iHOPE

Vacation

I am going to be on vacation for the next couple weeks.  Lee Ann and I are going to spend a week in the mountains, enjoying the Rocky Mountain National Park.  Unless I am feeling particularly eloquent, I don't anticipate logging on for the next couple weeks.  I'll be back in the office and back on line after Labor Day.

The Other Side of Hate

I told the story of Jim Steele and Paul Neshangwe on Sunday.  I have never met Jim, but Paul has been to New Hope and I count him as a friend.  Their story was told in an article in Gentleman's Quarterly (July 2006).  You can get a copy of it by clicking below.  It is a very honest article, with language and situations to match. It is also one of the best articles I have read about Zimbabwe, hope and forgiveness.

<a href="http://ihope.typepad.com/ihope/files/othersideofhate_gq_article_0607.pdf">Download othersideofhate_gq_article_0607.pdf</a>

Lordy, Lordy, C'67 is turning 40!

  40 years ago, the Presbyterian Church adopted a new, and particularly American, confession. It was called The Confession of 1967 (catchy, huh?), or for short, C'67.  I'll discuss confessions and their role in the Presbyterian Church in more detail. For now, know that this was a BIG THING in the Presbyterian Church.  Some people were very upset that this was adopted- some still are today. Personally, I think it was a marvelous piece of work and if anything, was ahead of its time.

  C'67 was never meant to replace some of the old confessions and creeds (i.e., The Apostles Creed, The Nicene Creed, The Westminster Confession, etc.).  It was meant to apply the great truths that were there to the 20th century.  It tried to explain where the gospel of Jesus Christ was especially needed in today's world.  One section that summarizes the key theme of C'67 is:

God’s reconciling work in Jesus Christ and the mission of reconciliation to which he has called his church are the heart of the gospel in any age.  Our generation stands in peculiar need of reconciliation in Christ. (Confession of 1967: 9.06)

  Well, that was 40 years ago. Is it still relevant today?  There are lots of things from the 60's that were interesting then but sort of dated today.  Some folks think that when people turn 40, they are over-the-hill. How about the Confession of 1967 - is it 'over-the-hill'?

    I think it is every bit as relevant and necessary as when it was adopted 40 years ago. The need for reconciliation is at least as great to day as it was in the 60's. We still haven't found ways to build enough bridges to heal the gaps.  In fact, it was the 40th anniversary of C'67 that started my thinking about the sermon series (We've Got Problems!) we started Sunday. Then again, I'm one of those guys who is over 40.  I'll let you decide for yourself.  You can download it by clicking on the link below.

Download confession_of_1967.pdf 

Are We Done With Sin?

"Are we done with sin?"

  That is how the question was posed to me last Sunday after we finished our series on the Seven Deadly Sins (plus one more for good measure!). It was asked in jest, of course. We will never be 'done' with sin and the things that keep us from the life God wants for us- but it was time to be done with that series. So yes, we are 'done' with Sin

  So what comes after 'Sin'?

  Reconciliation.

  How do we heal the alienation, betrayal and suspicion that separates us?  How do we bridge the gaps that are caused by sin- whether the gaps that exist in families, churches, communities or in nations? There are a lot of families, churches, communities and nations that would love to know. As usual, the Bible points us in the direction of health, healing and hope.

  We start a four week series this Sunday (August 12), called "We Have a Problem: Bridging the Gaps That Separate Us."

 

Director of Community Life

  We are beginning a new chapter at New Hope.  We have opened a new position on staff called the Director of Community Life. The goal is to get folks into a network of significant relationships as well as a ministry that is fruitful and fulfilling.

  This position reflects both the priorities set by Session last fall as well as the next logical step in our growth.   Last fall, Session targeted the spiritual development and formation of adults as being the our most important priority. The most promising strategy for promoting that development and formation is through small groups.  People grow best when they are part of a community where they are known, loved, encouraged, challenged and supported.  That is the way it was done in the New Testament church and that is the way it works today.  Small groups are the best ways we know to develop and foster that kind of community.

  That also aligns with the largest staffing need we have at New Hope.  We have gone through periods when small groups were a huge part of our life as a congregation and then several seasons when it was present, but not widespread.  The consensus from churches that have vital small group ministries as well as our own folks who are organizing small groups is that here needs to be a staff person whose primary task is the development of small groups if we are going to move ahead in this area.

  We were moving in that direction this spring. We had begun to shift the job description of Audrey (our former Director of Lay Ministry) more towards connecting people to small groups.  The groundwork she had laid in helping connect people to a place of mission and ministry has been successful and it was thought that she could start to devote more of her time to the vital ministry of small groups.  When she made the decision to step down as Director of Lay Ministry and pursue a new ministry opportunity, we decided to give the new position a whole new name to signify the change in priorities.

  The job description has been posted and people inside the congregation as well as in the community are invited to apply.  You can take a look at the job description by clicking on the link below or also by going through the church web page and clicking on the "Employment Opportunities" on the right side of the page.

Download director_of_community_life_announcement_v3_8_07_final.pdf

  A new chapter is about to begin at New Hope- a place for new beginnings.

Pictures of the Future

Our Expansion Implementation Team has just updated our church web page with the latest details as well as the architect drawings of the new construction.

  You can check it out by going to the New Hope web page and then clicking on "Expanding Hope" (on the upper right side) or, click on this link:

http://newhopepres.org/expansion.html

  The next thing that has to happen is the approvals by the Town of Castle Rock. We hope to have those so that we can have a groundbreaking ceremony in September-October. Construction should be completed 8 months after that.

Quotables: On Envy

  Last Sunday, the sermon dealt with the Deadly Sin of Envy.  Here are a few quotes that were most useful for me:

Envy is the consuming desire to have everybody else as unsuccessful as you are. (Frederick Buechner)

The sin is deadly, less because it destroys him, than because it will not let him live. (Henry Fairlie)

As vultures are attracted to ill-smelling places and fly past meadow and pleasant, fragrant regions; as flies pass by healthy flesh and swarm eagerly to a wound, so the envious avert their gaze from the brightness in life and the loftiness of good actions and fix their attention on rottenness...Envious persons are skilled in making what is praiseworthy seem despicable by means of unflattering distortions...The courageous man they call reckless;...the clever man, cunning...In general, all forms of virtue they inevitably supply with a name taken over from the opposite vice. (St. Basil)

  This week (August 5) we conclude the series with, "The 8th Deadly Sin- the one that should have made the list, but didn't."  The nominations are closed.  The ballots are in.  And the 8th Deadly Sin is....