Taking the Message to our Neighborhood

It is a short stroll down East Street in Flint, Michigan from where we gather on Sunday morning for our weekly celebration. There we find a white house with a big front door open to the street and in plain sight of the University of Michigan Flint Campus. Here Kate Robinson, a New Wine member, and other young adults have opened a little Friday night coffee house called "The White House Student Cafe". Here for the last few weeks and until the semester ends from 6pm to 10pm the doors are open to students and young adults free of charge. Owned and remodeled by the Riverside Tabernacle, and in conjunction with IVCF campus ministry, we are forming a ministry team to host these student venues. One or two musicians share their talents as warm coffee and pastries are served. It is the vision of the ministry team that this becomes a regular gathering place for students on Friday nights. Here friendships will be made and good conversation will be had, and on occasion we trust that conversation might focus about the hope that brings joy to the Christian heart. Its happening just down the street in our neighborhood, in Kate's neighborhood.

In my neighborhood of Flushing there is a senior apartment complex called Elmcrest. Actually there are a few former church members from when I served in the Episcopal church in town who live there. They invited me to come over to share communion for those who cannot get to church on Sundays. Pat Self or I make it over there about once a month. We have had as few as six but more than a dozen on any given visit. The Scriptures say that when we break bread like this, Christ is proclaimed. Right here in my neighborhood.

Jim and Joan just got back from a winter trip to Texas. The surprise is that in the weeks they were away, next to where their Wednesday Cell Group meets at Taecken's Terrace, a new apartment complex called Ballard Village is being quickly built. Jim and Joan know the Ballards whom they went to church with in Davision. Jim shared with the group last Wednesday: "It is so good to see the new apartment going up and they are already putting on the roof. It looks like our next mission field is just about done!" Jim has caught the vision of taking the message to his neighborhood.

As I look over the New Wine flock each Sunday morning, I not only see "sheep" who have been and are being redeemed, but I see in each of them a potential missionary to their neighborhood. Each one of us are potential bearers of good news. I am one who is sold on the value of forming small groups, cell groups, house churches, or whatever else you want to call them, in every neighborhood. I see each member of New Wine as a potential cell church leader in their neighborhood. How will we help Christ transform the world? We will do it one person, one neighborhood at a time.

If this speaks to you,  try something simple and take a walk in your neighborhood. Pray over each house, apartment or condo. Let the Spirit inspire your prayers. Do not do it just once but now that the weather is getting better, do it regularly. Do it until the Lord gives you a chance to talk to a neighbor, respond to a need with an act of kindness, or just opens a door to a neighbor's heart. Then let Him lead you as to how you can share the hope that is within you with your neighborhood.

New Wine, let's keep taking it to our neighborhoods!

Airbags & Safety Nets

Last week I had an accident at about 45 miles an hour.  The seat belt and airbags saved me.  Physically, though sore and a little bruised I did alright.  It has been much tougher emotionally and mentally.  I keep reliving the accident in my mind and find myself very jumpy as I now drive.

It happened so quick.  I do not remember hearing much of an impact or the airbag deploying.  I think the air bag muffled the sound.   Without the safety equipment it could have been a very different outcome, which reminds me how fragile life really is.  I have had to spend a significant amount of energy focusing on what I have rather than the losses.  The car was totaled.  I was cited for failing to stop.  Two other cars were involved and a young man broke his leg.  But we are all alive.  Stuff can be replaced.  I have another day to be with my family and more time here to serve the Lord.  A friend has loaned us a car and I had liability insurance for a time such as this.  How I wish the accident had not happened, but it did.  With the support of those around me and leaning into the Lord, I trust I will get through it as hard as it is at this moment.

It seems to me that my walk with the Lord is a lot like the airbag.   I owned the green van for nearly 10 years.  There was a label on the steering wheel that said the van was equipped with an airbag, but I never saw it. It was built into the car.  In my moment of need it deployed.  It softened the blow, and may have even saved my life or prevented permanent injury.  When we accept the Lord and put our trust in Him, there is often no outward manifestation of His presence.  He is unseen, as if built into our hearts.  The Holy Spirit and His gifts are like the label, outward signs, that assures us of His presence.   And though He does not prevent every bad thing from happening to us, His promise is He will be there in our time of need.  It is my experience that He is there to cushion the blow as we are buffeted by the things of this world.  By faith I know that nothing in this world can separate us from the Father.  Nothing, not even death, can ultimately conquer  us.   Even if our enemy does his worst, he will not overcome us, for we are the Lord's.  He is in us  and we are in the palm of His hand.

I cannot imagine trying to travel through this life without our unseen "Airbag".  I am so thankful for my "Airbag" and "Safety Net".   Are you?

New Wine Report - March 2012

Spring has come early after a very mild winter here in Michigan. New Wine seems to be going through a Spring of its own. Spring is when we see new life bursting forth. It's when the sleepy quiet of winter suddenly is replaced with activity and life across the entire creation. This past month we have had a flurry of visitors on Sunday. It started with the visit from four men who had heard about us over a year ago when Bishop Augustus visited us from Rwanda. As a result, when a recent ministry had to close its doors, several from that fellowship have come to see where God is at work in us.

Being an extrovert, I personally have been energized by meeting about a dozen new people over the past few weeks. More importantly, as we share our story, we hear their story of God at work. Often we hear how God has worked in them and given them a heart for worship and service. Their story is such an encouragement to us. We also, however, hear of struggle and pain which keeps the story real. Our God is a gracious and healing Father. We love to hear how He is at work in others and gives us hope that He will work in us and through us in the days to come.

A recent highlight for New Wine was that we had a good start to two new cell groups. The first is a group that is looking at personal finances using Biblical principles to bring order to this part of one's life. There have been around 10 people involved in this Tuesday night cell group. Another group started in the Roxbury Senior Apartments. Here I am working with one of our members exploring the issues of loss and grief through a program called Griefshare. This group meets bi-weekly but we have consistently had around a dozen in attendance. Several of the participants have come even from beyond the apartment complex. With the addition of these two new groups to our other four existing groups, we now have 6 cells meeting on a regular basis. There are now over 50 people meeting weekly in our groups. What is so exciting is that the vision of becoming a church made up of cell groups which impact our immediate communities is finally taking shape. I see every person at New Wine as a potential cell group facilitator who might work on gathering family, friends and neighbors for the purpose of spiritual support, growth and service. This past month it feels like we have taken this to a new level.

At the end of February, on the first Sunday of Lent, we celebrated 6 years of gathering on the Lord's day. After recounting the journey in pictures during our service that day, we held an extended reception time. For those who have been with us from the start, we can look back and see time and time again the Lord's provision and how He has directed our path. It is clear that the call to build a new work around relationships and service is a long slow road to travel. But we can now look back and say it has been well worth it. Church planting is not for the weak of heart or those who expect to reap a quick harvest. This early Spring has proven to be a season of great joy and delight. It makes one eager to see what is just around the corner for the people of New Wine.

Ashes, Celebration and Ministry

At New Wine we do not put new wine in old wineskins. We value the ancient truths and traditions of the church that keep us connected to the Gospel once delivered, but sometime it looks a little different. One of our new wineskins is that we do not meet in a church building. Our venues are often mobile. Thus, when Ash Wednesday comes around each year, we practice this time of gathering in various locations. One year we met in our house churches and as priest I administered the rite at different times on a "circuit ride". This year we hosted a service at Taecken's Terrace Senior Apartments. Twenty four of us gathered in the second floor library. Half were residents and half were members of our Sunday fellowship. We marked a good start to a season of seeking the Lord. We asked Him to purify our hearts from persistent sin and to make us more like Jesus. We participated in an ancient Litany of Penitence which the church has prayed for centuries. It is deeply moving as we corporately confess things done and left undone. O that the church and the world would seriously engage in heart felt repentance! Prayer and repentance is always the first step towards revival.

Today, the first Sunday of Lent, was a celebration for New Wine. Celebration is not the norm in a season of penitence, but today we marked our 6 year anniversary since our first Sunday celebration as a church. We had 30 in attendance, a few visitors who have been part of the work in the past, but we had a number of new visitors, which was a great encouragement. Our guests heard about how God has been faithful to us through the years as we recounted our first 6 years in pictures. We ended the day with a reception which included several goodies, but more importantly good conversation. Remember, it is all about "relationships".

Finally last week we saw several ministry events. Our Monday Cell group prepared lunch for a clean up crew at the Flushing Christian Outreach Center. The crew of special needs adults comes twice a month when the Center is closed and cleans the floors, equipment and bathroom while hosting churches take turns returning the blessing by fixing them lunch. A hearty tomato soup and grilled cheese meal was served and a great time of fellowship and sharing over the meal was had by all. This ministry center is a blessing as a clothing closet and food pantry serving over 200 people a month in the Flushing area. Those of us who serve there are blessed in so many ways as well. FCOC is really an example of Kingdom ecumenical ministry at its best.

Also last week the planning team for "The White House Student Cafe" met again as we prepare to kick off a 6 week coffee house project near the U of M Flint campus. We are working with Riverside Church and Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship to host a live music coffee shop on Friday nights in March and April. We are trying to create a safe space for community building and gathering. Donations for coffee will go to support various ministry projects. Our first project is to help a Colombian young man pay for eye surgery. We are excited about this project. We need old coffee mugs. Contact Kate Robinson if you want to make a donation.

The Demise of Divorce

After one of our cell groups discussed Jesus' teaching on divorce (Matthew 19:1-12), several points have been rolling around in my head.

Jesus upholds the revelation that God the Father ordained marriage to be a life-long commitment between a husband and a wife. “A man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh...what God has joined together, let man not separate”.

The sacrament of marriage is an action of God done by His children in faith. The promises made between a husband and a wife are not just legally binding, but in the sacrament of marriage there is a spiritual binding that happens as well. It has been described by some as a “soul tie”. It is also seen as a covenant relationship made not just between two individuals, but also includes the Lord of All.

Culturally, it has been customary that many people marry in the church, but it is questionable whether most enter into marriage understanding or believing it to be sacramental or that they are making the promises to the Lord and not just before the Lord.

In Jesus' day, like our own, the nature of marriage was being debated. Liberal Jewish teachers had found ways of justifying divorce under almost any circumstance. Jesus, however, corrected this wrong teaching by instructing that adultery is the only reason for divorce given by Moses. Contemporary minds may presume this is because of the relational mistrust and pain unfaithfulness creates, but in a patriarchal culture it was more a justice issue. In this ancient culture men were the sole providers and procreation was the primary function of sexual intimacy. Thus with each sexual act there was a real chance of conception. Acts of unfaithfulness would then place an undo burden on the sole provider who would be unfairly forced to carry the weight of responsibility for providing for a child he may not have fathered.

Jesus emphasized that it was because their “hearts were hard” that even this exception was given. God's intent is that there be no divorce. I wonder if the hardness of heart was not just people's ignoring their internal conscience in order to enter into a few moments of emotional or sexual pleasure, but that a much deeper problem existed in that their hearts were hardened toward God Himself. Without God's revelation in Christ, people then and now cannot understand the things of God, like the nature of marriage. They do not understand that when they marry and enter into sexual intimacy they are knit together spiritually in ways their mind cannot fully comprehend. They do not understand that when they may be tempted to give up on their earthly relationship, that they are still bound to the heavenly promise they made before the Creator. They may not understand that the undertaking of marriage was designed by the Father to be the backbone of a strong and healthy social order and that in treating it lightly or irreverently undermines the wider community. Hard hearts cannot perceive Kingdom Values.

In a post-Christian culture, which is increasingly self-centered, violent and unfaithful, we should not expect anything other than a rise in the divorce rate and the demise of the institution of marriage. However, in the faith community, where people enter into marriage as a sacramental covenant, we should expect the demise of divorce. Between two believers divorce is never an option. May the church find herself once again standing counter-culture to a world which is walking into the darkness of heartache, pain and social chaos as it abandons God's sacrament of Marriage.

The good news for the divorced is that divorce is not the “unforgivable sin”. Forgiveness in Christ allows us to start anew. People enter into marriage spiritually ignorant, or unequally yoked and the unbelievers may walk away from marriage. Paul taught that the believer is to stay in the relationship, praying for conversion of their spouse and a change of heart. If the marriage is physically or emotionally abusive, get out of the house until there are signs of repentance. If divorced and one is led to remarry, know that the Lord would not have you marry a person who is not fully converted to Jesus and understands that divorce is not an option.

The hope for the resurgence of traditional marriage and the demise of divorce lies in the conversion of men and women one heart at a time.

Healing and Lent

Last Sunday we had four friends from St. Matthew's Anglican join us for worship.  I had asked Chuck Lambert to come and share his story of a physical healing he had experienced.  At a Winter Conference in North Carolina an evening service for prayer and healing was held.  Chuck believed that the Lord can heal today just as Jesus did when He walked among the apostles 2000 years ago.  During the prayer ministry he was approached by one of the prayer ministry team asking him if he wanted prayer for his hands.  This was a "word of knowledge" from the Lord, for Chuck had been suffering from great pain in his hands to the point that he could not open water bottles without help. To his delight the Lord moved that night and relieved his pain and he celebrated by opening a bottle of water on his own.

Sunday we heard of two healings recorded in the Scriptures.  The first was the healing of Naaman, a foreign soldier who had a skin disease.  The second was a man with leprosy who Jesus cured by simply proclaiming him clean.  Physical healing is a sign of the Kingdom of God.  Where God reigns there is no more pain, suffering, sickness or death.  We are all going to be healed when Jesus returns or when we see Him face to face.  But the Kingdom is not fully known yet in this age.  We hope for our total healing, but in the mean time, God the Father breaks in and sometimes healing happens now.  Just like when Chuck's hands were made well.   James, the brother of Jesus, wrote in his letter that we are to ask the elders to anoint us with oil and pray for us when we are sick.  So Sunday during our service we invited Chuck and others from St. Matt's to pray for those who would like healing.  We anticipate  hearing reports of how the Lord is working in our body and our lives in the weeks to come.

Next Wednesday February 22 begins Lent.  This Lent we will be exploring the topic of shame, based on a Navpress topical study guide by Ralph Ennis and others.  Unaddressed shame can deeply affect people.  It can hinder our relationship with others and with the Lord.  I sense the Spirit will work in many of us if we invite Him to use the Sciptures and the church to minister to us in this season of soul searching.

"Freedom - Breaking the Power of Shame"

February 26    Part I - The Human Experience of Shame

March 4    Part II - The Sources of Shame

March 11  Part III - The Shame that Hides

March 18  Part IV - The Naming of Shame

March 25  Part V - The Shame Exchange

A Fruit Filled Week

The Lord spoke to the people of Israel about the promised land; "...the land belongs to me. You are only foreigners and tenant farmers working for me." (Lev. 25:23)  Working for the Master in His vineyard is hard work.  There can be a long time from the time you plant the vineyard until it produces visible fruit.

This has been a good week. A week when the Lord has allowed us to taste some of the fruit.  Last Sunday we had 5 first time visitors.  All younger men and there is a good possibility they may come back.  Some had some contact with us last year when Bishop Augustus came to Flint from Rwanda.  A great letter from Joy was read reporting on her work in China highlighting how even our numerically small fellowship can have an global impact.  One of our guests was hearing impaired and his friend who has joined us before was able to sign the service.  After the service we had to politely dismiss people after an unusually long fellowship time because the room had been scheduled by another group that afternoon.   It was as if people did not want to leave.  What a great problem to have!

Then Tuesday we had 2 new cell groups start up.  One of our members hosted a "Grief Support" ministry and over 12 people attended.  That evening 10 people gathered at the home of another one of our families for a book study using Dave Ramsey's "Total Money Makeover".  With our other groups going we probably served close to 50 people this week.  Hopefully we were doing our part to move them a little closer to Jesus.

On Wednesday we had our second meeting with the staff from a neighboring church and a campus pastor about hosting a student coffee house in a nearby house.  We are organizing a 6 week Friday night concert series.  One of our young adults is taking a key organizing role.  We are already collecting old mugs to use for coffee (Bring them to our Sunday Celebration before March 9).  We are calling the meeting space "The White House Student Cafe".   

Today I heard a report from another of our members who just returned from Columbia South America after a 2 week short term mission with "Open Arms", a ministry helping street children find a safe home and spiritual life.  Not only was he able to complete his assigned work on electrical and plumbing needs, but he was also deeply touched by how some of the children expressed their gratitude for his faithul service to them as he has traveled there nearly a dozen times.  His generous and caring heart has not  gone unnoticed.  Though we are to be ready to give an account of the hope that is within us, this is an example where deeds often speak louder than words  (particularly when we struggle with their natural lanuage.) 

This week is the kind of week I had hoped the Master would allow us to see happening when we started the work 7 years ago.  "Father, it has been a long process.  Thank you for letting us have a fruit filled week like this one"