I’m Missing What…

     I chose today to enter this the third blog of my sabbatical. It is the first day of our presbytery meeting and I recognize that while I might not miss the meeting, I do miss the people. Also, this is the first day of the third and final month of sabbatical time. There is still much to do. I will be at Union Seminary next week for study and lectures. The last week of May I will be meeting with the former moderator of the national association of home churches. Meanwhile reading continues as does dialogue over the internet and by phone with various resource people.                                                                   

     I just returned from the Presbytery of Arkansas on Wednesday. There I spent a day with the Rev. Jesse Gonzalez who is the church planter for their Hispanic/Latino NCD in Fayetteville. As with Amy Mendez of Denver, the lessons I learned were invaluable. General Presbyter, Sallie Watson, and Associate General Presbyter, Joan Erickson, took their time to introduce me to a number of different resources in outreach and NCD work, as well as in transformation ministry. The 16 step process now being recommended by the GA and the web site PresbyGrow are two that should be of great assistance to us in Wyoming.

     A month from today I return to the office and back on the roads of the wide open spaces of this beautiful state. Today and tomorrow, my prayers are especially with you as you meet. Please continue with me on our prayer vigil together on Tuesday nights through Wednesday dinner each week. Until then “Happy Trails…….”

Grace and peace, Bruce

On The Road Again…

After spending my first sabbatical week reading and relearning how to breathe, Saturday the 7th of March returned me to my wandering Aramaen roots. Week 2 covered 1964 miles of driving, beginning with a delightful stop in Salina KS to visit with my son, Stephen, and my daughter-in-law, Stacy. After worship at the Sunrise Presbyterian Church, we had lunch with the North Kansas General Presbyter, Ed Thompson, and his wife, Jackie. Ed and I were two of five one year student interns to serve the Croatan Presbyterian Church near the coast of North Carolina in the 1970′s. Retelling the old stories and reconnecting was a joy and a reminder of our legacy together as Presbyterians. Next was Kansas City MO where I attended the Stewardship Kaleidoscope conference. Glen and Sherry Flyr were also there. As my focus is on New Church Development, I attended two workshops on different aspects of stewardship, funding and NCDs. I took part in another class on developing the stewardship ministry of the presbytery. Interstate 70 then took me to Denver where Amy Mendez, the Coordinator of Hispanic/Latino and Racial Ethnic Ministries in the Presbytery of Denver, spent a day sharing her experience in working with a variety of types of church development in such communities. Amy provided resources which will prove invaluable guides to our work in Wyoming as well as demonstrating her willingness to come and assist us in developing our outreach to Hispanic/Latino communities.
     Whew! This week returns me to study and taxes. Render unto Caesar… The book I will be exploring is Diana Butler Bass’, The Practicing Congregation. My prayers will be with you and especially on Wednesday as we join together in our practice of spiritual discipline.
     Grace and Peace, Bruce

Getting Started

Welcome to my brothers and sisters in Christ from the Presbytery of Wyoming and those of you who have been brave enough to wander into Wide Open Spaces. My sabbatical began on March 1 and this blog is an opportunity to stay connected with you so you might walk with me on this journey. The topic I am exploring is New Church Development (NCD) with a special focus on non traditional church start-ups. My first project is reading and settling into the sabbatical rhythm. I am about 80% through a fascinating book on Planting New Churches in a Post Modern Age by Ed Setzer. It has been a great place to start for two reasons. First it is practical and uses processes that have been succesful while acknowledging potential pitfalls. Second, it gives a good clear contextual portrait of the post modern era we have entered and potential connections/disconnects the church and gospel we bring to the world might encounter.
The other focus of my sabbatical is spiritual discipline. At the presbytery meeting in Thermopolis in February, I was blessed, overwhelmed and humbled by the “send off” you gave me. One of the practices I invited you to participate in with me was to fast and be in prayer from Tuesday dinner to Wednesday dinner each week. Donning my new prayer shawl this Wednesday morning for my devotional/prayer time elicited in me both a deep connection with God and a felt connection with you who joined me. What a blessing to be reminded of whose we,  together, truly are.
Grace and peace,
Bruce

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