Thursday, June 26, 2008
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Monday, June 23, 2008
Manhattan Church of Christ
Great article about the congregation where Craig attends in New York City.................
Manhattan congregation reflects melting pot nature of New York City
By Bobby Ross Jr. The Christian Chronicle
NEW YORK - No fried chicken. No hamburger casserole. No Jell-O salad.The titillating smells emanating from the fourth floor of the Manhattan Church of Christ on a recent Sunday reflected a more international flavor.The menu included Korean-style scallion pancakes, English scones and cucumber sandwiches, Nigerian bean cakes and Guyanese fish cakes.At the church’s International Day, members representing two dozen nationalities donned native attire and set up displays showcasing their home countries.“One thing brings you together, and that’s the blood of Christ,” said Effiong Akpan, a Nigerian wearing a light blue robe known as an agbada. “This is exactly what God intended when he said that all nations should flow unto him.” 'BREAKING BARRIERSAlmost 83, John Rainbow couldn’t help but smile as children and adults marched into the first-floor auditorium carrying signs of their native lands.As the congregation sang “Jesus Loves the Little Children” in English and Spanish, there were plenty of “red and yellow, black and white” faces to match the words of the song.“I thank God,” Rainbow said.An African-American who made a living in his younger years singing ballads and love songs, Rainbow first came to the congregation in 1957 hoping to meet entertainer Pat Boone, then the church’s song leader.But in the church, Rainbow encountered the prejudice of that era. A white elder’s wife would change pews if a black man such as Rainbow sat down beside her. One man hurled racial slurs.However, the late Burton Coffman, the minister from 1954 to 1971, gripped Rainbow’s hand, looked him in the eye and told him to keep coming back.“Don’t let anybody drive you away,” Rainbow recalls Coffman telling him. And Rainbow didn’t.He later served 10 years as the church’s song leader and remains a faithful member. At International Day, the congregation applauded as Rainbow stood to be recognized for the barriers that he helped break down.RICH AND POORJust a short walk from Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s $13.5 million townhouse, the Upper East Side church occupies one of America’s richest ZIP codes.Yet, through a ministry called Community of Hope, the congregation welcomes homeless people into the building each Friday and the second Saturday of each month. The guests shower, eat, rest, study the Bible and watch movies at the church.“Even though it’s a very wealthy area, there’s a lot of homeless people that live in the area,” said Thomas L. Robinson, senior minister and one of five elders. “As far as breaking down barriers, that kind of barrier — the socioeconomic barrier — is at least as difficult as the racial and ethnic barriers.”Believing God calls all people unto him, the church works actively to build a community that overcomes the ethnic, socioeconomic, gender and racial barriers that divide humankind, church leaders said.The church’s two English services and separate Spanish assembly draw nearly 400 worshipers each Sunday morning. A bilingual service is conducted on the third Sunday of each month.Member Selina Law, who organized International Day, said she expects heaven to look a lot like the Manhattan church.“When people come here, it doesn’t really matter where you’re from,” said Law, a Hong Kong native. “You just feel comfortable and you fit in, and that’s a good feeling.”The congregation mixes investment bankers, lawyers and heart surgeons with taxi drivers, police officers and computer specialists. Well-known attendees include Lester Holt of NBC News and, when he’s in town, Yankees broadcaster Bobby Murcer.“Our overall membership includes only some 100-125 members who were raised within the Church of Christ,” said elder David Swearingen, a third-generation member from Idaho and vice president of corporate communications with Johnson & Johnson. “Virtually all of the others converted from other faiths — principally Catholics, with a few Jewish conversions, as well as Hindu, one former Muslim and several Christian denominations,” said Swearingen, a graduate of Pepperdine University in Malibu, Calif.Colombian-born minister Hugo Monroy, who works with New York area church planters and the Manhattan church’s Hispanic ministry, touted the blessings of diversity.“We have the opportunity to taste different foods, to hear of different ways of doing things, different ways of thinking and behaving,” said Monroy, who grew up Catholic and became an atheist before his baptism at a Church of Christ.A graduate of Abilene Christian University in Texas, he described getting to know a Jewish family who converted to Christianity and how that relationship helped him learn more about Hebrew culture. Four years ago, he started joining the Jewish family for Passover celebrations.“My wife Sandra and I have not missed one Passover since then,” Monroy said.AN OPPORTUNITY, AND A CHALLENGEChristian Francis, a 22-year-old African-American who grew up in Brooklyn, flashed a wide smile as he greeted South Korean natives Bok-Hee Meixner and Lauren Hook — both adopted as children by Americans.Francis filled his plate with kimchi — pickled cabbage with hot chili and peppers — and hugged Hook, who wore a bright pink and yellow hanbok, a traditional Korean dress. Francis, a senior biochemistry major at Abilene Christian, has attended the Manhattan church since age 6. He said the “melting pot” nature of New York City — where the Statue of Liberty still inspires hope and more than a third of the 8.2 million residents are foreign born — offers a tremendous opportunity for the church. The 43 birth nations of active Manhattan church members range from China to Cuba, Germany to Guyana, Japan to Jamaica.“I mean, you walk outside on the streets of New York and you may hear 15 languages all at once, depending on what location you’re in,” he said. In all, New Yorkers speak roughly 170 languages.At the U.S.A. display, Whitney Pettyjohn helped serve red-white-and-blue cake and “pigs in a blanket.”Pettyjohn, a white woman in her 20s, moved to the Big Apple from Oklahoma to work for a public relations company. “Especially going to my grandparents’ churches growing up — all older people, all Caucasian — I love being able to see that everyone of all shapes, all sizes, all kinds can get along as part of the church,” said Pettyjohn, an Oklahoma Christian University graduate. On Friday nights, Pettyjohn helps with the Alpha Course, a program at the church that introduces people to Christianity in a friendly, no-pressure environment.“I know a lot of churches have a problem with driving people away,” Pettyjohn said. “I feel like this congregation really pulls people to them. It’s like an attraction that you can’t explain.”In a sermon titled “From Every Tribe and Tongue and People and Nation,” based on passages in Revelation, Robinson focused on God’s vision for diversity. God, he said, made all colors and body types, communicates in all languages and understands the worship of every human culture. But in human hands, diversity too often leads to brokenness, hatred, oppression and violence, he said.“Just the fact that we’re together does not mean that we break down the barriers between us, that we make real friends or that we understand each other,” the Abilene Christian graduate preached as he urged members to heed God’s plan for renewal, peace and justice.
Manhattan congregation reflects melting pot nature of New York City
By Bobby Ross Jr. The Christian Chronicle
NEW YORK - No fried chicken. No hamburger casserole. No Jell-O salad.The titillating smells emanating from the fourth floor of the Manhattan Church of Christ on a recent Sunday reflected a more international flavor.The menu included Korean-style scallion pancakes, English scones and cucumber sandwiches, Nigerian bean cakes and Guyanese fish cakes.At the church’s International Day, members representing two dozen nationalities donned native attire and set up displays showcasing their home countries.“One thing brings you together, and that’s the blood of Christ,” said Effiong Akpan, a Nigerian wearing a light blue robe known as an agbada. “This is exactly what God intended when he said that all nations should flow unto him.” 'BREAKING BARRIERSAlmost 83, John Rainbow couldn’t help but smile as children and adults marched into the first-floor auditorium carrying signs of their native lands.As the congregation sang “Jesus Loves the Little Children” in English and Spanish, there were plenty of “red and yellow, black and white” faces to match the words of the song.“I thank God,” Rainbow said.An African-American who made a living in his younger years singing ballads and love songs, Rainbow first came to the congregation in 1957 hoping to meet entertainer Pat Boone, then the church’s song leader.But in the church, Rainbow encountered the prejudice of that era. A white elder’s wife would change pews if a black man such as Rainbow sat down beside her. One man hurled racial slurs.However, the late Burton Coffman, the minister from 1954 to 1971, gripped Rainbow’s hand, looked him in the eye and told him to keep coming back.“Don’t let anybody drive you away,” Rainbow recalls Coffman telling him. And Rainbow didn’t.He later served 10 years as the church’s song leader and remains a faithful member. At International Day, the congregation applauded as Rainbow stood to be recognized for the barriers that he helped break down.RICH AND POORJust a short walk from Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s $13.5 million townhouse, the Upper East Side church occupies one of America’s richest ZIP codes.Yet, through a ministry called Community of Hope, the congregation welcomes homeless people into the building each Friday and the second Saturday of each month. The guests shower, eat, rest, study the Bible and watch movies at the church.“Even though it’s a very wealthy area, there’s a lot of homeless people that live in the area,” said Thomas L. Robinson, senior minister and one of five elders. “As far as breaking down barriers, that kind of barrier — the socioeconomic barrier — is at least as difficult as the racial and ethnic barriers.”Believing God calls all people unto him, the church works actively to build a community that overcomes the ethnic, socioeconomic, gender and racial barriers that divide humankind, church leaders said.The church’s two English services and separate Spanish assembly draw nearly 400 worshipers each Sunday morning. A bilingual service is conducted on the third Sunday of each month.Member Selina Law, who organized International Day, said she expects heaven to look a lot like the Manhattan church.“When people come here, it doesn’t really matter where you’re from,” said Law, a Hong Kong native. “You just feel comfortable and you fit in, and that’s a good feeling.”The congregation mixes investment bankers, lawyers and heart surgeons with taxi drivers, police officers and computer specialists. Well-known attendees include Lester Holt of NBC News and, when he’s in town, Yankees broadcaster Bobby Murcer.“Our overall membership includes only some 100-125 members who were raised within the Church of Christ,” said elder David Swearingen, a third-generation member from Idaho and vice president of corporate communications with Johnson & Johnson. “Virtually all of the others converted from other faiths — principally Catholics, with a few Jewish conversions, as well as Hindu, one former Muslim and several Christian denominations,” said Swearingen, a graduate of Pepperdine University in Malibu, Calif.Colombian-born minister Hugo Monroy, who works with New York area church planters and the Manhattan church’s Hispanic ministry, touted the blessings of diversity.“We have the opportunity to taste different foods, to hear of different ways of doing things, different ways of thinking and behaving,” said Monroy, who grew up Catholic and became an atheist before his baptism at a Church of Christ.A graduate of Abilene Christian University in Texas, he described getting to know a Jewish family who converted to Christianity and how that relationship helped him learn more about Hebrew culture. Four years ago, he started joining the Jewish family for Passover celebrations.“My wife Sandra and I have not missed one Passover since then,” Monroy said.AN OPPORTUNITY, AND A CHALLENGEChristian Francis, a 22-year-old African-American who grew up in Brooklyn, flashed a wide smile as he greeted South Korean natives Bok-Hee Meixner and Lauren Hook — both adopted as children by Americans.Francis filled his plate with kimchi — pickled cabbage with hot chili and peppers — and hugged Hook, who wore a bright pink and yellow hanbok, a traditional Korean dress. Francis, a senior biochemistry major at Abilene Christian, has attended the Manhattan church since age 6. He said the “melting pot” nature of New York City — where the Statue of Liberty still inspires hope and more than a third of the 8.2 million residents are foreign born — offers a tremendous opportunity for the church. The 43 birth nations of active Manhattan church members range from China to Cuba, Germany to Guyana, Japan to Jamaica.“I mean, you walk outside on the streets of New York and you may hear 15 languages all at once, depending on what location you’re in,” he said. In all, New Yorkers speak roughly 170 languages.At the U.S.A. display, Whitney Pettyjohn helped serve red-white-and-blue cake and “pigs in a blanket.”Pettyjohn, a white woman in her 20s, moved to the Big Apple from Oklahoma to work for a public relations company. “Especially going to my grandparents’ churches growing up — all older people, all Caucasian — I love being able to see that everyone of all shapes, all sizes, all kinds can get along as part of the church,” said Pettyjohn, an Oklahoma Christian University graduate. On Friday nights, Pettyjohn helps with the Alpha Course, a program at the church that introduces people to Christianity in a friendly, no-pressure environment.“I know a lot of churches have a problem with driving people away,” Pettyjohn said. “I feel like this congregation really pulls people to them. It’s like an attraction that you can’t explain.”In a sermon titled “From Every Tribe and Tongue and People and Nation,” based on passages in Revelation, Robinson focused on God’s vision for diversity. God, he said, made all colors and body types, communicates in all languages and understands the worship of every human culture. But in human hands, diversity too often leads to brokenness, hatred, oppression and violence, he said.“Just the fact that we’re together does not mean that we break down the barriers between us, that we make real friends or that we understand each other,” the Abilene Christian graduate preached as he urged members to heed God’s plan for renewal, peace and justice.
Friday, June 20, 2008
Communion
Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup.
1 Cornthians 11: verse 28
Communion is that time each week that we examine ourselves and the work of Christ in our life. Before we take of the bread and fruit of the vine we are told to examine ourselves. Communion should be a time of spiritual reflection and soul searching. Allow the Holy Spirit to take away all those hindrances and obstacles that we have placed in God's way throughout the week. Allow Jesus to minister his cleansing and healing to our spirit. Allow God to transform your thoughts, your emotions, your desires, and your actions. Let us examine ourselves and be willing to receive from God what he has for us each of us on Sunday morning.
In John chapter 2 is the story of Jesus turning the water into wine. There were six old stone jars full of water. Have you ever thought about those six stone jars? There was nothing important about them – all they did was hold plain water. But Jesus transformed that ordinary, everyday water into new wine – so good that the banquet master said it was the best of the feast. Have you ever considered how in your life Christ has taken you and changed you from water into wine? We have a new life in Christ. The old ways are forever changed and we are renewed and transformed by his presence.
As we partake of communion each first day of the week, think of all the ways Christ has changed you. A time of thanking him in worship and praise from the heart is always appropriate at communion time. Jesus has done so much for us. Let us make communion a time of remembering all that he means to us.
1 Cornthians 11: verse 28
Communion is that time each week that we examine ourselves and the work of Christ in our life. Before we take of the bread and fruit of the vine we are told to examine ourselves. Communion should be a time of spiritual reflection and soul searching. Allow the Holy Spirit to take away all those hindrances and obstacles that we have placed in God's way throughout the week. Allow Jesus to minister his cleansing and healing to our spirit. Allow God to transform your thoughts, your emotions, your desires, and your actions. Let us examine ourselves and be willing to receive from God what he has for us each of us on Sunday morning.
In John chapter 2 is the story of Jesus turning the water into wine. There were six old stone jars full of water. Have you ever thought about those six stone jars? There was nothing important about them – all they did was hold plain water. But Jesus transformed that ordinary, everyday water into new wine – so good that the banquet master said it was the best of the feast. Have you ever considered how in your life Christ has taken you and changed you from water into wine? We have a new life in Christ. The old ways are forever changed and we are renewed and transformed by his presence.
As we partake of communion each first day of the week, think of all the ways Christ has changed you. A time of thanking him in worship and praise from the heart is always appropriate at communion time. Jesus has done so much for us. Let us make communion a time of remembering all that he means to us.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Thought for the Day
"Eventually all things merge into one and a river runs through it. The river was cut by the world's great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs."
~Norman Maclean, A River Runs Through It
~Norman Maclean, A River Runs Through It
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Worship
Harold Best, in his book, Music Through the Eyes of Faith, defines worship in the broadest sense as “acknowledging that someone or something else is greater – worth more – and by consequence, to be obeyed, feared, and adored…Worship is the sign that in giving myself completely to someone or something, I want to be mastered by it."
Worship is, at it's essence, submitting ourselves through praise and covenant to the reign of God. This is true of all elements of worship. Praise isn't worship. True praise, prayer, preaching, listening, and coming to the table all engage us in, one way or another, giving ourselves completely God to be mastered by Him.
Question: What is the most powerful element of worship for you?
Worship is, at it's essence, submitting ourselves through praise and covenant to the reign of God. This is true of all elements of worship. Praise isn't worship. True praise, prayer, preaching, listening, and coming to the table all engage us in, one way or another, giving ourselves completely God to be mastered by Him.
Question: What is the most powerful element of worship for you?
Monday, June 16, 2008
A Long Week
This is going to be a long tough week of cooking, cleaning and picking up after myself. Debbie left me! Not for good. She went to Oklahoma to care for her mother who had knee replacement surgery last week. We will meet up again on Saturday at Vernon's Wedding in Augusta.
Hope Craig likes cereal............................
Hope Craig likes cereal............................
Friday, June 13, 2008
A Dog's Purpose from a Six-Year Old
Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound named Belker. The dog's owners, Ron, his wife, Lisa,and their little boy, Shane, were all very attached to Belker, andthey were hoping for a miracle.I examined Belker and found he was ill and dying. I told the familywe couldn't do anything for Belker, and offered to perform theeuthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home.As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it wouldbe good for six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt asthough Shane might le arn something from the experience. The next day,I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker's family surroundedhim. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time ,that I wondered if he understood what was going on.Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away.The little boy seemed to accept Belker's transition without anydifficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker'sdeath, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives areshorter than human lives. Shane, who had been listening quietly, pipedup, "I know why."Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth nextstunned me. I'd never heard a more comforting explanation. He said,"People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life --like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?" Thesix-year-old continued, "Well, dogs already know how to do that, sothey don't have to stay as long."
Live simply.
Live simply.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Help for Kansas Tornado Victims
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
You Are So Good to Me
You are so good to me
You heal my broken heart
You are my Father in heaven
You ride upon the clouds
You lead me to the truth
You are the Spirit inside me
You poured out all your blood
You died upon the cross
You are my Jesus who loves me
You are beautiful my sweet, sweet, song
I will sing again
You are my strong melody
You are my dancing rhythm
You are my perfect rhyme
And I want to sing forever.
“You Are so Good to Me” by Waterdeep.
You heal my broken heart
You are my Father in heaven
You ride upon the clouds
You lead me to the truth
You are the Spirit inside me
You poured out all your blood
You died upon the cross
You are my Jesus who loves me
You are beautiful my sweet, sweet, song
I will sing again
You are my strong melody
You are my dancing rhythm
You are my perfect rhyme
And I want to sing forever.
“You Are so Good to Me” by Waterdeep.
Monday, June 09, 2008
Summer Workshop
Every fourth year there is a gathering of Christ-followers from the three branches of the Restoration Movement (Churches of Christ, Disciples of Christ, Christian Churches) to promote unity.
The past meetings have been:
1930 Washington, DC, USA
1935 Leicester England, UK
1947 Buffalo, NY, USA
1952 Melbourne, VIC, Ausralia
1955 Toronto, ONT, Canada
1960 Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
1965 San Juan, Puerto Rico
1970 Adelaide, SA, Australia
1974 Mexico City, Mexico
1980 Honolulu, Hi, USA
1984 Kingston, Jamaica
1988 Auckland, New Zealand
1992 Long Beach, CA, USA
1996 Calgary, ALB, Canada
2000 Brisbane, QLD, Australia
2004 Brighton, England, UK
This summer, the 17th meeting of the World Convention will be in Nashville — July 30-August 3.
You can find more information here or here.
The past meetings have been:
1930 Washington, DC, USA
1935 Leicester England, UK
1947 Buffalo, NY, USA
1952 Melbourne, VIC, Ausralia
1955 Toronto, ONT, Canada
1960 Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
1965 San Juan, Puerto Rico
1970 Adelaide, SA, Australia
1974 Mexico City, Mexico
1980 Honolulu, Hi, USA
1984 Kingston, Jamaica
1988 Auckland, New Zealand
1992 Long Beach, CA, USA
1996 Calgary, ALB, Canada
2000 Brisbane, QLD, Australia
2004 Brighton, England, UK
This summer, the 17th meeting of the World Convention will be in Nashville — July 30-August 3.
You can find more information here or here.
Friday, June 06, 2008
Order of Worship
Welcome
2 We Praise Thee O God (Verse 1 and 2 only)
869 We’re Marching to Zion (Verse 1 only)
103 He Has Made Me Glad
96 I Stand in Awe
Prayer:
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 11:23-25
364 Come, Share the Lord
Lords Supper
Contribution
Scripture: Ephesians 4:11-16
We Are The Body of Christ
Message Evan Burdan
Invitation 701 My Jesus I Love Thee
Announcements
711 Blest Be the Tie That Binds (Verses 1,3 and 4 only)
Closing Prayer
2 We Praise Thee O God (Verse 1 and 2 only)
869 We’re Marching to Zion (Verse 1 only)
103 He Has Made Me Glad
96 I Stand in Awe
Prayer:
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 11:23-25
364 Come, Share the Lord
Lords Supper
Contribution
Scripture: Ephesians 4:11-16
We Are The Body of Christ
Message Evan Burdan
Invitation 701 My Jesus I Love Thee
Announcements
711 Blest Be the Tie That Binds (Verses 1,3 and 4 only)
Closing Prayer
Thursday, June 05, 2008
The Body of Christ
One heart
one spirit
One voice
to praise You
We are the body of Christ
One goal
one vision
To see You exalted
We are the body of Christ
And to this
we give our lives
To see You glorified
© 1997 ThreeFold Amen Music/Songward Music
one spirit
One voice
to praise You
We are the body of Christ
One goal
one vision
To see You exalted
We are the body of Christ
And to this
we give our lives
To see You glorified
© 1997 ThreeFold Amen Music/Songward Music
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
A Verse for Today
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first-born among any brethren; and whom He predestined, these He also called; and whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? Who will bring a charge against God's elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, "For Thy sake we are being put to death all day long; we were considered as sheep to be slaughtered." But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
Shepherds
I found this picture the other day of a confident Shepherd leading his sheep. During this transition period may God be with us as He leads Central to even greater heights during the next few months.
Monday, June 02, 2008
Suggestions
Now that we have sold the building, the Elders are interested in input from members of the congregation on possible Sunday and Wednesday evening formats.
Many have been to congregations that have experienced moving and transitions. What did you do to make it a successful move? How did you do Sunday evening and Wednesday evening services?
Need input......................
Many have been to congregations that have experienced moving and transitions. What did you do to make it a successful move? How did you do Sunday evening and Wednesday evening services?
Need input......................
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In 2001, Dr. Randy Gill (one of my favorite song writers in the Church of Christ) wrote a song that has become one of my favorite Lament’s f...
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One-Hour Service This has almost become a sacred cow. I read in the Bible that Paul preached past midnight. I don’t think they met at 11:00 ...
