by Jason Byassee
Jason Byassee
Several of you have asked about the trips I have taken with folks from Boone Methodist. I’m delighted to share a little.
I believe deeply in the Christian practice of pilgrimage–that is, traveling together to meet God. A pilgrimage is different than a trip. With a trip you go the fastest way possible. With a pilgrimage you go expecting to come back different. It is hard to say in advance precisely how Jesus will meet you on a pilgrimage. Some are expected–where you’re going, with whom, what the purpose is. Others are not–God is always a surprise.
This church has a long history of pilgrimage, even though we haven’t necessarily used the word. We have sent mission teams to Guatemala for more than a decade. We have sent pilgrims to Walk to Emmaus retreats for decades. These have come back ready to work for the renewal of our congregation in ways that have brought new life to all of us. I was grateful to participate in Emmaus about a year ago and to see for myself what a blessing it’s been to so many. Our youth ministry has hiked Wilderness Trail for a week in a trip that has transformed countless teenagers’ lives. A newer pilgrimage is one several of us have gone on to see the work of Zoe in action in Rwanda.
This year I have invited a handful of you each to travel with me to Mepkin Abbey outside Charleston, South Carolina, to Hope College in Holland Michigan, and to Israel. These have had different goals. The Trappist monastery is a place where monks–professional praying people–fulfill the Psalmist’s promise to praise God “seven times a day” (Ps. 119:164). I have found that the monks have taught me how to pray in ways I never imagined before. Those who have gone with me have found something similar. The trip to Hope didn’t initially have pilgrims thanking me (Michigan in November–woo hoo!). Several leaders of our 8:45 worshiping community traveled to witness The Gathering at Hope College, a campus ministry in an ornate gothic church that draws more than 1000 students per week. We also worshiped at Pilgrim Reformed Church in Holland Michigan and took back copious notes from each place. If you’ve noticed 8:45 worship has been rich lately, thank those who went and have led differently since. Our Israel group had a remarkable time seeing places Jesus and the disciples touched, walked in, prayed in, and died in. I trust those who have gone on each trip will never be the same.
I myself have always loved to travel, and have found leading pilgrimages to be a way to travel that blesses our church. They remind us that life is a pilgrimage. If we have our eyes open God will constantly surprise us.
If you have interest in these or another pilgrimage please let me know. I warn you–you won’t come back the same.
We have some noteworthy changes coming to our pastoral staff. The most significant is that Denise Stanley will step away from her regular office work as our communications director. She has lent countless hours to this work and has made our staff and entire church better for it–be sure to thank her. We will have to make a hire part-time to replace her. She isn’t going anywhere! She and Charles just want more time to devote to their family at this important stage of its life. She will continue to serve in our church in countless areas and in individual projects on behalf of the staff.
Patti Connelly has agreed to serve as a volunteer Director of Adult Ministries starting January 1. Patti is seeking ordination as a Methodist deacon in West Virginia and has been serving among our older adults as a volunteer for some months now. As with all our pastors she will not do the work alone. She will see that we all do the work together. Please see Patti or email her with ideas for helping folks from early retirement age to 100 to see the face of God and become more like Him.
by Jason Byassee
Jason Byassee
I’ve never liked the bumper sticker, “God kissed the earth and called it Boone.” Don’t get me wrong–I love Boone. But the slogan undoes one of my favorite traits of North Carolinians: we’re humble. Wataugans included! But maybe there is something to this kissing the earth thing.
The first time I saw the Church of the Nativity, 20 years ago, I was underwhelmed. It’s old, cramped, dank–while it’s cool that Christians have worshiped there since the 300s, it’s really really old. Its worshipers are mostly Eastern Orthodox, whose dark icons and drab clerical wear and overwrought decoration didn’t appeal to me spiritually. Still don’t. Being there again this time reminded me of these shortfalls. The small door to the outside I preached on Sunday is terrific. The cramped mash of people heading to the spot of Christ’s birth is claustrophobia-inducing. Some parts of the holy land are not so awesome.
But I remember seeing her: an older woman speaking a language I didn’t understand. She threw herself on the stone floor of the Nativity, arms extended in prayer, and she kissed the place where, tradition has it, Christ was born. She kissed it over and over. The place itself is a silver star with 14 points for the 14 generations mentioned in Matthew between Abraham and David, 14 more between David and the Babylonian exile, and 14 more before the birth of Christ (remember all the “begats”?). As she kissed the star, I kept wondering, do they ever clean that thing?! But I also thought something else. This woman knows how to worship. I don’t know who she was or what country she came from. And it didn’t matter. She recognized Jesus. And I look forward to learning more about her in His presence one day.
The holidays approach. We are in our standard end-of-the-year money crunch, needing a strong conclusion to the church’s financial year to meet our financial obligations for 2014. We are collecting pledge cards for 2015 giving, hoping to improve on the half million or so pledged for 2014 against a budget of $1.2 million. We are also planning to worship–we have our Thanksgiving meal on Sunday evening November 23, our Advent Festival approaches the week following, November 30. We will worship during Advent with a healing service, likely on December 21, we will worship 5 times on Christmas Eve (4 especially for small children, 6 for all ages, 8 at Blackburn’s, 8 with lessons and carols, 11 with candlelight, communion at all). School will get cancelled, family will arrive or we’ll travel, work will stop, and the earth will exhale a little. The holidays are grueling and magic both. You know what I mean.
It is all good and it all has to happen. Which leads me back to the woman kissing the ground in Bethlehem. Who knows if this is the spot? Unlike our western imagination, which has Jesus born in a wooden building like a barn, places for animals in that part of the Middle East are usually caves. We saw caves throughout Israel and these would have been used as stables. The Church of the Nativity is built on a cave, purportedly the one in which Mary bore the One who bore the universe. The woman I saw 20 years ago was bearing in her spirit the One whom Mary bore in her body.
We don’t know of course whether this was the spot. As is often said in Israel ‘If it wasn’t here, it was certainly within a few hundred yards of here!’ But this is the heart of the incarnation. God kissed the earth and called it “salvation.” And that’s not just what brings us joy at Christmas. It’s what makes it worth getting out of the bed every single day of our lives.
by Jason Byassee
Jason Byassee
As I write I’m getting ready to be a pilgrim to Israel with a half dozen of y’all from October 21-31. The children prayed for us Sunday and off we go to walk where Jesus did. We covet your prayers and look forward to telling you our stories when we return.
The Christian practice of pilgrimage was born from trips like this–the faithful wanting to be in the place that God quite literally walked, to see the holy places, to come back different, transformed. The church realized that pilgrimage is a faithful practice because our whole lives are a pilgrimage. If we don’t come back home to God changed, we haven’t been paying attention.
You will be well “covered” pastorally while I’m gone. Jeff McClain will, as ever, see that pastoral care is done for those in need; Vern Collins will help him in that regard. If you call the church office to speak to a pastor you may also find yourself engaging with Colette Krontz, Andy Ellis, Brandon Wrencher–we are blessed with an abundance of pastoral staff and an even greater abundance of talent. My wife Jaylynn will preach our UMW Sunday on the 26th and Brandon will preach November 9. You’ll hear testimonies in the sanctuary services each of the next 6 weeks for our Cycle of Life series.
On October 26th we’ll commemorate All Saints Day, historically on November 1, moved up here for our Stewardship Sunday on November 2nd. We’ll light candles for those we’ve lost in the past year. I always think on this day of those I’ve loved who are now with God. And I take heart they pray for us now. Please come preparing to light a candle that day. The next Sunday November 2nd we’ll process forward again this time to offer our pledge cards and make a promise to God about what we’ll give in 2015 as we receive from God what cost him so much–the body of his Son. What an act of faith to plan what we’ll be giving over an entire year that is not yet, but which will come, God willing. Thank you for joining me in these adventures.
Another upcoming even to share is our Fall Festival. We used to call this Trunk or Treat and have our kids trick or treat in our parking lot out of the back of our cars (tailgates are well-used around here aren’t they?!). This time we’ll have the event in our gym with games, face painting, a meal and, of course, candy. This would be a perfect even to which to invite a friend on Halloween, please see your bulletin for more info.
Finally, for now, this: I’m struck by how invisible our pastoral staff’s work is. They are working hard, but if they’re doing it right most of us won’t see it. I think of long hours in hospital waiting rooms, preparing for difficult sermons or lessons, meeting with families or friends or others who are our mission, attending sports events or bedsides of nursing homes. Since this work is invisible, it might help if you have a chance to come along and see it. I got the idea of a “ride around” from Sgt. Bobby Creed of Boone’s PD with whom I’ve taken a shift or two (until I wear out at 4 AM!). So if you’d like to spend a day with me or one of our other pastoral staff we’d be honored. Let me or any of us know. It’ll help you pray for us better. And will help us pray for you.
Which is our job, after all, as long as we are on this pilgrimage together, isn’t it?
by Jason Byassee
Jason Byassee
I’m grateful for several sightings of life abundant in our midst lately.
I spent time with a young woman recently who has felt rejected by other churches. She has been homeless at times after a heart-breakingly difficult upbringing. She is student age now, but not in school, she is working to stay housed, to make money to return to community college. She came to our church promising to give Christianity one last chance, but no more. I asked what we did to help her meet Jesus anew, become part of a church again, find her way into a job, to housing. “You let me be who I am,” she said. Seems simple, but it’s life-changing. And we are really good at that.
Our community in Todd, Blackburn’s Chapel, continues to bear fruit in ways we couldn’t have planned. Recently two college students stood and testified about the change in their lives from attending our church there. One has been our piano player for worship. She brought her friend, and both have found faith again in ways they did not anticipate. Blackburn’s is starting a new Sunday School class. It’s aimed at longtime Todd residents, not really at the student demographic. But both girls told Pastor Brandon they’d be back for the first Sunday School class. “We can’t wait,” they exclaimed. This worshiping community of ours, which costs not a single dime to our Boone campus, continues to bear fruit for us.
We recently had our annual fall Bazaar, and every year I hear new stories of faithfulness from our 30 year history. Ron Henries told me of a woman years ago whose family lost everything in a fire. She turned up with an empty station wagon and returned home with it full, on us. The Bazaar is about more than the money we raise to reduce our debt and the tithe of our earnings we give for local missions. It is also about the huge amount of grace we invest in our community through gift cards to local social workers and charities. I met one family that weekend whom I had previously invited to worship. She said she would attend sometime, but has not yet on Sunday morning. Then there they were in our building–for the Bazaar. Clearly this was an easier first step than coming for a worship service. A step offered for them to climb toward God, by virtue of a sale that turns garbage into mission. Amazing.
I met with a man lately whose family is moving toward joining our church. He had a few questions. He has doubts at times. He’s not near as good as he feels Christians should be. And he has had other churches look down on him. I was proud to report that our church is really good at not being judgmental, at accepting all people wherever we are. “Everybody everywhere matters,” we say, and believe, and act accordingly. He cried a little. “You really mean you think your church would have me and my family?” Yes, I replied, because Jesus adores you all and wants to draw closer to you. I’ve rarely felt more proud of our congregation.
Except maybe this one time. We’ve all heard about the tragic death of Anna Smith at Appalachian. Her family had her confirmed in a Methodist congregation in the High Point area. And the day after her body was discovered, her father worshiped in our church. He told me how grateful he was for ours as a place of refuge for him. I expressed our sorrow to him, and our admiration at his courage for coming to worship. He told me about the tattoo she had, visible in her photos. “Contrary to popular belief, she did not get that to please her father,” he joked. It was a sunflower. She had considered this carefully–a sunflower can grow alone or in groups, it turns and faces the sun all the time. “And I came into your church today and saw that beautiful arrangement of sunflowers,” he said (thank you Mary Carolyn Abernathy and God bless you Cheryl Marshbanks, in whose honor they were there!). He saw those flowers and gave thanks.
Signs of life are all around us. Let’s stop and give thanks occasionally. And keep turning toward the sun.
by Jason Byassee
Jason Byassee
The church is one of the only places in culture where people of multiple generations make our lives together. This is the way God wants it. Augustine addresses God in prayer this way: “Beauty ever ancient, ever new.” I think here of an early church martyr named Polycarp who was ordered by the Romans to curse Christ. “I have followed him eighty-six years and he has done me no wrong. How can I curse my king who saved me?” I think too of John the Baptist leaping in his mother Elizabeth’s womb. The church stretches from the not-yet-born to those on the cusp of the next life.
This is also really difficult. Younger and older folks often struggle to understand one another. We all know this in our own families. Why would we think the church would be any different?
Yet it is crucial that all ages become God’s church together. Scripture promises that Israel’s “sons and daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams and your young shall see visions” (Joel 2:28). This is fulfilled in the church at Pentecost according to Acts 2. How can the church be, like God, ever ancient and ever new?
I was delighted when Arnold Lester joined our church recently and added to our north-of-90 set. I am struck how often they tell me how pleased they are to see younger folks at our church. Bill Dixon, of blessed memory, used to know every child’s name at our church. Buck Robbins, also of blessed memory, was an advocate for children his whole life here. This church stood in for him when he had no father of his own, so he knew in his bones the church must be a surrogate parent for today’s young. When Gene Ammons joined us as one of our retired ministers he pointed to the regular infant baptisms we do as a reason. And when Leveda Law started worshiping as a retired missionary some of her fastest connections came among our young families.
I have been pleased with the way older members of our church have leapt in and joined me in leadership. I have asked for their help, being keenly aware of my own inexperience. Five of our most important committees are ad council, finance, missions, trustees, and staff-parish. Two of those groups have the same leader I inherited. The other three saw as their first new leader after I came someone decades older than the person in that chair when I arrived. All have been a privilege to work with.
Our visioning group, which has yielded our new mission language, is both seasoned and new. John Thomas has been one of the most active leaders in that group. Bob Dunnigan was gracious to lend his effort early on. Jim Deal and Bobby Sharp and Susan Jones have decades of leadership at our church. Even some of the younger folks, like Michaele Haas and Kelly Broman-Fulks, have nearly four decades of experience at our church between them. Altogether that group has more than 200 years of membership at our church.
One of the most exciting proposals that group has had, about which you will hear much much more, is for an elder care facility in our town. Part of our excitement is that a similar facility in West Jefferson intentionally puts their elders in relationship to their preschool kids. What a glimpse of the church–making our life together across four generations, dreaming dreams and seeing visions, becoming the church God dreams about.
