Gleanings…

Let me start by asking you a question: What is your favorite part of being a member of this congregation?  Is your favorite our weekly worship service?  Maybe you enjoy being part of a small group more than anything else.  What about serving others through an outreach or missional activity?  Most people find their greatest sense of identity with Jesus through one of these aspects of congregational life and it is important to know which one is yours.

Why?

When it comes to promoting the message of God’s love before others, you will naturally choose one of these ways for your witness.  This adds authenticity to your words because you will be able to share how God has transformed your life through a worship, group, or service experience.  People want to hear that there is power here.  They want to know that following Jesus really makes a difference.  They also prefer to participate in something that is drawing others to it.  Activity generates activity.

But what happens when your favorite aspect of congregational life does not match with the needs of the person you are talking with?  Rather than let that opportunity slip away, why not share the name of someone in your congregation who finds great meaning in serving through one of the ways that are other than yours?  Be prepared to make the contact and ask for their help.  Knowing and appreciating that there is more than one way to connect goes a long way toward helping others build a relationship with your faith family.

Let me encourage you to take a moment to determine your favorite way of interacting with your congregation.  Then, look around, talk with others, and identify those who find one of the other ways best for connecting with the church.  Get to know them and pick up some of their passion.  Carry their names with you and contact them when someone asks you how to get involved through a different connection point.  They will thank you.

And so will God.

See you Sunday if not before.  Call me if you need me.

Saturday, August 5, — 5:00 – 7:00 p.m.

Hamburgers, Hot Dogs, Homemade Ice Cream and lots of goodies.  Games, Fellowship, and Fun!  Bring your instruments and enjoy a casual Jam session together!

Community Invited!  Come Join the Fun!

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Enjoy a mini church slideshow which highlighted worship services, celebrations, events, outreach, and fellowship over the past year. We had a wonderful time sharing this with everyone at last months family night dinner!

Gleanings…

Saw an article in the paper the other day titled, “6 great things about making a mistake” by Susie Moore*.  While I am not so sure that I would refer to the outcomes of mistakes as “great,” I do see that there are benefits if we take the time to learn from them.  Here they are:

1 – They are out best teachers.  Success may produce confidence, but a mistake produces understanding.  Why did I do that?  What could I have been thinking?  Chances are “thinking” was the last thing we thought we needed to do.

2 – They mean action.  This is the “forehead-slapper” of the group.  If you never do anything, you will never make a mistake.  No kidding!

3 – They make you smarter.  This is the conclusion of an article published in the journal of the Association of Psychological Science.  If you “believe intelligence develops through effort,” you will see mistakes as your “best chance at getting better and smarter.”

4 – They are (largely) reversible.  “When you think about the worst that can happen, it’s often much less daunting than you imagine.”  Few of us are in a position where our mistakes might have permanent consequences.  There is much grace and forgiveness if we will ask.

5 – They make you interesting.  Tell the truth, who would you rather listen to, someone who has always done everything perfectly or someone who has made a mistake or two along the way?  The best part is you get to tell them on yourself!  And, you get to hear stories from others.  Do not take notes!

6 – They create compassion.  Where would we be if no one ever gave us a break?  No one expects us to be perfect or to do everything perfectly.  The fact that we have made mistakes enables us to look on the mistakes of others with mercy.  Would we really want to live in a society where every mistake was noted and whether we had atoned for then?

Jesus came that we might see how we had taken a “wrong turn” or two along the way and to set us back on the path to living.  He helped us to look at God’s intention for the way we should live, how we needed to adjust our lives, and then gave us the freedom to start over.  His life modeled mercy, compassion, and forgiveness for he knew us as we were.

As I read the article, I thought about some of the mistakes that have helped to shape my life.  Who would I be today without those moments of “messing up” that taught me so much?  Thank the Lord that I do not have to be afraid for the future!

How about you?  Have you thought to give thanks for the lessons imparted by mistakes in your life and for God’s grace that has covered them all?  Maybe you can think of someone who needs to know this, too.  Please, do not make the mistake of not telling them.

Grace and peace,

Braxton ><>

*Found this in the Chattanooga Times Free Press of May 29, 2017.  The author is a life coach columnist for Greatest (greatest.com).

We are collecting home kits for people in Zimbabwe.  The kits include items such as shampoo, lotion & cleaning products.  This is all placed in a 5  gallon bucket which is really the most valuable item to the people receiving a kit. Thank You to everyone who has made a donation.

Come join us for breakfast, lunch, or just a snack while you rummage through all the “treasures”. Browse through all the delicious baked goods and enjoy the fellowship while shopping!

Proceeds will support the Crafty Critters Outreach

• Hats & Pillows for cancer patients, 
• Snacks for Memorial Hixson Hospital
• Prayer Shawl Ministry
• Supports Assisted Living and Nursing Homes
• Spring Creek Elementary School
• Blankets & Prayer Shawls for police to distribute

Fairview United Methodist Church
3901 Hamill Rd. Hixson, TN 37343

Gleanings…

Saw a sign the other day that stated, “All you need is love, and a sunset.”  I thought as I read it, “How romantic!”  Truly, one of the joys I have every year (that I can go) is to see the sun set on the ocean.  The colors, the breeze, the sound of the waves washing up on the shore; I love it and I never get tired of it.  But I thought of something else as I read the sign: All we really need is a sunrise.

Every year about this time, we celebrate Easter, and as holy days go, it is the perfect conclusion to the story of Jesus’ time on earth.  Think about it for a moment.  Where would we be without the gift of God taking on human form, living to enable us to know God better, and then dying on a cross to show us God’s love?  And then, on the third day, a sunrise!

“He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said.”  Matt. 28:6.

Just as the sunrise assures us every morning that darkness does not hold ultimate sway in this world, Easter morning reminds us that death does not have the final word for our lives.  Because of love, we have a future that knows no end and cannot be taken from us.  Though the time of our mortal existence is determined by many factors—some we control, others we don’t—we will live eternally because not even death is stronger than God’s love for humankind.

What will be the form of our eternal existence?  I have no idea, but we are assured that we will be like Jesus (see 1 John 3).  This is good news without measure!

This year, invite someone you know who needs to see the sun rise again, to join you for an Easter Sunrise worship service.  Share the joy of greeting the new day with praise.  Invite them to join with you in a renewed life that begins and ends with Jesus every day.  May it be the beginning of a great relationship for all!

Peace,

Braxton ><>

Gleanings…

Heard that another Chattanooga pastor offered some advice this past Sunday.  Basically, instead of giving up something that we will pick back up after Lent, why not give up something we don’t need, such as worry?  The biblical recommendations to trust in the Lord offer us the potential for a positive experience that will improve our lives if we will give whatever is worrying us to God.  Deciding to stop worrying could also improve our witness!

This recommendation begs this question.  What has the greater impact on others, what we say or how we live?  Most will agree that how we live will have the greater impact on others.  The problem is that we would much rather tell someone the Good News than take the time for them to get to know us well enough to see the Good News lived out in our lives.  Maybe we should give up being in a hurry, too.

When our year end statistics for the Chattanooga District were tallied this year, our District Superintendent shared that our cumulative average attendance for the year was down by 500 people!  Wow!  What happened!  Has the message of God’s love, compassion, mercy, forgiveness, and assurance suddenly gone out of fashion?  This did not happen because we ran out of people—I see new faces everywhere.  Maybe they are waiting for someone to build enough of a relationship with them to dare inviting them to join us for worship.  Hmmm.

A speaker at Ministers’ Convocation last week offered the following guidance.  Bishop Looney (a native son of the Holston Conference) said that there are three simple steps to take to grow our congregations.  I took notes so I could accurately share them.  They are, 1) Invite, 2) Invite, and 3) Invite.  Yes, that is really all there is to it.  Invite people to share in an outreach activity.  Invite people to join you for covered dish dinner.  Invite them to any outing that the church is planning.  And, invite them to join you for worship.  Don’t worry about whether they might have a church family for it may be that they have been taking a break, or just relocated and need a new church family.  It takes very little to show them that you honestly care for them.

Remember the three simple steps to help grow our congregations?  Repeat as often as you see someone from outside your family.  And, pray that God will send the people our way who most need to hear and see our invitation.  We will have a training event later this month (see elsewhere in this newsletter or look for a flyer) on being invitational and I hope that you will join me as we take advantage of this opportunity to learn more.

Have a blessed day,

Braxton ><>