I want to give a word of encouragement to our prayers. I saw Tina R. Sunday afternoon (in the hospital in GR). She is much improved and it is believed that pain meds caused her recent problems. Tina and Kevin and family live in Dorr where I grew up. It is a small world. Tina and family expressed appreciation for all the prayers. Tina said, "All the prayers are getting me through this."
Also on my prayer list this week: The Confirmation Class that will start in October and Membership Class I hope to offer soon. Please pray that God's Spirit will give our church a renewed sense of purpose and direction. At Saturday's church conference our DS, Dr. Bill Dobs, challenged us "to make disciples for Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world." Perhaps that transformation needs to begin with the disciples at Reed City UMC. I am open to how God might change me to help me be a better pastor.
One of the conversations Saturday was about those "missing" from worship. If you know someone who has been absent for sometime please pray for them. And if the Holy Spirit leads give them a word of encouragement. If you think a contact by me would be helpful please let me know.
Thank you for your prayers.
Emmett
Monday, September 21, 2009
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Wednesday, September 16
This week is moving fast. The old house south of the church parking lot is gone (in less than two days). Two loads of top soil are on the way to help level the ground and raise it a little. It is amazing how the church "pops out" when you're coming into Reed from the south. My prayer is that more and more people would become aware of our church and our ministry.
Worship and Sunday School got off to a good start last Sunday. Tammy and Tracey got all "wrapped up" in the festivities. We also had a good turn out for our adult class. Please pray for Tammy and our education leaders.
Saturday evening at 5:00 p.m. our D.S. will be here to lead us in our annual church conference. Please pray for the the conference and the final preparations. By the way our UMW is providing a light meal following church conference.
My sermon this Sunday is "Holy Boasting". Please pray that God will help me as I prepare and share this message.
Additional prayer concerns include: Joan P. and family. Joan's father died and services are in Ann Arbor. If you need more information please call the church office. Also Linda O. is out of the hospital following complications after knee surgery. Please keep her in your prayers. I know there are other prayer concerns in our bulletin and prayer chains.
Thank you for your prayers and it is possible to leave a comment!
God bless.
Worship and Sunday School got off to a good start last Sunday. Tammy and Tracey got all "wrapped up" in the festivities. We also had a good turn out for our adult class. Please pray for Tammy and our education leaders.
Saturday evening at 5:00 p.m. our D.S. will be here to lead us in our annual church conference. Please pray for the the conference and the final preparations. By the way our UMW is providing a light meal following church conference.
My sermon this Sunday is "Holy Boasting". Please pray that God will help me as I prepare and share this message.
Additional prayer concerns include: Joan P. and family. Joan's father died and services are in Ann Arbor. If you need more information please call the church office. Also Linda O. is out of the hospital following complications after knee surgery. Please keep her in your prayers. I know there are other prayer concerns in our bulletin and prayer chains.
Thank you for your prayers and it is possible to leave a comment!
God bless.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Adjustments
For those who tried to leave a comment and could not I think I have corrected the problem. So please try again.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
It has been a long time since I posted on my blog. My daughter, son, and a few others have encouraged me to "post something". Well, here goes!
Earlier this year I asked members of my congregation to become a part of what I called "The Pastor's Prayer Team." A number of people accepted the invitation and have been faithfully praying for me and the prayer needs of our church. For each I am very thankful.
Initially I tried to send a special email with prayer concerns for the week. That was working but in a stroke of "brilliance" the thought came, why not use my "Prayerful Thoughts Blog." I am not sure why I didn't think of this sooner. I want to encourage members of the Prayer Team to check in from time to time by leaving a brief comment. Let me know if its working.I am not promising any pattern to my posting. Someone suggested that I just write something short and just do it more often. So that is the plan.
Because this blog is open to anyone I will try to maintain confidentiality of people by using only first names and only concerns that have been shared on our prayer chains and prayer list.Please pray for the following people: Vesta who was in a serious accident but uninjured, Linda who is recovering from knee surgery and has had some complications, and Larry who is home recovering from surgery this week.
Our Church Conference is Saturday, September 19. Please pray for the conference.
Well, this is a begining, let's see how I do this time.
Pastor Emmett
Earlier this year I asked members of my congregation to become a part of what I called "The Pastor's Prayer Team." A number of people accepted the invitation and have been faithfully praying for me and the prayer needs of our church. For each I am very thankful.
Initially I tried to send a special email with prayer concerns for the week. That was working but in a stroke of "brilliance" the thought came, why not use my "Prayerful Thoughts Blog." I am not sure why I didn't think of this sooner. I want to encourage members of the Prayer Team to check in from time to time by leaving a brief comment. Let me know if its working.I am not promising any pattern to my posting. Someone suggested that I just write something short and just do it more often. So that is the plan.
Because this blog is open to anyone I will try to maintain confidentiality of people by using only first names and only concerns that have been shared on our prayer chains and prayer list.Please pray for the following people: Vesta who was in a serious accident but uninjured, Linda who is recovering from knee surgery and has had some complications, and Larry who is home recovering from surgery this week.
Our Church Conference is Saturday, September 19. Please pray for the conference.
Well, this is a begining, let's see how I do this time.
Pastor Emmett
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Performance Vs Worship
The Danish theologian Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855) likened worship to drama or theatre. He was critical of many of the churches of his day for redefining the rolls in worship. It was his observation that in the worship of many churches God was the prompter, the liturgical leaders (musicians, choirs, readers, preachers, and celebrants) were the actors in the drama and congregation had become the audience. Kierkegaard believed this assignment of rolls was wrong. In his opinion the liturgical leaders were the prompters, the congregation with the liturgical leaders were the actors, and God was the audience. All of us are participants and have a part in worship.
One of the burning questions in many churches today relates closely to what Kierkegaard was talking about. It’s expressed in a different way but it’s the same question. It’s the question of performance verse worship. In looking at church web pages I have noticed that Kierkegaard’s thoughts on worship are often lifted up by churches offering traditional worship. The implication is that traditional worship is never performance but contemporary worship is either performance or dangerously close.
But it is possible for traditional worship to become performance. It is sometimes a fine line between the two. It’s possible for the choir anthem to be a performance. It’s possible for the hand bell choir selection to become a performance. Even the scripture reading or the preaching can become a performance.
Paul Baloche has some helpful things to say about this issue. He is talking about contemporary worship but what he says also applies to traditional worship. He says there is always an element of performance in all worship which is not entirely bad. According to Baloche what is most important is the posture of your heart. The purpose of the praise band and the praise band leader is to “encourage and lead others” to worship. He goes on to say “God is my audience. I am just singing to God.” He sounds a little bit like Kierkegaard.
Baloche says it is sometimes difficult to tell the difference between true worship and performance. The reason is that worship is a matter of the heart and is “better felt than telt.”
My personal feeling is that we should not be so sensitive about the word “performance”. Rather our greater concern should be who is the audience?
One of the burning questions in many churches today relates closely to what Kierkegaard was talking about. It’s expressed in a different way but it’s the same question. It’s the question of performance verse worship. In looking at church web pages I have noticed that Kierkegaard’s thoughts on worship are often lifted up by churches offering traditional worship. The implication is that traditional worship is never performance but contemporary worship is either performance or dangerously close.
But it is possible for traditional worship to become performance. It is sometimes a fine line between the two. It’s possible for the choir anthem to be a performance. It’s possible for the hand bell choir selection to become a performance. Even the scripture reading or the preaching can become a performance.
Paul Baloche has some helpful things to say about this issue. He is talking about contemporary worship but what he says also applies to traditional worship. He says there is always an element of performance in all worship which is not entirely bad. According to Baloche what is most important is the posture of your heart. The purpose of the praise band and the praise band leader is to “encourage and lead others” to worship. He goes on to say “God is my audience. I am just singing to God.” He sounds a little bit like Kierkegaard.
Baloche says it is sometimes difficult to tell the difference between true worship and performance. The reason is that worship is a matter of the heart and is “better felt than telt.”
My personal feeling is that we should not be so sensitive about the word “performance”. Rather our greater concern should be who is the audience?
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Thoughts on Worship
One of the great dividers in the church today is worship style. The division is so great that a recent book on the subject was titled “Worship Wars”. People often have strong emotions about the style of worship they prefer and it has become a very sensitive issue in many churches.
Reed City UMC is the first church I have served that offers two styles of worship. Personally I enjoy both services. For most of my ministry I have worked with traditional services but in my last appointment we had what I would call a “blended traditional” service. It may sound strange to some but I am equally committed to both styles of worship here at Reed City UMC.
Reed City UMC is the first church I have served that offers two styles of worship. Personally I enjoy both services. For most of my ministry I have worked with traditional services but in my last appointment we had what I would call a “blended traditional” service. It may sound strange to some but I am equally committed to both styles of worship here at Reed City UMC.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Beginnings
November 29, 2008
Stating what is obvious but often forgotten, someone once said every journey begins with the first step. What this seemingly wise person forgot to mention is how hard that first step can be. For me this blog is the beginning of a new journey. And this first posting is my first step on that journey.
I have to admit blogging is an experience I never anticipated. If someone had suggested to me a year ago that I would be writing my own blog I would have laughed. But here I am taking that first step. And surprisingly this first blog has been more difficult than I thought it would be. After all as a pastor I do lots of writing. In some ways I feel like a young child struggling to take those first steps. But I am hopeful that as I continue at least some of the anxiety will be diminished.
Since this is my first post I want to explain the purpose and goals of this blog. In July of 2008 I was appointed to be pastor of the United Methodist Church of Reed City. Hopefully very soon a link will be posted at the church's website connecting it with my blog. This will be just one more tool to help me communicate with the members of my congregation.
My goal is to post on a regular basis (more often then once a month). The topics will change and may reflect whats happening in the church, my own personal life, and the vision that God is giving me for our shared ministry together. I want this blog to be more personal and less formal. For the most part I will be writing in the first person and sharing my own personal view and not necessarily the views of the United Methodist Church or the United Methodist Church of Reed City.
I am very excited about using this blog to communicate with family, friends, and most importantly my church family. I do welcome comments and feed back. I am smiling as I write this: "But please me kind."
Finally, I want this blog to be an expression of my personal faith in God. In future blogs I hope to reveal more of myself and my faith journey. At the end of our contemporary worship service we often sing the chorus, "God is Good." More than any other time in my life I believe those words to be true.
To all who have taken time to read this blog, May God bless you.
Stating what is obvious but often forgotten, someone once said every journey begins with the first step. What this seemingly wise person forgot to mention is how hard that first step can be. For me this blog is the beginning of a new journey. And this first posting is my first step on that journey.
I have to admit blogging is an experience I never anticipated. If someone had suggested to me a year ago that I would be writing my own blog I would have laughed. But here I am taking that first step. And surprisingly this first blog has been more difficult than I thought it would be. After all as a pastor I do lots of writing. In some ways I feel like a young child struggling to take those first steps. But I am hopeful that as I continue at least some of the anxiety will be diminished.
Since this is my first post I want to explain the purpose and goals of this blog. In July of 2008 I was appointed to be pastor of the United Methodist Church of Reed City. Hopefully very soon a link will be posted at the church's website connecting it with my blog. This will be just one more tool to help me communicate with the members of my congregation.
My goal is to post on a regular basis (more often then once a month). The topics will change and may reflect whats happening in the church, my own personal life, and the vision that God is giving me for our shared ministry together. I want this blog to be more personal and less formal. For the most part I will be writing in the first person and sharing my own personal view and not necessarily the views of the United Methodist Church or the United Methodist Church of Reed City.
I am very excited about using this blog to communicate with family, friends, and most importantly my church family. I do welcome comments and feed back. I am smiling as I write this: "But please me kind."
Finally, I want this blog to be an expression of my personal faith in God. In future blogs I hope to reveal more of myself and my faith journey. At the end of our contemporary worship service we often sing the chorus, "God is Good." More than any other time in my life I believe those words to be true.
To all who have taken time to read this blog, May God bless you.
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