Meet the New Miami Valley District Superintendent

Some of our staff attended one of several "Meet the New Miami Valley District Superintendent" meetings today held at Normandy UMC in Centerville. Rev. Chris Heckaman (middle of photo) who is presently appointed as Senior Pastor of Sidney First UMC will begin his new position on July 1.

Chris shared his vision for the Miami Valley District by pointing to the history and spirit of our own greater Dayton area and specifically to people like the Wright brothers and Paul Lawrence Dunbar who were able to reach beyond what people saw as impossibilities to accomplish great things.

Reminding us of God's very first word recorded in the Bible, "let" as in "let there be light," Chris wants the people of the Miami Valley District to be a people who "let" God bring transformation to our communities and world through us.

We welcome Chris and his wife, Lisa, also pictured above, and will keep them in our prayers as they make this transition. We also keep our present District Superintendent, Duane Anders, and his family in prayer as Duane transitions back to full time status at Stillwater UMC in Dayton.

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Our Miami Valley District is one of eight districts in the West Ohio Conference and consists of approximately 160 churches which includes Faith Community.

March 29 Sermon - "Isn't God Wonderful?"

Sermon by Pastor Robert McDowell

Sunday Worship Preview - April 5

Sunday, April 5 - (8:30 A.M. & 11:00 A.M. Traditional & 9:45 A.M. Contemporary)

Sermon - "Innocence"

Features - Passion/Palm Sunday & Holy Communion

Scriptures - Mark 11:1-11; Isaiah 50:4-9a; Philippians 2:5-11; & Mark 15:1-39

Theme - The story of Jesus' crucifixion is a story of an innocent man put to death on a cross. As we reflect on this tragic event in the life of Jesus, we are invited to receive God's gift of love to us which was paid at a great price, the price of God's only Son.

A Night of Being "Pie"ous

Tonight, the youth held their annual "pie in the face" night to raise money for missions. The youth will be going on mission trips this summer and the money will go toward these trips.

And yes, I also got a pie in the face. I still feel a little sticky.

Enjoy the brief video of two of our adult youth volunteers getting their dessert, so to speak.

Old Navy United Methodist Church

This is the first thing I saw when I entered the doors of a local Old Navy store this afternoon. As you walk into the story, there are several smiling fake people of different ages and skin color wearing new clothes (see picture above.) It struck me as funny because they each had identical facial expressions - all smiles.

We all know that this isn't how life works. We don't all experience life in the same way. Some of us might be smiling when we go to church because we are in a celebratory mode because of a special sense of God's presence and love in our lives.

But we also might enter church with heavy hearts; the loss of a loved one, an upcoming surgery, a friend who has let us down, the loss of a job, etc. To put a big smile on our face when going through such times, just to have the right "church look," isn't what God expects of us. God just wants us to come to church the way we are...happy, sad, troubled, elated, worried, expectant.

When people enter a church building, they may see all kinds of expressions, not just smiles. But that's OK. People don't have to all have the same look. The beautiful thing about the church is that the invitation to gather for worship is open to all people and one doesn't need to bring a certain look to be welcomed and accepted.

"Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." - Matthew 11:28-30
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Holy Week Reflections - Thursday of Holy Week

For the season of Lent, my Thursday morning bible study has been focusing on the book, "Christians at the Cross," by New Testament bible scholar, Tom Wright. Yesterday, they looked at Maundy Thursday of Holy Week. The scripture texts for Maundy Thursday are Exodus 12:1-14 (the Exodus/Passover story) & John 13:1-17, 31b-35 (Jesus' Passover Meal.)

Here are the highlights regarding Maundy Thursday as it relates to Tom Wright's book:

• Remember, if we compare the reading of scripture to harmony parts, the Old Testament would be the bass part because it tells the story of God's desire to rescue the world from sin and death. Like the bass part of a song, this story undergirds the whole biblical narrative and Jesus' life and ministry should be seen within this context.
• Jesus used a meal (the annual Jewish Passover Meal) to help interpret how his death would bring fulfillment of the bass part of the Old Testament (God's desire to rescue the world.) Passover/Red Sea/Deliverance are intimately woven throughout the Passover meal.
• Every time we receive the Sacrament of Holy Communion, we are announcing to the world that the principalities and powers that keep people enslaved have been defeated by Jesus because of his death on the cross.
• "Maundy" is a Latin word which means "commandment" and it reminds us that at the Last Supper, Jesus commanded his disciples (and us!) to love one another. We are to extend God's love to the people of our community and world so that they will know the good news that through Jesus, we have been rescued from sin and death.
• As we offer God's healing love to others, the pain and hurt might not happen overnight, but steadily and most assuredly, the healing will come.

180 Wrap-Up

Well, we just got done with the 180 Turn Around seminar held at Redeemer UMC in DeWitt, Michigan. Our group came the farthest so we got gifts - candy and a youth book!

The basic message of the seminar was that although church growth is not easy and can often be a slow process, it's well worth it! The key is to put our energy, focus, and resources into reaching the unchurched in our community through word and deed. Everything the church does needs to be filtered through the mission of the church which is to make disciples for the transformation of the world.

Here are some key nuggets to help make this happen:

• Decrease the number of meetings to free up church members to be involved in hands on ministry and mission work.
• To reach new generations, the church needs to change and adapt methodologies in order to speak their language.
• Signs of growth and vitality will not happen quickly. Lay a foundation for the church to grow and don't give up! Redeemer UMC is an example of this point.
• Program Staff should not do the ministry, but instead recruit, equip, and empower laity to use their gifts to be in ministry and reach the community.
• This wasn't mentioned in the seminar, but the church is set up and decorated in such a way that a guest can easily find information and feel welcomed. It was easy for us to see that a ton of intentionality was put into the lay-out of the church. Their information center is a case in point. (see picture above.)

The brief video includes thoughts from our Youth Director and our Worship Chairperson on what they learned from the seminar.