Last Call Brian McLaren

Brian McLaren in Hartford - LAST CALL

Nov. 10, 7 p.m.

Emanuel Lutheran Church

Hartford, Conn.

 

This is your last chance to register to attend a public lecture by celebrated author, speaker and activist Brian McLaren at Emanuel Lutheran Church (311 Capitol Ave., Hartford, Conn.), sponsored by the New England Synod and several ecumenical partners. 

 

REGISTRATION IS OPEN UNTIL MIDNIGHT ON THURSDAY, NOV. 6. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER.

 

McLaren is the author of several books including "We Make the Road by Walking: A Year-Long Quest for Spiritual Formation, Reorientation and Activation"and "Naked Spirituality: A Life with God in 12 Simple Words." A graduate of the University of Maryland with a bachelor's in English, McLaren was awarded Doctor of Divinity degrees from Carey Theological Seminary in Vancouver, B.C., and Virginia Theological Seminary. He's also the theologian in residence with the Life in the Trinity Ministry. To learn more about Brian, click here to visit his website.

 

McLaren's lecture will be held Monday, Nov. 10, at 7 p.m. Tickets are $45, with discounts for clergy and students. 

 

To register and purchase your ticket, click here!

A Email from the Left Coast

I received this email, guess people outside read this blog as well.

Subject: Kudos on Experimentaion
Message: Dear Bishop,

My name is Mark Price. I am an ELCA pastor, but I am not a member of your fine synod. I currently am (very happily) serving St. Paul Lutheran Church, Lodi, California in the Sierra Pacific Synod.  I am writing today because I am finding a lot of inspiration from the notion of being a Synod of Experimentation and a congregation of experimentation and a pastoral leader of experimentation.  I showed your video to the congregational council last night and it was greatly appreciated.  I want to say "thank you" for using social media in such an effective manner to get this simple idea out. (20% of our time and resources set aside for experimentation - simple, timely and straightforward.)

At St. Paul's we are experimenting with a "Year of Jubilee. We began September 1. In this year our congregation has committed itself to minimize its meetings.  Instead we gather one Sunday per month for a combined morning worship service. Some weeks that means that the space is overfull but it is worth it, because after worship we gather with the following agenda.

1. Groups of 6-8 form around round tables. Each table has a 'host.' People are encouraged to gather with others that they do not know well. (our congregation worships 250 so this is possible.) The small groups then engage in directed conversation designed to increase their connection with one another. (The purpose of St. Paul's is to connect with God, each other and the world.)

2. We then have a member of the community give a ten minute "Ted Talk" about their faith. The key question that the talk is to answer is "How do I experience God's activity in my daily life?" or "How, where, when do I connect with God?" 

3. A catered lunch is then served family style and over the meal people in the small groups are asked a directed question which enables them  to share how they see God active in their daily life.  Near the end of lunch, the treasurer gives a brief report on how our financial stewardship is doing and what connections that gives us to the world.  

4. After lunch is cleared we then break out into active ministry groups. Some of these groups deal with institutional matters (like the Christmas pageant) but other groups - the best ones - are formed based on a shared interest or calling. "How to start a Bible Study," "Random Acts of Kindness," "Care of Creation Gardening,"   are some of the ministries that have formed. 

If folks don't wish to gather in a group for planning, but want to do something that day, then we try to have at least two hands on activities. Last month there was advocacy letter writing table and a packing LWF kits table. 

5. The entire event is surrounded with music that is unapologetically camp based with lots of hand motions and . . . silliness. But it seems to be working in that the music and silliness builds connection and community.

During the week we try to limit our meetings to Bible Studies, fellowship, worship and music. Not every board has been able to let go and do their ministry in a new way on Jubilee Sundays, but most have.  (The Deacons do like to meet and publish minutes etc., and Social Ministry is really excited about their ministry and they like to meet more than once per month (thats a good thing) and the council meets but in a very different way to take care of some of the necessary institutional business.)  

There is much more to tell about our experiment and the story is still unfolding as we are only two months into our year.  The council and staff are constantly tweaking the idea but we think it is creating a deeper sense of connection with God and within the community of St. Paul's. We are hopeful that it will also create a deeper connection with the world - but we aren't there yet. However, along with the deeper sense of connection has come some renewed energy for ministry. 

Thanks for giving me a place to share the opening chapter. 

The bigger point is that I hope you can feel good that your Synod of Experimentation is having an effect beyond your synod.

Thanks!

Blessings,

Mark

How to Change a System

“If a system is going to change, someone has to begin behaving differently.” 
Edwin Friedman, Rabbi, Family System Therapist, author of Generation to Generation & Failure of Nerve

 

Edwin Friedman, Rabbi, Family System Therapist, author of Generation to Generation & Failure of Nerve

I also heard him say something to the effect of "when a system is stuck, you can't think your way out of stickiness."

However, be forewarned. When you start behaving differently, you'll wake up feeling great one morning. Watch out.  Most of us know this from a little life experience. 

What's in Your Experimentation Wallet, ah Church

Pastor Christian Holleck recently sent me this letter.  He and his wife Tiffany are co-pastors at St. Peter's in Harwich, MA

October, 14, 2014

Dear Bishop Hazelwood,

I watched and listened to your encouraging and timely video message on being a synod of experimentation.  It struck a chord with me; that is, it is helping me make sense of some of the ministry we have been recently been engaged at here at St. Peter’s. 

  • We have been experimenting with art in worship, at one time having a potter set up his wheel in the back of the sanctuary during worship, having artists in the congregation paint during worship on a Pentecost Sunday.  More recently these artists have painted the Stations of the Cross which we hung up in the sanctuary during Holy Week.  We now have an Art Ministry Team and have rented exhibits which are displayed in the sanctuary (We’ve had Otto Dix lithographs depicting Matthew’s gospel and now “From Eden to Eternity,” colorful molas from the San Blas Islands.)  We also have a room dedicated as an Arts and Craft studio we hope to develop further. 
  • Our Reconciling in Christ Team hosted an interdenominational clergy panel discussion with clergy who self-identify as gay, lesbian, bi-sexual or transgender and represent five different denominations.
  • We had a group of nine go to Iona, Scotland for a week to live in Christian community and worship daily in the 13th century Benedictine Abbey.
  • We are re-starting a youth group using an intergenerational approach which includes inviting older adults in the church to be involved in hosting some of our gatherings. 
  • We have collaborated with Tree of Life to host a Humanitarian Benefit Concert for Gaza.  

 

Some of this experimentation has been unintentional – it just happened- and some has been intentional.  Some has been received with tremendous joy, some has been more controversial.  Some has focused on the spiritual growth of members and some on the needs of the community or world.  

Tonight at church council we will share your video presentation, I will share my reflections (i.e. this letter)  and we will have conversation about what it might mean to more deliberately embrace our Synod’s resolution (both communicating and implementing.) 

For now, I want you to know we are listening and experimenting (so is Pope Francis-wow!)   Thank you for the encouragement to engage in “graceful experimentation, innovation and creativity to further the mission to which God in Christ has called us.”

Peace,

 

Christian

I'm doing something crazy

One of the common recurring questions I hear from church leaders is around the topic of money.  As I've talked and listened for over 25 years as a pastor, and now 2 as a bishop, I can safely say that most congregations don't know what to do about money.  We don't know how to talk about it, we don't know how to manage it, we don't know how to ask for it, we don't do money very well.

Here's the irony.  What did Jesus talk about more than anything else?  Yup, money.

So, here is my crazy idea, and I've already been asked by two churches to come and do it. So form a line.

I'll come to your church and conduct a 103 minute session called, "The One Year Money Plan."  I may change the title, as that sounds like something out of a slick TV sales book.  Here's what will happen in those 103 minutes.  We will work together as a leadership team, draft and plan a one year stewardship plan for your congregation.  It'll be customized to your church.  It will include a calendar of what to do each month, and who is going to do it.  This will be a complete year round plan for your congregation, based on your culture and your current giving patterns.  It'll also be based on the core principles of developing health generosity in Christians - Give, Thank, Tell.

Notice I have not said this will be a "Five easy steps" plan.  You will have to do work.  Your pastor will have to work hard.  Your church council will have to step forward.  Your financial secretary and your treasurer will have to work hard.  I'm also going to ask people to give more, and I'll start by asking the pastor to increase his or her giving, and then I'm going to ask your church council to increase their giving, and then you are going to go to your congregation and ask every active participant in your congregation to increase giving.

Then we are going to thank people.  We are going to plan a way to thank people.  Thankfulness is the core attitude that we will celebrate and strategize.

Then we are going to Tell stories, good stories, stories about giving and receiving, stories about God's grace in our lives.  Holy Moly Batman, we are going to give Lutheran Testimonials.

You'll have a plan, a purpose and a goal.  You'll know what to do for a whole year.  You won't have to have long boring Stewardship Committee Meetings. But, you might have to have a "Let's have a Party" committee.

My request to your church is that you agree to increase your mission support to the ELCA and the New England Synod.  That's the fee for this hands-on let's get something done about this money question project.

Here is where it get's crazy.  I'll make a $100 donation to your church to do this for you.  Yup, as a sign that your bishop is truly crazy, and holds highly the value of generosity.  I'll show up with a $100 check.  I'll do this for 12 churches, 2 are already in, where are the other 10?

Who's in?  Who is crazy enough to try this out?  Who believes that God in Christ is such a generous God that we don't need to worry about money, we need to celebrate the extravagant economy of God's radical unconditional Grace.?

Send me an email jhazelwood at nesynod.org 

The Best Feedback Ever

If you read this blog, you know that one of the events I'm known for these days is "Conversations with Nones."

These are ongoing conversations with people who do not particpate in any faith community, church, temple, etc.  It started here in New England at our 2013 Synod Assembly.  You can view that conversation here. Then Philadelphia Seminary invited me last April.  Last weekend, Bishop Mike Rinehart invited me to Houston, Texas.  Each time is unique, and so far every conversation is fascinating.  But, when I was sent this response, I knew I'd gotten the best feedback ever.

Lutherans & Episcopalians in Wolfeboro, NH

My sermon for the beginning of Bill Peterson's ministry at All Saints in Wolfeboro, NH.  The congregation had struggled with the first hymn (one I did not know), but when we sang Charles Wesley's Love Divine, All Loves Excelling, the sang boldly and with joy.

Click here for a listen.

The scripture is Ephesians 4: 7-16

The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. 14 We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming. 15 But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love.

Road Trip - New Hampshire, Texas and Maine

Both my wife, Lisa and my Executive Asst, Lyn, are saying "You are crazy!"  

At first, I thought they were talking about this upcoming road trip, but then I realized they were making general observations.   I'm on the road, more than usual this month.  On Friday, I fly to Houston, Texas to be the keynote for the Gulf Coast Synod's Leadership Day.  We are bringing the "Nones" conversation on the road.

 

On Sunday morning, I'll be in Windham, Maine for the 30th Anniversary of Faith lutheran, and that afternoon, at Water of Life for Carolyn Neighoff's ordination.  Then the Lutheran and Episcopal Clergy of Western and Central Massachusetts for a connection day, as we continue the process of making connections between our two tribes.  Oh, yea, and last night, I was preaching at the installation of Pr. Bill Peterson at All Saint's Episcopal in Wolfeboro, NH.

Come hear Brian McLaren

 

In 200, I arranged for Brian McLaren to come and speak at St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Charlestown, RI for our "Growing a Healthy Church" conference.  He had just published "A New Kind of Christian"  He engaged people in ways that were eye-opening.  Now, fourteen years later, he returns to New England.  I encourage both clergy and lay people to come hear Brian.  He is an articulate spokesperson for a faithful, yet progressive kind of Christian faith.
Celebrated author, speaker and activist Brian McLaren will deliver a public lecture at Emanuel Lutheran Church (311 Capitol Ave., Hartford, CT), sponsored by the New England Synod and several ecumenical partners. 
McLaren is the author of several books including "We Make the Road by Walking: A Year-Long Quest for Spiritual Formation, Reorientation and Activation" and "Naked Spirituality: A Life with God in 12 Simple Words." A graduate of the University of Maryland with a bachelor's in English, McClaren was awarded Doctor of Divinity degrees from Carey Theological Seminary in Vancouver, B.C., and Virginia Theological Seminary. He's also the theologian in residence with the Life in the Trinity Ministry. To learn more about Brian, click here to visit his website.
McLaren's lecture will be held Monday, Nov. 10, at 7 p.m. Tickets are $45, with discounts for clergy and students. To register and purchase your ticket, click here! Please share this information with those who might be interested, with our recommendation to sign up promptly, as this event is expected to sell out quickly. 

 

Using Video for Church Communications

There's some good stuff coming from Rich at www.unseminary.com
Here is his article on using your smartphone's video function for video communications in your church.
Image
6 Ways to Use Your Smartphone For Video in Church Communications (& 4 Tips to Make it Good!)

I've been thinking about this #IceBucketChallenge and how it's proven that smartphone videos are simple to produce and effective in communicating. How are you using the movie studio in your pocket to communicate with your people? Here are some ideas you can try this week!

  • Volunteer Thank You // After your services this weekend ... take out your phone and shoot a quick video that talks about how amazing your team is and gives them examples from that weekend about how they went above and beyond!
  • Devotional Thought // Have you been struck by something you ran into during your devotions that you think could have broader application? Take a minute and record that video and share it on your social media network of choice!
  • Behind The Scenes Videos // Is your band rehearsing for an upcoming special event? Is your leadership team working on a special series at your church? Take your people behind the scenes and let them see it! {Here's a behind the scenes video I shot on a clean water trip last spring that got huge traction in our church ... I loved helping people hear from the field!}
  • Quick Interviews // Even though selfie videos can be super effective in communicating what you need to ... grab another church leader, bring them in front of the camera and get their take on what's going on. The added dynamic of another person will give the video lots more energy!
  • Family Ministry to Parents // Much of what happens in our family ministry environments is now hidden behind security barriers so the "wrong people" don't have access to kids. One of the downsides of this is that parents don't often get to see what happens in your ministry area. Take a video this weekend and send it to your parents so they can see the good stuff you're doing!
  • Pre-Game Video // Videos shot with your smart phone can we be viewed almost instantaneously by your community ...why not shoot a video before a special event or weekend service and send it your volunteers to get them excited about your time together. Let them in on how you are doing going into the weekend ... and thank them for serving!

Here are four simple tips to remember when shooting video with your smartphone to make the most of them! 

  • Simple Script // Taking a minute to write out even a simple script can ensure you don't ramble on and on. I will often use post-it notes on the back of the phone with a few talking points to keep me on track. Doesn't need to be complex but you do need to plan it out.
  • Look Into The Sun // Shooting outdoors ensures the best lighting possible for your smartphone. You want the smartphone between you and the sun ... so remember that you'll always be looking into the sun to ensure the best light. If you are shooting indoors ... make sure you are looking to the lights!
  • Reduce the Shake // It's easy to make people seasick with a shaky image ... try to stabilize the shot as much as possible. You can do this by setting it on a table across the room or even holding your arm out straight will help reduce the shake.
  • Clear Sound Trumps // People need to be able to hear you ... speak up and speak clearly. You'll need to speak louder than you would normally feel comfortable doing in a conversation. If you want to take it up a level a simple mic to clip onto your shirt can make a huge difference.

A Tale of Two Gifts

Rick doesn’t own Rick and Diane’s Brick Oven Pizza in Antrim, New Hampshire, but he does work there.   I had stopped in front of this pizza place on my ELCA World Hunger Ride late this summer.  I wasn’t planning to eat, just a stretch break as I made my way south along Route 10 and 31 in the Granite State.

“Nice Bike!” barked a voice from behind me.  I turned around to see a large man with only a few teeth.  We talked bikes, and travel for a few minutes.

“What’s the deal with the bumper sticker?”  He was referring to the now faded, #bikeforbread ELCA World Hunger Ride sticker on the back fender.  It depicts a cartoon version of me on the motorcycle. 

“I’m on a ride throughout New England raising funds and awareness about hunger.” I answered, and then elaborated on where I’d been.

“So how do you raise money for it?”  he asked in this curious manner.  I described that people either bought T-Shirts, tugging at my own T, or people make donations. 

“Donations, huh,” he gruffly responded, and then reached in to his pocket, pulled out a $5 bill and handed it to me. 

I thanked him, asked him for a photo and noted the address of the restaurant. 

 

Two days later I was sitting in a meeting room of one of our congregations here in Connecticut.  The pastor had ordered lunch for the four of us.  Along with the pastor, Sharon Magnusson of the ELCA World Hunger Appeal, and myself was a lovely lady who was there to make a gift to the World Hunger Appeal. 

At the age of 90, her financial advisor had recently suggested that she may want to consider sharing some of her gifts, rather than wait until her will would go through probate.  She shared the story recounting all the details. She may be 90, but her age was not evident.  This woman was smart and savvy.

“Next week, I’m having him draft a check for $100,000 to the ELCA World Hunger Appeal.”  She described how she had been a past contributor, but wanted to do more.  “I just can’t imagine what it’s like for people to be hungry.”

The four of us had a simple lunch.  We shared stories about moments of gratitude, humorous life events, and the power of generosity.

 

These two gifts express the best of human beings.  When we are inspired to be servants of others, it brings out the best in people.  My hope is that in reading about these two generous people, you too, will be inspired to make a difference, and give a gift to the ELCA World Hunger Appeal.  www.elca.org/hunger

I Don't Want to Talk about Ferguson

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.  Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.”  Romans 12:1-2

Michael Brown, a young unarmed African American man was shot six times by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri.  Trayvon Martin was killed two years ago.  In America an unarmed black man, woman or child is murdered almost every day in this country.  And yet, I don’t want to talk about Ferguson, Missouri.

I don’t want to talk about Ferguson, because frankly it’s just too damn hard to have that kind of conversation.  It would require gathering people from the whole range of the criminal justice system – police officers, mothers of young black men, prosecutors, poor white rural folk, merchants, Latino teenagers, fathers of suburban kids hooked on heroin.  It would require the kind of crucial conversations that bring about deep understanding – and that’s a whole lotta work.

I don’t want to talk about Ferguson, because there are so many other things I can do.  I can post my opinions on Facebook.  I can go to the beach, and plan my vacation.  I can turn on the TV and watch a news outlet that will justify my preconceived ideas.

I don’t want to talk about Ferguson, because it’s not only about race, (though that is a big part of it) it’s also about economic class.  In this country, I want to believe we are all the same, but deep down I know this isn’t true.  In fact, it may be easier, (though still extremely challenging) to have a multi-ethnic community in this country than it is to have a multi-class community. And, candidly, I’m a person who has it pretty good.  I’m white, male, tall, overly-educated and pretty comfortable.  Why would I want to get into this messy Ferguson conversation?

And then I read Jesus, Isaiah, and Paul.  “Do not be conformed by this world, but be transformed…” 

In this country there are 50 million Americans who are poor, the vast majority of them are people of color.  In the scriptures, there are 2,357 verses that speak to the need to attend to the orphan, the widow and the poor.  In my mind, I put those two sentences together and it defines everything I need to know about what God is calling us to do.

What can we do?

1. Stop preaching about the topic of poverty and race, unless you are willing to make something happen.  While that may sound harsh, what I’m trying to do is push us from simply talking to actually walking.  Faith without works is dead, is cheap grace.

2. Engage in crucial conversations on the criminal justice system.  Pr. Tiffany Chaney is looking to engage people from a range of perspectives to address this topic in her neighborhood in Dorchester, MA.

3. Find ways to intentionally bring people of various backgrounds together. Pr. Dan Hille in Avon, CT is partnering over three years to connect affluent white teens with economically disadvantaged teenagers of color.

4. Find a church either nearby or in our synod and partner with that church.  First in East Greenwich, RI is connecting with Gloria Dei in Providence.  They are learning from one another about race, class and mission.

These are just the beginning, but we must find beginning points.  It’s important to note that these are mutual conversations, in other words they are not one group informing another. 

I don’t want to talk about Ferguson, Missouri, I want us to do something about Ferguson.  If that can’t happen in the church of Jesus, Isaiah and Paul, then where else is it going to happen?

 

Bishop James Hazelwood

New England Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

 

 

The Willow Creek Leadership Summit

For 12 of the last twenty years I've gone to the Willow Creek Global Leadership Summit.  I missed the first year that Bono spoke, when he criticized churches for not doing enough about global poverty.  I was in Honduras at the time, so I didn't feel so bad.  Each year the summit provides speakers on a wide variety of subjects all related to the subject of growing as a leader.

You are a leader.  Whether you are leading yourself, a family, a church, a division, a company.  Leadership is something that needs constant attention.  In short, I'm trying to say that everyone benefits from growing their leadership.

This year we had 32 people at the Rehoboth, MA site, plus about a dozen others at other sites around New England.  Pastors, lay leaders gathering to learn more effective ways to lead the church of Jesus Christ.  The topics included the challenge of having difficult conversations, the value of setting a framework for an organization, how to interject integrity into a ministry, what are the mistakes to be avoided.

You can see rough outlines of these talks on the WCA Blog.

Next year, we will gather again on August 6 & 7, 2015.  Save the date.

A Journey in the Wilderness

Part of my summer reading has included this book by Gil Rendle.   

It's a full and rich read.  The first three chapters review much of what many readers of this blog already know.  It outlines the last forty years of the mainline protestant church in the US.  That early section concludes with a report on a 2000 study funded by AAL for the Lutheran Churches in North America.  It found that many of the various programs of the previous 25 years had little impact on congregational growth and vitality. But, what it did find, and this book then spends the remaining 65% exploring, is that the congregations that had their own clear sense of identity and purpose were the ones that were healthy and vital communities of Jesus.  

Rendle also spells out the challenge of helping established congregations and denominations discover and claim their sense of identity and purpose.

Where the book really gets helpful is in chapter four and following.  For the first time, someone has outlined the dilema of change and continuity. Gil's writing style is clear and thorough, albeit a bit too thorough at times. (Is there a Cliff Notes version available?)

Much of what he articulates, we are already engaged here in the New England Synod, chiefly around the theme of experimentation and finding our way as we stumble forward.  He centers his works around congregations needing to go deep into these questions:

Who are we?

What is God calling us to do, and not do?

Who are our neighbors?

Yet, he is clear that this is not about developing mission statements.  No, Gil Rendle wants us to go deep into these questions, and explore them in the context of being a Wilderness people.  Indeed, we are like the people of the Exodus.  Some of us want to back to Egypt where the good old days can be found.  But, as TOm Wolfe wrote, 'you can never go back home'.  

My sense is that this is a book, primarily for pastors and denominationally leaders, though I do believe some lay leaders who are especially motivated would find this helpful as well.  I plan to use it in my thinking and conversations with staff, synod leaders and fellow bishops.

"Stumbling is moving ahead faster." 

For those of you who prefer to watch a video of Gil's presentation, Part one of a two part lecture is below. You can then find part two if you wish by searching Vimeo.

 

AC 2012 - Gil Rendle (Part 1) from NCCUMC.org on Vimeo.

Gangs, Gaza and the Gospel

I am weary with my moaning;     every night I flood my bed with tears;     I drench my couch with my weeping.

My eyes waste away because of grief;  they grow weak because of all my foes.                                                                                    Psalm 6: 6 & 7

What other response can one have in these days of suffering?  I listen to the news and think of our brothers and sister’s in our companion synods in Palestine and Honduras.

Today, in Gaza a short-lived cease-fire ended, with death and destruction.  I was just in Israel and the West Bank in November eating lunch with Munther and Mona.  I worshipped with Palestinian Christians in our Lutheran congregations, walked the streets of Jerusalem and witnessed the pain, hypocrisy and injustice of a people longing for peace.

Yesterday, as a nation we deported 50 women and children back to Honduras.  The humanitarian crisis on our southern border grows everyday, as children flee the gang violence that is consuming Central America.  It is a violence rooted in drugs and profit.  In 2012, I slept in a humble cabin in the mountains in Honduras near the Nicaraguan border, worshipped with Dagoberto and worked alongside our sisters and brothers to build a church where the Good News of the Prince of Peace is being proclaimed today. 

The New England Synod has a deep relationship with these two parts of the world.  We are in companion relationship with the Lutheran Church in the Holy Land (ELCJHL) and in Honduras with both Lutherans and Episcopalians.  As we watch, read and hear the news about two difficult and complex issues in our society – Immigration and the Middle East, I wonder what can we do?

These issues are riddled with complexities that are not simply distant, but quite connected to our own lives.  The dynamics of the Middle East involve how we invest our money in foreign and domestic companies, how we buy our food in the grocery store, as well as our attitudes toward those who are a part of the Jewish and Islamic faith traditions.  The issues of immigration are tied to our US drug use culture, our desire for products and services to remain inexpensive and our misunderstanding of people whose racial make up may be different than our own.

The complexity of these parts of the world come home in our congregations when we have debates over how to invest our endowment funds, minister to the parents of drug addicted children and enjoy our hotel rooms being cleaned for us on Cape Cod.  The world is not far away, it is here.

What can we do?

-       I invite your congregation to include in your Sunday prayers and petitions, our brothers and sisters in Israel, Palestine and Honduras.  Pray for an end to violence, pray for a fair treatment of all people, pray for understanding, and pray for the reign of God.

-       Educate yourselves on both of these matters by seeking out thoughtful perspectives that deepen your God given compassion.  Avoid the extremes in the media who seek to establish a preconceived agenda.

-       Consider including information in your congregation bulletin or newsletter.  Below are some links to resources.

-       Consider joining me in making a financial contribution to support the Augusta Victoria Hospital in West Jerusalem and the Lutheran Disaster Relief for Unaccompanied Children.

-       Realize that in a global society such as ours, everything is connected to everything.  How we live our lives here in the US impacts the children walking in the streets all over the world.

Let the God whose compassion runs so deep for us, that the tears of an ancient Psalm resulted in the action of the extraordinarily generous gift of Jesus.

About the crisis at the Border

http://www.elca.org/disaster

http://lirs.org/bordercrisis/

About the crisis in Palestine & Israel

http://lwfjerusalem.org/

http://vimeo.com/97561853

 

Sincerely in Christ,

Bishop James Hazelwood

What I read on My Summer Staycation

My administrative assistant, Lyn Wasilewski, informed me earlier this summer that I had too much vacation time accrued.  Yes, she keeps track of everything.  She's the brains behind the bishop.  So this summer, I'm taking a series of staycations.  You know, stay at home, do those things you always say you are going to do when you have more time, but then the staycation comes around and you don't do them.

Anyways.... I'm spending some time reading this summer. Here's a few from the reading list.

I'm about halfway through Rodney Stark's big fat volume on the history of Christianity from a sociological perspective. Mr. Stark was born on the plains of North Dakota and began his life rooted in the cultural Lutheran ethos of the upper midwest. Years ago I read his wonderful account of the early church titled The Rise of Christianity.  In this book, you essentially get Rise plus the rest of the history of Western Christianity to the present.  I'm loving and hating this book as I make my way through it.

First of all, Stark challenges some of the conventional thinking that has dominated the history of the west.  This is a tad bit infuriating, because he is making me rethink some of my assumptions. (Why can't I just have my little petty assumptions to provide comfort and solace in this age of discontent? Sarcasm intended)  One example of the challenges comes through most profoundly in the section on the rise of Islam and the West's response.  Stark makes a rather convincing case that the crusades were not entirely motivated out of religious zeal, and the islamic world did not view the crusades with the intense hostility we have been lead to believe.  I'd love to see Karen Armstrong and Rodney Stark on stage at a Bishop's Convocation discussing their very different views on this subject.

The best part of this book is his explanation of how religious movements grow.  He's making a case that it is primarily through social networks.  When the book of Acts describe the early church's ministry to the orphans, the widows and the infirmed, Stark shows the significance of that ministry on the surrounding villages.  Over time christians lived longer, had better hygiene, less disease, higher quality of life and the impact of that on the local onlookers was significant.  The faith of the Jesus movement grew because people were attracted to a better life in the here and now .i.e., the kingdom of God here on earth.  Those of you who read this blog know that I'm convinced we are in that early church kinda ethos, and it's faith in action that makes all the difference.

This is not a church history nor a history of theology.  You won't find long chapters on the doctrine of the trinity here.  Instead, you'll come away with a greater appreciation for the way culture, inventions and people impacted the west, and the growth of christianity.  It's a big fat book, and at times you'll find yourself skimming, but I think it's one of the better overviews of the development of the faith.  

I do wish he had not titled it the Triumph of Christianity, as that smacks of a successful dominance that I think even Stark himself would question.  

Next up is Real Good Church: How our church came back from the dead, and yours can, too.  Molly Phinney Baskette has written the book, I wished I'd written. So much of what is in this paperback reflects actions that I took in both congregations I served.  I've only skimmed the table of contents and read some bits and pieces, but this looks to be the book I'm going to recommend our churches read.  It will make a good church council study book.  

Molly is pastor of First Church in Somerville, MA and this book is essentially the story of how she worked with 35 people on a sunday to revitalize her congregation.  They went from 6 children to close to 100, just to give you an example.  But, she also weaves in a deep faith focus to this revitalization.  The book is funny, warm, practical and honest.  Honest about the hard work that is required to bring about the needed change to turn a system around.

I'm hoping to sit down with Molly for an interview in our ongoing series on the effective small church - coming to a You Tube channel near you.

Finally, just arrived in the mail, and when I need something completely different from all this church stuff, is Bill Bryson's book One Summer: America 1927.  Glen Ramsay suggested this to me, and I've been waiting for it to come out in paperback, because... well, because, sometimes I get tired of reading on my kindle and just long for the good old days of paper and ink.

1927 was quite a year in America- Babe Ruth, Charles Lindberg, Al Capone and the first talking film "The Jazz Singer".  Bill Bryson's written some good stuff, and the narrative non-fiction genre appeals to me.  I know, I know...I should read more fiction.  I'll work on that, in my spare time.  Maybe in retirement, when I'll get around to all those projects I didn't finish on my staycations.