hayesville – PM

i’ve had a hard time articulating the last portion of our days in hayesville, north carolina. even now, about 3 weeks after returning from our trip, i still struggle to understand what happens when a group of 15 people are placed together by God to contribute to his Kingdom. and it boggles my mind how those perfect strangers can be so open with each other, so vulnerable, so willing to share themselves and learn about each other, about each other’s struggles and faith. i’m amazed at by the times we spent, around a living room, around a dinner table, around a bon fire, in the evenings of our trip.

below is my third and final "story" post on north carolina. i hope these have articulated the trip. it’s been a pleasure sharing stories with people about God’s work in the lives of students over spring break, both here and in person. i hope to share a copy of our trip’s video on the blog sometime this week, so stay tuned. thanks!
seth

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we sat on couches, curled up in sweat pants and hoodies. some made coffee or drank juice. others sipped nalgene water bottles, re-hydrating from the warmth of the day and the hard work. i picked up my guitar and sang a few songs from a loosely bound pack of worship songs, songs we all know from our tuesday night gatherings at the INN. some how, as we begin to enter into our evening time of worship, debrief, and sharing, God meets us, calms us, joins us in our work. we join him in his work. we join each other as one body.

we open our bibles to ephesians. this week, we’ve talked through the whole book, looking at statements about all the has been done "through Christ" and "in Christ". we reflect on the blessing of God, through Christ, that we see each day. we discuss what it means to be members of the body, members of a building, much like the buildings we work on, pieces of a whole community, vital to each other’s survival and accountable to taking care of each other as faithful brothers and sisters. we grow into a better understanding of each other.

a single voice speaks. going around the room, one at a time, over the course of the week, we share our stories. however it comes out, we articulate what our faith looks like, where we’ve come from, who God has placed in our lives that has shaped us. i share about the journey i am on, a journey of deeply rooted faith coming from my parents and family who loved me growing up. i share about hard times in high school, about going to college, about meeting stacy, about being married. i share about the journey i’m still on, a journey filled with hope and doubt, faith and challenge, a continuing journey. we listen to each other. we laugh with each other, we cry and hold each other’s hands when the stories are too hard for words to tell. we are vulnerable and open with one another, trusting in God’s love that binds this group together.

the warmth of the fire is almost too much for me as i stand outside on the final night of our trip. the laughter of the group fills the crisp north carolina air. gathered around the fire, we talk about going home, about how we can continue the conversation over coffee or around similar bon fires indicative of spring quarter. i get amazing music recommendations from an expert, while the rest of the guys stoke the fire a little more than i’d like them to. i chuckle and shake my head at their exuberance. God has brought us together for one last night. the bonds and friendship he is forming may or may not continue to develop, but one thing is for sure: this trip will be remembered. through pictures, journals, blogs, and the stories we will tell, this good work will live on and be a blessing not only to our team and the people we served with, but to many, many others. and so the question of how and why we are brought together fades into the happy understanding that for tonight, we share the warmth of a fire and that tomorrow, we will be called to share the things we’ve learned to bless our world.

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Neighborhood Mission Learning Day

I just returned from Seattle, after spending the day at Seattle First Church of the Nazarene at the Seattle Neighborhood Mission Learning Day conference. Sponsored by Praxis Mission Center, this was a gathering of church leaders and practitioners sharing about how we live out our ministries in missional ways in our communities. The gathering of emerging church leaders included a key note by Brian McLaren, hosting by Mars Hill Grad School’s Dwight Friesen, and other special guests including a panel of Seattle pastors.

The day kicked off with some good words from Brian McLaren about his recent travels through Latin America. He focused on how the communities of faith that he encountered during his trip worked out how to be the kingdom of God in their settings, whether it be through direct service to their towns or through speaking out against injustices caused by the government. It was an emotional time of sharing, as many of the places Brian talked about have impacted the way he viewed our own place within the broader community. As ministers, lay leaders, and other people who serve within the church, we must find ways to impact the culture and world around us as vital members of the community.

Brian went into a discussion about how the Church may be in very desperate need of saving in many places around the world and in our own nation. Maybe we are in a setting where a gospel of prosperity and affluence is being preached, not a gospel of poverty and self-sacrifice. Or maybe our church communities have isolated themselves from the culture abroad, by becoming commuter centers where everyone drives in from miles away and then drives home, not connecting with the community around the church building or with their neighbors in their cul de sac. If the church doesn’t understand the people it is meant to serve and it forgets about it’s vital role within the city community, within the neighborhood, maybe we are the ones worth redeeming? Is the Word really becoming flesh and moving into the neighborhood (John 1:14, the Message)? The idea of Christ’s relationship to our neighborhood’s was the center of the discussion today. Our ministries are not isolated and cannot live as though they were.

The rest of the day was spent listening to some really great Seattle pastors talk about how their communities are taking action to live in the neighborhoods, to impact and become a part of the cultures around them, rather than separate themselves from the culture. I was most intrigued by Karen Ward from Church of the Apostles and their relationship with the arts community of Fremont. Developing out of both Lutheran and Episcopal backgrounds, Church of the Apostles (COTA) has become a key piece of the Fremont community, taking part in parades, celebrating art, and all the while doing church in a mix of very traditional and creative ways.

It was great to hear stories, listen to people’s questions, and watch people get excited about making an impact in their local settings, living out the gospel with renewed sense of purpose for their ministry communities. I have many questions that I will wrestle with, especially as I try to apply what I’ve heard to a college ministry setting. In many ways, our jobs are different than the rest of the ministry world, in that our students move through our community at a rather quick pace, compared with the Nazarene church who has been off of 45th in Seattle for 56 years, probably serving a relatively consistent community. Our relationships must be built faster because they may be shorter lived as students move on. And our community changes from year to year, based on where people are in their academic lives. However, I think we could learn a lot from the discussion I heard today and at least we should always be asking the question of how our community impacts the Bellingham, WWU, Whatcom County people in ways that brings about participation in the kingdom of God.

So, a question to end: What ways is your church or faith community making an impact in your immediate proximity (city block, town)?

Small groups, evangelism, and conversations

A small group, a micro-community of students or friends, functions as a support network, a social connection, and a spiritual development arena for many of the students who become involved at the INN. As I look at how we approach directly "evangelizing" within our community, I have to wonder how the small group fits into that. What role does the small group play in evangelism?

We don’t spend much time, if any, talking about creating conversions. For as long as I’ve been involved with the INN, I have not felt there was a strong pull towards creating "faith decisions" in our students, but rather there is a strong emphasis on experiencing community and a sense of belonging that therefore drives deeper spiritual reflection and commitment. The focus of our programs, activities, and even the speaking on Tuesday nights is more centered on helping students understand what it looks like to live a life as a Christian, as a Christ-follower, rather than leading them towards a single-moment decision. I think we tend to agree that faith is more of a process than that style of thinking allows.

"Author and spiritual director Evan Howard suggests that spiritual conversion, rather than being a singular event, is more accurately described as a series of distinctive epiphanies (for example, conversion to the role of the Spirit, a conversion to social justice, a conversion to contemplative practices, and so on). These are not conversions from one system to another; they make up the gradual complementary and holistic renewal of the soul."
- Mark Scandrette, from An Emergent Manifesto of Hope

So what function, if any, do our small groups serve in a community that does not seek to necessarily create a single conversion experience? Simply, they are a place for these "distinctive epiphanies" to be happened upon and developed. A small group is a perfect place to experience a realization of the power of group prayer. It is a wonderful place for learning how to serve alongside others. It’s a place to be confronted by the demands of salvation in practical ways, by people you know and trust. I’ve spent this last year working with small group leaders, trying to encourage them to develop communities within their groups, to be challenging and be challenged by the way God has created their group. One piece I think I’ve not emphasized enough in my own thinking, though, is the simple relationship aspect. Conversations, rather than conversions, are driving our community at the INN. It’s the simple "holy moments" that help students discover who they are in Christ. It’s the cups of coffee or even a good pint together with a close friend that help them find their connection to the greater story God is developing in Bellingham, at Western, at the INN.

What if our small group leaders were not encouraged so much to have the right answers or to plan the best weekly studies? What if instead, they were pushed to simply spend time with those God has placed in their care? Are there ways to help encourage purposeful connections that seek to help direct and encourage that kind of community? Some of my most significant interactions this year have been stirred up out of nothing. A sit-down with a student/friend/both that turned into a drawn out, deep conversation. It’s not been the times that I’ve planned out what I’m going to say or had a motive behind my meetings that I’ve learned the most about the person or learned what God is doing in their lives. It’s the serendipitous moments, where nothing is planned but a conversation.

Could it be possible that small group leaders need to learn how to have better conversations with their groups instead of stressing out about reading a chapter from whatever book? I think the greatest conversion stories we will hear will be those that come out of groups the found commitment to each other. They will come from small cohorts who invested time in each other. They will come from places where leaders encouraged openness, rawness, and messiness, in place of point-by-point topical studies. Conversions or life changes will come from honest conversations about what students heard at the INN on Tuesday night or from their pastor on Sunday morning. They will come out of disagreements over the message or out of disappointments from life.

Let us choose to be real with each other and the people we are called to serve. Let us be relieved of a burden to prove an idea or argue doctrine and instead be freed to be honest about our garbage and seek a community that breeds forgiveness. Let all things be done in the name of faith that bleeds into everything we do, every word we speak, every breath we take.

Vancouver – Post #6

We spent a lot of time with the Salvation Army last week at their state-of-the-art Belkin House location on Homer St. in downtown Vancouver. On Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday mornings, a smaller portion of our team showed up at about 7:15 to help serve breakfast to their residents and then help prepare lunch for the day.

Each group had the chance to work in their huge industrial kitchen and learn quick cooking tips from their master chef, Leo. Leo had a bit of a rough exterior, but once you got to know him, he warmed up and was pretty fun to work with. I spent Thursday morning with him and the rest of their kitchen staff, mostly helping load and unload the dish washer and run clean dishes around the room to their proper storage spaces. Others helped put together pita sandwiches, potato salad, and prep coffee for the upcoming meal. Let me say, from what I’ve heard about the Pita Pit’s kitchen here in Bellingham, I would have to say we did it much better and much, much cleaner. I’m not the greatest hand in the kitchen, but I really enjoy being told exactly what to do and helping out how I can.

We wrapped up our time with Salvation Army on Thursday by helping them paint some of their dormitories, clean toys in the children’s area, and sort clothes and donated goods in their basement storage area. Thursday was one of the first times we all worked together at a single location, as we had been spread around the city all week with Urban Promise and gone in shifts to Agape thus far. I took leave from each little project around the building and walked around to check in with most of the groups. It was fun to sneak around the big complex and see our group helping out all over. Whether it was painting or sorting through obscure Canadian board games (Snifty Snakes anyone?), our group jumped in head first and was as willing as ever to work hard at whatever the people needed.

We ended the day early with Salvation Army with a great lunch they had prepared as a thank you and then had some free time to walk back to our location before we began the next project for the day. Some people stuck around the church that afternoon, while others wandered about the city. Some slept. And some of us drove out to Horseshoe Bay to move 3.5 tons of bricks. That’s right. 3.5 tons. In about an hour and a half.

Part of the work we had set up for the week had been coordinated through a former INN student, Ryan Valle, who is now a student up a Regent College. A pastor friend and Regent professor he knows, Paddy Ducklow, needed some help moving bricks for a project he’s planning to do this spring. So, we volunteered and drove up to help him Thursday afternoon. In exchange for our help with the bricks, he came back to First Baptist for dinner and spoke to our group while we ate, encouraging us, sharing with us about what it means to be aware of the Holy Spirit’s interaction in our lives and how we can be actively engaging the gifts God gives us. It was hard work and it was very worthwhile to be encouraged late in the week as we began to wrap up our time in Vancouver.

Finally, our last group went to Agape on E. Hastings Thursday night. As I mentioned before, the other groups had been holding back a bit from discussing the experiences they had the previous nights, so once Fred and Sarah’s group returned Thursday night, we had a longer discussion about what we had all seen on the streets and in the lives of the women we had met. While much was said, I think one of the most important things we all learned was simply to remember the women we had met. One of the girls on the trip told a story of walking back towards the church we had started from and meeting a woman sitting on the curb. After talking with her briefly, we began to walk away. Katie turned around to say goodbye to the woman and she responded by simply asking Katie to "remember me." The significance of these words is hard to explain. Our act of going to help on Hastings was significant, but it seems that we are really required to go away, into our own world, and remember the people we met there. We should not forget the faces, the sadness, and even the hope we met on that street. We met our brothers and sisters there. They are not some "other" that we forget. They are us and we must remember them.

I think by this point in the trip, everyone had begun to become a bit overwhelmed with all they had seen in the city. Exhaustion, sleep deprivation seemed to be setting in. And through it, people seemed to be bonding, growing into the friendships they were establishing. I think that’s something that’s still happening this week and will continue in the weeks to come. Through being overwhelmed, I believe God was able to teach us a lot that we will all be starting to discover as we get back into the regular swing of things. I pray we can be open to that.

Vancouver – Post #1

I’m sitting alone in a Blenz coffee shop (Canadian coffee!!) in the early morning of our first full day in Vancouver, BC. We arrived last night and jumped right into a couple of projects, giving the students an opportunity to get right into the city and experience some of the struggles and hope that people experience here every day. One of part of our group stayed around the church where we are staying and helped serve food in a restaurant-style ministry for young adults from the surrounding streets. Paper Cup, this ministry, is a weekly thing for First Baptist Church, and we had the opportunity to help out this week.

The other portion of the group headed down into the lower East side to Hastings Ave, where we visited a hotel that some people connected with First Baptist and a group called Community Builders have established to offer low income housing in the heart of one of the worst streets in North America. We had the opportunity to hear a benefit concert in their downstairs pub, meet some of the people responsible for helping establish a positive, Christ-centered, ministry that reaches out to the people on the streets in this area and also encourages people to move into the city center and live. There was a pastor who spoke and told his story about retiring from ministry and choosing to move into this area just to become a part of it. He now helps run this hotel and pub and is trying to make a difference in an area that is filled with people being driven out of their homes by rising housing prices and urban expansion.

It is a fascinating world we are in up here. I’m excited for what God is beginning to do already in our team and it was very cool to hear the things students are processing as they encounter this world of poverty. We saw drug deals, prostitution, and many, many people in need yesterday night. I know we will continue to face these issues this week and so we have all been left with these questions: What are we going to do about it? How do we be Christ in the center of all of this, to people who need love?

It’s going to be a fun week. I’ll try to get down to the coffee shop in the mornings and share about it, but I’ll also plan to write a bit once I get back. I’m usually better at writing when it’s fresh in my mind though, so I’ll do my best to keep up to date this week. Please keep us in your prayers this week. Thanks.

Taking a Coffee Break

I just returned for a brief walk down to my local Starbucks, after participating in this year’s Coffee Break. Starbucks is offering free 12 oz drip coffee to "guests" from 10-12 today, so if you read this in the next few minutes, run…run fast, to your local shop and grab a cup.

I must say, I think I fulfilled Starbucks’ goal for the experience by taking a few minutes to sip my coffee and enjoy a bit of time catching my breath and meeting with a friend. I met my old office mate Daniel at the downtown Bellingham store (we raced from our offices which are roughly equidistant from the shop). The little break gave us the opportunity to catch up a bit, from talking about my upcoming mission trip to Vancouver, to the latest Logos Bible Software happenings. I even had the chance to drop him a couple of my new business cards for my web design business. So, if Starbucks’ goal is to get people into their stores, experiencing the "third place" atmosphere, and trying some coffee, I think they got me.

The whole idea of taking a break to sip some coffee, meet a friend, and catch up is so valuable, especially in the type of world I find myself in. It’s easy to run at such a fast pace, forgetting to breath a bit and enjoy a conversation. I think that’s why I enjoy meeting with students during the day so much. I get a chance to slow down and hear what’s going on in their lives, as well as share about my own life, and just enjoy the opportunity to support and live in community. I think these little breaks are also incredibly important in the business world, for the same reasons, and also because they allow you to maintain professional, working relationships and keep in touch. We can’t isolate ourselves and never engage each other if we want to do anything, professionally, relationally, or otherwise.

So, thanks Starbucks, I’m sure you’re making a ton of money today on all the extra stuff people buy when they come to the stores. And you’re probably winning some new customers, which is also beneficial. Please remember to honor your customers by giving them quality, responsibly funded coffee, and a place to enjoy community and rest in our hectic world.

FPC2 – Congregational Summit, Part 2

About 3 weeks ago, we had our first congregational summit at First Presbyterian Church, part of an ongoing vision process for the church. I wrote about it, about how encouraging it was for me as a staff member and as a newly-involved member of the congregation as a whole. This Saturday, we had the 2nd of the summit meetings and began to move forward with how the good ideas everyone brought to the table could be concentrated into some real points of action as we move forward.

This Saturday’s summit focused on discernment, engaging the ideas brought together by the congregation with where God is leading our community. Here I experience some more of the order of our church and denomination, with a set procedure and purpose to the working out of the actions we’ll take together. We asked "What does Jesus want us to do as a church?", moving beyond our own opinions or bias and attempting to discern our calling together in Christ. We also asked the question "What is God doing globally that we can join into?", trying to be in touch with God’s larger movements in our city, our state, our world, and being willing to take part in those actions.

Through a very interesting process of conversation, clarification of our focus areas, and prayerful discernment, we all chose the top 3 areas (of about 22) that we felt we should act in over the next 5 years. The priorities for the next 5 years are as follows: Discipleship, Local Outreach, Facilities, Stewardship, Small Groups, Children, and Youth. These categories were then talked out more and we began to shape some sort of vision for these areas in concrete action items. As we are Presby(-terian), these are only potential action items and our Session will have to discuss and approve our actions and the ways these areas are worked on over the next 5 years.

Pastor Doug noted that our top choices, Discipleship and Local Outreach, reflect both an inward focus on nurturing the spiritual lives of people within the church, and an outward response to the needs of our community. This is a crucial point for us, because we are acknowledging the need to direct and grow as a community on the inside, but we are also looking beyond ourselves and seeing a need for action. Our discussions focused a lot on how our discipleship will action influence our outward action. One helps the other.

All in all, I was very encouraged to be a part of this process with other members of our church. I’m excited for the future of FPC and the direction God is leading us and moving us as we grow and develop over the next 5 years and beyond. Being one of the youngest participants, I also felt a greater tie to the larger community of the church, beyond just my peers, but really connected with the people who have been involved for years and have made significant commitments to shaping this community over the long run. I hope I can be like that some day, some one who has remained faithful to a group of people and care for a community over the long haul.

FPC2 – Congregational Summit, Part 1

Yesterday I had the privilege to take part in the first of two congregational summits at First Presbyterian Church of Bellingham. Part of a current vision and evaluation process, this summit brought together about 75 members of the church community to discuss the future vision for the church and begin to brainstorm ideas for moving forward over the next 5 years.

The day began with a discussion of many of the congregation’s responses to the question posed by Pastor Doug Bunnell: "What is FPC doing well? What would Jesus commend?" This portion was very encouraging, as people talked about the history of the church, the way it’s grown, the strong programs and ministries that are reaching out to the city and the people of the area, as well as some direct encouragement for the ministry of the INN and it’s relationship to the the university community.

Next, we broke into smaller groups and began to discuss points of improvement for the church, centered around the question: "What could FPC be doing better? What are areas of difficulty?" Rather than this turning into a gripe-fest, we engaged in a very constructive discussion of some of the pieces of the church’s mission that needed reevaluating and growth. It was very exciting to dive into some of the areas that we could improve and think of the possibilities of working in new ways to change or revitalize the way we respond to God’s call for our church. This time ended with a prayer of repentance for the ways we have not responded to God or missed out on ways to minister to His congregation and city. I was very impressed and encouraged by the wisdom of the people and the way everyone was willing to listen, respect opinions, and be driven to re-envisioning the direction of the church.

We will reconvene for the second half of this congregational summit on February 10th, where we will develop some of the areas of focus that we established yesterday and begin to plot a vision for the next 5 years and beyond for the church. It was a joy to take part in this discussion and I was left with a stronger faith in this community of people and in God’s action within us.

Glad to be back

Ahh, the academic break. What a wonderful thing. I don’t intend to gloat to my fellow working world friends out there, but after a year in the "real" world, it is much better to be back on the academic schedule. Winter break was quite nice.

And now, it’s really good to be back. I’m just getting home from the first INN of the quarter. We had a great night and it was very exciting to see all the students again and catch little bits and pieces of their Christmas stories. It’s funny to think that about 4 months ago I felt like I didn’t know a soul on Tuesday nights, but now familiar faces pour through the double doors of the church and I see the joy of a healthy community.

I’ve noted to some people lately that I experienced a little up and down over the break, wrestling with some questions I’ve had about how faith and criticism play out together. I think that I’ve unfortunately let some of that overshadow some of the important reflection that I could have done over the break, thinking about what God had taught me in my first quarter of full time ministry. I was encouraged tonight when I saw all of the students of our community. I wrestle with my faith not only for personal introspection, but also so I can continue to have an authentic faith that is a part of an active community of people. I felt pulled back into this community tonight and excited to see where my processing will lead as God directs this next chapter.

It is good to be back. I feel like I’ll probably say that for a while, each time we start up again after a break. That’s probably a good indicator that I love my work, I love the people I spend my days with, and that God is using me in a positive way.

Fa La La La La La La La INN Recap

At about 9:10 last night, just before Late Tuesday got on stage to play their musical set, I looked across the Viking Union Multipurpose room and surveyed the crowded Fa La La La La La La La INN.  Something like 300 students bustled about, filling cups with hot cocoa and coffee, pasting together graham cracker (gingerbread?) houses, clipped and cut paper for Christmas cards, and played games of 4-square, Christmas trivia, and even bowling. What I saw was community, friendship, and that ’something’ about each INN gathering that makes this group of students so unique.

So, I think that might be a good way to say that we had a great night. Late Tuesday played some beautiful music to end the evening for us and the students and staff seemed to enjoy the activities and refreshments. For me, with every program, there’s always a bit of preparation stress, wondering whether students will be interested in what’s going on, whether it will all fall apart or not. But, faithfully, it seems to pull together into something wonderful every time. I have to say that although we all put in tons of work, I know it’s nothing we do to make these things happen. By God’s grace we are blessed with a community where he is completely active, completely present, and takes care of the final stitches that pull together a unique, special time together.

Some highlights from the evening:

• Santa Clause (Jim) pictures – see below
• The overwhelming number of students wearing ugly Christmas sweaters
• The overwhelming number of students wearing ugly mustaches (with their sweaters)
• Students wandering in from campus who had never even heard of the INN
• A final INN performance by Late Tuesday

And now, as I look back, it’s good that it’s over. We close the year with this event as a way to say thanks to students for a great quarter, welcome people from the campus community to find out more about who we are, and most importantly, celebrate our savior’s birth together as a community. Now we move on into the holidays with a sense of completion, moving forward into what the rest of the year holds and continuing to look expectingly towards the arrival of Christ.

Here’s a couple pictures from Santa last night. Enjoy.

Check out that tie!	Interns w/o Mike
INN Staff	Senior Staff