The VIne is being sent forth this Sunday by Pastor Stan Cardwell

This is it. . . Make no mistake where you are. (Wow - that Kenny Loggins song just popped into me head when I wrote those first three words - and some (not all of the song fits).

Okay (stop ADDing) . . . This is it - The Vine's last week in McComas Hall before we are sent into Abingdon.  And it is a BIG DEAL.  Or it should be.  I titled the grap.eVine newsletter The Art of Blessing, because blessing is a major stream running through the Bible.  From God's first words to His creation - "be fruitful and multiply" to Jesus' blessing the children brought to him, the act of blessing is a significant part of God's plan even if lost on our current culture. (Read Gary Smalley's The Blessing to understand this gift and why it is important to bless.)

On Sunday, members of The Vine will be attending all or part of all the morning worship services to be commissioned (sent) and BLESSED.  We need the blessing of our sending church.  We hunger for the blessing on our sending church.  Like a child seeking the blessing of a father, so we must be sent with a blessing.

And that blessing isn't reserved for us. The Vine is being sent to bless others. (Blessed to be a blessing.)  We have been called to love people into a relationship with Jesus Christ - the ULTIMATE BLESSING.  Be fruitful and multiply - go and make disciples.  The other wonderful thing about blessings is that the blesser is also blessed. God loves to bless blessers.

Please keep this critical concept in mind as we come together on Sunday.  8:00ers, 9:20ers, Igniters (not pyros), 11:00ers and Viners all need God's blessing.  So come.  This day is historic.  This day is epic.  This day is it!  Come to be blessed on Sunday.  My message on Sunday is entitled Set Apart . . . to Love and to Share.

Stan

http://connect-to-the-vine.blogspot.com/

Celebrating the African American Church by Bishop John R. Schol

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Each February, we seek to incorporate some of the music and liturgy that has been a part of the experience of African-American Methodists. One of the blessings of being a pastor in the Baltimore- Washington Conference is experiencing the great diversity of our churches, pastors and laity. There have been brothers and sisters in the Black Church that have blessed me, taught me, challenged me and loved me. I have been blessed to share their ministry, to preach in their churches and pray with them. I have included below a letter that I received from our Bishop, John Schol. Take a moment and read this letter and look at some of the links and learn for yourself some of the powerful history and life lessons that we have learned from our African-American brothers and sisters.

In Jesus,

Barry  

February 17, 2011

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,




 

This February, I am remembering Rev. Charles Johnson, a great pastor in our conference who passed away on February 11. I am also remembering a church at Tackawanna and Margaret Streets. Early in my ministry, it was the St. Thomas United Methodist Church, an African-American Church in Philadelphia that shaped my thinking and understanding of ministry and the Church. St. Thomas was one of the churches in a cooperative ministry that I directed. They welcomed me and my family with open arms, taught me about vibrant life changing worship and about the importance of ministering to the whole person – mind, body and soul.

The black church in the Baltimore-Washington Conference, and throughout the country, has a rich history of serving as a beacon of hope and faith for all people. The black church has demonstrated its faith by providing social services, working for justice, and providing a voice when the white majority sought to silence African American voices.

During Black History Month, we celebrate the past, present and future of the black church—which continues to proclaim, in an unending hymn, “We’ve Come This Far by Faith.” As the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase.”

Today the entire Church stands at a crossroads and we can learn from the black church, which has blended evangelism and social action by being evangelists for Christ and drum majors for justice. We can embrace a vibrant active faith, taking a step even when we don’t see the entire staircase. We can step out in faith, knowing God is found along the way.

We also take the step with others who took courageous steps that has shaped who we are today and the multicultural church that we continue to become. Along the way, great Methodists worked for an integrated denomination. John Wesley our founder preached against slavery. Harry Hosier, one of Methodism’s first great preachers, got his start in the Baltimore-Washington Conference. Today we also remember Rev. Charles Johnson, a courageous pioneering pastor of the Baltimore-Washington Conference whose home going was celebrated today. He will be remembered for his preaching, strong leadership and the building of congregations.

I share with you three United Methodist resources as we together celebrate black history.

Timeline: Methodism in Black and White http://tinyurl.com/4t5n63z
Harry Hosier, Great Methodist Preacherhttp://tinyurl.com/harryhosier

Please also visit the following link, which will take you to an award-winning documentary titled “We’ve Come This Far by Faith http://www.bwcumc.org/content/comethisfarbyfaith

 This video chronicles the dramatic story of the former Washington Conference which later merged with the Baltimore Conference to form the Baltimore-Washington Conference.

Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD,… plans to give you a future with hope.” I know that God has great plans for making us a better Church that continues to overcome racism and creates a stronger church by working together for the glory of Christ.. 

Keep the faith!

John R. Schol, Bishop
The United Methodist Church
The Washington Area
Baltimore-Washington Conference

bishopsoffice@bwcumc.org 

http://www.bwcumc.org/  

Where Do You Dare To Go? by Pastor Tom Hodges

Where Do You Dare To Go?

 

I was watching a very old movie last week called, "Time Bandits."  In this movie these bandits travel to various points in time and steal valuable items to bring them back and make profit from them in their current time.  In one scene, the leader spreads the map that gives them the coordinates to the various times they can go to and as he is looking over the map, he stops, looks up at his compatriots and asks, "Where do we dare to go this time?" 

That is an interesting question...where DO we dare to go?  Where did Jesus dare to go is a good starting point for those of us in the church.  Where did He go?  To what group of people did Jesus find himself gravitating towards?  There was the time He was speaking with a woman at a well who was a foreigner and as He spoke to her, she was extremely shocked that a Jew would dare speak to her.  Jesus was all about daring...all about going...all about shaking up the culture of complacency.  He challenged His own followers to dare to go and do the things He was doing...he sent them out on their own to show them they could do it. 

Where has the church dared to go in the recent decades?  Is it possible that we need a cultural shakeup of the sort that Jesus did during his ministry?  I admire the efforts of the Vine as they DARE to go to a place full of the unknown.  Many of us, and I'm talking about the universal church including our own, are comfortable with our "club" setting.  We're uncomfortable with change, with newness, with things that might change our sense of ownership.  Church goers have found a level of comfort with coming in and sitting in THEIR seat or pew and hearing great worship music and a sermon and seeing the same people we've always seen.  When leadership poses a challenge, we sometimes get this feeling that change is on the way and we get our defenses up.  When someone comes in dressed differently or smells differently than we expect they should be, we find ourselves pulling away and wondering what's going on and complain about how "our" church is changing.

What happened to our daring?  Our calling might be another name for that!  What happened to our teaching from Scripture to GO!  We call that the Great Commission and it explicitly tells (read:  Commands) us to Go!  Into all the world (not just our seat or pew).  We are called to go and make disciples...not sit and wait for them to come to us when they're interested.  If we don't go and tell them and if we don't act and show them...how will they know?  If we, the church, don't break up our own little culture club and go have dinner with the sinners...if we're not willing to venture out beyond our comfortable borders and speak to the "foreigner"....if we're not willing to be the hands and feet of Jesus....then who will?  The church should be a hospital for the injured and dying and sick...not a place of comfort for the well!  I love the statement by a singer named Steve Camp in one of his songs that pretty much sums up my little article above...."Hell is burning while the church is asleep!"

Where do you dare to GO?

In His Love,

Tom 

When was the last time you said THANK YOU for a moving worship service?

Hello Church!

It is a privilege to plan and lead worship at Bel Air! I am thankful for Rev. Doug Hollida and his leadership in leading the worship planning with Carol and I. Some weeks, it seems that what we seek to do and how we hope the congregation responds comes together in a Holy Spirit moment. I am thankful for all the variety of worship that happens here at Bel Air. May the Holy Spirit continue to touch our hearts and our lives as we worship. Here are a couple of responses we got this week.

In Jesus,

Barry

Revs Barry and Carol,

Job well done!

Barry,

Thanks very much for making it special for me, yesterday, when you had our whole family together for the baptismal renewal. The boys weren't quite sure what was going on, but they'll get it as they mature in the church. I, on the other hand, really appreciated it and it took me back to the days when the boys were baptized.

Carol,

Outstanding job when you explained to the youngsters what you were doing and what it meant When you were baptizing the little girl. That's the way to do it. Plus, your sermon was spot on!! We had a talk around the dinner table about what our name meant to us.

My Grandfather told me one day that an old grouch in church was commenting that the "kids in the church should just shut-up." My Grandfather's response was, "if you shut them up and shut them out, you are choking off the future of this church." I think he would be very proud of us that we chose a church that includes the youngsters.

Have a great week !!

A Dad with two elementary children

Rev Barry/Rev Carol,

The service this past Sunday was a great intergenerational worship and celebration!  From a baptism of an infant ... to the kids participating in the service and being a special part of the baptism ... to the youth enthusiastically greeting the congregation and sharing from the youth retreat ... to the celebration and singing Happy Birthday to Marge for her 93rd birthday!  What a great day of celebration and remembering our baptism for all ages.  And, Rev Carol, thanks for including the kids and explaining each step and why we do it (great for us big kids too).

A Mom of two of our youth