Are we defined by a generous spirit? What if we asked our friends who know us best? Thoughts on living generously.

As I have mentioned at other times in our life together, I was made say "thank you" by my parents long before I ever knew the true meaning of gratitude. Why? So that I would know how to respond when I finally discovered that emotion on my own. Later I helped my parents prepare to file the family income tax form. As I was adding up my parents' annual contributions I offered my dad some teenage advice: "Dad, if you would cut back to tithing (that is giving 10% of your income) we could afford the car I want to buy!" Needless to say he did not listen to my "wisdom" and along the way I began to understand something about generosity. At this point in Cindy and my marriage we have given away moneys equal to what our first house will cost us and I can honestly say we have not missed the resources we gave away. That spirit has also allowed us to join the "junky car club" who's motto is "living with less, so we can give more." Click on the link if you want to join as well. The following are my thoughts on Adam Hamilton's chapter "Defined by Generosity" from the book ENOUGH: Discovering Joy Through Simplicity and Generosity.

As for those who in the present age are rich, command them not to be haughty, or to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but rather on God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share, thus storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life that really is life. (1 Timothy 6:17-19)

Some give freely, yet grow all the richer; others withhold what is due, and only suffer want. A generous person will be enriched, and one who gives water will get water. (Proverbs 11:24-25)

Those who are generous are blessed, for they share their bread with the poor. (Proverbs 22:9)

A Theological Foundation for a Generous Life

We Are Created to Be Generous and Tempted to Hoard: God created us with the willingness to give—to God and to others. This design is part of our who we are -- we need to be generous. Yet there are two voices that “war” against our God-given impulse toward generosity. These voices tempt us to keep or hoard what we have.

• First, there is a voice of fear. Fear, of what might happen to us, along with a misplaced idea about the true source of our security, keeps us from being generous and leads us to hoard what we have. The truth is that hoarding offers us no real security in this world.
• Second, we are tempted by the voice of self-gratification. Our culture tells us that our lives consist in the abundance of our possessions and pleasurable experiences. So we find ourselves thinking "If I give" there won’t be enough left for me.

We Can Defeat the Voices of Fear and Self Gratification: When we give our lives to Christ, invite him to be Lord, and allow the Holy Spirit to begin changing us from the inside out, we find that our fears begin to dissipate and our aim in life shifts from seeking personal pleasure to pleasing God and caring for others. Although we still may wrestle with the voices from time to time, we are able to silence them more readily and effectively the more we grow in Christ. And the more we grow in Christ, realizing that our lives belong to him, the more generous we become. Generosity is a fruit of spiritual growth.

There Are Biblical Reasons to Give to God and Others: 

• We find more joy in doing things for other people and for God than we ever did in doing things for ourselves. (Acts 20:35)
• In the very act of losing our lives, we find life. (Matthew 16:25)
• Life is a gift and all that we are and all that we have (and everything else as well) belongs to God. (Psalm 24:1; Leviticus 25:23)

Biblical Guidelines for Giving: From the early days of the Old Testament, God’s people observed the practice of giving some portion of the best of what they had to God. A gift offered to God was called the first fruits or the tithe, and it equaled one-tenth of one’s flocks or crops or income. Abraham was the first to give a tithe or tenth (see Genesis 14:20, Genesis 28:18-22, and Leviticus 27:30-33).

• Giving a tithe. As Christians who live under the new covenant, we are not bound by the Law of Moses; we look to it as a guide. Yet most Christians agree that the tithe is a good guideline for our lives, and one that is pleasing to God. Though tithing can be a struggle, it is possible at virtually every income level. If you cannot tithe right away, take a step in that direction. Perhaps you can give 2 percent or 5 percent or 7 percent. God understands where you are, and God will help you make the adjustments necessary for you to become more and more generous.
• Giving beyond the tithe. Tithing is a floor, not a ceiling. God calls us to grow beyond the tithe. We should strive to set aside an additional percentage of our income as offerings for other things that are important to us (e.g. mission projects, schools, church building funds, and other nonprofit organizations).

What Our Giving Means to God

How Does Our Giving Affect God? From the earliest biblical times, the primary way people worshipped God was by building an altar and offering the fruit of one’s labors upon it to God. They would burn the sacrifice of an animal or grain as a way of expressing their gratitude, devotion, and desire to honor God. The scent of the offering was said to be pleasing to God. It wasn’t that God loved the smell of burnt meat and grain. Rather, God saw that people were giving a gift that expressed love, faith, and the desire to please and honor God; and this moved God’s heart. When given in this spirit, our offerings bless the Lord.

• Jesus said: "Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into you lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back" (Luke 6:38).
• The Parable of the Talents reveal a God who expects us to be productive, to take risks, and know that those risks are rewarded (see Matthew 25:14-30).

How Our Generosity Affects Us

Through Giving Our Hearts Are Changed: When we are generous—to God and to our families, friends, neighbors, and others who are in need—our hearts are filled with joy. They are enlarged by the very act of giving. When we give generously, we become more generous.

In Giving We Find the Blessings of God (Malachi 3:10): Many Christians have it wrong. They say that if you give, then God will give more back to you.This is not how it works. We do not give to God so that we can get something in return. The amazing thing is that when we give to God and to others, the blessings just seem to come back to us. Of course, there is no guarantee that if you tithe you will never lose your job or never have other bad things happen to you. Nevertheless, when we give generously, the unmistakable blessings of God flow into our lives.

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Jesus said where your treasure is there your heart is also. Jesus says "follow the money" ... wish he hadn't!

Recently I was listending to a conversation with Tim Sanders on his new book http://www.amazon.com/Today-Are-Rich-Harnessing-Confidence/dp/1414339119/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1305650161&sr=8-1. Tim tells the story of his grandmother Billye taking him into her home and raising him as her own. In his early years Tim remembers the day a stranger happened to visit their very humble farm. He was out of work and trying to get to another town in New Mexico and was desperate to perform some work in order to get a good meal. Billye and the man agreed to do some chores around the house in exchange for $10 in wages. The man worked hard that day under Tim's youthful "supervision" and at the close of the day Billye paid the man with a twenty dollar bill and offered him a pair of his grandfather's shoes. As the man walked away with wealth in pocket and new shoes on his feet Billye whispered to Tim: "Today we are rich!" (check out the inteview on the Catalyst podcast: http://www.catalystspace.com/content/podcast/catalyst_podcast_episode_131/)

If you ask most people to define wealth its always one dollar more than they make. Someone else is always richer. Today I want to challenge you to see that you are rich when you have time, talent and resources to share and to spare. Which means most of us are rich!

Today I want to invite you to ponder one of Jesus' sayings with me. In the sermon on the mount Jesus offers this insight "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matthew 6:21). This is so true that it hurts. As a spiritual exercise open your checkbook up and see where your biggest expenditures are. I remember as a teenager doing this with my parents' checkbook and suggesting that the car I wanted could be found if my parents were to cut back to tithing. I discovered that they gave away almost eighteen percent of their income that year ... Jesus says to us follow the money to find where your heart truly is. I wish it was not so, but you can wander into my libraries (one room does not hold all my books) and you will know that I treasure books and the knowledge they hold. What is your treasure? 

As a closing thought you may want to "follow the money" and ask yourself do I use my time, talent, and resources for purposes that honor God and bless others? If so, then join me in saying "Today We Are Rich."

The following are my notes from reading about "Wisdom and Finance" in Adam Hamilton's book http://www.amazon.com/Enough-Discovering-through-Simplicity-Generosity/dp/1426702337/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1305651570&sr=1-3.

• The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to want (Proverbs 21:5).
• Precious treasure remains in the house of the wise, but the fool devours it (Proverbs 21:20).

Where Does the Money Go?

Living as Prodigals:   The story of the prodigal son (see Luke 15:11-16) demonstrates the habits of squandering and spending. The word prodigal does not mean someone who wanders away or is lost. It literally means “one who wastes money.” A prodigal is one who wastes money, who is a spendthrift.

Many of us struggle with that habit as well. We’re not worried about tomorrow. We want it today. The problem with that kind of thinking is that, for most of us, the “famine” eventually comes. It comes when we have spent everything we have and even a little bit of next year’s income. So we use the credit card and charge it, and we go a little further into debt. Finally, we come to a place where we “find ourselves,” just as the prodigal did. We have nothing left, not even any credit, and we can’t figure out how we are we going to make it.

The More We Make, the More We Waste:  It also seems that the more financially secure we become, the less we worry about spending money here and there. We waste a dollar on this or that, and we forget where it went. Money just seems to flow through our fingers. We’re not as careful with our money as we should be. There are many ways we waste money, but there are two primary money-wasters that many of us struggle with. It is not necessary to eliminate these two things all together, but we should think more carefully about how we spend our money.

• Impulse buying: Tips for avoiding impulse buying: • Never go grocery shopping when you are hungry. • Shop for what you need only. • Make a list and stick to it; buy what you need and get out of the store! • Wait twenty-four hours before purchasing an impulse buy.
• Eating out: The issue is frequency. The average American eats out an average of four times a week. By eating out less frequently, we will have more money to save, spend on something more important, or give away.
• By the way, are you wasting money? I ask you to perform a simple test. Go through you check register and add up all the ATM receipts. Tell me how much went through your hands and where did it go. If you do not "know" then it was a waste.

Clarifying Our Relationship With Money and Possessions

We do not exist to consume as much as we can and get as much pleasure as we can while we are here on this earth. We have a higher purpose. We need to know and understand our life purpose—our vision or mission or calling—and then spend our money in ways that are consistent with this purpose or calling.

• Be Clear About Your Purpose and Calling:  Our society tells us that our life purpose is to consume—to make as much money as possible and to blow as much money as possible. The Bible tells us that we were created to care for God’s creation. We were created to love God and to love our neighbors as ourselves. We were created to care for our families and those in need. We were created to glorify God, to seek justice, and to do mercy. Our money and possessions should be devoted to helping us fulfill this calling.
• Set Worthy Goals:  Being able to accomplish the greater purposes God has for our lives requires some measure of planning. Taking the time to set goals related to our lives and our finances is crucial if we are to become wise stewards of our God-given resources.

The Discipline of Managing Your Money

The Necessity of a Budget/Spending Plan:  Once we have set some financial goals, we need to develop a plan to meet those goals. A budget is a spending plan that enables us to accomplish our goals. Many people find it helpful to seek the advice of a financial advisor. For those who find themselves in the midst of a financial crisis, a financial counselor can help to work out terms with creditors and develop a workable financial plan. Whatever approach you choose, the important thing is simply to have a plan.

Six Financial Planning Principles:  The following financial planning principles can help us to manage our money with wisdom and faith:

1. Pay your tithe and offering first. Put God first in your living and your giving. Give your tithe and offering from the “top” of your paycheck, and then live on whatever remains.
2. Create a budget and track your expenses. Creating a budget is simply developing a plan in which you tell your money what you want it to do. Tracking your expenses with a budget is like getting on the scales: It allows you to see how you are doing and motivates you to be more careful with your expenditures. (Suggestion: Use the bulletin insert “Basic Budget Worksheet.”)
3. Simplify your lifestyle (live below your means). Because this discipline is critical to the success of any financial plan, next Sunday’s sermon will be devoted to this topic.
4. Establish an emergency fund. An emergency fund is an account separate from checking or long-term savings that is set aside specifically for emergencies. Dave Ramsey recommends beginning with $1,000 and building that to three months’ worth of income.4 When you have this amount, you won’t need to use your credit cards anymore.
5. Pay off your credit cards, use cash/debit cards for purchases, and use credit wisely. As you are building your emergency fund, begin to pay off your credit card debt and start using cash or debit cards for purchases. Some experts suggest starting with the credit card that has the highest interest rate. Others suggest paying down the smallest debt first, experiencing that victory, and applying your payments from the first card to the second, and so on, creating a snowball effect to pay off the cards as soon as possible. Cut up your cards as you pay them down so that you are not trapped or leveraged by your future for present-day pleasure, as the prodigal son was. If you must use a credit card, such as when traveling or making purchases online, be sure to pay off the debt monthly. If you are unable to do this, then it is better for you to cut up your cards and stop using them altogether.
6. Practice long-term savings and investing habits. Saving money is the number-one wise money management principle everyone should practice. We do not save merely for the sake of saving. There is a word for that: hoarding. Hoarding is frowned upon in the Bible as the practice of fools and those who fail to understand the purpose of life. Saving, on the other hand, is meant to be purposeful. There are three types of savings we should have: 1) emergency savings, 2) savings for wants and goals, and 3) retirement savings.

Resources for Developing a Budget

Crown Financial Ministries offers the following Spending Plan Calculator: http://www.crown.org/Tools/Calculators/Budgeting_SpendingPlan.asp This is a fun and helpful budgeting calculator that automatically generates a suggested budget based upon the user’s inputs and Crown’s recommended expenditures.

Resources for Getting Out of Debt

Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University offers a great deal of online information including his approach to reducing debt using the following "Debt Snowball" tool: https://www.mytotalmoneymakeover.com/index.cfm?event=displayDebtSnowballLanding

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When Our Dreams Become Nightmares ... thoughts on having Enough Stuff

This past week I took off for a four day retreat with a duffle bag, a bag of books, and another book bag with several journals and my computer. As we begin our sermon series centered around Adam Hamilton's book, ENOUGH: Discovering Joy Through Simplicity and Generosity, I have a confession to make. The stuff I carried to Camp Rockfish was the same amount of stuff I lived on for eighteen months in Kenya. 500 days of living out of the same amount of stuff I "needed" for a four day domesticated adventure? Really?!? Several scripture lessons come to mind as I reflect on where I find myself today.

• Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith, and pierced themselves with many griefs. (1 Timothy 6:10b, NIV)
• The lover of money will not be satisfied with money; nor the lover of wealth, with gain. This also is vanity. (Ecclesiastes 5:10)
• For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life? (Matthew 16:26)

Below are the rough notes and thoughts from reading the first chapter of ENOUGH.

The American Dream

• For most people, the American Dream has to do with a subconscious desire for achieving success and satisfying the desire for material possessions. It is the opportunity to pursue more than what we have, to gain more than what we have, and to meet success. We tend to measure our success by the stuff that we possess.
• The love of money and the things money can buy is a primary or secondary motive behind most of what we Americans do. We want to consume, acquire, and buy our way to happiness—and we want it now.

The American Nightmare

• Affluenza is the constant need for more and bigger and better stuff—as well as the effect that this need has on us. It is the desire to acquire, and most of us have been infected by this virus to some degree.
  • The average American home went from 1,660 square feet in 1973 to 2,400 square feet in 2004.
  • Today there is estimated to be 1.9 billion square feet of self-storage space in America.
  • Meanwhile, the average American family size has decreased ... fewer people in bigger space
• Credit-itis is an illness that is brought on by the opportunity to buy now and pay later, and it feeds on our desire for instant gratification. Our economy today is built on the concept of credit-itis. Unfortunately, it has exploited our lack of self-discipline and allowed us to feed our affluenza, wreaking havoc in our personal and national finances.
  • Average credit card debt in America in 1990 was around $3,000. Today it’s over $9,000.
  • The average sale is around 125 percent higher if we use a credit card than if we pay cash, because it doesn’t feel real when we use plastic instead of cash. 
  • Credit-itis is not limited to purchases made with credit cards; it extends to car loans, mortgages, and other loans. The life of the average car loan and home mortgage continues to increase, while the average American’s savings rate continues to decline.

A Deeper Problem Within

• There Is a Spiritual Issue Beneath the Surface of Affluenza and Credit-itis. Our souls were created in the image of God, but they have been distorted. 
  • We were meant to desire God, but we have turned that desire toward possessions. 
  • We were meant to find our security in God, but we find it in amassing wealth. 
  • We were meant to love people, but instead we compete with them. 
  • We were meant to enjoy the simple pleasures of life, but we busy ourselves with pursuing money and things. 
  • We were meant to be generous and to share with those in need, but we selfishly hoard our resources for ourselves. 
  • There is a sin nature within us.
• The Devil Plays Upon This Sin Nature. Jesus said, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:10). The devil doesn’t need to tempt us to do drugs or to steal or to have an extramarital affair in order to destroy us. All he needs to do is convince us to keep pursuing the American Dream—to keep up with the Joneses, borrow against our futures, enjoy more than we can afford, and indulge ourselves. By doing that, he will rob us of joy, make us slaves, and keep us from doing God’s will. Check out:
  • Matthew 4:8-10
  • Luke 8:14
  • Mark 8:36
  • 1 Timothy 6:10

The Biblical Alternative

• We Need a Heart Change: When we accept Christ into our lives we receive a changed heart. Each morning we should get down on our knees and say, “Lord, help me to be the person you want me to be today. Take away the desires that shouldn’t be there, and help me be single-minded in my focus and my pursuit of you.” As we do this, God comes and cleanses us from the inside out, purifying our hearts.
• We Must Allow Christ to Work in Us: Christ works in us as we seek first his kingdom and strive to do his will. As this happens we sense a higher calling—a calling to simplicity and faithfulness and generosity. We begin to find ways to make a difference with our time, talent, and resources. 
• By pursuing good financial practices, we free ourselves from debt so that we are able to be in mission to the world. A key part of finding financial and spiritual freedom is found in simplicity and in exercising restraint.
• With the help of God, we can: 
  • smplify our lives and silence the voices constantly telling us we need more 
  • live counter-culturally by living below, not above, our means 
  • build into our budgets the money to buy with cash instead of credit 
  • build into our budgets what we need to be able to live generously and faithfully

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What the Golden Leaf Foundation Taught Me About Kinston

Last night community leaders gathered at the Waller Auditorium at Lenoir Community College to continue our conversation with the Golden Leaf Foundation. Will Lambe, part of the University of North Carolina and Golden Leaf team offered these notes on Lenoir County.

Current Economic Situation:

• Unemployment @ 12.5% (May 2009, NC @ 11.1%)
• Poverty Rate @ 24% (2007, NC @ 15%)
• Median Household Income @ $31,304 (2007, NC @ $43,867)
• Labor Force Participation @ 60% (2007, NC @ 65%)

Lenoir County Employment Sectors:

• Health Care & Social Assistance - 23.0% (up 7.3% over the last two years)
• Manufacturing - 14.7% (down 19.9% over the last two years)
• Retail Trade - 11.7% (up 4.2% over the last two years)
• Educational Services - 7.7% (up 3.4% over the last two years)
• Accommodation & Food Services - 6.5% (down 7.6% over the last two years)
• Construction - 6.5% (up 5.6% over the last two years)
• Administration & Waste Services - 5.8% (down 27.1% over the last two years)
• Public Adminstration - 5.8% (up 1.0% over the last two years)

The public sector employs about 24% of the work force (typical for rural counties).

The discerned community assets from the Golden Leaf include:

• Workforce
• Strong and active local institutions
• Neuse River waterfront and historic downtown
• Kinston Indians
• Innovative Education Partnerships
• Healthcare Infrastructure
• Global Transpark

Recent Planning Efforts known to the Golden Leaf include:

• CROSSROADS Project
• City of Kinston / Lenoir County Strategic Economic Development Plan
• Riverfront - Now!: Redesign of Kinston Waterfront
• Kinston Vision and Redevelopment Plan
• Kinston Comprehensive Economic Development Plan
• Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Education

Key Issues and Priorities include:

• Economic Development
• Workforce Competitiveness
  
• Downtown revitalization in Kinston (including waterfront)
• Public Education
• Aging population and leadership
• Housing
• Infrastructure and Connectivity

The University of North Carolina is committed through its Community Campus Partnership program to provide assistance for the next two years .

Bloom Where You Are Planted

David Anderson of the Free Press asked me a few weeks ago why I attended a meeting that the Golden Leaf Foundation hosted for Lenoir County. My response was "I am seeking the prosperity and welfare of the city of Kinston" and I wanted to be a part of anything focused in that direction. I reminded him that this statement came from the prophet Jeremiah in a letter to the Jewish exiles in Babylon which says "seek the welfare of the city ... and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your own" (Jeremiah 29:7). For me the God’s word says that when we seek the greater common good, even when we live among our enemies, then we will find our personal welfare and prosperity. For too long many of us have reversed the logic of God's economy and sought personal prosperity before seeking the common good.

David fact-checked my quote and called me back to say I had left out part of the verse, the part that describes "being sent into exile." The follow-up question was easy enough: "do you feel like you were sent into exile?" with the implication that maybe Kinston was a step back from other cities. My immediate response was, "I am not in exile! However many of the folks I run into often sound like they are in exile.” Many Kinstonians either wistfully remember the Kinston that is "no longer" or passionately long for the Kinston that is "not yet." When you live in either the "no longer" or the "not yet" you live in exile from the "here and now."

Jeremiah’s letter is explicit about here and now living. He wrote: "build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters ... multiply there and do not decrease" (Jeremiah 29:5-6). The Lord is not saying we can’t dream about another place or time, but you can only live in the here and now. Essentially Jeremiah was saying "bloom where you are planted." So I invite you to join those seeking Kinston’s greater welfare and prosperity starting with the street you live on. Let’s bloom where we are planted.

Pastor's Column in the July Newsletter

Sisters and Brothers in Christ:

Greetings in the Name of the One Who Gives Freedom – Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior!

I remember the moments when the walls of our parsonage in Swansboro rattled as the big guns aboard Camp LeJeune sounded their call. I remember the officers and enlisted personnel who were members of Swansboro United Methodist Church reminding me that was “the sound of freedom” – and to an extent they were right. The sacrifice of our military personnel across over two centuries of our country’s history have provided us with the ability to gather to worship in complete freedom. As we come to moments of national celebration like the Fourth of July and Memorial Day, we do well to pause and give thanks to those who provided this freedom.

But Christians have gathered to worship for over two-thousand years – sometimes in the open light of day and other times underground in the darkness. Each time they gathered to worship they gathered in freedom. Why? Because the author of our freedom ultimately is Jesus Christ. Jesus said it this way, “if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36). Across the world there have been and are movements that tried to tie together the freedom we find in Christ various political movements that promised freedom. Each movement provided a bit of the truth about our freedom, but ultimately each fell short of providing full freedom because they lacked loyalty to Jesus – the author of our salvation and the source of our freedom. I invite you this Fourth of July to remember the sacrifice of those who defend our ability to gather freely in worship. I also invite you to listen for the sounds of the nails being hammered into a cross through the hands and feet of the One who is our source of freedom. That sound may not rattle the walls of your house, but that ringing is the true “sound of freedom.”

This summer brings opportunities to gather for a baseball game on July 12th to engage in fellowship together with our church. We also are working to pull together our education space as we provide several opportunities for our community to be introduced to our Queen Street Academy after-school program. We also need your help on some Wednesdays as we continue working to clean and paint other parts of our education building. Join us for a day of work and fellowship.

I close with a reminder that many in our community are experiencing economic shortfalls because of the recent economic downturn. If you are able to make a financial gift to assist others in their season of shortfall you can make your checks payable to Queen Street Church and designate it for “family support.”

I thank each of you for how you use your freedom to serve our Lord in this community and within our church. See you on Sunday!

Grace and Peace, Allen

Pastor's Column in the June Newsletter

Sisters and Brothers in Christ:

Greetings in the Name of Jesus Christ – the One who prayed that the church might be one.

This month our early worship celebration will gather in the Fellowship Hall and join other churches around the country in living into Jesus’ prayer that the church might be one. Last year over 2 million people joined in the One Prayer campaign and more are expected join this year. The theme for this year invited preachers from around the world to complete the sentence “GOD IS … .” Below is our schedule of messages … come join us on Sunday morning as we learn more about who God is.

Join us for ONE PRAYER 2009!

May 31 – “GOD IS … Love”

Craig Groeschel @ LifeChurch.tv in Edmund OK.

June 7 – “GOD IS … Here and Anything Can Happen”

Dino Rizzo @ Healing Place Church in Baton Rouge, LA

June 14 – “GOD IS … Strength”

Francis Chan @ Cornerstone Church in Simi Valley, CA

June 21 – “GOD IS … Incomparable”

Mark Batterson @ National Community Church in Washington, DC

June 28 – “GOD IS …”

Andy Stanley @ North Point Community Church in Alpharetta, GA

Our children’s space is now nearly renovated and in the coming months we will want to dress up our new adult spaces. In the coming weeks we will be putting together a summer work schedule to include workdays during the work week and on several Saturdays. I encourage you to find a place to commit several hours to helping us paint, clean, and organize our education spaces.

We will also need to keep our eyes focused on our city. As I mentioned this past week we congratulate Agnes Ho (Neuse Regional Library), Herbert and Cathy Lewis (Sweet’s Coffee Shop), Darlene Brown (Brown’s Sweet Treats), and Alison Merritt (Alison and Company)for their awards from the Kinston-Lenoir Chamber of Commerce. Let us continue to seek and pray for the welfare and prosperity of the city where we live.

Grace and Peace, ALLEN

God Is ... Love w/ Craig Groeschel

Craig Groeschel, of LifeChurch.tv in Edmund OK, launches our One Prayer campaign with the question "Why would God love ME?"  Like John Wesley, he knew that God loved the world and he knew how to point at others and say "God loves you."  But Craig, like many of us, found it hard to comprehend that "God loves me."

Two questions prompt his thoughts:

• Why would God love someone as BAD as me? Job reflects upon his encounter with God and says "I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes" (Job 42:5-6). Paul said to the church in Corinth "for I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God" (1 Corinthians 15:9).
• Why would God love someone as INSIGNIFICANT as me (among six billion people on planet earth)? Moses said to God when he was being called to liberate the children of Israel “who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?" (Exodus 3:11). David said to God as he led worship with his people "but who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to make this freewill offering? For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you" (1 Chronicles 29:14).

God does not just love you - there is more to God than that.  God is more that what God does, God is LOVE.  "Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins" (1 John 4:8-10).  We are not reflecting on God's action, we are paying attention to who God is ... God is LOVE! That changes everything!

• God's love COVERS your sins. "Love covers a multitude of sins" (1 Peter 4:8). When Adam and Eve rebelled in the garden, God covered them with the skin of an innocent animal (see Genesis 3:21). When a son rebelled against his father and squandered his fortune, the father welcomed him home and covered him with a new robe (see Luke 15:22). Paul said to Titus "when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy" (Titus 3:4-5).
• God's love makes you SIGNIFICANT. "I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you" (Jeremiah 31:3).  See Luke 15 for the stories of the widow looking for a lost coin, a father with two sons, and a shepherd with 100 sheep left 99 to find the one lost sheep.

So this is Craig and my prayer for you this day: "for God so loved (insert your name) that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life" (John 3:16). Amen.

I will post a link to the online version of the sermon at a later date.  It's worth the watch!  Craig is a great storyteller and offers the gospel in a fresh way. Meanwhile check out his books below:

ONE PRAYER Campaign for 2009

This year at Queen Street Church, the early service will feature preachers from several churches as we seek to be in union with churches around the world.  Last year LifeChurch.tv invited other pastors and churches from around the world to share in Jesus' ONE PRAYER for the church, to share in hearing God's word, and enter into service to a broken world.  This year's One Prayer messages emerge from each preacher's desire to convey a single truth emerging from the phrase "God Is ... ."  

• "God Is ... Love" from Craig Groeschel of LifeChurch.tv in Edmund, OK.
• "God Is ...  Here and Anything Can Happen" from Dino Rizzo of Healing Place Church in Baton Rouge, LA.
• "God Is ...  in Control" from Greg Surratt of Seacoast Church in Mount Pleasant, SC.
• "God Is ...  Incomparable" from Mark Batterson of National Community Church in Washington, DC.
• "God Is ...  Strength" from Francis Chan of Cornerstone Church in Simi Valley, CA.  
• "God Is ...  Waiting on You" from Mark Beeson of Granger Community Church in South Bend, IN.
  
• "God Is ...  " from Andy Stanley of North Point Community Church in Alpharetta, GA.

Last year's theme was built on each pastor's simple prayer for the church "Make Us ... ."  You may want to check out last year's messages from several of the the preachers we will be hearing.

• "Make Us ... One" from Craig Groeschel of LifeChurch.tv in Edmund, OK.
  
• "Make Us ... Courageous" from Mark Beeson of Granger Community Church in Southbend, IN.
• "Make Us ... Dreamers" from Mark Batterson pastor of National Community Church in Washington, DC.
• "Make Us ... Obedient" from Greg Surratt of Seacoast Church in Mount Pleasant, SC.
• "Make Us ... Wise" from Wayne Cordeiro of New Hope Christian Fellowship in Honolulu, HI.
• "Make Us ... Generous" from Dino Rizzo of Healing Place Church in Baton Rouge, LA.

I am praying that you will enjoy the coming month as we ponder the mystery of our God.

Books for Your Reading Consideration

In a season of economic uncertainty, you may want to consider these books for your personal and small group study:

• During difficult economic times, it's tough not to focus on getting by with less and waiting for the next bit of bad news. But, as Christians, how do we to respond to what's happening on Wall Street? In Upside Living in a Downside Economy, Mike Slaughter, pastor of Ginghamsburg Church, offers insight into seeking God's perspective in our daily money concerns. With clarity and a servant's heart, Slaughter addresses vital topics such as money and marriage, financial and spiritual investments, personal motivation and God's will, and determining priorities. (There is also a four-session DVD and Leader's Guide for Upside Living in a Downside Economy that can assist participants in strengthening their spiritual connection while making economic corrections and, most importantly, responding according to God's plan).

• Enough is an invitation by Adam Hamilton, pastor of The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection, to rediscover the Bible’s wisdom when it comes to prudent financial practices. In these pages are found the keys to experiencing contentment, overcoming fear, and discovering joy through simplicity and generosity. This book could change your life, by changing your relationship with money. (Also available is a five session video study with leader guide. Adam Hamilton presents such topics as Introduction: Faith in the Midst of Financial Crisis, When Dreams Become Nightmares, Wisdom and Finance, Cultivating Contentment, Defined By Generosity plus a Bonus video: To Be A Blessing).

• Finally, Bishop Robert Schnase, offers us a devotion titled The Balancing Act. Our lives are filled to capacity with routines, habits, conversations, surprises, and disappointments. With all that's going on in life, it's easy to miss those quiet moments of grace which come more often than we realize. But they are there. A collection of thirty short and insightful devotional readings originally written for his blog, Bishop Robert Schnase invites readers to take a daily look at how to watch for and include God in their lives. The Balancing Act is written to inspire prayer, conversation, questions, and change. Feel free to use it as a personal daily devotional or in small groups.

Click the links below to purchase these books at Amazon:

Pastor's Column in the May Newsletter

Sisters and Brothers in Christ:

Greetings in the Name of our Risen Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

I am spending times these days wondering and praying and dreaming and pondering about our life together. I celebrated with God our hospitality as we welcomed the Association of Congregations for Holy Week worship here – I am ready to do that again tomorrow! I marveled at Jacob Mewborn’s creativity as he led his time in preparing worship celebrations for us throughout Lent and Easter. I prayed for Sammy Hudson as he has led us in worship for the past 2 years and now prepares for a full summer of ministry at The Refuge. I keep being surprised by Bridges Baker and our kids … we had 11 children in the nursery the Sunday after Easter! I prayed for the communion of saints as their number was increased by the addition of our brother David Callaway and sister Louise Burkett. I prayed for the continued ministry of our Congregational Care team after we dedicated them for ministry among us last month. I dreamed of our kids at Southeast Elementary School becoming the best of who God intends them to be and live according to God’s purposes for their lives. And I wondered … and I prayed … and I dreamt … and I pondered …

Father God, what are you up to on Queen Street? I am convinced that we are the people to lead this community into God’s preferred future. I am clear that God’s vision for us is to seek the welfare of the city where we live and trust that God will provide for our welfare as part of that broader prosperity. I am committed to seeing that the next steps are taken to lead God’s people forward, even if it is a land filled with giants as well as milk and honey. Yet I come back to that question, “Father God, what are you up to on Queen Street?”

This summer we will need to spend some time reorganizing our lives. When we move back into in our renovated spaces we will need to spend several days together moving equipment from one space to another. We have things scattered about the church that need to be reorganized and stored in new spaces. We have spaces that were formerly children’s spaces that now need to be repainted as adult and/or dual use spaces. For me all of this is a sign that God is also inviting us this summer to relook, rethink, reevaluate, reorganize, and retool ourselves for ministry together on Queen Street. So I come back to the question, “Father God, what are you up to on Queen Street?”

So I ask you to join with me in praying, “Father God, what are you up to on Queen Street?” I know that God is at work on Queen Street and in the midst of the servants I have come to hold so dear in our life together. Our leadership team is working on ways for us to spend this summer in wondering, praying, dreaming and pondering together as we seek to answer this question. My hope for you is that you will join us in this prayerful work and find your place for ministry among the saints and sinners who worship together on Queen Street.

Grace and Peace, Allen

Pastor's Column in the April Newsletter

Sisters and Brothers in Christ:

Greetings in the Name of the Holy One of Israel, Jesus Christ our Lord!

In the coming week we will pause to remember the most important week of our Lord's life, the week of his passion or death. It is easy for us to forget the dizzying effect this week had on Jesus' first disciples. One moment they were looking out over the holy city of Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, then they scrambled to find a donkey and led Jesus through the city in a victorious parade and later he shared a special meal with his closest followers that reinterpreted the meaning of the ancient ritual of Passover. Then Jesus was arrested by the Jewish authorities, prosecuted before the Roman governor, and crucified and left for dead outside the city walls of Jerusalem. Some of his closest and bravest followers recovered his body and prepared it for a proper burial. Then the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob intervened in a way never anticipated by his followers - God raised Jesus from the dead!

As you prepare to join Christians around the world in celebrating this Holy Week, I encourage you not to leap to the resurrection without first passing through the joy of the palms, the breaking of the bread, sharing in the cup, and the pain of the nails. To do so misses the experience of Jesus being fully alive in our midst, even in his "obedience unto death on a cross" (Philippians 2:8). When we remember his life among and "the baptism of suffering, death and resurrection "we come to realize how much God loves us. This is the hope in which we stand unto this day: "Christ died for us while we were yet sinners, that proves God's love toward us" (see Romans 5:8).

During Holy Week we are hosting the Association of Congregations of Kinston and Lenoir County worship services during the lunch hour on Monday through Thursday. Each day we will worship from 12:00 to 12:30 PM and then have lunch together from 12:30 to 1:00 PM. I trust you will present to extend hospitality to our community as together we remember the week of Jesus' passion. As we do this, let us hold fast to these words from the writer of Hebrews:

Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful. And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching (Hebrews 11:23-25).

In the week after Easter our contractor will be making a big push to complete several portions of our renovation project. I know you join me in praying for their continued good work and safety as they work on our behalf to prepare a great space for our children. Thanks for all you do to support the ministry of the people called Methodist on Queen Street.

Grace and Peace, Allen

Pastor's Column in the February Newsletter

Greetings in the Name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior!

The new year continues to reveal itself for us at Queen Street Church. This month I invite you to attend the choir’s musical dinner theatre event . This will be a opportunity to enjoy the gifted musicians who lead our worship in a different venue. Bring a loved one or just a good friend for dinner and a show.

This month we will also be focusing on the gift of Christian fellowship. We invite you to join us on Wednesday evenings for a meal and table conversation. Often times we feel rushed to push the plates aside for an evening program, but for this month we just want to enjoy each other’s company. In the coming months we will add opportunities for bible study or small group devotion in addition to the fellowship. If you are ready to join a small group right now, I encourage you to join Jeff and Shannon Nelson in their home on Tuesdays evenings. I am sure that the flame of Christian relationships will burn warmly in their home.

In our youth ministry we are working with Betty Blaine Worthington on Sunday mornings and with our youth team on Sunday evenings on opportunities to grow in our connections with each other and with Jesus. I will begin a confirmation class for the middle school youth on Sunday evenings at 5:00 PM beginning on February 8.

We anticipate seeing signs of construction in February, so begin your urgent prayers for our patience, perseverance, and safety during this time. As always, join me in praying and seeking for the welfare and prosperity of Kinston.

Grace and Peace, Allen

Pastor's Column in the January Newsletter

Sisters and Brothers in Christ:

As I start the new year I am resolved to return to a different rhythm in my life. The melody to this rhythm is found in a hymn written by Joseph Brackett, an eighteenth century elder of the Shaker community in Maine, who penned these words in 1848:

'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free,
'Tis the gift to come down where you ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
'Twill be in the valley of love and delight.
When true simplicity is gain'd,
To bow and to bend we shan't be asham'd,
To turn, turn will be our delight,
Till by turning, turning we come round right.

At some point along the way, the word was that this was a melody to work by, but other historians suggest that this was a dancing tune. This latter theme was picked up when Sidney Carter wrote the words of “The Lord of the Dance” found in our most recent hymnal. Let me suggest that in this melody is the primary work of this new year for Queen Street Church, the work of finding true simplicity.

We love to make life difficult. Have you noticed that we seem to enjoy complexity. When you ask me to do something I come up with a list of why I cannot respond at this time. When I ask you to do something the list is different, but the outcome is the same. Yet Jesus said “let you ‘yes’ be ‘yes’ and your ‘no‘ be ‘no.’” When we look at the calendar for the new year we immediately pencil in everything we did last year and then start adding new events to the schedule. Pretty soon I will have our staff in charge of producing 104 special Sundays a year and wondering why they can only accomplish 52! So let’s stop being complicated and seeking true simplicity this year.

I suggest first that we consider simplifying the way we talk about our faith. I want you to have you personal connection to Jesus Christ, but I want you to understand that following Jesus among the tribe called United Methodists is pretty simple! Bishop Rueben Job suggests that John Wesley’s rules for living together in Christian community can be reduced to three challenges:

• Do No Harm,
• Do Good,
• Stay in Love with God

Is that simple enough for us? I think so. So my pledge to you in the coming year is that I will be asking us to consider all the simple things we can do to further God’s soon-coming kingdom. I will be asking us to uncomplicated our lives and our calendars by throwing out the complicated things that get in the way of true simplicity. And then I want us to dance in God’s simplicity … “’tis a gift to be simple, ‘tis a gift to be free, ‘tis a gift to come down …”

Grace and Peace, Allen

Pastor's Column in the December Newsletter

Sisters and Brothers in Christ:

Joy to the world the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King:
Let every heart prepare him room,
And heaven and nature sing.

Isaac Watts’ “Joy to the World” eighteenth century hymn continues to reverberate across the world. As I think about the people, places, and times that this hymn has been lifted, I marvel at the ability of the human spirit to triumph over whatever the current circumstances may be. Whether it be world wars or local peace, rumors of wars or hints of prosperity, famine or plenty, recessions or boom times, the word that Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem continues to best the best news ever!

Recent months have brought a new uncertainty to many of our minds. I cannot remember moments like these, and yet for some of us this brings to mind memories that we thought had disappeared forever. As we finish this year fraught with ambiguity I remind us that we know that the source of our joy is Jesus Christ. In moments like these it helps to lean back into the everlasting arms of our God and remember that the promises of love, joy, and peace are ours through Jesus.

This month we will have opportunities to celebrate the birth of Christ with our Christmas concerts scheduled on December 13 and 14. Later, our children will have a birthday party for Jesus on Sunday December 21st during the worship celebrations. Finally, on Christmas Eve we will have two worship celebrations: one at 5:00 p.m. will be a kid friendly and adult savvy family celebration, the other will be a “midnight” communion service at 11:00 p.m. Both services will feature the reading of the familiar lessons, the singing of our favorite carols, and the lighting of candles to celebrate the birth of the King!

Prepare your heart this month to receive the Jesus once again. This year and every year the news that Jesus Christ was born is worth shouting from the mountaintops.

Grace and Peace, Allen

Pastor's Column in the November Newsletter

Greetings in the Name of Jesus Christ
– the One Who Is, the One Who Was, and the One Who Is to Come!

Two phrase have stuck in my spirit over the past few weeks. One is “the answer to how is yes” and the other is “let the little children come to me.” The first statement I heard when I attended a conference in Atlanta and referred to a book written by Peter Block by the same title. Block’s book invites us to consider whether we too often ask the wrong question when we seek to accomplish something important in our lives. We too often ask "How?" which focuses on how we will get the job done and reveals our desire to control of people, time, and cost. Instead, we need to focus on "Why?" We need to pay attention to what really matters to us personally, from heart-felt commitments in our private lives to the creation of projects in the workplace. To be able to act on what matters, explains Block, we must reclaim our idealism.

As I was considering this phase I was pondering the stained-glass window in our sanctuary that depicts the scene just after Jesus says to his disciples, “let the little children come to me” (Matthew 19:14). Jesus goes on to say, “and do not stop them; for it is to such as these belongs the kingdom of heaven.” How many of us have heard a plea from a Sunday School teacher or a preacher for us to have a more childlike faith? As I pondered the two phrases I remember how children are always asking the “Why” questions and never seem to be bothered by “How” questions. In that moment I sensed in my spirit where we stand as a church.

In the face of needing to pay attention to our children’s spaces, deal with sanctuary renovations, and provide staffing for an emerging generations I find myself bogged down in the “How” questions: How will we pay for this? How will we find new members? How will we …? What Block’s title reminded me was that we need to return to the childlike wonder of the “Why” questions: Why do we exist as a church? Why care about children? Why pay attention to worship or Sunday School? Why, because Jesus has entered our lives and he invites us in big and small ways to beckon others to join us on the journey.

This month we will be asking you to join us for an open house for the Queen Street Academy. You will have a chance to see the kid’s art work, roam the space a little, and spend some time with Bridges and me in conversation about the why questions for the present and future needs for our children’s programs. The following week we will join forces with Stop Hunger Now to provide thousands of meals for starving persons across the world. During this month we will also take time to invite you to commit your resources in the coming year.

I know that asking you to plan your future giving in the midst of current financial stresses is difficult. I invite you to consider two thoughts as you pray about how to utilize your resources in the coming year: First, I invite you to consider the “why” of your gifts and leave the “how” to God, for this is what children do best! Second, if you stand with me in knowing that introducing children to Jesus is crucial, then I invite you to make a deeper commitment to our children and to the renovation of the spaces for the next generation to play and learn.

I give thanks every day that the people of Queen Street Church continue to find a way to say “YES” to God’s future for our life together. I hope you will join me in saying thanks be to God for the saints, sinners, and ministry of the people called Methodist on Queen Street!

Grace and Peace, Allen

Pastor's Column in the October Newsletter

Sisters and Brothers in Christ!

“For God is not a God of disorder but of peace” (1 Corinthians 14:33).

Paul wrote these words when he was asked about how worship was to be conducted within the Christian community in Corinth. Every worship service contained moments of hymn singing, scripture sharing, truth-telling prophecy, and even tongue-speaking … all with no rhyme or reason. The people were confused and Paul said, “step back and take a moment to get organized. Everybody needs to come together ready a moment to share, but then organize your efforts. Everything will come in due course.”

So it is with Queen Street Church this month. We are “disordered!” The worshipping space of our Sanctuary is being refurbished with a renewing of our floors and pews. While that is going on, we are worshipping in our Fellowship Hall and the space is small and we cannot see around columns or over the heads of others. Sometimes the words are “disordered” on the screen and we cannot always hear or see what is going on. In the midst of this I give Gods thanks that we have been a people of peace! Thank you for bearing with us as we begin a season of renovations to our facilities.

We anticipate moving back into the sanctuary in early November and then we will begin renovations of our children’s space on the main floor of the education building. Already you can see signs of the education renovations as carpets are being removed and floors being exposed so that our architect and contractor can help us discern the next steps for our renovation. As events unfold in the coming months I encourage you to remain a people who serve a “God not of disorder but of peace.”

Within this newsletter you will find news of events for young and old alike throughout October. In November and December we anticipate several worship celebrations that will highlight our renewed spaces. We will do our best to keep you apprised of these events as we nail down the dates. Above all else, we know that God is with us to bring peace in the midst of the disorder of our worship space, the disorder of a new Kinston being birthed, and even the disorder of our current economic mess. God is with us – we are not alone – let us give thanks to our Father in heaven!

Grace and Peace, Allen

Pastor's Column in the September Newsletter

Greetings in the Name of Jesus Christ
The One Who Is, the One Who Was, and the One Who Is to Come!

There comes a time when our hearts turn from summer living (and loving) to back to school sales and fall football games. As we make this turn at Queen Street Church we are starting on some new adventures. In the coming weeks you will see signs of the times as our Queen Street Academy launches its fall after-school program, the renovation begins on the main floor of the education building, and the organ begins being reinstalled in the sanctuary. Pay attention in the coming weeks for a congregational meeting on Sunday September 7th to discuss several changes that the organ committee is proposing for our sanctuary as the organ is being reinstalled.

Listed below are several new opportunities that are emerging this fall:

• The Wednesday Fellowship Meal begins on September 3rd at 6:00 PM
• The Fall Wednesday Night Bible Study begins on September 3rd at 7:00 PM
• King’s Kids will begin on Wednesday September 3rd at 7:00 PM
• United Methodist Youth Fellowship restarts on Sunday September 7th
• The Congregational Care Team begins training on Wednesday September 10th at 10:30 AM
• The Upper Room Coffee House restarts on Friday September 19th at 7:00 PM

Here are the details on the adult studies that begin this fall:

• The Wednesday Night Bible Study is titles “Serving from Your Heart: Finding Your Gifts and Talents for Service.” This study will help you build confidence and commitment as you discover your own unique gifts and talents for service in the church and community. You will explore your gifts, find your passion for service, and then get connected for service. Along the way you will examine your gifts, talents, abilities, resources, personality, dreams, experiences, and strengths. My hope is that each of us will find out something new about who God has created us to be.
• On Wednesday mornings on a bi-weekly basis our Congregational Care Team is going to being trained using the study “Developing a Caring Community: A Course in Pastoral Care Ministry for Laity.” This study will help us learn how to care for each other as God cared for the world. Remember that when the world was in trouble God sent his son to “become flesh and blood and move into our neighborhood.” We will learn to care for each other as members of the church experience brokenness in body, mind, and spirit. Please come learn how to care better for each other on life’s journey.

We are gathering momentum as the body of Christ on Queen Street and I think this fall we will see great signs of God’s hand moving in our midst as “we seek the prosperity and welfare of the city of Kinston.”

Grace and Peace, Allen

Pastor's Column in the June Newsletter

Sisters and Brothers in Christ –

Greetings in the Name of the One Who Is, the One Who Was, and the One Who Is to Come!

In the month of June we mark the closing of one year of my ministry with the people called Methodist at Queen Street UMC. It has been a long journey for me. I came with energy to spare and ready to lean into God’s future for Kinston. No sooner than I had arrived and we commending the soul of our sister Teresa Smith to God. My plans were changed. Our plans were changed. Suddenly we had to rely on God’s guidance as we began to move in new directions under the leadership of the Holy Spirit.

Where are we now? The pastor-parish relations committee hopes to hire a full-time director of our children’s ministry in the coming months. The board of trustees is utilizing the resources from the sale of the house on Margaret Lane to renovate spaces for children and youth ministries. We learned from our Music Academy what a venture into after-school care might look like in our building. So we are now positioned to open, pending renovation and hiring, an after-school program for elementary children this fall. With God’s blessing may it come to pass!

As the summer is now upon us, we are already shifting gears to implement strategies for the fall. As Jacob Mewborn and I reviewed our summer plans, it made sense to us to wait until August for us to launch a worship-filled weekly Bible study on Wednesday evenings. In the meantime we are looking over our calendars to find several times to gather ourselves together to have some fun and fellowship on some Wednesday evenings. We will keep you posted on the progress of our plans.

Sisters and brothers … we stand ready to move. Like many of you, I am excited by recent announcements of jobs coming to Kinston. I am excited about the resurgence I sense in our steps and encourage us to continue seeking for the welfare of the city, for in it we will find our own welfare (see Jeremiah 29:6). Keep praying for strength to lean into God’s vision for his soon-coming and already-arriving kingdom.

Grace and Peace, Allen

Pastor's Column in the May Newsletter

Sisters and Brothers in Christ:

Greetings in the name of our Risen Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

In our Easter sermon series I have been suggesting that after God raised Jesus from the dead, Jesus became a God of motion. He was moving out to the gentile world when he encountered the disciples on the road to Emmaus. After he left them he showed up later in the evening with the disciples gathered in Jerusalem (see Luke 24). Later Jesus showed up to challenge the Thomas in each of us to accept that his wounds were real, his death certain, and his resurrection was the final word (see John 20). He went up Galilee to find disciples who had "gone fishing" and invited them back to the journey (see John 21). On the day of Jesus' Ascension he took his followers up on the Mount of Olives and commanded them to be his witnesses (the Greek here says martyrs) in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (see Acts 1:8).

In our day, I think our Jerusalem is the folks we know who show their devotion to God by showing up to worship at Queen Street and being a part of the body of Christ in this place. Jesus says we are to faithful witnesses here and so we are. Our Judea is the folks who look like us, act like us, worship the God made known in Jesus like us, and who are already aware of the God of Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob. Our Samaria are the folks around who do not look like us, do not behave like us, or do not know Jesus Christ and call upon his Name. Finally, we are called to share the good news of Jesus Christ around the world ... to whatever end of world God call us to go. As I read the book of Acts I see Jesus leading the church to be a body in motion and I see Queen Street warming to the task of perpetual motion for God as well. Thanks be to God.

I invite you in the month of May to join for the fellowship meal as we explore how we are becoming a body in motion. One night we will discuss our children and youth space and the hiring of a children's minister, another night we will feed at least 2,500 starving people in an effort with the good ministry of STOP Hunger Now! Another night will remember how the early church cared for its members and pray about how we care for every member of the congregation as we move forward. Finally, our Ministry Review Team will present its report to the congregation and help us begin to move united as the body of Christ on Queen Street. We are a body in motion ... come join the journey.

Grace and Peace, Allen