From the Pastor

     Now that Christmas is over and everything is put away, we can put our feet up and enjoy the quiet time for the next few months. Well, maybe for some!. I like to take this time of year to do something called, “Reflect and Ponder.” The last year has been a blessing. We had a great Confirmation class, three baptisms, new people in the churches, a musical group called “Simply His performed for us, North Central Youth Camp at Jewell, news of a new baby, a great VBS, Montrose’s second family night, and a wonderful Advent Season. We do have many things to be thankful for in our personal lives and the lives of our churches.

     As I ponder the possibilities for next year I wonder what God has in store for us? I am sure there will be many challenges as our churches grow in age. I am sure our communities will continue to shrink (although I do believe we are reaching a plateau on that). I don’t have a crystal ball to tell the future but I do have faith that God still has a purpose for our churches.

     There are plenty of people in Jewell County who don’t go to church. According to the data I looked at last year slightly more than half of the population of Jewell County goes to a church on a regular basis. That means there is plenty of potential to reach people in the name of Jesus Christ.

     Will that be easy? The answer is no! The days of simply inviting someone to church are over. They do need to be invited but in a different way. The word here is “Deep” That may sound strange so I will explain.

          In the Gospel of Luke it tells us about Peter’s encounter with Jesus. Peter lets Jesus barrow his boat for a time but when Jesus tries to give fishing advice Peter doesn’t take it so well. “Once while Jesus was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret, and the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, 2 he saw two boats there at the shore of the lake; the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. 3 He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. 4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch." 5 Simon answered, "Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets." 6 When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break.” (Luke 5:1-6) We could be accused of letting Jesus borrow our boat for a while. But when Jesus calls us to the deeper waters we wish he would just preach and stay out of the fishing business.

     When I used the term “Deep” that means we have to get out of our comfort zones and reach out to new people in ways that aren’t so familiar. We encounter people in communities, schools, gas stations, grocery stores, restaurants, etc. If we don’t know them well we need to get to know them. If we do know them then we should get to know them better. What is their life like? What are their hopes and dreams? Do they know Christ? Eventually you will invite them to church. Some will accept and some won’t.

     I like to share the story that in Topeka God called me to carry an extra Bible in my truck to give away. I did give enough away that occasionally I had trouble coming up with the money to buy the next one! What a problem to have! I encountered all kinds of people, I listened to their stories, I showed them I cared about their lives, I took the time to know them! I even invited some to pray with me, I shared my faith with them and invited some to church. This also requires our own faith to be “Deep.”

     The next part is “Deep” expectations. When we invite people we need to expect that they are going to grow and develop a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. We also should have the deep expectation that when people do join our church they will be an active part of the church.

       Deep commitment is next. Dying churches only have a few people involved or a few in charge while everyone else does what they want. Deep commitment means that every member is involved in the life of the church in some way. Sunday School, attending worship, personal stewardship, and areas of service.

     “ Deep” service means that our churches need to have areas for people to serve. Not just a meeting or a fund-raising event. Areas of service that help folks to feel that they are making a difference in the word and for the Kingdom of God.

     Our Sunday experiences need to be deep as well. When I came here I said I didn’t feel that we need to reinvent the wheel in worship. I think worship needs to evolve, it needs to connect with the people we have and the people we hope to reach but it needs to be “Deep.” That means it has to be done thoughtfully. Why do we worship this way or that? Why do we do Communion this way or that? Can we change something in the worship to make it more meaningful? Are we engaged in the worship or just waiting for lunch time? “Deep” worship means it is meaningful, connected, it expresses our theology, and helps people feel like they have encountered God.

     Deep Sunday School means going beyond the surface, looking for material that engages the disciple, a Sunday School environment that shows we care about each other and encourages personal and spiritual growth.

     My vision for the coming year that we become “Deep” Churches and Christians. In order for that to happen we have to go beyond letting Jesus borrow our boat (Churches) and let him take us to the deeper waters so we can catch some fish.

In Christ, Pastor Jim Rice

From the Pastor's Desk

for January 2007