I KNOW THEY WERE THERE!

For the past three years the middle of May has found me on staff
for Regional Celebrate Life at Olivet Nazarene University.  This is a fantastic activity that draws 2,000 teens from across the midwest to campus.  There they participate in various forms of competition including but not limited to basketball, volleyball, soccer, golf, baseball, track, Bible quizzing, numerous categories of music and the arts, and many more lesser known venues.  That's where I come in!  I moderate the Chess competition!  Not that I have played the

My last known game of Chess with my big brother (circa 1961)

game in the last 40 years!  They just need a warm adult type person to make sure that no fights break out and that no one bursts into applause (or makes any other noise) while the matches are in progress.  I must say that I have met many wonderful kids and supportive parents.  I think that when everything is said and done and the last King has fallen that all have had a memorable time.  But it's not the 16 hours of watching chess and listening to the hum of the A/C unit (2 days), it's the chance to  be with family and friends who are likewise working the event and to return to the place that prepared me for life and ministry.  It was there that Sherry and I met.  It was there that I last "dunked" a basketball.  It was there.....well you get the idea.  Four wonder fulled years in my youth.

The school song begins; "My Olivet, our Olivet..........."  I am proud of "my" Olivet.  It provided me with a wholesome environment, great professors, and an "education with a Christian purpose".  I am also praying for "our" Olivet; for so many whose lives have been touched throughout the years, for those who are yet to become "Olivetians".  It would please me much should my grandchildren choose to make this institution their college home.  It is not just "my" Olivet it is the Olivet of thousands of others and many more to come.

Praise At Celebrate Life

As I sat in the beautiful large Worship Center  and watched this present group of teens worship I couldn't help but wonder who, with raised hand today, will be a great leader in God's Kingdom tomorrow.  I know they were there and I will pray for them tonight. 

"Tho time may take us far apart, I'll still revere you in my heart,  my Olivet, our Olivet......."

HOW TO TORTURE A FORMER PASTOR

The young preacher and the older preacher 

I am sure that growing old has its' benefits but I can't remember any of them just now.  As a matter of fact, I am finding it increasingly difficult to remember much of anything these days.  I never was very good with names but now....forget it!  That's why I think it borders on the definition of torture not to provide name tags at reunions!

It was a great idea hatched  by a layman to reunite people who attended the First Church of the Nazarene in Westland, Michigan.  People from the 1970s and 1980s were invited and over 60 managed to find their way to the occasion.   They visited, ate fried chicken and all the sides, looked at old pictures, talked about the way it used to be, laughed, cried, and worshiped together.

The meeting was held in the building that used to house the Westland congregation.  And I have to admit that it was good to see folks I hadn't seen in decades.  Problem was....I couldn't remember their names and there were no name tags.  Thus, began the uncomfortable repeating of the words no one likes to here; "I don't remember your name!"

The building is now owned by another denominational group but there were a couple of reminders of the past that brought back memories.   A few Nazarene Hymnals could be found on the platform and the giant pastor's chair ("The Throne") sat discarded in an empty Sunday School room.  Most of the reminders, however, came from the testimonies shared during our worship time together.

Middle aged men told of how they could remember particular sermons I preached way back then ("Better To Be Swallowed By A Whale Then To Be Nibbled To Death By Minnows"). One talked about getting kicked out of school on a Friday for "language" issues, my preaching on Sunday about controlling the tongue, and his hitting the altar (He is now a key layman at Indianapolis First Nazarene.  Many kind words were shared although I believe some were mistakenly credited to me that should have gone to another pastor.  Hey, I'll take what I can get.

Overall it was a good day.  It reminded me that ministry has been good to me and that sometimes I have been good for ministry.  It reminded me that while the past is great, the present is where we live, and the future is where we are headed.  We look back for foundation and strength, we run the race daily, and we look toward a future where THE BEST IS YET TO COME.

Now if I could just remember where I.................  I can't even remember what I can't remember.  Can't wait for that great Heavenly reunion where name tags won't be necessary.  See ya there and I'll call ya by name (I hope)

   

A MONUMENT TO COMPROMISE OR INDECISION?

Morenci, Michigan Church of the Nazarene

If you looked at the promotional material for the Morenci, Michigan Church of the Nazarene you will notice its' location listed as "on the corner of Summit and Baldwin Streets".  If you were to drive to that location you would find the original building built in the middle 1950s to be pointed perfectly at the intersection of those two streets.  Being one who is always curious about why things are the way they are, I asked why?  Was it an attempt at doing something creative?  Was it something to do with building codes?  Why not have the building face either Baldwin Street or Summit Street?

I found the answer to my question most intriguing as it raised more questions in my mind than it answered.  Here's the answer!  The church, founded in 1926, had a church board that couldn't decide.  Some wanted the new facility to face Summit Street and some wanted it to face Baldwin Street.  Neither group would give in to the other until finally, in order to get the project moving, someone suggested they just compromise and point it right at the corner!  (to this day some mail comes to Summit Street and some to Baldwin Street).

Song Evangelist, Mark Murphy

Man, I wish I could have been there for those board meetings.  I wonder how contentious they might have been, how vocal the two sides were, what the pastor's role was?  But as of this date, 60 years later, no one with such information can be found and the records of those meetings seem to have disappeared.  So as I
pen these words, I am left to question whether the structure that faces the corner is a monument to compromise or a moment to indecision? (Perhaps you can help me out with your thoughts in the comment area provided)

Pastor Dennis Owens

Compromise is not always a bad thing.  Perhaps the motion to point the thing to the middle was a wonderful, fully accepted solution to a debilitating issue.  Perhaps it was exactly the right thing to do, for the sake of the church.  No one was declared a "winner" and no one a "loser'.  Everyone went away pleased and no one left the church.

But maybe it's a monument to the inability to decide....to make a decision and run with it.  It may have really pleased no one but they were able to say; "Well, at least we got it built."  It may have been a lingering sore spot for years every time either the "Baldwiners" or the "Summiters" drove up to the church.  Maybe one group parked on Baldwin Street and the other on Summit.  Maybe no one was happy and several left the church.

But once again, here's what I know for sure....no one remembers!  Those "monumental" decisions we make are soon forgotten and rolled into a corner of the tapestry that becomes His church.  The battles we thought so critical have vanished into time.  Hopefully we can always remember that there are so many more important things to invest our energy in other than which street the church faces.

 Today, the new buildings, built in the mid 1980's stretch along Summit Street and the worshipers gather to worship their Savior in harmony and unity.  They are strong and dedicated laypeople who love their church and the pastor.  They know how to pray.  They reach out to the lost.  They support one another.  They are the church; His church!

The real address of His church in Morenci (pop. 2,200) is found on many different street corners and country roads.  It is housed in those who love and serve Him and it is alive and well.

 

HIS CHURCH COMES IN ALL SHAPES AND SIZES

It's a small church in a town that is basically just a cross road in the hills of southern Indiana. The residents are, for the most part, hard working, salt of the earth folks who love their home and are committed to their church.  And a great church it is!  Not that it's large in numbers or raises tons of money but a great church none the less.  They serve, they worship, they pray, they trust, they support, they love, they reach out and they willingly do whatever they can to help their church thrive.

The fact of the matter is that the vast majority of Nazarene churches have less than 100 gathering in worship on any given Sunday.  They don't have paid staff.  They don't have a bunch of programs and ministries because they don 't have the man power to run them.  They struggle to make ends meet.  They struggle to pay a pastor a living wage.  Yet so many that I have observed these past three years don't only survive, they thrive. 

The young and the "not so young"

The Freedom, Indiana Church of the Nazarene is one such church.  Working together, in the last 5 or 6 years, they have built a beautiful Worship Center, they have purchased additional property and remodeled an existing building into a Youth Center.  They are a church that is reaching all ages and have a solid, dedicated group of young marrieds who are infusing new life into the church.  They have children.  They have teens.  They have Senior Adults.  Not allot of any age group but a great balance. 

Pastor Rick Wetnight

They have a pastor who gives of himself to help this group of Christ-followers discover their gifts,  and grow in their faith.  He drives an hour from his home in another town to love and lead this congregation.  He works two other jobs to pay his bills.  He is gifted and loved.

These are the churches and men who make our "movement" what it is.  Let us never belittle or ignore them but let us always thank the Lord for these outposts in His Kingdom and these faithful soldiers of the cross. 

     

THE SKY'S THE LIMIT

Birthplace of Virgil (Gus) Grissom

As I drove down Grissom Street in Mitchell, Indiana headed to the local Church of the Nazarene I noticed the large sign in the front yard of a plain white house.  It indicated that it was here that Astronaut Virgil "Gus" Grissom was born.  What a coincidence that it happened to be on Grissom Street.  Hard to believe but true.
  

Matt Moore, Pastor

The young pastor and wife greeted me with big smiles and warm handshakes.  They expressed their excitement for the Revival to start.  They had arrived at the Mitchell, Indiana Church of the Nazarene less than a year ago and had been welcomed with open arms by a congregation anxious to continue the task that the Lord had set before them.  And now Revival was starting and there was an expectant feeling in the air.

The church sanctuary began to fill with a variety of good folks who had come to allow the Lord to speak to their hearts.  They were responsive and open.  They were attentive and expectant.  There were children and teens, senior and young adults, saints and sinners.    

Once more God opened the way for a great time of growth and confession.  Once more I felt honored to be a part of His plan.  Once more I was amazed with how God directs and how to works in the hearts of man.

Mark Vice, Music Evangelist

Revival time need not be some kind of "throw back" event in the life of the church so we can feel nostalgic about our church history.  It need not be a time for the "old saints" to gather together and be reminded about how it was.  Revival must be a time of new breath blowing into the life of the church.  Revival must be forward looking.  Revival must be for both the young and the old.  Revival must be for everyone.  Revival must be current and relevant.  Revival must be fresh and alive.  Believers need revived.  Churches need revived. 

Just as young Virgil, America's 2nd man in space, came from humble beginnings to realize that the sky was the limit, so must this church understand that with God all things are possible.  Working together with renewed energy these good people and committed parsonage family can break the bonds that might hold them back and explore new horizons for Christ.  For them..."the sky's the limit".  The count down has begun.....3, 2, 1,...and we have lift off.

INDOOR CAMP MEETINGS: WORKING TOGETHER TO BUILD HIS KINGDOM

Ministry Team (L to R): Tony Gore, Duane Brown, Bill Watts, Al Dicer, Janet Raeburn, Steve Raeburn)

Indoor camp Meeting

The evangelists came from Florida and Northern Indiana, the song evangelist came from Tennessee, and the children's workers came from Michigan.  They all met in Bedford, Indiana for an Indoor Camp Meeting hosted by the First Church of the Nazarene.  Area churches joined together to seek renewal and inspiration. They shared prayers and resources.

Our morning and evening services were filled with His presence as we worshiped, prayed, and learned together.  The Valley Mission Church of the Nazarene choir and Tony Gore, from Tennessee provided fantastic times of praise and music.  My co-worker, Rev. Billy Watts, preached the truth from the git-go and Steve and Janet Raeburn (Big Blast Ministries) led boys and girls to Jesus.  What a week!

Big Blast Ministries

An extra blessing, for me, was that host pastor, Duane Brown, and the Rayburns were lay people in a church I pastored in Michigan.  It was there they were called to ministry.  As I begin to wind down my preaching ministry, it is encouraging to know that these lives I touched but for a moment will continue to make a difference in the Kingdom.  Whose lives have you touched?  There are people all around us who have lost hope and need to know that hope is a person and that his name is Jesus.

These are the times that I feel extremely blessed and humbled.  God has been so good to my family down throughout the years and I remain excited to see what is yet to come.  Meanwhile, let's work together as long as the Lord gives us breath.  We are on this journey together and working together we can and must make a difference!

Valley Mission Choir and Curt Byrd

THE NOISIER THE BETTER

Mackey Nazarene Church: "A church with a future"!

After the service she came to me and said how sorry she was for all the noise during the service.  "We must be the noisiest church you've ever been in."  She wasn't talking about the folks shouting and running the aisles.  She was talking about the noises that came from the many infants and children who were in the service.

There are some noises during services that do bother me.  Noises like people snoring, like cell phones ringing, like the alarm on some one's watch going off right at 12 noon, like people whispering during the message, or the sound of people leaving the sanctuary during the altar service.  However, the noise that comes from a church filled with children doesn't bother me at all.

I am old school enough to remember the days before children's church and the segregation of the ages into their own special place and experience.  As a matter of fact, I really like it when the family worships together.    
First of all, everyone should remember that kids are kids and not just small adults.  They will squirm and wiggle, giggle and cry.  They will crawl under the pews and, as was the case this past week, mimic the preacher and repeat in a loud voice what the preacher just said!  They are children.  They are children who are being molded into adults.  They are children who are learning what it means to worship.  They are children who are watching their parents respond to God's Word.  They are special.

"Let's have a Revival" 

The Mackey, Indiana Church of the Nazarene is a "noisy" church.  They are blessed with a number of young families who love the Lord and don't let the fact that they have small children keep them home from revival.  In a community that's population is 200 and where the "Winky Dink's Corner Store" is the only business in town, they run well over 225 in attendance are are growing almost weekly.  They also have a strong youth group and a caring youth pastor.  They are poised for great Kingdom building days.

Karen and Lisa

They are also "noisy" about their faith in Christ and their salvation stories.  I heard from a young man about how he was doing nothing but drinking himself to death before the Lord stepped in through the church and changed his life.  I heard from two sisters how exactly 12 years ago on April 7 the younger one led her older sister to the Lord and how the very next day the new Christ follower met her husband to be.  All these young adults are now praising God together in this "noisy" church.

Let the noise continue!