Pastor’s Column in the June Newsletter

Sisters and Brothers in Christ:

Cindy, Ann, William, and I thank you all for the season of mission and ministry we have shared together in over the past four years. Along the way we have learned many valuable lessons, made a few mistakes, and developed lasting friendships in the body of Christ. On June 24, my last Sunday as your pastor, we will have communion together. The breaking of the bread and sharing in the cup is for me one of the best ways that the church marks its unity. In sharing in the same loaf and same juice we are made one with each other and one with a great company of witnesses throughout all time and space.

As I am leaving this place I commend one last activity for your spiritual growth. Twenty years ago I read Richard Foster’s Celebration of Discipline for the first time. Foster’s book on the inward, outward, and corporate disciplines of the followers of Jesus grabbed my attention. Since then I have devoured every book that Foster has written and learned more of God with each bite! Out of this reading comes a passion for Renovare, the organization he leads. On July 28 we will be hosting a Renovare conference featuring two presenters, James Bryan Smith and Glandion Carney – these guys dwell deeply in the spirit life with our God. During this daylong retreat you will be introduced to the six spiritual streams of living water from which Christians drink. They are:

Holiness – The Virtuous Life
Social Justice – The Compassionate Life
Evangelical – The Word-Centered Life
Incarnational – The Sacramental Life
Charismatic – The Spirit-Empowered Life
Contemplative – The Prayer-Filled Life

You will probably find a spiritual home in one of these movements, but all are commendable in your walk with Christ. Perhaps the greatest part of this day will be the invitation to join a small group in pursuing each of these spiritual disciplines for several weeks following our retreat. I cannot wait to hear what great things God will unleash among the people called Methodist in Pinehurst after this event.

I look forward to breaking bread together in the coming weeks … bless be the tie that binds our hearts in Christian love.

Grace & Peace, Allen

Pastor’s Column in the May Newsletter

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

Recently our church members received the news that in consultation with our Bishop Al Gwinn and our District Superintendent Jerry Lowry, I accepted an appointment to Queen Street United Methodist Church in Kinston, North Carolina. As I shared with the congregation at that time it was through prayer and a clear sense of God’s calling that Cindy and I were able to consider and ultimately accept this appointment.

I want to add that Cindy and I continued throughout this process to dream God’s dreams for Pinehurst UMC. I remain excited about what God is continuing to do in this place:

We celebrated with three Duke interns their ministry among us and wished them Godspeed on their journeys.
We celebrate the addition of Rev. Emil Johnson as our Minister of Membership to assist in welcoming newcomers to our church and help them find a home in the body of Christ at Pinehurst UMC.
We celebrate the addition of Shirley Baldwin, RN as our Congregational Nurse. Shirley is already working with members of the church to provide wellness programming as well as visiting those who desire her assistance in paying attention to their individual needs.
We anticipate the arrival of Rachel Doboney on May 20 as a Duke intern for this summer. We also celebrate that a family has already offered a portion of their home for Rachel to live in for the summer.
We anticipate the Renovare Spiritual Renewal Conference coming to our church on Saturday July 28. The planning team has set a goal of over 200 persons in attendance from among our membership and from other churches in the area. James Bryan Smith and Glandion Carney will bring their winsome personalities here and invite to take a deeper walk with Jesus Christ on daily basis.
We anticipate training Peg Walsh as a Stephen Leader to join a team committed to training Stephen Ministers for our congregation later this fall. We also anticipate the unknown persons who will respond to a call from God to become Stephen Ministers.
We anticipate a new addition to our building which will allow us to expand our programming for children, youth, and adults. The building committee, chaired by Ed Geoghegan with Mary Sayers as vice-chair and Holly McDow as secretary, is already making good progress.

Over the coming weeks we will have moments to laugh and cry together as our family departs from the role of pastor of this church. When I arrived here I invited you all to call me by my baptized name of “Allen” as a reminder that as baptized Christian we had a new relationship to each other. Over the years, often in the midst of moments of tension, I reminded us that this baptismal relationship means that “water is thicker than blood.” And so I remind you again that in Christ we always remain sisters and brothers together in ministry to a broken world.

Cindy, Ann, William, and I will miss being part of Pinehurst UMC, but know that our friendship in Jesus Christ never ends. We thank you for allowing us to joyfully pursue the connecting and transforming power of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as we have worshipped, fellowshipped, and served together.

Grace and Peace, Allen

Pastor’s Column in the April 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!

Bill Bryson wrote a fascinating book called The Lost Continent: Travels in Small Town America. One chapter in the book describes his visit to the home of Mark Twain in Hannibal, Missouri. Bryson paid his two dollars to walk around the “trim, white-washed house with green shutters… set incongruously in the middle of downtown.” Bryson found himself disappointed and expressed his disillusionment like this:

“It purported to be a faithful reproduction of the original interiors, but there were wires and water sprinklers clumsily evident in every room. I also very much doubt that young Samuel Clemens’ bedroom had Armstrong vinyl on the floor or that his sister’s bedroom had a plywood partition in it.”

He said that the house, which is owned by the city of Hannibal, attracts some 135,000 visitors each year. But Bryson was disappointed that he was not able to actually go inside the house. “You look through the windows,” he says. “At each window there is a recorded message telling about each room.”

As he proceeded from window to window, he met another tourist who seemed to know a lot about the house. Bryson asked him: “What do you think of it?” The friendly stranger replied:

“Oh, I think it’s great. I always come here when I’m in Hannibal… two or three times a year. Sometimes I go out of my way to come here.”

Bill Bryson was fascinated, “Really?” he replied. “O yes,” the man said. “I must have been here twenty or thirty times by now. This is a real shrine you know.”

As the two of them continued walking and touring together, Bill Bryson said to the man:

“You must be a real fan and follower of Mark Twain. Would you say the house is just like Mark Twain described it in his books?”

“O, I don’t know,” said the tourist… “wouldn’t have the foggiest notion. I’ve never read any of his books!”

Visiting the shrine, but ignoring the books. Unfortunately, this is often a metaphor for what happens for many Christians … we visit the shrine of the open tomb, but do not allow ourselves to experience the new life it affords.

We have spent the spring of this year reacquainting ourselves with God’s story in scripture and noting how we find ourselves in that story. Earlier we paid attention to developing God’s momentum for each of our lives. In the coming months I pray that you will find yourself living in a fresh way within God’s great unfolding story, a story that turned in our favor forever when God raised Jesus from the grave on third day!

Grace and Peace, Allen

Pastor’s Column in the March Newsletter

Sisters and Brothers in Christ:

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

Maxie Dunnam, dean of Asbury Seminary, once suggested we respond to these two questions. One, if you get to where you’re going, will you be where you want to be? Two, if you find what you’re looking for, what else will you need to make you happy? Let those questions tumble around in your mind for a moment. If you get to where you’re going, will you be where you want to be? If you find what you’re looking for, what else will you need to make you happy? These are life questions. They force us to examine the direction of our life, our priorities, what we think will make us happy.

As I seek to answer these two questions I turn to Scripture for answers. Recently I worked at these questions and found myself wrestling with Brian McLaren’s novel The Story We Find Ourselves In: Further Adventures of a New Kind of Christian (J-B Leadership Network Series) (Book 2). The hero of the novel, Neo, lays out in several settings and changing audiences the broad narrative of scripture and our place in that story. This Lent we will be walking through Scripture to discover how God’s story is lived out in our midst. It seems to me that the ultimate answers to Maxie Dunnam’s questions lie in knowing what God’s answers are for where we are going and what will make us happy. Come join us for an extended conversation about the story we find ourselves in.

Grace & Peace, Allen

Pastor’s Report for Pinehurst UMC (2006)

dorean elabote, dorean dote. Given Gifts – Give Gifts. (Matthew 10:8b).

I continue to offer this phrase, the motto of the Theological School of Drew University, as my personal mission statement. I am privileged to employ my gifts and talents among the United Methodists of Pinehurst, North Carolina. Our journey from small to larger membership church, from store-front to permanent facility, from predominantly retired persons to a diverse cross-section of ages, from charter visionaries to emerging leaders continues as we launch our second decade of ministry. This year we began refocusing our vision for ministry and we offer the following for our first steps in pulling together for God’s purposes:

Pinehurst UMC is pursuing the joyful, transforming, and connecting power of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

in our worship as we are embraced by God’s grace;
in our fellowship as we are shaped into Christ’s character;
in our missions as we are humbly led by the Holy Spirit.

Pinehurst UMC Values:

FELLOWSHIP: Building relationships with God and others.
CHARACTER: Learning to become like Christ.
GRACE: Experiencing God’s gifts of faith, hope, and love.
HUMILITY: Valuing God and others before self.
MISSION: Serving others in our community and beyond.

Pinehurst UMC Believes:

God created all things good and all creation needs redemption.
God loves us enough to give his Son as a sign of love and forgiveness.
Jesus is the means to an abundant life with the Triune God.
Jesus comes alive in believers through the Holy Spirit.
Scripture is the primary source for what we believe and do.
The church’s faith is expressed in the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds.
Members of the church are called to a life of discipleship.
Disciples grow as they share in the sacraments and other means of grace.
Disciples joyfully offer their prayers, presence, gifts, and service.
Disciples share in the Wesleyan emphasis on personal and social holiness.

In the coming year we will need to focus the energy of the above statements into creating concrete ways of describing our mission and specific action items to accomplish the same. As we move forward we will pay attention to the leading of our Bishop, Al Gwinn, who is inviting every church in our conference to consider becoming an “ACTS 2 Church.” This involves paying special attention to the following: Radical Hospitality, Passionate Worship, Intentional Spiritual Formation, and Risk-Taking Mission and Ministry to the World. Below is his challenge:

… by the Annual Conference of 2008 I want us to be able to identify, by name, 200 Acts 2 Churches in this conference! Churches that have all four of these qualities functioning well in the life of the Body. Churches that have decided to reach the lost, the unchurched, the de-churched – to reach children, youth, Hispanics and Latinos – not counting the cost or sacrifice involved.
Churches that have prayer-based, Spirit-filled, quality worship services. By the way, our 2005 statistics also show that our average Sunday morning worship attendance is down 2,796 persons! That fact should cause us to ask ourselves several serious questions about how we do worship, what we are or are not teaching about commitment and if real relationships actually exist.
By 2008 we will name 200 churches that are teaching their members to go deeper and not just wider. Churches that are serious about every member being in small groups where they are supported, encouraged and challenged to grow in Christ. Churches that are helping their members understand the gifts of the Spirit and the role of those gifts in building up the Body of Christ. Churches that forge strong, full partnerships between the clergy and laity. Churches that want a leader to equip and empower them and not do their ministry for them. Churches that want to be challenged and not coddled.
In 2008 we want to name 200 churches that are risk-takers in attacking poverty, seeking justice, caring for the needy – eager to give a hand-up and not just a hand-out.

Bishop Al Gwinn, The State of the Church Address, Annual Conference 2006

As part of that work I offer the following as areas of emphasis for my ministry:

Refining and aligning our worship with the our values and beliefs,
Lead us in a disciplined approach to adult spiritual formation that recognizes that small groups are the way this church will accomplish fellowship and ministry together.
Create a systematic model for reaching out into the community to invite persons into our community of faith and helping them become fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ.
Continue refining our systems of congregational care to include the formation of a new congregational wellness team with a parish nurse and teaching our first team of Stephen Ministers for providing care at moments of specific need.

This year we have welcomed 40 persons into membership in the church (current membership is 503 persons). Our worship attendance is averaging 300 for the year, although we experienced some decline in worship during the Promised Land Campaign.

We celebrate the following results of our Promised Land Campaign

$585,000 pledged in cash.
$68,000 received through November 30, 2006.
Gift of Steinway Baby Grand Piano.
Gift of a Log Cabin Kit ($45,000).
Gift of two pieces of real estate (not yet valued).
Other specific gifts are being discussed.

In our community we support Friend to Friend, the Sandhills Interfaith Hospitality Network, the Coalition for Human Care, Habitat for Humanity, and Moore Housing. With our hands we have mowed lawns, weeded and planted flower beds, replaced roofs, provided meals to the homeless with Community Presbyterian Church, and served countless hours in thrift stores. We have sent four teams to work alongside victims of Hurricane Katrina in Bay Saint Louis. We have raised in excess of $30,000 for missions’ projects close at hand and at a distance. We are living into God’s promise to Abraham that we are blessed to be blessing.

I continue to challenge our church to remember with Paul that the work of a pastor is “to equip the saints for the work of ministry” (see Ephesians 4:11). I remain committed to setting each of us free for ministry in this place. Roger and Jean Hicks continue to invite God’s Spirit our worship life together. Stacy Pell, Stephanie Lind, and Bryan Fillettte are a breath of fresh air for our children’s and youth programs. I give thanks for Ellen Hertlein and Roberta Culver who provided valuable assistance to the administrative life of our church. Their able handling of the details enables me to spend more time with the members of our church and in prayer with Jesus. I am also blessed to work with my colleagues Lovell Aills, Jean Arthur, Bruce Carlson, Emil Johnson, Betsy Kugel, and Ronda Torres. May we find strength in the willingness “to become all things to all people so that by all means some might be saved” (1 Corinthians 9:22).

Pastor’s Report for Pinehurst UMC (2005)

dorean elabote, dorean dote. Given Gifts – Give Gifts. (Matthew 10:8b).

I continue to offer this phrase, the motto of the Theological School of Drew University, as my personal mission statement. I am privileged to employ my gifts and talents for planning for the future, teaching, and preaching among the United Methodists of Pinehurst, North Carolina.
Our journey from small to larger membership church, from store-front to permanent facility, from predominantly retired persons to a diverse cross-section of ages, from charter visionaries to emerging leaders continues. Perhaps this past week’s Tenth Anniversary Celebration did more than anything to launch our second decade of ministry.

So far this year we have welcomed 50 persons into membership in the church (current membership is 484 persons). Our worship attendance is averaging 335 persons since Labor Day and we anticipate welcoming 10-15 persons into membership in November. In January and February of this year we read, taught, prayed and worshipped our way through Maxie Dunnam and Kimberly Reisman’s The Workbook on Virtues & the Fruit of the Spirit. From Ash Wednesday through Easter we prayed and studied through Mark’s Gospel. A sermon series on the Holy Spirit in the season after Easter has been followed by an extended teaching and preaching series based on Reuben Job’s A Wesleyan Spiritual Reader. We have launched new weekly Bible studies centered on the Ten Commandments and an Invitation to the New Testament (from DISCIPLE Bible Studies).

In our community we support Friend to Friend, the Sandhills Interfaith Hospitality Network, the Coalition for Human Care, Habitat for Humanity, and Moore Housing. With our hands we have mowed lawns, weeded and planted flower beds, replaced roofs, provided meals to the homeless with Community Presbyterian Church, and served countless hours in thrift stores. We have raised in excess of $40,000 for missions’ projects close at hand and at a distance. We are living into God’s promise to Abraham that we are blessed to be blessing.

I continue to challenge our church to remember with Paul that the work of a pastor is “to equip the saints for the work of ministry” (see Ephesians 4:11). I remain committed to setting each of us free for ministry in this place. Roger and Jean Hicks continue to invite God’s Spirit our worship life together. Todd Ferguson and Stacy Pell are a breath of fresh air for our children’s and youth programs. I give thanks for Ellen Hertlein and Roberta Culver who provided valuable assistance to the administrative life of our church. Their able handling of the details enables me to spend more time with the members of our church and in prayer with Jesus. I am also blessed to work with my colleagues Lovell Aills, Jean Arthur, Bruce Carlson, Emil Johnson, Betsy Kugel, and Ronda Torres. May we find strength in the willingness “to become all things to all people so that by all means some might be saved” (1 Corinthians 9:22).

As we look forward to our second decade of ministry with God in this place I would claim the following promises:

Our parking lot construction will enable us to focus more on welcoming others at special events rather than “telling them where to go” to find more parking.
In the coming year we will streamline our volunteer process to be more welcoming of individuals of various availabilities to support our children and youth ministries.
Finally, we will strive to provide the tools and methods to help persons see themselves as gifted, talented, available, called, and fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ.

Jesus’ Core Values and Bedrock Beliefs

As we are pursuing and praying through our Core Values, Bedrock Beliefs, Motivating Vision, and Key Mission a colleague asked the following question:

What are Jesus' Core Values?
What are Jesus' Bedrock Beliefs?
What is Jesus' Motivating Vision?
What is Jesus' Key Mission?

Our "coach" helped me remember why we are asking the question of or ourselves:

Now here we see the beginning of all Christian theology. There is a point
when the memory of the historical Jesus faded, and became reshaped and
recommunicated through the lives and perspectives and spiritual experiences of
the disciples. At some point, somebody asks these question … the whole history
of theology unfolds. How they answer these questions in Rome is somewhat
different from Antioch, or Alexandria, or Carthage, or Cleveland.

To what extent did the core values of Jesus reflect the behavioral
expectations of the Jewish community? The convictions of the Pharisees? The
political ideals of the Zealots? The insights of Socrates? The organizational
principles of Rome?

And yet, as diverse and complex as the answers to these questions might be,
it is incumbent upon Christian leader to answer them for me, for my context, for
this piece of God's mission that I lead. My values, beliefs, vision and mission
should reasonably and reliably align with Jesus. It is the essence of
"integrity".

Continue reading “Jesus’ Core Values and Bedrock Beliefs” →

Bedrock Beliefs – Basic Affirmations

Circle the words in the following documents that state what you rely on in your faith when your back is against the wall.

THE NICENE CREED (The United Methodist Hymnal, #880)

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father; through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven, was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became truly human. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets.

We believe in the one holy catholic and apostolic church.

We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

THE APOSTLES' CREED (Traditional Version, The United Methodist Hymnal, #881)

I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth;

And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord: who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; the third day he arose from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

Continue reading “Bedrock Beliefs – Basic Affirmations” →

Core Values Tentative Report

Thanks to all who attended the Core Values Workshop (just over 60 attended the session). The following were the word fields that we began to consense around at the close of our time together. This is a work in progress and we will want to clarify and narrow our sense of each group of words.

Loving Church Family
Teaching
Fellowship
Singing
Worship
Trying New Things
Caring for Others
Caring for God
Valuing Others
Faith
Passion
Humility
Reaching Out
Discipleship
Learning
Using Our Gifts
Tolerance
Love
Replenishment

To derive this short list we asked persons to consider answering the following questions using a shortened list of 33 value words from Tom Bandy's Vision Discernment Workbook (a shortened form of Moving Off the Map).

Value Words: productivity, strength, trying new things, using one's gifts, singing, teaching, thinking, worship, passion, reaching out, purpose-driven, purposefulness, tolerance, sensitivity, morality, valuing others, fellowship, harmony, loving church family, generous, replenishment, hope, faith, loved by God, caring for God, humility, caring for people, God's grace, love, peace, futuring, leading.

What have you always found of value in the church?
What do you personally admire most about any church?
What do you love to do the most when attending church?
What legacy do you want to leave your children and grandchildren?
What do you most want to be remembered for at church?
What value would you state would be found when PUMC reaches God's promised land?

Core Values – Group Answers

The following are summaries of group answers to the following questions:

What have you always found of value in the church? caring for others (4), caring for people, faith (3), fellowship (9), fellowship/worship with other believers, God's grace (4), hope, love (2), loving church family (4), passion for teaching, replenishment (2), singing, teaching (2), worship (6), worship leading to accepting God's grace, using one's gifts, valuing others.
What do you personally admire most about any church? caring for God (2), caring for others, caring for people (4), faith (2), faith/passion, fellowship (2), following God's will, generous, hope (2), love, loving church family (4), mission, morality, reaching out (5), sharing God's grace (2), singing, teaching (2), teaching God's word, tolerance, trying new things, using one's gifts, worship (2).
What do you love to do the most when attending church? caring for God, fellowship (6), learning (3), learning about God, listening to music, preaching, reaching out, replenishment (5), singing (7), thinking (5), using one's gifts, valuing others, worship (5), worship/singing.
What legacy do you want to leave your children and grandchildren? caring for God (7), caring for people (5), faith (5), God's grace, humility (6), know they are loved by God (2), knowledge and love of God, morality (2), passion, purposefulness (2), peace, sensitivity, strength (2), tolerance (2), tolerance/ valuing others, valuing others (2).
What do you most want to be remembered for at church? caring, caring for God (4), caring for others, caring for people (5), faith (2), faithfulness, fellowship, generous (2), harmony, humility (2), love (2), morality, purpose-driven (2), reaching out to others (5), tolerance/harmony/sensitivity, using one's gifts (4), valuing others (5).
What value would you state would be found when PUMC reaches God's Promised Land? caring for God, caring for God's people, caring for others (2), caring for people, faith (2), God's grace (3), God's glory, grace, love, loved by God (2), loving church family (5), passion peace (3), purpose-driven (3), purposefulness (2), reaching out (2), tolerance, valuing others, using one's gifts.

Overall the following core values were lifted up.

Alphabetical order: caring, caring for God (15), caring for God's people, caring for others (8), caring for people (16), faith (13), faith/passion, faithfulness, fellowship (18), fellowship/worship with other believers, following God's will, generous (3), God's glory, God's grace (8), grace, harmony, hope (2), humility (8), know they are loved by God (4), knowledge and love of God, learning (3), learning about God, listening to music, love (6), loving church family (13), mission, morality (4), passion (2), passion for teaching, peace (4), purpose-driven (5), purposefulness (4), reaching out (8), reaching out to others (5), replenishment (7), sensitivity, sharing God's grace (2), singing (9), strength (2), teaching (5), teaching God's word, thinking (5), tolerance (4), tolerance/valuing others, tolerance/harmony/sensitivity, trying new things, worship (8), worship leading to accepting God's grace, using one's gifts (8), valuing others (10), worship (5), worship/singing.

Incidence of Recurrence Order: fellowship (18), caring for people (16), caring for God (15), faith
(13), loving church family (13),
valuing others
(10), singing (9), caring for others (8), God's grace (8), humility (8), reaching out (8), worship (8), using one's gifts (8), replenishment (7), love (6), purpose-driven (5), reaching out
to others (5), teaching (5), thinking
(5), worship (5), know they are
loved by God (4), morality (4), peace (4),
purposefulness (4), tolerance (4), generous (3), learning (3), hope (2), passion (2), sharing God's grace (2),
strength (2), caring, caring
for God's people, faith/passion, faithfulness, fellowship/worship
with other believers, following God's will, God's glory,
grace, harmony, knowledge and love of God, learning
about God, listening to music, mission, passion for teaching, sensitivity, teaching God's word, tolerance/valuing others,
tolerance/harmony/sensitivity, trying new things, worship
leading to accepting God's grace, worship/singing.

The work of the visioning team will be to begin forming word groupings and seek clarity on ambiguous terms. We will then carry those to various formal and informal groups for reflection and interpretation.

Continue reading “Core Values – Group Answers” →