Let go of your youth job!

Bob, a youth minister friend, told me this summer, “You have a great job!” On a Thursday night, after several consecutive weeks of coordinating missions, I remember having to pause before responding. Uhh….let me think about that one. Actually, the moment passed pretty quickly and it occurred to me that this was true. It was one of those “aha” moments when you remember what you already know. Dang good thing we have those! In my personal and professional life, it is always a process of holding on and letting go. I don’t know about you, but it is easy for me to get caught up in what I believe to be other people’s expectations. And I know I have responsibilities. All this sends my need to control into high gear. It comes down to a trust issue. Do I trust that God will send me what I need to have or does my controlling nature actually limit God and His possibilities? Sometimes I have no choice but to allow God to be in charge, there is so much to do. During Bob’s mission week, we hosted 5 churches—2 Methodist, 1 Presbyterian, 1 Baptist, 1 Episcopal. These are some projects this week alone. 1) Extreme makeovers on 3 homes 2) Two Vacation Bible Schools 3) Work at the Food Bank 4) Painting and sorting at the Thrift Store 5) Construction, clean up and meal prep at 2 homeless shelters 6) Environmental stewardship in a national forest. 7) Gleaning fields with the Society of St Andrew. It was a wonderful week and beyond what I would have imagined on my own.

The Church Budget and Your Personal Process

It’s budget pledging time at our church. Beginning of fall, football, leaves changing, budget pledging. Happens every year. I know this process varies from church to church. Our tradition has been for the various church departments and organizations in the church to propose what is needed for the coming year, taking past years’ budgets into account, along with projected hopes and needs. At its best, the process is both practical and spiritual. The overall budget is then presented to the finance committee and the deacon body. if the deacons approve, then it is eventually brought before the entire church for a vote. (of course the final vote is if people will give their money). Along the way, before the church vote, members have opportunity to interact with the budget, ask questions and make suggestions in a series of small group meetings.

My role as chair of the missions committee has put me squarely in the middle of things, especially since ours is a large budget item. As a committee, we sought a 30% increase in our missions giving over 2011. The night I proposed this to the Deacons, the stock market had lost 400 points during the day. I thought, “Lord, what will this mean?” As God would have it, the people have rallied around it. I think it is a sign of hope and obedience. The gospel writer reminds us to just stay in process, not look too far ahead, for “each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Mt 6:34) That is especially hard when times are tough, with layers of concerns. Our pastor’s words yesterday challenge me: “Perhaps we are more impressed with the problems of the world than the power of God.” I can’t deny that it is often true for me.

I say all this simply to encourage us to stay on track, hang with the process that is true for you, continue doing what you do well and be open to new ideas while unwilling to jump at them. Whenever I am numbers and results driven, my soul literally gets sick. It is the process that will get us where we need to be and that process involves staying centered in Christ.

Sacred Space

The wedding was moved outside. It was a risk and there was the possibility of rain in the area, but it didn’t. We were at the top of the mountain ridge and the green valley lay down below us. A perfect backdrop for the minister’s homily in which he spoke of the space between bride and groom as sacred space. In the ceremony, it was the space where God entered. The space made room for a Covenant.

I have never been a big fan of outdoor weddings, even though I have officiated at a few. Adding yet another variable to a day wrought with variables. Mercy! I may be softening after this last one, though. As the wedding party came forward, the wind picked up. A wind-before-the-storm breeze without the storm. Wind, Spirit, Presence, Sacred Space. I had to notice.

Since then, I have been noticing a little more. Listening in, if you will. Small things seen a certain way can seem nothing short of miraculous. Standing in the field behind my farmhouse, I sensed a rustling behind me. Turning around to see a fawn, her coat spotted in great detail, standing looking up at me, her big eyes full of wild innocence. As I mow the yard, swallows working a field for their insect dinners follow me in a swirling array , catching startled grasshoppers in their hasty retreat.

Small things are worth noticing because that is where we usually find sacred space. That seems to be the way God speaks. Frederick Beuchner writes: “ There is no event so commonplace but that God is present within it, always hiddenly, always leaving you room to recognize him or to not recognize him, but all the more fascinatingly because of that, all the more compelling and hauntingly.” So, if we wait and wait for that handwriting on the wall, or for the lightning to strike and the earth to shake, think about what we might be missing.

Survive and Move On

“I alone know the plans I have for you, plans to bring you prosperity and not disaster, plans to being about the future you hope for.” Jeremiah 29:11 (Good News)

 

SURVIVE AND MOVE ON
Can you believe the NCAA men’s tournament? My bracket was busted after the first weekend. Yours too, probably. I read that out of 5.9 million entries in ESPN’s bracketology, there have been 2 correct entries. Now we have four coaches that include a former drug rep, a cancer survivor, a Zulu warrior namesake and a coach that reinvents his entire team. The mantra you most often hear in the tourney is “survive and move on.” You don’t have to be the best team in the field, just the best team THAT NIGHT. The Final Four have earned the right, from survive to thrive. It is our life lesson today.

There is absolutely no doubt that there is a lot of just plain surviving going on right now. Almost everyone I know is hunkered down in their mental storm shelters, hanging on, pushing through, trying to do the best they can. I include myself in that number. In this context, I am drawn to Jeremiah. Chapter 29 has lived with me a long time. His letter to the Jews living in a foreign hostile place gives us guidelines in turning surviving into thriving.

• As much as possible, try and make peace with the place where you are (both literally and figuratively).
• We often find ourselves living in the meantime, between where we are and where we want to be.
• It is easy to spend our time waiting for something to make us feel whole—a job, a relationship, a child, a new home, something.
• Find healing and hope in the everyday pieces of life that give us meaning. There is purpose in the commonplace. It makes the wait go so much better.
• God is still here, even in the meantime. This was quite a revelation to those captives in Babylon.
• God has plans for you to thrive, not merely survive. The emphasis, as always, is what God does, not what we think we can do, should do or miss doing. Take that with you through your day!

Does Helping Always Help?

When I started telling people I had decided to enter the ministry, the reactions were varied. My Uncle Charles then offered to pay my way through LAW SCHOOL (make your own suppositions). My mother cried. This was big, since I had only seen her cry once before, when my dad ran over the rose bushes with his new riding mower (with the brake on the OTHER side). My father-in-law, reluctant to let things go, for 27 years has not hesitated to point out to me how valuable a dentist would have been in the family. An older minister gave me a puzzling piece of advice—the rule is that the more you try and help someone, the more they tend to get mad at you. Really? That just doesn’t fit my ministerial profile! But I am learning that there is at least one place where this is true and that is missions. Especially short term missions.

Have you ever done anything to hurt poor people? Most of us would recoil at the thought, even be offended by the implication. Here are the words of John Perkins, pastor, civil rights leader and founder of the Christian Community Development Association. “Have you ever done anything to hurt poor people? Most of you would probably answer no to this question, but the reality is that you may have done considerable harm to poor people in the very process of trying to help them. The federal government made this mistake for decades. Well intentioned welfare programs penalized work, undermined families, and created dependence. The government hurt the very people it was trying to help. Unfortunately, the same is true for many Christian ministries today. By focusing on symptoms rather than on the underlying disease, we are often hurting the very people we are trying to help. Surprisingly, we are also hurting ourselves in the process. As followers of Jesus Christ, we simply must do better.” (When Helping Hurts, Corbett and Fikkert, 2009).

I first started fretting about this several years ago while with my church’s youth group, working way up a cove in rural coal mining Kentucky. We were putting windows in a house trailer. I learned later that week that another team from our church had put windows in that same trailer four years previously. It hit me pretty hard. Groups came and went but nothing changed. The people we helped smiled, we smiled, all in a silent conspiracy. Substantive change is tough, and it takes a ton of effort, grace, imagination and teamwork. There are agencies and churches and people doing their part to help us think differently about missions. The Timothy Project tries to find where God seems to be working in these ways.

Youth Fundraisers That Work!

We all agree that the economic recession has had a negative impact on our church budgets. Fundraisers for youth groups have long been an accepted practice in many churches, as they help fund mission trips, education and work in the community. That fact has never been more real than currently, as we all scramble to maintain our focus on discipleship and growth for our students, making priorities and maintaining energy and momentum within the group. The Timothy Project has asked youth ministers to respond with their own ideas, and we are grateful that many of you took the time to share what may be helpful to another group. Your generosity is appreciated!

Fundraising:

-encourages the group to work together for a common cause
-can expose some youth to leadership opportunities, if given the chance
-can raise significant money
-can get youth and adults working side-by-side
-will hopefully “target” non church members for funds. Too many times we only “sell” or “target” church members. They are the ones already tithing the budget, which means they get hit twice (or 5 times) to help pay for the Youth Ministry activities.
-can be an accounting nightmare, unless you have someone good at keeping numbers straight
-gets lost in the shuffle of all other fundraisers kids must do
-teaches the youth that trips/events/ministry needs resources in order to happen
-teaches the youth that ministry is not cheap
-can bring a community together, rallying around a certain cause or event
David Woody, Providence Baptist Church of Daniel Island, SC

In church, in business and in our everyday lives the old adage still applies: “Plan your work, and work your plan!” The more financially successful fundraisers are generally the ones that require more planning, volunteers and coordination. The results can be very worthwhile. One church/community silent auction netted $25,000 toward a major overseas youth mission trip. Other fundraisers, with less extensive needs but of an immediate nature, can bring in anywhere from $1,000 to as much as $8,000-$10,000. Here are some ideas, arranged by categories with basic info about each. If you have further questions, or further suggestions, please contact Cliff Christian at cliff@thetimothyprojects.com.

SILENT AND LIVE AUCTIONS

This is potentially one of the single biggest fundraisers you can arrange. NOTE: This fundraiser should be done every 3-4 years only, not annually!
-Make it clear what the primary purpose of the fundraiser is, which may get you some unsolicited larger donations
-Begin planning three months out
-Have a solid team, with a willingness to contact potential donors for auction items (this is critical)
-Donations should come from merchants in the community as well as church members
-The more items the better and should include products as well as services such as automotive (tires, service etc), computers and service, massage therapy, orthodontist and dental (selling a $5,000 set of braces for $3,000 is a number that really adds up). Many restaurants will participate as well as retail, art, concert and sports tickets and memorabilia etc. Your church contacts will help give it focus. Gift certificates are also popular. If there are used items up for sale, they obviously should be gently used. This does not need to give the appearance of a yard sale.
-Larger ticket items should be sold at the separate live auction that day. You may be able to find a licensed auctioneer willing to donate his services (we did at my church), but there may be church members adept at this kind of thing.  In the live auction you can include things like vacation home rentals (owned by church members), the medical/dental services, a trip from some travel agency (I once was able to receive a donated ski trip to Colorado with air fare for two. It sold for $2,000). A valuable piece of art or jewelry, furniture, clothing, musical instrument, hand-stitched quilt, etc.
-Bidding on silent auction items should be done within a prescribed time frame, such as 9 am to noon. Depending on the number of live auction items, part of that could be held concurrently.
-It is a nice touch to offer free dessert and drinks for all that come, as well as some background music. You are trying to create an atmosphere of excitement. Maybe even some kind of video presentation of the purpose of the fundraiser could be set up in a place that would not detract from the action.
Andy Jung, Trinity Baptist Church of Raleigh NC. Tammy Isgett, First Baptist Church of Asheville, NC

RESTAURANTS AND FOOD SERVICE

Some of these can be done rather quickly and provide significant funding.
-Depending on your town, there are restaurants that will connect with you for food service fundraising. At our church, we connected with Carabbas, and their staff came to our church, used our facilities and prepared a delicious dinner (two entrée choices, chosen in advance by members). They did this for their cost, and we set our ticket price and cleared about $1,500. Carabbas did the cooking and clean up so that worked well. We offered both dine in and take out. Restaurants usually offer this service only once a month, so get on the schedule early. This can be done on a Tuesday night or some other non-weekend night.
-Applebees, FATZ café and others will hold pancake breakfasts at their restaurants on a Saturday morning. They will charge the church $1 per person and do the cooking, and you set the ticket cost ($5?). Includes pancakes, bacon or sausage and coffee. The church provides the bodies, the servers and the clean up. One church raised $1,200 for two hours of pancakes.
-A BBQ/pig pickin’ is always popular. You will need most of the food donated and church members doing prep. It is a good way to draw-in the community. It could be combined with a free outdoor concert (how about bluegrass) for the church and community.
-Sunday after-church luncheons are a staple for most youth groups. You might consider varying the theme to create interest. Hamburgers, chili, Mexican, even ethnic food, to reflect an area of the world that is a mission focus for your group. One church does a salad and potato lunch. Youth sell the tickets for $7 each, and each youth is required to bring a salad and dessert for 15 ppl. The cost is only about $1-2 per plate, and the rest is profit.
Ideas for this and others provided by Ellen Sechrest of Boulevard Baptist Church in Anderson, SC
-Freezer meal fundraising is a unique way to do what I think it a key to fundraising: Try and take advantage of products and services that are ALREADY BEING PURCHASED by church and community people. You will have a larger, willing market. This will require considerable planning and volunteers but has much potential. If you have a food services director for your church, that person would be critical in helping coordinate the effort. You would come up with several different menu items, such as soup in two different container sizes, chicken pot pies, lasagne, vegetable casseroles etc. These options would be made available to church members in advance, and they would have order forms and choose from the items. Then the food would be purchased and prepared and frozen. One church took orders for 1,300 serving items and raised $6,000. It required them renting another freezer to accommodate the volume. This has appeal for people in having a week’s menu prepared for them!

OTHER IDEAS

-One church does a plant sale in conjunction with a local nursery. The youth pre-sell bedding plants and hanging baskets. They make $5 per flat, $2 per pot, $8 per hanging basket. Significant income, and the time is right to explore this one!
-Many churches have some yearly fundraisers that are counted upon to help extend their budgets. Christmas trees are very popular in areas distant from where they are grown. Those are pre-ordered and paid in advance to eliminate risk and waste. One church I spoke with routinely clears $20,000 yearly.
-Selling pumpkins is something Methodist churches have done very successfully with the Pumpkin Patch initiative. It is also something that can be done by other churches if not interfering with an ongoing effort. An Episcopal church near where I live does very well each fall.
-Car washes and bake sales have fallen out of favor with most youth leaders, maybe because of their frequency in the past.

It’s never too late to be what you might have been

About two weeks ago, I was watching Jeopardy one night. I often do that. It is my version of doing crossword puzzles, those valiant attempts in keeping dementia at bay. The contestants that night were high school students, which pleased me, because I thought I had a fighting chance of keeping up, at least in Single Jeopardy. I found myself surprised when I knew an answer than none of the three knew.

Who slept for 20 years and then awoke to a new world  that had been passing him by? It is a great story, that of Rip Van Winkle.

What would it be like to wake up after all that time? What would you and I have missed if we just awoke after 20 years? Cell phones come to mind quickly. Other than the mental gymnastics of considering what changes occur in the interim and their impact, the story presses me to think about what in my life has fallen asleep. Time rushes on, responsibilities layer themselves upon us, we are busy, some things are left for later. Then this new thing happens, and we wake up to learn something we already knew or begin where we had started, to paraphrase CS Lewis. It is kin to the prodigal son’s revelation when he “came to himself”(Luke 15:17) and realized a forgotten truth.

When I came to Asheville following seminary, I worked as a pastoral counselor with a very skilled and respected therapist in the city. The work was good and meaningful for a time. The rigors of a full counseling load and the successive losses of my mother, father and brother to cancer became too much. I can joke now about the day I suddenly realized that I was more depressed than the people I was working with. So, a change needed to happen, and I was fortunate to find a place and good people where I could work and heal. I thought, “ I will do this for a year and then be able to enter ministry in some other setting.” I enjoyed the work.

Fast forward 12 years, and then I started remembering. My wife, seeing a change, helped the process when she found my ordination certificate that had been tucked away. Moisture and mold had gotten to it and the words were blurred. She took it to a framer and when treated, the words became clear again. This seems at the heart of the gospel—following Christ gathers up our scattered minds and brings clarity to who we are.

It also means that it is never too late to be who you were meant to be. Because we were always and forever meant to be His. “He has made everything beautiful in its time” (Eccles. 3:11).

Doesn’t that bring you hope? All we need to do is wake up.

NEXT WEEK: Practical ideas for fund raising

Angels

She had been living in an apartment with no electricity for over a month. It was July and hot, especially for Asheville. Jean was riding a streak of bad luck and now this. Her case worker with social services had somehow gotten my name and called me, desperate. The landlord had been patient but it was the end of the month…again. Time to go, and no one to take her. The youth group from Mississippi happened to have a van and a trailer, and we became the moving company. It is hard for me to imagine the indignity of being removed from your home. Somehow, Jean went about the task with gratitude toward us and grace in general. Three neighbor girls watched our carrying and loading from a distance. Turns out they were her twilight companions, coming by most evenings for visits and smores from her small charcoal grill, her only means of cooking. I could see the hurt and confusion on their faces that day. Jean pulled them close and assured them she would be back to see them, giving each of them some special comment. “Angels,” she said, “you are my angels.” Then we all stood in a circle, held hands and prayed, thanking God for sending us angels.

Student Teaching

The room was full of college kids. It was Friday night and they all had things to do other than coming to church. Jeanette and I had sped off after work from Asheville to Raleigh to try and make the 8:00pm worship time. We did make it, barely, and were welcomed by all those beautiful smiling faces. Being there was the latest episode in our series of encounters with these kids in Campus Outreach. What we have really encountered is ourselves and the opportunity to see God through their eyes. Our daughter Lauren has found a home with them and tonight she is leading worship.

We are led in worship by our 20 year old daughter! I am older now than I ever thought I would become when I was her age. God is surprising me in her and through her and her journey in Faith is my teacher. She and I and you are all God’s work-in-progress.

Here are some random observations, in no particular order.

• Our children have to find Jesus for themselves
• Denominational alliances are much less important than the gospel
• Knowing about Jesus and knowing Jesus are not the same
• Relationships mean everything
• Love does conquer all

A View Point

And let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we shall reap if we do not grow weary. ~ Galatians 6:9

In the middle of a rough winter and a rough economy, I have the tendency to retreat. Not the kind of retreat that energizes but a holed-up, fed-up kind of retreat. Maybe I am just SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) or need to OD on Vitamin D. I have never been to a tanning bed, but I might give it a try. From my perspective, winter is that in-between time for hands-on ministry. It is also a time I can feel weary. Go figure.

A few years back, I went on an actual retreat to Mepkin Abbey near Moncks Corner, SC (ironic but correct spelling). The monastery brothers were accepting of this Baptist despite my gaffes. On the first night of my stay, I tried to chat up the person sitting next to me at dinner only to realize, to my horror, that I was the ONLY person talking during the typically silent meal. It was an education for me in an other-worldly sort of way.

Each monastery has its own income producing enterprise and to see the same monks wearing their robes in cloister and their caterpillar caps and flannel shirts on their farm, was both funny and disarming. One older brother generously gave me a tour of the operation. I asked him how long he had been there. He thought for a long moment and exclaimed, “Next year will be fifty years.” He might have been playing me a little but FIFTY YEARS??!! He then took me to their chicken feed shed (they sold eggs to Piggly Wiggly back then) and described in vivid detail how he went about mixing feed for the chickens.

He smiled, eyes sparkling. “How long have you had this job, I asked?”

“Not very long,” he replied, “about 15 years.”

I had to comment to him about his ability to find some sense of pleasure for so long in something so seemingly mundane. He simply said, “You  can do anything as long as you have a Vocation.” The capitalization is mine because I have realized he was not talking about chicken farming. He was also taking the long view on things. Kairos time. God time. Not my take on time. It is hard to do as we live with our haunting urgencies. Church staff, agency director, business person, mother of two. Things need to be done yesterday. But in the middle of a rough winter, in a rough economy, it helps me to remember…

by Cliff Christian