Pastor’s Paragraph - February 27, 2020
I have really enjoyed Pastor Marc's sermon series this winter and the emphasis on praying, listening, and caring. I also really enjoy the opportunity to learn and grow as a disciple of Jesus with each of you. I thank God for you and the blessing it is to work together to reach out to others with the Creator's love through the grace and strength of the Holy Spirit.
I have really enjoyed Pastor Marc's sermon series this winter and the emphasis on praying, listening, and caring. I also really enjoy the opportunity to learn and grow as a disciple of Jesus with each of you. I thank God for you and the blessing it is to work together to reach out to others with the Creator's love through the grace and strength of the Holy Spirit.
Throughout this winter I have also been praying and thinking about mindfulness and healing (in many different forms - relational, communal, mental, emotional, physical, spiritual).
As I combine the focus of praying, listening, and caring, with a focus on mindfulness and healing, I am reminded of the transforming hope that I find in breath prayers and wanted to offer them to you as a spiritual practice/discipline that you might try during Lent if you have not tried them before.
For a breath prayer, you can pick a few words that you can say as you breathe in and out. Here are a few that I use.
Lord have mercy. Christ have mercy. Lord have mercy.
Mold me. Use me. Make me.
Lord I love me. Help me to love you with all I am.
God I love you. I want to surrender my all to you.
Be still. God has it.
Breathe in God's Spirit. Breathe out God's love.
I look forward to hearing about any breath prayers that you have used in the past or that you use during the season of Lent. Please reach out if there are ways that I can be of support and encouragement to you in your journey of faith and life ~ Sarah
"Be still, and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations,
I am exalted in the earth."
Psalm 46:10
Pastor’s Paragraph - February 20, 2020
Friedens Moving Outward is Friedens' path toward vitalization. A careful process of learning, discernment, and congregation-wide input led to a plan that was approved by the Council of Ministries in November of 2019.
Friedens Moving Outward is Friedens' path toward vitalization. A careful process of learning, discernment, and congregation-wide input led to a plan that was approved by the Council of Ministries in November of 2019.
This plan consists of three major emphases:
Moving one another through inspiration and instruction from an identity of being church members whose needs are served to an identity of being active disciples who follow the loving and serving way of Jesus.
Transforming our church structure, resources, campus, staffing and ministries toward a ministry focus of sharing the love of Christ with children and youth in our community.
Partnering with other like-minded churches and non-profit organizations to maximize our ministry focus with children and youth in the community, including partners who can share the church campus and share in its ongoing maintenance.
Once we recommit to being disciples of the loving way of Jesus and show that commitment by joining a Ministry Team to focus on serving children and youth in the community, we can begin seeking and developing partnerships that multiply and advance our impact in the community. There is no reason for us to reinvent the wheel, so to speak, or to act on our own in the community. We trust that when our Ministry Teams connect more in the community serving children and youth, Christ will connect us with others also engaging in this mission. Working together in partnership and collaboration is part of the multiplication of impact Christ will provide. What will these partnerships be? I don't know, but Christ does! As we take that leap of service in the community, it will become clear.
Another important area of partnership is related to the use of our church campus. Our church campus is a blessing. We have a beautiful, functional, accessible and safe place to gather, to worship, to be inspired and to learn to serve children and youth in the community. It is also true that like any campus there are significant costs related to maintaining the campus. We are already having some challenges to generate the revenue needed to maintain the church campus. We do not want campus maintenance costs to undermine and overtake our ministry focus of serving children and youth in the community. If that happens we will need to consider whether or not our current campus is a liability or an asset for the future.
How can we pay for our campus so that we can remain here for many years to come? If the church campus is an asset for our future then we need to develop partners to share the campus and to share the costs of the campus. What will these partnerships be? I don't know, but Christ does! As we take the leap of service in the community, it will become clear.How can you help? Renew your commitment as a disciple of the loving way of Jesus. Join a Ministry Team. Roll up your sleeves and be part of a ministry with children and youth in the community. Pray and be open to the partnerships Christ will provide. If you have ideas, connections, or want to know more, I am always happy to meet over a cup of coffee or chat by email at pastormarc@friedensucc.org.
This is an exciting time to be part of Friedens UCC.
Pastor Marc
As God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.
Colossians 3:12
Pastor’s Paragraph - February 13, 2020
In "Daring Greatly," social researcher Brené Brown tells a story about an experience she had in graduate school that surprised her. Called to a meeting with a professor, she expected to be intimidated and rebuked. Instead, her teacher was an ally. She pulled up a chair, sat down beside her, and offered Brené ideas for adjustments. I have become aware that sometimes when I turn to prayer, I feel the same fear.
Fear-less!
In "Daring Greatly," social researcher Brené Brown tells a story about an experience she had in graduate school that surprised her. Called to a meeting with a professor, she expected to be intimidated and rebuked. Instead, her teacher was an ally. She pulled up a chair, sat down beside her, and offered Brené ideas for adjustments. I have become aware that sometimes when I turn to prayer, I feel the same fear. Recently I thought that I might take time to explore that fear. The Brené Brown story was helpful. I think that I am probably expecting to be intimidated and rebuked by God. That probably comes from reading and hearing scary stuff about God. Some of the names of God are frightening in themselves and paint pictures of judgmental images (not necessarily the appropriate understanding): almighty, most high, lord, master, and jealous are a few. Other names/images of God are less intimidating: shepherd, healer, provider, counselor, and mother hen. How we approach our prayer may make a difference. Turning over our humanness for loving adjustment and transformation can be helpful. Accepting the peace of Christ which fills us with silent treasure is another way to come to increased peace in the love of God. I give thanks to God that I can cast fear aside and come to prayer with an ally. What a friend we have in Jesus! I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you;
I will sustain you and I will rescue you.
Isaiah 46:4 (NIV)
Pastor’s Paragraph - February 6, 2020
Although the beginning of Lent is still several weeks away, I wanted to invite you to begin thinking about what this upcoming season might mean for you. Since the end of 2019, I have noticed that my book list keeps growing with titles that involve healing, especially healing the divides and painful places/spaces/experiences we have within ourselves and within our communities.
Although the beginning of Lent is still several weeks away, I wanted to invite you to begin thinking about what this upcoming season might mean for you. Since the end of 2019, I have noticed that my book list keeps growing with titles that involve healing, especially healing the divides and painful places/spaces/experiences we have within ourselves and within our communities. Our sermons for the winter also began with conversations about healing as we explored the stories at the beginning of the gospel of Mark that help us remember that Jesus' ministries involved teaching and healing. As his disciples we are called to be involved in his ministries of healing, learning, and growing. With this in mind, I want to make a special invitation to you the Time to Pause lunch. The Christian Education Ministry often offers this opportunity to the first Sunday of Lent - this year on March 1st. In addition to enjoying lunch together and the connections and conversations that happen when we visit and break bread together, we will have special stations for you to rotate to if you would like.
Heather from Keep Indianapolis Beautiful will help us think about how we can be part of healing and restoration through creation care and environmental efforts. Joy, the author of Shift, will help us think about how we receive healing through God's beautiful world and how these gifts can offer us pause and time for prayer and meditation. Shelby - a U Indy nursing student and participant and leader of QUEST and Engaging Young Adults will help us connect with our Maker who molds us with love and grace through the forming of clay creations. Nicole from the Co-op Play Academy will also share her special gifts of working with children with us.
We hope you will come, and we hope you will use these next few weeks to pray about and reach out to someone who could come with you who does not currently have a faith community.
Praise the Lord! How good it is to sing praises to our God; for he is gracious, and a song of praise is fitting.
2 The Lord builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the outcasts of Israel.
3 He heals the brokenhearted, and binds up their wounds.
4 He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names.
5 Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure.
6 The Lord lifts up the downtrodden; he casts the wicked to the ground.
7 Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving; make melody to our God on the lyre.
8 He covers the heavens with clouds, prepares rain for the earth, makes grass grow on the hills.
9 He gives to the animals their food, and to the young ravens when they cry.
Psalm 147:1-9
Pastor's Paragraph - January 30, 2020
Friedens Moving Outward is Friedens' path toward vitalization. A careful process of learning, discernment, and congregation-wide input led to a plan that was approved by the Council of Ministries in November of 2019.
Friedens Moving Outward is Friedens' path toward vitalization. A careful process of learning, discernment, and congregation-wide input led to a plan that was approved by the Council of Ministries in November of 2019. This plan consists of three major emphases:
1. Moving one another through inspiration and instruction from an identity of being church members whose needs are served to an identity of being active disciples who follow the loving and serving way of Jesus.
2. Transforming our church structure, resources, campus, staffing and ministries toward a ministry focus of sharing the love of Christ with children and youth in our community.
3. Partnering with other like-minded churches and non-profit organizations to maximize our ministry focus with children and youth in the community, including partners who can share the church campus and share in its ongoing maintenance.
Once we renew our commitment to following the loving way of Jesus as disciples we can begin committing ourselves to the second emphasis of Friedens Moving Outward-the ministry focus of serving children and youth in the community.
This is not brand new for Friedens Church. We have been serving children and youth throughout our 109 year history. We have served children and youth with Sunday School, Vacation Bible School, Confirmation, Children's Choirs, Youth Groups, Mission Trips and more. These ministries continue to make a positive difference for the children and youth who come through our campus doors. We give thanks for this heritage of service in Christ's name and Spirit.
What is new is the focus on serving children and youth in the community. Fewer and fewer people (young adults and their children in particular) find church participation relevant; we are honest about this reality at Friedens. For us to continue to make a positive difference, we understand that we can move outside the doors of our campus with ministries of service in Christ's name and Spirit.
How do we do that? We are starting this new ministry focus in two ways: 1) by connecting more with the Scouts and the Preschool that are already in our campus; and 2) by working through the Ministry Teams to identify and implement new ministries with children and youth in the community.
How can you help? Join a Ministry Team! The Ministry Teams are the teams of disciples who come together to do the work of Christ through the church and into the community. Friedens Moving Outward will only lead to vitalization if all the disciples of Friedens roll up their sleeves and get to work.
Who can help you get involved? Pastors Sarah, Pam and I can get you connected; so can the leader of Friedens Moving Outward, Megan Powell; or our President, Greg Wilkinson, or our Vice-president, Jerry Weissinger. Contact info for these disciples is available by contacting Heidi, our Office Manager, at 317-881-6779 or at office@friedensucc.org.
It is an exciting time to be part of Friedens UCC!
Pastor Marc
As God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with
compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.
Colossians 3:12