Epic's second of four monthly preview services took place this past Sunday. After so much work getting ready for the service, it's so energizing to actually be there, participating in the service and ministry taking place. I love it, love it, love it!
No one can tell me that God doesn't take pleasure when people who were formerly far from him are being welcomed into his family. If I feel such joy in seeing people experience him; I know that God, whose love knows no limits, feels this even more.
As for those of us who started Epic, we're just glad to be where God has placed us. Yeah, we can be bumbling idiots at times (well, speaking only of myself on that note!), but our hearts are for reaching people and for making our lives count for something that matters. Yeah, I think at this moment, I'm doing what God called me to do with my life. And I'm okay with that. :)
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Waiting for class to begin...
Gosh, I wish I knew what I wanted to be when I grow up! I'm a grandma now, and here I am, still in college, waiting for a class to start. I think I want an MBA - at least I started it, so I'd like to finish. And I think it will be useful in my current profession. But at the same time, I'd love to go to Bible school. And maybe study computer graphics. What to do? I feel like I'm running out of time to do it all!
It's so much fun, though. I attend Drexel University in Philadephia, and the bulk of the students there are in their twenties. I really enjoy being around young people and the energy they bring to every endeavor. It makes me feel alive to work really hard and to still have challenges in my life that can't be handled easily.
I have two children who are teenagers and two who are in their early twenties. I'm not sure that they don't all think I'm over the hill. They don't see me taking part in class discussions, meeting with students outside of class to study or work on projects, or shooting the breeze with other "kids" just like a regular person. LOL. In their view, I'm way, way not cool. I'm just mom. Which, out of all my jobs, I'm most honored to be. If I could get an "A" in parenting, that would be my greatest achievement. Okay kids, get me that great grade!
It's so much fun, though. I attend Drexel University in Philadephia, and the bulk of the students there are in their twenties. I really enjoy being around young people and the energy they bring to every endeavor. It makes me feel alive to work really hard and to still have challenges in my life that can't be handled easily.
I have two children who are teenagers and two who are in their early twenties. I'm not sure that they don't all think I'm over the hill. They don't see me taking part in class discussions, meeting with students outside of class to study or work on projects, or shooting the breeze with other "kids" just like a regular person. LOL. In their view, I'm way, way not cool. I'm just mom. Which, out of all my jobs, I'm most honored to be. If I could get an "A" in parenting, that would be my greatest achievement. Okay kids, get me that great grade!
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Epic is the kind of church...
The topic of "church" is such a loaded subject. We all approach it with perspectives that color our thinking and bring an immediate impression - good, bad, holy, irrelevant, vital....
I hope that Epic will always be the kind of church where people who feel far from God can come and find normal people living out their faith with honesty, transparency, and love. We try to speak a language that people understand - not use a bunch of religious terms that no one really can explain in normal English. Our music, our media, our messages are meant to be understood and relatable to anyone who comes. Otherwise, what's the point?
If we don't use the language of our culture, we can make a real mess in our communications. Like the Braniff International Airways advertising faux pas created when they claimed in Latin America that patrons could fly "en cuero." Braniff was talking about the comfy leather seats in the aircraft, but "en cuero" means "naked" in Spanish! Frank Perdue of Perdue Farms once claimed that "it takes a tough man to make a tender chicken." Translated to Spanish (which it was) the slogan reads, "it takes a sexually aroused man to make a chick affectionate." Then there was the Swedish furniture giant IKEA, which christened a set of office desks "FARTFULL," causing way too many giggles in the U.S.
Silly stuff - but these communication snafus illustrate how important it is to speak the right message in the right way. And Jesus was clear that reaching out to people and including them in the church family is important to him. The church needs to be a place where all are welcome, all are received, and all get the chance to experience God's best in their lives.
Growing up, I went to church every week. The service was only an hour long (shorter if I was lucky) and I didn't understand or pay attention to most of what went on during that hour. But going to church was a duty - a religious ritual that somehow made me "okay" in God's eyes for another week. Kind of weird thinking, isn't it - doing some meaningless task (albeit with a poor attitude) in an effort to please God - like that would make a difference?
Anyway, I remember church as boring and irrelevant. My fault? Sure! No doubt there was some good stuff being taught. But maybe at a church where extra effort is made to communicate in a way that draws even the unconvinced to give the message a listen, we can make a difference in the lives of more people. And that's what we want to do - is get the chance to earn a "listen" and engage hearts and minds in meaningful conversation.
I hope that Epic will always be the kind of church where people who feel far from God can come and find normal people living out their faith with honesty, transparency, and love. We try to speak a language that people understand - not use a bunch of religious terms that no one really can explain in normal English. Our music, our media, our messages are meant to be understood and relatable to anyone who comes. Otherwise, what's the point?
If we don't use the language of our culture, we can make a real mess in our communications. Like the Braniff International Airways advertising faux pas created when they claimed in Latin America that patrons could fly "en cuero." Braniff was talking about the comfy leather seats in the aircraft, but "en cuero" means "naked" in Spanish! Frank Perdue of Perdue Farms once claimed that "it takes a tough man to make a tender chicken." Translated to Spanish (which it was) the slogan reads, "it takes a sexually aroused man to make a chick affectionate." Then there was the Swedish furniture giant IKEA, which christened a set of office desks "FARTFULL," causing way too many giggles in the U.S.
Silly stuff - but these communication snafus illustrate how important it is to speak the right message in the right way. And Jesus was clear that reaching out to people and including them in the church family is important to him. The church needs to be a place where all are welcome, all are received, and all get the chance to experience God's best in their lives.
Growing up, I went to church every week. The service was only an hour long (shorter if I was lucky) and I didn't understand or pay attention to most of what went on during that hour. But going to church was a duty - a religious ritual that somehow made me "okay" in God's eyes for another week. Kind of weird thinking, isn't it - doing some meaningless task (albeit with a poor attitude) in an effort to please God - like that would make a difference?
Anyway, I remember church as boring and irrelevant. My fault? Sure! No doubt there was some good stuff being taught. But maybe at a church where extra effort is made to communicate in a way that draws even the unconvinced to give the message a listen, we can make a difference in the lives of more people. And that's what we want to do - is get the chance to earn a "listen" and engage hearts and minds in meaningful conversation.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
I love Emma!!!
I never really thought such a little child could have such a big influence on our family. Little Emma Joanne made her appearance into our lives on 8/24/07. She's my granddaughter and she and her mom live with our family.
Emma is blessed to be surrounded by people who love her and want to hold her and play with her. We'll have to work hard to make sure she doesn't get spoiled - but not too hard - we can't help it! Isn't she adorable? She is 10 months old and already a ham for the camera. Pictured with her is my son Andrew and below him is my daughter Ellen, Emma's mom.
Monday, July 7, 2008
Working on the finances...
I've spent the past week catching up on Epic's bookkeeping and paying bills and issuing reimbursement checks to staff. Doing the bills, even at home, always freaks me out a bit. At home I leave that job to my husband. Let him work out the details...funny how routine expense add up into gigantic numbers!
Anyway, I also updated Epic's budget based on the latest figures and including the addition of a third theater for children's ministry. For the next six months of 2008 we'll need an average of $14,000 MONTHLY to make ends meet. Yikes! Now that we've started the church, we've developed some overhead. Of course, part of the budget is to pay for continuing outreach and promotion. Can't stop reaching out now - we're looking to make a big impact in the community. That's what we're here for!
I guess what I'm trying to say is that this church planting is a continuous walk of faith. It's going to be a while before the church becomes self-supporting. But hey - God has been so faithful to meet our needs - there is no reason to think he won't continue. Got to remember that he is the one who called us to do this and he'll provide the means to make it happen. Can't wait to see what comes next!
Anyway, I also updated Epic's budget based on the latest figures and including the addition of a third theater for children's ministry. For the next six months of 2008 we'll need an average of $14,000 MONTHLY to make ends meet. Yikes! Now that we've started the church, we've developed some overhead. Of course, part of the budget is to pay for continuing outreach and promotion. Can't stop reaching out now - we're looking to make a big impact in the community. That's what we're here for!
I guess what I'm trying to say is that this church planting is a continuous walk of faith. It's going to be a while before the church becomes self-supporting. But hey - God has been so faithful to meet our needs - there is no reason to think he won't continue. Got to remember that he is the one who called us to do this and he'll provide the means to make it happen. Can't wait to see what comes next!
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Our first service
We had a really great first service. 79 people came! That was amazing!!! We had a lot of friends and some of Kent's relatives come to support us, but we still had well over 40 people who just came because they wanted to check out a new church. It was surreal to see strangers streaming in to take their seats. What made them decide to come to this church that we decided to start??
Well, the answer is that it's God's church. He called us to start the church and he called those people to come. I'm really, really grateful to God for letting me be part of the experience of planting a new church. It's so much more work than I thought it would be - especially considering most of us on the team work full time jobs and have families or other things in our lives that we can't just totally put on hold - though many things have dropped off our radar so we could concentrate on getting ready for our first service.
But I love the work. It's exhausting at times - especially when passing out door hanger promotions in 90 degree temperatures all day or when spending days building equipment cases. But even then, the work is energizing to me. I wouldn't want to be doing anything else! I feel real pleasure in doing the little things that added together will make Epic the kind of church that will lead to changed lives - and a changed city.
Well, the answer is that it's God's church. He called us to start the church and he called those people to come. I'm really, really grateful to God for letting me be part of the experience of planting a new church. It's so much more work than I thought it would be - especially considering most of us on the team work full time jobs and have families or other things in our lives that we can't just totally put on hold - though many things have dropped off our radar so we could concentrate on getting ready for our first service.
But I love the work. It's exhausting at times - especially when passing out door hanger promotions in 90 degree temperatures all day or when spending days building equipment cases. But even then, the work is energizing to me. I wouldn't want to be doing anything else! I feel real pleasure in doing the little things that added together will make Epic the kind of church that will lead to changed lives - and a changed city.
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