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Ambassadors Report

Ambassador’s Visit St. Mark’s, Broad & Chelten

The Ambassadors attended this church in the Oak Lane neighborhood of Philadelphia. It was a return trip for one of the Ambassadors who attended this church 30 years ago.

The service was part of a long day for St. Mark’s with fellowship and education beginning at 9:30. The service began at 11 and was close to two hours in duration with more fellowship afterwards. Afternoon obligations forced us to leave before the Eucharist, but we enjoyed the spirit and wealth of music.

Attendance at the beginning of the service was about 40 but within a half hour the numbers swelled to about 60. About a quarter included children and youth which was refreshing and rare.

Pastor Leonard’s sermon talked about the temptations that ambition and power present to ministry, tying it to Mark’s account of the disciples vying for importance. Once again, we saw a disconnect between what is preached and what is practiced. The conflict SEPA congregations have with Redeemer is fueled almost solely by greed for our property and the need to prevail in power. We note that Rev. Leonard has served on Synod Council for much of the duration of this conflict and has been in a position to influence and temper the conflict without success. In his sermon, he even talked about bishops who covet the position for the status and money. It was all we could do to refrain from shouting AMEN!

The service included lots of hymns. A lengthy opening praise section was led by a praise team. The hymns were many of Redeemer’s favorites. A portable mic was passed among the congregation so that many congregants could participate and be heard. A new liturgy was used, peppered with warhorse hymns from Fanny Crosby’s Blessed Assurance to the Gospel hymn, Lead Me, Guide Me — the favorite hymn of a Redeemer member who died shortly after the lockout. One Ambassador commented that she enjoyed the drum accompaniment to all the hymns.

The sanctuary is beautiful and well-kept and was a pleasant place to spend this cool autumn Sabbath.

We noted that they do not have a web site listed in the synod records but opened a one-post blog in July. We encourage them to expand on that platform. We’ve had great responses from our blog!

23 Sep 2012

A Message from the Children of Kenya

Sent to 2×2 via email from the children of Kenya.

We love you and next we need to have you so that we can play together and to teach us new song. God bless our lovely Dad Silas to give us a new teacher from outside our country. We love you and Silas. we are hoping to hear more greetings from you and Dad Silas. Dad has promised we are going soon to have you and your team? Next we have requested to visit our fellow children. Call CHARITY HOME CHILDREN, Pray for our DAD SILAS, Bye Bye Bye

15 Sep 2012

Making Innovation Part of Church Transformation

Reining in the Laity; Hobbling Transformation

The world of education is on the threshold of impressive innovation made possible by exploiting the capabilities of the internet and technology.

While hundreds of educators study educational methods and struggle to find new and better classroom practices, the Kahn Academy, a free online learning system provided to anyone with internet access, grew out of one man’s attempt to help a young cousin with math homework. It attracted the backing of Bill Gates and the attention of CBS’s 60 Minutes.

Religion, too, is in dire need of transformation. The need has been largely unanswered for decades, despite intense study among clergy.

The call for “transformation” is at least a decade old with little success.

The economy is causing small churches to focus on their own needs, sending less of their offerings to regional or central body. If something does not change, the regional and central church leaders will face extinction—but they don’t intend to be the first to go!

Church leaders are lost.

The Kahn Academy allows for a restructured classroom, making more teachers available to help more students. It is successfully restructuring the traditional classroom for a new era in education.

Google’s Eric Schmidt commented on Kahn Academy:

Many, many people think they are doing something new but they are not really changing the approach. Innovation never comes from the established institutions. It’s always a graduate student or a crazy person or somebody with a great vision.

We suspect that this is the big hiccup in transforming the church.

Church hierarchy is calling for transformation with no vision for change and an unwillingness to allow change without institutional oversight.

Change in the church is going to happen on the front line, where one or a few faithful people, with little loyalty to old ways, prayerfully try to solve problems.

Many small churches are the victims of regional leadership practicing what they call “triage.” Triage is a euphemism for neglect.

In some cases, congregations have had little or no leadership for a decade.

Left alone, dedicated lay people are free to experiment. They are not restricted by seminary education. They look for answers outside the usual parameters. Such small churches are ripe for change.

They face a major obstacle. The institutional church will be ready to step in and rein in “errant” lay workers. They will restore the old order and assign an approved pastor to help the congregation draft a stale, treacly mission statement—or they will flex their muscles and demand closure.

Redeemer was a small congregation engaged in such experimentation—and experiencing success. Our regional body, desperate for dollars, took the muscle-flexing route.

We are still experimenting with no support of any regional body . . . and still experiencing success.

Redeemer has visited 50 other congregations and we’ve seen similar lively efforts in small congregations. There is often a scent of fear hobbling their efforts. Will the regional body approve?

And that’s why transformation in the Church isn’t happening. God is trying to do something new . . . but the hierarchy won’t let anything happen that they can’t control and take credit for.

photo credit: Jeffrey K. Edwards via photo pin cc
03 Sep 2012

Counting Our Blessings in East Falls

It’s the first Sunday of the month, the week Redeemer members pass our locked church to worship together in a community theater and gather across the street in a neighborhood bar afterwards for fellowship. The bar even added us to their calendar. (God is doing something new!)

We had many things to celebrate and give thanks for today. Two of our members were awarded good jobs and one is starting a business. We were particularly grateful that one of the retired pastors who worships with us regularly was back with us after a four-month rehabilitation after surgery.

We enjoy having our own worship—singing the hymns we choose, praying our own prayers, enjoying our own fellowship. We also enjoy our Ambassador visits on the other Sundays of the month. But there is nothing like being at home.

We know that the only reason to lock our people out our church was to destroy our community. Lesson to church hierarchies: Find another way!

We were reminded in today’s sermon of an ongoing theme of our Australian pastor — that church is not about what we “get out of it.” It is about God and His relationship with us and our response to His love.

There isn’t a church in East Falls that isn’t challenged. Some of the challenges come from the religious apathy of the community. We can’t blame them to some extent. It’s rather dangerous to be a Christian (or at least a Lutheran) in East Falls.

The greatest challenge is from the Church itself, who values property above community. It is too expensive to operate religious schools. Send the kids elsewhere. Rent the buildings.

The people who invested their time and offerings in Redeemer and St. Bridget’s (and perhaps a few other church communities before them) have had their gifts squandered by outside interests. Fallsers gave to contribute to their community. Their gifts were confiscated or devalued by people who thought they had better uses for our resources but haven’t a clue how to serve East Falls.

If only the courts could hand out consciences as easily as property!

There are reports that the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is negotiating the use of Redeemer Church with community leaders. SEPA spent no time considering the use of Redeemer Church with the people who built the church — the Lutherans of East Falls. They continue their attacks on our members in the courts. That should give the people of East Falls some idea of the character of the people with whom they are negotiating. East Falls beware!

At the heart of SEPA’s problems in East Falls is loss of mission — or to use church-speak — the loss of “missional focus.”

If SEPA cares, they should note: Redeemer is still a worshiping community.

Talk to us! You have a better chance of serving East Falls with the Lutherans of East Falls than without us.

As for the excommunicated members of Redeemer, we will serve the Lord.

02 Sep 2012

Niche Churches — Hmmm!

This is from a blog by the Rev. Larry Peters, a Lutheran pastor from Tennessee. He was commenting on the writings of Terry Mattingly.

If churches want to reach millions of independent-minded young Americans they should learn a thing or two from craft brewers. . . . It’s time, he said, for “craft churches” that reach niche audiences.

This is an astute observation. Small churches have been serving niches for some time.

Our Ambassador visits reveal that most churches, large or small, serve a niche, but probably with little intent!

The largest church we visited (non-Lutheran and twice the attendance of the largest Lutheran church we visited) was a congregation of 25-35-year-olds.

Birds of a feather . . .

Small churches know their niche. Any intention of being all things to all people, though tempting, is out of reach. Even if people wanted that kind of ministry, (and most mission statements sound like they do!), finding leadership is daunting.

Church leaders often view small churches as failures—undesirable places for pastors to serve. Part of this is economics. All churches must rise to the same budget expectations, which in the modern era have priced many communities out of the faith business. Pastors assigned to small churches often view their role as care-taking, never bothering with outreach. Some even use the offensive term “hospice ministry.”

Perhaps it’s time to seriously examine the economics of church.

People will make their church home where they can see their offerings and efforts at work. They will neither participate nor attend a church where they do not feel fully welcome.

We at Redeemer know the difference between being welcome to attend church and being welcome to participate. Our bishop made it clear that we are not welcome to participate in SEPA Synod. She seized our property and pledged to close our church and reopen it under new leadership. She wrote to us that current members could attend this new, improved Lutheran church but former members would not be permitted to participate. She unilaterally denied us vote or voice. When we started visiting churches she sent a letter to pastors warning them!

How’s that for a welcome statement!

Redeemer was welcoming East African immigrants who were moving into our community—not just to use our building, which is the more common outreach approach, but to join their traditions with ours. We saw our unique niche ministry as adding to the mosaic of the greater church.

But SEPA was determined that one population had to die before a new population could be fully welcomed. As Bishop Burkat said, “White Redeemer must be allowed to die, black Redeemer . . . we can put them anywhere.” Control of assets was the objective.

Religion is not supposed to be a spectator sport.

Part of the problem with niche ministries is that few pastors are trained to serve niche populations.

Defining a niche (while recognizing the likelihood that niches will change every decade or so) may not be such a bad idea. It will take decades to recognize and train leaders to actively serve niche ministries and not view them as “hospice” assignments.

Another problem with niche ministries is that the “niches” that are most in need (the ones the Bible talks about), often can’t support them.

The true mission of the church is defeated by cost—at least with today’s budget and funding expectations.

Meanwhile, rejected and criticized by our denomination, Redeemer has created a niche ministry. You are visiting it now. Today, two months into our third year, we are reaching more people every week than the largest church in our denomination’s local region. We are just getting started.

photo credit: Grant MacDonald via photo pin cc
29 Aug 2012

Ambassadors Visit St. John’s, Hatboro

The Ambassadors were back on the road today. Our visits are taking us farther as we have visited most of the churches near us.

Today we visited St. John’s, Hatboro. Our former pastor’s wife served here until they both fled the synod in 2006. We were surprised to find St. John’s still in transition or in transition once again.

We turned at the road just before the church, seeing a few parking spots along the church. We found these spots were reserved so we set out to park on the street. Parking was allowed on only one side of the street and NOT the side we happened to be on. As we drove, looking to remedy that, we found the exit from their parking lot and we entered against the Do Not Enter Sign. We would have had to cross a four-lane highway to find the proper entrance. No one was coming; no harm done.

Bishop Burkat criticized our congregation for not having a parking lot, but the walk from the parking lot this morning to the front door of the church was considerably farther than we ever had to walk after parking on the street in East Falls.

We were early. We found a nice outdoor sitting area, a memorial garden surrounded by shrubbery and begonias.

We entered a church which was much wider than it was long with very long pews flanking a center aisle. The only window was a circular stained window at the peak of the domed roof.

We were attending the second service of the morning at 11 am. There were just shy of 40 present and the people used the full width and depth of the church in choosing seats. We do not know how many were present at 9 am service. We were reminded that the synod trustees never visited our worship before announcing they intended to close our church and a visit by one of the trustees a week before synod assembly reported only the attendance at one of our two morning services in their report to the assembly. According to the online newsletter, St. John is one of the larger churches in SEPA.

We managed to hit another stewardship Sunday (our fourth!) with all the lessons addressing Christian giving. A member, a retired school teacher, opened the service with a temple talk and spoke passionately about the congregation’s food pantry mission. It was a service he had learned as a boy scout and he was proud of St. John’s enterprise in helping the needy of their community in a supportive and dignified manner.

The names of the pastor and music director were not in the bulletin but their web site says that the pastor is The Reverend Marcia Bell, of Mount Airy Seminary, and the music director is Michael Brinkworth. The pianist enhanced the hymns with many flourishes and upped the tempo of the closing hymn, Take My Life, as a spirited recessional. The width of the sanctuary seemed to affect singing.

Pastor Bell’s sermon talked about the need to make commitments and to take risks in determining offerings to the church. That message probably hit our ears differently than the congregation’s as Redeemer members took risks, made commitments and gave generously only to have Synod confiscate our assets and put our members in jeopardy with law suits as they try to get still more.

26 Aug 2012

When the Church Ignores the Obvious

Another Chapter in a Tale of Two Churches

In 1979, Alfred Krass, A United Christian Church pastor from nearby Levittown, Pa., wrote a “white paper” on Evangelism in Mainline Denominations, published in Christian Century magazine.

Reading this study 33 years later reveals that many of the issues raised remain serious issues in mainline denominations. As is often the case in the Church, issues raised that are not on the popular agenda are often ignored.

Rev. Krass’s paper ends by identifying two questions for which he saw no denominations taking any steps to address. One involved the methods of communication used by the Church. The article did not foresee the internet and its tremendous potential for change (largely ignored by the Church).

The other problem he identified 33 years ago was the absence of families in Church and the ineffectiveness of motivating families as evangelists.

Redeemer’s Ambassador visits reveal that this is still a crying need in the Church. Rev. Krass identified the absence of 15- to 45-year-olds. Redeemer’s Ambassador visits reveal that the spread is now even broader. With very few exceptions, among the nearly 50 churches we have visited, children and youth are absent. When present, they can be counted on the fingers of one hand. Furthermore, the missing age group in church today is more realistically 1-50.

This was not true of Redeemer. Our age spectrum was fairly broad with no one age group dominating.

This problem unaddressed for the last three decades remains a problem. What are we doing about it?

The missing age group is the demographic where multiple generations actually live together under one roof — or in today’s world — under two roofs. The prevalence of the divided family is probably a big part of the problem. Religion can be an additional divisive agent.

How do we shape our message so that it reaches this majority population?

He closes with a point that church camps are ideally situated to minister to families. Interesting! Redeemer was a big supporter of church camping, making sure that as many members as possible were able to attend family camp and other church camping programs. Perhaps Rev. Krass’s ideas were working for us!

East Falls is an interesting place to study this question. This traditionally working class neighborhood happens to be blessed. It is a nice place to live and raise families and many generations stayed in East Falls through the years of “white flight.” Property values are strong despite the average family income. Families that raised six kids in their millworkers’ rowhouses and hung onto their property are now property rich. The vultures are all too willing to swoop in.

The conditions in East Falls and the actions of leaders of its faith communities reveal the priorities of hierarchies.

East Falls has Redeemer, where SEPA Synod has evicted the families and locked the doors, claiming the property the congregation had owned and the building they had built on working class salaries. More recently, St. Bridget’s Roman Catholic Church, was forced by its hierarchy to close its school. Redeemer had a strong family ministry. St. Bridget’s School was the hub of parish activity.

In sharing their experiences, both congregations noted the same thing. The “hierarchy” wasn’t listening. (Note: Lutherans aren’t really hierarchical. Their leaders just act that way.)

Another thing the two congregations have in common: Their hierarchies see church property as of more value to them when they are occupied by people who can pay more to use them than church members who live in the neighborhood.

Interesting, indeed!

photo credit: John Carleton via photo pin cc
08 Aug 2012

We Still Call Ourselves Lutherans

There are only so many church properties SEPA can seize to pay hierarchical costs.As Redeemer Ambassadors visit churches of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, we are often asked where we are from. After three years, the question is still a kick in the gut.

SEPA/ELCA rejected us four years ago. It did more than reject us. It confiscated our property and pursued members in court — an ongoing travesty that countless good Lutherans handle by looking the other way. (The message of the Good Samaritan story has been lost in translation.)

ELCA founding documents, the foundation of Lutheran law, forbid the confiscation of congregational property. Courts have decided they can’t uphold church law. They have no jurisdiction.

Two dissenting state Appeal Court judges wrote an opinion that if the law were followed, the members of Redeemer were making arguments that should be heard.

This should raise eyebrows among Lutherans.  

East Falls Lutherans are left with a difficult choice. The hierarchical assumption (if not wish) is that members would seamlessly uproot their lives, traditions, and personal relationships and travel to other Lutheran churches on Sunday morning with their offerings. Suing church members makes this scenario unlikely. Which congregation wants the targets of SEPA litigation as members?

Other ELCA churches have failed to lift a finger. Many of them are no stronger than Redeemer—cowering as they await their turn at rejection. The less they do now, the more likely that day is coming.

There are lessons to be learned by the Church about how to treat church members. They are not unlike the lessons business and government are learning in the modern world. Power has shifted.

The Church, living in its own lawless bubble, may be the last to grasp this. People, in the post-feudal church at least, have long controlled the purse strings. Now they control communication as well.

The shift in power is a good thing. We should be rejoicing. People can make a difference! The whole Church can make a bigger difference — but only if the concept is understood and put to use.

When SEPA Synod visited East Falls with faux concern for the neighborhood back in March, Redeemer was there. Did Rev. Davenport realize that 10% of the audience that day had connections to Redeemer? She was oblivious. SEPA doesn’t realize that members don’t evaporate just because you lock doors. We still live here. We still participate in neighborhood government and patronize neighborhood businesses.

There are only so many church properties SEPA can seize to pay hierarchical bills before they will have to come up with a better survival tactic. Now is a good time to start looking!

What should the Church do with loyal members when they dare to challenge actions?

Just practice what is preached!

What would be happening today inside Redeemer if members had been treated as children of God and not as enemies that must be vanquished at any cost?

A better way is still possible. Sooner or later a Good Samaritan will pass by.

Meanwhile, Redeemer members visit the congregations who have rejected us and answer with pride, “We are from Redeemer Lutheran Church in East Falls.”

We are still Lutherans—and proud of it!

07 Aug 2012

Ambassdors Visit St. Matthew’s, Woodlyn

Today’s visit—our 47th—was noticeable once again for its similarities to Redeemer. Most of the churches we have visited have been so like us that it is difficult to fathom why they have abided their Synod’s treatment of a congregation just like them.

Woodlyn is a small community south of Philadelphia. The homes in the neighborhood of the church are small and well kept—set back from bustling McDade Blvd.

St. Matthew will celebrate its 100th anniversary next year. Redeemer will celebrate our 121st. (SEPA Synod stopped counting in 2010. We have not!)

Attendance at this summer service was under 30 and included two children and one youth. Their sanctuary is long. Unlike many congregations, most of the people sat towards the front. The altar is set far back behind flanking choir lofts.

Like Redeemer, they have a summer day camp. Like Redeemer, they serve meals to children in cooperation with the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

Many of the churches we have visited have nursery schools or day schools. However, few of them seem to connect this outreach to church attendance. In most cases there have been very few children present at worship—even in churches with weekday children’s programming.

Music was well done. The organist, Jeanne Sach,  played a lovely Offertory on the piano. Singing was good. We are finding that the strongest music presence is often in the smaller churches.

Pastor Nancy Brown seemed to weave her message of the day throughout the service with an opening talk about the Olympics and the work that goes into them (we can relate to hard work going unappreciated), an interactive moment early in the service, and a fairly lengthy sermon.

We noted on their website that they shared a minister with us. Rev. Jesse Brown left Redeemer around 2000 and was at Woodlyn for a while before they called their current pastor in 2003.

St. Matthew seems to be another solid little neighborhood church, dealing with the same kind of challenges Redeemer and others deal with.

We wonder what would happen if we all worked together, instead of in competition for leadership and resources.

Meanwhile, our visits overall reveal a pronounced disconnect between what is preached in our churches and what is acted upon. We don’t fault the preaching—as far as that goes.

 

29 Jul 2012

Ambassadors Visit Resurrection, Horsham

Ambassadors Visit Resurrection, HorshamRedeemer’s Ambassadors visited our 46th SEPA congregation this morning with a visit to a small church sitting in a big field in this Philadelphia suburb. Here is Resurrection, Horsham’s web site url, which is a rather odd url—not one anyone could guess!

The sanctuary is quite small but well-appointed with cushioned pews and modern stained glass windows. There were something shy of 40 present for worship on this summer day.

Pastor Ellen Meissgeier was vacationing with Rev. Sarah (Sara?) Beaumont leading the service. The name was not listed in the bulletin, but we asked her name on the way out. Their organist is Jeff McDonnell.

The service used the newest ELCA hymnal. Unaccustomed to hymnals, we noticed how heavy these are! The service used many hymn selections. Redeemer also uses a lot of hymns — at least eight each week. However, we use many different hymnals on a typical Sunday.

The organist likes to modulate a half-pitch for the last three verses on many of the hymns.

Pastor Beaumont’s sermon was about the walls we put up to separate ourselves from others. She talked about the “they” — anyone different or set apart for some reason. And there we sat — the “they” of SEPA — excommunicated because we dared to stand up for our church.

A lay person assisted with readings and communion, which is a weekly event at Resurrection.

We noticed no children present in worship, which we are finding to be quite common in our visits. Redeemer was busy with children representing a full age-range —infants through high school. The children who were in high school when this conflict began are now graduated from college. The elementary-aged children are in middle school or entering high school. This conflict is probably the hardest on them, as they will remember being locked out of their church all of their lives.

We were invited to coffee but we did not stay.

 

22 Jul 2012