* No one in the immediate family gets awards – their significance goes without saying!
* No one gets an award who would expect to get one – that defeats the purpose.
* Awards are presented in random order; I’m giving 7 for no other reason than that it seems like a good biblical number. (and, after two whole years’ worth of precedence, it’s now “the way it’s always been done”)

I’m sure you’ve been waiting eagerly, so with no more waiting, here you go!

Award #1: Synod Peeps
There are three in particular: M. Ehrenfried, T. Goodhart, and S. Midge. I could easily add J. Grevenstuk (but I won’t since she got an award last year ) or any number of others (there are several who could easily be added to that list), but these three have been consistent for several years now. Those who know me well, know that I look forward to the RCA’s General Synod each year more than just about any other event (General Synod is our denominations big yearly meeting). Not only do I enjoy seeing the church work at that level, I love the camaraderie and the unparalleled opportunity to worship, catch up, study, argue, and have fun with one another.

Award #2: The Webster Arboretum
If you live in the area, you must check the arboretum out. It is free; there are several beautiful paths for walking; it has a wonderful little pond, and it borders on a park with an excellent playground. No matter what life throws your way, it is the perfect place for a little bit of quietness.

Award #3: Richard Reinhart
Richard Reinhart is the author of a number of exceptional bread cookbooks. There is absolutely nothing more incredible than fresh bread. Baking it is good for the soul; eating it is good for the body; sharing it is good for community. All in all, there is little better than the smell of bread in the oven and Richard Reinhart’s books make it possible for normal people to produce nearly bakery-quality breads in a home kitchen. I particularly recommend The Bread Baker’s Apprentice and American Pie. You don’t want to actually go through the hassle of making your own bread? It doesn’t matter, his writing makes great reading, even for non-bakers.

Award #4: Letter Writing
I have never really been a letter-writer. Over the past months, however, I’ve grown to love letters and begun writing them. There’s something about putting pen to paper, about addressing an envelope, about affixing a stamp – something that isn’t matched by hitting “send” on an e-mail or txt. I’m not so ignorant as to believe that the “good ol’ days” were actually all that good (they certainly had they’re problems!) but I do appreciate some of the good ol’ things, and letter writing is beginning to rank among the items on that list – especially when done with a fountain pen!

Award #5: the Men who Knit
Whether it’s the men on MenWhoKnit.com or Ravelry, these men have remained a constant source of encouragement and support. Ironically, I have met few of them in real life, yet they are clear proof that online friendships can be strong and life-giving. I could name many, but particular mention certainly go to E. Mason, G. Patrick, B. Rohr, and J. Wilcox. I hope – over time – I can extend to them even a portion of good will and encouragement that they’ve shown me.

Award #6: AIDS Care, Rochester
I have only recently become aware of AIDS Care Rochester, but since then I have become increasingly impressed by the work they do. Testing, counseling, prevention services, etc., etc. The list of what they do is too long for this setting. I tentatively hope to ride their 5-day AIDS Red Ribbon Ride in August 2012. It is a fund raising ride, so stay tuned – in the next few weeks I hope to have my fund-raising page up and running!

Award #7: LuYH & Psalms for all Seasons Committee(s)
For the better part of a decade, I have been working with an awesome group of men and women culled from the RCA and the CRCNA in an effort to produce the first RCA/CRCNA bi-denominational hymnal. It has been an immense amount of work but everyone on the group is wonderful. I love every moment spent with them and, as the end begins to appear on the horizon, I’m looking forward to publication. The award goes to the subgroup who just published an off-shoot project entitled Psalms for All Seasons (you want this Psalms resource!) but also to the editorial committee of the hymnal (publication 2013). Love you all!

Have a wonderfully blessed and love-filled new year!

Grace and peace,
`tim

What do You Worship?

I have a book entitled Worship and Christian Identity: Practicing Ourselves by E. Byron Anderson. It isn’t my favorite book, but it is one of my favorite titles. There is something profoundly true about worship being the context within which we “practice ourselves” – the environment in which our Christian identities are formed and (re)formed. At its most basic level, the object of our worship and the way we worship both reflects what we are and forms what we are becoming.

All of this is pretty standard; if you have been around me very much you have heard me say similar things on a regular basis. Lately, however, I’ve been struck by the realization that, even though we do not all regularly participate in Church, we do all worship. We all “practice ourselves” in ways that reveal both what we are and what we are becoming. The question is simply whether our worship is Christian.

By “worship” I mean: what do we value with our bodies, hearts, and minds? In other words, when push comes to shove, what is really important to us? What is it, in your life, that trumps everything else – that you’re willing to sacrifice almost anything for? Is it your pension (or bank account)? Is it you job (or lack of one)? Is it your family (or desire for one)? Is it your hobby (or hobbies)? Is it God?

On the surface, it might not seem like our commitment to these things is really “worship,” but a little bit of meditation on the topic is likely to reveal that the “really important” things we put time and energy into does actually reflect something about what we are and reveal something about what we are becoming.

As we embark on a new calendar year, many of us are making resolutions. Whether you’re a resolution person or not, let me encourage you to ensure that whatever you worship in the coming year is worthy of your efforts and that it practices what you really want to be.

—–

Grace and Peace,
`tim

O Holy One,
we are a sleepy lot,
slow to stir to the calling of the cosmos,
deaf to the cries of Earth
and the forgotten ones,
human and other-than-human.

We distract ourselves
with trivialities that have become idols;
while the sun and the moon darken,
and the stars fall from the skies,
we are mesmerized by the market’s alluring power,
eyes unflinchingly fixed upon the naval of our own net worth.

“O that you would tear open the heavens and come down,”
cries the prophet,
or at least tear open our hearts, pry open our eyes,
and end this slumber that blocks out pain,
but with it, wonder.

Our hope, O Holy One, is found in eyes wide open,
in hearts linked in common cause,
in small gestures of compassion,
and in alertness to your coming,
again and again.
As a fire kindles brushwood
and causes water to boil,
so we await to be set on fire
with hope and gospel passion.
Amen.

Scones:
1 c. Flour
1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Baking Soda
3 Tbs Sugar
1/8 tsp. Salt
3 Tbs. Cold Butter, grated
1 Crushed Candy Cane
1 Egg, slightly beaten
2 Tbs Candy Cane Syrup
If necessary, add a TINY bit of milk to make sure all the dry ingredients come together.

Mix dry ingredients.
Toss in candy cane pieces and grated butter.
Fold in egg and syrup.
Gently knead until all the dry ingredients form a ball.
Form ball into a disk approximately 1-inch thick and 6-inches across.
Cut disk (like a pizza) into 6 triangles.
Bake at 400 for 10-12 minutes (watch to make sure the bottoms don’t get too dark.)
Cool on wire rack, then frost.

Frosting:
1/2 c. Powdered Sugar
1 Tbs. Candy Cane Syrup
1/2 tsp. Vanilla
1 tsp. Milk (if necessary a bit more).

Sprinkle with crushed candy canes.

Grace and peace,
`tim

I have never preached “a sermon on the amount.” I have preached about money and its influence over us; I have preached on the financial side of justice; I have even preached on the relationship between the Old Testament law of tithing and the New Testament expectation of self-sacrifice. What I have never done, is stand in the pulpit and tell people how much money they should be giving to the church. Why? Because I can’t. The Bible doesn’t give a clear command on how much we’re expected to give. That isn’t to say that the Bible is silent on matters of finance. Quite the opposite! The scriptures repeatedly extend the call to give generously, justly, and to be carefully aware of allowing money too much control over our lives. As Jesus said: No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth. (Mt. 6:24)

Having said that, I have watched – with interest – as the Consistory (under careful leadership of our Deacons) began preparations for our 2012 budget. 2011’s budget was $196, 852. I don’t have a clue what 2012’s will be, but I imagine the changes our Deacons propose will be cautious.

I’m not a number person. Indeed, you have probably heard me say: I was a musician for most of my life – I count to 4… 6 or 8 on a good day. Sure, it’s a joke – sort of. Nonetheless, numbers do not come easily to me.

I was curious though, when I started thinking about that number: 196,852. It’s a big number. Divide it by 52 weeks in a year, and it means that our budget requires a weekly intake of approximately $3,785. As you know, we haven’t come anywhere close to that over the past several months.

As a pastor, the question I ask myself is simple: Is that too much to ask? In other words, is $3,785 a week too much to expect our congregation to give considering our income, the current economy, and the size of our membership.

According to the IRS, the average income in Pultneyville was $75,053 in 2007. For Williamson, it was $44,122. I don’t know what the average income is for the members of our congregation, but I doubt it’s lower than the Williamson number. (I used the 2007 numbers because they are the most recent, easily available statistics.) For the record, we have 148 active, confessing members; our worship attendance averages around 100.

If I pull out my calculator, and divide our 2011 budget ($196,852) by our average worship attendance (100) it tells me that even if those who don’t attend worship didn’t give anything to the church, each of us would need to give less than$38/week to exceed our budgeted needs. In other words, 100 people making Williamson’s average income ($848.50/wk), can ensure we meet – and exceed – our yearly budget if they give about 4% of their income.

When I look at it that way, $3,785 a week doesn’t seem so unreasonable, and $196,842 doesn’t seem like such a big number.

Why write this in my article for the Courant instead of having the Deacons do it themselves? That question is simple to answer: because it isn’t merely a financial issue, it is a theological one.

Our financial decisions reflect our internal priorities. Budgets are, at a very real level, theological documents. I don’t know what people in our congregation give (and I don’t want to!) However, I imagine most of us would like to believe that God was worth at least 4% of our lives – perhaps even 4% of our financial lives.

Imagine what we could do – as a congregation – if all of us were willing to give even that 4%? Again, my calculator tells me that, if even just our active members gave $38/wk, we would take in $5,624/week ($292,448/year). Put another way, for $38/wk, we could support our full budget and add an extra $95,606 to missions – that would be almost 33% of our intake – and that’s at only 4% – what if we gave 5% or 8% or 10%?!

What is $95,606? It’s over 15 ½ mission shares. Depending on the ministry, that’s almost enough to support an entire mission.

As I wrote earlier, I have never preached a “sermon on the amount,” and I’m not about to start now. Let me ask the question, though: if you were to think theologically about what you give, how much would it be?

What’s holding you back?

As always, if you’d like to discuss this further, please let me know! That’s why I’m here.

Grace and peace,
`tim

The Gospel According to Nike?!

Do you remember Nike’s “Just do it” campaign? It started in 1998, but remains one of the most recognizable slogans ever used in advertising. I don’ t know how effective it has been at getting people to buy Nike products, but the concept is brilliant. Nike, I assume, understands that most people know what they need to do: we know we need to be physically active if we want to be healthy; we know we need to condition if we want to be in shape; we know we need to practice if we want to be skilled athletes; we know we need to show up if we want to win. The problem is: all-too-often, we just don’t do it.

The same is true in matters of faith. In most situations, most of us know what God wants from us. While there are certainly times when God’s desires are unclear, those times are – we have to admit – relatively rare. We know God wants us to be gracious and forgiving; we know God wants us to be generous with our time and resources; we know God wants us to have integrity between our stated beliefs and actions; we know God wants us to live in faithful community. The problem is: all-to-often, we just don’t do it.

I often find myself wondering: Why?

The answer, of course, is simple. It’s the same whether we’re talking about sports or faith: we don’t, because – for whatever reason – we have decided that other things are more important. Sometimes we make those decisions intentionally (“I’m not going to commit to the training required for a triathlon because it’s more important that I spend that time with my family”), other times we make such decisions by default (we hit the snooze button one too many times and didn’t make it to church). Either way, it’s a decision.

The wonderful thing about these kinds of decisions are that they’re remarkably easy to change. Doctors tell us that we don’t need to run a marathon to reap the benefits of exercise. As a minister, I can assure you – going to seminary isn’t necessary to be a faithful Christian. In both cases, the answer is simply: just do it. Just get out the door and talk a walk; just go to worship; just ride your bike; just spend a day working in the flood zone; just….

And just do it, today. “Tomorrow” is the biggest enemy to any life change, and if you’re waiting for someone else to make you do it, it’ll never happen.

I’m not an athletic trainer, so I’m not the right person to give advice on how to be a better tennis player. I am, however, a minister – which means, among other things, that I’m eager to help you be a more faithful Christian. If you’re having trouble figuring out what to “just do” or how to “just do it” give me a call or drop me an e-mail.

Individuals are singular wholes made up of many parts, but are also parts in the larger whole of congregations. Congregations similarly are whole entities, in themselves, but are also parts of larger wholes (denominations/conferences/etc.)

Congregations, as whole-entities (which are also parts of larger entities), develop in organic and predictable ways just like people do.

There seems to be evidence that the predictability of the congregational life cycle is very stable – perhaps even universal.

All of that said, one of the fundamental aspects of life-stage theories (as I understand them, though I’m no expert) is the idea that upon truly (or healthily – depending on the theory) entering a new stage, one cannot revert to a previous one. Although one can experience a later (or earlier) state without actually entering the stage, that’s different concept.

I’m wondering what you think about that?

I’m currently reading an excellent book that splits the congregational life-cycle into 8 (7) stages:

The Establishing Stage
The Formation and Formatting Stage
The Adolescence Stage
The Prime Stage
The Maturity Stage
The Aristocracy Stage (not all congregations go through this one)
The Bureaucracy Stage
The Dissolution Stage

Here’s my dissonance: While I agree that the stages are predictable and consistent across the board, I have a problem believing that once a congregation passes (for example) the “Prime” stage, that everything’s essentially downhill from there.

Thoughts?

Is the life-cycle of a congregation linear (once you pass a stage you cannot return to it)?

Is the life-cycle of a congregation cyclical (you can cycle back from a “later stage” to a REformation and REformatting stage and eventually enter a new Prime?)

Something else?

Grace and peace,
`tim

The General Secretary, in the RCA, is hired by the General Synod Council (which serves as our executive board), serves the General Synod, and oversees the staff. Wes Granberg-Michaelson has been as our General Secretary for the past 17 years and announced his intent to wrap up his time last year. After a year-long process, his replacement was voted on this morning.

To make a long story short, our new General Secretary will be Tom DeVries.

There was remarkably little discussion (mostly, in my opinion, because the mood reflected an overarching belief that it was a foregone conclusion), vote was overwhelmingly affirmative, and the single attempt to amend the recommendation was unsuccessful.

You can read more about it here.

Grace and peace,
`tim

For those of you who don’t know my religious world, the RCA is the Christian denomination I was ordained in and to which my congregation belongs. General Synod is our annual denominational meeting. It is a week-long time of worship, deliberation, fellowship, decision-making, and catching-up. Those who love it (like me) consider it one of the best weeks of the year..

Time permitting, I will be blogging on the events of this year’s Synod. Those of you who regularly follow this blog will get the posts in your normal fashion. Anyone interested in simply reading the Synod blogs, can go directly to the following link:

Please do not hesitate to let me know if you have any questions or clarifications. I cannot guarantee how many posts I’ll have the time and energy to put up, but I will certainly do my best to respond to comments and questions.

Grace and peace,
`tim

Pneumatology

In a few weeks, I’ll be packing up my Bible, a few copies of the RCA’s Book of Church Order and Robert’s Rules, a bag of clothing, several bags of candy, and a half-a-dozen pounds of freshly roasted coffee in preparation for my trip to Grand Rapids, MI to facilitate the Seminarian Seminar during our annual General Synod.

The Seminarian Seminar (affectionately known as “GS3”) is a unique group. It is, as far as I know, the only annual gathering of students from all three of our denominational ministry-preparation oversight agencies (the Ministerial Formation Certification Agency, New Brunswick Theological Seminary, and Western Theological Seminary). Over the course of our time together, these students will develop cross-agency relationships, learn about the generic work and ministry of the denomination and, of course, study the specific business taken up by this year’s Synod. Every year, my goal is to ensure that they are better prepared and better informed than many of the delegates will be.

As important as it is for them to understand the denomination’s work and polity, there is one lesson I believe is even more important: I hope they go home with a refocused pneumatology.

Pneumatology is the study (talk) of the Holy Spirit (pneuma= “spirit,” logos= “the study of”).

Many people are surprised to learn that the Reformed understanding of the Holy Spirit is slightly different than that taught by most Pentecostals (and assumed by most American Christians). I am not suggesting that either one is necessarily “right” or “wrong,” rather that our traditions emphasize different aspects of the Spirit’s work. Pentecostals tend to focus on the work of the Holy Spirit in the personal life of the individual. Reformed theology, on the other hand, tends to emphasize the work of God’s Spirit in the body of believers. Whereas a Pentecostal Christian would say “I have received a word from God,” a Reformed Christian is more likely to say “we have discerned God’s will together.”

I believe that this communal understanding of the Holy Spirit is one of the most beautiful aspects of our tradition. Even more importantly, I believe that the contemporary, American church needs to recapture it if we ever hope to mitigate against the disturbing overemphasis of the individual and underemphasis of the body.

There is no question that the Holy Spirit pours out gifts upon each of us; nor is there question that the Holy Spirit can and does work in (and through) each of us. As a body, however, we are able to see past personal blind spots and discern God’s voice even when – as individuals – we are unable (or unwilling) to hear it.

General Synod isn’t merely a gathering of “those people,” it is a gathering of “us.” As the Synod worships, prays, works, discerns, and votes, it is doing them on our behalf. Please keep the delegates and staff in your prayers as they prepare, travel, gather, and work.

Rochester Classis’ Delegates:

If you want to know more about the business before General Synod this year, there will be an overview-class during the Sunday School hour on June 12th. Also:

• Synod information is available at: www.rca.org/synod
• The Synod Workbook can be downloaded at: www.rca.org/workbook
• You will also be able to watch many of the plenary sessions on live webcast at: www.rca.org/synod

Grace and Peace,
`tim