I have to be careful. I have seen my friends and even mentors in the ministry try to make a point of something they have seen out in the world, only to be misunderstood in their efforts. But I was so dumbfounded by what I saw the other day that I feel it is worth the risk.
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One of the great, epic stories from ancient Greece tells the story of Odysseus, trying to return home from battle but on the way faced near-impossible challenges of morals, strength, emotion, and wits. Before left behind a wife, Penelope, and a son, Telemachus. But before he left, he asked a friend to take the lead in helping his son grow and mature. That friend’s name was Mentor. Around the same time our own scriptures tell how Moses, in the wilderness, receives wise counsel from Jethro in a role we would all agree today was that of mentor to learner (Exodus 18).
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Robert Frost once wrote, “Home is the place where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in.” While Frost was referring to a fictional character, returning to a familiar place to spend his last hours, I believe the same truth applies to us in the real world for the whole of our lives.
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Do you remember Victor Kiam’s famous phrase, “I loved it so much I bought the company”? He was referring to his first Remington electric shaver, which his wife bought for him years before. This was the tag-line in commercials throughout the 80′s. He liked the product so much, he literally bought the company. That is what I call taking ownership!
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A few weeks back, I opened the teaching in worship with an illustration about an overpriced mansion in Door County, Wisc. I said that it would be a tough sell anywhere in this housing market, but the fact that the $23 million estate was located in Wisconsin made it doubly hard, despite the pet mausoleum that came with the property! I went on to suggest that this was anything but a destination for celebrities, vacations or retirement.
I was wrong. My friend Katherine, who had sat there quietly that morning and listened, dropped some information on my desk later that week about any number of resorts there, a great community for the arts, and some of the other reasons that make Door County the “Cape Cod of the Midwest.” Who knew?
I want to apologize to everyone from the Door County Chamber of Tourism … But seriously, this vacation destination suffers from what many worthy groups already know – if people do not know about you then they will most likely never visit. It is all about visibility.
The same is true for the church, but with a twist. Tens of thousands in this community know things about Epworth – they just don’t know you are a part of Epworth. They know you attend church, and practice living your faith in your daily walk, but not that your faith is being shaped constantly here in worship, study and service. They know you, but don’t know you are Epworth. I love it when folks within the church introduce me as their pastor – but I hope people are talking about their church just as much or more when their pastor is not around.
Our location here in the tall trees of this great neighborhood makes visibility for our church a challenge. It is a challenge that our leadership talk about regularly. But our best assets – not buildings or property – are visible every hour of every day in front of the most important people in the world – our neighbors. You are our best asset. You are worth coming to see.
<blockquote><a href=”http://thealbanyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/ScottHagan.jpg”><img class=”alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-4378″ title=”ScottHagan” src=”http://thealbanyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/ScottHagan-150×150.jpg” alt=”" width=”150″ height=”150″ /></a>Former Albany resident Scott Hagan is pastor of Epworth United Methodist Church in Columbus, Ga. He served until 2007 as associate pastor of First United Methodist Church in Albany, where helped to oversee missions and the young adult and contemporary worship ministries. </blockquote>
I was sitting in my office late in the day, when half a dozen or more folks walked past my office and said hello. I kept about my work of learning that comes with starting new at a church. I am listening, asking questions, and attempting to study any of a thousand aspects of the ministries and efforts of this great church. It is mind-blowing, and thoroughly inspiring, to learn everyday of the many varied ways this church cares for its people and this community.
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The days seem long, but not long enough to get it all done, do they? Pressing needs get met, and those not-so-pressing get “prioritized” to another day. “There will be more time tomorrow,” we tell ourselves, and there might be.
Except of course, daytime started shrinking this week. With the arrival of the summer solstice, we begin the gradual shortening of days and lengthening of nights all the way to December. We all remember from science class that it occurs exactly when the Earth’s axial tilt is most inclined towards the sun at its maximum of 23°26′ … well, maybe some of us cannot remember that far back. But it happened on Monday morning, at 7:48 a.m.
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I pulled out my phone just before the start of worship on a recent Sunday to check the time, as they are synced up with towers and satellites. So it was to my surprise that after worship I noticed a large, ominous black spot on the display where just an hour before I had seen the time and a picture of my two boys. At some point in worship the display on my phone broke.
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I pulled out my phone just before the start of worship this past Sunday to check the time, as they are synced up with towers and satellites. So it was to my surprise that after worship I noticed a large, ominous black spot on the display where just an hour before I has seen the time and a picture of my two boys. At some point in worship the display on my phone broke.
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