Good Samaritan Take 2
08/03/08, 05:50:26 pm, by Melissa Y-DIn church this morning, Ben led a community exegesis of the Good Samaritan text, and then we did a little skit modernizing the characters. We took the new characters from the suggestions of the congregation:
The Jericho Road? I-495
Priest and Levite: a respected member of our church community and Jimmy Carter
The Samaritan: Manny Ramirez (though it was between him, Derek Jeter, and we heard some people suggest A-Rod as well).
Only in Massachusetts….
Haverhill: The First Month
07/23/08, 06:19:16 pm, by Ben Y-DSo, as you might imagine, it has been a crazy and wonderful month for Melissa and I, finally on the ground in Haverhill, MA! Here are a few of the highlights:
1) The church has been wonderful and the people are utterly fantastic. (And no, I’m not saying that just because a couple of them might be reading this blog!) The move was the easiest I’ve ever done, and we figure we had about 15 people help us on moving day. Church members were incredibly hospitable: at the house the day before the move to clean, at the house the evening of the move, helping us unload. We feel truly blessed to be a part of this community!
2) Haverhill is utterly fantastic, even better than advertised. Young professionals and artists in the downtown, even on the weekends; incredible need in the poorest section of town, called “the acre", which is right across the street from the church; and a great combination of small town friendliness with urban opportunities.
3) Our house is lovely: a 1909 Craftsman model with a lot of fun quirks: a reading nook in the dining room, a walk in closet that used to be a nursery,and a sleeping room off the master bedroom. Right now, we’re particularly enjoying the two large trees in the front yard and the house’s many windows, as it means the house stays relatively cool, even in 90+ degree weather without air conditioning.
Blessed Rest
06/09/08, 01:36:45 pm, by Ben Y-DWhy have I not posted, you might ask? Quite simply; I haven’t had one moment of free times or more than two free brain cells to spark together since early April. In the past six weeks, Melissa and I have:
Traveled an additional 1000 miles every week (not including our regular commutes to school and church)
Become the pastors of the Good Shepherd UMC in Haverhill, MA
Traveled to General Conference (Texas) and the Exponential Conference (Florida)
Been approved by the District Committee on Ministry for local pastor’s status, pending licensing school
Completed school and gone through finals period
Packed and moved up to my parents in Amesbury, MA
Participated in the wedding of Matt and Farrah
Gone to local pastor’s school in East Ohio
Today is our first day off in six weeks and I am enjoying it! Haverhill, here we come!
Exponential Conference: Day Three (Exclamation Edition!)
04/25/08, 10:18:11 am, by Ben Y-D1)They respond to feedback!
The organizers of this conference are remarkably sensitive to feedback. When participants in one session commented that they didn’t see how the topic connected to church planting, the organizers held a question and answer section the next day to show how that session connected to church planting. I heard people say that last year’s conference was not nearly practical enough- this year it was amazingly practical; (e.g. team building, fund raising, casting a vision, etc.), almost always connecting directly to the church planting context.
2)I see United Methodists!
I am downright surprised at the number of United Methodists I’ve seen at this conference, most from the south, but even a contingent from New Jersey. I’ve made some valuable connections with other missional Methodists as well- it gives me hope for the future of our denomination!
3) It’s all about relationships!
This is one of the primary points that I’ve heard repeated again and again. Church planting is all about forming transformative relationships, regardless what type of model you choose: it’s how you do good fundraising, how you find allies in the communities, how you lead people into a transforming relationship with Jesus. Church planting only works if you genuinely love people.
4)Patriarchy! Patriarchy! Patriarchy!
However, by the time the conference was over, I was ready to go. While this group of people may “get it” in a lot of ways, they certainly are light years behind when it comes to their appreciation of the leadership gifts on women in the church. Rick Warren spoke last, always referring to pastors as he, talking about how they should appreciate their wives, and asking “the pastors and their wives” up to the front to be prayed over at the end of the service. Needless to say, Matt, Farrah, Melissa, and I did not go to the front.
Day Two Exponential Conference (Exclamation Edition!)
04/23/08, 07:51:29 pm, by Ben Y-DHere are my thoughts from day two of the conference.
1) Serve your community!
I heard a great talk this morning about externally focused churches, with Rick Rishaw of Lifebridge Church. Whenever they do a new church start, they spend 6-12 months in the area doing a needs assessment and doing community service before they start. They believe their mission isn’t just to grow their church, but also to transform their communities.
2) Alan Hirsch rocks! (Also known as: I met Alan Hirsch!)
If you haven’t read The Forgotten Ways, drop what you’re doing, pick up a copy, and drink the missional kool-aid. This guy is spectacular, and I can’t even begin to tabulate the insights that he gave us during his talk this morning. (e.g. The church has become unChristian in that it no longer resembles Jesus) Make sure to check out his website (www.theforgottenways.com). I also had a chance to chat with him for a bit- a very nice guy, and loves John Wesley…us Methodists have all the missional DNA we need in our history!
3) These people know their stuff!
I am consistently impressed by the overall quality of the speakers, session leaders, media presentations, etc. All of these people are competent (well, virtually all), many of them are downright brilliant. I doubt that my denomination, for all its resources, could pull something off of this quality.
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