When You Hear The Words
When you hear the words VBS, you may think about rooms full of screaming kids, glitter, crazy contests, and wild theme songs (none of which is inaccurate.) But if you give me a moment of your time, I'd love to reframe vacation bible school for you. Just in case you've missed the eNews updates, the Facebook updates, the in-church announcements, and the giant "CandyLand" decorated cart in the church lobby, our very own VBS is around the corner! In fact, by the time this blog post hits, it will only be 31 short days away. Many of you have signed up to donate items, and some of you have signed up to volunteer the week of June 19th through 23rd- and for that, I am so grateful.
This year, our list of kids filled up in record time. There was a big need within our church, and our community, for a safe and fun place for kids to go this summer. Kids have invited their family, friends, and even neighbors to join them this year. While some of these kids already come to NUMC, and others go to different churches in our area, there will be kids coming that do not know Jesus. We get the incredible opportunity to capture their attention for a few short hours and give them life-changing, and life-giving information. We get to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Our entire theme for VBS this year is "knowing Jesus changes the game." Right in the middle of all the fun, chaos, and noise will be Jesus, (who is a big fan of kids by the way). This wide array of attendees will come together- different ages, different backgrounds, and different denominations, all united as the body of Christ. It's going to be beautiful, and I absolutely cannot wait.
Now, an event of this size and magnitude does not materialize on its own. It takes the love and time of our faithful volunteer base. VBS takes people showing up to help for it to be successful. This truly is a Kingdom event, and a Kingdom effort. My heart was touched to see volunteers signing up from other churches to help our VBS. Even pastors from other churches in the community! They see the "why" and the eternal significance of the work we will be doing that week. It truly is a capital "C" Church event. And although it is a blessing to have others from the community partnering and helping, we need more help from right within our own church body. This is an opportunity to truly show up and make a difference in the life of a child. If even one kid comes to know Jesus that week- every hour of planning, prepping, organizing, scheduling, setting up, decorating, training, money spent, and time spent pleading for volunteers is worth it to me. All of it.
So here it is...the big ask. Our VBS is June 19th through 23rd from 9 AM to Noon. Our biggest need right now is for adult small-group leaders. You do not have to be a teacher or a Biblical scholar to do this. You just need to love Jesus and be willing to have fun with some kids that week. We will do the Bible story teaching for you, and we will help and equip you to wrap up the lesson with some applicable ways to talk to the kids about it. It's not hard or scary- I promise! We also could use some security and people to grill on Friday for the big family lunch on the final day. I know getting off of work all week is not always an option, so if there is a day or two that you can work, that would still be very appreciated! For the protection of all the kids, we do have safety measures we take for everyone working with children. There is a VBS training meeting to get everyone's safe sanctuary certified/renewed and background checked after church on May 21st at 12:15 PM or June 8th at 6 PM (food is provided!). If you want to join the volunteer team this year, please email me at christineg@navarreumc.org.
Last, I would like to ask every one of you to commit to praying for the kids and volunteers that will be joining us that week. Kids are going to have fun, relationships will be built, and the Gospel is going to be the heart of all we do. Pray for ears to hear, and hearts to receive what the Lord has for all of us that week. I am counting down the days!
Rest for the Weary
We go through so many seasons in life and so many ups and downs. Life throws us curveballs and we encounter twists and turns that are unexpected. Ok, I’m done with the figurative speech. But it’s true! Life is hard. People respond to these seasons in different ways depending on a variety of factors: genetic makeup, life experiences, trauma, mental health struggles... All of these are contributing factors that make up who we are and how we respond to our circumstances.
For me, there are times when I get so overwhelmed with everything going on that I tend to shut down. Zone out. Withdraw. Do you know anyone like that? What used to be an incredibly active, funny, outgoing person is suddenly gone and you’re scratching your head about what happened. I know a lot of students from my time as a teacher and now as a youth pastor that enter these episodes. In fact, we are seeing very concerning numbers when it comes to mental health among youth. The pandemic certainly didn’t help this trend either. More than 200,000 children lost a parent or primary caregiver to COVID-19; what I believe isn’t talked about enough is the fact that every family that lost a loved one were denied traditional mourning and goodbye rituals because of pandemic protocols like social distancing and public health policies.1 The 2023 State of Mental Health in America Report points out even more concerns. Over 50 million Americans are experiencing a mental illness. Over 1 in 10 youth are experiencing depression so bad that it is severely impairing their ability to function in school or work, home, with family, or their social life. Unfortunately, 28% of Americans with a mental illness are unable to receive treatment they need and 42% can not afford treatment. Almost 60% of youth with major depression do not receive ANY mental health treatment. Finally, in the US there is ONE mental health worker for every 350 individuals that need treatment.2
The kids are not alright.
What is contributing to this? One of the main reasons is loneliness.3 Which is an incredible discovery considering how “connected” we are supposed to be with today’s technology and social media. Despite all the tools in the world that are supposed to connect us, there is no substitute for authentic, personal relationships.
We have got to be mindful of this problem in our communities because guess what? The church itself can offer solutions to this problem! Connectedness, purpose, growth, encouragement. These are all elements that happen when we are at our best and do so with a spirit of grace and love. Jesus modeled this for us in the gospel of John:
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (John 11:28-30)
I’m not sure how to solve this mental health crisis, but I do know this: we have a lot to offer this world when we gather and represent the body of Christ – the one who offers rest for our souls. When we begin to focus on things that mattered to Jesus the most, we will begin to see transformation in the lives of people that may have never thought they could find peace and rest for their souls.
May we gather, love, and represent our Lord with all grace and peace.
May The Gospel Be With You
I did not intentionally plan to be the guy writing the blog on May the Fourth, but I plan to make the most of it. For the non-nerds out there, May 4th is Star Wars day, only because May the Fourth sounds eerily similar to may the force [be with you]. The multilayered joke in the methodist tradition is to then add “and also with you”. (In a traditional style service there is a moment called the passing of the peace. The proper greeting is “The peace of Christ be with you” and the response is “and also with you”.)
While I was still a youth director, Star Wars episode 7 came out. Of course I had to think of a way to watch Star Wars with the teens, but in typical youth ministry fashion I also had to come up with a way to redeem it for spiritual purposes. Apparently old habits die hard. Anyway, we watched the Force Awakens over a few week span, but the catch was I wanted the teens to take note of what Christian themes could be found in the movie. It didn’t disappoint. Some of the parallels were super obvious. Some of them were a bit more obscure like Finn being the Prodigal Son. The thing that pleasantly surprised me though was that they were all able to connect the stories and themes of the Bible to the movie. I still think it’s a wonderful exercise and encourage you to try it as you celebrate May The Fourth.
However, you can also do this with just about any other movie. Top Gun: Maverick was the top grossing movie last year and has nothing to do with Christianity. But even in this movie you can draw similarities to the Bible. I mean, the whole movie itself is a continuation of the first and makes several nostalgic references to the original. It’s like how the New Testament is a fulfillment of the Old and contains 283 direct quotes. You can talk about training up the next generation (Proverbs 22:6), encouraging one another (1 Thess. 3:2), or doing whatever it is to the best of your ability (Ecc. 9:10).
The sceptic might say that the reason we can do this so easily is because the Bible has copied or borrowed from other narratives or real world scenarios and therefore is just a trope. However, I think it’s the opposite. For starters, large parts of the Bible are merely describing God’s interaction with His people. It is a written record of what has happened to humans. And because we are still human, the stories that we found compelling thousands of years ago still have a similar draw to us today. We love the hero’s journey, the underdog taking down the empire, epic battles and self sacrifice. So of course we can find these themes in Biblical works and in modern movies.
So whether you celebrate today by watching all 9 episodes or if it’s just another day in May, may the peace of Christ be with you.
Raise Them Up
As a parent, your greatest joy is seeing your child grow and develop into the person God has created them to be. You want your child to know and love Jesus Christ, and to live a life that reflects his love and grace. In this blog, we'll explore some of the ways you can help your child grow in her faith and become a disciple of Jesus Christ.
First and foremost, you can help your child develop a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. This starts by introducing her to the Bible and teaching her about God's love and grace. You can read Bible stories together, pray together, and attend church services and events as a family. By modeling a life of faith and discipleship, you can help your child understand what it means to follow Jesus.
You can also help your child develop a heart for service and compassion. Jesus taught us to love and serve others, and as we follow him, we are called to do the same. You can help your child develop a heart for service by volunteering together, participating in mission trips, and reaching out to those in need in your community. By serving others, your child can experience the joy and fulfillment that comes from following Christ's example.
Another important way to help your child grow in his/her faith is to encourage them to develop healthy relationships with other believers. The Bible tells us that we are not meant to live out our faith alone, but to be part of a community of believers. You can help your child find a group of friends who share their faith and encourage them to participate in youth group or other church activities. By being part of a community of believers, your child can find support, encouragement, and accountability as they grow in their faith.
Finally, you can help your child develop a strong sense of identity in Christ. In a world that often promotes unrealistic standards of beauty and success, it's important for your child to know that their true worth comes from who they are in Christ. You can help your child understand that they are fearfully and wonderfully made, and that God has a unique purpose and plan for their life. By helping your child find his/her identity in Christ, you can help her navigate the challenges of life with confidence and grace.
As a parent, you have a unique opportunity and responsibility to help your child grow in their faith and become a disciple of Jesus Christ. By introducing them to the Bible, encouraging them to serve others, helping them find community, and nurturing their sense of identity in Christ, you can help your child become the person God has created them to be.
When Its Time To Change
Autumn turns to winter,
And winter turns to spring.
It doesn’t just go for the seasons you know,
It goes for everything.
Shakespeare? Tennyson? Whitman? Close - the Brady Bunch. You might recognize this as the opening verse of their most famous song, “Time to Change.” It was written for the episode where Peter’s teenage voice began to change, threatening the family’s upcoming appearance on a local TV talent show. You remember that one. It was a major crisis for the family, but – not to worry – in the end they were able to compete when they cleverly incorporated Peter’s pitchy voice into the song’s chorus that reminds us to welcome change as a necessary part of life and growth. Crisis averted. I’ll spare you the Sha-na-nas.
The song may be a little corny and devoid of any deep theology, but it does make a good point. We cannot live or grow without experiencing change. The Greek philosopher, Heraclitus, is credited with saying, “the only constant is change” and how much more so for Methodist pastors and their families. As you know, this past week our Senior Pastor, Dr. Alan McBride, announced his appointment to another church in our Conference. He and Karen will be leaving NUMC this summer, and they will be sorely missed.
As hard as it is to accept, change is not just inevitable. It is necessary. I know that in my head, but when faced with news like Alan’s departure, I soon realize the concept has not fully made the short eighteen-inch drop to my heart. So, like many of you it is something I have to process to find a continued confidence in Providence and a happy reassurance in our God’s trustworthiness. The most positive way for me to process this kind of news is to consider (1) occasions in our recent past that brought a need for change and (2) how God always used these circumstances to take us to a better place than where we started. I hope you will indulge me as I offer for your consideration three such occasions where we were broken spiritually, functionally, and physically and desperately needed change.
Let’s start with Alan. When he reported for work here, NUMC was a broken church – a family sharply divided. For months prior to his arrival, we had been caught up in a silly fight over temporal things and for some crazy reason we thought our disagreements could be resolved by a majority vote of the Church Council. It didn’t work out too well. When the votes were cast and a single, solitary vote separated the winners from the losers, Mark Munday took me aside and whispered words in my ear I will never forget – “Cal, we have failed to love people here tonight.” He was right, and the explosive division that followed proved him so. Our fighting had left us spiritually broken, and it was time to change.
That year, Alan McBride was appointed as our new Senior Pastor. Ed Bush and I had the privilege of meeting him for the first time at Annual Conference, where he invited us to dinner. I have told the story of this dinner many times, but it is worth telling again now because – in my opinion – it is a story of God’s great love for us and an event that will stand forever as a watershed moment for our church.
Not long into our meal and still reeling from the politics that had just crushed our body, I asked Alan a really stupid question. Consumed with finding a modern leadership solution that would bring us all back together, I asked, “Alan, what is your agenda for our church?” His answer could not have been more Christ-like if he had kneeled down to scribble in the dirt. He said, “Cal, I think I’m going to come over there and just love on people.” He was true to his word and before long, he had literally loved this broken church back together.
We still have disagreements, but we also enjoy a much greater unity - especially about the ideas that really matter. We have a stronger consensus on mission and a more accommodating flexibility on methods. Alan was just the change we needed, but not the last we would see.
Not long into Alan’s tenure, the COVID-19 pandemic crippled everything in our culture, including our ministry to this community. At the time, our church model, like most everyone else’s, was dependent on people actually being here on Sunday mornings to worship, take communion, share tithes and offerings, and minister to one another. Well, that model wasn’t going to work anymore. Now what? The pandemic had left us functionally broken, and it was time to change.
Our church leaders prayed and scrambled to redesign our systems and implement innovative technologies that would not only get us through the immediate crisis but would also deliver a new suite of capabilities for expanding our reach far beyond the Emerald Coast. Today, by God’s grace, our worship services are viewed on-line in time zones that span the globe. The Lord also used the pandemic to test and strengthen both our resolve and our ability to answer his call to be the light, life, and love of Jesus Christ in a hurting and broken world no matter the circumstances. What the enemy meant for harm; God has used for a greater good than we even knew was possible. Everything changed, and we dramatically changed with it, but we still weren’t finished.
Just as we were getting back to in-person services, Hurricane Sally blew into town and devastated our aging church facilities. There was damage to every building on our campus and more than $2 million worth of repairs were needed for the sanctuary alone. We were still only limping back from COVID-19 and now Sally had left us physically broken and, you guessed it, it was time to change. Once again, we rallied around our gracious Lord and one another, having been strengthened by the unifying love of a great pastor and our victorious response to an unimaginable global crisis. We formed a task force with Romans 8:28 as our driving theme - “in all things, God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” It was long two-year struggle, but in the end, God used this crisis to make significant repairs and improvements to all of our facilities, including a total remodeling of our beautiful sanctuary – just in time for a new generation of believers to call it home. He turned what could have been a tremendous setback into a significant step forward in preparing our campus for the people and work he will continue to bring our way.
I thank God NUMC is no stranger to change. Each time we have stood before the gale of uncertainty, we have emerged on the other side stronger, closer, and better than ever. I have never seen our church more committed to the mission than we are right now. Building on what we have recently faced, we are boldly stepping forward with new leaders, new strategies, new facilities, and a new resolve to bring the love and grace of Christ to the world around us.
In the midst of all this progress, the prospect of Alan moving on now leaves us heart broken, and – like it or not – it’s once again time to change. I don’t think any of us can predict what that change will look like for us, for Alan, or for Shalimar UMC, but based on history and the promise of scripture, I feel confident in saying it will be good for everyone. As I have processed the news in this way, God has lifted from me the burden of wasting time entertaining my worst fears and most dreaded outcomes. I hope it will do the same for us as a church. I think it would honor God for us to dwell not on how the change will impact who we are today, but instead eagerly and obediently respond to whatever change he brings to make us into the church He wants us to be. Just like the Brady kids tried to teach us fifty years ago (and every day since in syndication) …
When it’s time to change (when it’s time to change),
Don’t fight the tide, go along for the ride, don’t you see?
When it’s time to change, it’s time to rearrange
Who you are and what you’re gonna be!
Oh, what the heck…
Shana na na na na nana na – shana na na na.
Shanna na na na na na na na – shana na na na.
Grace and Peace, my friends!