One of the reasons I choose this internship is because I would get to work as part of a pastoral team. I felt I needed that experience becuase I feel my immediate post-graduation call is as an associate pastor.
The help that is needed is with a funeral service. The pastoral staff has two people on vacation, one is one the work camp with the Sr. High youth group, and the other is busy the day of the service. I have been asked to lead a grave-side service for a former member that has moved away but wished to be burried next to her husband here in town.
There seems to be a learning curve for funeral services... I waas just wondering if you all could give a few tips for someone leading their first grave-side service. What are some things you wish you would have known before your first service? Anything would be helpful at this point as I have never done this before.
Friday, June 23, 2006
Good News!
After having been told by my session that I should look for another church, there was something of an uprising among the the congregation. They prevailed upon the session to reconsider and last night the session voted to give me a contract through the coming school year. The session had based their previous decision on 'philosophical differences' because I was trying to get them to be an active church and they want to be an inactive church. To me, it was between obedience to the gospel and disobedience. Now that I have a contract, I will continue to bang my head against the wall throughout the coming year. (After a while, it almost feels good.)
Grace and Peace,
Ron
Grace and Peace,
Ron
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
Prayer Request
First I have to say what a joy to be able to have this community, even if it is online instead of live! I want to ask for your prayers this weekend as Ed and I go to do a neutral pulpit for two yoked churches in Lawton and Bronson Iowa. I had a neutral pulpit for Red Oak IA on June 11th which I am also still waiting to hear back on. Please pray for God's guidance and direction for us, and for my preaching this weekend. Thank you, dear friends in Christ, as your prayers mean so much to me!
Monday, June 19, 2006
Thoughts from Hughes at G.A.
Hello everyone,
I apologize for not posting on the blog before tonight, but I have been sorting through my feelings on what has happened here over the last few days. I'll try to share with you my thoughts on what has transpired here so far...
I have been serving on the Church Orders Committee. Our main overtures to deal with concerned ordination standards (G-6.0106b) and affirmations that marriage is for a man and woman. The first issue that we addressed was marriage. We handled three different overtures on this subject...the bad news is that my committee voted 30-28 against affirming that the Biblical witness for marriage is 1 man and 1 woman; the good news is that I got quoted on the Layman Online! If you click on the heading concerning marriage, you'll see me their in all my glory. Dr. Achtemeier congratulated me at the P.F.R. breakfast this morning on my baptism into the Layman! Dave's goal is to appear in a Layman headline (out of context) this week with his belief in a monotheiestic Mormon God (Or whatever they teach at Whitworth).
The committee did vote 30-28 in favor of upholding the current ordination standards. You all should have seen the witnesses that were paraded in front of us...One woman (an ordained PCUSA minister) claimed that God told her to leave her marriage of 14 years and become a lesbian; another woman (also a PCUSA minister) told us that she used to be a man, and has undergone a sex-change operation (she is now a family counselor in Atlanta!). I could go on and on. Regardless of where you stand on the ordination issue, these people are hurting very badly and in need of prayer and God's tender healing. I was nearly completely emotionally drained at the end of the day.
Plenary went well today. The G.A. adapted a resolution to create and distrubute sexual education curriculum that discusses all forms of sexuality, but only endorses heterosexual, married (1 man and 1 woman) sexual behavior.
Anyway, enough about sex. I ask that you all keep Dave, Dr. Achtemeier, and myself in your prayers as plenary meets tomorrow. Tomorrow is probably going to be very intense because the assembly is debating and voting on P.U.P., Christian marriage, and ordination standards.
Peace to you all,
Mark
P.S. I did see Gordon Jewett here (Dave's dad) and have heard many humorous stories of certain faculty members at U.D.T.S. from their friends here. I'll fill everybody in later.
I apologize for not posting on the blog before tonight, but I have been sorting through my feelings on what has happened here over the last few days. I'll try to share with you my thoughts on what has transpired here so far...
I have been serving on the Church Orders Committee. Our main overtures to deal with concerned ordination standards (G-6.0106b) and affirmations that marriage is for a man and woman. The first issue that we addressed was marriage. We handled three different overtures on this subject...the bad news is that my committee voted 30-28 against affirming that the Biblical witness for marriage is 1 man and 1 woman; the good news is that I got quoted on the Layman Online! If you click on the heading concerning marriage, you'll see me their in all my glory. Dr. Achtemeier congratulated me at the P.F.R. breakfast this morning on my baptism into the Layman! Dave's goal is to appear in a Layman headline (out of context) this week with his belief in a monotheiestic Mormon God (Or whatever they teach at Whitworth).
The committee did vote 30-28 in favor of upholding the current ordination standards. You all should have seen the witnesses that were paraded in front of us...One woman (an ordained PCUSA minister) claimed that God told her to leave her marriage of 14 years and become a lesbian; another woman (also a PCUSA minister) told us that she used to be a man, and has undergone a sex-change operation (she is now a family counselor in Atlanta!). I could go on and on. Regardless of where you stand on the ordination issue, these people are hurting very badly and in need of prayer and God's tender healing. I was nearly completely emotionally drained at the end of the day.
Plenary went well today. The G.A. adapted a resolution to create and distrubute sexual education curriculum that discusses all forms of sexuality, but only endorses heterosexual, married (1 man and 1 woman) sexual behavior.
Anyway, enough about sex. I ask that you all keep Dave, Dr. Achtemeier, and myself in your prayers as plenary meets tomorrow. Tomorrow is probably going to be very intense because the assembly is debating and voting on P.U.P., Christian marriage, and ordination standards.
Peace to you all,
Mark
P.S. I did see Gordon Jewett here (Dave's dad) and have heard many humorous stories of certain faculty members at U.D.T.S. from their friends here. I'll fill everybody in later.
GA Update III
The good news continues to flow from this year's GA. I can't tell you the number of people I have talked to who have said that they see a different spirit about this year's gathering. I continue to see the Holy Spirit in many ways. I also continue to enjoy meeting new people and developing new friendships from persons across the nation. I am particularly grateful for the new friendships forming with the other seminary students -- what a pleasant and welcome surprise!
Today, we voted to uphold a sexual education curriculum affirming that marriage is a covenant between a man and a woman. We also voted to send to Committee on Social Witness Policy a 'resolution' calling them to study the war torn country of Columbia and the surrounding issues. Originally, the 'resolution' called for immediate action that would have called for too much haste without knowing enough information. In many ways, it paralleled former recommendations to GA that had been previous approved (ie, divestment and declaring American soldiers as war criminals). We also "received" (vs. approved) the Trinity paper with an ammendment making the paper more palitable. The ammendment called for the requirement of the FAther/ Son/ Holy Spirit formula to be used in Baptism (in the paper, it implied this was optional). I am not pleased with the paper, but with the "received" language and the fact that the recommendation calls congregations to study it (vs. seeing it as authortative) I am not going to make a big fuss. I did read through the paper a couple of times and the majority of it is fine. In fact, some parts are very good.
On a side, for you presby's, our polity teacher was on the platform today as the assistant Parlimentarian!! It was pretty cool.
Finally, I ask for your prayers. Tomorrow (Tues) we will be addressing the PUP Report, the famous "ammendment b" (homosexual ordination), and the issue whether marriage is between a man and a woman. Please, be in prayer for all those present at the assembly -- for humility, discernment, clarity, love, etc. Pray for the way we go about the discussion. Pray that the result would be God's will for our church.
I close with the assurance that God is at work in the PC(USA). He is doing something new and something exciting.
Today, we voted to uphold a sexual education curriculum affirming that marriage is a covenant between a man and a woman. We also voted to send to Committee on Social Witness Policy a 'resolution' calling them to study the war torn country of Columbia and the surrounding issues. Originally, the 'resolution' called for immediate action that would have called for too much haste without knowing enough information. In many ways, it paralleled former recommendations to GA that had been previous approved (ie, divestment and declaring American soldiers as war criminals). We also "received" (vs. approved) the Trinity paper with an ammendment making the paper more palitable. The ammendment called for the requirement of the FAther/ Son/ Holy Spirit formula to be used in Baptism (in the paper, it implied this was optional). I am not pleased with the paper, but with the "received" language and the fact that the recommendation calls congregations to study it (vs. seeing it as authortative) I am not going to make a big fuss. I did read through the paper a couple of times and the majority of it is fine. In fact, some parts are very good.
On a side, for you presby's, our polity teacher was on the platform today as the assistant Parlimentarian!! It was pretty cool.
Finally, I ask for your prayers. Tomorrow (Tues) we will be addressing the PUP Report, the famous "ammendment b" (homosexual ordination), and the issue whether marriage is between a man and a woman. Please, be in prayer for all those present at the assembly -- for humility, discernment, clarity, love, etc. Pray for the way we go about the discussion. Pray that the result would be God's will for our church.
I close with the assurance that God is at work in the PC(USA). He is doing something new and something exciting.
Celebration & sadness!
Despite the denominational ramifications, I invite you all as my dear brothers & sisters in Christ to celebrate with my family and I.
I have just accepted an irresistible and undeniably God-given call to pastor the dear people of God at Third Pres right here in lovely ol’ Dubuque!
I have just sent you all a detailed email about these momentous decisions, so I ask that you please take the time to read it in order to protect and preserve our ongoing friendship, fellowship, and partnership in Christ.
Celebrating in the wild grace of our triune God,
Chris
I have just accepted an irresistible and undeniably God-given call to pastor the dear people of God at Third Pres right here in lovely ol’ Dubuque!
I have just sent you all a detailed email about these momentous decisions, so I ask that you please take the time to read it in order to protect and preserve our ongoing friendship, fellowship, and partnership in Christ.
Celebrating in the wild grace of our triune God,
Chris
Sunday, June 18, 2006
GA Update II: It's Not All Bad
Very soon, if not already, I am sure many affiliation groups will begin publishing material that purports negative aspects about the PC (USA). I want to assure any of you who are disenheartened that it is not all bad. There are two surprising experiences I would like to share.
1) I have been very surprised by the sense of community in my committee. For being a committee on GA Procedures and for only just meeting one another two days ago, I would have never guessed there would be a "community" formed. Granted, it was nothing like the intimate small groups I have been a part of, but it was far more than I expected. I walk away from the committee with many new friendships -- people I never would have met before, and with whom I am united because of the bond of the Spirit. It was a joy working with them. Everyone had both a tremendous respect for the issues at hand (however monotonous, technical, or tedious) and a tremendous respect for one another. I can truly say the Spirit was at work in our committee (not that he isn't in others, but hopefuly you understand!).
2) Sitting up in the second level of the arena I watched in awe, as people around the arena took part in the Lord's Supper. People from all over -- Korea, Nevada, Congo , Rhode Island and elsewhere. People from urban areas, rural areas, and suburban areas. People of all types, races, and opinions. All of these taking part in the Lord's Supper. Scanning the auditorium, I am constantly drawn to the communion table that is in the shape of the cross and takes up nearly the entire floor of the arena. This is an amazing event of the anticipation of the heavenly banquet. As we pass the plate and dip our piece of bread, the sounds of great hymns flood our ears in English and an African dialect. It is truly a worship experience I will never forget. (I only wish I could describe it better.)
Friends in Christ, know that there are great things going on in our denomination. God is not done with the PC (USA).
1) I have been very surprised by the sense of community in my committee. For being a committee on GA Procedures and for only just meeting one another two days ago, I would have never guessed there would be a "community" formed. Granted, it was nothing like the intimate small groups I have been a part of, but it was far more than I expected. I walk away from the committee with many new friendships -- people I never would have met before, and with whom I am united because of the bond of the Spirit. It was a joy working with them. Everyone had both a tremendous respect for the issues at hand (however monotonous, technical, or tedious) and a tremendous respect for one another. I can truly say the Spirit was at work in our committee (not that he isn't in others, but hopefuly you understand!).
2) Sitting up in the second level of the arena I watched in awe, as people around the arena took part in the Lord's Supper. People from all over -- Korea, Nevada, Congo , Rhode Island and elsewhere. People from urban areas, rural areas, and suburban areas. People of all types, races, and opinions. All of these taking part in the Lord's Supper. Scanning the auditorium, I am constantly drawn to the communion table that is in the shape of the cross and takes up nearly the entire floor of the arena. This is an amazing event of the anticipation of the heavenly banquet. As we pass the plate and dip our piece of bread, the sounds of great hymns flood our ears in English and an African dialect. It is truly a worship experience I will never forget. (I only wish I could describe it better.)
Friends in Christ, know that there are great things going on in our denomination. God is not done with the PC (USA).
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