Celebrating 85 Years Past - And Looking Ahead

The past 85 years have seen wars and rumors of wars, faltering economies, uncertain times, and changing populations – and through it all, the community of Christ continued and witnessed and worked and worshiped. 

There is no way those 47 folks who gathered in 1927 to start a new church in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, could have foreseen all that was to befall them and their neighbors. 
But, they had a vision. 
They had a belief. 
A church was needed. 

And what about us?

85 years from now what will be said about us?  

I know, there are some among us who say, “Who cares?” 

Then, I think:
85 years ago, there were people who cared.

Time was, folks here had a vision.
Time was, folks here had a belief.
Time was, folks here were convinced that a church was needed in their neighborhood.
But, what about now? 

The opportunity is for us to capture a vision that we can believe in:
a vision that projects out into the days and years ahead.

Oh, the church of tomorrow may not look like the church of yesterday. 
The church of tomorrow may include shared ministerial leadership.
The church of tomorrow may use different space to worship in and to conduct ministry out of.
The church of tomorrow may include younger and younger people as well as older and older people.
The church of tomorrow will certainly rely on the internet more and more.
 
I invite you to join me in conjuring a vision of Christ Church for tomorrow:
a vision that we can believe in,
a vision that will inform our work and witness here in the days ahead.

Over the course of the past year, I have been writing and speaking about Vision 2012.

With the new year and the culmination of the sale of our building, it is time to think seriously about the future ministry of Christ Presbyterian Church:
    what might it look like?
        where might it be?
            what might it mean (for you and me and whoever else we might be serving)?

My hope is that by the time the next new year rolls around, we would have a pretty clear vision of what this ministry (or ministries) might look like, and even be on our way implementing the new vision.

I firmly believe that our faith has a message for all of the folks around us. 
People need what we have to give.  
People need to hear what we have to say.

Not only do people need what we have to offer, but we have a stake in offering. 
We have an obligation to enable all people to be more fully who God intends for them to be. 
It’s a Christ-like thing to do.

I am reminded that when Norman Vincent Peale first went to the Marble Collegiate Church in New York City, he preached to 40 or 50 people each Sunday morning. 
After about six months, he told his wife that people needed to hear what the faith has to say,
if they won’t come to hear it, he would have to get it to them in other ways.
And so he wrote, and published, and spoke in public forums at every opportunity.
Of course, a by-product of getting the word out to everyone is that more people will come.

Norman Vincent Peale realized that Marble Collegiate Church had to reinvent itself in order to continue to be in ministry.  
And they did.  
And the rest is history as countless millions of people all over the world have been influenced by their work.

This is our time of opportunity here at Christ Presbyterian Church.

We need everyone praying for this church and the vision that might revealed to us about what our ministry may look like in the years ahead.

Please commit yourself to take time to pray. 

And as ideas come to you, jot them down and send them to your pastor.

See you in Church . . .

17 Reasons to Be A Part of CPC 2.0

● Sooner or later we all get tired of going it alone.

● You are welcome here – no matter what!

● It’s a place where you would feel welcome.

● You can experience forgiveness here.

● You can openly express compassion here.

● Where else can you sing out loud?

● It’s a place where everyone knows your name – and cares about how you’re doing.

● It’s a diverse group of people – young and old, from all backgrounds, living in many communities.

● You will experience “authentic” worship service – with elements familiar to most Christians.

● There are people here who believe that Jesus loves you – and we do too!

● You can be a part of a congregation that is given an exciting opportunity to develop and become Church 2.0.

● It’s a place where your input is valued.

● It’s a place where you will be listened to.

● It’s a place where you will matter.

● The stories of our faith are valued here – and you may hear and learn new things about our common faith, new ways of looking at the world, new ways of behavior, and new values for your life.

● You can be a part of a congregation’s renewal and rebirth – helping to ensure the continuance of a progressive expression of Christian faith reflecting the implications of the latest Biblical scholarship and scientific studies of human behavior.

● You can be a part of a new ministry to meet a need dear to your heart.


What about you?
What would you add to this list?
Which would you pick as the 3 or 4 most important?

Check out www.ConnectOnLine.us . Email: CPC@ConnectOnLine.us .

Vision 2012

With the new year and the impending culmination of the sale of our building, it is time to think seriously about the future ministry of Christ Presbyterian Church:
what might it look like?
where might it be?
what might it mean (for you and me and whoever else we might be serving)?

My hope is that by the time the next new year rolls around, we would have a pretty clear vision of what this ministry (or ministries) might look like, and even be on our way implementing the new vision.

Looking over my notes, I see that some fifteen years ago I wrote of four groups of people that
I saw with a particular need that a church like us could dedicate ourselves to fulfill.

In January of 1995, I wrote:

All around us, people are in need:

Children are growing up amidst societal forces we have never even dreamed of.
For the most part they know no place to get their bearings for a moral compass. Morality, ethics, and even good manners, have vague description.
They don’t even know there is a Golden Rule, much less what it may be.

Parents need so much help with the almost impossible task of raising children in today’s world.

Older Adults need safe, caring, stimulating places to be.
Loneliness is an incubator for a whole host of physical, mental, and emotional problems.

Single Young Adults need ways of exercising their souls as well as their bodies and minds. Care for their needs is paramount as self-esteem lessens as years of aloneness go by.

I firmly believe that our faith has a message for all of the folks around us.
People need what we have to give. People need to hear what we have to say.

Not only do people need what we have to offer, but we have a stake in offering.
We have an obligation to enable all people to be more fully who God intends for them to be.
It’s a Christ-like thing to do.

I am reminded that when Norman Vincent Peale first went to the Marble Collegiate Church in New York City, he preached to 40 or 50 people each Sunday morning.
After about six months, he told his wife that people needed to hear what the faith has to say,
if they won’t come to hear it, he would have to get it to them in other ways.
And so he wrote, and published, and spoke in public forums at every opportunity.
Of course, a by-product of getting the word out to everyone is that more people will come.

Norman Vincent Peale realized that Marble Collegiate Church had to reinvent itself in order to continue to be in ministry. And they did. And the rest is history as countless millions of people all over the world have been influenced by their work.

This is our time of opportunity here at Christ Presbyterian Church.
We need everyone praying for this church and the vision that might revealed to us about what our ministry may look like in the years ahead.

Please commit yourself to take time to pray.
And as ideas come to you, jot them down and pass them to your pastor.

Lets all work together on Vision 2012.