Come Now to Find Us

O God of such truth as sweeps away all lies,

of such grace as shrivels all excuses,

come now to find us

for we have lost our selves

in a shuffle of disguises

and the rattle of empty words.

Let your Spirit move mercifully

to recreate us from

the chaos of our lives.

We have been careless

of our days,

our loves,

our gifts,

our chances.

We withdraw in arrogance,

hide in timidity,

disappear in fear

rather than reaching out in hope,

engaging in humility,

risking in faith.

We are busy in self-seeking

lax in self-awareness.

We seek the comfort of belonging,

shun the cost of responsibility.

We are long on easy generalities,

short on hard specifics.

Our prayer is the change, O God,

not out of despair of self

but for love of you,

and for the selves we long to become

before we simply waste away.

Let your mercy move in and through us now,

freeing us to love honestly,

enabling us to trust bravely,

reuniting us to live joyfully,

and claiming us for the audacious revolution

of Christ and your kingdom.

Amen.

Weekend doings.   

This weekend we celebrate communion.  In conjunction with that we will look at II Kings 2 and "The Moment of Succession."  Would you take the time to think about who has built into you and who God is calling you to build into?  Come to communion with a glad heart of thanks for what God is doing in your life.

We also welcome Mickey Mendoza who is interviewing for the position of Youth Pastor and will be with us Friday, October 30-Monday, November 2.   Mickey hails from Kansas and is married to Ashleigh and has a one year old daughter, McKenna.  He has an undergraduate degree in Commercial Art (Central Missouri State) and worked in the public schools for two years.  He also has an MA in Christian Education (Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary) and an MA in Teaching (Central Missiouri State) and has been active as a youth minister for the last few years.  We are providing opportunities for our youth to interact with him on Friday evening and throughout Sunday. The board, staff and youth search team will interact with him throughout the weekend and we will meet him both in the 2nd service (he'll be teaching in Mid-High during the 1st service) and after church during a luncheon time in the Fellowship Hall right after the 2nd service.    Please join us as we get to know him better and see where God might be leading us.

Budget Input meetings.

Thanks for your participation in the Budget Input meetings October 21 and October 25.  We received some great insight on our budget and look forward to what God has in store for us.  Draft budgets will be available in the lobby.  

Also, thanks for your input on a church name change we are considering.  We are looking at becoming Huron Hills Community Church as we follow the missional lead of our denomination, Converge Worldwide.  I'll talk further about that next week.

Meeting at World Vision.   We had a great day of meetings on Tuesday, October 6.  We had the privilege of meeting with Rich Stearns, the President of World Vision, along with other folk like Marty Lonsdale, Kathryn Compton, Millie Vanderpool, Bob Bowen, Matt Robertson, and Jim Schmick.  The Huron Hills team was represented by me, Stu and Robin Phillips, and Luke and Katherine Raymond.  It was great to hear how each of us has been deeply affected by our work with World Vision as we have been serving the poor.   I gave a devotion on "becoming the poor"[1] and gave two challenges to World Vision:

1.  Direct involvement, becoming the poor, using your hands and feet is the only way to transform people, the people of a church, for a lifetime

2.  Direct involvement has transformed our church into a generosity mindset. (for a fuller explanation go to our website and read the case study)

We are so pleased to see that World Vision appears to be adopting the strategy we have employed and we look forward to the ongoing work with our hands, mind, feet, and heart.

Discussions at the Budget Input meeting.  Don't forget to put on your calendar the two budget input meetings, Wednesday, October 21 7-8:30 pm in room 216, and Sunday, October 25 from 12:30-1:30pm in room 216.  Our yearly business meeting will be November 22.  We are also considering a name change from Huron Hills Baptist Church to Huron Hills Community Church.  Again, this is because of a desire to be outwardly, missionally focused, with the hope that the word "baptist" would not form a stumbling block for those in our community.  We will always be baptistic in theology (a basic belief that conversion to Christ is an act of faith, signified by baptism as a believer), but we do not want to set any barriers before people.  Our denomination, Converge Worldwide, has rebranded itself (from Baptist General Conference) and being a part of the denomination we want be engaged in the same way.   Please be in prayer for this from this standpoint:  "What would God want us to do that would more effectively help us to reach into the community?"

[1] (which is taken from a sermon by Tim Keller--Listen to this sermon--it is amazing:  http://download.redeemer.com/rpcsermons/storesamplesermons/Blessed_are_the_Poor.mp3)

Click here to read Ken's case study.

Growth Groups  Please continue to pray for our growth group chairs as they work with their groups on how we can grow together as a body.   

Conversion Growth (Tony Mlynarek): How can we grow by bringing greater numbers of people who are far from God to a lifetime commitment to Him?    

Spiritual Growth (Bianca Dorman Humphries):  How can we move people from exploring Christ to being Christ centered?   

Compassion Growth (Dale Patterson):  How can we express the love of Christ more consistently and more deeply so that we’re transformed on the inside and we have a greater impact on our local community.

Stewardship Growth  (Ken White):  How can we reach a new level of generosity with finances, time and talents?

Kingdom Growth  (Dave Collins):  Should Huron Hills seek to plant a church in the next few years?

Missional name change.  As Huron Hills continues to reach people who are far from God we want to do all that we can to present Christ, and to break down barriers to the knowledge of Christ.  Our church has always been missionally focused, reaching the world for Jesus, and we desire to keep that fire white hot.  One way that we can do this is to change our name, in coordination with our denomination, Converge Worldwide, which rebranded itself from the name Baptist General Conference.   We will always be a baptist church, upholding the foundational doctrine that we come to Christ through faith, signified by our act, as a believer, to be baptized.   We seek, through the power of the Spirit, to draw those far from God into a close and living relationship with Christ, a relationship of believing faith.  At the same time we seek to remove any human barrier to their coming to Christ.  Over the next few weeks I'll be talking about this as we consider and vote on our name change (which would require a constitutional change) at the Annual Business Meeting on November 22.  We are considering moving our name from Huron Hills Baptist Church to Huron Hills Community Church.  

Updates and news   Here are some updates for you.

Don Grigg, who we have supported as a missions worker in France, will be joining us this weekend during the service.  I'll be interviewing him and he will bring that morning's offertory.  Take the opportunity to say hello!

Steve Grafton has regretfully informed the Church Board that he needs to step down from his position at this time.  We will be working with the Nominating Team to elect a new deacon by the November 22 business meeting to fill the four months remaining on his term (December through March, 2010).

Please be praying for the youth search team (Matt Wagner, Tony Mlynarek, Ruth Ann Logue, Melinda Hieber, Gary Court, Brian Samuel and Nate Steiner) as they continue search for our next youth pastor.

The Just Us Club has moved from room 111  (downstairs in the basement) to the Community Life House, next to the lodge.  We are grateful for their continued ministry and presence. 

The Budget Input meetings are scheduled this year on Wednesday, October 21 from 7-8:30pm in room 216 (Chapel), and Sunday, October 25 from 12:30-2, also in room 216.   This is an opportunity to interact with the board on the proposed budget and business meeting items. 

Some stories of Jesus leap off the page.  Mark 11:12-25 is a passage like that.  It is a three scene story.  In the first scene (vv 12-14) Jesus looks at a fig tree and sees it has no fruit and then curses it for having no fruit.  It's a weird scene.  Once I did a bible study on this and one person in the group couldn't get past this.  "He cursed it and it wasn't even the right season."  But we learn the most from the "weird" actions of Jesus.  He is teaching something, but what?  The next scene (vv 15-19) is in the temple.  Jesus drives out the money-changers and tells them they are in the right place doing the wrong thing.  His vigorous actions are not a license to be violent.  But this one we at least get.  You can see how rotten these people are by what they are doing.  Switch back to the fig tree in scene three (vv 20-25) where the fig tree is withered right down to the roots.  Then Jesus makes a series of statements about faith, prayer and forgiveness.  The light starts to go on for us.  There is a thread that runs through this passage and the fig tree is a picture of what we should and should not be like.  Here is how I would put these thoughts together

1.  The fig tree is meant to bear fruit.  That is its purpose.  

No fruit on the fig tree (even though it's not in its season, and don't get tripped up here) therefore it is not fulfilling its purpose.  Jesus judges the fig tree

2.  The temple is made for prayer.  That is it its purpose

No prayer in the temple and therefore the temple participants are not fulfilling their purpose.  Jesus judges the people in the temple.

(And as a note look how the religious figures, instead of learning from this, show their fruit by conspiring to kill Jesus (vv 18-19))

3.  The fig tree, when they returned the next day, was withered.  The disciples are amazed and Jesus draws out this one lesson with 3 illustrations with application in bold.

A sound follower will bear fruit because they are healthy from the inside out

--They will be marked by faith in God almighty.  A little bit of faith goes a long way (and Jesus draws this out with the hyperbole of the mountain being thrown into the sea)   Have faith in God Almighty

--They will be people who easily and relationally ask God for what they need.  Ask God for what you need.

--They will be a people who do not erect barriers for others to God, since God wants access to himself.   Pray for people to have easy access to God.

--They will forgive because you can not believe in God and pray to God without acting like God does.   Forgive others.

Last night the board studied this passage together and came up with these illustrations and applications.  What a blessing it is to be in fellowship and prayer around God's word!

Vision opportunity #1

As we said on Sunday we face unprecedented opportunity in the fall.   Our 11am service is full and we need hearty souls who will sign on to the first service to provide seats for visitors and seekers.  Please consider the missional opportunity of owning a service as a place you will invite friends and family.  Please be praying for the service you will be a part of and ask (because we really need this) if you should come to the first service.  We'll continue announcing this in the service.

Vision opportunity #2

During the summer we had the privilege of hosting our denominational president and his wife, Jerry and Dee Sheveland.  He shared about the vision of our denomination, Converge Worldwide, and their missional  focus, an outward focus of spreading the message of Jesus.  One of the expressions of this was to brand our denomination with the name Converge Worldwide whose threefold purpose is to Connect like-minded churches, to Ignite them in a missional movement, and to Transform the world.   We at Huron Hills have also experienced a missional change.  To be a baptist in theology means a strong holding to faith in Christ as the foundation our life (and baptism as an expression of faith--that's why we affirm believer's baptism)  We will always have this convictional, baptistic foundation.  But like our denomination  we have been considering for the last year and a half (since the denominational name change in June 2008) of changing the name of our church from Huron Hills Baptist Church to Huron Hills Community Church.  We have also experienced, like our denomination, that words like "baptist" and "conference" sometimes get in the way of our reaching the world for Jesus Christ.  Over the next few months, as we move toward the annual business meeting in November we would like to have further  opportunity to discuss this.  During October we have for the last 3 years had two budget input meetings followed by  the annual business meeting.  Those will be two opportunities to discuss this change, but I would welcome any discussion you would like to have on this.  

Yours in Christ,

It gives me great pleasure, along with the members of the Music Advisory (Adam and Jessica Booth, Sally Dunning, Dave Collins) to announce that we have called Nathan Clair to be a part of our ministry staff as our new, full-time Minister of Worship Arts.  Nathan will oversee all aspects of our worship ministry.  He brings a great heart to serve the Lord, and great gifts from our great God!   He is in transition moving his family from Nashville, Tennessee to Ann Arbor.  Please be praying for him and his wife Jill and his two daughters, Kylan and Hadley (who was just born on July 8, 2009!). Let's give them a warm welcome as they come to Ann Arbor, hopefully by the middle of August.

Upcoming News

This past summer series, "All We Need is Love", on I Corinthians 13 has been an enjoyable one for me.  I've felt myself grow in the understanding of who God is and what it means to truly love.  You won't want to miss the last message of this Series on Sunday, August 2, as I welcome a special guest, David Granner, who I will interview and who will share a special story of love in action during the message called "Make Love a Verb".    

The Fall is coming

In one short month the students will return for university, your students will return to their schools.  Would you be praying for these next two months?  Pray that God will move us as a congregation to meet the needs of our world, to lift Him up, and that we grow together.  In the next several connections I'll be talking about the opportunities and challenges we face as a congregation.  

Schedule of things

Here's some things to pray for:

August 9-30 Message series:  "The Jesus School of Prayer:  Get trained, get technical, (troubleshoot), get certified"   Those of you who are Apple users know that the subtitle of the series comes from their approach at training.  Prayer is something we need training in and we'll be learning from the Jesus School.  Would you be praying that God would ignite a movement of prayer in our congregation?

September 13-27 Message series "Going Big"   Some things can only be solved through a revolutionary act of God.  The Exodus.  The Return from Exile.  Pentecost.   The New Testament Church.   Sometimes God calls us to think Big, and I'm not talking big house, but Big Work of God. As our fall kicks off let's bring energy to our lives as we walk in the light of God's kingdom.

Over the past couple of weeks we've had opportunities to reflect on what effective staff ministry means.  We are so grateful to Chris  Peltz and his great work in the youth ministry and in the wider ministries of the church.  Chris was my first pastoral staff hire and I've been thankful to the Lord for him and proud of his achievements.  This won't be the first or the last time I say this:  Praise God and thank you Chris!

This is also a change for us, and at all times of change we need to depend on the Lord for guidance.  So, could I ask you right now and in the ongoing days to pray this:  "Lord, guide us in all wisdom as we seek the next Youth Pastor for Huron Hills."  This person will make a vital difference in the lives of our children.

I think it's also important to give you an update on what is going on in Youth Ministry right now. 

Transition Team.  Bill Sponseller has agreed to lead this team of those currently involved in our youth ministry (mainly our youth sponsors) as we transition to the next pastor.  Many of you have already "signed on" to stay at your posts through this time.  Thank you!   In the next couple of weeks we'll bring this team together

Youth Pastor Search Team.  Matt Wagner, who led our previous youth search, will do this for us again.  Thanks Matt!   The board is currently putting this team together, and the team will be in contact with the church as they move forward.

Mexico Mission Trip is a go!  Please be praying especially for Dave Raymond and Steve Grafton as they lead this trip.  Also, parents come Sunday 31st to the Lodge for lunch and meet our World Vision representative Kathryn Compton and receive a briefing on trip.

Wherry Mission Trip is also a go!  The Nashville trip is on for all 9th-10th graders!  The dates for the trip are July 19-24 and the cost will be $250.

Celebrations for Chris and Nikomi Peltz's ministry are being held among the youth and we are also going to celebrate church-wide after the June 7 service, which is their last Sunday with us.  Again, do not be shy in your words of appreciation to them

As always the board and I are available if you have any questions!

Yours in Christ,

Dear Members and Friends of Huron Hills,

When Nikomi and I moved here in 2004 we had no idea how two Southerners would fare in this strange land called “Michigan.” We would have to make new friends, buy a home, build a ministry, learn about Big 10 football, and endure the long, cold winters. But something amazing happened! We made new friends… we built a house… we bought a snow blower… and we found a home, a place to belong at Huron Hills. It is a testament to the goodness of God, his providence and blessing, and to the incredible family we have in Huron Hills.

For 5 years now it has been my life’s honor to serve as the Youth Pastor here. We have seen so many amazing things happen! I can remember our first youth meeting with 35 students. And now, we have some 120 students arrive on our campus throughout the week. We’ve seen our ministry grow into two vibrant groups. We’ve seen growth in two dynamic missions experiences, and students come to faith and grow closer in their relationship with Jesus Christ. And that’s just the youth ministry! It’s not hard to see the incredible things God is doing through Huron Hills.

About a year ago, as we prepared for Cassidi’s arrival, God began to stir a desire in our hearts to be closer to family. We wanted Cassidi to have more access to her grandparents, and vice versa. Just recently we were offered, and have accepted, a Student Pastor position at a great church in Nashville, TN. The church is a mere 35 minutes from Nikomi’s parents house and short day’s drive from mine. It’s about as close as close can get. Of course, this means that we will be leaving our beloved Huron Hills students and family. Our final Sunday with you in Ann Arbor will be June 7.

It is with a lot of sadness that we write this letter to you. We will miss our teens, and you the family we have here at Huron Hills. But please know this, Huron Hills will forever be in our hearts. You helped us build a house, you supported this ministry, you welcomed us into your homes, you were there at Cassidi’s birth… Huron Hills will always hold a special place in our hearts. And this saying, one we’ve heard so many times from many other people, will always hold true: “There’s no place like Huron Hills.” We love you!

Chris Peltz

We rejoice with Chris and Nikomi in God’s leading and blessing. We are also grateful beyond words for the impact they have had on Huron Hills. Their five years here have been a great blessing in the lives of countless people. May I encourage you to not be shy with your words of thanks to them and to pray for them in the challenges this transition brings to their family. We will have a special time to honor them officially before they leave, but for now, let’s hold them in prayer. In Christ’s Care,

I'm looking out at a sunny day, seeing lots of people in short sleeves and realizing that the cold winds of winter are long gone. Can I have a collective "Amen!" With the summer we move into a series of opportunities. The flow of our life is a little slower, a little laid-back. This is true for some, for others, until their seniors graduate, it's going to be a sprint. Others have sons or daughters marching to the altar of marriage and that presents another series of challenges. So, I'd like to submit for your prayer times what's coming up in our message series, with the hope that you will find joy in worship and refreshment for your soul.

May 3 we go to one service. Mark your calendar. One service at 11 am May 3-31 "Celebrate! A series on relationships". We will celebrate friendships, mothers, children, heroes and difference makers. Plus on May 31 we will have our annual volunteer appreciation Sunday. June 7-Aug 2 "All we need is love" A series on I Corinthians 13. Finally you can put all those wedding readings to use! I'd like to encourage the entire congregation to memorize this passage as we go through it. July Sundays at the Lodge. Interactive learning at its best during the 9:30 hour. Please be in prayer for what promises to be a great summer.

Did you know that the poet's #1 subject is death?  I just wanted to start your day off with a cheery thought.  Here's a way to channel that.  Make sure you take the Week 4 RESET challenge, which is to walk in a cemetery while listening to the MP3 or CD of the experience.  Plenty of CDs and guides are available at the church.  If you would like to download, just go to www.resetjourney.com, go to week 4 and follow the directions to download.  Don't miss the opportunity to be a poet!

Which brings us to this week.  This Sunday we will be receiving food bags for those suffering from HIV and AIDS in Washtenaw county.  Proceeds will go to the HIV and AIDS Resource Center (HARC), which works in conjunction with WIHAN (Washtenaw Interfaith HIV and AIDS Network).  There will be a trailer right outside the sanctuary doors that you can load up on.

Then come and be a part of Week 5 of RESET.  It's Palm Sunday (4/5) and we'll be looking at the response of prayer to which  Jesus calls us.   In preparation be sure to read Luke 19:28-44.

First of all, I want to thank you all, the Huron Hills congregation, for your participation in our Annual Meeting.  Thanks also to those elected to office, for being willing to serve in this way:  Mike Klinkman and Terri Parker as Deacons, Kevin Berasley and Kevin Johnson for the Audit Committee, and Ronda Frantz and Kyle Logue for the Nominating Committee.  It was also great to talk about our vision.  Over the next few months we will be exploring 5 growth areas:

• Conversion Growth: How can we grow through 1st time commitments to God?
• Spiritual Growth: How can we help people to grow deeper in Christ?
• Compassion Growth: How can we express the love of Christ more consistently and more deeply?
• Kingdom Growth: How can we extend God's kingdom beyond our current context?
• Stewardship Growth: How can we continue to grow as a generous church?

In the next few weeks, the board will be finalizing our commission to these research task  groups.  They will look at the best practices among churches, do an assessment of our context, and present several options to the board for our next steps.  We'd love to hear any ideas you have as we complete this step and begin the work of clarifying our vision with regard to these areas.

One more thing, and this is an apology.  Unfortunately, though we communicated to the church on February 19 who would be on the ballot, we inadvertently left off Aaron Etnyre for re-upping as our Church Treasurer.   Perhaps given our uncertain times we were projecting onto Aaron, but in actuality it was just an oversight.  We've apologized to Aaron and hope that you will accept our apology. Since he  is running as the only candidate we will affirm him on Sunday in both services by a show of hands.   Please let us know if you have any questions about this.

"This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith."

These days, when I read the scriptures the theme of faith--belief, reliance, and trusting in God--has come out again and again.  Learning to have faith, first of all in what God has done for us in Jesus Christ, and then in how we live faith out, is a foundation of our spiritual formation.  In preparation think about the ways that God is calling you to have faith in Him.  Let's come ready to grow in faith.

News you can use
We are meeting with World Vision representatives  Sunday evening March 1, 6-9 pm.  If you are interested in the fight against global AIDS and want to hear what HHBC is doing in Rwanda with World Vision, then join us Sunday evening from 6-9 pm at the house of Kyle and Ruth Ann Logue (3750 Nixon Rd, 48105 for Mapquest) for dinner and a time to meet with Kathryn Compton, Executive Director in World Vision, and Ananias Sentosi, International Church Partnership Coordinator.   While in Rwanda Mike Mason and I were guided by Ananias and we are looking forward to hearing what God has been up to there.  If you are interested please email me (kwhite@huronhills.org) and since this is a potluck tell me what side dish (salad and desserts) you will pass (main dish and drinks will be provided).  

RESET begins March 8.  I hope you are as excited about this Spring's Focus as I am.  This year we get to learn in new and exciting ways what Jesus means to us.  The theme is about RESETing our understandings and views of Jesus.  Members and attenders with children in high school and below will receive a family guide this week.  On Sunday, March 1, Small group leaders will receive guides.  Then on March 8 participant guides will be available and we will launch our time together.  Buckle UP!

A few times in Paul's letters he turns his attention to household matters (Ephesians 5:21-6:9, Titus 2:1-10, Colossians 3:18-4:1).  Peter does the same in I Peter 2:18-3:7.  It's likely that these were based on models found in Greek society, but as always, cultural norms are transformed in the hands of the New Testament authors.  This is because all of life comes under the leadership of Jesus Christ.  We have learned that "all things were created by him and for him" (Colossians 1:16).  So, let me make 5 comments about these passages as you work through them in your own study.

1.  Understanding these passages is a matter of interpretation.  The technical word for this is hermeneutics.  It is important to be as thorough as possible, with an air of grace.  "In essentials unity, in non-essentials, charity."  Note the progression of the Colossians passage:

• Wives
• Husbands
• Children
• Fathers
• Slaves

When we get to the last grouping there is a collective gasp.  Can the bible really be commending slavery?  The short answer is "No.".  The companion letter to Colossians, Philemon, states it this way: "Perhaps the reason he was separated from you for a little while was that you might have him back for good-no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother." (v. 15-16)   Philemon was a Colossian slave-owner of the runaway slave Onesimus, who had become a companion of Paul.  The apostle sent him back with the clear implication of freedom for him.  Which brings us to point 2.

2.  We should take the injunction to slaves as the ongoing transformation of not only the inner person, but also the ongoing transformation, and utter destruction of slavery.  Indeed, with the inclusion of slaves as real human beings (see Colossians 3:11 which says "Here [under salvation's banner] there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all and in all."  By their inclusion into the faith slaves became a working part of the body of Christ.  Within 3 centuries Christianity had become the dominant faith of the Roman world.  Using the bible to promote slavery could not be farther from the intent of Paul here.

3.  So, though it does not look revolutionary, Paul's vision of the relationship between children and Fathers was revolutionary.  "In contemporary society the Roman patria potestas [father-power] i.e. the authority and power of the head of the house, gave the father unlimited power over his children. . ." (PT Obrien, Colossians, p 225).  Paul wants the fathers not to use their power to embitter, but rather to love and encourage.  For fathers who were used to only getting their way, this was revolutionary.

4.  Which means that the relationship between wives and husbands was, most likely viewed in revolutionary terms.   There are two basic views on wives submitting to husbands.  One is mutual submission in that Ephesians 5:21 ("Submit yourselves to one another) begins the passage on the relationship between husbands and wives.  The other is that submission is solely from the wife toward the husband.  The word "submit" has various meanings. Iin the Greek translation of the Old Testament it can mean "subject oneself", "acquiesce in", "acknowledge someone's dominion or power", or "surrender."  In the New Testament we find the supreme example of this in Jesus who subjected himself to the Father (I Corinthians 15:28). 

I take the household command as one of mutual submission between the husband and wife, but many take it solely from wife to husband.  In either case it is the revolutionary idea that one may willingly surrender to another because the other, in all love and sacrifice, only seeks the best for the other.  To configure this as one person "ruling" over another seems far from Jesus' ethic of love and service of one another.  Which leads us to #5.

5.  All the injunctions are made toward spiritual formation.  That is, as one obeys the commands the intent is not to set up an "earthly order" but to lead people into a fuller relationship with Christ, to be more deeply formed in Him.  As wives and husbands love and submit to one another, as children obey parents, as fathers love rather than lord, as slaves see themselves of value, something new on earth happens.  The kingdom of God is expressed in the four walls of a home in a way that changes everything.

I've recently been reading a book titled They Like Jesus but not the Church by Dan Kimball. If the title is true then maybe I've been doing the wrong thing.  If people like Jesus from the get go (which I think they do) then all I need to do is get around people and be a Christ follower.  So, this month I'd like to challenge all of us to invite people into your life.  I think you will find that if you do this there will be natural conversations about following God and what that means for you.  Here are just a few things that you could do:

--Invite a neighbor over for dinner

--Go together with friends to a Christmas movie at the Michigan theater

--Ask some friends to go see the Messiah this weekend (Dec 6 and 7) at Hill auditorium

--Find a great holiday movie and go together

And, if it just so happens that people want to come to church then invite them to one of our services ("A Retro Christmas:  experience Christmas like you remember it") on December 7, 14, 21 or Christmas Eve at 6pm.  In addition we are having a free movie night, with free popcorn and utilizing our new sanctuary on December 12 at 7pm.   Maybe people would like to come to the Family Christmas time on Sunday, December 14 from 4-6pm. 

To kick this off consider attending one of the prayer walks listed below.  We will walk around a neighborhood and then pray together, that we would extend Christ's love.  Here are the times and places of those on Saturday, December 6

10am meet in front of the Michigan Union

12 noon meet at the Ypsilanti Farmer Market at 501 Cross street

(Click here for the Googlemap of this location)

3 pm meet at Huron Hills

6 pm have your own personal prayer walk in your neighborhood.

One last thing--I've had a lot of people mention The Big Story diagram that I talked about during the sermon this past Sunday.  It comes from James Choung's book True Story and here is a link in which he goes through this on YouTube.  Take a look at it and I think you'll find it to be very helpful as we seek to extend the love of Christ this month.

Part 1 of True Story

Part 2 of True Story

Serving Christ in Ann Arbor,

10.  Psalm 100:4   Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise.  The attitude of worship is informed by thanking God for what He has done.  When I am in the midst of worship I want to thank God for His work.

9.  I Corinthians 11:23-24   The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me."  Jesus is surrounded by betrayal and the impending weight of his sacrifice.  The bread, as he holds it, is the living symbol of the fullest extent of his sacrifice.  As he holds that which symbolizes his death he gives thanks.  I not only remember Jesus' example when I partake in the Lord's Supper but at any point when God calls me to sacrifice.

8.  Romans 1:8  First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world.   Before Paul launches into the greatest theological letter ever, he gives thanks for the faith of the Roman believers.  Big thoughts are preceded by big thanks.

7.  I Chronicles 29:12-13   In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all.  Now, our God, we you you thanks, and praise your glorious name.   I love the word Now in this verse.  David, upon dedicating the temple calls the people to thanks God.  Giving thanks is always a call to the present.  I remember that now is the time to give thanks for what God has done.

6.  Revelation 11:17  "We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign. . ."   We pretty much have a lot to thank God for in this small verse, for what he will do at the end of days and that He is our mighty King.

5.  Psalm 107:1  Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.  God's goodness and love are the reason for giving thanks, but it is the phrase "endures forever" that sticks out to me.  God is tenacious in his character.  I give God thanks for his tenacity.  Thank you Thank you Thank you.

4.  Daniel 6:10 Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem.  Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.   Very specific directions in this passage.  Went home.  Upstairs room.  Windows opened.  Toward Jerusalem.  Three times a day.  On his knees.  Giving thanks.  We give thanks specifically and in concrete ways.

3.  Colossians 3:17  And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.   This is a catch all verse.  It covers everything else, in case you missed something.    Give thanks all the time and in every circumstance for everything. 

2.  Matthew 15:36   Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, and when he had given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples, and they in turn to the people.  Even Jesus prays before he eats.  But thanks here is an acknowledgement that every good thing comes from God's hand, that's at least one reason why we give thanks before we eat.  Bon appetit!

1.  Philippians 4:6   Do not be anxious in anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  For a while I thought the "thanksgiving" in this passage was a tack-on, but the longer I've lived with this passage the more apparent it is that thanksgiving is a fundamental anxiety blocker and prayer enabler.

Those are my top 10.  What are yours?  Have a happy Thanksgiving!

December:  Extend the Love of Christ month.   I would like you to think this month extending the love of Christ.  This is a very easy and enjoyable thing to do.  Invite people into your life who, perhaps, are far from God, or who are searching, or who in some way need a deeper relationship with Him.  However, don't think about some power message you need to bring.  Simply invite them to go with you to a movie, or to a concert, or over for dinner.  Just connect with people.  Then, if it comes up invite them to some of our December events.  On Sunday we'll have a card stock half-sheet with our schedule for the month.  Our message series this month is called "A Retro Christmas.  Celebrate Christmas like you remember it!"  We're looking forward to this month and hope you will too!

We've had a lot of changes in the past week!  These changes make us ask many questions.  What will our country be like in the next few years?  Where will our economy go?  And what's going to happen to the Michigan Wolverines?  Okay, maybe that last question isn't as important.  But here is one question that we must ask in and through all these changes. Who am I in God's eyes? 

If everything were to change around you, everything you counted on was different or taken away from you, then who would you be?  I used to ask this question to men's groups of businessmen when I would ask "Who are you when you retire?"  Here's the Bible's answer to this in the words of Paul the Apostle:

"If anyone is in Christ, that person is a new creation;

the old has gone, the new has come!

When the rubber meets the road, when things hit the fan, when you really want to know what life is about it comes down to this.  In the work of Jesus Christ, God's own son, you have been remade into something wonderful and something new.  This can not be taken from you.  These days I have taken to saying "Lord, I am your son, and you are my Father."  And these words, more than any other have been a source of strength and comfort.

Be Strong and Courageous.

"Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and courageous.  Do not be terrified.  Do not be discouraged.  The LORD your God is with you wherever you go."   Joshua 1:9

I have heard many comments about the strength that we have received as a body as we have committed God's word to memory.  God makes himself alive and true in and through His word.  Keep up the good work!

With the momentous events of this past month and the weeks to come I'd like to include here again the words I shared with you this past Sunday.  These "family concerns" can be characterized by our embracing two words:  Gentleness and respect.

1.  Gentleness.  Gentleness is a fruit of the Spirit.  Peter says in I Peter 3:15-16 that we should always be ready to give reason for the hope that we have, but to do it with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience so that those who speak maliciously against you, will have no ground for objection.   This is in regard to the fundamental truth of reality-that Jesus Christ is the only way to God.   Now, in a lesser, but important, concern-the political arena-the fruit of the spirit, the spirit of gentleness is also in effect.  So, I'd like to call all of us to Vote our conscience, what we are convicted to do, but to do it respectfully and with gentleness.  Conscience (the Greek word suneideisis) means not how you "feel" about something, but what your God-directed moral compass tells you is truly right and wrong.   If you do this with gentleness and respect you will not only honor the other person but God himself.  Deal?

2.  Trust

Like everyone else I've been watching what has been going on in the economic world.   The world is filled with fear right now, and this gives us, as a church, the great opportunity to Trust God, to have faith in Him and to witness to that Trust..    Trust has 2 sides to it

1.  Not being afraid but trusting in God.  The Bible says 366 times (every day of the year, plus a leap year year) to not be afraid, but to Trust, that God will be with us, guide us and protect us. Paul says in Philippians 4:19 that "my God will supply all your needs according to the riches in Christ Jesus."  Ironically, on the face of every coin is this phrase "in God we trust".  Unexpected because by our nature we are led to the love of money, which as Paul says in another place is the root of all kinds of evil.  Not money itself, but the love of money.    But it is the love of God which is the basis of our trust not the love of money.

2.  Trust also means being rich toward God.  We actually have the privilege of living out a spin on the parable of the Rich Fool (Luke 12:13-21.)  You know, the one where the guy says to himself, "Self, I know what I will do, I will save up and invest and when all is said and done then I will enjoy what I have.  I'll say to myself ‘Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry'."  But then God says to him "you fool!   This very night your life will be demanded from you"  We have experienced that things  are not the basis of our trust.  Jesus  tells this parable in order that people would not place their security and trust in things that are not secure, that are not trustworthy.  Who is trustworthy?  God is trustworthy.

Even though the economic markets have fallen

                God is the same yesterday, today and forever,

                God is the King who sits on the throne,

                God is the one true Lord of the Universe,

                God is our creator and sustainer,

                God is our shield and high tower,

                God is the one to whom we owe everything.

So, we follow the last words that Jesus says in this parable:  be rich toward God.

Which means not only do we trust him but we flourish with him

We look out at a needy, hurt, anxiety-ridden world and we see the opportunity there is to minister to them, to invest in the things of God.

So, I want to encourage you to trust God during this time and to see with God-directed eyes.  I'd like to encourage you that HHBC continues to seek God's will, continues to glorify Him, and that as we do that together God will be with us.

Here is one line from his blessing:

"As high over the mountains the eagle spreads its wings

May your perspective be larger than the view from the foothills."

Each of us has a vocation, a calling, something that God wants us to embrace.  It is normal to have our view become earthbound, blind to the eternal perspective that God calls you.  Wherever you are today, whatever you are feeling, I would like to second O'Donhue's blessing and pray that you may have God's eagle-like perspective on your life.

I've been thinking about that truth this week.  Paul says it this way:  "Do not be anxious about anything but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God and the peace of God that passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." (Phillipians 4:6-7).  These days God gives us the opportunity to trust Him.  It does not mean that we act passively and just wait, but every one of us knows that there's only so much one can do.  This mid-week I'd like to call all of us at Huron Hills to remember the words of our God and trust Him with whatever is on your mind.  Though this time may seem unprecedented to people, it really isn't, even on a human scale, and how much less so to our God.   So, as we watch the markets, the debates, and the effects on our lives, let's remember that our God reigns.  (Revelation 19:6)

Step into Africa anniversary

It seems hard for me to believe that a little over a year ago we helped raise over a million dollars for AIDS relief in Africa.  In the latter part of October 2007 I travelled to Rwanda and met the men and women helping people through this time.  Please wholeheartedly participate with us this weekend as we remember our commitments and bless those in need.  I've attached a picture of a worship service that we experienced while in Rwanda.  Our God reigns throughout the world!

I usually take one day a week to rest.  Biblically this is a called a Sabbath (from the Hebrew word Shabat meaning "rest"!).  It is more than rest or taking a nap.  It is also a day of spiritual recovery and vision.  This past week I took a couple of long walks and prayed and thought through my week.  I made sure that I was disciplined in praying through the Lord's Prayer because usually there are so many things yelling out for attention.  It took me quite a while to pray through my  concerns, but when I finally did I found that my mind was freer to look at the Lord's leadings in my life and in the church, to see His vision.  Tomorrow, set aside time to pray intently in order to set aside the things that distract that you might hear God's leading in your life. 

Converge Worldwide.  The vision of our denomination is encapsulated by 3 words:  Connect, Ignite and Transform.  That is we seek to connect churches and leaders to spiritually ignite movements of tranformational churches.  One way this is done is through leadership development.  Converge has offices in Chicago and also has added offices at the Bill Bright International Training Center in Orlando.  This 60,000-square-foot center will host many connecting and igniting events.  It will be a place for peer-learning, mentoring young leaders, Bible study and prayer.  As we seek to reflect our denominational emphases we will also look to grow spiritually, looking for opportunities and commitments to grow our leadership here at Huron Hills.

A special shout out to all those who have been volunteering.  This has been an incredible fall with the the startup of ministries, the renovation of the sanctuary, and the beginning of a new school year.   Thanks for all of you have volunteered your time to serve!  May the Lord bless your efforts and give you an abiding sense of His presence.

Sunday, September 28 will mark the end of the Enter_Reality series.  We will look at Ecclesiastes 12:9-14 and what it means to fear God.  I'll be having a large portion of the message dedicated to interviewing Nick Willis who won the bronze medal in the 1500 meters in Beijing.  You won't want to miss that.  Invite a friend who likes to run or who always wished they could run! 

The End is Here is nearly here!  Beginning October 5 we will start our new message series in Revelation 19-22.  We will look at how the things we see there in heaven we should reflect here on earth.  Make sure you pick up a participant guide as we add Fuel to the fire.  Each year we want to have a message series in which from youth up we all are looking at the same Bible passage.  One of the greatest things I listen to is The Bible Experience by Zondervan, the New Testament read dramatically.  (http://www.amazon.com/Inspired-Bible-Experience-Complete/dp/0310926327/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1222178357&sr=8-4)

Converge Worldwide.  >From our denomination:  "More than 150 years ago, during the first great wave of immigration, the gospel was ignited among  the Swedes.  What resulted was a burst of church planting and eventually the formation of ministry societies to foster overseas missionary work and additional church planting in the United States.  In the early '50s a post-war surge of new missionaries and the launch of our own mission program impacted the cause of Christ through the BGC (Baptist General Conference) around the world.  Today we are asking God for the continuation of a third great working of His Spirit in the launching of new churches and initiatives for leadership development around the world." 

I find our denomination's movement to be so exciting!  As we move forward with our denomination, it is important for us to ask the Lord where he wants us to go and what he wants to do.  The board, in discussing this with the staff have seen God causing growth in four areas that we've called Conversion Growth, Spiritual Growth, Compassion Growth, and Kingdom Growth.  By conversion growth we mean doing all that we can to see people come to know God through the saving power of Christ.  By spiritual growth we seek to see people, by the power of the Holy Spirit, become people centered on Christ.  By compassion growth we seek to reflect God's concern for the needy and poor in the world.  By kingdom growth we see to be a part of the ever-expanding movement of God.

Next week I'd like to mention what Converge Worldwide is doing for leadership development and how that impacts us.

Converge Worldwide (BGC) is our denominations new name.  This is what our denomination has said about this:  "As a denomination we have become more focused on the mission we believe God has given us to accomplish.  There are many missions today.  What is important is that we do the specific mission God wants us to do together.  Our mission is to catalyze regional movements of reproducing churches."

Here are some ways that our church can be involved in this work that our denomination is spurring us on to.

1.  Plan strategically for how we should see conversion growth, spiritual growth, compassion growth and kingdom growth.  By conversion growth we mean doing all that we can to see people come to know God through the saving power of Christ.  By spiritual growth we seek to see people, by the power of the Holy Spirit, become people centered on Christ.  By compassion growth we seek to reflect God's concern for the needy and poor in the world.  By kingdom growth we see to be a part of the ever-expanding movement of God.

2. Remove any barriers that would hinder the mission God has given us.  An important example of this would be to maintain our belief in the saving power of Christ, to maintain our Baptist theology that a person comes to God through faith by grace (as demonstrated by a person's willing decision to be baptized), while eliminating labels that are confusing to those who are seeking God.  As with our denomination one example of this is a name change. 

3.  Engage in the ministries that God has called us to, whether in youth, children, compassion ministries, outreach ministries or the like.

Save the Date!

September 21.  This Sunday join with us as we joyfully give to the North Border project our offering from the Consumed series, nearly $120,000 which will go to those in need in Tijuana.  Noe and Vicki Martinez of World Vision Mexico and our main contacts in Tijuana will be IN CHURCH to receive this blessing and to bless us!

Saturday October 11-Sunday 12  Celebration of Step into Africa (one year later) and AIDS awareness dinner with

On Saturday evening, October 11 at 7pm we will learn about how we can make an impact locally with Phil Volk from WIHAN (Washtenaw Interfaith HIV/AIDS Network).  This will be in the lodge.  All are welcome, but please let us know if you can come.  We will talk about what how we can help those afflicted with HIV/AIDS in Washtenaw County.

On Sunday morning, October 12 during the services and after the second service we will celebrate our one year Anniversary of Step into Africa.  This interactive display helped to raise understanding of AIDS in Africa and we were able to raise about 300 sponsorships for children affected by the AIDS pandemic.  We want to celebrate our involvement, bless the children we have sponsored and raise new sponsorships.  After the 2nd service we will have a lunch provided and "blessing stations" in which you can write cards to your sponsored child, have your picture taken and send to your child, donate unused soccer equipment, and learn more about how to bless those in need.

1.  The weather gets cooler at night.

2.  The colors Maize and Blue come out.

3.  Disappointment follows soon after the Maize and Blue colors come out (this time with the 25-23 Utah loss).

4.  I begin to think about the trees changing color.

5.  Students return (did you know that we had 122 people come to the ULunch on September 7?)

6.  Families return from their vacations and tans fade.

7.  We start a new sermon series, this month Enter_Reality, a series from Ecclesiastes.

8.  High School sports start up.

9.  Things just get busy

10.  God is always faithful (see the attached prayer written on our platform this past Sunday, September 7).

Our denominational name:  Converge Worldwide

Some have wondered if Huron Hills Baptist Church has changed its name.  No, we haven't, but it's worth considering.  Now, it is true that our denomination has changed its name to Converge Worldwide.  For the past few weeks I've written a little on this and I'm going to continue for the next several to do so. 

What it means   Our denominational name Converge Worldwide (formerly Baptist General Conference) is meant to reflect a Spiritual Strategy of connecting, igniting and transorming.  "People connect in healthy biblical relaitons, and are then ignited by God so that transforming ministry can take place.  Examples include connecting and peer learning experiences for pastors and aly leaders and igniting our lives for God's purpose." 

What it doesn't mean    It is not a change in theology.  We are baptists and will remain baptists.  It's simply a way of identifying ourselves that connects with people in our world, since the words "baptist" and "conference" do not have the same connotations for people outside of our denomination.    This change was decided by our leaders in the denomination and I fully support it.  I hope that you will to, and so one of the things I've been doing is just giving you some information to connect what our denominational leaders have intended.  If you would like to check it out some more on your own try our denominational website  http://www.convergeww.org/    

or take a look at this article to see some exciting developments in our denomination:  http://www.convergeww.org/images/stories/PDFs/Magazine/August-September_2008/Page06-13_Aug-Sept08.pdf