Church Requel Blog - Writings of Mark Pierce

Writing Easter Sermon With Confidence

Today I sit down to write my Easter sermon. My parishioners may be surprised to know that this sermon is one of the hardest to write. What can I say that hasn't been said before? How do I keep it fresh and engaging? When I finally get over these concerns and start writing, I'm immediately slammed with another issue - how can I say everything that needs to be said and still keep my sermon down to the time I have to talk?

Here is what I remind myself each time I write the Easter message for my congregation.

Each year is different. The idea that I cannot write anything new or different is a fallacy of my limited imagination. The truth is each year is different. My audience is different. There will be people sitting in our pews that have never heard an Easter message in my church before. Even those lifetime members with perfect attendance haven't heard the Easter sermon for at least 52 weeks. Most importantly I am different.

I am in a unique place in my Christian journey. This year I will reflect on the resurrection story differently than I have in the past or will in the future. The art of sermon writing is not in the uniqueness of observing something never seen before. The art of sermon writing comes from observing the unique way I see the message intertwining with my life and in the life of my congregation.

Write passionately and particularly. Today's pastors are daily faced with their larger-than-life peers with huge mega-churches or immense television and radio audiences. When I sit down to write today, I will force those self-imposed comparisons out of my mind. The Lord God calls me to preach to this particular congregation in this particular year. Deliberately I think of the man with stage 4 cancer, the woman struggling to breath through her worsening lung disease, the single mom with questioning teenagers, the couple married this year without any family support, the daughter who just buried her beloved dad, and the moms who gave birth since last Easter. No other pastor, no other sermon will reach these loved children of God in quite the same way!

Rest in The Spirit's Leading. When we pastors get right down to the truth of the matter, it's not our own cleverness that makes for powerful, life-changing sermons. It's God's Holy Spirit working freely through our thoughts (and word processors.) The starting point for the Easter sermon is not the title or the outline. It's not even the passage of Scripture. The place to start is with the prayer: 'Forgive me of my sins. Create a clean heart within me. Help me today to hear You. Work through me.'

This is my Super Bowl. Telling the good news story is why I became a pastor. As the old hymn sings, "I love to tell the story!" Telling the good news story on THE Good News day is even better! It's the biggest single day on the Christian calendar. People will come to church on Easter, even if they don't come any other Sunday. We have the best news ever to share with them. This is BIG TIME! Even for the small church pastor.

So go ahead and get excited. Give it your best effort. Know that God has called you and will work something special through you, if you allow Him. Have fun with it. Rejoice in this moment. It's special and you won't have many of them.

Super Bowl victors receive a ring. We receive a crown of life. Even more special, we make it possible for the men and women in our pews to also play in the game and receive their own crowns of life. What could be better?

So don't be intimated by the bigness of the day. Don't look upon this sermon writing task with dread. Don't drag out that old sermon from your file or look to what other pastors have preached. Enjoy this experience with your Lord. Allow Him to bless you as He did in your youth. Forget all the other demands of your day. Get away with your Bible and your writing utensil of choice and watch God do something exciting in your heart and uniquely life-giving in your sermon.

Kaitlynn's Baptism

There may be no greater privilege for a pastor than to bapize a new believer in Christ. Last Sunday after church, Kaitlynn asked me how she might be saved. After talking together for a while, Kaitlynn prayed to Christ asking Him to forgive her of her sins and promising to the best of her ability to follow Jesus for the rest of her life. Yesterday she gave public witness to this decision by being baptized. Here is her 3-minute baptism video.

 

Church Requel Begins 40 Days In The Word Campaign

Church Requel kicks off its 40 Days In The Word campaign this weekend. What is 40 Days In The Word? 40 Days is a spiritual growth campaign. We are passionate about continually growing as individuals and as a congregation. When we say "campaign, " we mean a time of unified focus in the weekend sermons, small group curriculum, and interactive elements (such as the web) to help you learn and grow. This 40 Days campaign  will show you how to not just hear the Word, but to be a doer of the Word as well.

Sermon Series. Every week for the next seven weeks Pastor Steve and I will be teaching about why the Bible is so important to our lives as Christ-followers.  This sermon series, originally written by Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Community Church in January, has been taught so far in 2012 in thousands of churches all over the world! We'll kick off this Sunday talking about why it's so important for us to build our lives on the Bible.  Over the next six weeks, we'll talk about why we can trust the Bible, how to study the Bible, and how to integrate the Bible into our daily lives.

Daily Devotions. The reason we call this a campaign is because it is so much more than just 7 weekend messages. Beginning next Monday, September 24th, we hope that every person at Church Requel will begin a daily devotional.  Each day for 40 days a different pastor will lead us in our private study of God's Word. Those with internet access can go to 40daysintheword.com and sign in for free here. You can also sign up for daily emails or text messages reminding you to participate each day for 40 days.  For our parishioners without internet access, we will be providing an audio CD each week.

Becoming a "Child-Friendly" Small Church

Multi-generational relationships in small church: Dick and Grayden are fast friends even though their age is 6 decades apart!

What does it mean to have a "child-friendly" small church? Beyond keeping children safe and sound - the most basic and important requirement - what can we do as small church pastors to make church a place where kids want to come and where parents want to bring their children?

Yesterday I had the privilege of interacting over email with Ian Forest-Jones, who was born in Canada and now serves as a pastor in Australia.  Ian contacted me about the blog post I wrote in June called, "4 Guidelines to Great Children's Sermons."  Ian wanted to know more about what I thought child-friendly churches meant.  Here were his questions:

I noticed in the article that you stated that your evening service is "child friendly", so I want to ask you a couple of questions about this, as this topic is very dear to my heart. Besides a children's sermon, what else do you do in/to the service to make it child-friendly?  I have long struggled to imagine what a real multi-generational church service would look like.  Personally, I am disgusted by the "children's segments" I see in too many churches, as they are often little more than parading the kids up front to set them up to say stupid things to make the adults laugh.  I want to provide a service that the whole family can enjoy and worship in together. 

I considered my response to his thoughtful questions. I ended up writing a long email back.  I thought my Church Requel readers might also be interested in my answer:

Dear Ian,

Thanks for your encouraging and thoughtful email.  It's not every day that I hear from a pastor born in Canada and living for Christ in Australia!

The most important thing we do - I think - is simply to recognize each child for the individual he or she is. Each one is loved by God just as is the case for any adult.  Each child has their own issues, their own questions, their own doubts.  I attempt to be a pastor to each one as much as I would be to the adults. When I see them in the hallways I get down on my knees to their level so I can look them in the eyes and talk to them.  I try to remember their names and what they like to do outside of church.  

The iPhone and Life: Thinner Lighter Bigger Faster

The new iPhone 5 announced yesterday.

Yesterday Apple announced its newest iPhone 5.  This sixth generation smart phone will be 18% thinner and 20% lighter. Yet the screen will now be bigger - 4 inches instead of 3 1/2 inches. And the iPhone 5 should be screaming fast with LTE speeds up to 4 times faster than the older 3G models.

 Thinner. Lighter. Bigger. Faster.

I joked on my Facebook wall last night that this describes my current weight loss plans.  I'm on the new iPhone 5 diet.  I want to be 18% thinner and 20% lighter. Yet I'm also doing strength training so my "front screen" will be bigger. And I'm running - trying to get faster - attempting six miles in under an hour.  Isn't this what we're all striving for in our physical fitness?

Thinner. Lighter. Bigger. Faster.

This is not only the mantra for our phones and fitness, but also in our places of work.  We are all expected to do more with less.  Businesses are working with thinner margins and lighter workforces. Yet they expect bigger output and bigger profits.  And let's not forget that we no longer maintain inventories, so please deliver everything faster!

Thinner. Lighter. Bigger. Faster.

Teachers teach larger numbers of students in their classrooms, but must deliver even better overall test scores.   Newspapers must deliver online access from top-notch reporters, while the price pressures continuously push for free.  Factories expect their employees to work faster, accomplish more, and meet ever more exacting standards for fit and finish.  Salespeople watch their commission rates decline while their expected sales quotas only increase.  Everywhere you look...  

The Collision of Church, Politics and Facebook

I've noticed something new happening on my Facebook wall: the collision of my friends, their faith, and their politics. This is not the first national election since the advent of Facebook. This is, however, the first election since Facebook has gone mainstream. Four years ago my Facebook friends were either tech-oriented or youth-oriented. Now many of my Facebook friends couldn't tell me the first thing about their IP addresses and, like me, are getting to the age where they have to think a moment to even remember their street addresses.

Four years ago I knew that many of my congregants possessed widely different political viewpoints. But unless these same church members were part of the same small group or family, they didn't know one another's political leanings. Fast forward to 2012. Now a majority of us are connected to one another via social networks like Facebook. I maintain a special friend list just of Church Requel members and check it every day. Many of them do the same. I LOVE being connected to one another this way...

Except when it comes to politics. A wise man once said that politics and religion, like oil and water, don't mix. What I'm witnessing is probably the same thing you are seeing. Many of my friends' walls are filled with reposted snarky and one-sided photos, which are considered funny to one side while hurtful to the other side.

Pastoring Children Brings Me Great Joy

I've been going through a metamorphosis.  I've never considered myself to be a children's teacher.  On the other hand almost all of my adult life, I've been an adult teacher of one kind or another.  Before I became a full-time pastor, I taught adult Sunday School - usually young married couples - for two decades. Then I taught a larger group of men on Saturday mornings.  When I made the decision to become a church planter 3 years ago I was sure that the group I would most attract would be adults.

I'm so glad that God is not impressed with my resume. This year He has been bringing children to Church Requel. For sure, there usually are adults connected with them somehow. Without any question the fastest growing demographic in our small church are elementary age children.  And I'm thrilled!

This past weekend we invited our children to read the story of David and Goliath from 1 Samuel 17. One of our parishioners, Diana, took some great photos and posted them up on Facebook last night. (I'm pretty sure you need to have a Facebook account to see them.  We hope to have them on our public website soon. UPDATE: The photos are now also on our public website here.)  The picture above is one of those pictures from Sunday night, when I had the privilege to talk with our kids afterward.

That brief conversation has stuck with me.  I asked the kids what they learned from the story.  Little Cohen with all the pre-Kindergarten wisdom he could muster said, "God is bigger than anybody!" Anna wondered if it really was appropriate to talk about such violent stories in church as she pointed to the verse where David cut off Goliath's head.

When I was a kid, I took for granted being in church Sunday morning, Sunday night, and Wednesday night.  Sunday School was an automatic. Then there was Bible Quizzing and Awana.  While I've never thought much about it before, all of those experiences have a lot more to do with me now being a pastor than any of my seminary training.

When I then think of today's kids, including my own grandchildren, I'm wondering what the next generation of Christians will grow up to become.  Seated in my small congregation could be one of the next great pastors.  Perhaps Church Requel is not so much about my ministry as it is about the next generation's ministry.  Another way of thinking about it is this: Maybe my ministry is about training them for their ministry.

I know this is true for all of my congregation, adults included.  All year, though, I've been reminded about the brutal honesty of children.  They have the same questions about God and the spiritual life as everyone else, but they haven't yet been trained to ask only polite and acceptable questions.  This is the time to reach them.  This is the moment to answer questions - while they're asking!

I don't know exactly what God is calling me to do about this.  I do know this - I need to do more for our kids than what we're doing now.  I also know one other thing.  This is not something that I can just assign to someone else and check off "children's ministry" from the list.  I know I can't accomplish it alone.  We will need a team.  But that team will have to include me.  

I want the kids who grow up at Church Requel to know that they had access to their pastor.  I want them to grow up knowing that their faith was as important as more important than soccer and music lessons.  I want there to be a time in my weekly schedule when I can interact with our children, teaching them, modeling the Christian life to them, sharing life with them, knowing them.  

This is the real change.  The big change is not what God has been doing to bring children to CR.  The big change is the what God has been doing in my heart to love our children and see them for who they are - individual souls with their own need of our Lord and Savior.  The big change in me is that I no longer see our children as the church of tomorrow, but as the church of today!

4 Spiritual Questions From Olympic Games

The Olympic Games begin in just two days. Like many of you I will be watching and enjoying this quadrennial sporting event.  We’ll be glued to the tube, not only because there are few other good TV options, but also because there is something about the Olympic spirit that also touches our spirits.  Watching the world’s top athletes at the top of their form encourages each one of us to be “the best me I can be.”  This year, instead of just dreaming about your physical potential, consider these 4 spiritual questions as well.

How is my team participation?  My favorite Olympic events are the ones that are played together. No matter how great the individual effort, the team depends on the ability of the individuals to play well together. God did not intend for us to live individual spiritual lives either.  He gave us the church not only so that we might worship together, but also that we might do life together!  The Bible describes the church as a body: “Together you form the body of Christ and each one of you is a necessary part of it.”  Ask yourself: “Am I living my spiritual life as part of God’s team - with others?”

How is my spiritual discipline?  The one wholly remarkable aspect about every Olympic athlete is how completely disciplined each one is about their event.  No aspect of their training - exercise, diet, attitude - is too small to consider.  These people are disciplined. Seriously! Did you know that God has that same intention for us spiritually?  In fact God’s Word even puts our spiritual journey into Olympic terms: “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.”  Ask yourself: “When it comes to my spiritual life, am I just out wandering around? Or am I running to win the prize?”

Church for the Nones - Impossible Beauty

Reaching, attracting and retaining people to a new church is a difficult thing to accomplish. In Mansfield, when people are asked what church they attend, more people check "none" than any other choice. Those are the people we at Church Requel are aiming for. We are a church for the "nones." A difficult thing to accomplish becomes a nearly impossible thing to accomplish, if the target audience are people not attending church anywhere else.

Transitioning someone from "unchurched" to "churched" is a slow, sometimes frustrating experience - but when it happens, it's really a beautiful thing! 

We are a church for the unchurched. George Hunter coined the phrase, church for the unchurched, with his book by the same name back in 1996. He described a church returning to its apostolic origins, reaching a mission field in its own back yard. America, Hunter pointed out, had become one of the greatest mission fields in the world. Rather than being a country sending out Christian missionaries to other nations, the U.S. was a country in need of missionaries.

In the two decades since Hunter described the unchurched, unchurched people have changed. Twenty years ago an unchurched person in America had a memory of church and, when tough times came into their lives, they often became spiritual seekers looking to the church for answers. Today most unchurched people don't even have a memory of the church having answers. They have been disconnected from the church so long that it doesn't even occur to them to seek out the church or its teachings.

Ed Stetzer, who writes often about these trends, puts it this way:

Churches that once targeted seekers are finding that portions of subsequent generations do not have any religious memory at all--and it is harder to appeal to their seeking. They are the "Nones" - those who, when asked about religious affiliation, check "none." In a post-seeker context, churches will have to create new models to lead their people to engage their neighbors who might not find appealing an invitation to church.

This coming Sunday Church Requel will be baptizing 3 adults, who one year ago would have checked the "none" category. All three have a distant memory of the church from their childhood. As adults, for many reasons, they joined the majority of people not attending church anywhere.

4 Guidelines To Great Children's Sermons

A mom to came up to me at the end of a recent Church Requel service: "I wasn't going to come tonight. I worked all day and I was tired. I came home and I just wanted to crash. But Anna would have none of it. 'Mom, I want to go to church!'"

Church Requel is a small church. Typically we have less than 60 people attend our Sunday evening services. Yet our fastest growing demographic are children under the age of 10. Why? Because we make our services child friendly.

This year we have added children's sermons to our services. We invite the elementary-aged children to come up front with me. Usually I will sit on the platform and have them sit around me. These talks typically last 7 to 10 minutes. What is it about these short talks that make a child ASK to come to church? Here are 4 guidelines that can help you create great children's sermons.

Guideline #1: Use Object Lessons. I usually have a small table up front that contains an object lesson for the kids. It is always covered up, creating a curiosity factor. The kids can't wait to see what is under the tablecloth. Every sermon includes something different. When talking about living a fruitful life, I showed them two dishes - one with really rotten bananas and one with fresh bananas. 'What kind of life do you want to offer God?' I asked. When talking about God's help in life we set up bowling pins of plastic liter bottles. When we try to do things on our own without God's help, we bowled with a ping pong ball. With God's help we bowled - much more successfully - with a basketball. The key is to be creative and imaginative. Kids love seeing how things work and they have a much greater imagination than adults. Have fun here. Be a kid yourself!

Guideline #2: Focus your entire attention on the children. Usually - at first - the kids are nervous about being in front of everyone else. Look them in the eyes. Tell them that this is their special time with the pastor. Everyone else can listen in, but this is THEIR time. Ask questions. Listen to their answers. Respond. Don't be locked in to a script. Have a general plan, but be willing to adjust on the fly. Kids really do say the darndest things. They will ask the questions everyone wants to know! Enjoy this conversation with the kids.

Guideline #3: Never forget your adult audience. While your attention is entirely focused on the children, know that the adults in the audience will be hanging on your every word. Pastor, you work hard on every adult sermon and dream of the adults tuning in to your every word. After a few years you begin to realize this will probably never be as true as you wish it to be. Until it comes to delivering kids' sermons! Suddenly adults are craning their necks, leaning forward, entirely focused! Why? Because of the kids. Because of the 'Who knows what will happen?' uncertainty. Because of the fun. Bottom line: the children's sermon may be your best chance to connect with your adult audience.

Guideline #4: Be simple but not surface. Because your attention will be focused on the children, your teaching must also be at a child's level. Simple should be your motto. One main message. Or one main Bible verse. Or one main challenge. However this doesn't mean the children's sermon has to be surface only. In fact, if you dialog with the kids you'll discover they often are wondering about some of life's deepest questions. Don't be afraid to admit that you haven't got it all figured out yourself.  Keep your children's sermon simple, but don't be afraid to go deep!

If you are the pastor of a small church like I am, you probably wish you had some of the advantages of a larger church. But the children's sermon is one ace you possess that your large-church pastor friends can only dream about. While you are small, you have the size and flexibility to invite all the kids up front. This gives you the chance to know all the kids - and their parents - so much better than you ever would otherwise.

I love the time I spend with our CR kids during the children's sermons. How about you? What are you doing to connect with the kids - and their parents - in your congregation? Leave me a comment below. I'd love to hear your ideas!

Supporting My NAMI Wife - My Highest Calling?

"Hey, you're Mary Kay's husband, aren't you?" the fellow sitting at the cafe breakfast counter called out to me.

I'm a pastor and it's Monday morning. My day off. My head was buried in the morning paper. If I thought I was hiding out from the masses who needed my help, I needn't have worried. I'm Mary Kay's husband, after all, and more folks are looking for her help than mine.

"Yes I am."

"I need to talk to her today. My son is off his meds again and got into some trouble. I thought she could help me get his medical records shipped out."

I give him her number and then listen as he tells me about his son's latest problems. He tells me that Mary Kay helps him get things done for his son. "She knows just who to call."

For ten years Mary Kay has been the director of our county's National Alliance on Mental Illness, or NAMI. She tells me that 1 in 4 Americans are impacted by a mental illness in the U.S., and I believe it.

When we meet a new couple and we all introduce ourselves, we do the typical American thing by telling what we do. I tell people that I'm a pastor and receive some positive affirmation usually. Mary Kay tells people she advocates for people who have a family member with mental illness and most often the conversation just stops.

Or maybe it would be better to say the surface, polite, getting-to-know-you conversation stops. One of our new friends will lean in, sometimes with tears, and share their struggle with a son or daughter, a brother or sister, a mom or a dad, who suffers from mental illness. Schizophrenia. Bipolar illness. Depression.

This conversation can last several hours. I've learned over the years that many people are walking around with deep hurts and great frustration. Mental illness, it seems, carries with it a stigma - a certain knowing that this is one topic we don't discuss in polite conversation. So when a new friend discovers a welcoming "I've been there too" reception from a person like Mary Kay, the floodgates open up.

When I was in college I studied to be a businessman, not to be a pastor. In my real estate class I learned about the principle of the highest and best use. One can make a profit by purchasing property that is underutilized and converting it to its highest and best use.

Over the past ten years I've changed the main purpose of my life to what I hoped would be my highest and best use - to be a pastor. I love encouraging people with the good news of Christ, with the difference He can make in one's life. I love what I do. The writing. The thinking. The sharing. The leading.

Some mornings, like this morning, I wonder if my highest and best use is really being Mary Kay's husband. I have no doubt of people's need for the good news message of Christ. I have no doubt that people need the encouragement of authentic Christian community.

For many reasons, though, the church is not where most people are turning. Loving, caring, front-line advocates for human kindness - like the kind Mary Kay offers - is where today's hurting person will turn first. Why? Because Mary Kay has been there herself. Because she has practical advice. Because she knows the people who can help, and the ones who can't. And because she genuinely cares.

Maybe the next time we are in one of those meet-new-people situations, I should just introduce myself with my highest and best use - as Mary Kay's husband.

5 Ways to Turn LUV Into LOVE

Early photo of Mark and Mary Kay, summer of 1978

Today is Valentine's Day - the day of romance. This is the opportunity for love to blossom and for the creative lovers in our midst to demonstrate their passion for their beloveds. As the photo on the right clearly testifies, my love for Mary Kay was young once too! This morning as I reflect on our early passion, I'm also asking the question: "What are the ways that our early LUV turned into a LOVE that has survived these 33 years?" With the total admission that we are still working on it, that we haven't got it figured out at all, that we still struggle, but that we know we truly love each other... I humbly offer these 5 thoughts:

#1 Marriage Is Still The Best Way For True Love To Grow!  Marriage is declining in our society.  The marriage rate has declined to less than half of what it was just 4 decades ago.  Never before has co-habitation been more of an acceptable option in our society.  In fact, couples living together has increased ten-fold since 1960.  I understand all the many reasons for why couples would choose to avoid marriage. Sadly, the failure of marriages is also at an all-time high!  Nevertheless I believe marriage is the best way for true love to grow.  There's something about the commitment of two people promising to remain together as a couple for their lifetime that allows romance to mature into relationship.  It's God's plan and God's idea.  I know you exect to hear me say this since I'm a pastor.  You  should know, though, that marriage is just as much work for Mary Kay and me as it is for anyone else.  Pastors' marriages fail just as much as everyone else!  Mary Kay and I told each other often in our early years that "divorce is not in our vocabulary." Each phase of our married lives has brought new challenges.  We're now entering the empty nest phase.  We're discovering that we each have new work to do to affirm and grow our love in ways that we have not needed to do before.  We don't always succeed.  We mess up.  Knowing that we are committed to the marriage working no matter what helps us through our mistakes and missteps.

#2 Major in Forgiveness, Humility, and Empathy. Here's another piece of advice one expects to hear.  Trust me when I tell you, this is not just a throw-away line.  LUV is all about me and getting my emotional (and other) needs met.  LOVE is entirely about the other person in the relationship.  That means that in many ways LUV has to die in order for LOVE to flourish.  After 33 years I'm here to tell you that LUV doesn't die easily.  I still struggle with my own selfishness.  It's still deliberate, purposeful effort for me to stop looking at things from my point of view and to start looking at things from Mary Kay's point of view.  If marriage were like college I'd say everyone would need 3 majors: Forgiveness, Humility, and Empathy.  Swallowing my pride to say, "I'm sorry," doesn't get easier over time.  Humility doesn't put me down, but definitely raises Mary Kay up. Learning to think (and talk and even act) like Mary Kay is still a struggle sometimes.  The same is true of her.  Yes, it's true.  That saint of a woman I married can sometimes be just as stubborn as me! However, we have both learned that our LOVE is more important than our selfishness.

CR Brings Christmas Meals To Those In Need

Steve Thoman sent this email out to our church Wednesday reminding us that we have decided to continue giving out food to those in need. Already we have received calls from some families. Here's what Steve wrote:

Thank you Church Family, you have blessed my socks off the past three weeks.  Not only have you provided, and delivered 40 (forty) Thanksgiving meals, with less than three weeks notice, you've chosen to continue meal donations through Christmas!  Isn't God doing wonderful things in Church Requel!  Those of us that have had the privilege of delivering meal donations to:  the needy; women of domestic violence; and our veterans; have witnessed firsthand the desperate need in our community for simple provisions.  As we make plans to celebrate mankinds most precious gift, December 25th., let's share our abundant blessings with the less fortunate.
 
If you have the means, we are still in need of:

• Canned Vegetables -- Green Beans, Corn
• Canned Fruits -- Fruit Cocktail, Cranberry Sauce
• Stuffing
• Gravy
• Macaroni & Cheese
• Boxed Desserts
• Finances

I realize these are difficult times for many, if you are unable to help with meal donations, no problem, simply pray for Church Requel and this effort -- prayer is at the foundation of all our efforts.  If you have any questions or know of a family in need, contact Sheri Pryor or Steve Thoman.

In Christ's Love
Steve Thoman

They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share.  1 Timothy 6:18 ESV

Thanksgiving Meals: Food, Finances, and Families

Hey everyone! Pastor Mark here.  I'm writing this special message to let you know that we will be helping financially strapped families this Thanksgiving with all the food and fixens necessary for a great family Thanksgiving meal. Over the next three weekends we'll be gathering food, finances and families whom we may serve.  I'd like to give you plenty of time to pray and consider how you might help.  There are 3 ways you can be a partner with us!

Food -  We will be collecting groceries over the next 3 weekends at our Church Requel services.  You may bring can goods or boxed goods.  Anything that will keep and that would fit the theme of a Thanksgiving meal would be welcomed. Cans of vegetables or fruits would be great.  Boxes of stuffing or boxed desserts would be wonderful too.  As a church we'll raise the money to purchase turkeys, potatoes and yes, even the turkey pan.

Finances - If God should lead you to be generous in your finances, you may give money to help us make these food and fixens purchases.  Also, if you are not a regular attendee of our congregation - but want to help - you can give this way.  

Families - We'd also like you to begin thinking of families that could use the extra help this year.  (It could even be you!  That would be great!)  You can email me, or call me (419.564.1525), or - if you attend CR - fill out the names of people on the back of the Connection Card in church.  It would really help us if you could give us the family's address, contact name, and phone number too.  We hope to distribute the meals the week of Thanksgiving.

How many meals might we give away this year?  I have no idea.  Let's leave that up to the food, finances, and families that God lays on our hearts.  All I do know is that this is the kind of thing a requel church does as a normal kind of thing.  Thanks for your generous support!  And thanks also to Sherry and Randy for their passion and leadership this Thanksgiving season!  - Pastor Mark

Remembering: What To Do and Not Do

This morning I am reflecting on this evening's Church Requel worship service.  I am preparing my heart and my soul for one of the more difficult tasks pastors must perform: consoling a nation immersed in sorrowful remembrance of the evil attack a decade ago.  This morning the television networks and online newspapers are filled with the ceremony in New York City.  As I drive up and down the roads I see many church's parking lots filled this morning.  I am grateful for our church's decision to conduct its worship in the evening so I have a litte more time for personal devotion today.

Helpful advice came this week from Brian Orme, who coincidentally lives in the same small town as my brother- and sister-in-law: Troy, Ohio.  Brian  is the general editor for ChurchLeaders.com and SermonCentral.com, two resources I use often.  Every weekday morning at 6am I receive an email with good advice for pastors.  This past week I think I received the best advice yet from Brian.  He wrote about what pastors should and should not do in their churches today on 9/11.  

Of the 5 things Brian suggested we not do, here's the one that struck home most for me:

Don't Use A Video Without Personal Reflection - There are many good videos out there about the anniversary of 9/11—these are great tools to help you engage your community. However, don’t use a video as a crutch to do the teaching and reflection that you’re responsible for as a church leader. If you use a video, please provide some commentary at the beginning or the end to help clarify the purpose of the video and how you think your people should respond biblically to the anniversary of 9/11. Short videos are great tools but often poor teachers. Use a video to break into the topic, but don’t let it do all the work.

We make maximum use of video technology at Church Requel.  It's the one thing that a small church can do with excellence.  The technology is now available that small churches could only dream about a decade ago.  However, it is possible to rely upon videos to do our work for us.  Brian is right: great tools but poor teachers.  Tonight we will be using two excellent videos in our 9/11 Memorial Service. One video, Why We Remember by Steelehouse Media, will come right after our greeting time and will lead into our prayer service.  It will provide the perfect backdrop to lead us into praying for family members and first responders.  

The other video, Ten Years Ago by Skit Guys, will introduce our sermon today.  This is the perfect lead-in to my talk today as a major portion of the talk will come from 1 Corinthians 13:12-13.  In both cases the videos become an integral part of the worship experience, not something just thrown in for effect.

The other piece of advice from Brian that I have given a lot of thought to for tonight's service is this:

Pray With Confidence - Use the anniversary of 9/11 as a teaching and prayer time. Pray for those who are suffering today because they’ve lost loved ones. Pray for our country and its leaders. Pray for our enemies—the terrorists still seeking to kill and destroy us in the name of their god. Whatever you do to remember—make sure you wrap it in prayer. Also, be careful not to pray with ambivalence or lack of confidence. Don’t go soft on this one. Remember, you’re a leader—inspire your people with the hope we have in Christ in the midst of dark times. Pray with boldness.

This is more difficult than it seems, definitely easier to say than to do.  Leading the corporate prayer for a congregation is something that has taken a lot of focus and thinking on my part.  This is not a teaching time - yet people will listen to my prayer to know how to pray themselves.  It is not a personal time - yet leading corporate prayers will appear fake if not given with authenticity.  Praying for one's enemies is never easy - especially true in front of others.  Therefore, I have been praying privately all week that God will give me the right words to pray to Him for my church this evening.  Kind of an irony, no?  "Lord, help me know what to say when I talk to You."

I want to be a pastor who exemplifies the relevancy of the gospel message for all times and all places. All eyes in America are focused on 9/11 today.  God's Word has much to say to the Christ-follower. The Christian worldview will not be seen or heard from our political leaders and from our news sources. God's point of view will come from His Word and from His servants as they preach today.   The truth is that God's Message is always relevant - for every day, for every situation.  9/11 is just one more opportunity to demonstrate this.  May God stengthen me for my task this evening.

Frank's Memorial Service

Hi everyone!  I thought I would update you on what is going on with Theresa and with Frank's memorial service.

I've met with Theresa every day this week planning for Frank's Memorial Service Friday.  She is doing as well as could be expected.  Theresa is surrounded by friends and family.  Her dad came up from North Carolina.  Her son, Jason, has received permission for leave from his military service. 

Theresa and Frank had sold their place and Theresa moved everything out last Friday.  Consequently she had no place to live.  Friends and fellow parishioners, Sheri and Jack, have come to the rescue, providing a place for Theresa to stay.  If you would like to write Theresa a note or send her a card, use this address: Theresa Rutkowski, 4565 Flowers Road, Mansfield, Ohio 44903.

Frank's obituary can be read online at Wappner's website here.

Frank's Memorial service will be held tomorrow late afternoon at the church.  Here are the details:

• Calling Hours from 4pm to 5pm, Friday July 8th, held in the Chapel at church - 636 S. Lexington - Springmill Road.  Theresa has selected photos of Frank, which we will be showing on the chapel screen.  She has also chosen inspirational music, which she thinks Frank would have enjoyed.  Friends and family can meet and share stories with one another before the memorial service begins.
• Frank's Memorial Service will begin at 5pm, also in the chapel.  Family and friends will share stories celebrating Frank's life.  We will sing two songs together and two of Frank's friends and family will sing for us.  Helga will also play her violin.  We will watch Frank's testimony and baptism and I will share a brief sermon.
• Reception follows.  Sometime after 6pm (don't know exactly how long the memorial service will go), we'll move back to the new gym where a reception will be offered.  Frank's long-time friend, Jack, has put together a playlist of oldies music Frank would have liked.  Sandwiches and finger foods will be offered.

Frank was a friend to all of us.  He gave his life to the Lord and was baptized within our church last January.  The vocabulary of our church will forever be changed by Frank's oft-given request that we "pray with umph!"  Let's celebrate our memories of Frank together on Friday.  All are invited.  Hope to see you there! - Pastor Mark

Help Church Requel Build Ramp for Rachel

Rachel Barr humorously refers to herself on Twitter as @MomWithOneLeg.  While she has a good sense of humor, in actuality there's not much funny about losing a leg.  Rachel has clearly adapted well to her situation, providing great care to her three young adult children.  Rachel and her children all suffer from a genetic disorder called Neurofibromatosis or NF1.  She lost her leg 18 years ago, when she was pregnant with her twin boys, as a result of circulation complications from NF1. Since then she has had 6 more leg surgeries.

Rachel and her family have been an active part of Church Requel since its founding back in the living room days of 2009.  Now Rachel runs a camera for us every Sunday evening.  She good naturedly hops around on her one leg without ever losing her smile or her eye for detail.

A month ago Rachel moved from the country to an apartment in Mansfield.  This puts her and her family near the main bus line and closer to everything. "It gave me back my freedom," Rachel told me.  "Unless it snows I can use my wheelchair to get just about anywhere." 

The location is great.  But there's one problem.  There are 5 large steps into the main entryway of her apartment - no laughing matter for this mom with one leg.

During the Church Requel Men's breakfast last month, our guys talked about buying the materials and building a ramp for Rachel so she can use her wheelchair to get in and out of her apartment.  Upon further investigation we have learned that if we partner with Civitan, they will provide the expert workers to build the ramp if we will provide the materials.  If anyone has ever watched me (or any of the other men in our church) assemble anything, you'll know what a great benefit the Civitan builders will bring to Rachel.

The cost of the materials for the ramp will be approximately $400.  Church Requel is committed to paying for this ramp for Rachel.  If you would like to partner with us as we partner with Civitan, we would welcome your help.  If you will be at the Church Requel service this coming Sunday evening, you can just mark part of your donation envelope to help Rachel.  If you won't be at CR Sunday, but you'd like to help contribute, you can mail your contribution to Church Requel, 1216 Butternut Court, Mansfield, Ohio 44906. If we all just do just a little, we'll be able to pay for this ramp easily!

If you have any questions or would like to send me a comment, use my email: [email protected].  Whatever you decide, thank you for your ongoing support of our ministry.

100 Meals Given Away Makes This Easter Special

This Easter will always be remembered by me as the year Church Requel really came together as a body of Christ.  Yes, I'll remember the fact that we gave away 100 Easter meals of turkeys, potatatoes, dressing, vegetables and desserts.  More than that though, I'll recall the comraderie and sheer joy we experienced as a group of Christ-followers.

We gathered on the church steps yesterday morning.  We listened to Sheri give us instructions of where to go and what to do.  We shared a brief devotional.  We circled up and prayed together.  Then we went our separate ways.  Some went to Harmony House, completely full with the homeless.  Some of us went to the Domestic Violence Shelter.  Some went to visit Hospice patients.  Some went door to door in downtown Mansfield.

I was part of that last group, knocking on doors.  We met one woman on the street who was out looking for help.  We walked a few extra blocks to her basement apartment to deliver groceries.  Another woman was on the phone with her sister when she answered the door - probably wanting to make sure that if anyone broke in someone else would know about it.  When we told her we were delivering Easter meals, she started dancing in her house shouting into her phone: "They brought me a whole turkey!"  Another family told our group: "We were laid off and we have NO food in the house."

Today we celebrate the resurrected Jesus.  We rejoice in our personal relationship with Christ.  This morning, however, I celebrate the Christ who is alive in the hearts of my friends at Church Requel.  Because of the risen Jesus we had a chance to bring a little bit of Heaven down here to Earth.  We experienced the joy of watching the Father's will be done.  I can affirm this morning that there is just nothing better than that!

Men's Ministry Launch at Church Requel

This past Sunday evening I invited Randy Craig to join me on the Church Requel platform to discuss the launch of a new Men's Ministry.  Over the past few months I've gotten to know Randy better as I've counseled him and his bride-to-be, Melissa, for their upcoming wedding.  At one of our recent sessions, Randy asked me if we have a Men's Ministry at Church Requel.  The 6-minute video below is the result of that conversation.  Enjoy!

Mens Ministry Launch at Church Requel from Mark Pierce on Vimeo.

Lent: More Than Giving Up Orange Marmalade

Let's just talk straight for a minute.  You can tell a lot about a person's Christian background by this issue of Lent.  If you asked me about it as a kid, I would have made some reference to the trap in the dryer... or my belly button.  As an Evangelical, Lent wasn't something for us.  The whole concept of ashes on the forehead or giving up chocolate was foreign to us.

Now I'm the pastor of a new church - a non-denominational church, yet I find myself with the same biases of my childhood.  And yet...

Here's the thing.  Lent is actually a REALLY GOOD IDEA!  Let's think about it for a moment.  40 days to prepare for Resurrection Day.  A time of personal sacrifice to remember what Christ has sacrificed for us.  A period of reflection and refocus upon our faith.  Additional times of community with fellow believers.  The opportunity to practice our faith in a more public way - acknowleding our Christianity to the world around us.  What's there not to like?

As a pastor of a new congregation, I recognize that in many ways I set the pace for our church.  So I'm going to participate in Lent this year... even if it's mostly in my own private way.  I've added a new Bible Reading Plan to my daily routine, a daily devotion by N.T. Wright.  YouVersion.com has added 3 new plans just for the season.  I plan on fasting a meal or two per week - and during these times I plan on spending some extra time in prayer and focus. 

And just to make my wonderful (and Catholic) sister-in-law happy, I'm going to give up chocolate - though I'm not sure this really counts, since I've already been on a diet this year. 

Hmmm.  It occurs to me that an abstention for me would be more like giving up orange marmalade.  I eat it every morning... diet or not.  I LOVE orange marmalade.  Ok.  No orange marmalade until April 25th.  Each time the waitress - trained by years of experience - places the orange marmalade before me - I'm going to say a quick prayer of THANKS to Jesus - then push the marmalade away!

I'm also going to participate in our church's plan to give away 100 free meals the day before Easter!  Our version of almsgiving.  Each weekend our parishioners (and me) will be bringing in groceries to the weekend church service.  A fine Lenten tradition - as well as a Christian thing to do all 365 days of the year.

So that's my plan for Lent.  Additional Bible readings and devotionals.  Some fasting.  Some prayer.  Refocus.  Feed the hungry.  ...And no more orange marmalade.