Pastor’s Pen: [ February 22] Business Meeting 5:45pm Fellowship Hall
[ February 26 ] Setting Sail Sunday 8:15/10:45am Worship 12-2pm Lunch & Conversation
[February 28 ] Upward Awards Night 6:00pm
@fbcjc @fbcjcmo FBCJC FBCJC
I’ve heard two fears expressed regarding our Setting Sail process of moving from God’s dream to concrete action. The first fear is that all of this work and effort will end up on some shelf in a church closet. The other fear is the opposite—that the changes in our midst will be so stark and radical, no one will recognize this place anymore. Setting Sail will NOT be ignored. But things WILL change. They must, or we don’t have a future. These changes, however, will never be for change’s sake. They will be couched in our gospel mandate, and in clear, missional thinking and robust congregational conversation. Pastor Nadia Bolz-Weber has said that the only authentic change is the change that is rooted deeply in tradition. We possess that rich past; now God is calling us to the other half, bold change I know. Change is difficult. A pastor once announced, “If the 1970’s ever come back, my church is ready!” Culture is changing and spiritual longings are deep. People’s lives are broken. All of this cries out for bold and God-sized action. The time for timid, small steps is long past. I urge you as strongly as I know how: Sunday, February 26 is an extremely important day in our life together. I urge you to be present that day. Bill Wilson, our coach, encourager and consultant, will be with us in morning worship. And then we will share a church-wide lunch and hear from each of our five crews, reporting on specific actions related to initiatives which you, the, congregation, urged us to address-God-centered worship, life-changing faith, authentic relationships, community transformation and global partners. You no doubt have been following the local news about the upcoming urban renewal just to our east, tentatively known as “East Capitol Rehab.” One investor has expressed interest in converting the old shoe factory into apartments for young professionals. Even if a fraction of these city plans come to pass, how can our congregation be caught flat-footed when so many opportunities surround us? These are exciting times. I believe God has plans for FBC JC, plans which involve a whole lot of change, a whole lot of work and a whole lot of fun.
Grace,