A New Lens

It's no secret that the United Methodist Church needs more young people to hear and discern God's call to ordained ministry. There is of course the practical reason of simple statistics: as older pastors retire at an increasing rate, we'll need new pastors to take their roles. But that's isn't the most compelling reason by far. For me the most compelling reason is that without young clergy adding to the diversity of the whole clergy we are missing some great gifts. For this reason several young pastors (I'm in my last couple of years of being young at 33) are blogging today about their call stories. So here's mine. I hope it will give confidence to those who are stuggling with their discernment.

I would describe my call as putting a new lens on a camera. Let me explain. I was a sophomore at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh studying Electrical & Computer Engineering and Public Policy. I had finally found a great church near our campus (First United Methodist) with a great pastor (Bishop Peter Weaver) and an amazing congregation. I finally had the availablility to take Disciple I. (Note to pastors...there really are youth who would jump at Disciple...but if you offer it at 10 AM on a Tuesday they can't come!) At the second to last session, we went around sharing the gifts we saw in each other. It was my turn to receive and it came to Rich Bartosik, a former military guy with a pretty big voice. "Ordained Ministry," was all he said in that booming voice. At that moment it was like someone had put a new lens on the camera of my life. My 19 years of life experience looked different. Those two words, as scarry as they were, made sense in light of everything that had happened before. After the initial revelation my thoughts turned to, "You want what God?"

To help discern my call I was offered one of the seminarian positions at FUMC. The other intern became a great friend and colleague, John Shaver. As graduation from CMU loomed, I had a serious decision to make, work or seminary. I visited Boston University School of Theology. I interviewed at some great companies. In the end I made a deal with God. I would work for 5 years while being involved in a church. At the end of that time, I'd decide if seminary would be the right path.

It took me 6 years of working and discerning. At times I felt like I was running from God. At times I felt like my volunteering in the church was sustaining me in my oh so different consulting career. Work was profit-driven, church was people-driven. At about year 4 or 5, I started to make plans to leave my career and enter seminary. And that's just what I did. People thought I was crazy from work to give up a very lucrative career. The candidacy process seemed to assume I either hated my previous career or failed at it; neither are true. I went to seminary not because it made sense but because that's where I felt God leading me.

Seminary was tough for someone with an engineering background. Often times I relied on the mantra I found in a song: "I'm gonna live so God can use me." That's all I wanted and all I continue to want.

Now I'm starting my third year at my first full-time appointment. There are days when wonder if I made the right decision. But there are also days when the privilidge of my role to be at the most important moments in people's lives touches me so deeply.

Are you discerning a call into ministry? Find someone to share it with...to pray about it with...to make sense of it with. If you want to share your story with me or ask me questions about mine, I welcome your email (jhilde@gmail.com).

Faith United Heats Things Up in Worship

DSCF1597, originally uploaded by Faith United Parish.

This story originally appeared in Spirit.NET, a publication of the New England Conference of the United Methodist Church.

What do you do when the ministry of the church is growing but the expense of the building is out of control with the rising heating costs? With increasing attendance especially among children and youth, Faith United Parish, a cooperative parish of the United Church of Christ and the United Methodist Church in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, faced just such a problem. The church budget for 2008 included $28,000 for heat and hot water and $22,500 for property and liability insurance. That was before the dramatic increase in oil costs! The leadership of the congregation realized they would need to get creative in order maintain active ministry with a full-time pastor.

The main source of the high heating expense was the 650-seat sanctuary built in 1897 in the Richardsonian Romanesque style with its beautiful Tiffany stained glass windows and high ceiling. The space is heated by an oil steam boiler with a natural gas furnace helping out on very cold days. Every winter Sunday these systems begin the process of heating the sanctuary eight to ten hours before anyone enters the building. But replacing such systems with more energy efficient boilers carries a high cost, one the congregation would be unlikely to afford.
In order for the church to afford heat this winter it would be forced to worship in the Parish Hall as it did during the energy crises of the 1970’s and 1980’s. But no one liked doing that. Some pastors even said it was what a dying church would do. Why would you go into that room when you have a beautiful sanctuary?

Enter the new young pastor, Rev. Justin Hildebrand and one of the most senior members of the church, Carleton (“Zeke”) Finch. Hildebrandt had been envisioning a way to weave contemporary elements such as projection and contemporary music into a traditional service to give worship more life. However in the large sanctuary proper projection equipment would cost far too much. Then Finch handed his pastor an article focused on the high tech aspects of the new chapel at Andover Newton Theological Seminary before a meeting in the Parish Hall with the words, “We could do that here.” From that moment Hildebrandt and the church leadership focused on creating something new and exciting rather than moving worship grudgingly to that room turning a challenge into an opportunity. Using the skills and professional connections of members, they remodeled the Parish Hall by restoring the hardwood, painting the ceiling and walls, and installing a projection system with two ceiling-mounted LCD projectors.

The worship service was launched in its new location on Rally Day, not because they couldn’t afford the heat but because they were excited for a new experience. Along with the new space, the congregation celebrated the expansion of their ministry with children and youth. The Sunday school time moved to before the worship service allowing more time for study as well as weekly worship for the children, youth, and Sunday school teachers. The newly created position of children and youth ministry leader had been filled by a highly-qualified candidate. And the worship…well it was wonderful to worship nearly filling the seats. One member sent an email to Hildebrandt that evening, “I just wanted to let you know that I think today's service was an A+. It felt like we were part of a huge group. The responses, Lord's Prayer and singing sounded and more importantly felt alive.”

Having embraced the challenge of building and heating issues as opportunities, the congregation is looking forward to the next challenge. What happens when all 120 seats are filled?

God Endures

DSCF1689-Cropped, originally uploaded by Faith United Parish.

At the bishop's day on the Central Massachusetts district, I saw a bit of a vision. The topic of the day had been rearranged for the clergy to talk about the economy and its effects on our members. Bishop Weaver invited us to be prophetic in our communities about the financial difficulties reported on the news.

So I envisioned signs reminding people of God. I came up with: Banks Fail, Jobs End, God Endures. I wasn't quite sure what the effect would be. Our church parking lot where these signs are is on a pretty busy corner in Fitchburg. Right where the signs are is where traffic often sits waiting for the traffic light.

I've seen people stop and look. I'm not sure what they think or whether it will reassure them that no matter what happens, banks failing, jobs ending, or anything else that the world can throw at us, God endures.

Maybe one of these days I'll get bold enough to ask people when they stop. And maybe even invite them to church.

Dry Bones

A common scripture reading for our time in church history is Ezekiel 37:1-10, the valley of the dry bones. It is a prophecy given to Ezekiel about the restoration of Israel after Jerusalem's fall, the scattering of the Hebrew people, and many lives lost. It is finally a word of hope after 36 chapters filled primarily of doom and gloom.

The reason it is used as a reading for churches today is that we seem to be surrounded by doom and gloom. With aging buildings, dwindling congregations, challenging financial times, and shifting societal realities, there is little good news often found for the church. But perhaps that's because we're looking for good news in all the wrong places. Buildings will come and go. People are fickle. And money, well in many ways it's just paper. God is where our hope is found not in buildings or people or finances. That's what we have to share with this shifting society, a sense of hope amidst all the hurting and uncertainty.

But to be honest it's hard work remembering that hope with all these difficulties and more. Last week I spent the afternoon with the bishop, the D.S., and the United Methodist clergy from Central Massachusetts. As we often do, we began with worship. A responsive litany used after the Ezekiel 37:1-10 reading really struck a cord with me. I hope it does with you as well.

How long, O God, does it take one congregation, one people, one way of doing things to die and another to be born? We cry out,
Can these bones live?

How long, O God, must we endure the aging process of our institutions, the shrinking of memberships, the closing of our church buildings and the drying up of our hopes? We cry out,
Can these bones live?

How long, O God, must our souls die with dying congregations before we begin to live into the promise of the resurrection for the whole world? We cry out,
Can these bones live?

Your Spirit is calling us. You breathe,
The Spirit of God is upon you.

Your people are calling. Your world awaits us. You nudge,
The Spirit of God is upon you.

We loose ourselves in a Good Friday world with only a distant glimpse of an Easter kingdom. We ask, "Why bother!" You persist,
The Spirit of God is upon you.

We listen for your voice calling to us and discover that it is louder and truer than all other voices. We are worthy because your Spirit dwells within us.
Yes, the Spirit of God is upon us. Thanks be to God. Amen.

You are the APPLE of God's eye

DSCF1534, originally uploaded by Faith United Parish.

Today two bushels of apples were given to people passing by on Main Street as part of the September Fitchburg First Thursday celebration. The apples were handed out to people walking and riding bike, motorcycles, cars, and trucks. Our Outreach committee made the decision to give something away without looking for a donation. It proved to be a great idea getting many smiles, thank you's, and even some God bless you's.

It's amazing isn't it that people are so accustomed to people wanting something...that everything must have some sort of a catch...that people were skeptical. It was just an apple after all. But people were impressed with the simple generosity. A couple of people even asked what time our Sunday worship service is.

This sort of an event is often termed servant evangelism. My question is what if Faith United Parish did this once a month? What if the buzz around town was about those crazy people from Faith United Parish who give stuff away and do kind things to others. Might people want to part of such a caring yet subversive community of believers. And might they not come to see Jesus Christ in whose name our generosity and love for everyone is found.

The Sports Page - Kobe

I don't often read the sports page. That will come as no surprise to those of you who know me. This morning as I went to recycle that section, I took notice of a great shot of a soccer match. Soccer was always my favorite sport to photograph back when I was a photographer for our high school newspaper and yearbook.

Then I realized I know that young man. The photo is of Kobe Addow (one of our recent confirmands) kicking the ball away from an opposing player while jumping about 3 feet in the air. It's quite a shot. Unfortunately the Sentinel and Enterprise doesn't post photos on their website. But if you happen to see a print copy today take a look at the Sports front page. Here's a like to the article. I'll post a copy of the photo and article on the church bulletin board.

Our church is blessed with youth with such a wide array of talents. Thank God for their energy and vitality...and for the gifts they bring us.

Upper Common Worship Service

DSCF1519, originally uploaded by Faith United Parish.

Could we have been more blessed this past Sunday?  Beautiful weather, wonderful music, and so many people all made our outdoor service on the Upper Common a great time.  I especially enjoyed meeting a couple of people who came just because they saw what was going on.

Today I saw one walking in front of the church.  I stopped him by saying hi and calling him by name.  He looked happy that I remembered him and his name.  As I told him it was good to see him, he responded with, "I'll see you on Sunday."  I don't know if he'll come or not.  But what a blessing to have made this connection with someone.

What more can we do to take the message of the Gospel to the streets?  How can we tell people God loves them and desires to be in relationship with them?