Starting on June 5th, the Summer Camp season begins.  One of the ways to stay up on what is going at Camp Christian is by going to www.gadisciples.org and checking out the posting of photos and news from each camp.  Another way to participate is by sending letters and emails to the campers.  The address for the camp and directions for sending emails is also at this site.  Here is the list of Campers and the camps they will attend.

CYF will run from June 5-11.  Mitchell and Ethan Thompson, Jessica Hebenstreit, and Taylor Hicks will attend this camp.

YADA runs only for the Saturday and Sunday of June 11th and 12th.  Due to the brevity of the camp we have little chance to send mail and emails.  However they will post news and photos.  Melissa Hebenstreit, Shannon Bosarge, Nicole Hicks, Chris Rogers, and Mitchell and Matt Thompson will be there.

Junior 1 runs June 12th-17th.  Levi Cook is the only camper from our church at this camp.

Chi Rho follows on the 19th-25th.  Dalton and Haley Crofutt, Gavin Edmundson, Savanna Gowin, and Andrea McCleese will be campers.

Chrysalis begins the camps of July, running from the 17th to 20th.  Sarah Cook will be there.

Overlapping the Chrysalis Camp will be Junior 11 on July 17th to the 22nd.  Levi Cook, Oliva Gowin, Tyler Hurlbert, Mary Martin, and Carter Nolde will be at this camp.

The last camp of the year will be Genesis.  This is the camp for kindergarteners and a family member.  It is on the weekend of July 22nd to the 24th.  Andrew and Sara Hebenstreit, Austin and Mike Hurlbert, and John and Jim Stokes will enjoy the last camp.

Please take advantage of the news and opportunities to communicate with our campers.  As I write these words, we have passed the hour designated as the time and date of the end of the world.  We as Christians often fall sway to the desire to know when the end will come.  We want to make ready in the last part of our time for that heavenly finale to get into heaven.  Unfortunately, we will never know when.  We are to live in faith, not absolute certainty.  We are not to cram for some kind of final exam; rather we are to live daily in the way taught by Jesus.

In Matthew 25:31-46, we find the most concise instructions for living in the way of Jesus.  We are to love, and feed, and comfort, and care for people all around us.  Not just the people we like or with whom we agree, but even the least worthy, the least important, the least loveable.  When we treat people as if they were Jesus, we are fulfilling our calling as disciples.  If we live in this manner, we will have no need to fear the end of time, for no matter what, we will be welcomed as sheep by our loving Shepherd.

Whether someone says that the end comes tomorrow or in 2012, or whatever date, live as Disciples of Christ described in this passage of Matthew and celebrate the joy of already living in God’s Kingdom.

Shalom, Darrell

May, already?  Easter is over, Mother’s Day, graduations, and Memorial Day lie before us.  We will seriously look at plans for summer vacations and trips (probably measured by the price of gasoline).  The long break in the church year is over, or we often think so.  This year Pentecost is on June  12th.  The church’s birthday becomes like the birthday of some of us who try to slide past it without taking notice so we can pretend to be younger or to not make a big deal of getting another year older.

But we are not talking about a birthday that marks the passing years into infirmity and lessening abilities, at least we hope not.  The church, while it is a living, functioning Body of Christ in the world, it should be more resilient than you or me.  The church should listen to the voices of all generations as they grow in their journeys of faith and thereby resist aging.  For the church, the celebration of Pentecost should re-ignite the child-like excitement of an upcoming party, with all the trimmings.  Why not fill the sanctuary with red balloons that float in the Divine Ruach (Hebrew for wind and spirit), let the languages of children, often difficult for adults to translate, fill the sanctuary with sound.  Celebrate the presence of God and dine at the Table of the Lord.  Sing Happy Birthday to the church, and to each of us as we remember the day we were born into the church’s life.

Our world could use a place where there is joy and hope.  The news is too often grim and depressing as it is.  People struggle with the economy, and struggle to maintain their jobs or finding a job, struggle to see a purpose for their own lives.  The Sanctuary needs to be that place of fulfillment and joy-filled hope.  This summer our children and youth will be experiencing the camp theme ”Got Spirit.”  It is a question to ask ourselves before we get to Pentecost.  Do we see the Spirit of God in the world around us?  If not, are we even looking for God in the world?  Do we listen when that spirit-filled voice inside each of us speaks, or do we drown out the voice with noisiness?  Do we rejoice in the Good News that is the gift of God, or do we think this news is for someone else?

Each of us is loved, each of us is given this Gospel of hope and promise.  Open up that package.  It is not to be saved for that special rainy day need.  Open it every day and put it on, and taste it, and share it with other people.  IT IS HERE FOR YOU!!!!!!!!!

Now, when Pentecost arrives you can join in the celebration.  The concerns about whether to vacation or stay-cation, can be set aside for a time along with all the other worries and concerns that fill your life.  The Gospel is an easy burden and its load is light.  Rejoice in this gift again, like Paul, I say rejoice.

Shalom,  Darrell

This month is the celebration of Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, and Easter Sunday.  On Thursday, April 21, 2011, the Maundy Thursday Service will begin at 7:00 p.m.  During the service we will share a time of recreating the Lord’s Supper and the celebration of Communion.  Please come and celebrate this special service.

On Easter Sunday we will hold an Easter Egg hunt and celebration with the children during the Sunday school time.  Bring your children and come and play, then join in worship and the celebration of the Empty Tomb and the promise of life.

What are we celebrating at the end of this month?  What does it mean for us that God overthrew death and offered us the opportunity to become His heirs and brothers and sisters to Jesus.  It means that we are more capable and are fully worthy of God’s love and grace.  In the book Common Prayer, a Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals, the readings for Easter include the following:

“Clarence Jordan, co-founder of Koinonia Farm, wrote, ‘The resurrection of Jesus was God’s unwillingness to take our “no” for an answer.  He raised Jesus, not as an invitation to us to come to Heaven when we die, but as a declaration that he himself has now established permanent, eternal residence here on earth.  He is standing beside us, strengthening us in his life.  The good news of the resurrection of Jesus is not that we shall die and go home to be with him, but that he has risen and comes home with us, bringing all his hungry, naked, thirsty, sick, prisoner brothers with him.’”

No matter where we have been or what we have gone through, we are to build the community of God in this world to mirror the kingdom in heaven.  Easter is the time to celebrate and live as Jesus taught and as God created us to live.

Shalom,  Darrell

Beginning with Ash Wednesday, on March 9th, we enter the season of Lent.  According to Common Prayer; a Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals, “Lent is the forty-day season of reflection and preparation for the death and resurrection of Jesus.  It is a time of repentance, of considering Christ’s suffering and rethinking how we are called to take up our own crosses.  Some of us have given up things like chocolate or television during this season as a sort of fasting, and others try to integrate something new into their lives, like visiting folks in prison, sewing clothes, exercising, or praying.  It is a good season to rethink how we live and to let some things go, or maybe even to develop some new holy habits”.

Over the last year, nearing two years, we have all heard stories, known people, or been the ones impacted by the recession.  We have been challenged to really examine what is important and necessary for our own lives.  Unfortunately, these crises also cause many to “circle the wagons” to take care of their own and forget about those on the outside.  We learned the concept of circling wagons from old westerns.  It looked good for movies and TV, but in reality it wasn’t as successful, mainly because those attacking refused to ride around in a circle and face the fire from those inside.  We circle the wagons and create a siege mentality, the only way to survive is to outlast the threat.  We cannot open the circle to let anymore in because we might become more exposed.

Jesus taught the disciples to be aware of the most ignored areas of the community.  He taught, healed and ate with people that were not the cream of society.  They were thought of more as the dregs of society.  During Lent, we, like Jesus, need to be more aware of those in our community who were never in a circle of wagons, because their wagons were taken away.  We need to help lift those still suffering because they didn’t have the luck, the connections, the depth of resources, the family, the friends, the whatever to see them through to the other side (assuming we are coming out on the other side).  We need to be aware that as we deal with budget challenges around the city, county, state and nation, that many human beings, many of God’s children will be part of what is cut, not just numbers.

Lent is a season of preparation that we may better appreciate and receive the justification with God.  It is also a season when we must be aware that we are called to be justified with our neighbors as well.  Justified means to be lined up with God; to be brought into balance again with our Creator.  We also need to be brought back into balance with our brothers and sisters as well because justification is not a solo experience; it is to be communal.  Jesus went to the cross not to justify only you or  me, but to justify everyone.  Use the 40 days of Lent to start reclaiming balance for yourself and for your neighbors.

Shalom,  Darrell

“Sharing brings Joy, to us, to others, to God.”  This is the theme for this year’s Week of Compassion special offering.  Week of Compassion is the name the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) use as our part of the greater program called “One Great Hour of Sharing” used by other denominations, (AME Zion, American Baptist, Church of the Brethren, Cumberland Presbyterian, Presbyterian USA, Reformed Church in America, and the United Church of Christ) as their designation for a special offering to aid those who experience disasters worldwide.

Week of Compassion has responded to crisis all over the globe, from major natural disasters to the disasters created by war and political strife.  Many of you are familiar with special efforts our congregation made specifically for global disasters such as Hurricane Katrina, the Tsunami in SE Asia, Haiti’s earthquake and many others.  But there are smaller less globally newsworthy events that need the help of Week of Compassion.  Week of Compassion has been present to assist people affected by droughts, famines, tornados, floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, typhoons, etc, etc.  Anytime a disaster has struck, Week of Compassion assesses the needs and works with our churches to assist those in need.

Naturally, the disasters keep coming whether there are any funds available, therefore, even though our focus on this offering is in February, we can contribute to the work of the Week of Compassion at any time of the year.  If you would like to see where Week of Compassion has gone and what they have done, go to www.weekofcompassion.org.

An old Jewish proverb says that when you save the life of one person, you save all of humanity.  No single person in the world is outside the love of God.  Help those who help others around the world.

It is easy to become discouraged because disaster work can be so slow and seems to take forever.  Work still needs to be done on the Gulf Coast to repair the damage from Katrina.  A year has passed since the earthquake in Haiti and people still live in tent cities, and suffer from a hurricane and cholera epidemic.  Floods have occurred in Australia, winter storms have damaged homes in the US and  Europe, and it is only mid January (as I write this).  We do not have to fix all the problems that occur but we do have to do our part.  There is joy in knowing that we do good by helping others.  Help share the Joy around the world.

Shalom,  Darrell

In the midst of the rush of Christmas, take time for fun.  This is a time of celebration but we can get so busy attending parties and dinners and preparing for our own events that in the midst of all this work we fail to enjoy anything.  HAVE FUN!!!

Therefore I am going to offer a bit of fun.  I am going to list some “canticles from a divine natal celebration” (Christmas Carols).  As the title indicted the names will be obscured through the use of stilted synonyms for the familiar names.  Try to figure them out.
1. Weather:  Cloudless.  Arrival Time:  2400 hours
2. Initial Christmas
3. Query regarding identity of descendant
4. Move hitherward the entire assembly of those who are loyal in their belief
5. Listen, celestial messengers produce harmonious sounds
6. Nocturnal time span of unbroken quietness
7. An emotion excited by the acquisition of expectation of good given to the terrestrial sphere
8. Small municipality in Judea southeast of Jerusalem
9. Diminutive masculine master of the skin-covered percussionist cylinders
10. Omnipotent Supreme Being who elicits respite to ecstatic distinguished males
11. In awe of the nocturnal time span characterized by religiosity
12. In a distant location the existence of an improvised unit of newborn children’s slumber furniture

These are all songs that will probably be sung through the month of December and played on the radio and in the stores.  These are all old songs that you will know by their proper titles.  I will give you the real names, but they will be mixed up, just so you cannot inadvertently seek any edge in solving these names.  The answers can be found on the calendar page.

This is the time we celebrate the birth of Jesus.  It is a time of great joy, not of great busyness.  The angels shared the news of “great joy for all people”.  The shepherds sang praises to God in thanksgiving.  They didn’t overload themselves with activities in the hope that they might actually truly celebrate this arrival.  Gather with family and friends to have fun.  Attend services and special events to explore ways of giving thanks for this great gift.  Reach out to others and share joy and gladness, especially when they are struggling.  It may not solve a problem, but it will help to lift their spirits.

1. Away in a manger
2. It came upon a midnight clear
3. O holy night
4. O come all ye faithful
5. God rest ye merry gentlemen
6. The first noel
7. Little drummer boy
8. What child is this
9. O little town of Bethlehem
10. Hark, the herald angels sing
11. Joy to the World
12. Silent night

I hope that you have a wonderful time sharing these with others.  I pray that this season will be a blessing to all in your family and friends.  Become the blessing others may seek.  Now, Jovial Yuletide desired for the second person singular or plural by us ( We wish you a Merry Christmas and a God filled New Year.

Shalom,  Darrell

When I was in high school chemistry, a friend and I asked the teacher if we could do an extra credit lab.  We wanted to combine nitrogen and glycerin; and make nitroglycerin.  Needless to say, the teacher said “no”, with great enthusiasm.  As parents we have all been asked by our children for things that they wanted but would not be either good or necessary for them to have.  As adults, we realize that sometimes there are more important things to give than merely what someone asks to receive.

For the last several years we have participated in Franklin Graham’s “Shoebox Christmas” program.  This ministry provides boxes of gifts to needy children and evangelizes to their communities.  This is a worthy program.  However, is there a way to provide a longer term witness to the heart of Christianity?  Is there a way to give to needy families that would last longer and provide greater hope not just to the children, but also to their entire family?

Heifer International began when its founder, Dan West, was providing cups of milk to hungry children during the Spanish-American War.  As he gave out the milk rations, he realized that these children needed more than a small cup of  milk; they needed a cow.  He went home and arranged for the shipment of cows to hungry people.  In 1944, the first shipment of heifers went to Puerto Rico.  He decided on sending heifers with the stipulation that the family who received the cow would give someone else in their community the female offspring of that cow.  In this way, not only would one family have a source of food and income, but it would extend to others in the community and thus the gift would multiply.

What has this to do with our church?  Let me paint a picture.  We have sent an average of 25 shoeboxes over the past several years.  Assuming that we spend $20 packing and shipping these boxes, we invest $500 in providing a gift that will provide only a short term benefit.  For that same $500 our congregation can send a cow to a hungry family and start a chain of gifts that benefit and feed more than just one family.

Anyone who wishes to participate in the Shoebox Christmas may do so; we have shoeboxes at the church for that.  I would like to suggest that we attempt to raise enough money to buy a heifer through Heifer International.  If you want to investigate this charity go to www.heifer.org.  I have a musical box in the shape of a cow, not to promote Mr. Cathy’s business, but it could be a focal point, especially for children to get them involved.  After all, how often have you told someone you bought a cow for a Christmas gift?

This Christmas, let’s truly act in the spirit of God by giving gifts that reach out and feed not only an individual, but as a community.  Let us feed Jesus’ lambs.

Shalom,  Darrell

Please forgive me for what I am about to do.  There are only 95 days left until Christmas.  The only reason I am pointing this out now is to offer a suggestion for celebrating the birth of Jesus in a different manner than Madison Avenue’s version.  As we are all aware, everyone’s budget is tight due to the state of the economy.  Many are out of work or working for a lot less than they may have done in the last few years.  People are forced to make very hard decisions about what they can afford in their lives.  As Christians, we should look at our “traditional” manner of celebrating the Christmas holiday and adjust it to reflect the reality of the people around us.

I am not suggesting that family gatherings and decorated homes should be dropped.  I am pointing specifically to our tendency to go overboard with presents.  Spending more than is comfortable because “it’s Christmas” is not the lesson of the one who’s birth we celebrate.  Jesus was the gift to us, and the only other gifts mentioned in the Nativity stories were the gifts of the Magi given to Jesus.  Mary and Joseph did not give each other expensive jewelry or gizmos.  As a matter of fact, there is no mention of them doing anything for each other.

Start looking around now for special ways to share the spirit of Christmas in ways that reflect the Christian understanding that we give to honor the Christ child, not to impress the recipients of our gifts.  Some possible “gifts” that can be given to adults would be gifts in their name to a special charity.  A gift made by hand, not in the manner of a child’s gift to a parent, but a gift of time and talent spent for that person.

Family events can focus on giving as well.  Contact the local Habitat office and volunteer as a family.  Get on the schedule to volunteer at the soup kitchen or food pantry or clothing closet.  Obviously, the time immediately around the holidays are prime targets, so be willing to look around outside the holiday time and make it a special family holiday event.  Other things that could be done could be directed to the families in the Ronald McDonald House, Children’s Hospital, or a nursing home in the area.  For example, as a family bake and decorate cookies and deliver them to shut ins or elderly neighbors who have no local family.

Make a family effort of selecting from an Angel Tree and getting something that involves everyone in the choosing of the gift.  Let even the youngest children, even if they need extra guidance, be involved in the act of buying, wrapping and delivering the gift.  Connect the giving of gifts to the giving of gifts to baby Jesus.

I was listening to the last program of the radio show  “Speaking of Faith” and they were sharing some of the broadcast interviews that have really spoken to the crew and to the listeners.  The part that really grabbed my attention was an interview with a man who works with impoverished people following Hurricane Katrina.  He was talking about how we respond to people in need and what it teaches our children.  If the only response  our children see involves opening of the wallet or the checkbook, they may never see or connect with the people we are helping.

Another person was sharing a story about baking a cake for his mother, an RN, as a surprise for her when she got off work.  As he started he realized that he had no eggs for the cake mix.  He remembered his mother telling stories about how the community would share with each other, especially when times were hard.  If you needed a cup of sugar or a couple of eggs, you asked your neighbors and they provided if they could.  So he went across the street and borrowed two eggs.  His mother’s joy was diminished as he shared his tale.  Today, what used to be borrowing from a neighbor to be returned in kind has transferred into begging.  We live in our isolated shells called home, and hide from the interactions of the people around us.

How many of you know the real condition of your neighbors?  Are they healthy; are they struggling; are they in crisis?

As we approach Advent and Christmas, the community of Christ needs to reclaim a greater sense of community.  Give the gifts of community to your family and friends.  Embrace a stable born child, visit that infant in the manger and get to know the other people offering their gifts of lambs, frankincense, myrrh and gold.

Shalom,  Darrell

Most of us manage to keep our homes looking neat on a day to day basis.  Sometimes during stress filled times we let it slide a bit.  However, when word arrives that company is coming, the clean genie goes into overdrive.  Vacuuming, dusting, tidying, scrubbing, etc., etc., all must be done immediately.  After all, we want to make a good impression, more so for guests than we would always do for family.  This is normal.  I remember Mom going into overdrive when church events were to be held at our house, when my sister and I had graduation open houses, or when she hosted family holiday gatherings.  Denise and I pitched in, whenever we couldn’t find a better place to hide or to be.

As a church family, we are seriously looking at a major investment in time and resources to remodel and update our fellowship hall building.  We are also looking to do the work and pay for it by taking out a loan, something this congregation has rarely done.  Why go to this length?  Why not just make do?  Why not do what we can as we can?

If this were our family home, I would agree that we do what we can as we can.  However, this is God’s home and we are its stewards.  This place is for us, but it is also for many others to enter and find God’s presence in a variety of ways.  We are to be the hosts for God’s guests.  We have to make an extra effort.

We have all seen the rotten soffits, the leaks from the roof, the spots on the carpet from glue leaking through.  We have seen how crowded it can get in the main fellowship hall as well as in the kitchen when we host events.  Remember how tight it was during the 50th anniversary of the congregation?  We also know that we lose a lot of money on energy expenses because of the older, thinner windows.

Pretend that you are new to our church; now look at the condition of the fellowship hall.  Does it truly represent the people of our church?  Does it show how we really feel about our God?  Does it look like a place for on going ministries?  Honestly answer these questions.

We already host three different outside groups in that building.  We just served a Boy Scout group who were bumped from another church and they filled the place.  We already do a lot of ministry in this space.  Let’s make it a better space for strangers to enter and become a part of the family.

Some have suggested that we wait until the economy is better.  This is reasonable.  However, we are a people who act from faith.  Yes, we weigh all the factors so we don’t make the mistakes of the poor planners in the Gospels, but we also look with the eyes of faith at what this congregation can do when we choose to do so.  We have helped with disaster relief through our gifts.  We have sent volunteers to work Miracle Days in Dublin and at Camp Christian.  We have even exceeded our pace in Outreach giving to date over 2009.  We are the people of God in this place, and we can do great things if we will exercise our faith.  We can do this!

We are NOT redoing the fellowship hall for our present congregation.  Yes, we will benefit from it, but we do this for the future ministry it can provide.  As I said before, three groups already use the fellowship hall.  From these groups we have a potential to reach out to these groups in ministry.  We can also open the doors to other groups, such as the Scouts who were here in August.  We can also serve the greater community.  In the 10 years I have been here, Georgia has been fortunate enough to not have a hurricane come ashore.  We are at the end of the emergency escape route for people along the GA coast.  We can become better suited as an emergency shelter for brothers and sisters escaping nature’s threats.  Our women, men, and youth ministries can also be enhanced with a better space to host district and regional events.

We do not approach this work with an idea of what we can do with the fellowship hall today, but rather how God can put it to use tomorrow.  Pray about this, talk about this, listen to the leading of God about this.  Then, we can step forward in faith to minister as God’s stewards.

Shalom,  Darrell

Have you seen the emails that circulate over and over again about things like cell phone companies releasing all of our numbers to telemarketers or Congress passing legislation that would stop all religious broadcasting or passing a tax on all emails?  These are all false and have been shown to be false over and over again; yet every few years they resurface with great vigor and are passed by well meaning and concerned people.  Sometimes these people are so convinced of the truth of these tales that they fight and resist any attempt to point out the fallacy of the information.

We also get defensive about many issues to the point of escalating anger and discord among former friends and associates.  We have forgotten how to converse and discuss without passing judgment upon the person taking a different understanding of whatever issue is being discussed.

In the June 1, 2010 issue of The Christian Century, page 45, Rodney Clapp’s  column ”American Soundings” discusses the history of the jeremiad (a lament or tale of woe) as a way of calling people back to their senses during times of great division.  He quotes Abraham Lincoln’s second Inaugural Address of March 4, 1865.

“Both read the same Bible to the same God, and each invokes His aid against the other.  It may seem strange that any men should dare to ask a just God’s assistance in wringing the bread from the sweat of other men’s faces, but let us judge not, that we be not judged.  The prayers of both could not be answered.  That of  neither has been answered fully.  The almighty has His own purposes.”

Both sides in the Civil War committed terrible crimes against innocents as well as against soldiers.  As Christians, to demand that God be on our side in all matters trends toward childishness.  We are instructed over and over in the Bible to love one another and to seek justice and do kindness to each other.  Yet we still insist that we know exactly what God wants of us on every topic and that God’s wrath should be poured out upon those who disagree.  In fact, the idea that they disagree with us shows how ungodly they truly have become.  The North prayed for a defeat of the South and the South prayed for the defeat of the North.  Although history declares that the North won, looking at the cost to lives in the entire nation and the ongoing struggle for real freedom and justice for everyone throughout the whole nation, I venture that the victory declared by the Union was bittersweet and still incomplete.

In Lincoln’s words, we find the pattern for discourse among Christians as well as US citizen’s over issues that divide us.  Pray to God and ask for guidance while accepting that God’s answer will not always be exactly what we have asked of God.  Pray that God’s answer will challenge each side to strive for deeper understanding while still demanding that we love each other as God first loved each of us.  Listen to the Grace of God and not the vitriol of the media that we might all be seen as Christians by our love.

Shalom,  Darrell