Sunday, December 29, 2013

Reflections From Sunday Evening

What a week! Christmas at Platte Woods UMC is a great time. It is difficult to explain the spirit that is alive in our church during the Christmas Eve services. Pastor Jessica did a great job with the children/family service this year. The joy of family was evident. Pastor Curtis led two NEXT style services and was a blessing to all in attendance. We also introduced Mat Thornton (NEXT worship music leader) to the spirit and enthusiasm of PWUMC. It was my joy to preach to the remaining congregations. Joy to the World! To follow our Christmas celebration we had a great time this weekend. Today was a "family worship" day. We welcomed our children who generally spend the hour in Sunday School to "big people church." They added yet another blessing. Now we turn to 2014. I fully anticipate another great year of serving Christ and bringing people into relationship with Jesus. One other thing...Thanks to Mike Hoffman and Nelson Hopper and Keith Milburn for reminding us where we stand in the capital campaign. We have 2.8 million dollars in hand which represents 40% of our 7 million + pledged! Amazing. It's been a good day. I hope you've had a great day too. steve

Monday, December 23, 2013

Christmas Eve Services

I encourage you to be sure to spend time with God this Christmas. One great way to do so is by attending a Christmas Eve Candlelight service. If you are traveling I hope you will be able to worship. If you are having friends or family with you please consider inviting them to come with you to a service. You are certainly invited to join us at Platte Woods United Methodist Church for one of our services. Our services are about one hour in length. Dress is casual (even if I do wear a suit). We will sing a number of Christmas Carols. We will invite you to share in Holy Communion. (Our communion table is open to all so you need not feel excluded. If you prefer to not participate in this part of the service that is no problem. Simply remain at your seat during the communion time). You will be given a candle to light at the end of the service when we join to sing Silent Night. We will also receive an offering at each service. Our Christmas Eve offering goes to a special fund we use to meet tangible needs of people in our community. We will show a short video to explain this. Our services are at 3:00 p.m. This is a family service with special attention to children. Pastor Jessica, our children's director will bring the message. At 5:00 and 7:00 we will have two different services. The "sanctuary" services at 5 & 7 will be tradition styles with the Sr. Pastor (that would be me) bringing the message. In Memorial Hall Pastor Curtis and the NEXT worship leaders will offer separate services at 5 & 7. There will be some overflow seating outside the sanctuary and in our café where the service may be viewed via video. We also have services at 9:00 and 11:00. These are in the sanctuary and follow the format from the others in the sanctuary. Historically our 5:00 p.m. service has been the largest attended so be sure to arrive early if this is the time that best fits your schedule. Please receive and share this invitation to Christmas Eve at Platte Woods UMC. steve

Sunday, December 22, 2013

Reflections From Sunday Evening

Blah. Cold. sleet. freezing rain. ice. snow. Did I say cold? Chiefs laid an egg. Most churches had to cancel services today. We had a good number of hearty souls brave the elements and come to worship today. We had about 1/3 of our normal weekend. We went on as scheduled today but encouraged people to use good judgment regarding the roads and whether or not to get out. We have had two missed opportunities this year. It snowed like crazy on Palm Sunday - generally a day when many people attend church - and today, the Sunday before Christmas. This is another day we see an upbeat in participation. So...blah. But wait. Maybe I looked at this wrong. Cold but I sit in a warm house (at least I did not HAVE to go to the Chiefs game today!). The moisture will serve us well as the year goes on. The snow is actually really pretty. Does anyone enjoy a "White Christmas?" The Chiefs (along with other favorite sports teams and other activities) give us great distraction from the real issues of the world. We were blessed to be able to invite people to worship. People came together today and God was truly present among us. Maybe it wasn't such a bad day after all. Yesterday (December 21) was the shortest day of the year. You realize this means we have turned the corner. The days will begin to get a little longer. More daylight. Through the cold winter we have the hope of spring birthed within us once again. Things are getting brighter, lighter and longer. The sun will rise a bit higher in the sky. This is a great day! It keeps getting better. The weather forecast for Tuesday - Christmas Eve - is cold but clear. The next time we gather to worship could be the highlight of the entire year! Anticipation grows! It keeps getting better. I hope to see you on Christmas Eve. We begin with a service at 3:00 followed by two services at 5:00, 2 services at 7:00 and continuing at 9:00 and 11:00. You have the opportunity to join with others and sing the carols, share in communion and light a candle. What could be better? I will see you. It's been a pretty good day after all. I hope you've had a good day. steve

Friday, December 20, 2013

Weekend Update

With the threat of a winter storm warning we are monitoring things for the weekend. A decision will be made by early afternoon regarding our Saturday evening (5:00 p.m.) service. Hopefully the ice will not be significant and the snow will come later and we will meet for services. If things change I will get the word out. Sunday services will be held regardless of the weather. I have talked with our snow removal team and they are prepared to get in early to make the parking lot as clear and safe as possible. I am anticipating a great weekend. We continue to move toward the celebration of Christmas and I truly hope we will all be able to share in worship this weekend. It appears that the threat of bad weather will be gone for Christmas Eve. I get excited just thinking about all the people who will share in Carols, Communion and Candles on Tuesday. We begin with our "Children's Service" led by Pastor Jessica at 3:00 p.m. I will be sharing with you at 5:00; 7:00; 9:00; and 11:00. Pastor Curtis will lead a NEXT worship at 5:00 and 7:00 in Memorial Hall. I look forward to seeing you in the next few days. steve

Church Controversy

Many of you may be following the events surrounding the defrocking of Rev. Frank Schaefer. He is a United Methodist pastor in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference who was suspended for officiating at the marriage of his son who is gay. Let me give you a little insight into our system and where things stand. The United Methodist Church has an official position on homosexuality that includes a statement that "we find homosexual practice incompatible with Christian teaching." The entire position is pretty broad. We consider all persons regardless of sexual orientation to be "persons of sacred worth". We welcome all to the ministry of the Church. In that context stands the "incompatible" phrase which is at the heart of our current controversy in the denomination. United Methodist clergy are prohibited by church law to participate in homosexual union services and our church facilities are not to be utilized for these purposes. Rev. Schaefer violated the rule when he officiated at his son's service. Following that charges were brought forth. This process is outlined in our Book of Discipline. Rev. Schaefer did not deny his participation but he is taking a stand against what he considers an unjust rule. As a result of the work of the committee on investigation Rev. Schaefer was suspended from ministry for 30 days. He was also asked to state his intentions of following the Book of Discipline going forward. In essence it appears to me that this is what he will not do as a matter of personal conscience. This decision resulted in his ministerial credentials being taken away thereby removing him from the United Methodist ministry. The culture and the church continue to wrestle with the issues regarding human sexuality. The predominate cultural view is one supporting diversity including sexual orientation. There are many in the church who agree with this position. There are also many in the church who believe the historical understanding of homosexuality is the correct stance. Only the United Methodist General Conference, which meets every four years, has the authority to change our statement of belief. The issues that creates are for another time. I just wanted to try to explain what is going on in this case should you be wondering. The process is being worked through in a larger context of the church. I am going to delve into the issue in a sermon next month. When we talk about "My Bad Church Experience" I will preach a message called "You're Not Welcome." I will try to give further explanation of these issues and share my own personal thoughts and struggles at that time. In the meantime, pray for all those involved in the challenges we face each day. steve

Sunday, December 15, 2013

Reflections From Sunday Evening

I had my annual opportunity to participate with our Wesleyan Choir today. I know they have me stand off to the side and read some things and do everything possible to guarantee that no one could possibly hear me sing. It is still a fun time to narrate the annual Christmas cantata. More importantly the choir did amazing! It was a true blessing for all present. A huge shout out to Walter Bryant who directs our music. Everyone who played and all who sang are deeply appreciated. A special note of appreciation to everyone who attended this weekend. The church was filled. People brought others. It was a joyful day. This is such a great time of year. There is something about the Christmas season that tugs hearts toward the manger. Person after person feels a little more desire to be in church where the Story is related once again. I look forward to sharing with you and those you bring to worship in the next days. We have one more weekend and then Christmas Eve. As usual we will have services at 3:00 (directed toward children so bring the kids and hear the story); 5:00 (generally are largest attendance so be sure to come early to get a seat in the sanctuary - there will be overflow seating available in the café); 7:00; 9:00 and 11:00. In addition we will have NEXT style worship at 5:00 and 7:00 in Memorial Hall. Come celebrate the birth of Jesus. It's been a great day. I hope you've had a good day too. And that Chief's game was one of the craziest ever! steve

Sunday, December 8, 2013

Reflections From Sunday Evening

It was freezing rain and light snow. It was really cold. (Still is.) But for a winter day things did not go too poorly. As a matter of fact God seemed to make it a point to be with us today. Families were able to avail themselves of opportunities to study and learn. Many people found their way to the sanctuary to worship. Many gathered in the dining hall for a fellowship dinner. People gathered around the coffee pot and doughnuts and good conversation. People filled up the choir loft and led in music. There were others who led in praise. A number of people served through the ministry of hospitality. Children came forward and lit candles. A new group of people gathered for a preview of a new worship service. People came forward to the communion rail to pray. People gave generously to support the mission and ministry of the church. There was sharing of mission experiences through video. People led worship through our orchestra. All this on a snowy, cold and drizzly morning. But as always the Lord warmed our hearts. It is truly an amazing thing to join with others in the House of the Lord. It's been a good day. Be warm. Be safe. I hope you've had a good day too. steve

Sunday, December 1, 2013

Reflections From Sunday Evening

We enter the Advent season and realize that during these next few weeks we are likely to have a number of people visit church. We may not think much about it but with an influx of new people dynamics change. This makes me ask three questions. (And a few more to go with them.) 1. To whom do we speak? Do we speak primarily to long time church members? Do we speak primarily to committed Christians? Do we speak primarily to nominal Christians? Do we speak primarily to skeptics? Do we speak primarily to seekers? This is not an exhaustive list but it may get us thinking. 2. To whom do we want to speak? Is there another group of people we long to reach? Is there an age group that is missing we seek to reach? Do we really want to speak primarily to people like us? 3. To whom will we speak? This is a loaded question. It will cause us to ask a number of other questions. What are we speaking? What does our architecture say about us? What do the songs we sing say about us? What does the message imply? I hope to spend some time in the coming months talking about these questions and many others. This is a great time in the Church Year. I pray we be ready, willing and able to speak to new people God brings our way. Its been a good day. I hope you've had a good day too. steve