Pastor’s Weekly Notes

August 24, 2009 by admin
Filed under Announcements

PASTOR NOTES…

NEW HOPE…CP…3.5.10…

VERNON BURROW

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS who joined last Sunday. From left to right:

Greg (Worm) Gibson comes by transfer from the First UMC in Lebanon, and his wife Alene comes by transfer from the CPC in Lebanon. Their daughter Savannah came forward to enter a time of preparation for membership and baptism. This family has been active in our church for some time, and has done a tremendous job leading our youth fellowship. Greg works for American Airlines and spends the middle of each week at his work station in Florida. He loves to play golf and work with kids. Alene is a part of the Thompson family in New Hope. She is a beautician at Lookers Solon in Lebanon. Her children and Greg’s stepchildren are: Savannah who is in the 7^th grade this year and is very active in our youth group, Cole who is a 20 years old, and Anya and Sasha who live away from home, and attend worship when they are in town.

Karen Crowder is very active in the life of the church. She worked hard on the Fall Fest last year; is on the Stephen Ministry Team and will be one of the two leaders we will send to the St. Louis week-long training session next month. She has been co-teaching the “Christian Caregiving A Way of Life” Sunday School class. She was very active in the youth work in the Presbyterian Church while growing up and felt called by the Lord to do special service. She feels that she is picking up again on that calling through her ministries in New Hope Church. She and her husband John Crowder III have two children: Stacey is single and John IV is married to Bonnie and they have three children: Devin, Jessica, and Makayla. They all live in our community and attend our church.

Rick White (Rick and Karen are siblings) is also very active in the church. He heads up the church facilities ministry team, oversees the sound system, and serves on the Stephen Ministry leadership team. He is an insurance agent with American General Life and Accident Insurance Company, Brentwood, TN, and may be reached on his cell phone at 887-3685. His wife and best friend, Connie, died seven years ago. He has four grown children and six grandchildren. He has enjoyed coaching baseball, Boy Scouts, and playing guitar. He was in the Air Force 14 years, and served as General Manager and Vice President of Ingram Book Company for 16 years. He worked with his brother-in-law, Papa John, in Crowder Construction, and more recently with My Office Products, Inc.

SUNDAY

Praise be to God, it is almost Sunday again. I can hardly wait to see you. The message God is giving me to pass along to you this Sunday in from Luke 13:1-9, the lectionary gospel passage[i] for this Sunday. The short passage is pregnant with meaning. First, there were people who accosted Jesus while he was headed toward Jerusalem to be crucified. They had serious questions about the relationship between deeds and suffering. Jesus didn’t get diverted by questions that avoided the real question. He said it twice, “Unless you repent, you will all perish.” Then he launched into a parable about a fig tree in a vineyard that was using space but producing no fruit, and the judgment that was about to bring on, and then the mercy of the second chance. Well the message is about repentance and grace. Our natural tendencies often take us down into what I will call “Languishing” — just not experiencing the fullness of life. But now it is kingdom time. It’s time for change (repentance) and time to receive the new grace mercies coming from the throne of God – the fresh waters of baptism that make us “Flourish” regardless of the outward circumstances. “From Languishing to Flourishing”.

Isn’t God good!!!!!

The climax of worship is Holy Communion. Any service of worship that doesn’t include communion is an abbreviated service; we take a break from one Sunday to the next to the climax of Communion. This Sunday. Don’t miss. Elders will also take communion after church to those who are sick or homebound.

FRESH WINDS ARE BLOWING at New Hope. There is something new in the air. We have always been a good church, but there are signs we may move from good to great. There is a new sense of unity, and a new vision of the future. The church session will talk a little bit Sunday about our mission and our vision and what is appearing on the horizon.

GETTING THE WORD OUT

Before long we will send out a mailing to 1200 addresses in a five mile radius of our church. All the new homes that have sold since May 08, and all the newcomers for the past two months. A few of those people are looking for a church like New Hope. Pray we will reach those whom the Lord has given us to minister to and provide a context for their own ministry.

In the very near future you will have the opportunity to spend a short time after church on Sunday going door to door and leaving a little print out from our church. We will say that we’re glad to have each family as neighbors, and that we want to help build a better community for them to enjoy, and we want to minister in whatever way we can to members and non-members alike.

SMALL GROUPS

I have been blessed three times by New Hope this week. Each had to do with being a part of a small face to face group.

- One was the Tuesday morning men’s prayer breakfast and Bible study. Seven of us were together and we ate, and fellowshipped, and listened about what God was saying through the Bible. I felt a part of each man’s life for that day, as we talked about the day and its challenges. Jade stopped by on his way to work and we asked him to tell us a little more about his beloved father, who died last week. We listened attentively with appreciation and compassion. Sharing our joys and sorrows is good for those who share and those who listen.

- The second was the session meeting. Such a close knit group of believers who love to be together! Each month one of them tells his/her faith journey. What a blessing that is. This week Jimmy told us about growing up in this community, how it was then, and how he came to know the Lord as his Savior. We prayed for each other and people in the church. The church is more than an official board. It is a group of ministers who at this point in time are the shepherds for this church.

- Then Wednesday night there was another group of 13 people. There was a lot of checking in, and sharing. Mary Ann had been away to Florida for 2 weeks and we let her get checked back in. Bill, Kelly, and Brittany Brown came. They have moved here recently from California. Upon arriving in our area they began looking for a church via yellow pages and websites, and decided to try ours. They have been attending morning worship and wanted to know us better. So we got acquainted with them and they with us.

So I am thinking how many blessings I get in these small groups that I would never get if I only attended worship on Sunday morning.

I have a vision.

That one day every person in this church will want to be a part of a small group — a Sunday school class, a week-night group, a ministry team, a men’s group, a women’s group, a youth group. Thank God for the big weekly celebration in the big room on Sunday morning. That sets the tone. But the little face to face groups is where most of the loving and caring and fellowship come, and that is so important in growing in grace and getting through the tough times.

God bless you. I love you. I need your prayers and support. Pastor B.

PASTOR NOTES/NEW HOPE CUMBERLAND PRESBYTERIAN

FEB. 26, 2010/VERNON BURROW

SESSION RETREAT SATURDAY

The church session, composed of the active elders and the pastor, will be in retreat from 12 noon until 4 PM Saturday 27^th. We have an awesome task of giving leadership to the church.

In this fast moving world of constant change we cannot just handle the business that comes to us — we must seek to discern God’s vision for the church and to set goals to realize the vision, and to do strategic planning for reaching our goals and doing what God has in mind to do through this church.

So every once in a while we need to get away from the fray for a few hours and take a good look at ourselves, note the good and the not so good, see if we can identify those seemingly invisible barriers to growth, and to pray for God’s power to work in us mightily to accomplish His work.

We will meet at the The Blue Porch (Bed and Breakfast) near Readyville, TN 37149. We will have lunch together and then 4 hours of prayer, discernment, and planning.

Please pray for your church session. You have a right to know that every person on the session is taking his/her job seriously, attending all the meetings, accepting responsibilities in various kinds of leadership, and are working really well together as a team. This is a very hopeful sign for the future of the church.

NEW MEMBER SUNDAY

This Sunday, February 28, is new member Sunday. We know of a few who will be joining. There may be others. Just come forward when the invitation is given following the sermon. You don’t have to officially belong to the church to participate in the life of the church. But if this is the place where you worship and receive a majority of your spiritual nurture and look to for support and care, it is very appropriate for you to officially be a member. For many of you it will formalize what already exists.

SERMON

I want to talk with you Sunday about Christian Compassion and what an impact that has on other people, especially those who know there is something missing in their lives and want to experience life more abundantly. The scripture lesson is Matthew 9:35-38 where Jesus is going all over teaching and preaching and healing and he sees the crowds harassed and bewildered and he has compassion on them. He says that there are great opportunities for doing good today. The fields are white unto harvest. Tomorrow may be too late. There are not enough workers. What to do? Pray the Lord of the harvest to send laborers to the harvest.

It is a pretty exciting Scripture that has been growing on me this week. Pray that God will speak to you through the Scripture tomorrow.

Stephen Ministry: During worship Sunday the Stephen Ministry Team members will each state why they want to be involved in Stephen Ministry. This will be in the form of a panel discussion. The next major step in implementing the Stephen Ministry program will happen April 11-17 when Sandy Dancy and Karen Crowder will attend the Stephen Ministry Leadership Training workshop in St. Louis. There they will be equipped to come back home and enlist and train Stephen Ministers and to supervise the program.

The Rotation Workshop went well last Saturday. Twenty people attended the 2 ½ information session and it seems that everyone was excited about the possibilities for a new way of doing Sunday School for kids K-6^th grade. Only 3 children of this age now attend Sunday school regularly. We have about seven more in this age group who are connected with the church. We think 8-10 is enough to start the program. We also believe it will be so effective that we will attract new families with children.

The group also thinks we need to do something more in Sunday School for the five or more pre-school kids who are connected with our church (we mean those from 2-4 years of age).

A steering committee is being formed to formulate a plan to present to the church session for approval. If you would like to help on that team let Sandy Dancy or Anna King know. This is big.

With Our People

Our deepest sympathy to Jade, Joni, Amanda, and David Greene. Jade’s father, Col. Herbert Greene, 71, of Shreveport, La. died suddenly Monday of a heart attack.
Kolby Greer had a bout with the Swine Flu this week, very sick for a couple of days. But he is much better now.

The Men’s Bible Study Breakfast Group meets every Tuesday morning from 6:00 to 7:00. Those who attend regularly are: Raymond Bay, Vernon Burrow, John Crowder III, John Crowder IV, Gary Dancy, Ron Hensley, Ben Spicer, Matthew Neal, Tom Luiperspeck, Jeremy, Danny Craft, Georg Craft, and others occasionally. Any man in the community is welcome. Someone brings breakfast. We eat and talk. Followed by Bible Study and Prayer. It is obviously very meaningful to those of us who come. We invite others to join us.

Wednesday Evening

We’re into this Bible Study on Wednesday Evenings at 6:30. The parables from Matthew are pretty powerful and very relevant to life today. Last Wednesday we did “The Parable of Two Sons” in 21:28-32. It is a part of a trilogy of three parables that deal with the relationship between belief and works, between the profession and the action, between the promise and the doing. The other two in the trilogy are “The parable of the Tenants” in 21:33-44 and “The Parable of the Wedding Banquet” in 22:1-14. After bible study we do a hymn or two and some serious praying. Amanda Shoemake keeps the children during the hour so people with little children may come. It is a pretty good activity for individuals and the church as a whole.

God bless you. I love you. I need your prayers and support. Pastor B.

PASTOR NOTES February 18, 2010 NEW HOPE CP CHURCH

ABOUT LITURGICAL EVENTS

In my early days in pastoral ministry (beginning in the early 1950’s) the churches I served didn’t do much with Lent. Somewhere about mid-way from then until now Maundy Thursday and/or Good Friday services began appearing in to our church calendars. More recently Ash Wednesday and the imposition of ashes is observed in a number of CP churches. We have become more attentive to what we call the Liturgical Church calendar.

The idea behind the church calendar is to guide the church in making sure we cover all the major Biblical themes each year. It has existed for hundreds of years in the more liturgical churches.

We Cumberlands always did Christmas and Easter, which are the parts of Liturgical Calendar events that celebrate the Incarnation of Christ and the Resurrection of Christ. Recently we began observing Advent, the season that leads to Christmas, and Lent, the season that leads to Easter.

It is obvious that many Cumberland Churches have become more liturgical, and employ the trappings that go along with the symbolism and the seasons. Many CP preachers now wear robes; Almost none of them did 57 years ago when I started. We also change the vestments to conform to the colors symbolic of the season.

I don’t know that the changes are good or bad. Obviously many people find the observations meaningful or else we wouldn’t be doing them. Cumberlands are more liturgical than Baptists or Independents, but not as liturgical as most other Presbyterians. Presbyterians are not as liturgical as Methodists. And Methodists are not as liturgical as Lutherans, and Lutherans are not as liturgical as Episcopalians, and Episcopalians are not liturgical as Catholics. Is one better than the other? No. It is just a matter of how we present the whole gospel to the whole world.

About 20 people came to the Ash Wednesday service Wednesday night and seemed to find it meaningful. Obviously, most of our congregation stayed away. Some no doubt were kept away by sickness or very justifiable circumstances. Some just don’t find the high liturgical practices as meaningful as do others, and that is OK too.

We will have a Good Friday Service, which is usually pretty well attended. Easter is only 6 weeks away. Everybody responds well to Easter.

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Saturday – 20th

THIS SATURDAY EVENT. I guess preachers tend to overstate when promoting activities they believe will be good for the church and good for the people who attend. Then one comes along that is super-special, and people don’t know whether the event is all that important, or if it is just preacher talk. But, honest to goodness, I believe the Saturday morning event is really important for the future of our church. We serve a population where a large percentage of families have small children, and if we don’t take care of our children we are not going to be able to serve a lot of families. The Workshop Rotatation Model presentation is this coming Saturday, Feb. 20, from ten until noon. These gals who are coming to present this model for doing children’s Sunday School are just beyond themselves with excitement over what it has done for their children in Brentwood. And God knows we need a new thrust of effectiveness in reaching more children in Sunday school. So please come, listen and ask questions. If this model seems good for our church, we will go for it, and we will need many people to at least know what is going on and to help make it effective.

Sunday 21st

SUNDAY MORNING should be a re-gathering after such a low attendance last Sunday. Many were sick or out of town last Sunday and we missed seeing you. My message will be from Matthew 5:14-16, about where Jesus said “You are the light of the world.” You talk about status — boy!!!….light of the world, luminous of the universe. You are somebody, and don’t forget it. Some people you know need to hear this message, so bring them.

Also, during morning worship the Stephen Ministry team will present a video on the program. Remember to write out any question you may have about the program and put give it to one of the team. They will try and publically answer all your questions this Sunday or next.

WHY NOT COME TO SUNDAY SCHOOL? It’s good for the soul.

Sunday Evening

THIS SUNDAY EVENING we at long last will have our final session of the Inquirer’s Series. This is the last of a three part series. This Sunday we will talk about very practical matters.

1. How the local church is led and governed, and how it is connected to the denomination.

2. Brief synopsis of the history and the culture of the local church.

3. Helps in feeling integrated into the life of the church as a whole.

Even if you have not attended the first two you may want to attend this one. I am going to need some of you long time members to share something of the history of this church and its nature. 6:00 PM this Sunday in the sanctuary.

Website

Our website is improving every week, so if you haven’t checked it out lately do so at www.newhopecpchurch.com. While it is a work in progress it is already very helpful. A few of the many things you will find are:

Sunday worship bulletin by Saturday morning of each week. (may also reference past weeks)
Pastor’ Note Sheets soon after they are written. (may reference past weeks)
Pictures from church events (pictures from the Valentine’s Dinner last Sunday were they early this week)
Information about Stephen Ministry and other programs of the church.
Monthly church calendar, with birthdays and anniversaries for the month
Information about the history and beliefs of the church.
Links to our denomination headquarters which provides much information about our mission work and resources for programming in the local church.
Links to Bethel University (our college)
Links to MTS, our Seminary
Links to Crystal Springs, our campsite and the listing of dates for camps.
And much, much more.

I ask you to do two things:

Use this for information to be a knowledgeable church member.
Give us information that will be serviceable and attractive to outsiders. (More and more people go to a church’s website before visiting a church and especially before getting serious about joining the church)

Robbie Haynes is entering the data. Danielle Luiperspeck is helping him with design and the marketing aspect of the website.

Internet at Church

We have internet all over the church now. Thanks to the work of Scott Greer, Gary Dancy, Ron Greer, Robbie Haynes, Ron Hensley and many others in getting the connections set up. Our internet and phone connections are with the same company, Charter. The internet connection comes in at the office in the office complex. Thanks to Gary Dancy for the router that gives us a signal to other parts of the building.

Parking

A few weeks ago some of you on your own started encouraging members to park in the front parking lot until it begins filling up simply for the impression it makes on people driving by. The number of cars they see indicates a well congregation, and seeing a lot of vacant spaces up front on Sunday morning makes them wonder if the church alive and well. At a certain point we will need some parking lot ushers out-front so when the vacant species begin to fill up they can be directed to the larger parking lot out back.

God bless you. I love you. I need your prayers and support. Hope to see you Sunday.

Pastor B.

Pastor notes Monday February 15, 2010

Today I am working on my sermon for Sunday. It is going to be a message about your own self-hood if you are a born again Christian. Last Sunday the Word to you was that you are the “salt of the earth.” This Sunday it is “you are the light of the world.” Think about it –You are the luminous of the universe. You make a difference wherever you are. You are given the “light” and you have an impact on other people. No matter how dark the situations you are in, you are a light! You are a radiant Christian.

I think we will sing the little children’s chorus “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine.” In fact the sermon may be titled, “This little light of mine.” I am getting excited already and it is only Monday.

Today I am also thinking about what can be a wonderful experience for you when we gather for the Ash Wednesday service this Wednesday at 7:00 PM . We will gather at the altar of the church to begin this important season — The season of Lent. For forty days we will think about Jesus and how we can be closer to Him. Some will launch your forty day disciplines so that you may be ready to receive more fully than ever before the life and light of Easter which is coming soon.

Don’t miss this one. Come to church on Wednesday. Receive the offering of ashes from the burnt palms of last Easter remembering that we are dust and ashes. We were made of dust and to dust we will return. But for the few days we have on earth we will be an influence for good on everyone we touch.

I am also thinking about a wonderful workshop on Saturday that will reveal a new way of doing Sunday School for children. This Saturday, 10:00 – 12:00 noon. It is the Rotation method being used successfully in many churches, and can transform our children’s Sunday School. Everyone will have a stake in this. We need to be praying about this. This program can be a way of better teaching the truths of Jesus to our church and the many new children who will come to our church in the years to come. Come all you elders. Come all you parents of Children. Come all you teachers of Children. Come all ye who may be teachers of Children. Come all ye who love the Lord.

I am excited beyond measure. This is the week for new beginnings at New Hope.

The snow is falling outside my window as I write. I think of the song, “Now wash me and I will be whiter than snow.” Is there anything that is whiter than snow? How could it be? But the Bible says that if we are washed in the blood of the lamb we shall be whiter than snow.

A great week is in the making.

And for good measure, we are having a meeting Tuesday at 5:30 to learn more about our website and how we can make it more useful. Our website guru, Ken Ivey, will be present to teach us.

God bless. I love you. I need your support and participation in the gatherings this week.

Pastor Burrow

PASTOR NOTES….

NEW HOPE CP CHURCH….

FEBRUARY 13, 2010……

VALENTINE’S BANQUET 6:00 PM

Since Valentine’s Day falls on Sunday this year, the men of the church are treating the women and children of the church to a Valentine’s Banquet in the fellowship hall beginning at 6:00 PM this Sunday. The occasion will be festive. Ben will share Valentine’s music. We men plan for it to be nice. So come. Let us tell you we love you. The women and children may want to gather in the narthex or sanctuary until everything is ready – then we will usher you in.

ASH WEDNESDAY
Service will be held this coming Wednesday, February 17 beginning at 7:00 PM in the Sanctuary.

Ash Wednesday begins the wilderness journey of Lent. Lent is about “roughing it,” about letting go of what’s distracting us and getting back to basics, individually and corporately. Keep everything as simple and as low-tech but high-touch as possible. The idea of Ash Wednesday is to strip ourselves of all non-essentials and get down to the bare bones of life, remembering that we are dust and to dust we shall return, and in that humility reach out to Jesus to save us. So….the Ash Wednesday Service will be very informal and “plain”. Pastor will wear everyday clothes to underline the simplicity. No bulletins.

We will gather in the chancel area for this service of Lenten Scriptures, songs, meditation, and the sign of the ashes. We will bring in chairs to the chancel area and hope everyone can gather either in chairs or the first three rows so we can have the cozy “feel” for this important occasion.

INFORMATION ABOUT THE UPCOMING STEPHEN MINISTRY PROGRAM DURING FEB.
Sunday #1, Feb. 14th Mary Ann Smith and Anna King will do a Question/Answer portion

Sunday #2, Feb 21st Stephen Ministries DVD – caregiving discussed by giver and receiver

Sunday #3 Feb 28th A panel discussion consisting of each member of the committee stating why

we want to be involved in Stephen Ministry

ALSO

Greeters and Shakers – All committee members will stand at the door and welcome everyone coming

in. We will shake hands at the end of the service and hand out brochures.

Sunday #4, March 7th A Sunday of special music pertaining to caregiving.

DISCIPLINES OF LENT

Some of us find it beneficial to our Christian lives to try a simpler lifestyle during the forty week days of Lent by giving up some things or some activities that we usually do. Some add on some things such as more time in prayer and medication, Bible study, witnessing, church activities. You way solidify those decisions at the Ash Wednesday Service. Some suggestions will be in Sunday’s handout and will be available Wednesday night.

ROTATION WORKSHOP will be next Saturday Feb. 20, 10:00 AM until 12:00 noon.

Many churches of all denomination are implementing a new way of doing Sunday school for K – 6^th grade children. Churches both large and small who are trying this approach are experiencing a re-birth of Sunday School interest and effectiveness. Two of my former members from the Brenthaven Church in Brentwood will be present Saturday morning, February 20 at 10:00 to tell you about the program and how it has done wonders for their Sunday school program. Barbara Dial and Jan Marshall have volunteered to present this program at no cost to the church and it could be the spark that ignites a move to a larger and more effective Sunday school. So I am asking that all who are interested in a stronger and more effective program for children to come for this two hour gathering. That includes: Elders of the church; all who have taught or would consider teaching children in Sunday school, parents and grandparents of children, and everyone else who would give two hours to a program of great promise.

NEW MEMBERS FEBRUARY 5, 2010

Rich and Kathy Binney joined the church on February 7, 2009. Others in the picture are Pastor Burrow (center) Elders Danielle Luipersbeck (left) and Evelyn Price (right). They have been attending for some time and both are baptized Christians and come by transfer of membership and affirming faith together as a couple. Rich is a golf pro and enjoys working with children. He works in the plumbing department at Home Depot. Kathy works. Each has grown children by a previous marriage. The youngest son is 19 and still lives at home. Kathy’s mother, Fern Strom, is 86 and had to move here a few months ago from Florida to be nearby Kathy. She lives at Saddlebrook Independent Living, 3338 Saddlebrook Dr. 37087. They are already listed in your Church Workers Directory at 502 Lena Way, Lebanon, 37087, phone 547-1132.

MORNING WORSHIP Tomorrow. We will sing “How Great Thou Art” for praise time tomorrow partly because Rebecca is out of town and we use her projector and partly to shorten our service to allow time for the Stephen Ministry presentation. My message is titled “Salty Christians Reaching Out” based on Matthew 5:13-16.

NURSERY VOLUNTEERS SIGN-UP. During worship tomorrow Amanda Shoemake will pass around a sign-up sheet to help in the nursery during worship. When it comes by you be sure to pass it on and not let it stop with you.

God bless you. I love you. I need your prayers and support.

Pastor B.

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