Where are we going?
Caught up in traffic
Two weeks ago I was in Houston, TX for the “5:2
Wikiconference 2013”. I was in Houston once
before with my high-school band, but that was many years ago and I wasn’t
driving. This time I had to make my way
from Hobby Airport, through downtown Houston and on to Katy, TX during the
morning rush hour. And I had no idea
where I was going.
My car didn’t have GPS, but my phone did. However, with the traffic as heavy as it was
I was terrified to look at the screen to see which lanes I should be in and
which turns, ramps and curves I should take next. Add to that the less-than perfect diction of
the computer generated voice coming from my phone, and you can imagine how
stressful the drive might have been.
Once I got onto Interstate 10 heading west, the highway was
6-8 lanes in each direction with a 3 or 4 lane “feeder road” paralleling the
Interstate with “access roads” paralleling the whole system to allow entry into
the local businesses along the corridor.
That meant, in some areas, there were 26 LANES OF TRAFFIC all running
side by side by side by… well, you get my drift. I felt like I was just one tiny red blood
cell flowing along the circulatory system of Houston. Even if I were in a wreck, I imagined I would
have been just picked up, sloughed off, and absorbed into this huge metropolis,
never to be seen again.
Have you ever felt that way?
Like you were just a cog in a machine?
That you were just going with the flow?
Or worse, that you were being swept up in something you hadn’t planned
or bargained for and you didn’t know if you should try to “get off the roller
coaster” or, if you should just “sit down, hold on, and get ready for the
ride?”
At our church things are starting to happen. Some are happening faster than others and in
a couple of areas lightning seems to have struck and everyone is still trying
to figure out “what happened?” And it’s
my hope, through all of this, that no one is left behind or decides to “get off
the roller coaster.”
Where we’re going is where we’ve been
In the church some things are eternal. Namely, the Word of Christ and the Sacraments
which point to him and extend us his grace and forgiveness. And in the midst of all this change these
will always be visible, prominent and paramount. Each of our externally focused ministries and
efforts will always have in mind the hope that those we serve will one day
receive faith from God’s Holy Spirit as we become “Jesus with skin on” to them in
some way or another.
That also means that the worship life of the church will
continue to be of utmost importance to us at Redeemer Lutheran Church. Because those who are on the front lines of
ministry need to be girded with the Word of God and strengthened by the Sacrament
of the Altar, we will continue to emphasize faithful worship attendance to all
those who call RedeemerOlathe their church home. Moreover, as our older members are unable to
attend worship and receive communion we have a brigade of Graceful Visitors and
Communion Assistants who will help ensure that all those placed into our care
are visited and regularly receive the means of grace.
Moreover, as our fellowship becomes more diverse in age,
lifestyle and ethnicity, we will need to expand into other expressions of music
and be more flexible in our liturgy to ensure that all who come to Jesus under
our umbrella may hear Him in their language and in terms they understand all so
that they might heed his calling to follow Him and his ways. If worship planning, singing, playing an
instrument, or audio/video work interest’s you, please give me a call. Thomas and I want to put you to work!
New destinations
There was a time when most churches were dark during the
week including ours. That is not true
today as our building has become a hotspot for all kinds of neighborhood
activities, especially for families with children. Redeemer is beginning to think of our parish
as more than just the property at 920 S Alta Lane. We are seeing the entire neighborhood as our
parish, much like in the “old days”.
Our Neighborhood Schools
October 9th we will be serving dinner to the
families at Rolling Ridge Elementary School as a service to them, so that they
might have a nice fellowship meal with their families and neighbors. We won’t be selling anything, we won’t be
signing anyone up for any classes. We
simply want to be a good neighbor and to let them all know we care. I hope many of our members will take
advantage of this opportunity to meet new people with whom they might just be
sharing heaven someday. Why not start
the introductions now? To see how you
might help, call the church office at 913-764-2359 and we will get you in
contact with Kristen Willingham whose passion it was to start the ball rolling
on this and is organizing the event.
One off our members who is on staff at a local middle school
shared with one of her fellow missionaries at Redeemer that some of her
students didn’t go out for football because they couldn’t afford the cleats and
other equipment. After networking with a
few other people in town about how we might round up second-hand cleats we
discovered a new sporting goods store in town that was excited to have the
opportunity to outfit these individuals as the school staff deemed
necessary. By networking, prayer, and a
few phone calls and meetings, more kids will be able to experience the joys and
challenges that extracurricular sports can teach them.
Regional, National and Global Mission Agencies
In addition to these partnerships, we continue to support
Lutheran Urban Mission Agency with our donations of cash and food each quarter,
Mission Southside with food, clothing, and volunteer hours, Olathe Public Schools
with the Youth Mentors program, Children’s TLC, SafeHouse for Women, Lutheran
World Relief, Faith Comes by Hearing, Food for the Poor and, we hope, Immanuel
Lutheran Church and Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer in KCMO for the next three years. Other recent projects include the Lutheran
Malaria Initiative, Lutheran Church of the Bahamas, St. John’s Lutheran Church
in Moore, OK, and Immanuel Lutheran Church and their neighbors in Joplin, MO.
Though a very impressive list, we know it was not we who
accomplished these things, but God, and that he has so much in mind for us to
do. In fact, many of our people feel
much like Oscar Schindler at the end of Schindler’s
List who wondered how many more people he could have helped if he had only
done a little more? The fact is, not all
will be saved, but Christ desires that all at least are given the chance hear
the Good News and our goal is to make that happen in our little corner of the
world at least, and perhaps even farther, if it’s in God’s plan.
Where’ve I been, where am I going?
I spent the 24th through the 26th of
September at the 2013 Wikiconference.
What’s a Wikiconference? Well,
it’s a gathering of 700+ ministry leaders, most of whom are LCMS, who gather
together under the banner of Christ feeding the 5000 with 5 loaves and 2
fish. What each of us brings to the
table may seem insignificant until Christ, by his Holy Spirit, multiplies it into
something, good, wholesome, and amazing.
In addition to the great speakers (Australia’s Michael
Frost, Kansas City’s own John Jantsch, Dr. Loraine Gonzalez, and Dr. Soong-Chan
Rah) we could attend breakout sessions in the areas of Church Planting,
Leadership & Coaching, Missional Communities, Multiethnic Ministry,
Organizational Development, NextGen Ministry, and Worship Arts. It was so good, I’ve already booked our staff
to attend next year’s Wikiconference—it’s that good!—and I hope by then some of
our other missional leaders might be able to make the trip as well.
In two weeks on October 13th-15th we
have our Kansas District Professional Church Workers Conference (KSLCMS
PCWC--for short!). This conference
occurs every two years and is an opportunity for ordained and commissioned
(Teachers, DCE/MYEs, DCOs and Deaconesses) workers to earn some continuing
education credits and present scholastic and theological papers to one
another. The theme of this conference is
Catechesis (teaching the Bible/Catechism/Confessions). Pray for Dave, Deb, Kristin and I as we head
to Hutchison on those days, that we might get there and return safely and that
we learn from our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.
Well, I’m sure this is way more information than you wanted
to read but I hope it was informative and helpful for those who are walking this
journey of faith with me.
Peace today and may the Lord bless all your days.
Pastor Perry
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