What is Ordination?

Last October, I reported to you that the Credentials Committee of the Church of God in Michigan had approved me for ordination. I was indeed ordained at the state’s General Assembly meeting in November, and now we are in the midst of planning for my formal ordination service at Mt. Haley on May 25, one month from today. Through a couple of conversations, it became apparent to me that it might be helpful for you to know exactly what this process has entailed and what it means for my ministry.

Miller Chapel, Anderson University School of Theology

The Church of God ordains pastors on a state-by-state basis. I began the ordination process in 2007 while I was in seminary in Indiana. I met with Indiana’s Credentials Committee twice, took a Bible content exam, and began reading a selection of required books. This was in addition to my seminary reading list: over five years, I took ninety hours of graduate courses to earn a Master of Divinity degree. Also, as part of the ordination process, I wrote and defended fourteen theological statements (which are available on our website, if you’re interested to read them). All of this preparation was to ensure that I am theologically sound and at least somewhat prepared to enter a ministry position.

During this time, I moved through the first two phases of the ordination process. In Indiana and Michigan (and most states), the Church of God classifies ministers as “commissioned,” “licensed,” and finally “ordained,” in increasing order of call, trust, and responsibility. At the beginning of my process, I was “commissioned” in Indiana; that was a recognition of the fact that I sensed a call to enter ministry – and that it seemed right to the committee as well. After I completed the work listed in the previous paragraph, I became “licensed.” This allowed the world to consider me a minister from a legal perspective: I could perform wedding ceremonies and file taxes as a minister. For all intents and purposes, a licensed minister can do anything you’d expect a fully ordained minister to do.

All of this happened in Indiana. Then, when Mt. Haley called me to become its senior pastor and Tara and I moved to Michigan, my ministerial credentials were transferred to the Church of God in Michigan. Since that time, I have met with Michigan’s Credentials Committee twice so they could review my theological statements, get to know my call to ministry, and prepare me for full ordination.

Another part of that preparation is a relationship with a “supervising mentor.” Rev. Dr. Kevin Earley, pastor of the Metropolitan Church of God in Detroit, was assigned to serve in this role for me. We were acquaintances from seminary – he earned his doctorate while I worked on my master’s – and in the past year we have had a handful of phone conversations about pastoral ministry, its challenges, and its opportunities.

Another component is a document called a “Life and Ministry Plan,” which is like a personal mission statement for pastors. This “LAMP” is a living, growing document that is to inform and adapt to my life and ministry over the course of my life. This requirement was waived in my case because I am currently working on my “LAMP” with my “SHAPE” group (“Sustaining Health And Pastoral Excellence”), a group of five pastors who meet each month for connection, support, and mutual growth. (My “LAMP” should be completed sometime this year.)

All of this culminated in the Credentials Committee’s recommendation that I be presented for ordination at the state General Assembly meeting last November. At that meeting, four other candidates and I were presented to the assembly. We each gave a three-minute testimony/summary of our call to ministry, and then the gathered ministers and church representatives voted whether or not to ordain each of us. The rules state that if six “no” votes are received for any candidate, then his or her ordination is withheld for further consideration. That did not happen in my case, so my ordination was technically approved in November.

What remains is a formal ordination service, which we have scheduled for May 25. At this service I will be given my official certificate of ordination, and the whole process will finally be complete.

Ordination is a call to ministry in the church. If I were not serving in an official ministry position, I could not be ordained. And in the future if I should not have a ministry position for a significant length of time, my ordination credentials could be revoked. Ordination means that I am fully recognized as a minister in the Church of God, but it also means that I am fully accountable as a minister in the Church of God. I am welcome to serve as pastor, but I am not free to do whatever I wish. I am trusted to serve the church well, but I must not abuse that trust. I have the support of the Church of God movement behind me, but that is not license for me to go astray from what God intends for my life and ministry.

The Bible is full of examples of priests and Levites who were called to serve God. Many of them served faithfully for their whole lives, while others went astray and were censured by God and by the faith community. I intend to be found in the “faithful” group when the final tally is counted.

If you have any questions about the ordination process or what it means for me or for Mt. Haley, please feel free to ask me!

–Pastor David

Persistence

The other day, I saw a bug in my office. Normally, I exterminate such pests without a second thought, but this time was different. This time, I was already deep in thought working on this week’s sermon, and the bug was on the other side of my desk. Rather than getting up, walking around the desk, and doing the necessary deed, I decided to take the more passive approach: I just watched the bug for a few minutes.

This bug had it in its little brain that the most important thing in the world was climbing straight up the window. Hanging onto the window for dear life, it crawled higher and higher until it lost its balance. Then it fell harmlessly to the windowsill and began its trek upward again. Over and over again, this cycle repeated itself: the bug climbed up, fell down, and climbed up again.

One word came to my mind as I watched this bug: persistence. No matter how many times it fell down, it got back up and began the upward climb once more. And then I thought, “There’s a sermon in that.”

Of course, there is a humanistic lesson to be learned: no matter how many times we fail, we must pick ourselves up and move on, resume the course, carry forward one more time. The world is good at teaching us this message through all sorts of motivational speakers.

But there’s something deeper here. While my office bug was able to pick itself up and climb upward on its own power, we have no power to pick ourselves up spiritually. While the bug naturally showed persistence in achieving its goal, we struggle to move forward in our walks with Christ. It is natural for us to be sedentary, hopeless, passive.

The goal for us as disciples of Christ is in the same direction as the bug’s goal: to move upward, to climb higher: to grow and become more like Jesus, to bring about the kingdom of God on earth. And yet so often we find ourselves falling back into old habits and unredeemed ways of living. We look around, startled to find ourselves where we began, having the same spiritual ground yet to cover.

This is the point at which God’s grace steps into our lives. Grace is what God gives to us that we absolutely do not deserve. Knowing God, having faith, receiving forgiveness for our sins – these and many others are gifts from God brought by his grace in our lives. Another gift from God is how he picks us up when we fall and puts us back on the path of growth. We simply can’t do that by ourselves.

Yet such is our journey: ever upward, ever toward Christ, no matter what lows we experience. Carry on, fellow believers, and keep the goal always in mind!

Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest.
How long will you lie there, you sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest— and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man.
(Proverbs 6:6-11 NIV)

–Pastor David

Beneath a Veil

On this Good Friday, I’d like to share a hymn with you that has helped me center myself on the spiritual meaning and depth of Jesus’s sacrifice. The hymn is entitled “Thee We Adore,” and the English text below is translated from Thomas Aquinas, an important 13th century priest. Tara and I found this hymn through one of the area choirs in which we sing; the tune we sang (by a composer named Candlyn) is hauntingly beautiful.

Thee we adore, O hidden Savior, thee,
Who in thy sacrament art pleased to be;
Both flesh and spirit in thy presence fail.
Yet here thy presence we devoutly hail.

Thomas Aquinas was instrumental in the philosophical arguments behind the Catholic doctrine called “transsubstantiation” – that is, that the bread and wine of the Lord’s Supper literally become the body and blood of Jesus when we share at his table. We in the Church of God do not believe this happens, but we can certainly agree that “both flesh and spirit in thy presence fail.” Being in the Lord’s presence is truly awesome.

O blest memorial of our dying Lord,
Who living bread to men doth here afford!
O may our souls forever feed on thee,
And thou, O Christ, forever precious be.

Jesus taught us that he is the Bread of Life (John 6:22-59). When we share at the Lord’s table, we are reminded that he is true food and true drink. And when we gather at the foot of the cross, we are reminded of the truth behind the meal that we share: the bread and wine remind us of the great price Jesus paid so that we might have forgiveness and relationship with him.

Fountain of goodness, Jesu, Lord and God,
Cleanse us, unclean, in thy most cleansing flood.
Increase our faith and love, that we may know
The hope and peace which from thy presence flow.

Jesu, short for Jesus, is the source of all hope and peace. His blood is a “most cleansing flood” that can wash us clean from sin through faith and love. This season is a powerful time to remember, to wash, and to remain quietly in his presence.

O Christ, whom now beneath a veil we see,
May what we thirst for soon our portion be,
To gaze on thee unveiled, and see thy face,
The vision of thy glory and thy grace.

Our hope is always for a future with Jesus Christ. When we stand at the foot of the cross, at the tomb containing Jesus’s body, we wait for a yet-to-be-revealed future. When we see the bread of the Lord’s Supper hidden beneath a cloth, we yearn for the time when we can see Christ face to face. Until then, we thirst, we hunger, we meditate, we draw close to Christ, we hold vigil at the tomb.

I’ll see you on the other side.

–Pastor David

At the Name of Jesus

The italicized hymn lyrics found below were written by Caroline M. Noel (1817-1877). I invite you to meditate on them with me.

At the name of Jesus every knee shall bow,
Every tongue confess him King of glory now;
‘Tis the Father’s pleasure we should call him Lord,
Who from the beginning was the mighty Word.

Philippians 2:1-11 teaches us that one day every knee will indeed bow at the name of Jesus. The one whom we remember in the current seasons of Lent and Resurrection is the very Word of God (John 1:1), who has existed with the Father and the Spirit from the beginning.

At his voice creation sprang at once to sight,
All the angel faces, all the hosts of light,
Thrones and dominations, stars upon their way,
All the heavenly orders in their great array.

We frequently remember Jesus as the creator of all things that we can see: the sun, moon, and stars; the trees, flowers, and oceans; the horses, dogs, and cats. Yet scripture teaches (Colossians 1:15-16) that Jesus is the creator of all things, both visible and invisible. This Jesus is the one who holds all power and authority in his hand. Nothing in this universe has power to do anything outside the scope and wisdom of the authority of Christ.

Humbled for a season, to receive a name
From the lips of sinners unto whom he came,
Faithfully he bore it spotless to the last,
Brought it back victorious when from death he passed.

This season is crucial for us as believers. We take special care to tell the story of Jesus: from Palm Sunday, through Maundy Thursday, to Good Friday, to Resurrection Sunday and beyond. Yet what a mystery it is that this is the same Jesus who created the universe! “Humbled for a season,” he took a human name through his life, death, and resurrection.

Bore it up triumphant with its human light,
Through all ranks of creatures, to the central height,
To the throne of Godhead, to the Father’s breast;
Filled it with the glory of that perfect rest.

Soon after his resurrection, Jesus ascended into heaven, where he now sits at the right hand of God the Father. Can you imagine what that ascension might have looked like? We often think of heaven as a “perfect rest”; read Hebrews 4 for a beautiful passage on that topic.

Name him, brothers, name him, with love as strong as death,
But with awe and wonder, and with bated breath;
He is God the Savior, he is Christ the Lord,
Ever to be worshipped, trusted, and adored.

“Love as strong as death” (Song of Solomon 8:6) is exactly the type of love that Jesus showed for us (John 15:12-13). Let us always remember to approach our Lord with humility, respect, and sacrificial love. The above verse is, I believe, my favorite of this hymn’s seven verses!

In your hearts enthrone him; there let him subdue
All that is not holy, all that is not true.
Crown him as your captain in temptation’s hour;
Let his will enfold you in its light and power.

In the Church of God, we call this “holiness” or “sanctification.” Those who come to believe in Jesus as Savior still have something left to experience: the complete removal of “all that is not holy/true” by the power of Christ. Our complete hearts and minds are to be turned over to the Lord, so that his will becomes the course of our lives.

Brothers, this Lord Jesus shall return again,
With his Father’s glory, with his angel train;
For all wreaths of empire meet upon his brow,
And our hearts confess him King of glory now.

Until that day, when Jesus will return in his glory, we remain faithful. Be encouraged, brothers and sisters: the story of Jesus is true, and it is Truth. Confess Christ as “King of glory” (Psalm 24) every day, and allow him to continue to transform your lives!

(Here’s a video of a choral arrangement of this hymn.)

–Pastor David

Swimming Upstream

I love to watch Bullock Creek this time of year. Earlier this week, we had a brief thaw; a good deal of our snow melted away, and we even had a decent rainfall at the same time. When those weather patterns combine, that means one thing for sure: Bullock Creek will be very high and will run very quickly. At this time of year, I get to watch the creek from my office window, since the church property sits right on its edge.

While I was working on this week’s sermon, I gazed out at the water. To my surprise I saw two ducks, a male and a female, swimming upstream in search of food. Near the bank, the female was rustling through the brush. Just a couple of feet away, the male was holding his position in the water; apparently, he was watching for predators or other threats. As the female worked her way up the edge of the river, the male kept pace with her, always staying even with her as she progressed upstream.

Then I realized: this was no easy task for these two ducks. The high water of Bullock Creek was moving very quickly – from my human perspective, let alone from a duck’s perspective! All the melted snow and collected rainfall was rushing downstream, past a few large chunks of ice that had not yet melted away, and toward the creek’s passage under Homer Road. To hold their position in such a cold, fast-moving stream must have required a great deal of effort. Even though his upper body showed no stress, I was sure that the mallard was kicking hard with his legs to keep up with his mate.

One of the passages of scripture that we will read in church this coming Sunday is Philippians 3:4b-14. This is one of this week’s lectionary readings, meaning many Christians around the world are scheduled to read it this week. And this passage happens to be one of my favorite texts; it has meant a great deal to me for many years. The final verse of this passage reads, “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (NIV).

Often, people argue that the Christian faith is just spiritual self-help without much influence on everyday life. But just like our neighborhood ducks had to work hard to overcome the power of the creek’s current, so we must press on in our walks with Christ to overcome the current of sin, which so easily entangles us (Hebrews 12:1-3). We may wish that our lives were as calm and serene as the mallard’s upper body, but in truth the walk of faith requires what the mallard was doing underwater: action, motion, movement, energy, work, and even missteps. (He did stumble once or twice – on occasion he’d ruffle a wing to keep his balance.)

Friends, let us press on to become more like Jesus Christ. Curious about what that means? Let’s talk.

–Pastor David

Life Without a Pope

As I type these words tonight, there is no Pope heading up the Roman Catholic Church. This is rather significant in terms of world affairs and religious news: only once in a long while is there a transition of power in this position, and never in the past several generations has there been a Pope who has resigned, like Benedict XVI has done. This is the kind of thing that gets my religion-antennae perked up!

The Church of God has had a mixed view of the Roman Catholic Church (which I’ll abbreviate RCC) since our inception in the late 1800s. Originally, we viewed the RCC as an evil institution, one which embodied some of the most evil and grotesque images in the book of Revelation. This was rather fundamental to our identity as the Church of God and, for a while, seemed to be the primary way for us to view that group.

Our view toward Catholics has become much more generous, generally speaking, in the past few decades. We are becoming more and more aware that many true, honest Christian believers exist within the vast 1.2 billion adherents that the RCC claims. Personally, one of my high school friends grew up as a United Methodist but converted to the RCC when she married one of my Catholic friends. Both are firm, fully-committed believers in Jesus Christ and are raising their children to know and love the Lord.

Now, you’ll notice that I have not pursued priesthood in the RCC. I serve as a pastor in the Church of God movement on purpose, and I’m not about to switch loyalties. After all, my view of Christianity allows for a great deal of diversity of denomination. To quote one of our heritage hymns (by modifying its intent), “we reach our hands in fellowship to every blood-washed one.” I believe we must be very gracious in distinguishing who, in fact, is washed by the blood of the Lamb.

So how should we react to the RCC being between Popes and struggling to search for a leader? For all its problems (and I believe there are many), the RCC is very important to a large number of honest Christian believers. To that end – and that end alone should be enough to convince us – we should pray for our Roman Catholic brothers and sisters during this time of transition.

After all, we too are in a period of transition in the Church of God. Our current General Director, Dr. Ron Duncan, is retiring soon, and a search team is working hard to interview candidates and to make a recommendation for Dr. Duncan’s successor. (There are a few somewhat insignificant parallels between this process and the RCC’s Conclave to choose the next Pope. In short, though, our General Director is not our Pope.) Just as we should pray for God’s wisdom in guiding those who will select a leader for our group, which numbers about a million people, so too we should pray for God’s wisdom among those who will select the spiritual leader for a group one thousand times larger than ours.

We live without a Pope all the time; we live under the reign of Jesus Christ alone, and we journey freely in his kingdom with the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. But for those brothers and sisters in Christ who live in a system that normally has a Pope but does not right now – for these people, let us pray. (1 Thessalonians 5:25)

–Pastor David

On a Journey

As we move forward in the Christian season of Lent (called “Focus 40” in the Church of God), I find myself captivated by the theme of journeying. Several of my friends in ministry, who are scattered around the country and the world, are going through different kinds of “wandering” in their own lives. Some are anticipating a move to a new ministry location, some are expecting a baby for the first time, and some are embarking on new and intimidating adventures in their current locations.

When I think about the people of Mt. Haley Church of God in this context, I realize that we too are in transition; we too are on a journey. This church is settling down into a rhythm with our current pastoral staff. We have experienced a tremendous mission trip to Guatemala and are continuing to reflect on the impact of that journey. We are learning the importance of active growth in our own personal faith, and we are seeing the joys of ministering with our youth and children – even though that too is a call to active involvement in ministry.

Everywhere we look, we see signs that the life of faith is a journey. This is especially on our minds in this season of Lent, in which Christians of all nationalities are journeying toward the cross. In a deliberate, careful manner, faithful believers just like us are considering their need for a Savior, for redemption, for hope, for Christ in their lives.

In this we are not alone. Our biblical ancestors in the faith were wanderers, most notably when the Israelites wandered through the wilderness for forty years on their way to the Promised Land. Later in their history, Israel and Judah each were taken away into exile because of their sinfulness and betrayal of their relationship with God. Even in the beginning, when God called Abram to leave his home and follow him, we see a clear example of wandering in faithfulness to God. As the Israelites repeated for generations afterward, “my father [Abraham] was a wandering Aramean” (see Deuteronomy 26) – and that defines us and gives meaning to our own periods of wandering.

Wherever you find yourself on the journey of faith, remember that you are not alone. Take full advantage of the remainder of Lent (which this year lasts all the way through March) to focus on how God is calling you to draw closer to him and to his church. Know that I am praying for you and that I am always available to walk with you, wherever you are!

–Pastor David

Reflections on Guatemala

I sit here on a snowy Thursday morning and find myself reflecting on how, just one week ago, several of us from Mt. Haley were experiencing different weather, a different language, a different culture, and a different sense of community.

We as a church have been building up for this Guatemala “Shack Attack” trip for quite some time. We gave over $2,500 toward expenses for the trip and, more importantly, for a house to be built for a family in Guatemala City. We joined hands with a neighboring church, Meridian Church of God, to bring about this experience, in which we shared the love of Christ with hundreds of children and adults and in which we learned a great deal about ourselves and our own way of life. I’d like to share with you a few of the lessons I learned on this trip.

Though cultures differ greatly, family is universally important. The house we worked on will soon be home to a family of five, and yet it is very small – certainly smaller than our youth room at church. This family will make this newly constructed space their home, and that is quite significant. We also visited the home of a family whose house was built this time last year – a truly beautiful space that has quickly become their home in the past few months. Having a space for families to live life, to build relationships, to grow together – this is a crucial component of life both in the Guatemalan community we visited and for us here in the States. What is your family life like? What space have you created for those relationships?
Though languages differ greatly, Christian love is universally understood. We saw this lesson most clearly when we attended a Sunday morning worship service in the church just a hundred yards down the railroad tracks from the house construction location. We witnessed laughter, greetings, and hugs among the Christian community there. We participated in tremendous worship of our Lord with familiar and unfamiliar songs sung in Spanish. We experienced a remarkable display of Christian humility through a public confession of sin, and we saw the body of Christ extend forgiveness to those who made that confession. Where do you see Christian love expressed in your life? How would your life change if you saw it more clearly?
Though personalities differ greatly, relationships are universally meaningful.
Andrea and Julia

Many of the children we met in Guatemala were gregarious, excited to see us, talkative, and very expressive. Some, however, were much more quiet and reserved – like me! While I watched the dozens of children we saw each day, I noticed that some children, just like here at home, tended to be in the center of attention, while others stayed on the edges of the group. And then, on our last day at “the tracks,” two young girls appeared at my side: Andrea and Julia. These two girls, eight and seven years old, respectively, were very shy and not very talkative. But they plopped themselves down next to me and were content just to be next to me or to be held on my lap for the bulk of the day. Who are the “overlooked” people in your daily life? Are you one of them? How can God use your personality to be a blessing to people around you?

Whether in the sunshine or in the snow, whether in 70 degree weather or 20 degree weather, God is at work in people’s lives. I am excited to continue bringing about the kingdom of God in our own community after seeing it at work in Guatemala City last week! Will you join me in our ongoing mission work?

–Pastor David

Ash Wednesday Service

What is Ash Wednesday? Why are we having a church service on that evening? Isn’t that something that only Catholics do? Pastor David, do you really expect us to put dirty ashes on our foreheads?

Those are all good questions, so don’t be afraid to ask them. I’d like to try to answer them now for you so that you have a better idea of what this experience will be like. To my knowledge, Mt. Haley has not had an Ash Wednesday service in a very long time, if ever, and certainly not in the past few years.

Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent, the season preceding Good Friday and Easter. Typically, Lent is understood as a forty day period, the same length of time that Jesus spent in prayer and fasting in the wilderness before beginning his ministry (Luke 4:1-13). Therefore many Christians will dedicate the period between Ash Wednesday and Easter to prayer and fasting. (That is why people often speak of “giving up something for Lent.”)

Ashes are a biblical sign of mourning and repentance (Job 42:3-6). Also, ashes remind us that we are dust and to dust we will return (Genesis 3:19). That biblical truth is found in the midst of the story which explains why people die: death is a direct result of our sinfulness. So in the period of time that precedes Easter, Christians remember how our sinfulness separates us from God. Only then does it make sense to celebrate Jesus’s resurrection on Easter Sunday: he has conquered sin and death, and those who are in Christ experience victory over both.

I challenge you, then, to begin the season of Lent by coming to worship God at 7pm on Ash Wednesday, February 13. This type of service is practiced by many different Christian groups, including but not limited to Roman Catholics. We at Mt. Haley will not put ashes on our foreheads, but we will reflect on our need for repentance and forgiveness. My prayer is that this service will help us enter a reflective state of mind throughout Lent, so that we might remember the beauty of Maundy Thursday, comprehend the magnitude of Good Friday, and celebrate wholeheartedly the victory of Easter Sunday.

–Pastor David

State of the Church

Every year, the President of the United States gives a “State of the Union” address. This speech is usually designed to look back on the past year and to look ahead toward the opportunities in the future. Today, I’d like for us to think about the “State of the Church” – specifically, the state of Mt. Haley Church of God.

Looking back on the past year in the life of this church, I see many high points. We celebrated six baptisms on Easter Sunday. We remodeled our youth room and have seen it begin to fill up on Sunday evenings with teenagers searching for God. We have branched out with a weekly meeting for our sixth-grade youth, which has been very profitable and consistent. We saw two adult discipleship groups spring up, a men’s and a women’s group, which met specific spiritual and relational needs for their members. We worked with several local ministry organizations, such as the Mid-Michigan Teen Challenge and the Pregnancy Resource Center. We held monthly men’s breakfasts for consistently strong groups of men from our community. We learned about our spiritual giftedness and began thinking about how to put those gifts to use in creative ways.

Early in 2012, we asked the Lord for a reprieve from a series of deaths among our elderly members, and he saw fit to give us emotional rest for most of the year. We channeled our energy toward positive improvements and ministry activities including our sound system upgrade, our upcoming Guatemala mission trip, and our sponsorship of a delegate to attend this June’s Global Gathering in Anderson.

We engaged in a fourteen-week study of the Book of Revelation on Sunday evenings. A strong, consistent group of disciples came week after week to learn about this most confusing and challenging book of the Bible and about how the Church of God has interpreted it in the past century. We were unafraid to ask difficult questions about scripture and our identity as people of God. We found encouragement and challenge as we studied this book together.

All these and more are blessings from the Lord, reasons for us to celebrate his grace and give thanks for his guidance. What, then, are the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead? (These, by the way, can serve as areas of prayer for the coming year.)

We have seen new faces in our Sunday morning worship services, and for this we give thanks to God. Yet our average attendance in 2012 was exactly the same as in 2011. Real growth (numeric and spiritual) and consistent corporate worship are growing edges for us.

Our church council is in a prolonged state of transition. Presently, we are searching for leaders to fill two specific leadership roles in the church. This is an ongoing need for us, because the leadership of the congregation helps to set the tone for the congregation as a whole.

Our children’s ministry has relaxed in the past several months for many good reasons. As we move ahead, this is one area that will need our collective attention: how shall we minister to children? (Hint: an effective way to attract adults to the church is to provide excellent ministries for their children.)

Our community and global outreach is continuing to shift and grow. How can we become more aware of our neighbors and their needs? How best can we meet the needs of people in our neighborhood so that the love of Christ shines through in all we do? How can we make an impact for the kingdom of God in the world at large?

Our personal and corporate walks with the Lord must continue to move ahead. We are called to grow in Christlikeness so that worship of God becomes something automatic for us: not just Sunday morning attendance but an everyday kind of Christian faith.

My vision for Mt. Haley in 2013 is that we would become a people actively committed to our twofold mission, which is to grow in discipleship and to reach out to our world in the love of Christ. Programs and people may come and go, but the goal remains the same: to glorify God through our partnership together. May God be blessed by our efforts in this new year!

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:36-40 NIV)

–Pastor David

Pastor’s Thoughts

What is Ordination?

Persistence

Beneath a Veil

At the Name of Jesus

Swimming Upstream

Life Without a Pope

On a Journey

Reflections on Guatemala

Ash Wednesday Service

State of the Church

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