Tuesday, December 27, 2005 

the journey continues

well....christmas has come and gone. hard to believe that we are now on the brink of another new year and for our family a new child. christmas was great out this way. a's family all came out to be with us as we celebrated our first xmas services at advent. the services were wonderful and we had a pretty good turnout for both of them. our average worship after four services is right around 80 so we are happy. the coolest thing is that each week we are seeing new people who have an interest in being a committed part of the journey. i think now that the business of our first worship, and christmas services are behind, the work really begins. with over 20 kids and at least that many adults who have never stepped foot in a church there is an amazing need for education to begin. i pray for guidance as i begin to play with ideas of how to incorporate an education program into this infant-church.

i was lifted up on saturday by a phone call from c.k. and again sunday with a call from l.a. both of these reminded me of the great community that i am so blessed to belong to- colleagues spread across this country, but yet close in the journey's of our hearts- to spread the word of god in the best way we know how. this community we have, be it online or whatever continues to strengthen me in so many ways. thanks to all who have been part of it-you truly do not know how much it helps me. thanks also for the many who have included advent in your personal and church prayers. there is no question in my mind that what is going on here is the result of these prayers being answered. in a way- all of you are responsible for the ministry of advent- like it or not.

peace to all as you come back to earth after the hustle of christmas. time to gear up now for a long epiphany eh?

peace,

jg


10:59 PM | |

Sunday, December 11, 2005 

brand new thing

















what an amazing day! we had our first worship together as Advent and wow were we surprised at the turnout. a group of us got together yesterday to set up and we were optimistic in our expectations and we set up for 50 folks. all week people kept asking me what we were expecting, and i said i would ben thrilled with 30 people- and that was the honest truth! well at 9:20 this morning it looked like 30 would be a good number after all, but in the next ten minutes the people just started coming, and coming, and coming- we ended up with 101 people- 25 of them kids! i can't even begin to say how humbling it was to stand among this group and to proclaim the promises of our God to them. to administer the sacrament of communion to so many hungry people was almost more than i could handle, to commune my own son, along with many other children continues to floor me. but, the best part about the entire day was the number of folks who were coming back to church for the first time in a long while. one gentleman had stopped going to church when his father passed away- 30 some years ago. another young man and his wife had never been to church, but had come as the result of running into me at the fire-dept meeting. i am so amazed at the way in which God is working in this community. i asked the question today to the group, "this church is needed in this community eh?" and was met with a resounding "yes" while many of the folks were moved to tears just thinking about the community that we can be as church, as a place which points towards the goodness of God, and the light of Christ in a larger community that has many struggles and many hardships. all i can say is thank you God for calling me to this place, at this time, and allowing me to be part of this magnificent ride.

now the challenge really begins- the need for followup with those who came today is crucial to the continuing development of this community. next week again, i think we aim for 50 and rejoice if we are surprised by more. many of the key families will be gone next week so in a sense we will see what we are made of.

in other life-journey stuff....anna's grandfather passed away on thursday very peacefully- word is he had a sip of soup, said "soup is a great way to start your day", and lowered his head- that was it, what a great way to go for a truly great man. and how right he was- though his earthly life was ending, his day was truly just beginning. the funeral is tomorrow, and anna decided not to fly home for it considering she was just there last week. she feels good about the way she said good-bye and was unsure if her very pregnant body could handle the stress of traveling again.

life continues to amaze me....i love it!

if anyone is interested here is a link to a ton of pictures taken today- some are good, some are not that clear, but here they are: Advent LC Pictures



10:14 PM | |

Wednesday, December 07, 2005 

wow....

so...you haven't been blogging lately....my wife reminds me- as if i didn't know.

i really don't know why i have not blogged for nearly two months, i guess i don't have to come up with an excuse- rather just accept the fact that i am a slacker. but the heck wit the past, let's life in the present and focus on the future- i mean really good things are coming!

i continue to be amazed at how fast time flies. it is already december, and our first worship as Advent is this coming sunday- crazy, scary, exciting, amazing, and scary are just a few of the words that seem to describe the way i am feeling heading into sunday. i truly have no idea what to expect...we could have 20 people and we could have 90 people show up. to be honest, i will be thrilled with 30- seems like a good round number. we sent out 7000 postcards, put it in the paper, have talked to tons of people, but who knows who will show up- all prayers are appreciated as we approach this day. i am so moved by the way this community has embraced the coming of a new church- there is a such a sense of partnership with the township and other leaders of the community. it seems that we will truly become a community church insomuch that we will be reaching the needs of the immediate community on a different level than the methodist church is. at least that is our goal, and the hope of the townspeople who feel largely that the methodist church has forgotten about the community they are part of. of course...this is their perception and one must wonder what really is going on.

tonight i was able to attend the fire/ems officers meeting as was asked to consider being their on-call chaplain to help with crisis situations. i am pretty sure i am going to do it- seems like a great way to be involved in the community, and it is definitely something they as a department need.

our family continues to become more and more settled in our new community. i think we are at a good place now- this is our home, and we are loving it. we have most of the house painted now in preparation for the baby in january. anna is ready to get the kid out of her soon- in four weeks she will be full term. her and logan traveled to MN this weekend to visit her grandpa who was moved to hospice care. seems like now is the season for ailing grandparents. both of my grandmothers continue to be in and out of the hospital, and the distance thing really sucks when those you love are hurting.... logan loves life- all the time- and very much enjoys the snow that we have (i enjoyed the first two feet because i got to use my new snow-blower but now am quite sick of it!) we have gotten probably 6 feet of snow already! thank goodness most of it has melted away.

i miss all of my friends daily- dreaming sometimes of the good old days in seminary! yet, listening, watching, and reading to the ministry they are doing and the lives they are leading makes me realize we are all where we need to be- serving the Lord who calls us to serve. wow- what a great calling this truly is. here's to blogging more than once every 2 months- cheers....jg



9:35 PM | |