Kindness a virus

here is an interesting article from USA Today Tue 12 Nov 2007

Kindness and service is spreading...like a virus...now impacting many cities through Plan A
the Church...No plan B

A force for good
For a growing movement of believers, an activist faith means more than proselytizing about Jesus and stoking the fires of our culture wars. Welcome to the new (and yes, liberal) world of evangelical Christianity.

By Tom Krattenmaker

A passerby might not have known: Was this going to be a church service or a concert by an alternative rock band? The set-up on the stage suggested the latter — a drum kit, guitars on stands, several microphones, and large screens flashing iconic Portland scenes — and so did the look of the young, urban-hip crowd filling up the auditorium.

Then the band hit the stage with a loud, infectious groove, the front man singing passionately about God, and it was clear that the Sunday gathering of Portland's Imago Dei Community was both alt-rock concert and church service, or neither, exactly. So it goes in the new world of alternative evangelical Christianity, better known as the emerging church.

(Illustration by Sam Ward, USA TODAY)

There's a growing buzz about the emerging movement, and depending on your point of view, its robust growth and rising influence are worthy of applause, scorn, or perhaps just puzzlement. Fitting for a movement that eschews hierarchy and dogma, emergents defy simple definition. Perhaps the best one can say is that they're new-style Christians for the postmodern age, the evangelicals of whom the late Rev. Jerry Falwell disapproved.

Postmodernity is nothing new. Philosophers will tell you we've been living in the postmodern age for decades. But its expression in the context of fervent Christianity, in the form of the emerging church, is a fairly recent phenomenon, only about a decade old.

Like the postmodern philosophy it embraces, the emerging church values complexity, ambiguity and decentralized authority. Emergents are quite certain about some things, nevertheless, especially Jesus and his clear instruction about the way Christians are to live out their faith — not primarily as respectable, middle-class pillars of status quo society, but as servants to the poor and to people in the margins. In the words of Gideon Tsang, a 33-year-old Texas emergent who moved himself and his family to a smaller home in a poorer part of town, "The path of Christ is not in upward mobility; it's in downward."

Nothing to resent

To the many Americans cynical about religion, news of the emerging church might come as a stereotype-busting surprise. Christians fired up not about wedge-driving culture-war issues, but about spreading non-judgmental love and compassion? What's to resent about this public face of religion?

According to best estimates, several hundred emerging church congregations, or "communities," have sprung up around the country. Although some are quite large, with memberships well into the thousands, emergents are still bit players on the national religious stage. But the emerging church is making its presence felt, with new groups forming rapidly and major secular and religious media outlets chronicling its influence and potential to dramatically change religion in this country.

Rick McKinley is a goateed thirty-something who leads Imago Dei (which means "image of God" in Latin). McKinley is not your mother's minister. He threads his sermons and two books with youthful slang, as in being "stoked" about things that excite him and acknowledging that "it can really suck" to live with sin.

Ask McKinley whether he and his community are evangelical Christians, and he'll tell you yes — and no. "We'd say 'yes' in terms of what we think about the authority of Scripture and those things," says McKinley, who is finishing his theology doctorate this year. "What you have is evangelicalism defined doctrinally, which we'd agree with, and defined culturally, where we would disagree. Culturally, it has been hijacked by a right-wing political movement."

Like mainstream evangelicals, emergents believe in spreading the Gospel and in the necessity of believers having a personal relationship with Jesus. The difference lies in how faith is applied — the way it's acted out "in the culture," as emergents typically put it. In the eyes of the emerging church, Christianity lived out in the respectable confines of megachurches and suburbia is fading into irrelevance as a new generation comes of age with a passion for healing society and a reluctance to shout moralistic dogma. "If the church doesn't love its neighbors," McKinley says, "I don't understand how it can say anything that's going to have meaning in the culture."

Emergents tend to be more tolerant than establishment evangelicals on issues such as abortion and homosexuality. Do emergents believe in heaven and hell? Yes, McKinley explains, but according to emergent theology, the point of being Christian is not solely to achieve heaven in the next life, but to bring some heaven to this life by doing the work of Jesus.

That conviction recently translated into "Love Portland," a Saturday of service around the city. Groups from Imago Dei fanned out to perform service projects — beautifying a school in a poor neighborhood, refurbishing a rundown community theater, and the like — and then gathered to celebrate at their Sunday service the next day with music, video clips and stories from those who partook of the service work. Of course, most evangelical churches perform community service. What makes groups such as Imago Dei different is "sustainability," McKinley says — a commitment to serving the community day after day, week after week — and a soft-sell approach to evangelizing to those on the receiving end of their good works.

Serve the community

The "downward mobility" cited by the Texas emergent applies as well to the church-growth strategy, or lack thereof, of emerging communities. Unlike the megachurches of mainstream evangelicalism, emerging groups do not emphasize attracting new members (although it seems to happen anyway) or constructing church buildings. Some emerging groups meet in rented auditoriums, some in people's homes, some in pubs. There is less emphasis, too, on programming for members. In their view, the church exists not primarily to serve members but to serve the community.

Typical of the movement's critics, Falwell accused the emerging church of trying to "modernize and recreate the church so as not to offend sinners." That's probably code for "liberal," a shoe that would certainly fit.

Writer Scot McKnight, a supporter of the movement, says emergents are seen as "a latte-drinking, backpack-lugging, Birkenstock-wearing group of 21st-century, left-wing, hippie wannabes. Put directly, they are Democrats."

As is so often the case with religious movements in this country, the emerging church is both old and new: Old, in that Christianity in America has seemingly always been in a state of re-invention in response to the ever-changing culture; and new, in that we see in the emerging church a group of Jesus followers who reject the social conservatism modeled by Falwell and many other leading evangelicals this past quarter-century.

Is the emerging church compromising biblical truth for the sake of being hip? That debate won't be resolved here. Whatever the case, there is something hopeful about the appearance of a youthful, idealistic form of faith focused more on healing broken neighborhoods than accumulating members and political power.

For those hoping religion can more consistently serve as a force for kindness, unity and society's renewal — and not so much as an argument-starter — the verdict seems simple: Let the emerging church, and its larger ideals, continue to emerge.

Tom Krattenmaker, who lives in Portland, Ore., specializes in religion in public life and is a member of USA TODAY's board of contributors. He is working on a book about Christianity in professional sports.
Posted at 12:16 AM/ET, November 12, 2007 in Ethics - Forum, Forum commentary, Krattenmaker, Lifestyle issues - Forum, On religion column, Religion - Forum | Permalink

Turkey's giving away turkeys

This year we are going to the area apartments we have served with Get on the Bus and Community Funfest. We've been building some relationships with the communities and this years project will be an exciting investment into the lives we seek to reach.

So,

Join your friends, small group or as a family helping others this Thanksgiving.

It’s simple: Take this list to any store and purchase the items listed. Pack the items in the box provided in the lobby and place the frozen turkey in the bag provided.

Then come to the Vineyard Saturday, November 17th @ 10am. After some instructions we will head out to an apartment building or two, and surprise the residents with a free turkey dinner.

Tip: this outreach is fun to do with a few friends or family. If you want to participate... or are short of cash, why not grab a few friends or invite your small group to pool resources and then shop together (grab some ice-cream after) and then serve together.

Shopping list:
__ 2 cans of corn
__ 2 cans of green beans
__ 1 large can of yams
__ 1 box of scalloped potatoes
__ 1 can of cranberry sauce
__ 2 boxes of mac and cheese
__ 1 box of brownie mix
__ 1 package of brown and serve rolls
__ 1 medium Frozen Turkey

Option: Be creative and add your own treats to the list.

Throw in a pie or other fun items

WOW FunFest 5

For more pictures click this link Dayton Daily News

Without His favor, His blessing and His presence upon us...
all is folly.
steve bowen

Many thanks to the 250+ volunteers, our take a risk staff, Nicole our new (thrown in the deep end) outreach assistant...all went beyond the call of duty to serve our community joyfully...

• the set up team did a fantastic job the night before,
• the kids worship team and great parents who came at 5am for Channel 2 news,
  
• the grill, snowcone, and popcorn team 3k hotdogs, the patient snowcones and popcorn people,
  
• the game people were caring, and creative,
• the inside pingpong fish bowls were a huge hit and the team had a great ab work out,
• the face painters painted,
  
• mom's muffins (500 caringly made homemade muffins for moms),
• the medical team and lost parent team thankfully had a slow night,
• the artist small group carved many a pumpkin,
• the helium balloon people are now nursing bruised fingers,
  
• the candy runners ran often,
  
• the volunteer care team cared well,
• the security guys hospitality people solved problems, like having too many cars, our grass became a car lot, getting people in the parking lot then out safely,
• the clean up crew cleaned up the mess in one hour...the reserve clean team the next day 2 hours.
  

Most people commented on the peace people felt on the campus. Our prayer team prayed, literally, walking the property, worshiping, and believing from Oct 1 ...we had several joint times of prayer during he month.

Believe it or not, I believe that prayer is the engine behind whatever we attempt to do in His Kingdom. Without His favor, His blessing and His presence upon us... all is folly. steve bowen

The wind...we didn't count on wind...

all day the our set up was blown all over the place...
...67 degree weather clear sky and wind...all day.

During the day i pondered how Jesus just spoke to the wind and it immediately died down, I asked. 'how did you do that?' you can't see the wind or the source!'

So, I also spoke to the wind all day, noting the wind seemed to increase as yet another safety barrier was knocked down. O me of little faith.


at 7:00pm I was walking to solve another minor problem when i sensed what friend calls 'flutterby' a small slight impression, possibly missed if you are not aware of a still small voice speaking in your heart...

I sensed, heard, had a slight impression...'Steve, what do you notice?' I paused...slowed down on the inside, stood still and listened...I heard a simple statement 'no wind'. In the moment I noticed it was dead calm... an encouragement for my heart, a sense of God's love and favor that is worth more to me than gold... what I call a God moment.

once again i realized ... 'Me Father is in heaven and He is quite fond of me' old irish priest quote....

the wind did pick up to a gentle breeze a short time later but there were no more knock em down gusts.


In the end...
all the noise of the event, the sense of success, the joy of seeing an autistic kid take 20 minutes to climb a rock wall, then grin from ear to ear on his first ride on a ferris wheel...seeing thousands of people enjoying God's generosity through His people was amazing.

For me personally...Hearing His voice in the midst of all the craziness was the highlight of my long day. That one 'God moment' filled my spiritual, emotional tank.

FunFest 5

it's almost here! FunFest 5 we have 200 people + signed up to help out. Our Volunteer meeting is on Friday the 26th at 7pm this hour meeting will be helpful to all volunteers.

We'll be handing out site maps, and selecting our assignments, breaking up into teams, and basically communicating.

Tuesday is our set up time we are staging all the games, food, tables, flag, lights, fill gold fish bowls, set up signs, and to set up Tuesday night 6 pm...

On Wed we'll have Chanel 2 pop in at 5am to film a morning show. It is always a fun time with the film crew...Hopefully we'll have the ferris wheel up and going.

I have a sense this will be a big night and that a lot of people will be attending...

We've planned 3000 hotdogs and drinks to give away and have some other interesting events planned.

Interestingly I've only received on negative email from someone who didn't like what we are doing...

A verse: redeem the time for the days are evil...

We are attempting to redeem the time...present an evening that is safe, fun and has a sense of God's presence. Our prayer team has been praying, and we as a church are now in a season of praying mon, wed, and fri at 9 pm...

prayer is the power house that all we do hinges upon...

one crack pipe, two needles, 3 dead squirrels.

2nd Saturday Outreach 25 of us headed down to the new Campus to clean up, move fridges, clean windows and generally have a great time.

Donning Blue gloves and carrying black bags we cleaned up the surrounding area. The Family Dollar store's driveway was littered with various items so we clean it up and hauled away ten bags of trash.

In the mix: 1 broken crack pipe, 2 needles, and 3 dead squirrels. Just to be in the area cleaning things up made a difference. People sat on their porches, the brave came and asked what was going on. Light is a very bright in a dark area.

We also set up the shelves for the new food pantry which will begin next month. I felt very energized by the day...I usually don't have very many up days...but yesterday was up on my emotional, spiritual senses. Perhaps it had something to do with God's will and doing the stuff.

Lions, and tigers and bears Oh, My! Wizard of Oz

If you are going to stay home…be kind, be warm and be inviting.
A little bit of kindness goes a long way.

Halloween for many a Christian is a very scary night. Bar the doors, pull down the shades, keep the kids in and play it safe is a normal reaction. However, it’s important to note, lots of Americans do not have a Christian belief system. Their view of life is much different to many believers. For those who know not Christ see Halloween as a fun night for the kids.

One year I stayed home, on purpose. I wanted to check out the scene in my neighborhood where I’m known. To catch the vibe. See what parents were doing with their kids. To be in my community. My desire was to connect with my neighbors in some tangible meaningful way. I chose to sit on my front porch with my mini dachshund as protection and use an Izone mini camera to take the little monsters’ picture then give the kids the photo and ask them to hand it to their mom or dad.(it was interesting no scary costumes on my block)

It was a big hit. Comments like, ‘Wow, this is cool!’ to questions like, ‘Why are you doing this?’ were the norm. I’d reply, I’m just showing you God’s love in a practical way.’ And chat with the parents.

One my friends decided to have Veggie Tales playing on the big screen in their den. They’d invite the parents and kids in and offer free coffee, hot chocolate and have some personal gifts made for each family. Again a huge hit and many positive conversations with parents.

Here are some Halloween tips.

• Recognize you can positively invest in how you as a person are perceived in your neighborhood. Hopefully, people are saying something like...’Hey that’s Mr. Jones. He’s a nice guy always doing nice things for people. He’s goes to that pretty good church down the street.’ So, If you are going to stay home…be kind, be warm and be inviting. A little bit of kindness goes a long way.
  

• Recognize, ‘they out there,’ are not your enemies. They are your neighbors. They have names like Mary and Tom, etc. with kids named Joey, Samantha, etc.

• Recognize if a parent is walking with their child they are being responsible parents. Saint or Sinner, it’s true, it matters not.

Do something out of the ordinary like:

• Buy an izone or Polaroid camera… kids come to your door take a picture hand it to the kids for the parents.

• Have something for the adults. Offer a cold pop, or a cup of coffee, hot coco, or hot tea.

• In your driveway bring your TV and DVD outside and show Veggie Tales. Have lawn chairs set up, add bags of popcorn and you’re off to the movies. One friend in Tampa had a crowd by the end of the evening.

• Buy something different like giant candy bars or individually wrapped bags of popcorn etc. available at most stores. Be Big… Be Generous… Be Creative

• Be ready to share your faith, by answering questions...and by allowing your positive caring attitude show. A smile and an encouraging handshake mean much to most people in your neighborhood

A verse: redeem the time for the days are evil.

Love Louisville

many years ago while living in Scotland a man prayed for me and said, that 'I would go to B.C. in Canada and see the birth of a movement.' At the time I thought that's impossible. I live in the land of the frozen chosen, in Inverness the last place on earth. So put the idea in my God's words to Steve file box.

Then I moved to Pensacola, developed Serve Pensacola, then moved to Cincinnati to work with Steve Sjogren....that's another story...

While at the Cincy Vineyard I received a phone call from Abbotsford and was asked if I thought they could pull off a Love Abbotsford? I replied, if you become focused you could. Focused they became... Over the next few months, there were many phone calls, and emails. When time for the event neared I realized that this could be the birth of a movement that I would see. So, I traveled to B.C. and watch Love Abbotsford unfold. It was a great day many churches working together showered God's love all over the area mainly through various acts of Kindness. The gathering in the evening was off the chart. They even recorded the night. Love Abbotsford Live.



Love Your City! has now become an international movement.

This weekend I helped Robert Pitman with Love Louisville. Over 50 churches working together to Love Louisville in practical ways.






We gathered at the Highland Vineyard. Shared some tips, gathered into groups and headed out.

It was great to see so many people serving, caring, encouraging people all accross Louisville. Our team served 600 cold drinks in the Highland area in 95 degree October weather.

This past week several people have written to me with some humbling, yet encouraging words. I've been pondering the Love City event and how I've been involved with some amazing Kingdom events expressing God's love in action. My conclusion, 'Me Father is in heaven and He is very fond of me'. to quote an Irish priest.

here is the news article from the Louisville paper pre-event

Planting seeds of LOVE Angie Fenton afenton@courier-journal.com The Courier-Journal Acts of kindness affect givers as well as recipients

By Angie Fenton afenton@courier-journal.com The Courier-Journal Love Louisville Day is "about seeing a need and meeting it. It's sharing a hurt and healing it," said Robert Pittman, who helped start the event five years ago. Before that he admittedly had become more focused on growing his own church than reaching out to the community. What would happen if people all over the community combined their resources to commit acts of kindness with no strings attached? There'd be a potentially "colossal, gargantuan effect," said Mark Taylor, one of the organizers of Love Louisville Day, a one-day event in which churches across the city will unite on Saturday to share God's love — gratis — with area residents. Last year's "kindness explosion" connected 50 churches and their members who held free carwashes, garbage pick-ups, grocery drop-offs and neighborhood block parties. They washed windshields at gas stations and handed out $2 bills to patrons to help pay bills. They passed out food and water at stoplights and helped seniors and single-parent families with yardwork and household chores. This year's goal is to unify 100 churches and their members, along with anyone who has a heart for giving, on what Mayor Jerry Abramson has officially declared Love Louisville Day. "We're out to try to show people that God is love," said Elmer Ross, pastor of Fresh Anointing World Christian Center. "Love must be embraced." Churches have a responsibility to "go and show" God's love, rather than focusing solely on getting newcomers to "come and see" what the church has to offer, said Taylor, a member of Ninth and O Baptist Church. Taking acts of service to the streets "brings unity among the churches and helps change a mindset of competitiveness," Taylor said. Dave Kimura, who created LoveLouisville.org, said, "Words fall short of explaining the feeling, the reward" he gets from participating in the endeavor. "It's a huge boost to self-worth," he said. "We're showing love to people in the way that God loves us: unconditionally." "The world is not in our church services," said Pittman, head pastor of Highland Vineyard Church. "It's really very simple: The Bible talks about how it's in the small things that have the greatest impact." Over the years, performing acts of kindness has transformed Pittman emotionally and spiritually. "I was going to be the 'come-and-see church.' I wasn't going to be the go-out-and-show (God's love) church," he said. Pittman began performing kind acts for others on his own and, eventually, began organizing groups from his congregation and coordinating with other churches to do kindness projects. "It taught me to quit worrying about how you look. It's about what type of heart you're presenting," Pittman said. The lesson has paid off. "You know what I've got now? It's the kind of church anyone can go to. Come as you are and join us as we go 'n' show," Pittman said. "My hope is that Love Louisville Day helps plant a seed of what it means to follow Jesus," he said. "I know it did in me." Reporter Angie Fenton can be reached at (502) 582-7143. LOVE LOUISVILLE What: A one-day event where community members commit simple acts of kindness all over the city to show God's love with no strings attached. When: 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Oct. 6. There will be a post-event celebration at 1 p.m. at the Brown-Forman Amphitheater at Waterfront Park. Who's invited? Anyone can participate. Information: www.lovelouisville.org. Ideas: Take the neighbors' trash to the curb for them. Hand out bottles of water to people walking in the park. Do yardwork for senior adults or families. Hold a free block party. Give away potted plants. Go door-to-door and give away light bulbs, toilet paper or batteries for smoke detectors. Give away groceries. Give away clothing and shoes. Hold a free yard sale. Approach a small business and offer to clean the bathroom. Give someone $5 toward his or her gas purchase. Offer to wash windshields for free at a gas station. Give bags of goodies to employees at a local business.