Draw from the Well

3..2..1.. Contact

Thinking about the following statement:

"...70% of new Christians came to church as a result of a personal invitation. And that does not even broach the retention issue, which most churches struggle with. Only 20% of those that visit church visit again. ...stats that say seven impressions (a card, a personal visit, a personal connection on Sunday AM, etc. in combination) must be made within the first two weeks after a visitor comes for the first time, else they won't stay long term."

What do you think?  What makes people return to church?  What does it take?

Pumpkin Patch Bash Recap

THANK YOU to everyone who served for the PPB! 

There were so many helpful volunteers - everyone was amazing!

 

Numbers show that we had over 655 families from our community join us.

Counting parents and children that works out to over 3500 people.

 

Great Job Living Water!

 

Here are some pictures from that night: http://livingwater.com/content.cfm?id=2178

Failure

Saint Damien

One of my heroes, Father Damien, was recently recognized.  While I'm not thrilled with the idea of saint canonization, I do rejoice that the sacrificial life that Damien led is being celebrated.

Father Damien (Jozef De Veuster), was a priest who went to Hawaii in the late 1800s to minister to those who had been exiled to Molokai due to leprosy. 

His example of how to minister sensitively cross culturally was an inspiration to me when I went to China.  His attitude is displayed in a letter he wrote six months after arriving in the leper colony, "…I make myself a leper with the lepers to gain all to Jesus Christ."

His worked and ministered with the lepers for 16 years before he contracted and died from the disease himself.

You can read more about him on wiki here.

Also this is a great book on his life.

Has America Become More Spiritual?

Parade magazine (that thing that comes in the paper) recently had a poll about spirituality in America.  I thought the results were interesting:

On the positive side

• 67% of Americans believe in God
• 77% pray

Perhaps not so positive

• 50% of respondents never attend worship services
• 49% would not call themselves religious

40% of the poll respondents said that religion "is a source of truth", religion was not defined and 27% of respondents said they didn't practice religion of any kind.

Polls are always interesting and should be viewed with healthy skepticism, however, polls like this continue to confirm some truths about American spirituality.

America has been and likely will always have religion and spirituality as a fundamental part of our fabric (no amount of liberal, historic revisionism can remove it from our history.)  However, we would be amiss to claim that fundamental Christianity has exclusive rights in the spiritual department.  Intertwined in America's ethos is an independent, smorgasbord view on spirituality...we like to pick and choose what religion means to us (check out what Thomas Jefferson did with his Bible!)

Polls like this confirm that current trends continue to support the idea that while most Americans believe in God, prayer, religion, and spirituality...those concepts are very personally defined and often fluid.

This should challenge us to redefine how we seek to encourage spiritual growth and discipleship. 

You can read more here, see the poll here, and take the poll here.

The Roots of Wickedness

Last Friday I was treated by a friend to a viewing of the musical Wicked.  It was truly amazing.  Fortunately, a different friend briefed me on the storyline before hand so I could take in the nuances of the show (the lights distract me so!)  All musicals overwhelm me a bit...from the stage, to the lyrical ability to sing a story and make sense, to the costumes and dancing.  If you get the chance, see it.

I've wasaware of Wicked long before it was a musical due to the book by Gregory Maguire.  Ifind his writing to be dark, but his retelling to be brilliant.  Want the back story on everything from the green skin, to the hat, to the hatred of Dorothy and her little dog, too? He provides it. Simply brilliant.

I won't give away details in case you want to find out for yourself, but the storyline got me thinking...how often do we miss someone's back story?

Who was that homeless person before she was homeless (I remember in college talking with a homeless person who had a PHD and being shocked!)?  The chronically late-to-church person - is it character or circumstances (realized that bus schedules don't follow our service times well!)? Are there people who have only become the labels we've applied to them moving them beyond redemption: divorced, adulterer, bankrupt, addict, sinner...?

I'm not talking about excuses, but more about understanding. 

Whom do you have preconceived notions about that if you knew the back story you might change your mind?

Patience is a Virtue

Meaning of Patient

1. Bearing or enduring pain, difficulty, provocation, or annoyance with calmness.

2. Marked by or exhibiting calm endurance of pain, difficulty, provocation, or annoyance.

3. Tolerant; understanding.

4. Persevering; constant.

4. Capable of calmly awaiting an outcome or result; not hasty or impulsive.

Waiting can be painful.  Right now several areas of my life have me waiting.  However, it's not like my life is in danger, or I'm lacking something vital.  At worst I'm greatly inconvenienced.  Mainly I'm annoyed.  So I've been thinking a lot about being patient.

I've decided that at the root of my problem with patience is a frustration of being out of control.  Fact of the matter is that often when we are forced to wait, it's because there is nothing we can do to effect the situation. 

Waiting confronts the depths of what you believe about a situation, circumstance or person...because you can't see immediate results.  Do I think think "x" is going to do/be "x"?  Faith plays an important role in that equation.

I'm finding that what you believe also affects your attitude.  As of today, I've been waiting to close on my house for 18 extra days.  The reasons have nothing to do with anything I didn't do or should have done.  Completely out of my control.  This waiting has caused extra stress in my life because several other deadlines have come and gone and I've had to jump through extra hoops.

I admit that I've been annoyed. 

However, at the core of my belief is that I know that buying a house is the next right thing for me.  I'm also pretty sure that this is the right house for me, but even if it isn't, I would look with anticipation for what God was going to do next. 

Life is much more peaceful when one is able to rest on the promise as opposed to the circumstances of a situation.  As a person who likes to be in control, this has been a good lesson, and I'm proud that I've reacted differently than I would of in the past.

And hopefully, I will only have to be patient a few more days.  At least concerning this situation.

Now You Know 4.0!

I am a sucker for stats - I love them.  Sometimes they blow my mind.  Like this video from Xplane. This is a yearly video that follows the trends happening around us.  (HT: Church Crunch)

Want see previous videos?

See the first one here

2.0 here

3.0 here

How I Feel About Marshmallows!

I don't know why I think this is funny.

We Are Foursquare!

I was looking around on the Foursquare page and found this cool video:

The Foursquare Church - Annual Spiritual Report from The Foursquare Church on Vimeo.