St. Paddy's Day Fundraiser

In order to raise funds for Shiloh's chancel renovation project, the fundraising team scheduled Shiloh members to serve at Boston's Bistro and Pub throughout this past weekend's St. Patrick's Day celebrations. On behalf of those who planned the event, I want to thank everyone who took part. While profits did not quite meet expectations, more than $1,300 was raised toward the renovation project.

I was on site for 15 of the 18 hours. The people who represented Shiloh Church did a fabulous job. Many had a good time, as well.

Judging from the comments that some of us heard throughout the weekend, it must be unusual for a church to serve at a bar. The clientele commented repeatedly on how pleased they were to help out a church while having fun. A few even caught onto the church motto, saying that Shiloh is "Living the Word by Serving the World.....Beer." Beer? Yes, even beer.

Can a church serve beer at a bar without judgment or criticism? Can a church be part of the fun and remain a faithful gathering of persons? Can a church alter the public image of religious organizations enough that we can make an impression on a population that we might not otherwise ever even see?

Shiloh can. Shiloh may. Shiloh did. Judging by the wealth of conversation and interaction that I witnessed, Shiloh brought church presence to an alternative community. We did not preach or judge or proselytize. We were just part of the community. We were part of the fun. Hundreds of people, some of whom have never had a positive experience with religious organizations, saw something in the Shiloh group that they may not have expected. We joined them. We did not stand apart or above. We did not look down our superior noses. We were there, with them.

I want to thanks those who underwrote the expenses of the weekend, those who gave up their time to be there, and those who planned the event. Special thanks go to Tia Smith, who coordinated the event, to Dave Boston, who bent over backward to shape the event to our benefit, and to the remarkable members of the Boston's staff, who made our efforts enjoyable.

This was the second year that Shiloh served at Boston's St. Paddy's Day celebration. Perhaps the hundreds who were there, both last year and this year, learned something about Shiloh Church. Maybe we are teaching people about the radical welcome and acceptance of progressive church organizations. Maybe we are teaching something unusual, unexpected and unfamiliar about Christ Jesus.

I have to add that there was not a single problem with the clientele. No one got too far out of hand. There were no fights, no destructive behavior, no huge arguments. People simply had fun. In my opinion, it was good for Shiloh, and for the community, for Shiloh to be a part of it all.

See You Sunday!

Rooted or Entrenched?

The poster hangs in the busiest hallway at Shiloh Church. It is from the Still Speaking Campaign of the United Church of Christ, and reads: "Our faith is 2000 years old, but our thinking is not."

This past Sunday, Jesus, in the lectionary text from John, turned over the tables of the money changers and cast the sacrificial animals out of the Temple courtyard. He did so, I think, because the marketplace that was held in the Temple courtyard was based in injustice and inequality. It resulted in societal separation and cultural bias. It favored those who had assets, property, provision and possession over those who had just enough for their survival, or even less.

Jesus did not reject the Judaism of the Temple. Jesus rejected the tendency of persons to become complacent in the face of injustice and inequality because they are fostered in religious organizations. Religious injustice and inequality result from the inability or unwillingness of religious organizations to question their own policies and practices.

There must be a relationship between the foundational, core values of a religious institution and the policies, procedures and structures that are derived from them. In what is the Church rooted? In what ways have these organizations become entrenched? "Our faith is 2000 years old, but our thinking is not." 

How many church meetings have the readers of The Shiloh Insider wherein the line between rootedness and entrenchment is blurred? In how many of those meetings has some unwitting victim of the organization's bureaucracy uttered the famous phrase, "But we have always done it this way?"

It is certainly true that congregations and religious organizations benefit from being rooted in a solid tradition. Many saints have come before us. Their ways are not necessarily sacred, however. Their practices have not brought God's kingdom on earth. Their policies did not always match their core values. Even when they sometimes did, their core values are not necessarily our core values.

The contemporary Church is being challenged by shrinking populations and diminishing dollars, by a cultural agnosticism that functions in the whole without God, and a practical rationalism that denies the practice of what seems mystical and metaphysical. The Church is increasingly irrelevant to the developing culture.

To stem the tide of shrinkage, and to reverse the trend of diminishing dollars, the Church has devised all sorts of marketing approaches and practical approaches that are meant to attract others. Some have been met with some success. Some have worked, at least to meet the sociological and psychological needs of the culture.

None of the fancy marketing approaches or practical sociological or psychological methodologies will work in the long run, however. Only one approach will, I think.

The Church today must determine its own core values. In the past sixty or so years, we have learned so much about Christ Jesus, and about the development of the early Church, that old core values no longer apply. Old practices, procedures, policies and structures no longer work. The contemporary (Progressive) Church must re-examine and determine anew a core ethic for the Church. It must reinvent itself. Once the Church articulates the core ethic(s), it can begin to shape new policies, practices, structures and procedures.

In my humble opinion, the conversations should have started a few decades ago. They could have resulted, by now, in new formulae for what the Church is to be, what it is called to do and how it does its work. Even if some conversations started then, they were thwarted by organizational and bureaucratic entrenchment. The ongoing supply of money allowed the institutions to continue to protect their traditional configurations and practices, even if they resembled the market place of the Temple in Jesus' age.

Now the money has fallen short, and religious organizations are being forced to reconsider what they do and how they do it. This might be great news for the Church of Jesus Christ. Perhaps we can use the opportunity before us to narrow the gap between the core values of our faith and the ways that we have organized ourselves and the practices that we have adopted. Maybe this is the advent of the kingdom.

Let's hope and pray.

See You Sunday!  

Crucial Conversation

On this coming Saturday, march 10, leadership from the Associations of the Ohio Conference will gather in Columbus to begin some very important conversations. These upcoming conversations come from an initiative within the Southwest Ohio Northern Kentucky Association (SONKA), of which Shiloh Church is a part. SONKA's Strategic Planning Team has been working for months to help the Association shape a thorough self-study that would, hopefully, result in reforming the ministries, structure and organization of the Association.

The work was progressing well, when, several weeks ago, Ruth Brandon, current Association Minister, announced that she would resign her position on June 30, 2012. As the Strategic Planning Team continued its work, and as it called upon Bob Molsberry, Ohio Conference Minister, for guidance, the team discovered that four of the five Ohio Associations were in nearly the same place as SONKA. Vacant or losing leadership, the Associations now find themselves struggling for dollars and vitality.

Since most of the Associations join SONKA in transition, and since Association leadership recognizes that this is a transitional period in the life of our churches, denominations and middle judicatories, this time calls for us to be in serious dialogue about the models/structures/organization of the Ohio Conference and Associations.

The conversations are not new. Structural reformation was suggested about a decade back, but was never acted upon. In that attempt, the planning group recommended that Ohio break into three regional Conferences, similar to the model used in Pennsylvania, around population and centers of church concentration.

The present conversations are likely to be multi-dimensional. Certainly, the team will consider the polity of the United Church of Christ, where the local church is the basic unit of power and authority. The conversations will have to consider the roles of Conference and Association middle judicatories, examine redundancy, potency, and the impact of those ministries on our local congregations. Of course, the conversations will necessarily extend to the national/denominational level, where we will have to consider wider church impact and the possibilities that lie within organizational change.

Is this a time for the local churches and Associations/Conferences of the United Church of Christ to boldly pursue organization along the lines of The Progressive Church Movement? What about those congregations that are not currently pursuing growth or expanded ministries? What of those congregations that are in the process of dying? What kinds of structures, initiatives, programs or approaches might serve them? Is there a different way of doing the business of the Church, one which meets the needs of our local congregations in the midst of changing culture?

I am happy to be a part of these conversations, representing SONKA and Shiloh Church. What we decide now has the potential to impact our local churches, our middle judicatories, and our denomination for a long time to come. Pray for wisdom and insight into God's will. These conversations may be the beginning of something new.

See You Sunday! 

   

Next Steps Process

The planning team for the chancel renovation project has determined that the attempt should be labeled, "Next Steps" The title is particularly appropriate for several reasons. Firstly, "Next Steps" implies that this project is the continuation of something already begun. Five years ago, Shiloh began the process of shaping an overall facility plan. Since then, the congregation has accomplished some major steps in the plan. The Christian Education wing has been remodeled. The Omega Hall has been redone. There are new boilers and new windows throughout the facility. Shiloh has already done nearly $1 million worth of renovations and updates. Secondly, "Next Steps" suggests that there are additional steps to follow this one. Certainly, this is the case in pursuing Shiloh's facility plan. Particularly, there are additional renovations to be made in the worship space, a new general entrance, an elevator, and updating throughout.

"Next Steps" is an ideal moniker for a project that lies somewhere in the middle of an overall facility plan. The particular project at hand is the expansion of the chancel and the replacement of the organ console. Thanks mainly to a grant from the Fred Luther Foundation, Shiloh is able to replace its organ console, at the cost of $141,588. The expansion project, which piggybacks perfectly on the organ console replacement, will cost the congregation somewhere between $10,000 to $20,000. Work has begun, in the form of removal of the massive air handlers that had been located beneath the present choir loft. There have also been working groups formed to: 1. Plan the ending design; 2. Raise funds for the project; 3. Communicate with the congregation and community.

The money for the project is coming in. There was nearly $7,000 in an organ fund when the congregation received news of the Luther Foundation grant. The committee leadership has donated almost $3,000 worth of seed money, and I have designated $2,500 from my contracted designated spending fund toward the "Next Steps." The rest will rely upon a handful of fundraising programs and events and the contributions of Shiloh's membership.

Another means of raising funds, though modest, is recycling of materials. We are currently looking for a few volunteers to come in this week to dismantle the coil mechanisms that we have removed from the departed air handlers. The coils are copper, and may be worth around $300 if recycled separately. If you can help to do so during normal business hours, call the church and talk with Sid Manley or me. We are also looking to coordinate with someone who might own a trailer or truck for transporting the coils to a local recycling center. Again, if interested and able, call.

The demolition is at a standstill until the church designs a final product, until Shiloh presents technical drawings for permit approval, and until we can post permits. Some of the work will need to be done by electrical professionals, our security and fire alarm company, and, depending on how far we extend the design, a professional plumber. Each of these professionals will need to acquire permit for the project as well.

An interesting snag has surfaced. If we extend the chancel an additional 4', the congregation will have to provide alternative office space for its Business Manager. This space will need to be secure. It would also be good if the Business Office were placed within the everyday flow. Again, if Shiloh extends through the additional 4', Shiloh will need to have some plumbing redone, requiring an additional permit and taking on additional expense. Are there any ideas for how Shiloh might solve these two issues? If so, or if you want to part of the conversation, respond to this post.

It is exciting to see progress taking place, as Shiloh Church pursues the "Next Steps" in its overall facility plan. It is not too late to be involved. Look for fundraisers at Boston's Bistro and Pub over the St. Patrick's Day weekend and through a proposed upcoming casino night. Any other ideas for fundraising can be shared with Tia Smith.

See You Sunday!

  

Hospitality Team

I sat with Shiloh's Hospitality Team last evening, Monday, February 13. The Team discussed a variety of upcoming events, shaped strategies for providing an exceptional welcome to those and more usual church events, and formulated an entirely new program for the life of Shiloh Church.

Among the upcoming events discussed were the Senior Living Fair on Wednesday, February 15, The Day of Caring Pancake Brunch, on Sunday, February 26, Easter, The SONKA Spring Meeting at Oak Creek, Shiloh's April 29 fundraiser at Sandi's Clothes Encounters, Election Day, the Annual Garage Sale, Shiloh Live on June 2, the Annual Golf Outing on August 25, and the Fall Association meeting, to be held here at Shiloh on November 3. The Team determined that it would be available to groups and organizations in the congregation, providing guidance, input and advice about how events might be even more hospitable. If your group or organization is organizing an upcoming event, and if you want the assistance of the Hospitality Team, talk with Glenna Higgins or Joanne Orihood.

The Hospitality Team is particularly eager to strategize for the November Fall Association Meeting, to be held here at Shiloh Church. We already know that we will be pursuing volunteer cleaning groups around the facility, but we also need to work at additional signage and means of identifying those from Shiloh who would be available for assistance and way-finding. The welcome that we provide will be particularly important, as it is very likely that parts of the sanctuary might at that time be undergoing final construction of the chancel updates and the new organ console. Again, if you want to be involved in the preparations, talk with Glenna or Joanne.

The new Hospitality Team-sponsored program will kick off on Easter Sunday, April 8. From that Sunday, Shiloh will offer and open opportunity for fellowship and light breakfast, from 9:00 a.m. through 10:15. It is possible that the hub of activity will take place in the mailbox area, with a table for food/drink and information posted on the wall. The information will include Association Newsletter, called "Snippets," information from the Conference and national UCC, and internal notifications. The idea here is to intentionally invite people into fellowship and information-sharing. The information wall will build on the tremendous success of Shiloh's "Green Table." That table has increased communication and reduced Shiloh's use of paper. The information wall should assist us to extend our ministry in both ways. Once again, if you want to be part of providing leadership for the intentional fellowship time, I encourage you to talk with Glenna or Joanne.

Shiloh's Hospitality Team continues to provide a wonderful welcome to those who use our facility. If you would like to help greet, whether in the parking lot or inside the facility, or if you want to take part in Hospitality Team activities, talk with those mentioned already, Dawn McMillen, Jay McMillen, Bud Brown, Kimbal Ragan, or me.

See you Sunday!

    

Personal Salvation

As many of those who read The Shiloh Insider are aware, I have been teaching a class at the University of Dayton Osher Lifelong Learning Center, entitled "A Bible Toolbox." The class is made up of persons who are 50+, who have a desire to expand their education and extend their knowledge. The class is made up of persons of many different faith expressions and backgrounds. Thus far, the class has been a rousing success, with participants learning to use historical and literary contexts as a means of studying and understanding Biblical literature.

Today, Monday, February 6, several of the class participants remained after the class was completed in order to engage in discussion. The discussion resulted from a series of comments that I had made during an investigation of the New Testament historical context.

During the class, I suggested that Jesus was concerned with shaping a particular ethic, one that, if lived faithfully, would repair, from the bottom upward, the broken social systems of Jesus' age, which functioned from the top downward. We pictured that ethic as the "downy/uppy" of the Crucifixion and Resurrection. In that image, Jesus embodies a way of life in which persons willingly and intentionally sacrifice themselves in order to serve others. This service is embodied in order to free those whom Jesus served from obstacles to their service to others. Virtue takes place when followers of Jesus embrace the ethic, live in service to others, empowering them, enabling them, removing the obstacles that keep them from serving others.

The conversation that took place after class today centered on that ethic as "works," and how those works lead to an understanding of salvation. The question was, "How are we saved by practicing that ethic?" The qualifying statements demonstrated that the person was asking about the difference between salvation by grace or salvation by works. "Which is it," he wanted to know.

The same gentleman had asked a similar question earlier in the day. He asked, "If Jesus were living today, would he be Republican or Democrat?" I told him that I seriously doubted that Jesus would have had any stake in the political process, and would therefore be neither. Jesus worked by weaving the fabric that ties each of us to the other, from the bottom up, as it were. Jesus would have believed that the political processes were broken, and that the means of repairing them lay exclusively in developing the space that exists between each person and each other. The ethic determines how we fill that space and what we do in the developing relationships.

The same answer holds for the question of personal salvation. I do not think that it was much of an issue for Jesus. Jesus may never have asked, or wondered, whether persons are saved through grace or works because personal salvation was never an issue for Jesus. Heaven or Hell, or how we achieve either, is not a concern for him. Salvation by either works or grace miss the point of a salvation that is established in relationship between one's self and every other. Jesus embraces communal salvation, qualitative, historical, practical. Salvation comes in the way that we live with one another, establishing, from the bottom up, a way of life that is then demanded of the systems that form social culture.

So, questions of personal salvation are likely as foreign to Jesus as those of political association might be. Would Jesus be a Republican or Democrat? Well, neither, because Jesus did not work that way. Would Jesus support personal salvation through grace or works? Well, again, neither. Jesus probably did not work that way. His concern was how we lived together, as a community, as a family, as children of the same creator.

That such a conversation takes place at all is testament to the success of the University of Dayton Lifelong Learning Institute, and the curiosity and openness of those who continue to pursue greater understanding. I am proud to take part in the process.

  

"No Guns = No Money"

Yesterday, Sunday January 29, just before the 10:30 service of worship, I was handed a business card. It came from a member of the congregation, one who is actively involved in the life of the church. The card has made me rather sad, and I want to share it with you.

In bold white letters, in a large font, across the bottom, against a stark red background, read these words: "No Guns = No Money" On the right side of the card was the now-familiar "no guns" sign that we have seen posted at public buildings throughout our communities. Printed from the left side of the card, the bulk of its message read: "Your 'no gun' sign prevents me from patronizing your business. So I, my family, and other gun owners will spend our money with your competitors." Then it read: "Look on the back to see why you should remove your sign," with an arrow that directed me to reverse the card.

On the reverse, the card bore a symbol from Buckeye Firearms Foundation, with an email address: www.BuckeyeFirearms.org The reverse side of the card read, "Your 'no gun' sign is bad for business. It does nothing to make you safer. It simply tells criminals you're an easy target and drives away good customers with a concealed carry license."

It continued, "Unlike most people, license holders have passed a criminal background check. Statistics show we are far more law-abiding than the general public. Our numbers are growing every day. We are ideal customers and will patronize your business if you let us. Remove your sign and I, my family, and many other gun owners will gladly return."

Really?

I am incredulous!

You want the Church of Jesus Christ to allow you to carry weapons to worship and public activities? You want the Church to condone the presence of guns? You are willing to practice blatant extortion to bring about your political ends? And you want churches and pastors to capitulate?

I know nothing whatsoever about the Buckeye Firearms Foundation. I am disgusted by their practices, however. I do know about the mission and ministry of Jesus Christ. I can tell you with every confidence that firearms have no place in worship, ministry or mission that bears Christ's name. His ministry is about peace and love and compassion. His mission is the extension of grace. Worship in his name must take place without the threat of violence or coercion.

In my opinion, firearms have no place in the Church. The matter is theological. It is about the integrity of the Church. If we dare to bear the name of Christ Jesus, then we simply cannot allow the presence of firearms. If that means that you take your "business" elsewhere, so be it.

The Church is a place of God's empowerment. It is the training ground for ministries of peace and harmony. It is about education in the mission fields of God's grace and love. No guns. No way. If the Church gives in to this kind of pressure, then it isn't the Church at all.