or repentance.

Also, there is a need to assess whether a church is effectively performing her function through purposeful activity. This activity is the substance of church. This purpose is the work of those who belong to Christ. This is our witness to the world and it must accommodate the needs of its current culture and be willing to change – to repent.

Indeed, there is a need for repentance by the church. She is ever the unfaithful bride of Christ. Repentance goes beyond rethinking the church – repentance is heart change and cannot only be accomplished as our wills are submitted to the will of the author and perfecter of our faith. Our eyes must first be fixed on Jesus who “for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

We too, as those who have been called to share in His sufferings as well as in His glory, bound together in love, must be willing to endure suffering and shame for the sake of those lost in darkness. We, as Revolutionaries, are called to subvert this current world system of brokenness, rigidity and slavery through the proclamation of good news, for Christ came to do as Isaiah prophesied in chapter 61:1.

 1The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,
         Because the LORD has anointed me
         To bring good news to the afflicted;
         He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
         To proclaim liberty to captives
         And freedom to prisoners;

 It’s time for a change of heart.

The last function of the church addressed by White is the purpose of community, also understood as fellowship. He identifies several aspects of community in need of repentance. These include a lack of authenticity, the presence of broken relationships, and a spirit of exclusion.

The absence of authenticity has to do with the leaven in the church, hypocrisy. Jesus reserved his most harsh and scathing remarks for the Pharisees, the religious leaders of his day. In Luke 11, Jesus warns them of their perilous heart attitudes.

“Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone. – v 42

Woe to you Pharisees, because you love the most important seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces. – v 43

“Woe to you, because you are like unmarked graves, which men walk over without knowing it.” – v 44

The activity of worship was the weakest segment of this book concerning the purpose of the church. White typifies worship as a service that mainly consists of corporate singing. This was somewhat surprising in that he first classified worship as gathering together in the temple daily, praying and the breaking of bread. I believed his emphasis would rest on acts of corporate love and service.

White gets it right that the traditional approaches to worship are stale and that these outmoded activities of worship do not appeal to a postmodern culture, but that is all he gets right, for his “rethinking” is more like repackaging the stale bread.

He likens the needed change to what Luther did when he changed the lyrics to beer hall songs and wrote the song, “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.” (This criticism is especially difficult for me as I have a soft spot in my heart for that old hearty ballad.) White proposes that we must rethink our worship services so that the songs are contemporary and that the format of the service is sensitive to those who are walking through the doors of church for the first time. He also believes that a “sense of the sacred” must be preserved as that is what postmodern society is seeking. I suppose to White sacred equals songs of praise.

Worship is not limited to groups practicing ritual and singing, but rather it is a devotion to the “one living and true God.” This devotion described in 1 Thessalonians 1:9 is one where the focus is not on the things of this world, but rather focus is on the Kingdom of God. To worship the Lord with devotion is to look to the interests of Christ (Phil 2:21) – to get on board with His mission. Also, worship is not the act of singing. John 4:24 says, “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.” This sort of worship happens in the heart. It is not saying one thing with your mouth and doing another with your life. Jesus made this point clear in Matthew 15:8-9, “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.” Worship has nothing to do with rules at all.

Although believers can worship together as a group, it is more attuned to personal devotion. The question becomes not how are you going to worship, but rather who are you going to worship? Romans 12:1 says, “Therefore, I urge you brothers, in view of God’s mercy. To offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – which is your spiritual worship.”

Now, I’d like to stress that singing can be part of personal worship. The heart is often moved along by melodies and rhythm. Often I have learned scripture coupled with song. At these times, my heart is lifted up through the melding of harmony, voice and truth. Recently, I witnessed Joni Eareckson Tada praising the Lord through song. Her brief outburst of a joyful song, a personal expression, edified those in her presence. I am not advocating that we all take up singing praises of the Lord to one another, yet in some circumstances it seems fitting. Why else would Ephesians 5:18-19 say:

speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; (NASB)

Another common translation for this passage is:

Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord,

The Greek for these highlighted words is τῇ καρδίᾳ ὑμῶν . This is the dative form for “te kardia umon.” The dative case in Greek can be translation either in your heart or with your heart. If “in your heart” is used, then it could be argued that singing is a silent act of the heart. On the other hand, if the dative is translated as with you heart, it could be argued that singing and melody making is an act that the heart should fully accompany. The difference is slight, but it exists.

Regardless of used translation, too much emphasis has been place on singing as a act of worship. The church as taken something minor and personal and turned it into the main act of worship. The church has warped a jubilant expression of joy and turned it into the focus of worship, “though hearts are far from Him.” God still cries out today as Jesus did in Mark 7:6.

And He said to them, “Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME.

So do our lives exemplify a “living sacrifice?” This is a personal as well as a corporate issue. First we need to strive as individuals to live sacrificial lives, considering others as better than ourselves. The needs of others ought to be a primary concern of worship. This includes not only a focus on learning the truth, but also on character transformation, for Paul makes it evident in Romans that our act of worship is a free offering of our lives as sacrifices – lives that are different – lives that stand apart from the world.

And so, if we are individually striving to focus on the needs of others and if we are seeking for God to change our characters so that we too may imitate Paul as he imitated Christ, then our local Body of Christ should emulate such worship. If it does not, then we are not imitating Christ. Then, we are not looking to the needs of others – including their physical needs, as well as their spiritual needs. We must challenge and encourage one another with the word. This is corporate worship, laying down one’s life for those in the church. Time to get messy.

• Community

The third activity that the church engages in is ministry. This the the outward focus on other’s needs that believers have whether it is caring for infants so that parents can attend a meeting, or it is driving preteens around to various group activities so that they can participate in healthy relational settings.

White lays out the traditional ministry format as beginning with a program, finding some people, selling, carrying out, and maintaining the program. Then he contrasts it with what he calls the ministry development process. In this process towards ministry, one starts with a need, matches the need with the mission, waits for a leader, builds according to giftedness and reviews this ministry regularly.

Our fellowship seems to agree with White process to ministry. I recall when Chill recruited the Scumbag Clowns and the respectable adults were asked to step down. One of those respectable members recalls (with good humor) this change as “the firing.”

The breakdown of this process went something like this. (This breakdown is the observation of someone who was not party to the building of this ministry.) There was a need for teachers in this ministry that could hold the preteens attention. The “respectables” were too nice and calm to maintain the level of excitement that was necessary to hold these ruffians attentions. The mission was for these kids to be excited enough about their youth group to both invited friends and to take a personal ownership of the group. There was a need for a dynamic leader. Though not proven as a leader, a polarizing man stepped forward under mentoring to co-lead this group. The giftedness of the team drove the direction of the ministry with varying levels of success, but the mission itself was met as the children were bringing many to its meetings and there were salvations among the attendees. As for regular evaluations, these were done as time and need presented with changes made as deemed.

Another example is what has been going down in OASIS. Start with the need to teach the children, to organize teaching teams, and to make the curriculum accessible to the teaching teams. The mission of OASIS is to train not only the children up in the word (while allowing parents to attend our Central Teaching), but also new workers on teaching the word. A leadership team was found from among the workers. The ministry has developed around the giftedness of the workers as well as the needs of those being served. One class had quite a behavioral problem. A servant award was created to be given to whomever was “noticed” for serving in faith or for having an outward focus. As the children grow and the workers move into other ministries, this ministry is evaluated and modified to meet circumstance and need in light of mission.

Today there is an growing need in the children’s ministry. As new couples become parents, a nursery had become necessary. The parents are willing to serve in this ministry. I, as a children’s ministry leader, am committed to finding an at site location to accommodate these parents and infants. As we launch this new class, I believe that God will provide both a location and a gifted nursery leader, who will manage the seen and unseen needs of this ministry. As more children are added and as circumstances change, the effectiveness of this ministry will be evaluated.

Our fellowship as a whole, seems very committed to serving others, whether through an organized ministry such as South Street and the Buffalo Missions Trip, or through more personal endeavors such as considering missions through financial support or joining the field. If a need is seen with the Body of Christ, people speak up and plan to get involved like when someone moves, is ailing, or needs some household repairs. We are an assembly that loves to get our hands dirty and lend a helping hand. Service is where the fun is.

•  Worship