Touching Base! Part 58

Letters To The Next Generation

Starting this week we begin a series of messages entitled “Letters To The Next Generation.” The series is based on the book of Deuteronomy, where Moses is reminding the next generation of the laws of God and challenging them to “write a better story” than the first generation.

While God did many great things through that first generation (namely the big exodus from Egypt), they were predominantly remembered for wandering in the wilderness (The Plains of Moab) for four decades. Imagine that, for forty years, they wandered and (probably many) wondered about all that went wrong. God called them to possess the promised land but instead they ended up falling short and wandering in the wilderness, the Plains of Moab, for forty years. I want to encourage you to use this Touching Base in your small groups, and in your mentoring relationships to discuss what we talked about on Sunday. The following is a guide to help you go deeper based on Sunday’s (Oct 18th) message.

Big Idea: Ruts in your walk with God, can become what defines you if your heart is not right with God.
Text: Deut 1:19-46

All of us have a generation that is following us, a “next generation”. If you could boil down a list of two to three most important things you would want to pass on to the next generation, what would those most important things be? What does your list indicate about your own journey, and lessons learned? What did the generation ahead of you pass down to you (the good, the bad and the ugly)?

In Deuteronomy 1, Moses is telling the story of the first generation so that the next generation will benefit from their own failures. So the next generation is being challenged to write a better story by avoiding some of the pitfalls of the first generation. Moses identifies three pitfalls in Deuteronomy 1:26-29 (rebellion - v.26, false beliefs - v.27, and fear - v.28,29).

• Rebellion
Make as many observations about rebellion that you can by reading the text. If you were present on Sunday, recall the grumbling, low tones and “in your tents” comments.

• False Beliefs
What is the lie they are believing? How is this the “perfect” lie to believe? How does it justify their rebellion and shift the focus? What “perfect” lies do people choose to believe to justify and shift the focus?

• Fear
How common do you believe fear is when it comes to identifying a root of rebellion? Is fear an emotion we would often associate with rebellion? How have you seen fear trigger rebellion in your own life? How have you seen false beliefs about God trigger fear?

Comment on these quotes:

“I think these three factors - rebellion, false beliefs and fear are feeding off of each other. Rebellion is feeding false beliefs. False beliefs are creating a platform for fear. Their fear feeds back into false beliefs and incites further rebellion. They have a parasitic, blood sucking relationship.”

“Fear doesn't want you to make the journey to the mountain. If he can rattle you enough, fear will persuade you to take your eyes off the peaks and settle for a dull existence in the flatlands.” Max Lucado, Christian Author

What are other powerful emotions identified with rebellion?

Wrap
On Sunday I defined the Plains of Moab (geography of the wandering Israelites) as a place we need to advance from, a place we have been too long.

Are you stuck in a rut in your walk with God because of rebellion, false beliefs or fear?
Know anybody close to your heart that is stuck?

Take time to pray about these issues. We can write a better story!

Mark

Touching Base! Part 57

Beauty in Death
(by Carmen Gauvin-O’Donnell)

Fall has always been my favourite season (followed by winter… yes, the more snow, the merrier, as far as I’m concerned. There. I’ve said it. Feel free to mumble to yourself about how Carmen is living proof that broken people really can lead productive lives.)

But first among seasons in my heart is autumn. I mean, what’s not to like? The colours… the cooler temperatures and crisp morning air… a fire in the wood stove… the sound (and distinctive smell) of dead leaves crunching under my feet as I walk in the woods, the sight of birds and squirrels and chipmunks, considerably fatter than in the spring, scurrying about busily in final preparation for the winter to come.

Not to mention a harvest of turkey and stuffing and fresh apple pie… yum!.. and an extra hour of sleep on November 1st … but I digress! :)

What I love most though, are the colours of the world around me, that rich palette of reds and yellows and golds and browns. If you’ve ever taken a drive in one of our provincial parks at this time of year, you know exactly what I mean.

And do you know what is most incredible about this beauty? It’s all dying! It’s in the throes of death, but God in His creative genius ordained that it would happen in such a way that we would be awed with its beauty, even as it dies.

I started thinking about that one day and suddenly realized that here was an image and lesson for all of us: in order for nature to live next spring, it must die this fall and shed the old in order to put on the new. And in the same way, we must die to self so Christ can put “the new man” (or woman) on each of us.

So that’s the question I ask myself, and all of you, this week: have we been crucified with Christ? Because if so, Christ calls us to die to self on a daily basis for His sake.

And there’s a point behind it too: like all those trees and plants in nature, the beauty of one dying to Christ should leave the world awe-struck.

Matthew 5:16“Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

Carmen

Touching Base! Part 56

Cram, Cram, Cram

Ever been guilty of saying too much, eating too much, or squeezing too much into a short period of time? I, like you, am guilty of shoehorning way too much into too small a space or time period. Sometimes my eyes are bigger than my stomach, my ambition is greater than time permitted or my “to do” list is greater than the strength left in my mortal body at the end of the day!

As Bethel grows, one of the issues against which the leadership is trying to guard is being guilty of shoehorning way too much into the church calendar. We realize that Bethel’s primary task is not to make people insanely busy, but rather for them to be radically transformed by the God of the universe who calls us out and into His transforming light.

One area where can be guilty of “cramming”, is our morning services. We believe that the essential elements of the morning services are worship, teaching, story (people sharing about what God is doing in their lives) and prayer. We want to make sure that we never compromise on those priorities as we believe that Sunday morning services can play a key role in helping people grow in intimacy with God.

As a result, we are going to start making a greater effort to limit (and at times, eliminate) announcements so that we can focus on the above priorities. We have found over recent weeks, months and years (even when Adam and Eve walked the face of the earth) that announcements can run wild, take up precious time and even make people look like deer caught in the headlights. So if you are a ministry leader or wanting to communicate important matters to the church let me encourage you to take advantage of the eight ways to communicate at Bethel:

- Website - Make sure your ministry information is always updated on our web page (once the new pages are up and running)
- Bulletin - Each week we hand out about 480 bulletins. Make sure you read it to stay informed and that you keep your ministry events posted as necessary.
- PowerPoint slide – Each week we will have one power point slide up featuring key announcements. The staff will decide each week what needs to be on the PowerPoint.
- Coffee and Conversation - Each week dozens of people sip the ancient brew in our gym between services. Feel free to set up a ministry booth highlighting your up and coming event. Contact Tara at the office for more information.
- Word of mouth - If you lead a ministry make sure your leaders are promoting your up and coming event.
- E-mail - One push of the button can be like magic.
- Facebook - Fred our youth director uses this for promoting events.
- Ministry Feature - There will be times where we can invite a ministry worker to the front and tell their story of what is going on in their ministry. This can be a great platform for promoting what is happening. This Sunday (Oct 4) Sandy will be doing this with the Bethel Houses.

If you would like to interact on this Touching Base feel free to contact Rhonda Kotchapaw (rhondakotch@gmail.com) Kathryn Vilela (kathryn.vilela@gmail.com) or myself (markkotchapaw@gmail.com). We are the team that looks at Sunday morning service design.

Mark

Touching Base! Part 55

Faith’s Silent Partner

Over the last two weeks we have been diving into the issue of doubt and faith. All who are on the journey of faith have encountered seasons of doubt. As one person said, it’s not the opposite of faith but a cousin of faith. Pride is the opposite of faith. This week’s TB is designed to help you discuss this issue with others at the level you desire. I strongly encourage you to deal with the underlying issues of doubt, and understand how doubt can be a gift.

A. There are a number of responses we have at times to God’s truth. Below is listed some we talked about on Sunday. What would you add?

• There are things I don’t understand about God that leave me angry or grieved.
• There are things I don’t understand about God that leave me morally disturbed.
• There are things I don’t understand about God because they are so puzzling.
• There are things I don’t understand about God, but they flood me with gratitude because I couldn’t live without the reality of their truth accepted by faith.

B. Over the last two weeks, we have identified some of the underlying issues of doubt. Again, what might you add? Which ones deeply resonate with you?

• Disappointment with God
• Disappointment with other Christians (i.e. not all doubt results from the facts not lining up. Sometimes people hesitate to believe because Christians don’t “add up”.)
• A hostile environment (“It is estimated that up to 51% of Christian college freshmen will renounce their faith before they graduate from college.” )

C. We took some time to look at how doubt can be a great gift. Do you agree that doubt can be a great gift? How can doubt be toxic? It has been said that “doubt is a good servant but a poor master.” Discuss and add to the following ways doubt can serve us in strengthening our faith.

• Doubt can makes us dig and think more deeply about issues of faith.
• Doubt can help us ask the Who question.
• Doubt can move us deeper into community.
• Doubt helps us realize our hunger for God
• Doubt can prompt us to look inside ourselves.

D. Finally, next Sunday (Oct 4th) Dr. Craig Evans and Rachel Tulloch will be joining us. Dr. Evans will be speaking in the morning on Biblical origins and at night (5:30pm) both Craig and Rachel will be speaking and fielding questions from the audience. What are the questions you would like to ask? Come to next Sunday night’s session prepared to ask questions

Mark

Touching Base! Part 54

Upon Request...

Some have been asking for a list of the names of God we studied over the summer months so here is a quick review.

I want to encourage you to use the names of God as you pray. These names remind us of His character and how we are to respond to Him. One thing I do in my prayer life is speak out a name and then pray in a way that reflects the will of God reflected in the name. For example one day as I was standing in front of the Church looking down Johnson Street I prayed “Today Lord I acknowledge You as Yahweh Sabaoth - the Lord God Almighty. Do a mighty work in and through Bethel that will touch the surrounding community. As Yahweh Sabaoth, come up against any powers that resist greater expressions of your Kingdom work here in downtown Kingston.”

Take the names of God and expand your vocabulary in prayer and worship. Take the names of God and be reminded that the name of the Lord is a strong tower! (Proverbs 18:10)

Abba Father. A name that not only speaks of intimacy, but of obedience and acknowledgment of authority and roles. Read Mark 14:32-36. Jesus used this name when his obedience was being challenged. He uses this name to express His contrition to the will of the Father.

Cornerstone. This is a name of God (Jesus the incarnate Son of God) that reminds us of His authority but also His ability to overcome public polls, waves of resistance and words of put down. Read 1 Peter 2:4-8 and Mark 12:1-12. As we face resistance we know that we have a High Priest who has walked in our shoes.

Yahweh Sabaoth. This is the name David used when coming against Goliath.
Read 1 Sam 17:45-47. It is a name that means all created agencies and forces are under the leadership or dominion of Yahweh, who made and maintains them.

Yahweh Maccaddeshcem. Read Lev 22:32-33. Can you spot the name of God? He is the Lord who makes you holy. The Lord who sanctifies, and sets you apart for a special purpose. God desires to work in you, and through you to shape you and transform you.

Yahweh Rapha. This name originates in Ex 15:22. It means, the Lord our Healer. As we search the Scriptures we understand that the greatest disease He heals is sin. However, he also heals us emotionally, physically, and mentally. There is great mystery in this name but thank God He is the Lord our Healer.

Jehovah Jireh. In Genesis 22 we read of Jehovah Jireh. You can be guaranteed that from this moment on Abraham never forgot Jehovah Jireh his provider.

Yahweh Nissi. This name means the Lord Our Banner and it originates in Ex 17:15. Our lives unfold before the banner of God in which His truth inspires us and directs us as we engage in daily activities. As you read God’s Word what truths, does God want you to see on the banner?

Yahweh Rohi. In Psalm 23 David refers to the Lord as his Shepherd. Yahweh Rohi refers to the shepherd like qualities of God. David points some of them out in this Psalm. David is well acquainted with shepherds seeing he was one before becoming King.

Mark

Touching Base! Part 53

Saying it Again and Again

Ok you have heard me say it before and I am going to say it again- “We all must take responsibility for building community at Bethel.” It doesn’t happen......

• As a result of the elders planning it
• Because we preach sermons about it
• When people tell stories illustrating the value of it
• As a result of articles being written about it
• When we hang banners announcing it

It happens when you and I realize that regardless of our gift mix, personality type, or years at Bethel, we can and must contribute to Bethel being a place where people find a home, go beyond the crowd and engage in deeper community life together. This is an attitude we must live out, a value we must embrace, and a responsibility we must take seriously. It must be something we are conscious of, that we own and desire to see in every context at Bethel. It requires great commitment because community takes time, trust, knowledge, and repeated actions of engagement with people. Persistence can eventually break through the many cultural and personal barriers people put up that resist community.

So let me suggest some ways you can champion community at Bethel:

• Be a networker. That means when you meet new people be aware of what ministries you should connect them with. Introduce them to the appropriate leaders. Also take time to introduce new people to others you know. Networking is for some a tremendous gift they have that can deeply enrich the church as we build community.
• Be a pew slider. Nothing worse than coming into a church on a Sunday morning, and not being able to find a place to sit. At Bethel this is a common problem. When regulars sit motionless in their pews, looking like they have been somehow glued to their pew, it can make it awkward for others looking for a place to sit. Slide over! This is a skill that can be mastered very easily. Just watch out for slivers.
• Be a team player. Many of us are involved in ministry at Bethel. The best, safest and smartest ministry takes place in the context of a team. Thus if you are on a team, be sure to be contributing to the community value on that team. Attempt to get to know some of your ministry partners in contexts outside of Sunday morning. As we have said in the past, pursue the story behind the face. One way you can do this is by coming to Together being held Sunday the 13th from 4-6 p.m.. This event is for all volunteers at Bethel.
• Be prayerful. This is God’s church and it is His desire more than it ever could be ours for the church to experience rich community together. With such diversity at Bethel it will take nothing but a miracle for community to be built.
• Be willing to cross over. If you are going to contribute to community at Bethel you must be willing to cross over. Move from the familiar to the unfamiliar. Shift from the same old crowd to embracing new people of a different generation and even persuasion. I am not saying bail on all your long time friendships but I am saying we must be willing to spend time with the new, and the different, helping them find where they can experience community at Bethel.

So...... let’s get at it! Growing in intimacy with others changes lives!

Mark

Touching Base! Part 52

Family Ministry Update
Fall 2009

Well fall is here, and with it we have some new and exciting changes in our children’s Sunday morning programming.

You may or may not have noticed that our new signs are up indicating where are preschool and elementary programs are taking place.

Our Nursery is for our little ones ages 0-2 years. It is in the same room as always. Simone Wylie is our Nursery Coordinator and continues to do a great job organizing the schedule, and we have some changes that we are planning to implement in the near future.

Waumba Land is the new name for our “Juniors for Jesus” program.
“Waumba” means Creator in Swahili.
So, Waumba Land, means the land of the Creator.

We want the children coming out of Waumba Land to understand that:
God made them,
God loves them and
Jesus wants to be their friend forever.

We have begun the transformation in this room but it is still not finished so you will have to bear with us as we complete it this fall.

This Sunday morning environment is for our JK/SK kids (4 and 5 year olds). Please note the change in ages…..the Juniors for Jesus program was geared to our 3 and 4 year olds…Waumba Land is geared to our 4 and 5 year olds. Children in SK this year will continue stay in the Waumba Land room.

So if you are following along…you are probably wondering well what about the 3 year olds?

Age 3 is a “flex” year: those kids who are ready for a structured program can join the Waumba Land program, and those who aren’t ready for a structured program and would rather play can stay in the Nursery.

The vision is to be able to offer a separate program for our 2 and 3 year olds. Numbers and the availability of new volunteers will dictate how soon we begin to implement this vision.

I’m really excited about the teaching team we have in place for our Waumba Land program. They are a group of competent women and 1 man who are really interested in teaching our preschoolers about God. Please encourage them and pray for them.

And of course we want to be intentional about empowering parents because we believe that what happens at home is more important than what happens at church so every month we will be emailing our parents a resource that will help you to reinforce and continue teaching throughout the week what we will be teaching on Sundays.

Next up, UPSTREET!
Upstreet is the new name for our Sunday morning environment for our elementary aged children in grades 1-6. When you come to the UpStreet area, you enter a “city street”, creating the feel of a neighborhood where children learn biblical truths in an engaging, age-appropriate way, and build quality friendships with other kids and adult leaders.

Upstreet is built around three primary biblical virtues:
• Wisdom
• Faith
• friendship.

We are also making the grade 6 year a “flex” year. If your child is in grade 6 this year, they have the option of participating in our program or they are also free to join Doug and Maureen Brown’s Sunday school class.

We have been busy redecorating our downstairs to have a ‘street-like’ feel.
And have also been trying to build and strengthen the structure of what the previous interim children’s ministry director Pam Briand has put into place.
We are continuing to use the same curriculum but are hoping to be more strategic and intentional with it. So we have divided up the responsibilities for this ministry into Large Group and Small Group. We are looking for volunteers in both of these areas.

Caroline Cuthbert and me are the current Large Group coordinators and Candice Laframboise is the Small Group coordinator. We are looking for volunteers for both of these areas.

Our Large Group teaching time is looking for volunteers who like to teach in a large group setting. They enjoy doing drama, being upfront and don’t mind memorizing moderate amounts of lines. It requires varying amounts of commitment.

Our Small Group time is looking for volunteers who have a heart for mentoring a small group of children. In order to deepen the level of intimacy and ministry, we are trying to set up 2 leaders per 6-8 children which requires a commitment of every other week.

We realize that this is a big commitment but let me explain why we think this is crucial: as children move more towards independence in their elementary and high school years, it is very important that there be other voices speaking into their lives that are saying the same thing that their parents are saying. In order for that to happen, there needs to be relationships and building those relationships take time.

We live in a culture that is fighting for the hearts of children…we need to fight back and I believe that strengthening our small group ministry in the elementary ages is a powerful way to do that.

If you would like to make an eternal difference in the lives of a handful of children please talk to Candice Laframboise. We are still looking for small group leaders.

This is a wonderful ministry for our teens and university students. We are praying that our September 13th ministry fair will inspire this age group to get involved. We do need more mature leaders as well because our students are only here for part of the year.

Of course, like the Waumba Land ministry, we want to be intentional about empowering parents because we believe that what happens at home is more important than what happens at church, so every week we will be emailing our parents a resource that will help you to reinforce and continue teaching through the week what we are teaching on Sunday. If you would like to take advantage of this resource, make sure we have your email address.

If you have any questions about our Upstreet programs, or would like to volunteer in our Large Group or Small Group areas, please talk to myself, Caroline Cuthbert, or Candice Laframboise.

If you are interested in volunteering in the Nursery, speak with Simone Wylie.

If the emerging vision of having a program for our 2-3 year olds in Waumba Land interests you, please contact me.

I’m really excited about the teams we have so far for our Sunday morning children’s programs. We have some excellent leaders at Bethel with some great organizational skills and a real heart for God. Please encourage them and pray for them.

Finally, I would like to say thank you to those who have already given countless hours of painting, redecorating, and volunteering in leadership roles. Without them, I just wouldn’t be able to tell you about these exciting changes.

As we head into this year, I really covet your prayers for all these new initiatives. I believe there are some exciting days ahead, but I also know that we are in a battle. The enemy wants the hearts of our children and is looking for ways to destroy families. This kind of spiritual war can only be fought with the powerful prayers of God’s people.

Because children and families matter,
Jamie Stinson
Family Ministries Director
Bethel Church
rstinson2@cogeco.ca
613.583.7491