By Dan Hester

When the crepe myrtles start to bloom, I know that the end of summer is approaching. As I start to turn towards fall planning, I thought that an overview of the ministry of St. Andrew's was worthwhile to write.

Almost a year ago our long range planning committee, the Joel Committee, submitted to the Administrative Council its report concerning where God was leading St. Andrew's UMC. The Council has since then been considering, prioritizing, and acting on that report. In short, the Council prioritized 8 items on which to focus its attention. Some of the items are visionary. Some are very practical. Here they are in order of priority as set by the Council with my own commentary.

1. Disciple Development. This emphasis calls each person and each group within the church to consider how they are offering Christ to people, and deepening the Christian walk of existing disciples. I often think of this with the baseball analogy of advancing base runners.

2. Hospitality. This goal asks St. Andrew's to model the welcome of Christ. Hospitality is also welcoming the stranger and recognizing that the stranger brings blessings and gifts. In true biblical hospitality the roles of guest and host often switch.

3. Be a Light to the Neighborhood. This visionary goal is biblically rooted in the call of Israel to be a light to the nations, and the teaching of Jesus to not hide your light under a bushel. This goal is also rooted in St. Andrew's origin and history in this neighborhood.

As a matter of priority, the Council drew a line in pencil here. The top three goals are the most substantial, challenging, and promising avenues for ministry. Rather than try to accomplish everything at once, the Council chose to focus on the top three. The following five goals are still before the council. These get discussed and prayed for. They are not on a back burner, but they do get viewed through the lens of the top three.

4. Emphasize Seniors. Our elders continue to grow in faith and have gifts to offer for the ministry of the Church. Multi-generational ministry, health and wellness, transportation, and the homebound are all areas of interest for St. Andrew's and its seniors.

5. Missions. Our local and international outreach has been and will continue to be a strength and pillar of St. Andrew's. Missions are not only a means to fulfill the will of Christ, but missions are also a way of proving faithful witness to an unbelieving world.

6. Emphasize Youth. Our aim here is not to keep youth ministry in a silo unto itself, but to integrate our future leaders now. Our youth are also in the position to combine several of our overall goals such as mission, neighborhood involvement, and disciple development.

7. Multi-generational Ministry. Discipleship has always involved mentoring relationships. Plus, nothing keeps one young like working with children and youth. This item highlights the mutual benefits available to all age-groups when we plan and conduct ministries together.

8. Emphasizing Family Through Baptism. Baptism joins us in Christ and helps us know the best sense of what it means to be family, both through biology and through faith. In an age of broken, abusive, and atypical family structures, the Church can provide a holy sense of belonging, nurture, and growth for everyone, no matter what the biological family background. 

I invite you and whatever groups you may be a part of in the church to consider how you might direct your efforts with these goals and intentions of St. Andrew's. 

Here are some excerpts from thank you notes sent to St. Andrew's from students at Montclaire Elementary School. Montclaire used our FLC this Spring for their choir concert. 

—…if it wasn't for you we would have been really squished up… I am so grateful and I was wondering if our class can come and visit again. 
—Thank you …for letting us use all your equipment for free. 
—…thank you for all that work that you did
—One of our opportunities was that a lot more people got to see our play. I am so grateful for your kindness because we all got to have a great time. 
—Thank you for letting us practice in your church which is way better than doing it on the stage in the cafeteria. 
—Thanks for the lights, chairs, and mikes. 
—God bless you guys. 
—I am really happy that you let us sing and even more you let us bring parents. Thank you. 
—Thank you very much for letting us rock on your stage. 
—I will always remember what you did for us. 
—…you are full of generosity. 
—…thank you for taking your time out to set up the chairs and making sure that the microphone worked. 
—You were very generous and kind. 

In no particular order, here are four good books on the Christian life. I'm using them in my current sermon series on Christian practices. Any one of these would make for a great personal or group study. 

Marjorie J. Thompson. Soul Feast: An Invitation to the Christian Spiritual Life. 

Thompson's book is best if you need to start from scratch with your spiritual life, or are looking to overhaul things for a fresh start. She's accessible, draws from a wide range of sources, and comprehensive. 

Richard Foster. Celebration of Discipline. 

A classic work. Foster's work has a little harder edge to it and is not for the faint of heart. He's like a really tough personal trainer who gets in your face. But for those who persevere it will reap rewards. 

Diana Butler Bass. Christianity for the Rest of Us: How the Neighborhood Church is Transforming the Faith. 

This work points to how these traditional practices can renew a congregation. With a bit more political point of view, she integrates well the inner and outer aspects of Christian practice. 

Kenneth H. Carter, Jr. A Way of Life in the World: Spiritual Practices for United Methodists. 

Carter is the former pastor down the road at Providence UMC, and now the bishop of the Florida Conference. Carter has a talent for making things clear. This book is the best at articulating a specifically Wesleyan approach to spirituality. 

By Dan Hester

Montclaire Elementary School uses the Family Life Center from time to time to hold school programs. Their school building does not have the capacity to hold a large group of students and their families. Most recently, MES held their graduation in our facility.

A few months ago the music program held a concert here. The picture shown here was taken at a rehearsal. I asked Montclaire's music teacher, Jessica Dawalt, to share some of her thoughts on what using our building means to their program. The show was for two grade levels and involved 150 students. Without the space our FLC provided, the program would have been limited in the number of performers, the number of people who could attend, as well as simple visibility and enjoyment.

Ms. Dawalt wrote:

"Our students loved being at the church. Comments came forth about the size of the room, the beautiful stage lighting, having side rooms to enter the stage from, and they loved having a sound system. The head set mics for our 3 actors were a hit. What a blessing for them to see and use the latest technology. This certainly aligns with the 21st century skills the state of NC desires for our students" Ms. Dawalt finished her letter by saying, "Not only impacting their education, Montclaire students have received the message from their community that they are valuable, loved, and celebrated for their hard work and achievements."

I wanted to share this experience with the congregation. This kind of ministry happens as a result of the generosity of St. Andrew's members. The next time you think that our budget merely keeps the lights on, remember the pride these elementary students felt, and how it was facilitated by the body of Christ at St. Andrew's UMC.  

By Dan Hester

Our first ever Community Christmas Tree Lighting was a blast. The weather was wonderful. The turnout was terrific. And the sense of it was something of a street fair. 

Several aspects of the event made it memorable for me. To start, so many people involved themselves in the event. Seeing so many people working on making their corner of the event work; seeing so many people do their part so that the whole came together gave me a feeling of joy. 

The animals were worth every rental penny we paid. The children were mesmerized by the animals. As soon as the trailer arrived, children literally jumped on the trailer and couldn't wait to see the animals. I think the adults liked them too, just not as many of them posed for cute pictures. Even the llama who was loosed at the end (thanks Facebook pictures) added a great story for those of us who were there to tell those who couldn't be there. 

But, by far my favorite part occurred just before we lit the tree. I was blabbing on a bit providing anticipation and ceremony to the actual lighting when something unscripted came out of my mouth. I said a word of appreciation for our neighbors who were in attendance because they were the ones for whom we were doing all of this. As soon as I said it, the church members present broke into applause. That heartfelt and spontaneous gesture of hospitality by our congregation was my early Christmas present. Thank you. 

By Dan Hester

A couple of Wednesdays ago we had our open Halloween party for the community. If you weren’t there you can see pictures from the event now posted in the hallway outside the sanctuary and opposite the history wall. Looking at those pictures again reminds me of what a miracle that event was.

Through experience and through contact with colleagues I know that most United Methodist Churches are largely culturally homogenous. Most of the ministers I know would fall over backwards in happy disbelief if they opened their gym for Halloween and saw the variety of people that showed up in our FLC.

Just in terms of establishing rapport with people, our Halloween party was a howling success. (Sorry, I couldn’t resist.) People hear our actions louder than our words. I think the message was loud and clear: You are welcome here. We like having you here.

I want people to know that our welcome is a reflection of God’s welcome of us in Jesus Christ. To that end we gave away free Bibles. We gave Bibles away to whites, to Asian Indians, to African Americans, and to Latinos. Not many churches can say that on any day of the year, much less Halloween.

I also want the people who visited to know God’s grace and love for them in Jesus Christ. I hope that they profess faith in Christ, join our congregation and grow in their discipleship. I know that the Church does not have the instant trust of our society in general that it once had. So building relationships from scratch is the order of the day.

I think of open community events such as the Halloween party and the upcoming Christmas Tree Lighting on December 2nd in two ways. One way I see them is in creating a kingdom moment; a moment where we see a gathering of people that reflects the way heaven will look. (Isa. 40:5) I think creating such a moment is an end in and of itself. It expands our imagination, our understanding of God, and the appreciation of our mission. One other way I see such events is scattering seed. Some won’t sprout at all. But other seeds will fall on good soil and bring forth a hundredfold. (Matthew 13:8)

Thanks to all who helped make the party happen. Let’s do it again!