During the month of August, we are looking at some of the things Paul had to say about the Holy Spirit from the book of Ephesians. I want to encourage you to look at the following verses from both the OT and NT, meditate on them, and pray that God would allow you to experience a deeper work of His Spirit in your life. Do not only pray that prayer for yourself, but pray it for Bethel as well.

• The Spirit helps us speak when we are in precarious situations and need to bear witness (Mark 13:11; Luke 12:12)

• The Counsellor teaches and reminds us of what we need to know and remember. He is our comforter, our advisor, our encourager, and our strength. He guides us in the way we should go (Ps. 143:10; John 14-16; Acts 9:31; 13:2; 15:28; 1 Cor. 2: 9-10; 1 John 5:6-8)

• From the Spirit we receive power to be God’s witnesses to the ends of the earth. It is the Spirit who draws people to the gospel, the Spirit who equips us with the strength we need to accomplish God’s purposes. The Holy Spirit not only initially draws people to God, He also draws believers closer to Jesus (Acts 1:8; Rom 8:26; Eph 3:16-19)

• By the power of the Spirit we put to death the misdeeds of the body. The Spirit sets us free from the sins we cannot get rid of on our own. This is a lifelong process we entered into, in partnership with the Spirit, when we first believed (e.g., Rom. 8:2)

• Through the Spirit we have received a spirit of adoption as children, which leads us into intimacy with the Father, instead of a relationship based on fear and slavery. The Spirit bears witness to us that we are His children (Rom. 8:15-16)

• The Holy Spirit convicts people of sin. He does this both before we initially enter into right relationship with God and as we journey through this life as believers (John 16: 7-11; 1 Thess. 1:5)

• The Spirit brings us life and freedom. Where the Spirit is, there is freedom, not bondage or slavery. In our world that is plagued with death, this is a profound truth that points to read hope (Rom. 8: 10-11; 2 Cor. 3:17)

• By the power of the Holy Spirit we abound with hope because our God is a God of hope, who fills His children with all joy and peace (Rom. 15:13)

• As members of God’s kingdom community, each of us is given a manifestation of the Spirit in our lives for the purpose of the common good. We all have something to offer because of what the Spirit gives to us (1 Cor. 12:7)

• The fruit of being led by the Spirit of God includes love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These attitudes and actions will characterize our lives as we allow ourselves to be grown and moulded by the Spirit. The Spirit is our sanctifier (2 Cor. 3:18; Gal. 5:22-23)

(Resource- The Forgotten God, Francis Chan)

Mark

Looking to join or start a small group? Contact Mark Kotchapaw at markkotchapaw@gmail.com

This Touching Base is a useful tool for small group discussion, personal reflection or in a one-on-one conversation. We believe that if the Sunday teaching is discussed outside of the morning services, it will be an opportunity to go deeper and build healthy community because God’s Word needs to be discussed in community.

Having just come through spring and now moving into the summer months, you cannot help but see growth. One of the most exciting signs of growth in the spring is when the green hue begins to appear on the skeleton-like trees. It only takes a few weeks before the trees are clothed in incredible rich green “jackets”. And then there is our garden out back: in the early spring, our two raised beds are just two black squares of dirt. Now, our raised beds are like two mini jungles, life is bursting from the earth! No Tarzan and Jane as of yet!

In this TB I wanted to talk about two areas where God is growing me. This is not to focus on me so much as it is to help you reflect on where you are growing these days. Like “mini jungles” in our back yard or trees that wear their summer “jackets” we need to be aware of where we are growing. Pondering our growth might help us figure out where we have hit a wall.

My personal growth has come in the areas of prayer and reading God’s Word.

Prayer
Like many of you, I have, at times, found prayer to be the last thing I want to do, but the first thing I know I should do. My prayer journey has had seasons of great enthusiasm, and then at other times prayer has been the result of sheer discipline. I think my prayer journey began to turn a corner when I began to discover that prayer could take on many forms and that those forms could actually be happening in the spaces and places that I find myself in during the day. Yes, I still believe that set times of prayer during the day are important. However, I have been discovering that some of my most significant times of prayer happen as I am living out my day. As I begin each day, I often ask God to help me see the world as He would see it and to lead me to pray about what I see and experience as I move through the day. Thus, I have found that while driving, I will at times turn the radio off to take time to pray. As I am running (not from the police) I will allow the surroundings to prompt me to pray. My prayers at times have become short sentences, one-word expressions of praise or intercession, impromptu prayers, moving in all kinds of directions depending on what I am seeing, who I am engaging in, and how I am feeling. I have found myself praying back to God a song I hear on the radio. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a Christian song. For example, try listening to a country station – those songs will give you lots to pray about! I have found myself able to be bolder about praying with someone at the end of a conversation. It might be what is expected on a Sunday if someone comes to the front, but why not build prayer into more of our conversations during the week? Recently I have found myself awake at night and attempting to fall back asleep. I have started taking that unexpected awake time and prayed. I think God is teaching me what it means to pray constantly.

Reading God’s Word
Probably one of my biggest challenges as a pastor is to read God’s Word without an agenda. In my line of work, I am always looking for a good illustration, word picture or teaching point. When it comes to reading God’s word, I need to discipline myself to not read for “material” but read for myself. The contrast I think of is illustrated in the difference between taking a shower vs. going for a relaxing swim. Showers are “intentional”; there is a clear task at hand – in and out and on to the next event. Going for a swim, at least in my experience of swimming, involves floating in a lake (better than a chlorinated pool, I prefer fish to chemicals) on a summer day, and just feeling the wonder of water all around you.

There are times we need to get into the Word and dig, turn over every word, cross-reference, look at the original context, examine and cross-examine. However, there are times we need to allow the Word to wash over us without a need to cross-examine it. We need to soak in the Word without having to check off another one of our “to dos” for the day. Without rushing or pushing, without running or gunning, we just need to read and let God speak deeply into our hearts. Both forms of study are needed, but my challenge is to go for the “swim” more often. One thing that I have started lately is doing the bulk of my “swimming” kind of reading at night, just before I go to bed. What better material to expose your heart, mind and soul to just before you hit the lights?

Where is the patch of green showing up in your life these days?

Mark

If interested in joining or starting a small group contact markkotchapaw@gmail.com

This Touching Base is a useful tool for small group discussion, personal reflection or in a one-on-one conversation. We believe that if the Sunday teaching is discussed outside of the morning services, it will be an opportunity to go deeper and build healthy community because God’s Word needs to be discussed in community.

This TB includes some brief updates on what is happening around here at Bethel. As we move into the summer months, ministry certainly does not end, however the staff does use this time for some R&R and some long-term planning. We have already had a retreat where we engaged in some long-term planning (12 months out). With the elders working on vision, this has helped us as we work in our individual areas of ministry.

Summer teaching series at the 10 a.m. service:
For the month of July, I (Mark) will not be speaking. I will be taking some holidays as well as taking a few weeks of concentrated long term planning. On July 4 I will be doing a pulpit swap with Café Church. Bethel helped plant Café Church and we continue to have a strong relationship with them. In return, Steve Fritz-Millet will be speaking here at Bethel that day. On July 11 Warren Reeve will be speaking on Acts 13 and the International Church. The International Church is one of the most exciting fronts of missions today. On July 18 and 25 Lew Worrad will be teaching from Romans 8 on the implications of the resurrection for today.

In August, I will be doing a four-part series on the Holy Spirit. Tucked in there, on August 22, Jason Hildebrand (he came and did the life of David last year) will be acting out the story of the Prodigal Son.

Last but not least, Eric Prost will be finishing off our Summer teaching on September 5.

Summer construction:
If you were at our Annual Meeting, then you will know that the plan to renovate the old gym has been approved. As I write this (Thursday, June 24) the electricians are already up in the old gym starting their work. This renovation plan is all part of a bigger plan to leverage the building as best we can for our own use and to bless the community.

Summer staff focuses:
This summer our staff will be involved in various ministry focuses:

• Fred Grendel will be working up at IAWAH for July and part of August. Pray for him as he provides key leadership up at Iawah. When he returns he will be leading a team up to Constance Lake near the end of August.
• Jamie Stinson will be here for most of the summer other than some holiday time July 26-August 12. While here she will be engaged in long-term planning i.e. Family Experience, and running the “Acting Up” Summer Drama Camp (July 12-16), as well as taking care of the weekly demands of running the Family Ministries program.

By the way, there is cake downstairs for parents, kids and volunteers of Upstreet and Waumba Land after the service today (June 27). Don’t miss it!

• Carmen Gauvin-O’Donnell, our administrator, will using the summer to continue policy development (job descriptions and the Bethel Financial Policy). Her other focus this summer will also be the possible implementation of electronic giving (which many people believe would be very useful in encouraging good stewardship at Bethel). She will also be helping the ushers revamp their training to take into account changes in their duties over the years. Finally, she will be reading up on the pros and cons of incorporating Bethel Church, thus taking the potential legal and financial pressure of the shoulders of our three trustees. And of course, she and Amy the secretary will continue conspire to make Bethel’s office the best organized office in the city! 
• Mark Adams our building superintendent will be on holidays out West from June 27 to July 12th. Please keep him and his family in your prayers as they travel.
• Bill Duffy, who heads up Pastoral Care, is off for July and August. When you have as much seniority as Bill, you get two months off!
• Amy Grendel our secretary will be in the office Tuesday to Friday from 9am -1pm. She is busy getting our office into shape and taking care of the day-to-day duties that come with her role. More specifically, she is currently on three-day course learning the ins and outs of QuickBooks so she can take over the bookkeeping tasks.
• Mark Kotchapaw – I will be taking some time off, not too sure when as I try to work my holiday time around kids being back in town and my wife’s holiday schedule. As I said above, the summer is a great time for long-term planning. For example, planning in the teaching ministry, laying out special services, vision development and implementation, small group organization, and meetings with key leadership as plans for the Fall come together.

New team-members:
We would like to welcome Dirk Bouma to our Deacons team. Dirk is a welcome addition to a team that has a lot on their plate as they manage facility issues and financial issues. We would also like to welcome Ron Dickey to the Elders’ team. Ron has served in various capacities at Bethel over the years and will bring some great perspective and insight to the team. He and his wife Tooty also head up our 50-Plus ministry.

Big budget increase:
If you have read our budget then you will know that the membership voted on a 14% budget increase. Gulp! Yes, that is huge, but we believe that our growth and developing vision is leading us in this way, and we also firmly believe that our God, in His providence, is “huger”. We are not asking for faithful givers to give more, necessarily. We are looking for those who attend Bethel, but do not give regularly to start being more faithful in this area. You can get your envelopes from the office. If you are part of the team and believe in this emerging vision then we need you to pray, and to give. We would encourage you to download the “Doors” series (June 13 and 20) if you missed this important two-week series on our direction.

A Big Thank You:
We are extremely grateful for the many volunteers that make the church run as it should. The vast majority of ministry work at Bethel is done by volunteers. We would like to thank Doug Boyd and Geoff Baker for their significant contribution in leadership over the last several years. Doug has served as chairman of the elders’ board and Geoff has been the church treasurer.

P.I.E.:
Over the summer months we want to encourage you to take responsibility for the kind of culture we are attempting to develop at Bethel on Sunday mornings. As each of us Pursue, Include and Engage, we can all contribute to developing a culture that says that people matter, and that we are not some kind of private “members-only” club. We want every single person that walks through the doors of our building on a Sunday morning to know that they matter. This means busting out of our comfort zones, taking the initiative, and looking for people who need a warm greeting.

Pray:
I want to encourage you to continue to pray for the work of Bethel. We must never take our unity for granted, our resources as certain, and our impact as guaranteed. Like the bow of an ice breaker that cuts through the ice and the powerful engine that thrusts the boat forward, we need Jesus Christ the Head of our Church to guide us on our journey. The Holy Spirit is the engine that empowers, and it is Christ’s Headship at the bow that leads us.

Mark

If interested in joining or starting a small group contact markkotchapaw@gmail.com

This Touching Base is a useful tool for small group discussion, personal reflection or in a one-on-one conversation. We believe that if the Sunday teaching is discussed outside of the morning services, it will be an opportunity to go deeper and build healthy community because God’s Word needs to be discussed in community.

This TB includes some brief updates on what is happening around here at Bethel. As we move into the summer months, ministry certainly does not end, however the staff does use this time for some R&R and some long-term planning. We have already had a retreat where we engaged in some long-term planning (12 months out). With the elders working on vision, this has helped us as we work in our individual areas of ministry.

Summer teaching series at the 10 a.m. service:
For the month of July, I (Mark) will not be speaking. I will be taking some holidays as well as taking a few weeks of concentrated long term planning. On July 4 I will be doing a pulpit swap with Café Church. Bethel helped plant Café Church and we continue to have a strong relationship with them. In return, Steve Fritz-Millet will be speaking here at Bethel that day. On July 11 Warren Reeve will be speaking on Acts 13 and the International Church. The International Church is one of the most exciting fronts of missions today. On July 18 and 25 Lew Worrad will be teaching from Romans 8 on the implications of the resurrection for today.

In August, I will be doing a four-part series on the Holy Spirit. Tucked in there, on August 22, Jason Hildebrand (he came and did the life of David last year) will be acting out the story of the Prodigal Son.

Last but not least, Eric Prost will be finishing off our Summer teaching on September 5.

Summer construction:
If you were at our Annual Meeting, then you will know that the plan to renovate the old gym has been approved. As I write this (Thursday, June 24) the electricians are already up in the old gym starting their work. This renovation plan is all part of a bigger plan to leverage the building as best we can for our own use and to bless the community.

Summer staff focuses:
This summer our staff will be involved in various ministry focuses:

• Fred Grendel will be working up at IAWAH for July and part of August. Pray for him as he provides key leadership up at Iawah. When he returns he will be leading a team up to Constance Lake near the end of August.
• Jamie Stinson will be here for most of the summer other than some holiday time July 26-August 12. While here she will be engaged in long-term planning i.e. Family Experience, and running the “Acting Up” Summer Drama Camp (July 12-16), as well as taking care of the weekly demands of running the Family Ministries program.

By the way, there is cake downstairs for parents, kids and volunteers of Upstreet and Waumba Land after the service today (June 27). Don’t miss it!

• Carmen Gauvin-O’Donnell, our administrator, will using the summer to continue policy development (job descriptions and the Bethel Financial Policy). Her other focus this summer will also be the possible implementation of electronic giving (which many people believe would be very useful in encouraging good stewardship at Bethel). She will also be helping the ushers revamp their training to take into account changes in their duties over the years. Finally, she will be reading up on the pros and cons of incorporating Bethel Church, thus taking the potential legal and financial pressure of the shoulders of our three trustees. And of course, she and Amy the secretary will continue conspire to make Bethel’s office the best organized office in the city! 
• Mark Adams our building superintendent will be on holidays out West from June 27 to July 12th. Please keep him and his family in your prayers as they travel.
• Bill Duffy, who heads up Pastoral Care, is off for July and August. When you have as much seniority as Bill, you get two months off!
• Amy Grendel our secretary will be in the office Tuesday to Friday from 9am -1pm. She is busy getting our office into shape and taking care of the day-to-day duties that come with her role. More specifically, she is currently on three-day course learning the ins and outs of QuickBooks so she can take over the bookkeeping tasks.
• Mark Kotchapaw – I will be taking some time off, not too sure when as I try to work my holiday time around kids being back in town and my wife’s holiday schedule. As I said above, the summer is a great time for long-term planning. For example, planning in the teaching ministry, laying out special services, vision development and implementation, small group organization, and meetings with key leadership as plans for the Fall come together.

New team-members:
We would like to welcome Dirk Bouma to our Deacons team. Dirk is a welcome addition to a team that has a lot on their plate as they manage facility issues and financial issues. We would also like to welcome Ron Dickey to the Elders’ team. Ron has served in various capacities at Bethel over the years and will bring some great perspective and insight to the team. He and his wife Tooty also head up our 50-Plus ministry.

Big budget increase:
If you have read our budget then you will know that the membership voted on a 14% budget increase. Gulp! Yes, that is huge, but we believe that our growth and developing vision is leading us in this way, and we also firmly believe that our God, in His providence, is “huger”. We are not asking for faithful givers to give more, necessarily. We are looking for those who attend Bethel, but do not give regularly to start being more faithful in this area. You can get your envelopes from the office. If you are part of the team and believe in this emerging vision then we need you to pray, and to give. We would encourage you to download the “Doors” series (June 13 and 20) if you missed this important two-week series on our direction.

A Big Thank You:
We are extremely grateful for the many volunteers that make the church run as it should. The vast majority of ministry work at Bethel is done by volunteers. We would like to thank Doug Boyd and Geoff Baker for their significant contribution in leadership over the last several years. Doug has served as chairman of the elders’ board and Geoff has been the church treasurer.

P.I.E.:
Over the summer months we want to encourage you to take responsibility for the kind of culture we are attempting to develop at Bethel on Sunday mornings. As each of us Pursue, Include and Engage, we can all contribute to developing a culture that says that people matter, and that we are not some kind of private “members-only” club. We want every single person that walks through the doors of our building on a Sunday morning to know that they matter. This means busting out of our comfort zones, taking the initiative, and looking for people who need a warm greeting.

Pray:
I want to encourage you to continue to pray for the work of Bethel. We must never take our unity for granted, our resources as certain, and our impact as guaranteed. Like the bow of an ice breaker that cuts through the ice and the powerful engine that thrusts the boat forward, we need Jesus Christ the Head of our Church to guide us on our journey. The Holy Spirit is the engine that empowers, and it is Christ’s Headship at the bow that leads us.

Mark

If interested in joining or starting a small group contact markkotchapaw@gmail.com

This Touching Base is a useful tool for small group discussion, personal reflection or in a one-on-one conversation. We believe that if the Sunday teaching is discussed outside of the morning services, it will be an opportunity to go deeper and build healthy community because God’s Word needs to be discussed in community.

Over the last two weeks we have done a series entitled “Doors”. This series is designed to update people on where we are at as a Church, give people a sense of direction as to where we are headed, help people understand how to pray more effectively for the church and help them get on board if they still have not “boarded the train.” As an elders’ team we have been working on clarifying direction for Bethel. We have had two mini-retreats, met with leadership, invited the congregation to a Congregational Meeting to discuss this topic and had several one-on-one conversations. What I am presenting is the culmination of those conversations, and the growing conviction of the leadership team on how God is shaping and leading us.

On Sunday we talked about our second set doors. As a group take time to talk about these doors.

Door #1 Leaders that “say so!”
Door #2 Leaders that listen, learn and create a learning culture.
Text: 1 Peter 2:9, 1Corinthians 12:27, Eccl. 4:12
All healthy leadership scenarios involves responsibility and authority. I believe that part of that responsibility is to use authority to engage with those who are following. All leadership have a choice. Do I use my authority to “say so” or do I use my authority to listen and create a culture of learning and dialogue?

At Bethel the door we choose to walk through is door #2. This does not mean that we become part of the “soft limp-noodle age” Ephesians 2:19,20 speaks of the Truth that the Church is founded on.

“… you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.”

So what does a learning culture look like? I have come up with some contrasting statements that might help you or your group think this issue through.

Contrasts

A learning culture is anxious to listen and engage.
A LTSS (“Leaders That ‘Say So!’”) culture insists on dominating the discussion.

A learning culture is usually characterized by secure leaders, who are willing to engage with the generations, who are not easily threatened and who walk in a posture of humility.
A LTSS culture is often fraught with people who want power, resist change at all costs, only allow a very few to have any say, and bottleneck everything because all decisions must go through them.

A learning culture takes the time to truly understand where the other person is coming from.
A LTSS culture only thinks of where they are coming from.

A learning culture is imaginative and creative.
A LTSS culture is predictable, often locked-in to calcified ways.

A learning culture is not afraid to enter into dialogue because relationships are strong and authentic
A LTSS culture usually has a few loud voices and intimidating people that cause others to cower and relationships to suffer. Often leadership is too weak to reign in these kinds of loud voices.

A learning culture is a safe place to openly express one’s opinions.
A LTSS culture attacks, and personalizes the argument (they start to attack the person not just the idea).

A learning culture has anchored truth (i.e. vision, values, purpose, Biblical truth) that helps evaluate all interactions.
A LTSS culture has anchored truth at times, but it’s the power of the personality that more often dominates than the truth of God’s Word.

On Sunday, I interviewed Steve Dickey (chair of the elders’ team). Respond to the questions I asked him:
What is it like to work in an environment (workplace) where the leader does not use their authority to create a learning culture but where authority is used to bully or dominate in an unhealthy way? What has that done to you personally?
How have you seen it in the church? (You might want to be selective on how you answer this question)
Do you have an example in your life as a leader where you made a much better decision because you listened?
What do you find the biggest challenge as a leader, in using authority to listen and create a learning culture?

Door #1 The Church is like a university
Door #2 The church is like a university and hospital
Text: 2 Timothy 3:16, 17
(these verses contain both the teaching and transformation elements)
Some background- As an elders’ team we have discussed how Bethel is like a university. Historically it has been a place of learning and teaching. This is consistent with our earlier text, Ephesians 2:19, 20. This will always be one of our priorities, to teach God’s truth in different ways, to different generations. As we talked about this and the reality of our 0.5 mile radius, we also talked about how the Church is like a hospital. It is a place of mending broken bones, restoration, healing, transformation etc. This would seem to line up fairly well with what Jesus the Head of the Church said in Mark 2:17:

On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” Note Jesus likens himself to a doctor and sickness with being a sinner. We are all sick with this definition of sickness and we are all in need of a doctor.

In all the biblical metaphors of the church (to list a few – temple, body, family, building, flock) these two components of teaching and healing/transformation are involved.

On Sunday I interviewed Rhonda on the healing component of the Church. Reflect on some of the questions we discussed:
How important is feeling safe in the healing process?
What might be two or three characteristics of healthy community where we could disclose our “postcards” (“postcards” was used to refer to our brokenness) and grow in Christ likeness?

What is your understanding of the role of the Holy Spirit in bringing us to greater maturity in Christ? A great text that I love on this subject is Paul’s incredible prayer for the Ephesians in Ephesians 3:14-20. Note the role of the Holy Spirit (in August we are going to be doing a 4-part series on the role of the Holy Spirit)

“The main sin in the Old Testament was the rejection of God the Father while the main sin in the New Testament was the rejection of Christ the Son. Is it possible that the main sin of the contemporary Church is the rejection of the Third Person, the Holy Spirit?” (Jamie O. Davis, Gutenberg to Google, page 88,89)

Door #1 Island
Door #2 Partnerships
Church must Biblically respond in an age of increasingly complex issues and globalization. Partnerships allow us to access networks that provide more than a one-off sermon response. Partnerships make resources accessible to the Church that allow us to respond holistically to various issues. As we advance in our vision, key partnerships will be essential.

On Sunday I highlighted some of our key partnerships. I talked about how partnerships allow us to extend our reach, i.e. through a missions organization that helps us get funds to an area of need. However, partnerships also provide us with materials and networks that we can access in order to form a well-thought-out Biblical answer to complex issues.
As a group, talk about some of the complex issues the church needs help in addressing. What organizations might make good partners?

On Sunday we finished by corporately reading this statement below. Read it as a group!

Lord make us a Church where we love You passionately and serve others significantly.
Empower us by Your Spirit to be a people of integrity and authenticity, a place where Your Spirit is alive and invigorating, a church where we grow in intimacy with God, grow in intimacy with others and grow in acts of service.
May Your unchanging authoritative Word be a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path.
Deliver us from anything that hinders our ministry, either here in the downtown core, or in our areas of residence and work.
Spare us from pettiness, Church politics, bitter roots and dysfunctional expressions of Church life.
Walk among us as you did with the seven Churches and affirm us, rebuke us and purify us.
May we be to each other as “iron sharpening iron”, that through our relationships and partnerships, we gain deeper and clearer insight into what it means to be the Body of Christ in the 21st century.
Might Your Name be announced as Great, and Your deeds be proclaimed among the nations as a result of our life together.
From 1874 (our founding date) to this present day we praise You for Your leadership, we acknowledge Your Headship, and humbly come under Your authority. Amen!

If interested in joining or starting a small group contact markkotchapaw@gmail.com

Over the next two weeks we are doing a series entitled “Doors”. This series will update people on where we are at as a Church, give people a sense of direction as to where we are headed, help people understand how to pray more effectively for the church and help them get on board if they still have not “boarded the train.” As an elders’ team we have been working on clarifying direction for Bethel. We have had two mini-retreats, met with leadership, invited the congregation to a Congregational Meeting to discuss this topic and had several one-on-one conversations. What I am presenting is the culmination of those conversations, and the growing conviction of the leadership team on how God is shaping and leading us.

On Sunday we talked about our first three doors (actually I might only have time for two). As a group take time to talk about these doors.

Door #1 – It’s all about one day
Door #2 – It’s all about 7 days
Text: Philippians 2:14-16
Door #1 describes the church that finds its predominant identity in what it does on Sunday. Door #1 describes a church that talks about ministry as though it only existed within the walls of the building. Door #1 is narrow, unimaginative, restricted. It is ruled by the three B’s – Bucks, Bodies and Buildings. It defines ministry in such a way that everyone other than the clergy feel like they are not in ministry.
Door #2- describes a church that understands the importance of the gathered expression of the church, but realizes that it is a feeder to possibly even greater and more impactful expressions of the body of Christ Monday to Saturday (a cul-de-sac vs. an on-ramp) As a church we are choosing to walk through door #2.

On Sunday I interviewed Roy Chan one of our elders on this issue. Discuss some of the questions I asked him.

• How is your work your ministry?
• What does ministry look like at work?
• How does Sunday help you? (Assuming it does. Don’t be afraid to say it doesn’t.)
• What is the subtle message to the career person or stay-at-home mom or retired person when the church says it is all about Sunday?

Door #1 The building is our fortress
Door #2 The building is our bridge.
Text: Matthew 5:15
Many believe that being a good steward of our building will involve seeing it used 24/7. Multiple groups addressing a broad range of issues, investing in people and demonstrating Christ’s love. Church buildings are not supposed to be sanctuaries where Christians retreat safely from the rest of the world. They should also not be mystery buildings which the vast majority of the community sees but never enters. They should not be relics of the past, but tools of the present to embrace a needy world. Our building is an aid to achieving our aims of glorifying God.

A fortress is where you can’t see or access what is going on behind the walls. There is a degree of intimidation. But a bridge presents a clear path, accessible, means of entry. We are choosing door #2.

On Sunday I interviewed Ewen Mackenzie one of our elders on this issue. Discuss some of the questions I asked him.

• What do you think the vast majority of Kingstonians think of our building?
• Why the need to be a bridge, not a fortress?
• What might you liken a church to that is full of great resources but does not use its building to be a bridge to the community? (a cruise ship?)
• What kind of people do we need to be to facilitate our building being a bridge?

Be sure you read the Old Gym renovation proposal. You can download it on our website.

Think of someone in your life far from God – Are they more likely to come into our building for a ministry of some kind or be more open to talking about spiritual things at Tim Horton’s? We need our building to facilitate ministry to the community but we must go out from it and live out our faith like shining stars. (Phil. 2:15)

Door #1 Fossilize Practices
Door #2 Preserve Principles
Text: Mark 7:8
“When institutions fail to distinguish between current practices and the enduring principles of their success, and mistakenly fossilize around their practices, they’ve set themselves up for decline.” (Jim Collins, How The Mighty Fall, Page 36)

On Sunday I defined practices/traditions as programs, various ways of doing ministry that each generation chooses to reach their generation for Christ.

Danger – We can fossilize those practices. One generation introduces it and it becomes as authoritative and anchored as God’s eternal truth. Thus when we try to change a tradition we have a fight on our hands.

On Sunday we did a silent survey. Discuss these questions as a group.

• Are traditions bad?
• Are there some traditions that need to be kept? Which ones, how do you decide?
• Are some churches dead because they haven’t made this distinction?
• Have people been hurt because changing traditions was not done carefully?
• Have some people been hurt because they were resistant to change, they fossilized practices?
• Have you left a church and come to Bethel because the church you left would not choose the right door?
• Have people left Bethel because they felt that the wrong door was chosen?

Why is it so easy to fossilize practices?

1. Our identity gets attached to various practices. So much of our Christian experience unfolds with various practices, therefore to change or eliminate a practice is viewed as attacking a persons identity.
2. Because change has not been introduced properly. It can be done in a way that makes the old practice and people associated with them seem inferior to the new and better way.
3. It represents something we know, are familiar with, are comfortable with.
4. We ask the wrong question. The wrong question is – How can this place meet just my needs? vs. How can this place meet our needs and the needs of the greater community? Another great question is, What was the timeless truth that gave birth to this practice/tradition?

On Sunday we finished by corporately reading this statement below. Is there anything you would add or delete? Let me know. markkotchapaw@gmail.com

Lord make us a Church where we love You passionately and serve others significantly.
Empower us by Your Spirit to be a people of integrity and authenticity. Where Your Spirit is alive and invigorating Your Church to grow in intimacy with God, grow in intimacy with others and grow in acts of service.
May Your unchanging authoritative Word be a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path.
Deliver us from anything that may hinder our ministry, either here in the downtown core or in our areas of residence and work.
Spare us from pettiness, Church politics, bitter roots and dysfunctional expressions of Church life.
Walk amongst us as you did with the seven Churches and affirm us, rebuke us and purify us.
May we be to each other as “iron sharpening iron”. That through our relationships and partnerships, we gain deeper and clearer insight into what it means to be the Body of Christ in the 21st century.
May Your name be announced as great and Your deeds be proclaimed among the nations as a result of our life together.
From 1874 (founding of Bethel) to this present day we praise You for Your leadership, we acknowledge Your Headship, and humbly come under Your authority.

If interested in joining or starting a small group contact markkotchapaw@gmail.com

What do you own? Not “what have you purchased with cash and own”… but what do you feel a loyalty to, commitment to, take a personal interest in, and are willing to expend some energy and effort to guard, and invest in?

For example, I know people who “own” the cause of putting a halt to human sex trafficking and will expend large amounts of time and energy to slow the “traffic.” Talk with these kinds of people and it’s what bubbles to the surface rather quickly.

I know of a man who rises every morning to pray because he has taken ownership of the need and duty to pray for the nations. Faithful prayer, early in the morning demonstrates the seriousness of his sense of duty.

There is a family who has taken it upon itself to minister to foster children. They have a sense of ownership to demonstrate God’s love in tangible ways to children who in many cases have known nothing but abuse and neglect. Ownership can change a life!

I have watched a whole group own a cause to raise money for a camp or an orphanage. Ownership galvanizes a team, sharpens the focus and energizes the members to reach the goal.

Taking ownership of some cause reflects what or whom we value. Ownership is a window into people’s souls, showing what makes people tick, what they are passionate about, what really matters to them.

At Bethel, we believe that something worth owning is the local church. A cause worth investing in is the local church, seeing it flourish, mature, expand and become a blessing, not just to the attendees but those who might never darken the door of our building. In some cases, instead of people taking ownership, they attend but do not invest, show up but do not give up much beyond their couple of hours on a Sunday morning. Spectatorship has replaced participation; loose association has replaced signing on the dotted line.

Scripture conveys a very high view of the Church. Paul says that it is the “pillar and foundation of the truth.” Paul says that “Husbands are to love their wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her…” Paul took ownership of what happened in the Church and He had to look no further than Christ, to figure out the incredible value of the Church in God’s scheme of things.

One of our emerging values at Bethel is excellence. One of the ways excellence is achieved in a local church is when everyone takes ownership of the local church. Whether gathered or scattered, the Church is God’s way of working in these “last days” to bring His Kingdom to earth.

So, let me wrap with some ways you can express ownership.

1. Either download (or pick up at the back) our proposed budget for the new fiscal year. Don’t attend a church and be in the dark about how we disburse funds. Ignorance is not excellence, and ignorance is not ownership.
2. Either download (or pick up at the back) our Old Gym Renovation Proposal. As we move ahead, we want to leverage our building as best we can. Read the report, ask questions, and take ownership!
3. Choose to attend our pre-huddle meeting on June 13 and our Congregational Meeting on June 22. Stay informed and put yourself in a place where you can contribute and own what is unfolding at Bethel.
4. Ask yourself the question: How can I make a difference at this church? It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that we have lots to work on at Bethel. We are not a perfect Church.
5. Practice the art of “P.I.E.ing” a face every Sunday. Pursue, Include and Engage with people. Do it in your way and in keeping with your temperament, but just do it. Take ownership.
6. Get some offering envelopes and begin to give faithfully. We don’t talk about money much around Bethel, but it is no secret that ministry costs and taking ownership means parting with some of the greenbacks.
7. Pray for your local church. Not necessarily on your knees but as you walk and talk and live your life. God may bring issues to mind – when that happens, pray.

Mark

If interested in joining or starting a small group contact markkotchapaw@gmail.com

At Bethel we love the colour ORANGE; however, Orange is far more than just a colour. It’s a strategy to help build faith and character in people. You see, ORANGE represents the idea that two forces working together will have exponentially more influence than either entity alone. For us, that means parents and churches working together to make a difference in the lives of children. We see the red part of ORANGE as representing the heart of a family and the yellow part as representing the church and the light of Christ. When you combine the two you have an ORANGE strategy.

Our Sunday morning environments are part of something bigger! We really believe that what happens at home is more important then what happens at church. We want to partner with you, the parents to help engage in meaningful dialogue with your children about faith and character at home.

Our Vision
To create Orange families

Our Mission
To encourage, partner with and empower families because… ‘What happens at home is more important then what happens at church.’

Our Strategy:
Integrate Strategy (Two combined influences create synergy)
Align leaders and parents to lead with the same end in mind

Refine the Message (Two combined influences amplify what’s important)
Craft core truths into engaging relevant, and memorable experiences

Reactivate the Family (Two combined influences build an everyday faith)
Parents actively participate in the spiritual formation of their own children

Elevate Community (Two combined influences increase the odds)
Everyone is connected to a caring leader and a consistent group of peers

Leverage Influence (Two combined influences mobilize generations)
Create consistent opportunities for younger generations to experience personal ministry

We have come a long way in the development of the Orange vision since May 2009. It has been an exciting year in the area of Family Ministries. The upcoming year promises to hold a couple of new initiatives. In an effort to keep you informed lets look ahead to what is coming down the pipe in the next few months.

Looking Ahead…

Acting Up Summer Drama Camp
We are also looking forward to our first summer drama camp this July. We have room for 19 kids to sign up for “Snew White” the week of July 12th-16th. It is open to children ages 8-12. The camp runs from 9-3 pm each day. The cost is $150 for the week. We will celebrate with a performance on the evening of July 16th at 7:00 pm. Our volunteers are in place and we are just waiting for the camp to fill up! We still have room for 6 more kids. If you know of any budding young actors/actresses who would like to participate, please forward them the information on the Family Ministries website.

Coming Soon… “The Family Experience”
Each month in Upstreet our children are learning about a different virtue.
Beginning October 2010, we will be hosting a monthly Family Experience (FX).
The FX will be a shared worship experience for parents and children that will kick off the virtue for that month so parents can be informed about what the children are learning in Upstreet and can be better equipped to continue to teach the virtue at home.

The morning will run on the first Sunday of every month. We are hoping to have the service in the newly renovated old gym. If renovations are not complete by October, we will host it in the Upstreet room until renovations are complete. The FX one hour service will combine storytelling, drama, worship, media, and interaction.

Note: To give families an idea of what a Family Experience might look like, we offered a Good Friday Family Experience on April 2nd, 2010 in the Upstreet room. The service was well attended and families seem to enjoy a family centered Good Friday experience.

The FX embraces these core values:

Family Centered: it’s a family-centered production that requires parental involvement. It serves as a catalyst for the parent/child relationship. We want to encourage parents to spend quality time with their kids and to engage in the role of spiritual leadership with their children.

Kid Focused: is designed to create an upbeat and fun and relevant atmosphere for elementary-age children. In order to keep everyone engaged, we target it for 4th and 5th graders.

Virtue-driven: We emphasize a specific virtue to help kids develop faith and character. The meaning of the virtue is taught through examples from the Bible, nature, object lessons, media and sketches from everyday life.

Creatively wired: We will use innovative and creative tools to communicate timeless message….
edutainment is used to teach families.

User-friendly: Create a predictable and non-threatening place for families to bring friends…. our primary marketing tool will be word of mouth.

NOTE: Because we believe that “what happens at home is more important than what happens at church,” watch for ‘The Cue Box’ which is a resource for families that will encourage families to continue learning the virtue at home each month. Another way for us to empower parents! Exciting!

This Touching Base is a useful tool for small group discussion, personal reflection or in a one-on-one conversation. We believe that if the Sunday teaching is discussed outside of the morning services, it will be an opportunity to go deeper and build healthy community because God’s Word needs to be discussed in community

(NOTE: To understand this week’s title, download the sermon!) Ever had the experience of choking or panicking? Maybe those are words you would not use but nonetheless you crashed, under-delivered, and disappointed a whole whack of people in the process. Last week we looked at the transfiguration of Christ, His majesty, greatness and how this was to serve as a motivation for the disciples to listen to Him- “Jesus is amazing, listen to Him”. As we move on in Dr. Luke’s narrative our idea slightly shifts to, “I am not amazing, listen to Him!”

As a group, talk about a time in your life where you blew it. You knew that your “performance” was subpar, nothing to write home about.

Read Luke 9:37-45, that we looked at this past Sunday. Maybe to see the context better, you could also read last week’s text, Luke 9:28-36.

Scene 1- vs.37-40 – The Desperation and Disappointment of the Father