from Tiphanie Dirnberger, Children's Ministry Director
Gethsemane’s Children’s Ministry program is based on relationships; children’s relationship with their class mates, their teachers and most importantly their relationship with God. We nurture these relationships throughout the 12 years a child is part of the “Children’s Ministry” program. My guess is that many of you have witnessed these relationships; girls and boys hanging out with each other after Sunday school and children who feel as comfortable with their Sunday school teacher as they do with friends or relatives.
These are examples of spiritual friendships. Do the kids realize this? Probably not. But the reason many of these children are friends is because their parents felt the need to enter this building of faith on a Sunday morning and have their child learn about God. Both Gethsemane and these children’s parents felt strongly that their children’s relationship with God should be nurtured and the bonus is the development of other spiritual friendships.
Spiritual friendships are not just for kids – though for some families, while the kids are engaged in spiritual friendships, the parents are not. We at Gethsemane have not necessarily made it easy for adults to form these relationships on a Sunday morning. I know how it feels to look in the pews and feel like you don’t really know anyone. Hey, it took my husband and me nearly 5 years until we stayed for fellowship time after church. But starting this summer and moving into the fall Gethsemane is invested in helping adults form spiritual friendships while also hopefully strengthening relationships with God.
In June we will start a small group ministry as part of our last Element of a Living Faith - Spiritual Friendships. This fall while the Sunday school kids are deepening their relationship with God, their classmates and teachers, adults will have educational opportunities offered at the same time as Sunday school. Stay tuned and check our website frequently for more information about these opportunities.
A church of 118 years has layers of relationships in its history and for some of you, your whole social group may be formed from spiritual friendships that have grown within the walls of Gethsemane. Others may still be looking around the pews and not feeling like they know anyone. If this is you, I encourage you to join a small group this summer or partake in adult education this fall. And if this is not you, I encourage you to look beyond your existing relationships; you never know who you might meet.
from John D.F. Nelson, Senior Pastor
It is well documented that public speaking is one of the greatest personal fears people have. Combine that with talking about our faith and you have one real winner of a church program. It’s no wonder that people go running for the doors when we begin talk about evangelism at church. Too many people have this crazy idea that evangelism means they have to stand on the table in their lunch room and tell everyone they are going to hell unless they come to church with them the next week. Now it might be interesting to see what kind of response you get, but that is not at all what we are talking about when we lift up Sharing God’s Story as an element of our living faith.
Fundamentally, to share is not forcing something. To share means to offer something you love to others who you think will like it just as much as you do. To share means to give up a really good thing you normally would keep, but see that others need. To “Share God’s Story” is to bless someone with the blessing you have and know. So when we are talking about evangelism, we are talking about sharing that very thing people are already looking for.
God has been active in our lives giving us strength, peace, hope, and love. These are amazing gifts that all people long for but rarely find. People can often see in us what they long for, and hope for themselves. When we share God’s story we are simply sharing the very thing that gives us joy. Scripture tells us;
“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have, but do this with gentleness and respect.” 1 Peter 3:15b
Sharing God’s story is not convincing someone, it is not converting someone; it is giving them a glimpse of the light that is within you and what brings you hope. If you have any encouragement, any strength from your relationship with God, then share that with those you see who are adrift in their life. Then God will do the rest.
from Bob Windels, the Youth Guy
Before there was “Bob the Youth Guy” there was “Bob the Writer.” In 2nd grade my teacher, Miss Kjos, invited me to read my first original story to my fellow 7-year-olds, and I was hooked. I knew I wanted to make a name for myself by putting words together to tell a story. My love for reading, and for the characters that populated the colorful pages of my school library books, made my mind naturally turn to creating new characters and new stories that could bring satisfaction to other readers. Just as important, of course, was encouragement from Miss Kjos to keep writing. So it was not hard for me to spin a new yarn in my head, or to sit still to write it down on a rainy day, complete with pencil-drawn illustrations. I imagined the impressively long list of “other titles by this author” that my publisher would one day have to squeeze onto the inside cover of my newest novel. I considered various pen names. And I kept reading, of course. (Dr. Suess, you may not be surprised to hear, was a particular favorite through grade school.)
By high school though, I was experiencing frequent “writer’s block” and not producing much new material. My standards for my own fiction-writing, I suppose, were psyching me out. I wanted to make sure it was good enough to share with the world. The words that used to go together with such ease now stubbornly refused to be coaxed over that uncomfortably high fence, and the writing I did eventually produce was often late and rarely what I wanted it to be. It actually got worse in college, where I designed my own “fiction and fiction-writing” major in St. Olaf’s Para-college program (a totally hippy-era creation, but one in which they still expected some actual written work…) I didn’t seem to have any stories worth telling anymore. So I wasn’t telling any. My future as a professional storyteller did not look promising.
In 1982 two friends invited me to come work with them as a Bible camp counselor. That summer changed my life, as I discovered a community where I thrived, where I got to use my gifts by telling Bible stories in creative ways, and found children and teenagers to be an audience that inspired me. And now that I had a significant story to tell them, a story worth telling, the words and the confidence came back.
As I try to help prepare Gethsemane’s youth to share this task of telling God’s story in the world, I am regularly met with resistance to the words “evangelism” and “witnessing.” Many of them visibly cringe at the idea of saying “I’m a believer” or “I know I’m saved by grace through faith.” They speak with dread of answering the door when the Jehovah’s Witnesses come to visit, and they are slow to see their own testimony as any less unwelcome. They do not trust that the story of their relationship with Christ needs telling—or they worry that telling it is equal to pressuring other people to subscribe to it—and they are protective of other people’s rights to believe something else, because this is America.
We used to be taught to politely avoid talking about religion or politics, and stick to the weather! Now the only taboo seems to be religion. Although it is okay to eagerly share comical YouTube video clips, and influence each other’s clothing choices and musical tastes and favorite professional athlete, spiritual beliefs seem ‘out of bounds’ to bring up in everyday conversation out of respect for people’s freedom not to hear about our spiritual values.
For some teens (and adults) the reluctance could very well be a fear of getting the details wrong, of looking stupid because we can’t answer all of the logical questions. This is a reasonable concern! But another part, especially for teens, is whether their own faith is solid yet. They don’t want to be hypocrites if they are still wrestling with their doubts. My encouragement, of course, is to keep learning by reading Scripture and worshipping, keep praying for God to make you certain, and to watch for your moment when you’re ready to tell somebody the beliefs that are shaping you.
Trust the story. Trust that it is worth telling and worth hearing. Find your audience, the person or community that God has prepared you to reach with your personal story of faith. And then tell it. God will do the rest.
from Pastor Laurie A. Eaton
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Acts 1:8
We’ve been working our way through the various Elements of a Living Faith, and the presence and power of the Holy Spirit is at work in this place! Can you feel it? Prayer, Worship, Studying Scripture, Acts of Service and Justice, Stewardship of Life and Resources – each one of these basic “Elements” that we have considered thus far, you have embraced and engaged with an energy and enthusiasm that is a joy to witness. As a congregation we are growing in clarity and understanding about what it means to be followers of Jesus, both individually, and as part of the whole body of Christ, the church in the world.
At each point along the way we have tried to remind you that none of these elements are “ends in themselves.” Each Element of a Living Faith is important for nurturing the faith that lives within you, but they do not constitute a stopping point. Every blessing given by God is intended not only to bless the one who receives it, but to overflow into the world beyond, giving blessing to all, that everyone may see and hear and know the truth of God’s love revealed in Jesus Christ. Our faith, a Living Faith, is deeply personal, but never private. That’s just not how God operates!
In just a few weeks our Lenten journey will come to an end, and we will celebrate anew the incredible, marvelous, wonderful mystery of the Resurrection – God’s exclamation point on the story of love that Jesus lived out for the sake of all creation. And, just like the first witnesses of Jesus’ life, death, resurrection and ascension, we are sent to “go and tell” what we have received from God through the witness of those who shared the story with us.
What, exactly, is a witness? Simply put, a witness is one who tells others what they have seen or experienced. According to Jesus, that is part of our job description as his followers. Just as the first witnesses to the empty tomb went and told the others what they had seen, we too are invited to tell others what we have seen, or known, or experienced—in our life of faith, in our church community, in the power of faith at work in the world.
Somewhere along the line, good church people got the idea that “witnessing” had to do with converting people to Christianity. With that kind of expectation, the idea of sharing God’s story took on intimidating proportions, and began to look like street-corner preachers – including the ones who sometimes make us uncomfortable.
Starting with the joyful proclamation we will share on Easter Sunday, “Christ is Risen! Christ is Risen indeed!,” we will explore how we can be witnesses to the hope that lives within us. As we learn to talk about what we believe, and what guides our living and loving, we will learn about ways to pass on that story to other people in our lives. Do not be afraid. God’s story is meant to be shared!
from Paul McKenzie, Director of Music and Fine Arts
“I have seen the Lord,” said Mary Magdalene to the disciples.
“Were not our hearts burning within us…,” said the disciples on the road to Emmaus.
“He has been raised; he is not here,” said the angel.
“My Lord, and my God,” said a believing “Doubting” Thomas.
“Peace be with you,” said Jesus.
Through all of the Gospel lessons for the season of Easter we find people who encounter the risen Jesus. Some are amazed. Some are frightened. Some doubt. But in having the truth revealed to them, they are filled with joy - for the scriptures had been fulfilled and they believed. “Go and tell,” said the angel.
Our hymns for Easter are filled with joy. And why not? Easter is the most important celebration of the year. Some hymns admonish us to “go and tell.” Some remind us of the shedding of Christ’s blood, others make reference to the Jewish Passover, and others tell us of the music of the heavens at Christ’s resurrection. At the time of a death, there are Easter hymns that can support us. All of them bear an important message – to tell the story of Christ’s resurrection. The gospels and our hymnal are full of “go and tell” references. Which hymns tell this story best for you?
