Sermon Series: CrossWalk

The central identifying symbol of our Christian faith is the cross.  While we may cherish "the old rugged cross" and what Jesus did for us there, it also represents a calling to live a certain kind of life that puts us in direct conflict with the values and understandings of those around us.  Combined with beautiful and inspiring music, the CrossWalk sermon series will offer an intriguing and moving view of the Passion of Christ that is sure to prepare each of us for a fresh experience of Holy Week and the triumph of Easter.  

 

Sermon Title: "Fake News"

If you read the first two articles, you know that F.R.A.N. stands for Friends, Relatives, Acquaintances and Neighbors. You also know from the last article that 79% of those who make the courageous step of visiting a church for the first time do so because someone they know and trust invited them. Here's the challenge, however. Over time, our friendships in the church become our main circle of friends. Many people report to me that they have no non-Christian friends. Birds of a feather....  But the Great Commission to "Go and make disciples of all nations..." is still in force. What that means is Christian birds are meant to associate with birds of other flocks, especially those who are not yet flying in Christian formation. 

The truth is that less than 35% of the US population are involved in a church. Under 40, that number decreases to less than 20%. That doesn't mean they aren't Christian, but it does mean they are not in a community that is encourages their growth in worship, fellowship, learning and mission. We used to think that the best way to reach those outside was to create amazing youth, music and children's programs inside or to create a drive-in movie church (the Crystal Cathedral sold out to the Roman Catholics). Now we know that those methods mainly draw Christians from other churches and makes little impact on the 65% of individuals and families above 40 and the 80% below 40.

 

The better strategy is to build authentic friendships with people who are not involved in a church on the other days of the week - in the neighborhood, at the gym, at the convenience store where you buy coffee, at Kohl's, or on the playing field with other parents and coaches, etc. I recommend frequenting the same places so you really get to know folks by their names, and eventually who their families are and what is fun or difficult for them. Soon you will start seeing and befriending people you didn't know you were crossing paths with. Please, this is not about building a relationship with someone so they will come to our church. This is about building authentic relationships where at the right time you will have the opportunity to share faith, but you build the relationship whether that happens or not, because you care for them!

Making disciples of Jesus Christ is the #1 thing we do, but we can be patient and authentic about it.  And who knows when you might get to share the secret to life itself as your greatest act of authentic friendship!

What is an Early Response Team?

The mission of an Early Response Team (ERT) is  to provide a caring Christian presence in the  aftermath of a disaster, under very specific  guidelines that enable a team to be productive  and caring while causing no further harm or being  a burden to the affected community.  Early Response Teams respond after emergency  personnel to disasters such as fires, hurricanes,  tornadoes, and flooding to help families with clean  -up, prevention of more damage to homes, and  clean out of homes. A one day training must be  completed to participate in this type of response.  Classes are taught by authorized UMCOR trainers  from our conference, and team members are  given picture ID badges as evidence of training  and required in disaster zones. Click for more information...

Thank you...the Spring Break packing event was amazing!