In recent days, I’ve heard stories from church members who are wondering: “So what’s up with our Spiritual Transformation Journey?  Are we done?”  I know that for some of you, it feels like our spiritual journey has stalled.  While it is true that I have not talked or preached much about our spiritual journey this summer, it isn’t because we’ve ended this journey with a whimper.  Far from it!  My relative silence on this topic is due to the fact that I myself needed to go through a period of discernment and “incubation” so that I might be clear about what God is asking of me in this new phase of our journey.  I spent parts of this summer reading, learning, praying, going on personal retreats—all for the sake of allowing God to reveal to me a clearer vision of our future.

As the summer draws to a close, so too ends my time of personal discernment.  And today, I’m happy to announce that I’m more excited about our church’s spiritual journey than ever before!  I might even dare to say that, during my time of discernment this summer, I feel like I have seen the Promised Land!  I now have much greater clarity about the next steps of our journey, and I am excited and eager to lead the congregation to discern the specifics of what it means for Farmville Baptist to be the presence of Christ outside our walls.  And I plan to share in detail my current understanding of God’s future for us in my September sermon series called “Gifts for the Journey.”

One main premise of “Gifts for the Journey” is my conviction that God has already gifted or is presently gifting us with everything we need to live into God’s future for us.  God has gifted us with Jesus’ own mission to bless and redeem the world.  God has gifted us with a “divine discontent” that refuses to settle for the way we “do church” today.  God is offering to us the gift of knowing and befriending our neighbors through lives of radical hospitality.  And God is inviting us to offer to our neighbors the gift of our lives—our time, our money, our listening ear, our helping hand—so that we might truly learn what it means to love our neighbor as ourselves.  As you take steps to live out God’s gifts for the journey, I am convinced that God will reveal to you your role in God’s future story for Farmville Baptist just as God is revealing to me what my role will be.  I have already come to realize that my role will NOT involve telling you what God’s plan is for you.  My role as Pastor is to encourage you on your journey, to help you discover God’s plan for yourself, to equip you to follow that plan, and then to bless and release you to actually live it out!

Speaking about gifts for the journey, I also want to acknowledge how we have been blessed by the gifts of Anita Lynn in her role as Choir Director.  She will be stepping down from that role at the end of this month so that she can focus on her new teaching job.  Let us take the time to express our appreciation to Anita for her leadership with our sanctuary and bell choirs.  Let us thank Sandy Yeatts for her willingness to serve as our interim sanctuary choir director.  Let us pray for our Personnel Committee as they search for God’s person to lead in this role as we enter into a new phase in our church’s spiritual journey!

Journeying on, Michael

The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught.  Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest” (Mark 6:30-31).

Well, summer is finally here, and this is a time when many of us go on vacations or try to live life at a slightly slower pace.  As I read and meditated on the above passage from Mark 6, it dawned on me that many times, we’re so busy doing things for Jesus that we don’t have time to spend with Jesus!  Yet, our Lord desires for us to go with Him to a quiet place and get some rest.

As I look back on this year so far, we’ve done a lot here at Farmville Baptist.  By the time you read this, our VBS will just have finished, and I am thankful for Cindy Cave and Sarah Thompson, who co-directed our VBS and for all our volunteers!  We could not have done it without them!  But this passage in Mark reminds me that while there is a time to work hard, and there is also a time to rest in the presence of Jesus.  William C. Martin wrote the following meditation for pastors, but I think his wise words can apply to everyone.

If you fill your calendar with important appointments

you will have no time for God.

If you fill your spare time with essential reading

you will starve your soul.

If you fill your mind with worry

about budgets and offerings,

the pains in your chest and the ache in your shoulders

will betray you.

If you try to conform to the expectations of those around you

you will be forever their slave.

Work a modest day

then step back and rest.

This will keep you close to God.

(William C. Martin, The Art of Pastoring: Contemplative Reflections, p. 9.)

Martin encourages us to take a long, prayerful, meditative look at our calendars and ask ourselves:  Who are we trying to impress?  God?  Our boss?  Ourselves?  What would it look like if we cut some big chunks of each week for family, rest, meditation, prayer and flower sniffing?

This summer, I’m going to try to explore Martin’s questions and follow his advice, and you are welcome to hold me accountable!  This summer, may you also find time to go with Jesus by yourself to a quiet place and get some rest!

Resting in Christ, Michael

Pastor’s note: The following column was written by Julie Gaines, our youth ministry intern.  Even though it was originally written for our youth, I thought it was very applicable to our church as a whole.  And so, it is with pleasure that I publish Julie’s column here.

A few weeks ago, Pastor Cheuk showed a video in service about how people tend to think of the church as a place to go on Sunday and not as the group of people that attend said place.  I know that I’ve been guilty of this in the past, and I’m sure most of you would agree that you have as well.  It’s what we’re taught as children, as evidenced in the nursery rhyme “Here is the church-here is the steeple-open it up and see all the people.”  However, this “model” or idea of what church is isn’t working for most of America.  I personally find it easier to isolate church and my faith as a separate part of my life when I think of church as the building we have on Main Street or the activities that I am part of on Sundays.

This past Sunday at my home church, University Baptist in Charlottesville, my pastor talked about how we sometimes talk about “my church” or “our church” doing things a certain way.  He suggested that we need to be mindful of the fact that every follower of Christ is a member of the church at large, regardless of location, denomination, or any other factor; we’re all working towards the same goal—being a community of broken people who share life’s struggles and triumphs, who continually strive to become more Christ-like, and to share God’s unfathomably grand love with the world.  When we begin to remove labels and anything that divides us, we learn quickly that we have much more in common with the guy next to us than not.

A friend of mine who is a youth minister in Richmond gave me a t-shirt a while back that said “Love God. Love others. Worry about the rest later.”  So many times, I clutter my life with various activities and work, and it becomes all too easy to lose sight of what Christ wants for my life.  I complicate things very easily-I’m quite the multi-tasker (guess it comes with the teaching territory…).  This is one of the reasons I need church…to provide a sense of being a part of something much bigger than myself.  To remind me that there are others who are hurting in this world and need to know God the way that I know Him.  To realign my priorities for the next week.  I hope as we head into the summer that we as a youth group can build on the sense of community that we already have, sharing our daily lives with each other, and moving outside of the “Sunday habit.”  I look forward to spending the summer with you all.

Love in Christ, Julie

Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to go on an Emmaus Walk.  It was a wonderful experience, and I came away with a greater love for our gracious God who specializes in rescuing people out of dire situations in order to bless them with abundant life.  I also came away with a deeper love for the people of Farmville Baptist Church.  I want to thank the members of the Emmaus Community at Farmville Baptist for sponsoring me on the walk.  I want to thank those who took time the time and special effort to lovingly encourage me during that weekend.  I also want to thank all of you who are part of the Farmville Baptist family.  For almost five years now, you have blessed me and my family with your love, encouragement, support and prayers.  The joy in my ministry is not found in the “success” of our programs, but in the life-giving relationships with you the people as we journey with God together.

At our Spiritual Transformation Journey cluster retreat last weekend, I was once again reminded that the church is the people who make up the “body of Christ” under the Lordship of Jesus.  As Reggie McNeal so clearly said in the video that we showed last Sunday in our worship service, the church is a “who” and not a “what.”  I am the church; you are the church.  Granted, neither I nor you are the whole church, but we definitely are the church.  Therefore, the church is not the building, the budget, or the programs.  The church is not a “What”; it is not an “It.”  No, the church is the people, a “Who” that is alive and active in the world because the Spirit of our risen Lord is alive and active in the world.  The church is greater than just the members of Farmville Baptist; it consists of all the saints in the past, present and future who have responded to God’s saving call to go on mission to be the presence of Christ in the world.

That is why I’m so grateful for our Missions Committee and their work in organizing a Missions Fair last Sunday.  It was wonderful to have organizations like Habitat for Humanity, FACES, Meals of Wheels, Pregnancy Support Center, School Mentoring, Reclaiming Our Lives Ministry and CBF Global Missions as well as our newly formed church ministry teams represented at the fair.  It was so gratifying to see folks signing up for various ministry and service opportunities.  There was such energy and excitement in the room that I can hardly wait to see how God’s Spirit will unleash us to be a channel of God’s blessing to our community!

As we continue our spiritual transformation journey, it is a joy and an inspiration to see more and more people at Farmville Baptist prayerfully seeking God’s will and call for their life mission.  I sense that we are on the verge of a spiritual revival, and I truly believe that God has amazing things in store for Farmville Baptist!  So let’s stay the course that we’re on, and let’s be the church by rediscovering what it means to be the people of God sent on a mission to proclaim and live out God’s grace and love to the world!

Blessed to be journeying with you, Michael

Signs of spring are everywhere—the days are warming, the flowers are blooming, and the grass is greening.  Everywhere I look, I see signs that God is doing a new thing in the natural world around us.   That is exciting for me because after the winter that we’ve had, I’m ready for something new!

Even more exciting are the new things I see that God is doing in the life of Farmville Baptist Church.  From what I’m gathering from our spiritual journey prayer groups, our deacons and our missions and outreach committee, I’m sensing that God is leading us more to be the body of Christ outside the walls of Farmville Baptist.  I’m sensing that we’re living into this new thing of being the church and witnessing the gospel, not in a building, but in the lives of people right where they live, work, and play.  People don’t just go to church; they are the church. They don’t just bring people to church; they bring church to the people!  Church is wherever followers of Jesus are.

Now don’t get me wrong.  I’m not saying that we should never bring people to church.  What I’m saying is that while we certainly should invite and bring people to Farmville Baptist Church at 132 N. Main Street, our focus should be on obeying Jesus’ commission in Mark 16:15, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.”  Christ calls us to be on mission with Him in our community!  How are we on mission, how are we missionaries for Christ, here in Farmville, in our neighborhoods, in our dorms, in our places of work?  When I hear our prayer participants say that they want to do a better job ministering to people outside the walls of the church, this is what I think of – how can we be on mission for Christ?

One of the ways we’re living into this new thing is what we’re doing this Saturday, April 3, 7:30 a.m. at FACES, our local food pantry.  That morning, we will distribute muffins and coffee to those waiting in line to receive their weekly allotment of food.  As we do that, we hope to get to know our neighbors better, and to share the love of Christ through our words and in our deeds.  Our prayer is that this will be an act of worship as we acknowledge that Christ is at work loving our community and our world.  I invite you to join us to share in the blessing and good news of Christ at FACES this Saturday!

As we prepare to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, let us also celebrate the new things that God is doing today, in our lives and at FBC!

Happy Easter! Michael

As a child, I used to do puzzles.  Often, I would choose a puzzle because of the picture on the box cover and I would put the puzzle together by starting with the border pieces on the edge and working my way in.  It was so gratifying seeing the pieces of the puzzle coming together and looking like the picture on the box.  I felt such a sense of accomplishment when I completed a puzzle.  But it sure was frustrating when a piece or two of the puzzle went missing, and the puzzle could not be completed.

As we continue our Spiritual Transformation Journey, I’ve heard people say many times that they are still waiting and praying for God to reveal a vision of our future as a church.  It is as if we’re waiting for the fog to lift so that we’ll see clearly a vision or a road map so that we can begin our spiritual journey in earnest.  But for now, we’re just waiting and praying.

In the last few weeks, I’m beginning to realize that the vision for our future is not “out there” while we’re just waiting for God to unveil it.  It is more likely that the vision for our future is within us!  We are the vision of Farmville Baptist Church, and God is waiting on us to live out His call for our lives!  We are like the pieces of the puzzle; each of us plays a unique part in the overall picture of God’s plan for our church.  To the extent that we discern God’s will for our lives and have the courage to live it out as a church to the best of our understanding, we are putting the pieces of the “vision puzzle” together!  No, we can’t see the whole picture beforehand, but we will see with greater clarity what that picture is when we begin to live out what we know.  Furthermore, this vision puzzle does not have any edges or borders.  We begin in the center and work our way out to an ever-expanding picture of what God wants us to be and to do in our community and our world!  Finally, in order for the “vision puzzle” to be complete, every member of Farmville Baptist Church is needed to be a part of this discerning process to see who God is calling us to serve and what ministries God is calling us to join or to start in our community.

During these weeks of Lent, may God lead us all, to place us where He wants us, so that together we will put the pieces of the vision puzzle together and  live into the kind of church God wants us to be!

Journeying on, Michael

As 2009 draws to a close, I look back with thanksgiving for the ways God has been active and working in Farmville Baptist Church.  I am thankful for

• our church going on a spiritual journey to renew its vision and mission
• the Initiating Leadership Community for our spiritual journey
• the thirty people who participated in our prayer triplets
• a burgeoning collegiate ministry that has over 35 students adopted by our church members, and an active contingent of students attending worship
• Julie Gaines and Sara Thompson, our two college ministry interns
• an increasing number of members volunteering at FACES each month
• young adults and young families attending and joining the church
• a wonderful group of deacons excited about mobilizing the church for greater ministry and service
• our Sunday School teachers and students, choir members, children’s volunteers, and Wednesday night prayer group for their ongoing ministry
• our Social Committee members who minister through their gift of hospitality and cooking
• our building that is being used by “Reclaiming Our Lives Ministry” to serve the spiritual, physical, and emotional needs of single mothers and their children
• a great staff in Kathy, Anita, Mc and Al

As I look toward 2010, I am hopeful that God will continue to show and lead us to be the presence of Christ in our community and beyond.  God is good!  I’m eager to see what God has in store for Farmville Baptist in 2010!

— Journeying on, Michael

Starting last Sunday, the first Sunday in Advent, I began a new sermon series called “Advent Conspiracy.”  Too often, preachers and Christians have complained that Christmas has become too commercialized, too much of the world and of the checkout line.  Well, this year, I hope we can actually do something about that as we conspire against the prevailing powers of this world to live out and witness the true meaning of Christmas.

During these Sundays of Advent, we will learn how to worship more fully our true God and not the god of consumerism, because Christmas begins and ends with Jesus.  We will also learn how to reorder our desires so that we’ll spend less on ourselves this Christmas in order to free our resources for things that truly matter.  We will practice giving more to others of our presence, our hands, our words, our time, and our hearts.  Finally we will be challenged to love all – the poor, the forgotten, the marginalized, the sick, in ways that make a difference – because after all, for God so loved the world, that He send His only begotten Son.  And during our Christmas Eve service, we will collect an offering to give solely to our community, so that even as we receive God’s greatest gift to us, we may, in our thankfulness and joy, share that gift with those around us.

These are challenging actions, and ones that my own family has been talking about.  We’ve been brainstorming ways that we will try to live out the Advent Conspiracy this year.  Instead of spending our money on Black Friday, we spent our time at FACES this past Saturday helping to distribute food while most of their regular volunteers are away.  That’s our first resolution for thinking about the holiday season differently. We’re still talking about others.  Perhaps instead of spending time trying to find the perfect gift, we will try to spend time writing notes and making phone calls to our friends and relatives.  Maybe instead of telling relatives what gifts to buy for us, we will ask them to donate the money they would have spent on us to World Vision, or Heifer International, or Watering Malawi.  Last year, we started scaling back on the number of presents we give to our children.  We thought they might be disappointed, but Thea welcomed it, and Wesley said, “I think that’s a good idea – because my room and I are stuffed!”

These are some small changes that my family is exploring as we try to be “in the checkout line but not of it.”  And in the process, I have a feeling that we will experience the true spirit of Advent and Christmas in ways that honors and worship Christ the newborn King in ways that we haven’t before.

— Yours in Christ, Michael

Pastor’s Column published in The Informer (FBC’s Newsletter for November, 2009)

November 1 is “All Saints Day” in our liturgical calendar and in our worship service that morning, we will remember the members of our congregation who passed away this year.  In addition to that remembrance, we will also acknowledge three members of Farmville Baptist by presenting them with a “Good and Faithful Servant” recognition.  This acknowledgement is not a competition, and this year’s recipients are not “more worthy” than others in our congregation.  It is simply a way for our church to publicly express our thanks and appreciation to individuals who have made significant and sustained contributions to Farmville Baptist Church

This year, we will recognize Edith Ann Austin, who has served as a Sunday School teacher or department head since 1980.  She has also served multiple terms on the Personnel, Constitution and Special Memorial Committees.

We will also recognize Janie Simpson, who has taught Sunday School since 1974, as well as served on the Audit, Personnel and Special Memorial Committees.

Betty Watson will also be recognized for her contributions as the Clerk for 26 years, for teaching Sunday School and being a Teller for over 20 years.  Betty has also served on the Constitution, Stewardship, and Pastor Search Committees.

In addition to these three, we will also designate Peggy Cave as a Life Deacon in recognition for her four-term service as a deacon.  Peggy sang in the choir for over 30 years and she also served as a volunteer choir director.  She has served on the Personnel, Pulpit Supply, Library, Nominating, Music & Worship, Outreach, Preschool and Pastor Search Committees.  She currently teaches a Sunday School class and leads the Wednesday night prayer time.

I am so thankful for these saints among us, and I hope you will be at church on November 1 to express your thanks to God for them.

— Yours in Christ, Michael

At our second cluster retreat in Richmond last weekend, our Spiritual Transformation Journey initiating leadership team was asked at a breakout session to reflect on and answer the following fictional scenario:

“Due to an unfortunate “happening,” Farmville Baptist Church lost all of its buildings and resources inside its buildings.  In the face of this new reality, share ideas of how the congregation can be the Church, the “living presence of Christ,” to those He is calling and gifting it to serve.”

I must admit, it was hard for us to imagine how we could be the church “outside the box,” outside the white brick building located on 132 N. Main Street.  But we all agreed that we do not cease to be Farmville Baptist Church just because we no longer had a building.  After some discussion, we came up with some interesting possibilities.

First of all, we talked about how the church could take our worship service “to the streets,” gathering under a tent in our parking lot, assembling in places like Brock Commons on Longwood campus, or meeting at Holly Manor or even at Piedmont Regional Jail.  We might rent space in other churches, in schools or the movie theater to hold our worship service.  We could also hold smaller worship services at many different locations (like in people’s homes) and then gather as the whole church family once a month in a rented space.

We might consider having Sunday School in restaurants, in people’s homes and dorm rooms, and not just on Sunday mornings, but every day of the week and at different times during the day.  We could expand our small prayer groups and hold prayer meetings in the homes of our shut-ins and in the activity room of Brookview.  We could utilize technology more—like email, our church website and Facebook—to stay connected 24-7, and to post and update prayer requests.

Finally, we agreed that instead of focusing on “our” ministries in “our” building, we could focus on joining forces with the many wonderful ministries already established in town, like FACES, Habitat for Humanity, Meals on Wheels, “Reclaiming Our Lives Ministry,” and others.  We also wouldn’t need to wait for the Missions and Outreach Committee to come up with missions opportunities—we could just do missions and intentionally serve others as part of our daily lives.

These are some of our answers to this fictional scenario, but we can actually do some of these things already regardless of whether we have a building or not!  What possibilities can you imagine for Farmville Baptist to be the church “outside the box”?  I hope you will ponder this question as a way to invite God to show you how Farmville Baptist can be the presence of Christ in our community in fresh, exciting and creative ways!

— Journeying on, Michael