. . . transition acceleration . . .

It is incredible how quickly we move through the time continuum. Just a little over a month ago, during the month of June, I spent one day a week meeting with Pastor Keith learning about my new church. This first month my time has been spent getting to know the current leaders of the congregation. Learning each one's passion for God and the movement of Christ's Holy Church has been a valuable exercise. I have learned so much about the beautiful people who have come to call Country Club United Methodist Church their church home.

It is a blessing to be here and to begin this journey together as we testify to the majesty of our Creator God and the transforming love of Jesus Christ.

This has been an interesting time to transition into a new church: the Covid-19 pandemic, social unrest across the country, maskers vs. anti-maskers, social distancing, no singing in church... the list could go on and on.

When non-essential workers were required to shelter-in-place in March, there was talk about a new-normal because everything changed overnight. We were in a time of quick transitions and uncertainty. I was reticent to call it a new normal because in reality we were experiencing a time of immediate and necessary adaptation. I am now beginning to say, we are starting to live into a new normal. One thing I can say for sure, life is different, and we will continue to live differently. Even our understanding of how to do church is changing, and we are called to navigate these unchartered territories.

One thing that has not changed, though, is God's majesty. I love these words from Psalm 19.

Heaven is declaring God’s glory;

the sky is proclaiming his handiwork.

One day gushes the news to the next,

and one night informs another what needs to be known.

Of course, there’s no speech, no words—

their voices can’t be heard—

but their sound extends throughout the world;

their words reach the ends of the earth.            

Psalm 19: 1-4 (CEB)

Sometimes in the midst of change and adaptation, we miss where God is at work. In all honesty, we are a society that is addicted to busy, so missing God's action in the world is not a new thing for modern-day followers of Jesus Christ. Church strategist Carey Nieuwhof says in a recent post, 

"If you take a moment to reflect though, you’ll also realize that the world [we] were trained to serve in was already disappearing pre-COVID thanks to massive cultural, generational and technological shifts."

The pandemic has accelerated the shift. With so many distractions, "The world has never seemed more disinterested in the Gospel, yet has never needed it more."

As followers of Jesus Christ, we have a real opportunity to partner with him to share the Good News with others and help him build God's kingdom on earth... but that requires seeing God's majesty in our every day lives. It requires being able to see our stories in the larger context of God's story. And it requires gathering, initially, with other Christ-followers to learn to talk about it. It is within the context of smaller gatherings that equip us to witness to God's work in our lives.

During the month of August, I want to challenge you to find one or two other people you can talk to within our congregation and ask these two questions on a weekly basis.

1. Where have you seen God at work (start with where have you seen hope if you are struggling to see God, and remember that's ok to not know where God is)?
2. How are you connecting to God? Prayer, journaling, reading Scripture, fasting - or other Spiritual Disciplines.

While the future is always uncertain, know this - I am thoroughly looking forward to this adventure ahead with my new church home.

. . . lovingly crafted . . .

Walking in the midwest in the summertime can be a daunting exercise of courage (or lunacy, depending on who you ask), but the tree-lined streets surrounding Country Club United Methodist Church make it bearable. The air in the neighborhood is calm, a gentle breeze seems to be the only way the wind can blow, children ride their bikes, landscapers groom beautifully manicured lawns. 

Prayer walks in this neighborhood turn to wonderment. One minute I'm lifting the neighbor I see dropping off her tennis outfit clad daughter in prayer, to the next minute - picking out my new favorite house. 

J.C. Nichols began developing this neighborhood in 1906 around the former Kansas City Country Club, now Loose Park. To the north lies the iconic Country Club Plaza, the first outdoor shopping mall in the United States. Fun fact: it was developed to accommodate the increasing use of cars. 

I spent many of my summers with my Uncle Chuck & Aunt Julie who owned a home at 66th & Ward Parkway. The sun-scorched, steamy Kansas City days were spent with my two cousins at Indian Hills Country Club with them trying to teach me to swim to the bottom of the 12-foot diving area. Over the course of what was probably 6 summers, I couldn't summon the courage to make it to the bottom. As far as I was concerned, the bottom was equal to the depth of the Marianas Trench. No thank you!

stock photo found here

As a child, I did not know how historic these neighborhoods are. I learned while working on my history thesis that JC Nichols had used restrictive covenants, not just racial, to keep the neighborhoods "tidy." Here in the Kansas City metropolitan area, Nichols' grandchildren recently gave consent to the city to rename the Nichols' fountain because they recognize the racial harm these covenants enacted on our sisters and brothers of color. 

My goal here is not to minimize these injustices, but to highlight where I've seen God speak during my walks.

What strikes me most about this original Kansas City suburb is how lovingly crafted these homes are. While born out of a desire to create an upscale and prestigious neighborhood, the homes are different than modern suburbs. If you drive out to a neighborhood in Lee's Summit or Lenexa, especially those developed in the late 80s and early 90s, you will see how similar each house is. It's as though the developers created five designs and then families chose which ones they liked the best! I lived in a neighborhood like this in Michigan, and yes, the interiors are similar too.

But this is not the case in the Country Club District. I have walked countless streets these past three weeks and as of yet, I have not found two alike. I am reminded of how God lovingly crafts us. Each one of us unique, each one of us bearers of God's image, and each one of us deeply loved. 

What I have seen in these homes that upheld the sin of system racism is that God can use what was created out of human brokenness to paint an image of majestic beauty. If humans create such beauty in houses, then imagine how God feels about us. We are exquisite in the Lord's eyes. 

One can find the light even in the darkest dark. One can find healing in the hurt. Justice can emerge from the chaos of oppression. 

I have felt the spirit of the Lord walking these neighborhoods as I have joined with this beautiful congregation. My prayer and my hope are that we partner with Jesus to love the community around us. My prayer is that together we will see deeply the injustice and oppression around us -- and serve as a healing balm of Christ's love for all. 

. . . robed in majesty . . .

Madonna found in a Cathedral in the Philippines.

Lately, I've reestablished the practice of writing out the psalms as a way to focus on God. This morning I meditated and wrote out Psalm 93. I typically use the New Revised Standard Version translation of the Bible, and the pronouns for God are generally male. So, when I read through, I will either change them to her or just say God.

Today, I chose female pronouns.

The Lord is Queen, she is robed in majesty;

the Lord is robed; she is girded with strength.

She has established the world it shall never be moved;

Your throne is established from of old;

you are from everlasting... [typical reading here]

There are times when I read Scripture where my mind becomes enthralled - it is as though I am standing before the very majesty of the Lord - today was one such a day.

The image of God was stunning, a bronze woman with golden waves of hair that tumbled around her shoulder. Her robe was alight as the light shone from within and on her. And her belly swelled with child - Through her, this great image of strength, the world and humanity birthed into existence.

I googled key words, black woman - pregnant - golden hair - bronze body - beyonce! (yes, beyonce) to see what images artists may have contributed. . .

And this is what google gave me:

Kevin Winter/Getty Images for NARAS

Now I don't think Beyonce is God, but she reflects the image of God. This is a strong, gorgeous, nurturing, loving, confident in her skin, proud of the life these bodies can create, woman. The image of woman as divine is breathtaking. She took to the stage during the Grammy's in 2017 and exposed the beauty of life given to us through God. It did not hinder her - it exposed the awe-inspiring gift of human life.

This is a majestic image - and we know that God is more majestic than even this visual representation.

I encourage everyone to think beyond one image - immerse yourself into the Holy words, substitute the pronouns, and let God work within your mind and heart a different image of what God could look like.

Selah

. . .kids call the shots. . .

When my daughter was born in 2015, she and my husband started attending church on Easter Sunday. For the first year of her life their attendance was sporadic based on her needs. You know, babies are high maintenance -- so she called the shots. The church I was working for at the time had a fantastic children's ministry. Each Sunday, between all four services, there were over 200 kids -- NOT counting the nursery.

 

That year in the Spring, a new Children's Ministry Director was hired, and she got to work relaunching the ministry so that our children were learning something from the time they were infants. While infants cannot really learn complex biblical concepts, the impetus was on instilling a love of Jesus from an early age. Some people might call this indoctrination, but no matter what we believe or how we live our lives, we are always indoctrinating our children.

 

Exposing children to complex ideas from a young age actually helps build their critical thinking skills. I'm not an educator, but I remember learning this in my Christian Education course in seminary.

 

I am so pleased with my new church for understanding the value of Children's Ministry and for taking the initiative to hire a new Family Ministries Director, Janet Loos, before I started. Because of Covid-19, Janet is doing children's stories in worship, but starting the second week of August she will be launching our new program. It will take place during our regular worship and coincides with the start of the new school year. Of course, she will not be able to do it alone and will be coaching and equipping people from within the congregation who will serve on a rotating basis.

 

Bippy in the Doves Room

There is a lot of debate about whether or not children should worship with adults. I mean, they will be adults themselves someday, so it makes sense. But it also makes sense for kids to learn with their peers because, as I said before, biblical concepts are complex. Also, it's really hard for adults to engage in worship when we are constantly making sure our children are quiet! I know there are many parents hesitant to bring their kids right now, but Janet is reserving a pew with things for our kids to do during the worship service. My daughter, who began her time in Children's Ministry as a "Dove," really had a great time this past Sunday even though she had to be quiet.

 

Thanks, Janet, and thank you CCUMC, for all you are already doing to ensure parents and children are engaging in worship.

        

. . . open doors & new adventures . . .

The day finally arrived last Tuesday: my first day at Country Club UMC!

Prior to my start date, I began bringing my books to the office and getting to know this church building. As I’ve explored, I couldn’t help but think of the people who call this building their church home. In this building memories have been made, relationships have been developed, weddings, baptisms, and lives have been celebrated. These stone walls have witnessed life in the making, and not just any life - but the transformation of lives through Jesus Christ. I am incredibly excited to join this family of Christ follower's journey at this current time in history as we pray and discern where God is leading us together.

As I have wandered the halls, had lunches with various church leaders, and prayer walked through the neighborhood, I can't help but acknowledge the incredible hospitality shown to me by so many. I can tell that everyone here has a deep love of Christ and wants to share it with not just me, but with the communities surrounding this particular community of Christ followers. The future at Country Club looks bright and I am ready for the adventure that awaits and the life in Christ we will share together. The simple fact that we are welcoming the Chief's Chaplain Marcellus Casey later this fall is indicative of the desire to connect with the community around us.

I am also so thankful for the leadership Keith has provided over the last three years and the love poured into him and his wife Karen. The first time I met him I could sense that the Holy Spirit had really worked through him and everyone else here as you began hearing and responding to where God is calling us next. It's going to be hard to follow his footsteps, but I am looking forward to it.

If you call CCUMC home, check out the News You Can Use weekly update and the Connection Newsletter on our website for my schedule and contact information

I look forward to the adventure that awaits. I feel it's already off to a great start!