March 31, 2015
Metro Chr Convention “Going Beyond the Walls”
Earlier this month, I enjoyed participating in the annual Metro Christian Convention of NYC area Restoration Movement churches. My family actively supported the Metro when we served at East Northport Christian Church, and I’ve continued to make the drive from Maryland for as many of them as possible.
This year’s theme was “Going Beyond the Walls”, and my workshop combined the concepts of using social media for outreach and neighborhood (small) groups for discipleship. Here are the notes from my session.
June 16, 2014
YWHW Jireh the God Who Provides
This study guide is for those wanting to discuss MCC’s weekend message “YHWH Jireh the God Who Provides” from the series “A.K.A. God”
Ben Cachiaras (live at Mountain Rd campus and videocast at Bel Air campus) and Luke Erickson (live at Edgewood campus) shared two examples of God providing through Mountain Christian: Renaissance Church in Harlem (featured in Jordan and Jessica Rice’s presentation at MCC earlier this year), and Orchard Group’s Philadelphia church plant.
March 10, 2014
God Is Still Whispering – Even When We Stop Listening
I (still) ♥ NY — even after more than nine years serving at MCC 🙂 This weekend, Jordan and Jessica Rice of Renaissance Church (Harlem Church Plant of Orchard Group church planting) shared a little about their upcoming church plant, and a lot about God’s presence in our lives — even in the toughest times.
Jordan and Jessica Rice from Mountain Christian Church on Vimeo.
Jordan and Jessica’s testimony is a great match to where we are in the Story — the inter-testamental time between chapters 21 and 22, between the Old and New Testament:
Silence, stuck-ness, Story seems over, God is absent, not hearing from God. Is He still there? Out of the silence came the birth of Jesus, God’s new good news and out of the dead space in all of our lives, Jesus can come and be born in us anew and help our lives be new — whatever our circumstances.
Because this week isn’t covered in the Story resources, here is a study guide for groups and individuals.
February 17, 2014
Community Christian Church NYC
Mountain graciously gives its pastoral staff “1 of 8” weekends away from weekend service responsibilities at Mountain. We can use the 1 of 8 to attend MCC services (in theory with no responsibilities — but in practice, for me at least, difficult because if people see me, they ask me questions 🙂 ); worship with another congregation or Christian gathering (NACC or ECC !!!); or serve at another congregation. Because preaching and teaching “refill my tank” I sometimes use my 1 of 8 to serve elsewhere. This weekend, I team-taught w/ my mom at Community Chr Church NYC. Most of the work on the outline is mom’s 🙂
November 3, 2012
Storm Relief NYC trip #1
I’m still a little behind on sleep after a hectic last two days:
- getting a physical for MD Dept of Transportation to drive a box truck
- early voting for this year’s election (keeping in mind MCC’s message this weekend on voting)
- speaking at MCC’s Celebrate Recovery Fri PM on recovery step of “Gratitude” (very appropriate for the season)
- helping load two box trucks and two pickups filled with relief supplies
- mapping route for our relief convoy – including trying to find open gas stations along the way 😉
- 11p departure from MCC
- by-pass a NJ gas station that was open but had a 40-50 vehicle waiting line!!!
- arrive at St Jacobi Lutheran in Brooklyn
- unload – took much longer because we only had our own team (8 drivers and co-drivers), the community relief organization coordinator, and two other guys who showed up under “unusual circumstances.”
- Drive back to MD – finally arriving back at around 8a at Mountain Christian Church – hacing my first experience (safely! no damage!) driving the box truck loaned by one of MCC’s generous members.
Here’s Tom Moen’s video of the community org guy and some footage of the relief supplies distribution center a/k/a church basement. I’ll have more reflections to come, especially since I’m part of another trip departing Monday – more info from Ben Cachiaras’ blog post.
November 1, 2012
NYC storm aftermath and MCC Milligan interns
Two weeks ago, I took six MCC interns from the Milligan Semester in Ministry program to visit NYC. They enjoyed the sight-seeing, like some family favorites I showed them (Central Park, St Patrick’s Cathedral, Ellen’s Stardust Diner, etc.), but my primary emphasis was connecting them with NYC church planters. Limited by the clock, we could only squeeze in four meetings (and meals!) with friends in some of the most recent Orchard Group church plants, including Everyday Church (of course – my sis-in-law and bro-in-law are part of the team! and “best-selling” author Chris Travis) and Forefront Brooklyn (newest OG plant, led by “we’ve known each other a long time but we’ll pretend we’re not that old” Jonathan Williams).
Midtown lights Downtown dark after superstorm Sandy
During lunch today, I reminded them about our trip – and highlighted two points: some of the places we saw had been deluged by superstorm Sandy, and the church teams we met were in the forefront (pun intended) of relief work.
“Say what you want about religion, but NYC churches are leading the way in #sandy relief efforts” – Lane Wood’s Twitter
“In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16 (NIV)
April 2, 2011
Going Beyond in NYC – Metro Chr Convention 2011
I presented 2 workshops last Saturday at an annual Saturday gathering of Restoration Movement Christians in the NYC region. My family & I have been participating in the Metro for years, way back to its early days when we would make the long drive from Ohio to participate. My two topics this year grew from the Convention theme of “Going Beyond in NYC” – itself an adaption from last year‘s North American Chr Convention. You can download notes from the “Going Beyond in Discipleship” session (answer key at bottom of sheet). The “Going Beyond in Technology” was deliberately more free form, because I guessed that the participants would come w/ different levels of tech interest for themselves and their congregations. The discussion focused on:
- using YouVersion (my specific user account including my notes) for an online Bible resource, including reading plans;
- Twitter to communicate by texting, especially for congregations whose members used text more than email or web;
- blogs for posting lessons and news 🙂
As readers of this blog can guess, we barely scratched the surface of using tech for ministry: databases, Facebook, security, etc. – but if anyone has thoughts, feel free comment on this post 🙂
May 21, 2010
NYC: great multitude no one could count – especially on the roads!
attenders connecting after sessions at the Metro Chr Convention, including main speaker Clay Perkins (MACU)
Last month for the Metro Christian Convention, this time to drive oldest daughter and Heather as guests for a Long Island-style Sweet Sixteen = long-suffering through NYC traffic 😦 But worth it both times!
Dr James Hamer, minister @ East Northport Christian (where Heather & I served for 10 years), reflects:
The Metro Christian Convention . . . in Queens was truly a microcosm of the picture given by John: “After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb.” (Revelation 7:9) With regard to East Northport Christian Church, there is represented in our congregation: Romania, Russia, Italy, Philippines, Germany, Puerto Rico, and plain people like myself! (Maybe missed one or two)
Though the attendance of the Metro is only a tiny fraction of the North American Christian Convention or (larger fraction) of the Eastern Christian Convention , my guess is that proportionally, the Metro is the most ethnically diverse gathering in the Restoration Movement. I hadn’t been back since we moved to Maryland, but seeing many friends from days gone by made it worth the traffic 🙂
April 20, 2010
ServeFest 2010 OR Metro Chr Conv – choose only one
Can’t be two places at once – often a ministry dilemma (occasionally a family one, too), especially at a thriving church like MCC. Here’s a recap of the Good Morning Maryland @ 9 segment on the Baltimore county version of this year’s ServeFest, including video. Heather & my girls will be volunteering w/ dozens of MCC students and adult sponsors at the Equestrian Center, and then over to MCC’s Mountain Rd campus for the ServeFest tailgate party.
Meanwhile, I’ll be attending the Metro Christian Convention in Queens NYC. Our family used to attend every year when we lived on Long Island, but I’ve not participated since we moved to Maryland five years ago. I’ll be passing along information about this year’s North American Christian Convention and Eastern Christian Convention while I’m at the Metro, as well as spending the day w/ my parents and sister – worthwhile to be sure, but another day when I would like to be in two places at once 🙂
November 7, 2009
Three Flavors of Celebration
Heather & I celebrated the 80th birthday of a MCC friend last night – certainly the largest (by attendance) birthday party I’ve ever attended 🙂 Among the many humorous and touching tributes to a woman of God who has blessed many around her, MCC’s senior pastor Ben Cachiaras closed the evening with a blessing to her in the form of the Apostle Paul’s prayer from Ephesians 3:14-21.
Earlier yesterday, at a slightly larger gathering 150 miles north Yankee fans celebrated the team’s World Series victory with a parade. Though I’m an avid Yankees fan, I didn’t make any of the 1996, 1998-2000 parades; I think I’ll reserve my crushed-in-a-sea-of-millions NY experience for one of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parades 🙂
Yankees’ manager Joe Girardi celebrated victory in a very different way, by helping a stranded motorist on the Cross County Parkway – I’ve driven the Cross County and he’s compassionate & brave, even if not quite to the degree of another traveler who stopped to help someone he didn’t know. I remember following him from his first days as a Yankee, including my joy at learning more about Girardi’s strong but not overly-confrontational faith.
More Better Tools for the Journey 