Kelly and Connie’s Place

…the mission season that is.

Our ACMC team has 4 conferences happening this month, one every weekend (MD/VA, NY/NJ, NE/CT & OH) . Attendance at two of them has been around 160 each, with the attendees coming from a whole host of churches in their areas. So, even though economy issues are being felt in our church communities (which has been reflected in a lower than usual attendance), we are excited to see that turn out was still good. Churches want to know “how” to do missions and do it better, so that they are effective and make a difference in a world that is hurting.

You may ask, “What do they do at these conferences?”

They usually open with a general session for a time of worship.

Then, an informative and inspiring message from the keynote speaker helps everyone to focus on the task at hand. Next, everyone chooses from a list of workshops to attend in the morning and afternoon.

There is a break for lunch which allows for some great fellowship.

And, there’s a breakout time for networking with other churches.

You may ask, “Why attend these conferences on missions?”

• To learn trends & issues in missions
• To gain new vision and perspective
• To be encouraged by movements of God throughout the world.
• To be re-invigorated for ministry
• To discover successful strategies used by other churches
• To learn practical, how-to ideas
• To meet people who can help you

And the list goes on…

At one of the conferences, Kelly will be leading a workshop on “Rapid Response Preparedness.”

He will be helping churches think through a variety of steps to put in place now, to be ready for the next tsunami or devastating earthquake. We all felt like we were caught “flat-footed” during the Indonesian Tsunami and Katrina. Here is where the old adage: “a stitch in time, saves nine” says it all.

Back in Orlando…

Twenty-eight new workers, plus their children, just finished the last of their missions training before heading to the field. Some are departing this next week, others within the next couple of months. Their excitement is high with anticipation. They have shared their stories with churches that will support their work. Their tickets are in their hands, and they have placed unnecessary possessions in long-term storage.

Now their thoughts have turned to: What will our home look like “over there”? Will I learn the language quickly? Will the people accept me, or like me. Will God really be able to use ME??? What will it all look like? Will our church back home remember to pray for us after we been gone for a while?

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I will be your tour guide on this trip. Bring your name tag for the team meetings, an appetite for Uno’s Pizza, your best exhibitor’s smile for the conference and your suntan oil for a nature walk on the beach

30+ New Missionary Candidates

The week before our church festival, (mentioned in the previous post) we had a full week at work. It was our 5th and final Candidate Orientation Program (COP) for the year. This was The another large COP group, 30+ candidates. So once again, we needed 5 committees to cover all the personal interviews. I facilitated committee number 3 and was really excited about the caliber of young people going through the orientation. All 30+ received and accepted an appointment with Pioneers.

We had our full Church Partnership Team in for the week to meet with the new candidates. When we weren’t meeting with new candidates we were having team meetings, until Kelly was just about meeting-ed out. We were glad to see Friday come even though we knew we had a full weekend coming up.

Mission Conference On The West Coast

As soon as we finished our Saturday volunteer work at PCUMC’s “Pioneer Days Festival,” we headed home to pack for our next trip. One of our PIONEERS’ church partners in New Port Richey, Fl had invited Kelly and I to participate in their mission conference. All display tables had to be set up Sunday morning at 7 AM (ugh!) before the 1st of their 3 church services started. Since it was a couple of hours drive to the west coast, we decided to get there Saturday evening.

On the way over to the gulf coast, we stopped to have pizza with a pastor and his wife who were friends of ours from Bible school. It was great to see them and catch up on their news.

A Very Full Conference Schedule

The mission conference at CWCC lasted through Thursday so we were prepared for a full week of activities. The church also has a Bible School and the Missions Pastor, Dave, had asked Kelly to speak to the students during their Monday evening class. Wednesday evening we met at the Dave’s house. He wanted us to meet with a select group of church members who had a specific interest in missions. They were able to ask more in depth questions in this setting and we all had a great time.

A Break In The Action

On Tuesday we had a break in the schedule and Kelly treated me to a trip to the beach. Those of you who know Kelly well, know that relaxing at the beach is truly out of character for him. As a matter of fact, in the 4 years we have lived in Florida we have been to the beach probably 2 times and not for longer than a half hour each time. But Kelly surprised me, and maybe himself…we spent the whole morning at the beach.

A Tarpan Is A Coastal Fish

To reach the beach we drove south of Tarpon Springs; a city of just under 25,000 that is known for having more Greek-Americans than any other city in the U.S. These Greek immigrants came to dive for the prolific sponges offshore. The Sponge Boats line the marina and traditional Greek restaurants can be found everywhere.

Our destination was Honeymoon Island State Park which is part of Caladesi Island. The weather was ideal, the four miles of gorgeous sandy beach was sparsely populated by sunbathers. There were more shells along the shore than we had ever seen in one place. It was perfect. One can stroll along nature trails, kayak through the mangroves, hop a ferry boat on over to Caladesi Island (named America’s #1 beach in 2008) or scout out the exhibits at the Nature Center.

A Taste of New York

Kelly actually went 36 hours without checking his email even once. Now that is a record! On the way back to the church we found a great restaurant called, Lucky Dill Deli. It is a New York style Deli and we had the best corned beef Rueben sandwiches ever!

We wrapped everything up on Thursday and took a leisurely drive back to Orlando using the back roads. This week we are back at it in the office, but with a spring in our step…that one Tuesday morning at the beach was a real rejuvenator.

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Young and old lined the street with anticipation; some were standing while others had come early to stake out a choice spot with their lawn chairs. What was the attraction?

A parade was about to start to kick off the 35^th annual 2 day event put on by our church Pine Castle United Methodist Church (PCUMC)… and it is called - ”Pioneer Days Family Festival”. The mission’s department at our church organizes this event every year as a community service and outreach.

Last weekend, Kelly and I were a small part of our church’s large volunteer group who help with making it all come together.On Saturday, he and I worked the main entrance gate handling money and placing admission wrist bands on everyone wanting to take part in the festivities. I made change and handed out free gift bags while Kelly gave out the wrist bands.

Even our ministry organization (PIONEERS), had a float and booth at the event to advertise our upcoming missions conference called “Story 08” that will be held at PCUMC. Click on the link to learn more about “Story 08” being held Dec 28-30, 2008.

What’s Pioneer Days Family Festival About?

“The festival offers an education about our American heritage through arts and traditions with exhibitions of traditional pioneer crafts and skills such as: Basketry - Blacksmithing - Cane Cooking - Civil War Encampments - Indian Village - Pottery - Quilting - Spinning - Storytelling - Weaving - Wood Carving - and more… like live music, and local vendors providing food and souvenirs.”

History:

The Pioneer Days Family Festival was created by the Pine Castle Center of the Arts in 1973 to bring the community together in a celebration of the rich heritage of our forefathers. When the Pine Castle Center of the Arts disbanded in 1993, Pine Castle United Methodist Church carried on the mission that our heritage must be remembered and shared with today’s generation. Therefore, the annual festival has continued.

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Have you ever wished you could understand your kids better, or maybe your grandkids? Then this book’s for you. It’s another great book that I’m reading and it ties in to the previous book I’ve mentioned on this blog, “Who Stole My Church”. This one is called “One Church 4 Generations” by Gary L. McIntosh. It helps you understand each generation, (your parents, kids, yourself— or maybe your boss, co-worker, employee or neighbor), and what historical & social events shaped them.

Bridger Generation (born between 1984-2002)

Here’s a great excerpt from the book (pp178) that takes a look at the Bridgers, “a generation that is technically skilled, community-minded, and open to change to a greater extent than any previous generation. In 2002 the oldest of the Bridger generation was just entering college.” This may make you feel old… or older…quote:

• Bridgers have no meaningful recollection of the Reagan era and probably do not know he was ever shot.
• Bridgers were less than 12 yrs old when the Soviet Union broke apart, and they do not remember the Cold War.
• Bridgers think bottle caps have always been screw-ff and plastic.
• Bridgers are too young to remember the space shuttle blowing up.
• Bridgers have never feared a nuclear war.
• Bridgers do not understand the expression, “You sound like a broken record.”
• Bridgers have never owned a record player.
• Bridgers have never seen a black-and-white television or one with only 13 channels.
• Bridgers have never known anything but in-line roller skates.
• Bridgers have seen only Jay Leno as the host of the Tonight Show.
• Bridgers never saw Larry Bird or Magic Johnson play basketball.
• Bridgers think of the Vietnam War as history similar to the Civil War, WWI & WWII.
• Bridgers have never heard “Where’s the beef?” or “I’d walk a mile for a Camel” or “De plane, de plane.”
• Bridgers do not have a clue how to use a typewriter.
• Bridgers think MTV has always existed.
• Bridgers do not care who J.R. is or who shot him.
• Bridgers have no idea who Mork was or where he came from.
• Bridgers do not know that Americans were ever held hostage in Iran.
• Bridgers have always cooked popcorn in a microwave.
• Bridgers do not remember Atari, Pong, or Pac Man.
• Bridgers have always had VCRs, cable, answering machines, and CDs.

Five of my 6 grandkids are Bridgers (or, some other names used for this age group are Generation Y, Millennials, or Mosaics). I’m from the Boomer generation, my parents are the Builders generation, and my kids are the Busters generation.

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Mission Coach Training;

This week we had 2 of our teams, ACMC Team & Church Partnership Team (CP Team), fly into Orlando to go through a 3 day workshop on “Church Missions Coach Training”. There were 22 of us all together. They arrived Sunday night and we started the sessions first thing Monday morning. Our 2 instructors flew in from New Mexico.

Kelly in the back, running the sound system

The Fly In The Ointment = Snow Day

On Monday, the city shut down our water to test the underground water tank on our property. How can you have 90+ staff people come to work with no bathroom facilities…you can’t. Our Executive Vice President, being from Minnesota, declared Monday a “Snow Day” and closed the office. J (Really! A snow day in Florida, that’s what he said.)

HEY, What About Us?

That was great for them, but we still had 20+ people coming for a 3 day event. Now we had no water, no bathrooms and no support staff to cook meals. OK, not a problem, we had it covered. We had bottled water, ordered “Port-a-Potties” and catered in food for one day. I was in charge of food pick-up. It was a little inconvenient but we were all missionaries and used to these kinds of things (and worse).

Our 2 Instructors, Barry on the left & Matt on the right

Lee with the ACMC Team & Tom with the CP Team getting better acquainted

A Second Fly In The Ointment = FAY

OK, the “Snow Day” on Monday was now followed on Tuesday by a “Hurricane Day.” (Is that possible?) Again, the office was closed pending this oncoming storm. WAIT! This means no support staff for a 2^nd day, and we hadn’t counted on that…. “no cooks” and all restaurants would be closed.

Taking a break between sessions

Chief Cook & Bottle Washer

Now, Kelly and I would also have to be chief cook (if there’s electricity) and bottle washers and prepare 20+ guests for a possible Hurricane. This meant calming down our guests while we batten down the hatches, and compete with 1000’s of other Floridians flocking to nearby stores to stock up on candles, more bottled water and edible food (if we’re unable to cook without electricity) for 20+ people.

Greg, Larry & Curtis discussing missions between sessions

Kelly discussing details with instructor Barry

Near Miss

Thanks to prayers, the hurricane did not materialize but remained a tropical storm. We’re a little soggy (no, a LOT soggy), but we retained our electricity and the guys pitched in and helped in the kitchen. (See photo below.) We ate well – too well! Wednesday the office re-opened, the staff came back, including the chef, and we finished our sessions. No flights were canceled so everyone made it home as scheduled. The whole event was a great success…God is good!

Connie and her newly recruited kitchen help

(Photo above) It’s 7 AM Tuesday, and Mike & Greg (to my left) are fixing scrambled eggs for breakfast. Joe, (front right) is slicing baked chicken breast to top our salads later for lunch. I’m overseeing the guys (and watching the bacon in the oven). Joe was enjoying the “kitchenaid knife” a little too much, so the rest of us were staying well away from him.

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Am I serious? Is my church missing? No, I’m talking about a GREAT book that I just finished reading. It struck a chord with me because it deals with an issue that has crept into many of our beloved congregations today. It could be a growing sentiment in your church.

Is there a chance you are hearing similar comments from your congregation, from those who are older, 50’s and up, whose life is closely tied into church? Are they struggling with relinquishing control and influence to: “change” and the “younger generation”?

Who Stole My Church is authored by a talented writer and pastor of 47+ yrs, Gordon MacDonald. It’s a captivating narrative that places the reader right in the middle of these church people’s lives. Even though they are fictional characters, you could very well find each one of them sitting in your church, only their name would be different. I thought this comment from MacDonald was very revealing about what he was about to share: “The specific reason for this meeting came out of an organizational meltdown that our membership had experienced in a congregational business meeting the week before…”

Tipping Point

Did he say “organizational meltdown”? He was describing what one would call a “tipping point” for this fictional church. They were on the brink of change or no change. (If you are from the two older generations you have probably heard similar comments, or maybe uttered them yourself, under your breath of course.) What are some of the comments this pastor was hearing? “The music is too loud and I miss singing the old hymns.” “Can’t we sing those songs without having to stand all the time?” “Why don’t more young people join the choir?” And for some churches, “I miss the choir, now all we have is a ‘praise band’ with 5 people standing up front. We can’t sing harmony to these new songs, and I wish we would go back to using the organ.”

Reinventing Church

We’ve all witnessed these changes to some degree over the past 10-20 years and made adjustments (we thought). Some we’ve liked, others were more difficult. Changes like; not wearing a suit and tie, replacement of pews with individual chairs, abandoning the midweek prayer service, placing coffee kiosks in the church lobby, or bulletins replaced with overhead power-points. Here’s a big one, changing the name of the church. But honestly, are these the things that make a church, …a church?

4 Generations:

The book is not just for the builders and boomers. All generations can grasp a better understanding of each other as we; ‘find a way to move gracefully into the 21^st century.’ If not, as MacDonald says: “Any church that has not turned its face toward the younger generation will simply cease to exist. We’re not talking decades—we’re talking just a few years.”

Anyway, I couldn’t put the book down. And last Sunday, we gave a copy of the book to our pastor and are recommending it to other pastors. We’ve seen give and take among the generations within our church, and that is very encouraging. Not that we’ve got it all figured out, but walking in love and submission is a major part of seeing God’s hand at work in His body.

If you’re wondering, here are the categories for the 4 generations: Builders (born before 1946), Boomers (1946-1964), Busters (1965-1983), & Bridgers (1984-2002) sometimes called Mosaics. Give the book a try, and happy reading. (Oh yeah, next time you see one of those bridgers at church with a tattoo and a couple of piercings in their eyebrow…give ‘em a hug! They could be your somebody’s grandchild, yours maybe?)

A great follow up to this book is “One Church Four Generations” Understanding and reaching all ages in your church, by Gary L. McIntosh.

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A week ago we wrapped up our 2^nd (for the year), Candidate Orientation Program with 27 new individuals going through training and receiving an appointment to serve overseas.

These are the statistics from those 27 people 6 couples and 15 singles (3 were male & 12 females) from 14 states

Their anticipated destination of service: 2 to S. America/ 2 to Africa/ 5 to Middle East/ 2 to Europe/ 4 to Asian countries/ 1 to China /and 5 who are undecided.

WINTER WONDERLAND FOR A DAY- IN DENVER

Then last week we went to our Denver office. We arrived on Tuesday and it got up to 80 degrees. On Wednesday a cold front went through and by noon, huge snow flakes were coming down in sheets. It was beautiful, like a winter wonderland. We got 5 inches of snow.

The snow caked on the trees and grass but never stuck to the streets or sidewalks, making it the perfect snow fall (not requiring any snow removal). We woke up Thursday morning with the sun glistening off the clean white snow. By noon it had all melted away and we were walking around in short sleeves. Now that’s the way a snow fall should be. Twenty-four hours of blissful white snow, and then, GONE! SWEET!!!

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We’d like to introduce you to our ACMC Team. These are our Regional Directors and they were in Orlando the first week of April to meet with us for their quarterly team meeting.

Back Row - Left to Right: Frank (Alaska), Joe & Tom (Pennsylvania), Ken & Larry (California), Lee (Indiana) Connie (Orlando) Front Row - Left to Right: Paul (South Carolina), Blake (Texas) Kelly (Orlando)

ACMC stands for “Advancing Church Missions Commitment” and their mission statement reads: “ACMC helps churches mobilize their resources for effective involvement in world evangelization.” Link to ACMC Website They are a great group of guys and we are excited about what God is doing through their ministries.

We celebrated my birthday that week and here is a photo of the birthday cake Kelly bought to share with our entire Orlando team. It was gone in no time. (The picture on the cake is of a person sitting at their desk with piles of paper work stacked around them…)

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