ITLOTC 8-29-14

ITLOTC

(In The Life Of The Church)

Ordinary Time

"Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing."

1 Thessalonians 5:11

Culture of Honor

Last week my Facebook page with filled with ALS Icebucket challenge videos.  This week, those have been replaced by pictures of McLane Stadium.  It's exciting isn't it?  I don't know if you feel this way, but to me it feels like a gem on Waco's crown.  It's not just a football stadium, it's a symbol of what Waco is becoming (thanks in large part to winning football games).  Now everyone traveling from Austin to Dallas and back again has to reckon with the fact that Waco is about more than David Koresh.  Waco is becoming a place to be.

All that to say I get why people post pictures of the stadium.  I had an interesting conversation about pictures this summer.  When I was about to snap a photo of a famous European landmark my friend asked me if I wanted her to take it.  Grateful for the offer, I told her no.  "Why do you want the picture then?" she asked.  Her point was that you can get a picture of anything off of the internet.  Probably a better one than the one you take.  The reason to get a picture, she explained, was to put yourself in the moment, otherwise it's just another picture.

I disagreed.  I took pictures from my vantage point to help me remember what I saw and how saw it.  Sure my iPhone 4 is a little old and I'm admittedly a poor photographer, but I take pictures to celebrate the experiences I had.

Last Friday a friend asked if I could go to lunch on Monday.  I replied, "Yes, please. Time and place?"  The reply, "1130 McLane Stadium."  Wait did I read that right?  That weekend I went out and bought a pair of khaki pants.  On Monday I joined a select group of people who had lunch in a fantasy part of the stadium that I'll most likely never get into again.  We were the trial group for lunch buffet.  It was thrilling.  After the lunch my friend took me and another guy all around the stadium.  I'm not sure how rare my experience was.  Maybe you've done the same thing, but to me if felt like a big deal.

(A shot of the presidents suite)

Later that day as I was flipping through my photos admiring the stadium I thought not about the stadium itself, but about my friend who invited me--that he had thought of me.  I don't have a ton to offer Baylor, especially fiscally, but this didn't discount him from inviting me.

----------------

Bill Shakespeare said that brevity is the soul of wit.  There are few things that I enjoy more than a thoughtful, humorous and subtly placed comment.  It's the stuff of America's best comedy.  It's Jim from The Office, Michael from Arrested Development & Chandler from Friends (just in case you're an older reader).  I also think it is from these grounds of wit that the sarcasm that characterizes so much of American discourse grows.  And while I also enjoy (and participate in) the entertaining value of sarcasm, I sometimes wonder if we are losing the ability to offer a well placed and meaningful exchange.  I'm talking about sincere encouragement.

I entitled this entry "culture of honor" because what I'm really after is about more than encouraging words.  I'm thinking of any action, encouragement, or sentiment that is about the edification or building up of a friend.  A saying, note, action or email that's sole purpose is to communicate to another human being, "hey, you matter and I'm glad to share this moment with you."

I looked up the definition of "honor" expecting the verbal tense to describe what I was meaning, but somehow those definitions seemed inadequate.  I felt honored by my friend.

Last week I preached from Romans 1:11-12 "for I long to see you that I may part some spiritual gift to you, that it may establish you ... that is that I may be mutually encouraged by the faith of both you and me," (my paraphrase).  I think Paul is calling us to do something with gift of language.  That he's calling us to be a part of a culture, that even if ever so subtly, is always aware that we are speaking to another who is created in the image of God (Gen 1:27) and fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14).   That reminds me of this quote I saw on twitter this week:

It takes work to keep that perspective--to live in a culture of honoring people.  But I think it's a worthwhile endeavor.  My prayer is that UBC would move this way in our discipleship.  That we would continue to be a people who are smart and intelligent in the we consume and critique culture, but also that we'd be a people who create our own in response.  I pray that we would speak meaningful and deep words full of wisdom and care.  I pray that we encourage one another and build each other up.

Meet Our Newest UBCers

Name: Charles Martin Davis

Birthday: August 7th 4:16am

Weight: 5lb 0oz

Height: 19in

Enneagram Number: 1

Name: Harrison Bradley Davis

Birthday: August 7th 4:22am

Weight: 6lb 0oz

Height: 18.5in

Enneagram Number: 7

 UBC Kids Ministry Update from Pastor Emily

This week is a busy one for UBCKids! First, we will have Kindergarten Commission this Sunday! This is a chance for us to celebrate this BIG moment in the lives of these kids when they begin their journey towards being Baylor alumni! (Because...they KNOW where they're going!) But it also gives us a church community a chance to pray for these kids and commit ourselves to taking this journey with them as their brothers and sisters in Christ! We also will be unveiling some of the WONDERFUL works of art our kids created this summer while we learned about our creative God and what it REALLY means to worship! Check out our Create! art gallery after church in the game room to see how our kids were inspired by God's Creation!

Here's what's coming this fall! Sunday School: For our smaller UBCKids (0-Kindergarten) we will have fun and fellowship in the Branch Room! We will have all of these guys playing and loving life together in the Branch Room while the adults talk about boring "adult" stuff! If you are one of the many who consider goodbyes a little tough, no need to fret! We will make sure that your little one ends up where they need to be for the service! Also, color sheets, good times and friends are provided, but it is BYO-Donut from the coffee room! For those UBCKids who are too sophisticated for color sheets (1st grade and up) we have a class to suit their big kid taste! As we all know, God is EVERYWHERE...even in Legos! This year, we will be learning about God one Lego at a time in our "Faith-Builders" class! Each week we will build together and learn about what Faith in God really means! Join us as we explore our creativity and bring Biblical lessons to life in a geometric way!

During the service: We have a perfect place for every UBCer...even the tiny ones! Our Nurture Room is a safe and loving place for babies 0-Walkers! Sprout is fun place of exploration for the horizontally mobile-upper 2's! The Bloom Room teaches the fundamentals with the ABC's Of God's Love to those UBCKids who are from 2- younger 4! In the Branch Room, the older 4's-Kindergarteners begin our "big kid" curriculum by following the lectionary with the adults! The Root Kids (1st grade-4th grade) get to worship during the music but will get their own version of the sermon in the "Red Room" (first room on the left)! For more information, see the UBCKids board or email Emily at emily@ubcwaco.org.

During the week: For our more mature UBCKids, we have the new weekday classes, Venture! These are, actually, two new classes during the week for 4th-8th graders! Our girls will be exploring what the Bible says about all things girl, while our boys are doing their guy thing! Each week, we will have fun with JUST girls or JUST boys as we learn a new skill (that is essential for being an awesome girl or boy!) and explore what the Bible says about it! Think, "The Dangerous Book For Boys and The Daring Book For Girls meets The Amazing Story Of God's Love!" For more info, please contact Emily at emily@ubcwaco.org!

We are beginning our search for new UBCKids Volunteers! We will be holding trainings on the 21st and 28th of September, so if you are interested in helping out, EMAIL ME! I'd love to get to know you and find a place for you to serve with our amazing kids!

Sunday's Music

Jameson McGregor will be leading the music on Sunday. Jamie is a Truett student and is a member of the leadership team here at Ubc. Here are a few other things we think you should know about him.

1. Jamie always wears black clothes. 2. Yes, he does use beard oil. 3. He and his wife Adair have two cats and one very cool dog named Duncan.

HR and Finance Teams

We are approaching that time of year when some of our faithful members of both the human resources and finance teams are due to rotate off. As such we are looking for capable and willing UBCers to step and replace those people.

We are looking for 1-2 new human resource team members and 1-2 new finance team members.

Interested persons in either serving or nominating another UBCer should email josh@ubcwaco.org

A description of each role and the qualifications for each have been copied form our bylaws and pasted below.

Human Resources

The Human Resources/Staff Support Team shall exist for the following purposes:

To establish procedures for the hiring of ministerial and non-ministerial staff, and to enact those procedures when advised by Leadership Team to do so. To advise Leadership and Finance teams on issues regarding long-term staff needs. To create and implement staff review procedures. To advise Leadership and Finance teams on matters regarding staff compensation, benefits, grievances and termination. To be a liaison between the congregation and staff during times of conflict after all attempts at personal, one-on-one resolution has been made. HR/Staff Support Team members shall have been an active participant in the life of UBC for no less than one year, have received a bachelor’s degree (or roughly an equivalent amount of experience in personnel management, ministry, or other related field,) and have a demonstrable understanding of organizational management.

Finance

Purpose. The Finance Team shall exist for the following purposes:

To serve as the primary advisory group for the Leadership Team in all budgetary and financial aspects of the church. To oversee, in coordination with the ministerial staff, yearly budgetary processes, working to create a financial ministry plan in alignment with the ethos, mission and values of UBC. To advise the staff and Leadership Team on any emergency financial matters that may arise with regards to the physical infrastructure of the church building, as well as those matters pertaining to compensation and benefits of personnel. To assess the current financial status of the church on a monthly basis and advise the staff and Leadership Team on matters concerning changes in planned ministry expenses. To advise the Human Resources/Staff Support team on all financial matters regarding new and existing personnel, including available resources concerning salaries, salary increases, insurance, taxes, etc. To advise the church body on all matters relating to stewardship, financial integrity, etc. Qualifications. Finance Team members shall have been an active participant in the life of UBC for at least a year, have received at least a bachelors degree level of education (or roughly an equivalent amount of experience in business or finance,) and have at least a basic understanding of financial reports and budgets.

Work is Worship: 8-31-14

Mug Cleaners: Chris & Hannah Kuhl

Coffee Makers: Hannah Boman & Byron Roldon

Greeters: Graham Dodd & Joy Weinmann

Announcements: 

Sermon Text: "1 Thessalonians 5:19-21"

Love Feast: UBCs first love feast is coming up on Sunday, September 7th!

Sunday School: Craig will be giving an introduction to Sunday School classes for the fall, this Sunday August 31st at 9:30 AM in the backside.  A small breakfast will be provided.  The following Sunday, September 7th, both adult and children sunday school classes will begin.

Emerging Parents: Our first emerging parents class will be this Wednesday, September 3rd at 5:30 PM.  If you have any questions or would like more information please email josh@ubcwaco.org

Leadership Team

If you have a concern or an idea for UBC that you’d like to share with someone that is not on staff, feel free to contact one of our leadership team members.

Chair: Teri Walter: terijan@gmail.com

Jana Parker jparkerslp@gmail.com

Kristin Dodson: kschwebke@prodigy.net

Kaley Eggers: kaley.eggers@gmail.com

David Wilhite: david_wilhite@baylor.edu

Jamie McGregor: jameson.mcgregor@gmail.com

Byron Roldan: Byron_Roldan@baylor.edu

UBC Finance Team

Do you have a question about UBC’s financial affairs? Please feel free to contact any of your finance team members.

Tom Haines: thomas_haines@baylor.edu

Paul Taft: ptaft@extracobanks.com

Josh McCormick: Josh.McCormick@dwyergroup.com

Chris Kim: chris_kim@alumni.baylor.edu

Tom McCarty: tomjmccarty@gmail.com

UBC HR Team

If you have concerns about staff and would like contact our human resources team, please feel free to email any of the following members.

Lacy McNamee: Lacy_McNamee@baylor.edu

Callie Schrank: Callie_Schrank@baylor.edu

Jeff Walter: jeff_walter@baylor.edu

Michael Heins: mheins@hot.rr.com

ITLOTC 8-22-14

ITLOTC

(In the Life of the Church)

(I would like to say a word of thanks to Craig for writing this blog with care and passion while I have been gone.)

Therefore, my brethren dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown

Philippians 4:1

My latest Netflix has splurge has been The Wonder Years.  I remember watching it as a kid, then again my senior year of high school when I'd come home from Lindsay's house in the evenings and now I'm watching it again.  Each time it seems to teach me something new, undoubtedly true because I've changed, not the show.  The Wonder Years most notable character is Fred Savage, but I think that the show is consistently stolen by a face we never see.  Daniel Stern is character you probably best know as Marv Merchants, one of two burglars who was twice warded off by the defensive prowess of Macaulay Culkin in the Home Alone films.  But Stern is also the narrator in The Wonder Years.  He is the voice inside Kevin Arnold's head.

One reason I find Stern's role so vital to the show is because he helps see the world of Kevin vividly.  When Stern speaks, we listen.  The pitch of his voice teaches us to tune in.  When he interrupts the dialogue we know to listen closely because there's usually some kind of life lesson about to unfold.

I don't think it was intentional but at some point in my own journey I let Stern's voice become my narrator as well. Like Kevin I would rehearse life's lessons in my head and often I heard Stern making sense of things for me.  It'd be his voice that sealed the most important truths in my mind.

One of those timeless truths I learned from my father.  He used to consistently tell me that "people are your treasures."  Whenever I would be tempted to lose sight of the fact that people were what mattered most, Stern's voice would interrupt my thought pattern and remind me that "people are your treasures."

This summer I was given an incredible gift by this community.  A chance to rest.  When you rest, great things can happen.  You have time to pay attention to yourself.  You begin see more clearly.  Anxiety begins to fall away. Wounds become exposed... it's a chance to get healthier.  You see your failures more clearly... you see your successes more clearly... you are given a chance to be more honest about yourself.  You get time to see what matters.  You are given a chance to hear Stern's voice remind you that "people are your treasures."

I got to do and see so many thing this summer.  I could probably write about those experiences for a year.  I went to  Montana, Yellowstone, Canada, Italy, Switzerland, France, England, Ireland and so many places in between.  I got to see old friends.  I got to remember, process, forgive, move on, recharge, rest and renew.

Interestingly before this summer I had only ever been out of United States once.  A fishing trip to Ontario before 9-11.  It barely felt like I left the country.  Because of this I think my expectations for the places I was going were very large ... maybe even bit unrealistic.

I want to tell you about a Stern moment I had on my Europe trip.  About half way through I was in London.  By this point I had seen the best Italy had to offer including St. Pete's, Vatican City, the splendor of Rome, vast portions of the country side, Lake Como, and the southern foothills of the Alps.  I had seen most of Switzerland with it's sleek cities and breathtaking glacial lakes fixed in the Alps.  I had seen about half of London including Parliament, Westminster Cathedral and Abbey, the Shard, and St. John's Cathedral.  Towards the end of my second day in London I made my way to Buckingham palace.  It was nice.  The guards were entertaining, but to be honest it just looked like another building.  I don't blame Buckingham Palace.  I was tired, hungry and beginning to miss my family acutely.

Buckingham Palace is nestled between two beautiful municipal parks.  My exhaustion was an excuse to make my way across the street to St. James Park Lake.  There I found an interesting piece of architecture that can best be described as a fountain of sorts.  It looked like a half diamond sticking out of the ground with a thin layer of water running across it.  A few tourists had taken of their sandals to rest their feet in the fountain.  I joined them.

I was there for about 20 minutes when I noticed a little girl who began to play in the water.  And in that moment something happened to my heart.  Perhaps it was because I was missing my two little girls thousands of miles across the Atlantic Ocean, but in that moment the truth of Genesis 1:27 was confirmed.  It was Stern who whispered it my head "in His image he created them."

I think it is a special grace when we further understand one of God's truths.  As I watched that little girl play I realized that she had done more for my heart than any building and landscape that I had seen in Europe.  People are your treasures.

Scholars guess that Paul wrote Philippians while sitting on the floor of Roman prison cell awaiting a verdict.  We hear it in his uncertainty in chapter 1.  "I don't know if it's better to be here with you or with Jesus."  Both real possibilities for Paul.  But it is from there that he affectionately calls his community "my joy and my crown."

I never had paid much attention to Paul's salutations, but as I was away from our community with time to reflect on all of you and be thankful for you, Paul's pining began to make more sense to me and take on new life.

The people of UBC are it's greatest treasures, and I am so excited to be back with you.  See you Sunday!

This Sunday 

As our veterans know this Sunday is the first Sunday back with Baylor students.  Please be generous and eager help those who may need it.

HR and Finance Teams

We are approaching that time of year when some of our faithful members of both the human resources and finance teams are due to rotate off.  As such we are looking for capable and willing UBCers to step and replace those people.

We are looking for 1-2 new human resource team members and 1-2 new finance team members.

Interested persons in either serving or nominating another UBCer should email josh@ubcwaco.org

A description of each role and the qualifications for each have been copied form our bylaws and pasted below.

Human Resources

The Human Resources/Staff Support Team shall exist for the following purposes:

1. To establish procedures for the hiring of ministerial and non-ministerial staff, and to enact those procedures when advised by Leadership Team to do so.
2. To advise Leadership and Finance teams on issues regarding long-term staff needs.
3. To create and implement staff review procedures.
4. To advise Leadership and Finance teams on matters regarding staff compensation, benefits, grievances and termination.
5. To be a liaison between the congregation and staff during times of conflict after all attempts at personal, one-on-one resolution has been made.

• HR/Staff Support Team members shall have been an active participant in the life of UBC for no less than one year, have received a bachelor’s degree (or roughly an equivalent amount of experience in personnel management, ministry, or other related field,) and have a demonstrable understanding of organizational management.

Finance 

Purpose. The Finance Team shall exist for the following purposes:

1. To serve as the primary advisory group for the Leadership Team in all budgetary and financial aspects of the church.
2. To oversee, in coordination with the ministerial staff, yearly budgetary processes, working to create a financial ministry plan in alignment with the ethos, mission and values of UBC.
3. To advise the staff and Leadership Team on any emergency financial matters that may arise with regards to the physical infrastructure of the church building, as well as those matters pertaining to compensation and benefits of personnel.
4. To assess the current financial status of the church on a monthly basis and advise the staff and Leadership Team on matters concerning changes in planned ministry expenses.
5. To advise the Human Resources/Staff Support team on all financial matters regarding new and existing personnel, including available resources concerning salaries, salary increases, insurance, taxes, etc.
6. To advise the church body on all matters relating to stewardship, financial integrity, etc.

• Qualifications.  Finance Team members shall have been an active participant in the life of UBC for at least a year, have received at least a bachelors degree level of education (or roughly an equivalent amount of experience in business or finance,) and have at least a basic understanding of financial reports and budgets.

Work is Worship 8-24-14

Mug Cleaners: Kayla Larvins & Michael Scott

Greeters: Paul & Linda Taft

Coffee Makers: Logan & Allyson Bayer

Leadership Team

If you have a concern or an idea for UBC that you’d like to share with someone that is not on staff, feel free to contact one of our leadership team members.

Chair: Jana Parker jparkerslp@gmail.com

Kristin Dodson: kschwebke@prodigy.net

Kaley Eggers: kaley.eggers@gmail.com

David Wilhite: david_wilhite@baylor.edu

Jamie McGregor: jameson.mcgregor@gmail.com

Byron Roldan: Byron_Roldan@baylor.edu

Teri Walter: terijan@gmail.com

UBC Finance Team

Do you have a question about UBC’s financial affairs? Please feel free to contact any of your finance team members.

Tom Haines: thomas_haines@baylor.edu

Paul Taft: ptaft@extracobanks.com

Josh McCormick: Josh.McCormick@dwyergroup.com

Chris Kim: chris_kim@alumni.baylor.edu

Tom McCarty: tomjmccarty@gmail.com

UBC HR Team

If you have concerns about staff and would like contact our human resources team, please feel free to email any of the following members.

Lacy McNamee: Lacy_McNamee@baylor.edu

Callie Schrank: Callie_Schrank@baylor.edu

Jeff Walter: jeff_walter@baylor.edu

Michael Heins: mheins@hot.rr.com

ITLOTC. August 15, 2014...

ITLOTC

(In the Life of the Church)

(While Josh is away on sabbatical, Craig will be writing the newsletter.  Which means you should expect less Harry Potter and more Hank Williams.)

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Secrets

When I was younger, I loved the story of God choosing Samuel. Not because I had any particular desire of being like Samuel, or even knew much about his story. But what I did know was that within this call narrative was the statement that "man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart." (1 Samuel 16:7.)  This is clearly a verse that appeals more to younger people, whose hearts haven't had much time to become cluttered and dark. For the rest of us, we can at least take comfort in knowing that God doesn't take outward appearances too much into account. (Unless you are Evangeline Lilly or Brad Pitt, in which case you should probably be a little frustrated.)

Earlier this summer I spent a few days with my friend Mark from Baltimore, who was on sabbatical from his pastoral role at his church. We went on a "Beer and BBQ Tour" of Central Texas, talking shop in the car along the way. We both spoke fondly of our churches, as well as being candid about those things we are not too fond of. We talked about the treasure of being in a position unique to all professions-- where we are invited into the most sacred moments of people's lives, from when they enter this world to when they enter the next. Their baptisms, graduations, marriages and the birth of their own children. But we also remembered that we are thankful for being invited into the dark moments as well-- the sickness, abuse, marital strife, secret sins and struggles, the anger. In fact, these can seem more special than the others, because we are sometimes the only people invited into these moments.

And we both laughed at this experience, common to pastors: We see someone at church who acts more strange around us than they did the week before, and we can't quite put our finger on why this is so. We go home and wonder, what was up with that person today? It was as if he/she was embarrassed to be around us. And then we remember: Between those Sundays that person told us of some secret they have, or we mediated a conflict between them and their spouse or roommate, or we found out that they fell into the trap of (whatever) again, for the thousandth time. And then we get it: They think that when we are looking at them, we are seeing those things, the things that are on the inside, not the outward appearances.

Mark joked that "If, when I looked out on my congregation, all I saw were the secrets I knew about each of them, I'd be running out of the building like it was on fire, screaming and pulling my hair out." (Imagine if we were Catholic priests, who congregants are required to go to and share all their secrets.)

We know too many secrets, and have enough of our own, for them to be what we think about when we see you on a Sunday morning.

This is why, aside from professional counselors, the people probably least surprised by the tragic death of Robin Williams this week were pastors. Because, in addition to what we know by experience about the unseen parts of people lives, we also know from experience that those with the most crippling insides are often those that bring the most joy and happiness to people on the outside. 

Which brings me to this-- You should know that whatever you are dealing with, those feelings on the inside, are, in the words of the Mr. Rogers video we watch every year, mentionable. In the "old days," mental illness and other hidden issues almost always a death sentence. Lon Williams, the Father of Hank Williams Sr., was a perfect example. After returning from WWI with PTSD symptoms (known then simply as "shellshock,") his wife couldn't handle the burden so she sent him away to a veteran's hospital to live out the rest of his days, and she told anyone who asked that he had died.

(Whew! On my last day of writing the newsletter, I finally found a place to work in a Hank Williams reference.)

You may feel like what you are dealing with is reason to be sent away, or to spend your days in seclusion. If that is the case, know that you are not alone. Aside from asking people where they see God at work in their situation, this is my favorite thing to tell people who are struggling-- That they are not the only ones dealing with whatever they are dealing with. In fact, they are not the only ones at UBC, dealing with it, and are probably not the only ones in their circle of friends who are dealing with it either. This knowledge often brings slivers of hope that were not present before.

So, if you are dealing with depression and can't see any way out;

If you can't get along with your spouse and think this may be the end;

If you've clicked that website or thought that thought a thousand times too many;

If you are struggling with homosexuality, or if you are struggling with following Jesus in the midst of a community that labels your sexuality a "struggle;"

If breaking cycles set in place decades ago seems futile;

If you are crippled by jealousy, envy or hate...

Know this-- We are a community that values honesty, truth and authenticity. So find someone here you trust, and let it all out. And hear these words from pastor Nadia Bolz-Weber:

“...God's grace to me is that my brokenness is not the final word ... it's that God makes beautiful things out of even my own crap." (not the actual word she used.) "Grace isn't about God creating humans and then acting all hurt when we inevitably fail and then stepping in like the hero to grant us grace - like saying, "Oh, it's OK, I'll be the good guy and forgive you." It's God saying, "I love the world too much to let your sin" (or secrets, I would add) "define you and be the final word. I am a God who makes all things new.”

--

HELP NEEDED-- TODAY

We are in the final stages of garage sale prep, and could use a LOT of hands helping us sort and price today. I (Craig) will probably be here until later this evening. If you have any amount of time to give, we have plenty of ways to help you spend it.

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Garage Sale-- TOMORROW

Because of Baylor students moving back to town and parents doing school-shopping, this garage sale is turning out to be a HUGE deal. If you haven't already signed up for a slot to work, PLEASE email craig@ubcwaco.org and let me know he hours you can give. As I said last week in the announcements, because many of our congregants are folks with little to no (to negative) income, the Garage Sale is the single most important fundraising activity we do every year, and we need all hands on deck.

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Work is Worship: August 17th

Betsy and Jana will be cleaning up coffee mugs after the service, but we need folks to make coffee beforehand and to greet.

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For Parents

Emily would like for you to keep the art projects your kids have been working on this summer at church and bring them back by AUGUST 24TH. On August 31st we will have an Art Gallery featuring these masterpieces. If you have any questions, email emily@ubcwaco.org.

--

Leadership Team

If you have a concern or an idea for UBC that you’d like to share with someone that is not on staff, feel free to contact one of our leadership team members.

Chair: Jana Parker jparkerslp@gmail.com

Kristin Dodson: kschwebke@prodigy.net

Kaley Eggers: kaley.eggers@gmail.com

David Wilhite: david_wilhite@baylor.edu

Jamie McGregor: jameson.mcgregor@gmail.com

Byron Roldan: Byron_Roldan@baylor.edu

Teri Walter: terijan@gmail.com

UBC Finance Team

Do you have a question about UBC’s financial affairs? Please feel free to contact any of your finance team members.

Tom Haines: thomas_haines@baylor.edu

Paul Taft: ptaft@extracobanks.com

Josh McCormick: Josh.McCormick@dwyergroup.com

Chris Kim: chris_kim@alumni.baylor.edu

Tom McCarty: tomjmccarty@gmail.com

ITLOTC. August 8, 2014...

ITLOTC

(In the Life of the Church)

June 15, 2014

(While Josh is away on sabbatical, Craig will be writing the newsletter.  Which means you should expect less Harry Potter and more Hank Williams.)

---

Diversity and Disagreement

I could be accused, probably fairly, of writing about UBC's diversity in an amount that is disproportionate to other distinctive aspects of our congregation. I do this for a couple of reasons. First, it is one of the things I love the most about our community. Conventional wisdom assumes that in order for a church (or any group, for that matter,) to thrive, there needs to be singular vision and belief. The largest, most "successful" (see what I did there?) churches are usually those whose preacher stands up to the pulpit and says "This is what the Bible means. This is what God wants. There is no other way you can see this." He promises either a life of prosperity or pain (which is followed by an eternity of prosperity) if only you will understand and apply all this.

This is not us.

Second, I believe it is only fair for us all to know that there is a wide range of belief on important matters at the FRONT END of our engagement, so that when disagreements arise, we are not shell-shocked. I don't want someone to jump into the life of UBC because they think they know what we all believe, and then some time later hear something and say, dismayed, "Wait, someone here believes THAT?!" It is only fair to make it known at the beginning that yes, whatever "that" is, there is probably at least a few people at UBC, some in leadership, who believes it.

After BJ Parker's sermon on Sunday, our congregation participated in the exercise of theological diversity. Several asked themselves and each other some version of "Wait, someone here believes That?!" There was great conversation being held on many levels around town. One such conversation partner was David Wilhite, who has written the following response to the close of BJ's sermon...

UBC is a place that cherishes diversity and community. On Monday, I sat down with BJ, and – with Craig moderating – we talked through the conclusion of this past Sunday’s sermon.   We needed to talk because the summative statement of a provocative (and up to this point, excellent!) sermon on God’s radical love left many ubc-ers with the impression that apostasy – denying Christ – is acceptable, justifiable, and maybe even the best option under certain circumstances. I absolutely defend BJ’s right to explore the radical love of God, a love so audacious that God will forgive even apostasy. However, the church throughout the last two thousand years has sent – with no equivocation – her children forward as martyrs and never approved apostasy in any form. I was concerned about our community condoning a sermon about apostasy as an acceptable option for Christians enduring persecution and torture. So, BJ and I sat down and discussed these issues both in the historical church and today.

 At the end of it all, we still disagreed. I don’t think any form of apostasy should be condoned; BJ thinks a sermon should proclaim God’s unending love in a way that challenges all preconceptions about forgiveness and salvation. Even though we still disagreed, we prayed, we hugged (bro-hug, with the back-pats), and we left as closer friends than when we started. ubc remains a community: diverse, flawed people united in Christ.

 But now, “What then shall we say to these things?” (Rom. 8:31a). In our meeting, it was BJ who suggested that I write a response for the ubc blog, and so he is to be credited with having such confidence and such humility.   I will endeavor here to present the case for proclaiming, not denying Christ, even when undergoing torture or persecution.

 I begin with an example:

 Sitting in a dungeon in the year 203, Felicity, a slave from North Africa, listened to her tormenters. They insulted her weakness as a woman (she was giving birth to her daughter in the cell), and they laughed at the agony she would have to face the next day when fed to the beasts in the Roman arena. Felicity answered, “Now, I alone suffer what I am suffering, but then there will be Another inside me, who will suffer for me.” Felicity and her fellow martyrs belong to a long line of Christians who believe that following Christ means being a faithful witness, even unto death. Even under horrific torture, any form of denying Christ – even stepping on an image of Christ, as in the example from BJ’s sermon - results in Christ denying you before his Father in heaven (Matt. 10:33). Jesus calls his disciples to “take up their cross” (Matt. 16:24), and “persevere to the end” (Matt. 24:13).

 Now, to clarify the question, somewhat… instead of asking, “Is it okay to deny Christ?” (to which obviously, the answer is no), or “Can God forgive apostates?”(to which obviously, the answer is yes), let’s simply remember that Christians should strive to persevere -to the end- in a faithful witness to Christ.

 Similarly, some may ask, “What would you do, David?” Or, “What if your family was being tortured?” “What if…?” I can’t say with 100% certainty what I would do. Let’s again change that to “What should I do?” and “What I hope to do,” if ever placed in such a situation: stand faithful to follow Christ as a “witness” (the Greek word for witness gives us our word martyr).

 Here is an even more important question: “What will God do?” As BJ contends, God may forgive even the apostate. Unfortunately, we won’t know for sure until the eschaton (the end of the current order and the beginning of the permanent order of things.) The Swiss Catholic theologian, Hans Urs von Balthasar, in his book, Dare We ‘Hope That All Men be Saved’?, boldly concluded that the Christian could hope for and even pray for such things; but he was just as adamant that we can not preach it as certain. What we do know for sure is this: we are called to persevere, even in the most dire and grave of circumstances.

 Even more to the point about “What will God do?” is the central message of the church: the Gospel, the Good News, has stipulated that it’s not our works, our ability to endure, our…, well, our anything. The Good News is that God has done the work for us in his Son, and the Spirit of God has been placed in us, who enables us to persevere. We even, according to the martyr Paul, “rejoice…in tribulation [!], knowing that tribulation produces perseverance, and perseverance produces character, and character hope, and hope does not fail, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit has been given unto us” (Romans 5:3-5).

 This is the promise we have as Christians: it’s not up to us (Matthew 10:19); instead, it will be the Spirit of God at work through us (Matthew 10:20). The Spirit of Jesus, who faithfully endured his cross, is at work in the believer, the same Spirit that was in Paul, the same that was in Felicity, who – we are told – entered the arena “rejoicing.” This is the same Spirit that was in Stephen, James, Peter, Blandina, Cyprian, Patrick Hamilton, May Hayman, Bill Wallace, Janani Luwum, Romulo Sauñe, Haik Hovsepianmehr, and countless other martyrs throughout the church’s history. And it is the same Spirit who is at work in our hearts today.

 Although it is not from scripture, I think the closing prayer from the Martyrdom of Perpetua and Felicity is appropriate here: “For these new deeds of courage may also witness that one and the same Holy Spirit is always working among us even now, along with God, the Father almighty, and his Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ to whom is glory and endless power for ever and ever. Amen.”...

This, my friends, is church.

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LOST and FOUND

This was found after church on Sunday. Did you lose them? If so, email michelle@ubcwaco.org ...  (or is it "These were found?" Who knows?)

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For Parents

Emily would like for you to keep the art projects your kids have been working on this summer at church and bring them back by AUGUST 24TH. On August 31st we will have an Art Gallery featuring these masterpieces. If you have any questions, email emily@ubcwaco.org.

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August

For the next three Sundays, we will have an informal Sunday School group meet in the Rock-n-Roll room. This will primarily be so visitors who do not know that Sunday School is on hiatus will have a place to go and get to know people. We'd love to have as many of you as possible join us for that!

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Garage Sale next week!

Monday-Thursday (Friday if needed): 4:00pm-7:00pm, sorting. We need TONS of help!

Saturday: Garage Sale! We've had a decent number of folks sign up to help, but still have a little more than half of the slots to fill.  Please sign up for a spot on Sunday!

Monday (the 18th): Garage Sale! Here's how I'm approaching this-- We are going to treat Saturday like it is the ONLY DAY we are hosting the garage sale. Monday, hopefully, will be a much smaller day. We will assess things and let you know next Sunday at church the details of the Monday garage sale.

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Leadership Team

If you have a concern or an idea for UBC that you’d like to share with someone that is not on staff, feel free to contact one of our leadership team members.

Chair: Jana Parker jparkerslp@gmail.com

Kristin Dodson: kschwebke@prodigy.net

Kaley Eggers: kaley.eggers@gmail.com

David Wilhite: david_wilhite@baylor.edu

Jamie McGregor: jameson.mcgregor@gmail.com

Byron Roldan: Byron_Roldan@baylor.edu

Teri Walter: terijan@gmail.com

UBC Finance Team

Do you have a question about UBC’s financial affairs? Please feel free to contact any of your finance team members.

Tom Haines: thomas_haines@baylor.edu

Paul Taft: ptaft@extracobanks.com

Josh McCormick: Josh.McCormick@dwyergroup.com

Chris Kim: chris_kim@alumni.baylor.edu

Tom McCarty: tomjmccarty@gmail.com

UBC HR Team

If you have concerns about staff and would like contact our human resources team, please feel free to email any of the following members.

Lacy McNamee: Lacy_McNamee@baylor.edu

Callie Schrank: Callie_Schrank@baylor.edu

Jeff Walter: jeff_walter@baylor.edu

Michael Heins: mheins@hot.rr.com

This Week-- Garage Sale Help...

This week is the first of two intensive weeks of garage sale sorting! And by "intensive," I (of course) mean FUN! Between now (Monday afternoon) and Wednesday at 6:30pm, our #1 goal will be to get all the CLOTHES from the storage rooms to the stage in the backside...

Then, on Wednesday evening at 6:30 (bring your dinner at 6:00!) we will begin moving clothes to racks and tables. Once this is done, we will spend NEXT week moving all non-clothes related items into the sanctuary.

If you can come in and give ANY amount of time we would appreciate it! The building will be open until 5:00pm this evening, from 9:30-5:00pm on Tuesday (excluding the noon hour for lunch.) If you want to come up Wednesday or Thursday, please email craig@ubcwaco.org to organize a time.

ITLOTC. August 1, 2014...

ITLOTC

(In the Life of the Church)

June 15, 2014

(While Josh is away on sabbatical, Craig will be writing the newsletter.  Which means you should expect less Harry Potter and more Hank Williams.)

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Christian

What does it mean to be a Christian? (Or a "Christ Follower," "Believer," or whatever your preferred term is for this particular faith we find ourselves in.)

A pastor friend of mine posed this question to his staff a few months ago. He asked them to describe in one sentence what exactly it is that they are calling the people in their church to be and to do.  Being the thoughtful group of ministers they are, most said that the answer is too complicated and multifaceted to sum up in one sentence. My friend said he agreed with them, but for the sake of conversation, understanding all the nuances of what it means to be a Christian, what would they lead with if asked to describe the Christian life.

The minister of music said he would lead with something like this: "Being a Christian is primarily about being a member of a community that worships the one true God."

The Associate Pastor for Missions and Community Care: "Being a Christian is about uncovering the redemptive reign of Christ in the world and calling others to participate in God's church."

The Associate Pastor for Students and Spiritual formation: "Being a Christian is about being formed into the people God is calling us to be, using Christ as our guide."

What about you?  How would you answer that question?  What would you lead with?

I'm sure your answers would be varied, including such phrases as-- "Being saved from your sins," "Reflecting the glory of God," "Seeking to make Jesus famous," "Reflecting and seeking to establish God's justice in the world," "Being a person led by Christ's love," just to name a few. And just as the answers from my friend's co-pastors reflected the things they spend most of their time working on and thinking about, our answers would also likely very closely reflect our personalities, dispositions and upbringing.

Though there would certainly be a number of people who would disagree with me, (in fact, probably a large majority of people,) I don't believe there is one single answer that would reflect completely what it means to be a follower of Jesus. Certainly Jesus called his disciples to "Follow Me," but that following included myriad actions, attitudes and conversations. There are numerous instances of the phrase "God's glory" in Scripture, but I believe it is a little silly and myopic  to believe that following Jesus can be summed up only in giving God glory, or "bringing fame to his name," as is preached in some circles. Mercy and Justice are clearly at the heart of the biblical witness, but so is worship, formation and redemption.

I believe this is an important exercise to do within a community, especially one as diverse as ours is at UBC, if for no other reason than this: Most of the conflict I have seen at churches have these two things in common-- 1. A multiplicity of beliefs about what it means to be a Christian (and, by extension, what it means to be the Church,) and 2. A vast majority of people in the church not seeing this multiplicity, assuming that everyone is, more or less, all on the same page, leading with the same things. This causes tensions about structure, decisions, worship styles and methods, not because of a disagreement about structure, decisions, worship styles and methods, but because of a fundamental misunderstanding of what other people within the community leads with in their understanding of Christianity and the church. All this leads to the proverbial "talking past each other," without anyone really knowing this is what is happening, assuming that the people with whom we disagree just doesn't "get it."

Take some time this week to think about this question. And if you care to take the risk, ask someone you know in our community how they would answer it. Are we on the same page? Probably not.  But don't lose heart. Scripture is chock full of believers and followers of the risen Christ who have different conclusions, different nuances about their faith, all who live together and love each other, not in unison, but in harmony.

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Final Summer Week

We had our last Wednesday night dinner and Enneagram conversation for the summer this week, and Sunday will be our last Summer Sunday school meeting time. On August 10th, 17th and 24th, I (Craig) will be in the Rock-n-Roll room from 9:30-10:15 for an informal Sunday School time, so that new visitors will not have that awkward hour wait before worship.

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Fall Sunday School Kickoff

On Sunday, August 31st (a date most of us have etched in our brains for other reasons,) we will have an all-church Sunday School brunch at 9:30 in the backside. This will be a time to hang out, catch up, and for our fall Sunday School teachers to give a description of their classes, which will begin the next week on September 7th.

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For Parents

Emily would like for you to keep the art projects your kids have been working on this summer at church and bring them back by AUGUST 24TH. On August 31st we will have an Art Gallery featuring these masterpieces. If you have any questions, email emily@ubcwaco.org.

__________

Garage Sale Sorting

On Monday we will begin IN ERNEST sorting for the Garage Sale. Next week's project is primarily going to be centered on sorting clothes and getting them on racks, and then the next week we will work on all other items. If you have any amount of time during the day to give, we would love your help! And on Wednesday, continue to bring your dinner to eat at 6:00 an we will spent the hour from 6:30-7:30 sorting.

Garage Sale Workers

In order to make this a success, we need all hands on deck for the garage sale dates, which are August 16th and 18th. We need at least 40 slots filled on each day. There are sign up sheets in the foyer.

__________

 Work is Worship. Sunday August 3, 2014...

Coffee Makers: Sara Joyave and Vince Cooley

Cleaning Mugs: The Haines Family

Greeters: The Taft Family

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Leadership Team

If you have a concern or an idea for UBC that you’d like to share with someone that is not on staff, feel free to contact one of our leadership team members.

Chair: Jana Parker jparkerslp@gmail.com

Kristin Dodson: kschwebke@prodigy.net

Kaley Eggers: kaley.eggers@gmail.com

David Wilhite: david_wilhite@baylor.edu

Jamie McGregor: jameson.mcgregor@gmail.com

Byron Roldan: Byron_Roldan@baylor.edu

Teri Walter: terijan@gmail.com

UBC Finance Team

Do you have a question about UBC’s financial affairs? Please feel free to contact any of your finance team members.

Tom Haines: thomas_haines@baylor.edu

Paul Taft: ptaft@extracobanks.com

Josh McCormick: Josh.McCormick@dwyergroup.com

Chris Kim: chris_kim@alumni.baylor.edu

Tom McCarty: tomjmccarty@gmail.com

UBC HR Team

If you have concerns about staff and would like contact our human resources team, please feel free to email any of the following members.

Lacy McNamee: Lacy_McNamee@baylor.edu

Callie Schrank: Callie_Schrank@baylor.edu

Jeff Walter: jeff_walter@baylor.edu

Michael Heins: mheins@hot.rr.com