The Church is Alive

Falling Off the Face of the Earth

2010-11-09T08:10:00.001-05:00

I sit here typing to you from my couch. I'm still wearing what I wore to bed last night, and haven't yet taken a shower. So far, it's been an exceptionally wonderful down day. Unfortunately, this is the first time it's happened in what seems like months, and I'm not alone. Leslie, Mike, Jack, Matt and I seem to be heading in a thousand different directions in our lives, and scheduling a time to get together (via conference call) and put some more life into the Church is Alive proved to be difficult.

But we finally did it. In fact, we even had a follow-up brainstorming session a week later. Considering our individually hectic lives, I personally consider it a notable accomplishment. We are aware, however, of our on-again, off-again relationship with you. Sometimes it seems we're in your inbox every day, other times it seems like weeks since you've heard a peep from the Church is Alive. Please know that we're aware, and that we plan on doing something about it.

We're growing. At least, we're in the initial stages of growing. In addition to accepting submissions (we'll always do that!), we plan on having a group of 8-18 regular contributors, each posting every few months or so. This should keep things fresh and exciting, as well as holding to our roots as a user-generated content platform (buzzwords!).

So, what do you think? Could this evolving concept of the Church is Alive fly? Are you itching to to be a regular contributor? We don't wanna be falling off the face of the earth anymore.

The Church is Alive

2010-09-28T16:42:00.005-04:00

The Church is Alive has been around for a little less than two years, and during that time we've been a video submission site, a showcase of stories from around the church, held an amazingly successful fundraising campaign, and been an open forum for discussion of what we want "Church" to be. A healthy resumé for sure, but now we've been featured on the Nick & Josh Podcast! Our very own Jack Jenkins was interviewed about the Church is Alive on Episode 164, so check it out below and listen to the story of how the Church is Alive came to be!

The Church is ALIVE through the Presbyterian Committee on the Self-Development of People!

2010-09-28T08:10:00.007-04:00

Hey Friends!

We took a bit of a breather this past month, but now we're firing up the engines again for another season, so keep those submissions coming!

In the meantime, we've got a submission that we've kept on the back-burner for a while from the Presbyterian Committee on the Self-Development of People--Presbyterian Church (USA). They're doing AMAZING work all over the world (and they submitted some of their more recent work to us last year), and they've got four - count 'em, FOUR - videos to share with y'all.

The videos tell stories that cover the time gamut (some are several years old), but these tales of making the church alive through people are just at timely today as they were back then.

The submitter, Margaret Mwale, had this to say:

"The Presbyterian Church (USA) is engaging with and positively impacting disadvantaged communities through Self-Development of People. These videos share powerful stories of how the Church is alive in these communities!"

And now, the videos:

Story #1: In 1971, an association of Eskimos in Alaska were able to use a SDOP grant to help pay the legal costs in their battle to claim and keep their native land.

Story #2: A SDOP grant made it possible for Mapuche Indians in Chile to sustain their heritage through the building of a cultural center.

Story #3: In Virginia, a neighborhood group used a SDOP grant to buy and renovate houses and, in turn, provide affordable housing for themselves and others in their community.

Story #4: Kentucky tobacco farmers, faced with not being able to rely on the tobacco market, used a SDOP grant to collectively learn new ways to sustain themselves economically.

Awesome stories, right? You can find out more about what the SDOP does here and also apparently participate in their T-Shirt Design (which gets you money for college?!) contest here.

What I Want the Church to Be…A Prophetic Voice

2010-07-26T08:30:00.005-04:00

Tina DeYoe - our on-the-ground report at this year's General Assembly of the PC(USA) - offers us the following report on this year's happenings.

At what pace are we as the Presbyterian Church (USA) to be prophetic? After attending the PC(USA)’s 219th General Assembly last week, this is the question I am asking. As a long distance runner throughout high school and college, I am used to pacing myself at a moderate speed. Sprinting is definitely not my cup of tea. However, when dealing with social justice issues in regards to society and the church I would rather be running the 100m race! When injustices are happening throughout the world I want the church to be a place that steps up and makes a statement or acts quickly! The 219th General Assembly (GA) did step up quickly on certain issues, but on others we were caught running the pace of a long distance runner.
This summer I have been interning in the Advisory Committee for Social Witness Policy (ACSWP) office within the PC(USA). What do we do? We are assigned to encourage the prophetic voice of the church on matters of social justice. We work with volunteer member-experts to write policies, resolutions, and study papers that are then adopted at GA by the PC(USA) as a whole. After these papers have been adopted the PC(USA) agencies are supposed to act in accordance to what is stated in the recommendations. The basis for most of the writings comes from applying the Bible, theology, confessions, and past policies to current challenges.

Sounds fun right? Think of having the grand assignment and scope of superwoman or superman fighting injustices and evil in this world, but instead of having special powers to fly and stop bullets we use words, research, and our biblical and theological texts to combat such evils like gun violence, domestic violence, usury, discrimination, oppression, immigration detention abuse, sex trafficking, torture, and pretty much any evil you can think of. I was lucky enough to observe and work with ACSWP during this year’s 219th General Assembly and also helped them get some of their policies and papers passed. Papers like: Loving Our Neighbors: Equity and Quality in Public Education; Becoming an HIV and AIDS Competent Church; Gun Violence and Gospel Values (a paper on gun violence prevention); Living Through Economic Crisis: The Church’s Witness in Troubled Times; Human Rights Report 2010.

Other awesome social justice papers, policies and resolutions that were passed by different ministries at GA include: Amending ordination standards which allows all people to serve the church no matter their sexual preference; Directing the PC(USA) Board of Pensions to Extend benefits to the same-gender spouses and domestic partners; Approval of a study group to study violence against women and children on the Mexico-US Border; Approval of refraining from holding PC(USA) national meetings at non-PC(USA) establishments in Arizona; Recommendations for the PC(USA) to work with local communities and the families affected by the Deep Water Horizon Oil disaster with finances and resources from the church; Directing the PC(USA) to call on the US Government to end military aid to Israel; Directing the PC(USA) to call on the US Government to impose a national moratorium on the imposition of the death penalty; the Belhar Confession to be included in the Book of Confessions; and many more pieces of legislation.

However, there were also papers, policies, and resolutions that were not passed by the GA or parts of the document were passed, but the main parts left out. Some of these include: Calling on the PC(USA) to divest from the Caterpillar Co. because their vehicles are being used by Israelis to bulldoze Palestinian homes; On amending the definition of marriage in the PC(USA) book of worship (which then would have included LGBTQ people); On Living a Human Life Before God study paper, which provides a well-reasoned base for churches to engage in moral discourse regarding life and death issues; and a key recommendation of Neither Poverty Nor Riches: Equity, Compensation and the Unity of the Church report, which would have prevented top salaries in the General Assembly Mission Council of the PC(USA) from being more than 5 times higher than those of the lowest paid, was removed from the document. These and several other papers, policies, and resolutions would have allowed the PC(USA) to have more of a prophetic voice in this world by more fully backing words with deeds.

Looking back at all the resolutions adopted, the church can be rightly proud, but again at what pace is the PC(USA) church to be even more prophetic in this world? I look to the prophet Micah as being a voice and example who can lead us in the right direction -- out of the corruption of power so visible in a lot of today’s society. It is a voice, which states, “And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God,” Micah 6:8. This is a prophetic voice that can lead us out of fear and into hope.

Yes, I am disappointed in the PC(USA) for not having been as prophetic as I would have liked; however, I do have hope for what our church did accomplish at this year’s assembly. Throughout my life I will continue to advocate for the church being a prophetic witness to the world. I will push the pace of policies, resolutions, and papers so that those who are being oppressed will be oppressed no more. I will live in the light of hope even if sometimes that light seems to fade only to a peep hole. I will keep running the race and will sprint when necessary, and will continue to help others sprint to the finish along with me in order to help bring God’s kingdom closer everyday. It is our job as prophetic Christians in this word to help push one another to run and sprint to the makings of a just and peaceful world!

What do I want the church to be? A joyful chorus of prophetic voices, that comes together to end oppression, evil, greed, hate, and violence in this world.

Tina DeYoe is a seminary student at Princeton Theological Seminary and an intern for the Advisory Committee for Social Witness Policy (ACSWP) of the PC(USA). She is also - generally speaking - awesome.

Photographs courtesy Danny Bolin and the PC(USA).

The Church is ALIVE in Young Adult Volunteers!

2010-07-21T11:33:00.004-04:00

Our reporter-on-the-ground at General Assembly, Ms. Tina Deyoe, grabbed a few interviews from Young Adult Volunteers while on the floor of GA last week. Young Adult Volunteers (a.k.a. "YAVs") are a fantastic part of the PC(USA), and two of them - Kate and Jim - had this to say:

Stay tuned for Tina's all-encompassing reflection on General Assembly, coming later this week!

Your Responses, Round 4 (Woah!)

2010-07-08T13:52:00.000-04:00

These videos of super excited and passionate people exclaiming their wishes for what they want church to be energize me. Just sayin'. Here are some (MORE) video responses from Presbyterian (USA) General Assembly attendees Alex, Benjamin, and Lindy. Feel inspired? Record yourself and submit it to us!

Send us your response! What do you want the church to be?

Your Responses, Round 3 (video round!)

2010-07-07T13:40:00.001-04:00

Here are some video responses from the Presbyterian (USA) General Assembly about what young people in the denomination feel the church is called to be. Check them out and send in your own responses!

Send us your response! What do you want the church to be?

Your Responses, Round 2

2010-07-06T17:19:00.005-04:00

We have a BUNCH more responses from people about what they want church to be! We figured we'd share a few of them below:

I want it to be something that helps develop our relationship with God and Christ. Although I don’t think that something has to be a place or an organization, nor does it necessarily have to have walls or even a name. I want the church to be that entity that connects us to each other so we can worship and minister and grow in our relationship with God and Christ together. I want the church to be about love, with no place for judgment or hatred. I want the church to be that thing that teaches us that the best way to teach others about God and Christ is through our actions. I think the church can be in a building with an organization that has a name, but it can also be everywhere…just like God.

- Sue

A community that welcomes people for who they are and loves them like the children of God they are, but might not know yet.

- Anonymous

A place for open spirituality and serious engagement with people, God, text, spirit, and self.

- Anonymous

If it were my church, I'd have an answer. Actually, I don't give a rip about what I want the Church to be. I'm wrestling with the question: What does Christ want the Church to be? Striving to answer this question is much more important in my opinion.

- Jim Truesdell

Keep 'em coming, folks! What do YOU want church to be?

We've been thinking...

2010-07-05T13:34:00.010-04:00

Some of you might have noticed we've been a little lax in posting lately, but while we haven't been writing we have been doing quite a bit of thinking! Two topics have been on our minds this summer: 1) the 219th PCUSA General Assembly and 2) the question of what we - and you - want the church to be.

But what does this mean, you ask? Well, here's the rundown on how these topics will impact The Church is Alive:

Firstly: The 219th General Assembly - a.k.a. "GA" - of the Presbyterian Church (USA) - a.k.a. the PC(USA) - kicked off 2 days ago in Minneapolis. This is a big deal for us at CiA (that's our fun acronym - use it :D) as many of us call this denomination home, but it is also a real-world example of a group of people deciding what they want "church" to be. To clarify: GA is a gathering of people who want to keep the PC(USA) alive and well by deciding on its future endeavors. This, of course, affects all of us, including other denominations - we all pay attention to and learn from each other!

Naturally, we here at the CiA wanted to be at the center of this actions. As such, we placed a few friends of the CiA on the ground at GA who will be sending us updates and reflections from the GA floor for the next couple weeks. (Hopefully we'll get a few of those up soon! Check back!)

Secondly: We don't want to just hear from the PC(USA) General Assembly - we want to hear from YOU! We'll be posting a whole slew of blog posts on this topic all summer (and, if you want to submit a blog post yourself, click here and let us know!), but we encourage all of you to check out the right side of the Church is Alive homepage. Just click on the question mark and send us a few words on what you want church to be. We really hope this will generate some great discussion about different aspects of the church and the ways in which 'church' can be experienced. You can put your name on your submission or respond anonymously, and we'll periodically post responses here on the blog. In fact, we've already received a few awesome responses. Have a look see:

"A community of faith that embraces, emulates, and empowers others to live as disciples of Christ."

- Dan W. Boles

"Home. For all.

A place of peace love, and justice, personally as well as communally and globally."

- Anonymous

"A place where difference is valued and isn't used to divide or oppress one another."

- Anonymous

"Church: Anyplace Christ's Body gathers to
Worship Him
Fellowship together with Him
Serve others with Him
Grow together in Him
Tell others about Him
In the power of the Holy Spirit"

- Laurie

"Church should be home. It should be an atmosphere in which you are welcomed home like the prodigal son (whether or not you ever left the church in the first place). It should be a place and atmosphere that you can pour out your heart and soul in. Finally, it should reach out in christian love into the community. This can be applied to local congregation, the Presbyterian (U.S.A.) denomination, or the entire Christian Church."

- Anonymous

So, what do you think? Do you agree with these folks? Disagree? What do YOU want the church to be??

Stay tuned - there's more to come!

Questions...

2010-07-02T11:22:00.004-04:00

(click the image above)

Please Stand By...

2010-06-04T12:10:00.006-04:00

Never fear: we haven't disappeared!

We're busy working on some fun new stuff, but the Church is ALIVE will be back in a jiffy!

Together, We Did It!

2010-05-18T09:06:00.008-04:00

It wasn’t a huge idea really. It wasn’t even the most interesting idea I heard that week. But there was something that excited me about the thought...What if we raised money to build a well as a community on this website? What if a community of people who believe that the Church is ALIVE proved it by doing something good for the world? $5,000 seemed like a lot of money, but the excitement of the moment floated the goal into an expectation.

And with that, the Water Project began.

When we launched the water campaign Ninety-One days ago, it was Ash Wednesday. Looking back, it seemed like perfect timing. Throughout the Lenten/Easter seasons we heard amazing stories and reflections of wise, passionate, and inspiring people from all over the country. But ninety days is a long time, and it is especially a long time to keep one's attention. Anyone who knows me knows that it's tough to get me to focus for even five minutes! Yet these past ninety days consumed me. Even more amazingly, the words, donations, and actions of this online community made it clear that this campaign to build a well for a needy population has consumed "us." It has been a surreal journey, but a journey that not only united us as a community, but will also join us with another community somewhere in the world.

12-18 months from now, charity: water will send us - and all of you - pictures and GPS coordinates pinpointing the construction site of a brand-new fresh water well. Granted, 12-18 from now seems like a long time! But when I think about the community that is going to receive the well, 12-18 months that cannot come soon enough! A community that has yet to see the first drops of clean water waits in anticipation to watch water gush from the earth. In 12-18 months we will officially join in the promise of clean water, of new life with a community somewhere in the world. They will not be mere recipients of the well, but will be part of our narrative and part of our community, just as we will be part of theirs. Great moments do not occur solely because of good ideas, but rather when people unite behind ideas to do something great. Indeed, this community - the Church is ALIVE community - has clung together over the past ninety days to do something great! Thank you, each of you, for your work!

YOU have done something great. Together, we made the world a better place. 12-18 months from now, we will join our celebrations with another community's celebrations somewhere as we observe the construction of a clean water well!

Thank you. Together, you have made it clear: the Church is indeed alive and well!

The Water Dichotomy

2010-05-14T06:11:00.002-04:00

I can't help but share in the excitement. The Church is Alive Water Project has met it's goal. Seriously. As of Thursday night, and because of the incomprehensible generosity of this community, you've raised over five thousand dollars to change the the lives of those in a community in need. On behalf of the Church is Alive, thank you.

A few weekends ago, I visited my brother in Nashville, Tennessee. We had a great time seeing the sights, going out on the town, and catching up with some old and new friends. The very next weekend, Nashville and the surrounding area saw over a foot of rainfall in a two-day period. The Cumberland river, which flows through downtown Nashville, crested at nearly 52 feet. The damage done has been horrific, and our hearts go out to those who lost cars, homes, and loved ones. The flooding also put one of the city's water treatment plants out of service, prompting a water conservation effort to ensure that all have access to clean water.

Nashville is at risk of not having enough clean water to go around. The same weekend, Boston had a similar misfortune. The water crisis doesn't have to be in a third-world country. The water crisis affects all of humanity.

Water is a necessity of life. One to be respected, both for it's destructive potential and our dependence on it to sustain life. You. Us. We. We're sustaining life. We're now making it possible for a community in need to have access to clean water. Pause and think about that, and perhaps offer a prayer to those to whom water now represents grief and loss.

Image courtesy of Leslie Rodriguez Photography. Video from Michael Deppisch.

7 Days to Go!

2010-05-11T07:59:00.004-04:00

It has been 83 days since we began the water campaign on the site. $4,051 has been raised so far, and we are officially in final push mode. We believe over the next seven days we can raise the remaining funds and meet our goal! In order for us to accomplish our goal, we need all hands on deck. If you have not donated, please do. If you haven't told a friend, please do. If you have given, and can give again, please do. There is a community somewhere in the world waiting for a well. We have come so far, let's keep up the good work. Good work, and let's build this well!

Please give here: http://mycharitywater.org/churchisalive

Pit Tah Pot Tah

2010-05-10T14:28:00.003-04:00

We've got 8 days left in our Charity:Water fundraiser and a lot left to raise. Spread the word!

Today's post comes from a regular guest/resident artist of Broad Street Ministry:

PIT TAH POT TAH
PIT
PIT
PIT
LET IT FLOW
ON
YOUR HEAD
TO
YOUR MIND
FROM
YOUR MIND
ON
YOUR HAND
TO
YOUR TOE
LET IT FLOW
PIT
PIT
PIT
LET IT FLOW TROUGH YOUR TOE
IN
THE SAND THEN SING
PIT TAH POT TAH
PIT TAH POT TAH
PIT
PIT
PIT
PIT TAH POT TAH
PIT TAH POT TAH
PIT
PIT
PIT
WATER
FROM
THE
SKY
TO
THE GROUND
IT
FLOW ROUND THE ROCK
TROUGH THE CRACK
IN THE SAND
THEN SING
PIT TAH POT TAH
PIT TAH POT TAH
PIT
PIT
PIT
THE WATER DROP
ON
THE HILL TOP
IN
THE POND
PIT TAH POT TAH
PIT
PIT
PIT
RISE RISE RISE
TO
THE TOP
THEN OVER FLOW ITS BANK
THEN RUN OVER ROCK
TROUGH THE CRACK
TROUGH THE SAND
TROUGH THE LAND
TROUGH YOUR HAND
TROUGH YOUR MIND
THEN
RUN
RUN
RUN RUN RUN
PEOPLE
OUT
A THEM MIND
PIT PIT PIT
IT
FLOW
TO
THE ROCK
TROUGH THE CRACK
IN
THE SAND
PIT TAH POT TAH
PIT TAH POT TAH
WATER
WATER EVERY WHERE
AND
NOT A DROP TO DRINK
WATER
WATER EVERY WHERE
AND
NOT A DROP IN MY SINK
WATER
TECK THE LAND
WATER
TECK THE SAND
WATER
TECK THE CAR
WATER
TECK THE HOUSE
WATER
TECK LIFE
WATER
THE
SPIRIT OF LIFE
MAKE
THE
PLANTS GROW
SO LET IT FLOW
PIT TAH POT TAH
PIT TAH POT TAH
PIT PIT PIT PIT
PIT PIT PIT
PIT PIT
PIT.

By IKRU WARM AN EASY
Copyright @ 1,15,2010.

Rupert E. Salmon Biography
IKRU warm an easy

Rupert E. Salmon, a.k.a. Ikru, was born in Jamaica where he studied at the Jamaica School of Arts in Kingston, receiving Bachelor of Arts in Realistic Painting and Sculpting. His credits include the Bronze Medal for Art in Jamaica and the Bronze Medal for Pop and Variety. The Jamaica Cultural Development Commission, the Pump House Gallery in Hartford, CT., the York College in Queens, NY., and the Chatom Museum of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA are just a few of Ikru’s impressive exhibition and teaching credentials. He professorial history includes the Jamaica School of Art and Craft, Black Rock High School, and Cobbla Youth Camp. Ikru is a long time accomplished writer of poetry, sculptor, musician and dancer. One must only take a glance at his written word, listen to his personal vocal recitations or view his painting or sculpture to know that his artistic gifts are vast and his voice and rhythm are like no other.

Presently, Ikru can be found roaming all over the streets of Philadelphia creating, photographing and showing his work at places like Broad Street Ministry, Project Home, The Senior Center, the Philadelphia Community College, and the Eastern Service Workers Association. And one can always find him working his magic down on the corner of 3rd and Market near the Artist & Craftsman Supply shop.

"The Water's Gonna Win"

2010-05-06T19:47:00.007-04:00

I was reminded last week of a song by David LaMotte. As I reflected on the images and stories from Tennessee, these words came to mind. There are those in this world still waiting for clean water, and those who need for the water to subside. I often struggle to find adequate words that sufficiently capture the feelings of my heart. So I simply say today: my thoughts and prayers extend to those in Tennessee that have watched their homes swept away. My thoughts and prayers extend to those in countries without access to clean and safe drinking water. My thoughts and prayers to those in this world who struggle to keep their heads above water. My thoughts and prayers for those who feel as if the rain of violence will never cease. My thoughts and prayers for those who depend on rain for work and for food. My thoughts and prayers of thanks for all the mothers of the world that guide their families and children through the times of joy and pain. Amen.

Water lyrics by David Lamotte

So they built their shiny hotel
Where the water meets the land
They smiled a little nervously
As the ocean took the sand
They went down below the shoreline
And they hauled it back again
But the heavy rain and the hurricane
And the water's gonna win
The water's gonna win
Bring it all back
It will wash away again
The water's gonna win
Pack it up or pack it in
The water's gonna win
The glass of water you were sipping
As you watched the morning come
Has quenched the thirst of seven others
Underneath a younger sun
We are memories and moments
We are born and born again
Rushing stream and breathing steam
The water's gonna win
The water's gonna win
Ascending and falling and rising up again

The water's gonna win
Ride the tide and ride the wind
The water's gonna win
Haul the rocks and sign the papers
Pour another glass of gin
Cut the ribbon with the scissors
But the water's gonna win
You went down beside the river
Just about a year ago
Gave the ashes to the current
Saw them swirl into the flow
You still hold it all inside you
You can't stop once you begin
Close your eyes and feel it rising
The water's gonna win
The water's gonna win
You can't hold back the tide
You can't hide from what's within
The water's gonna win
Feel it move beneath your skin
The water's gonna win
It will with keep flowing through
All we are and all we've been
The water's gonna win
Forever and amen
The water's gonna win

Immigration Reform and the PC(USA)

2010-04-30T10:01:00.002-04:00

Yesterday, our moderator Bruce Reyes-Chow sent out an invitation to comment on the statement issued on behalf of the PC(USA) regarding the recent Arizona legislation known as SB1070. This was his status on facebook:

Bruce Reyes-Chow just had a wonderfully challenging conversation with a "younger than me" person about today's interactions about the PC(USA) immigration statement. So here you go, for those 30 and under only, what are YOUR thoughts on the statement, the interactions, etc. Over 30's try really hard to listen.

No matter how inundated I am with final papers and exams, there’s no way I could pass up such a delightful invitation to thank the church for their active role in speaking out against this legislation, and give a few reasons as to why I am against the law myself. Before I show my response to Bruce’s message, here’s a brief summary of the statement if you haven’t read it or don’t plan to read the whole thing (though I do encourage you to read it - it's a great statement!):

I. An immediate need exists in the country for immigration reform
a) SB1070 is characterized by bigotry, trauma and fear
b) We need action at the federal level

II. Churches see the pain the broken system causes; ripping families apart, children left behind
a) law puts Christian workers at risk who work with undocumented immigrants
b) we cannot stand by and allow this to happen

III. The law also jeopardizes the safety of immigrant communities, further pushing the invisible population of undocumented immigrants into the shadows which:
a) prevents people from reporting crimes
b) fosters a distrust of the law
c) hinders federal legislation dealing with immigration

IV. LEV 19: 33-34
a) IMMIGRATION REFORM PLEASE!

Here was my response, it’s not eloquent (facebook just isn’t as fancy as a blog and I was in a bit of an “in-the-moment-adrenaline-rush” after reading the statement) but it sums up a few points:

Bruce,
When I got my tattoo of the Presbyterian seal on my wrist my mom asked me "why couldn't you just have gotten a necklace?" and many people asked me "what if you don't always agree with your church?"

Well, there have been times since when I haven't exactly adored what the Presbyterian church has done, but there are times like these when the PC(USA) stands up and speaks out against injustices in the world that completely overwhelm any trivial disagreements I have with the church. This is EXACTLY where I see the living church in action in the world. The statement issued about SB1070 is a testament to the living church. I'm so glad my church took action and stated plain truths about the legislation.

My concentration, I hope, in the sociology PhD program I enter in the fall will be immigration and immigration reform. I've already studied the issue at length and legislation like this has all kinds of unintended consequences. The third paragraph in the statement, for example, discusses the distrust of law enforcement that already existed. This legislation will only augment the distrust and push the invisible population further into the shadows. This kind of legislation hinders federal investigations and further complicates our already broken system.

In practice, the legislation is a nightmare. If Javier (my husband – from Chile) and I want to go on a road trip to California, he'd have to bring his birth certificate? What papers would we need? How sensible is it for him to take all of his precious documents with him? Those documents need to be kept SAFELY at home in a fire-proof lock box, because they were hard enough to get in the first place. How full will the already inhumane detention centers be? How many more families will be split up?

In a perverse way, though, this legislation has brought to the forefront something this country desperately needs: immigration reform. There's no way congress can escape this issue now. Again, unintended consequences.

This was not a part of my original comment but I later pressed the point of how important it is that our church MADE such a statement. We are not the only denomination to issue a statement on immigration reform: the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America has issued a statement called “Toward Compassionate, Just and Wise Immigration Reform,” and the United Methodist Church is part of the Interfaith Immigration Coalition and works with groups to increase the religious diversity in the campaign toward immigration reform. What would we have the PC(USA) do – ignore the situation? Not stand up and make a statement? That’s just not our personality. We may not have a unified consensus – has that ever happened in our church? This is a time for action. I’m so proud of the PC(USA) for making this statement and joining the ranks of other denominations who have already become involved in the fight for comprehensive immigration reform.

What do you all think? We’ll take comments even if you are 30+ years old.

photo by: www.ryanrodrickbeiler.com, taken from Soujourners

Row, Row, Row (Your Boat)

2010-04-26T09:34:00.003-04:00

Pro tip: listen to this song while you read this post.

Some people decide to change the world after they have the financial means to do so. Others figure out a way to do it to raise money to change the world. Take 23-year-old Katie Spotz from Cleveland, Ohio, last month, she became the youngest person ever to row across the Atlantic Ocean. She rowed a boat. Across the Atlantic Ocean. Know why she did it? To raise awareness of, you guessed it, the need for clean drinking water.

Well crap. That hits home. I'm 23, and I don't think I could muster the passion, dedication, or pure physical endurance to row across an ocean. Katie's story is pretty incredible, you should check it out on rowforwater.com, Facebook, and Twitter.

People can do amazing things when they believe in something.

[Author note: Another reason she's totally awesome]

Water: National Georgraphic

2010-04-21T08:58:00.008-04:00

Water: by National Geographic. Day Three.

Today we bring you excerpts and photos from Our Thirsty World, from Water: A Special Issue by National Geographic- April, 2010. You can find the article, pictures, and video here. Photographs by John Stanmeyer.

Our Thirsty World

"In wealthy parts of the world, people turn on a faucet and out pours abundant, clean water. Yet nearly 900 million people in the world have no access to clean water, and 2.5 billion people have no safe way to dispose of human waste—many defecate in open fields or near the same rivers they drink from. Dirty water and lack of a toilet and proper hygiene kill 3.3 million people around the world annually, most of them children under age five. Here in southern Ethiopia, and in northern Kenya, a lack of rain over the past few years has made even dirty water elusive." -Tina Rosenberg

"Where clean water is scarcest, fetching it is almost always women's work."

"When I first came to Foro, some 60 men were sitting in the shade of a metal-roofed building, drinking and talking. It was midmorning. Women, says Binayo, "never get five seconds to sit down and rest."

"In much of the developing world, lack of water is at the center of a vicious circle of inequality."

"When we are born, we know that we will have a hard life"-Binayo

We have passed the $3,800 mark of our water campaign! As a site, we are seeking to raise $5,000 to build a well for a community of 400, that will provide them with fresh, clean water for 20 years. If you can donate please do so here. Every dollar counts. Please tell you friends, family, Church's, youth groups, work, and school. Again, the link to donate is here.

Sacred Waters

2010-04-20T09:02:00.019-04:00

Water: by National Geographic. Day Two.

Today we bring you excerpts and photos from the article Sacred Waters, from Water: A Special Issue by National Geographic- April, 2010. You can find the article, pictures, and video here. Photographs by John Stanmeyer.

Sacred Waters

"From the droplets in a baptismal font to the scattering of ashes on a holy river, water blesses our lives."- Cathy Newman

"From our worldly entrance in a burst of amniotic fluid to the ritual washing of the dead (taharah in Judaism; ghusl al0mayyit in Islam), water flows through our lives, scribing a line between sacred and profane, life and death. We are doused, dunked, dipped, sprinkled-- and blessings flow, deep and wide as the River Jordan of Scripture, wondrous as the spring at Lourdes, cathartic as tears." -Cathy Newman

"The world, Genesis says, was brought to life by a God who created a "firmament in the midst of the waters."-Cathy Newman

The body thirsts. So does the spirit. "I must live near a lake. Without water, I thought, nobody could live at all." -Swiss psychiatrist, Carl Jung.

"If I were called in/ To construct a religion/I should make use of water"
Philip Larkin-1954

"Symbol of creation, harbour of all seeds, water becomes the supreme magic and medicinal substance; it heals, it restores youth, it ensures eternal life."- Mircea Eliade 1907-1986
Patterns in Comparative Religion

"May the waters from the snowy mountains bring health and peace to all people. May the spring waters bring calm to you...and may the rains be a source of tranquility to all." -Atharva Veda, Circa 200 B.C.

If you can donate to the charity: water project, please do. Click here to donate.

Water: Brought to You by National Geographic

2010-04-19T08:58:00.028-04:00

I wrote in my last blog post: "Water has consumed me for the past thirty one days. I have thought more about water than ever before." It has been a while since those words were written, but water continues to find me. In conversations, on television (Jimmy Bradley-Contestant, Top Chef Masters competed on behalf of charity: water), in articles, in other water movements, and in A Special Issue by National Geographic- April, 2010.

Over the next three days, The Church Is Alive Team will bring you photos, videos, and story excerpts from the issue. Specifically, we will focus on three stories from the magazine: The Burden of Thirst, Sacred Waters, and Water Thirsty World. It is our hope, that the images you will see will not just be pictures on a screen, but rather the stories of our brothers and sisters in Christ.

I will say it again, I continue to be inspired by the words that people pour out on this site. I have been moved by the photographs and videos. I have been awed by generosity of the donations that have flowed in to help provide water for a community of 400 for 20 years. I am thankful. Friends the statistics are mind blowing, the images heart hurting, the reality for so many in the world is grim, but there is great hope in Christ. Let us be a a community that responds in prayer, action, and our lives- always helping those in need.

Today's images and captions come from The Burden of Thirst, an article by Tina Rosenberg. Photograph's by Lynn Johnson. You can find all articles, images, and video here.

The Burden of Thirst

If the millions of women who haul water long distances had a faucet by their door, whole societies could be transformed. -Tina Rosenberg

Read The Burden of Thirst in its entirety here.

Wade in the Water

2010-04-16T10:18:00.042-04:00

(Image from nicoleseitz.com)
Wade in the water.
Wade in the water, children.
Wade in the water.
God's gonna trouble the water.

Well, who are these children all dressed in red?
God's a-gonna trouble the water
Must be the children that Moses led
God's a-gonna trouble the water.

Who's that young girl dressed in white
Wade in the Water
Must be the Children of Israelites
God's gonna trouble the Water.

Jordan's water is chilly and cold.
God's gonna trouble the water.
It chills the body, but not the soul.
God's gonna trouble the water.

If you get there before I do.
God's gonna trouble the water.
Tell all of my friends I'm coming too.
God's gonna trouble the water.

Water is so many things. It is a path to escape and a landmark to follow back home. It is a source of life through its consumption as well as a source of laughter and fun through rock-hopping and sprinkler time.

When was the last time we viewed water as something God "troubled"? What exactly is troubled water? The intentional images that flash through my head look like tidal waves and tsunamis, but that doesn't sound like the type of water the singers of this spiritual were wanting their children to be wading in.

I think the kind of trouble God is creating for these waters is the trouble that comes with radical movements or change. In my opinion, this is good trouble. The best kind of trouble there can be. Trouble that creates change through destruction.

I have personally witnessed this kind of water-made trouble. A couple of years ago when I was on a school trip to the US/Mexico border. We were walking along in the desert (with our water bottles close at hand) and we came to a part of the fence that was being rebuilt. We of course asked why and our guide pointed down the path where the strewn pieces of the old part of the wall were.

The path we had been walking on and the fence had been in the way of was a riverbed. During the rainy season, the river seems to come out of no where and become such a force that cement and wood and hundreds of hours of labor can just be washed away. It seems to me that God troubled that water.

Stand in the water. Play in the water. Drink the water. Share the water. Wade in the water. God's gonna trouble that water.

(Image from lindalesperance.com)

* * * *

Beth is graduating from Presbyterian College in May with a BS in Early Childhood Education and a BA in Christian Education. In August, she will be moving to Nashville, TN to work with the Young Adult Volunteer Program.

Look at it this way: confidently

2010-04-12T09:56:00.005-04:00

Leslie's post is part of our Lenten Water Project. Throughout this Lenten season our writers will be focusing on the subject of water and what that means to them. Please donate to our well-building efforts, and if you have something YOU would like to say about water, let us know and we'll post it here!

Something that really gets to me are conversations that attribute the diagnosis for the ills ofthe earth to Christianity. There is an endless list of faults and problems with the church in these conversations that would depress even the most optimistic person. It makes me sad to watch people fall into that kind of cynicism, living life looking at the worst of everything. To offer an alternative, I find that it helps to think of the church as alive and well in a world that is better because of it. For example:

Since the start of 2010, countries all over the world have suffered from major natural disasters. Starting with the earthquake in Haiti on January 12, then in Chile on February 27, again in Mexico on April 4 and finally Indonesia on April 6, these disasters have devastated populations and left cities in ruin. In the aftermath of these earthquakes, thousands of households across the United States have donated to relief efforts. While hundreds of organizations and events contributed to raising these relief funds, the role of the church stood out to me. Churches do more than collect money - they send teams of people who want to help (including our moderator Bruce Reyes-Chow and a delegation from the PCUSA, who just informed us about 5 minutes ago via facebook that he arrived safely in Haiti this morning), they pray for the victims, they help people understand the tragedy and devastation, they remind people that this is not God’s wrath but a natural disaster; churches don’t donate and leave, they engage in healing.

Living in Nashville is a special religious experience, because when disasters like the Haiti and Chile earthquakes happen, churches from all over the city get together with musicians and other artists to really show the world just what Christians can do to help the world heal. Back in February and March, I participated in two fundraising events sponsored by two local churches, Woodmont Christian Church and Second Presbyterian Church. Woodmont Christian Church actually had a group of youth on a mission trip in Haiti when the earthquake happened - so they had a very special place in their hearts for the people of Haiti. They raised $12,000 in a one night concert benefit - one night! The congregation at Second Presbyterian Church got together with a group of Chileans in Nashville after the earthquake in Chile to throw a similar concert benefit which raised another $7,000! Two churches in two nights. The Church is ALIVE charity:water project is another example. Thanks to the 71 donations and other promotional help the project has received so far from people who have posted the project on their statuses and e-mailed friends and family, we have raised $3,732! Don’t tell me the church isn’t alive, thank you very much. So next time you hear someone dragging the church down, remind them of the churches you know of who are actively participating in healing wounds all over the world. The living church does make a positive difference every single day - that’s what it means to be alive!

(pictured below: images from the Chile Aid Event at Second Presbyterian Church)

Danny Salazar

two classical guitar players from Spanish Serenatta

(the dry erase board puts the total a little short of what we wound up with in the end - these were the volunteers from the community and the church congregation)

The Church is Alive & Charity: Water

2010-04-09T05:59:00.001-04:00

good easter...what now?

2010-04-05T00:15:00.000-04:00

He is risen! (He is risen, indeed)

Easter is over, the plastic eggs are brought back up to the attic, the kids are crashing after their sugar highs, the Easter Sunday hats are put back in the closets. What's the next holiday...Mothers' Day?

Ever get that uneasy feeling that something isn't quite finished? We've been celebrating Christ's resurrection for YEARS, yet nothing seems to have changed. We just move on after Easter, as if it never happened. The world is still in utter chaos. We are still needlessly killing one another. Millions of people still go without clean drinking water.

The story of Christ's resurrection MUST go beyond the event we are all familiar with. Conquering death and sin is very central to the Christian message, yet it is something that should compel us to move forward. Authors and theologians have spent years and years of research into the specifics of the death and resurrection, into whether it actually happened or not. We could join these conversations, try to defend our faith based on physical facts and evidence. OR we can acknowledge the further calling to carry Christ's message of hope forth into a world in need.

In the Gospel of John, we find one of the few reported appearances of Christ AFTER resurrection. One of these appearances is to Peter, the man who had recently denied any connection to Jesus. Jesus gives a simple question, "Do you love me?" The following imperative is to "feed my sheep." Christ is pretty insistent in this interaction, catching Peter off guard. Perhaps Peter figured all was well now that Christ had risen. However, the calling has just begun. "Follow me," Jesus says.

Friends, we must live into the resurrection story. We must feed one another.

Many churches celebrate Pentecost, the beginning of the church, on May 23rd this year. This is in a little over 40 days. We have 43 days left on our charity:water fundraiser. Help us live into the resurrection story this year by helping donate money to build a WELL for a community in need of Christ's message of hope. Help the church live into its calling.

He is risen indeed.

Appreciating Tap Water

2010-04-02T09:46:00.006-04:00

Heather's post is part of our Lenten Water Project. Throughout this Lenten season our writers will be focusing on the subject of water and what that means to them. Please donate to our well-building efforts, and if you have something YOU would like to say about water, let us know and we'll post it here!

Well, I'm finishing up two weeks of only drinking water. I had read about the Lenten water project. At first I thought, "there is no way that I could ever do that." So I just put it out of my mind, forgot about it and started Lent without adding a spiritual practice or giving something up. Then this year for spring break I got to take my first trip out of the country to Santiago Atitlan, Guatemala. During the week that I spent there, one thing that was a huge change for us was not being able to drink from the faucet. Here we can just grab a glass in the kitchen and fill it up with tap water and be totally fine after we drink it. If I had done that there, the next few days would not have been very fun. So, after having to be very careful with the water I drank and even the food I ate that could have been washed with the unclean water I began to really think about the world's water crisis. So on World Water Day, March 22, I decided to jump in on this challenge.

I applaud any one who started this journey at the beginning of lent. After day 2 of only drinking water I wanted to quit. It is much harder than I expected to give up everything else. I am glad to say that I have stayed strong in these two weeks but it hasn't been easy. I am so looking forward to something with flavour. But more importantly these last two weeks has given me the opportunity to talk to people about the water crisis and hopefully got people thinking about how they use water and what they can do to help.

So for everyone who is on this journey and are doing what they can to help end the world water crisis, The 40 days is almost up but that doesn't mean that we can stop raising awareness.

Stay strong and keep being the rock stars that you are.
-Heather

* * * *

Heather Scott is a senior in Audio Engineering and Music Business at Belmont University, an active participant with the Presbyterian Student Fellowship in Nashville, and resident Audio/Visual Queen at Montreat.

The Long Lenten Journey is Nearly Over...

2010-04-01T09:57:00.004-04:00

Kim's post is part of our Lenten Water Project. Throughout this Lenten season our writers will be focusing on the subject of water and what that means to them. Please donate to our well-building efforts, and if you have something YOU would like to say about water, let us know and we'll post it here!

It is Holy Week, and the long Lenten journey is nearly over. We began that journey in the desert, where water is scarce and the wilderness is harsh. Still dripping from the waters of his baptism, Jesus was sent out into the desert, propelled by the same Spirit who had just come upon him in the form of a dove. He had no food, no drink, and only the devil for company. For forty days he was tempted by Evil incarnate, who did everything in his power to get Jesus to deny his identity as the beloved son of God.

Because Jesus defeated evil – not only in the desert, but on the cross – we are safe from the worst that Evil can do. During the Lenten journey, however, we come face to face with our vulnerability, beginning with an ashy cross that reminds us that we are dust. Yet God makes that journey with us, never abandoning us to hopelessness, never allowing us to be claimed by the sin that clings so closely.

Even in the desert, there are signs of hope. On the final Sunday of Lent, we heard the faint sound of water trickling. It started with the prophet Isaiah:

Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old.
I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.
The wild animals will honor me, the jackals and the ostriches;
for I give water in the wilderness, rivers in the desert,
to give drink to my chosen people,
the people whom I formed for myself so that they might declare my praise.
(Is 43:18-21)

Then the psalmist replied with a song of hope:

When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy;
then it was said among the nations, "The LORD has done great things for them."
The LORD has done great things for us, and we rejoiced.
Restore our fortunes, O LORD, like the watercourses in the Negeb.
May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy.
Those who go out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing,
shall come home with shouts of joy, carrying their sheaves.
(Ps. 126:1-6)

The journey is not quite over; we still must walk the path Jesus walked, to the upper room, the foot of the cross, and – thanks be to God – the empty tomb. Throughout the long journey, though, the God who causes water to spring forth in the desert is with us, reminding us that in the waters of baptism we are claimed once and for all, never to be abandoned, until we are raised on the last day and our joy will be complete.

Charles Wesley captured this whole journey in a single stanza of his hymn, “Jesus Lover of My Soul:”

Plenteous grace with Thee is found,
Grace to cover all my sin;
Let the healing streams abound;
Make and keep me pure within.
Thou of life the fountain art,
Freely let me take of Thee;
Spring Thou up within my heart;
Rise to all eternity.

* * * *

Kim Long is the Assistant Professor of Worship and Coordinator of Worship Resources for Congregations, at Columbia Theological Seminary, in Decatur, GA.

"Remember your Baptism"

2010-03-30T08:04:00.003-04:00

Kristin's post is part of our Lenten Water Project. Throughout this Lenten season our writers will be focusing on the subject of water and what that means to them. Please donate to our well-building efforts, and if you have something YOU would like to say about water, let us know and we'll post it here!

I've been thinking about baptism a lot lately. Perhaps it’s a little premature, here in the midst of Lent and all, but I’ve been thinking about the free-flowing, cleansing waters of baptism.

I think it all started a few months ago when I witnessed the baptism of little David. David’s was the first baptism I saw at the church where I’m interning. Granted, I had seen many baptisms prior to that day, but for some reason, David’s just inherently felt different. Watching it all play out in front of me, I was suddenly aware of just how momentous the act is.

David’s family and Bill, the head pastor, were gathered at the front of the sanctuary. David’s parents beamed as they passed their infant son to Bill. Bill cradled David in the nook of his arm and slowly chanted the ancient baptismal words: “I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.” With each named member of the Trinity, Bill covered David’s head with a small handful of cool water.

David’s reaction was priceless. A huge smile broke across his face, letting out a hiccupped laugh. He swung his head around to look out at the whole congregation, and more laughter escaped. It was as if he was simultaneously inviting us to share in the experience with him and commenting (with all of those baby giggles) on just how magical the moment was.

That sense of joy was contagious. As Bill invited the whole congregation forward to receive blessings of their own, there were smiles all around. “Remember your baptism,” Bill charged us as he traced the symbol of the cross in cool water on each of our foreheads.

I’m still pondering what it means to “remember my baptism,” seeing as how I can’t actually remember the physical event from my first year of life. But after witnessing David’s baptism, I’m sure of this: baptism is the joyous and mysterious experience by which we enter into the body of Christ. It might be a little too early to celebrate, but I’m looking forward to remembering – and even celebrating – my baptism as Easter approaches. I’m ready to think about those cleansing baptismal waters after this dry and thirsty time of Lent.

* * * *

Kristin Raley is a first-year Master of Divinity Student at Harvard Divinity School. Her interests include the intersection between faith and language and evangelical Christianity. She is also pursuing ordination in the PC(USA), and is currently interning at Fourth Presbyterian Church in South Boston, MA. When she’s not writing papers or working at church, you can probably find her perusing a local coffee shop for some hazelnut coffee … or saying something in her “funny” Chicago accent.

charity: water

2010-03-26T11:56:00.011-04:00

As a team we wanted to show you some of the people charity: water is serving and some of the work they are doing around the world in picture form.

Sedaney carries water home from the unprotected spring in Blanchard, Haiti.

Kiesha grew up drinking water from a contaminated pond on the island of La Gonave, Haiti. Since the quake, 3,000 more have come to her village to live and also drink the unsafe water.

A child drinks clean water from an @charitywater funded well in Rwanda

Drilling wells is a dirty job. here, the @charitywater drilling partner in Rwanda gets it done.

Where do we stand you ask?

It has been amazing to see the outpouring of support for this project. We are closing in on the half way mark of our goal. Let's keep it up! Ask your friends if they would be willing to give $5. They can donate here: http://mycharitywater.org/churchisalive

"If you are going to ask yourself life-changing questions..."

2010-03-22T08:34:00.002-04:00

I don't subscribe to cable television, so I don't watch a whole lot of television. It isn't much of a surprise, then, that I totally missed out on an MTV documentary that aired last week called "Summit on the Summit." The premise? Kenna (actually a pretty great musician) and some famous friends of his, climb Mt. Kilimanjaro to raise awareness of the global clean water crisis. Check out the trailer below:

Guess what? We're not the only ones concerned about the clean water crisis. This is a global movement. A movement of compassion toward those with less. A movement to makes the lives of people better. Guess what else? We've already made a tangible impact. With the donations received so far, Charity:Water will be able to provide clean, safe drinking water to 90 people for years to come. Think about that.

We've put our thoughts, prayers, energy, and passion for providing life-giving water to yield a tangible result. Where would we be if everyone did that?

"If you are going to ask yourself life-changing questions, be sure to do something with the answers."
- Bo Bennett

31 Days Into Lent. How are you?

2010-03-19T09:51:00.015-04:00

Matthew's post is part of our Lenten Water Project. Throughout this Lenten season our writers will be focusing on the subject of water and what that means to them. Please donate to our well-building efforts, and if you have something YOU would like to say about water, let us know and we'll post it here!

It’s been a little over four weeks since Ash Wednesday, since we gathered in our places of worship, and had ash-marked crosses rubbed on our foreheads. We were marked as Christ's own and reminded that "to dust" we would return. It has been four weeks of prayer, reflection, discernment and quiet. It’s been thirty-one days since those first steps into the season were taken, and, I have to wonder, how are you? Are you hanging in there? Are you tired? Are you ready for Easter?

I'm getting there.

I admit, this Lenten season has been different for me. You see, each year I try to figure out exactly what I’m going to give up. I want to pick something that I’m not too addicted to, but I want to pick something that is so much a part of my normal everyday life that I will notice it’s gone. I mean the mere idea of giving up coffee is just crazy for me - I’m way too addicted to that to give it up. I need to give up something that I know, that I can succeed at not having for a season. I need to be slightly to moderately challenged. It’s become a pride thing. It’s more realistic that I give up chips for lent, or talking on my cell phone while in the car, or pizza or something that I enjoy but don’t really have to suffer to give up. I think some of you out there know what I’m talking about. There are plenty of things we will give up, but there are also plenty of things we believe that we just can’t live without.

This year I haven’t given anything up. Rather, I’ve added a few things. Namely the water project on this site was a big addition to my life. Water has consumed me for the past thirty one days. I have thought more about water than ever before. Right when I think I’ve thought about water in every possible way, another amazing post is published and my eyes are opened yet again. We have heard some amazing stories and reflections that involve water. Some of the stories and reflections are challenging, some heart warming, and others read like prayers. Needless to say, I’m thankful for each. These reflections have helped to keep me focused and going throughout what can sometimes be a grueling time of quiet. My eyes have been opened in new ways, and I can't fill up a glass of water without the recognition of how easy it was, and how thankful I am for that one glass. But, I then pray for those who don't have clean water.

I'm thankful that prayers have been matched with action. As of today, 49 people have donated, raising ~~$1,717~~ $1,817 to serve 85 90 people. Amazing. As I scroll down the list of donors, I see names of folks from college, youth group, family, friends, and a ton of people I don’t know! It’s really great! Officially there are 59 days left in our water campaign, and we are $783 from our halfway mark. As we move forward, if you haven't donated will you think about donating? If you have donated, will you tell a few of your friends about the campaign, and ask them to donate? Together we can do this!

So it's been 31 days. It's been a different Lent for me this year; a Lent filled with community, action, and really hard questions. I'm hanging in there. How are you?

Water + Information

2010-03-15T11:54:00.013-04:00

Jack's post is part of our Lenten Water Project. Throughout this Lenten season our writers will be focusing on the subject of water and what that means to them. Please donate to our well-building efforts, and if you have something YOU would like to say about water, let us know and we'll post it here!

Sometimes, raw information can say more than anything else...

click on the infographic above to see the bigger picture from nextgenpe...

For more graphic-style water information, check out Ten Things You Should Know About Water.

[edit]: also, check out the Virtual Water Project, and this image from Wired Magazine that shows just how little freshwater there actually is in the world:

click above to enlarge

Discuss.

Going Without Water

2010-03-12T11:03:00.008-05:00

Alfredo's post is part of our Lenten Water Project. Throughout this Lenten season our writers will be focusing on the subject of water and what that means to them. Please donate to our well-building efforts, and if you have something YOU would like to say about water, let us know and we'll post it here!

I'm always amazed at the sources of wisdom that I encounter all around me.
One day, my mother was reacting to the war-torn images in the newscast on television, the typical manichean expose of the newscasters who divide the world into the heros and the losers, the saved and the vanquished. At the time, the rumors were that all the suffering and all the turmoil were due to the greed for oil and the need for its continual access so that the world (read: the United States) could continue functioning.

She turned to me with a foreboding sigh and told me that her mother used to say, many a decade before I was ever born, that the wars in the future would not be fought for oil. They would be fought for water.
I am not a religious man in the sense that those of you most likely reading this passage would consider religious. I am not partaking in Lent, nor will I be giving up anything in the coming days. But I am fully aware that one of the major parts of the Lenten season is its moment of deep introspection and reconception. It is, however, equally a time of action. You take actions at this time, like fasting, prayer, and meditation, as participatory of the season. But as you fast (if you fast) and as you challenge yourself (if you challenge yourself) in these days, I encourage you to wonder: what is it like to go without water?

A human body can withstand weeks, weeks mind you, without food. The eventual succumbing to starvation comes well after the last bite has been taken. And yet within 72 hours, you may find yourself six feet under unless you partake of water.

Allow that to sink in. Going without food for a fast can be a bit annoying during the day, but if you have done it before you can attest that your body assimilates and eventually the hunger pangs subside. Go without water for a whole day. In fact, eat all you want. But don't take a single sip of any liquid. I dare you. By the time your mouth reaches the paltry condition of that old fuzzy couch stored away in the dusty attic, you will have wished you had chosen to give up something else.

What I took from my grandmother's warning was not a message about ecological subsistence (although it most certainly can, and should as well, be read that way). I also took from it a much more uncomplicated, yet equally as important and profound, message. What is it that I fight for? What is it that I am worried about? How much of my energy is spent focusing on those things that I can live without? And how much of my time is spent making sure that others have access to at least the bare minimum (ie: water)?

I can't tell you how angry it makes me when I miss the bus. Or about how I fume because vegetarian options at restaurants are meager. And slow internet? Don't get me started. But water. It is surely the simplest thing we all need. Have I gone without it? No. Have I ever had to struggle for it? Never. Will I conceivably find myself in want for it? Probably not. And yet it is only because of this simple need being met that I have even the ability to whine and complain, to cherish and laugh.

It is said that necessity is the mother of all invention. I would venture forward from this, then, to say that FRUSTRATION is the mother of all action. More specifically, and more pertinent to this post, frustration is the mother of action in the form of social justice. Go without water. I look at you straight in the eyes, eyebrows furrowed with penetrating pupils underneath, and challenge you to complain about anything else after you have gone without it.

Lent is about humility, about recontextualization. It is, however, also about action. And I would venture that within this context, lent must therefore be about frustration. Without frustration, there is no action, the kind of action that I write about in this post. Use the themes of lent and water to allow the frustration to become productive. What is it that we are fighting for? What is it that controls our minds at the moment, that frustrates the hell out of us? And what is it that we will do about it?

The importance of it all can be shaped by a simple question: have you gone without water?

* * * *

Alfredo is a first-year masters student at Harvard Divinity School. Concentrating on Religion and the Social Sciences, Alfredo's research interests include the sociology of religion, religious disaffiliation, and the rise of non-religiosity in America. His goal is to one day become both a gentleman and a scholar.

Charity:water update 2

2010-03-10T11:13:00.002-05:00

Your generosity is a testament to the kingdom of God! By giving of your selves, your resources, you are proclaiming God's providence for those in need. The church is ALIVE because people like you are committing to transform the world around and to be transformed.

Let this practice of giving also open us up to new relationships during this Lenten season. May we continue to be open to how God speaks to us through giving and may this lead us into a deeper relationship with our faith.

THANKS for the donations, we're at $1,540 now! Help us spread the word. Talk to your church or youth group about it. Tell your family and friends. Keep coming back on Mondays and Fridays to read inspirational posts during this Lenten journey.

Remember, you can check our progress at:

http://mycharitywater.org/churchisalive

"To Dust You Will Return"

2010-03-08T08:58:00.004-05:00

David's post is part of our Lenten Water Project. Throughout this Lenten season our writers will be focusing on the subject of water and what that means to them. Please donate to our well-building efforts, and if you have something YOU would like to say about water, let us know and we'll post it here!

“Remember David, ‘you are dust and to dust you will return.’” (Genesis 3:19)

With that my professor dipped his thumb in the small cup of ashes and oil that he held against his chest, lifted my hair, and wiped his stained finger on my forehead.

First down.

Then across.

The smudged cross left on my skin in that Ash Wednesday ritual signified the beginning of the Lenten season; a time of preparation, repentance, and reflection.

Lent leaves space to reflect on many things.

Our finitude is one of them.

Among other things, the ashen cross is supposed to point us to the temporal nature of life. I think that is why the words of my professor wrapped themselves around me so tightly.

I am dust. We are dust. Particles of dry earth.

I guess it makes sense that we are dust. After all, a potter formed us (Isaiah 64:8), and potters work with things of the earth, even dust. Dust that with the help of minerals and water and time has become clay.

On its own, dust is just parched dirt, but when water enters the equation, something new happens. A new substance is created. One that with some time between the hands and fingers of a caring potter becomes a beautiful creation.

That cross of ash on my forehead is gone, long since washed away, but it still challenges me, and perhaps it challenges you. What if we could spend a few moments reflecting on the role that water plays in transforming our substance from dust…to clay…to a beautiful creation?

This is the season for just that sort of reflection.

* * * *

David Powers is currently pursuing a Master of Divinity at Columbia Theological Seminary, which he will finish up in May. His interests include running, learning new things, and Clemson Tiger football.

Louisiana 1927

2010-03-05T07:49:00.007-05:00

Katie's post is part of our Lenten Water Project. Throughout this Lenten season our writers will be focusing on the subject of water and what that means to them. Please donate to our well-building efforts, and if you have something YOU would like to say about water, let us know and we'll post it here!

“Louisiana, Louisiana. They're trying to wash us away, they're trying to wash us away.”

In Randy Newman’s famous song, Louisiana 1927 he sings - laments even - the power of water, rivers, and rain. He captures in this simple but powerful song the damage that the Great Mississippi River flood of 1927 did to the states of Louisiana and Mississippi, leaving 700,00 people homeless. This song has most recently been identified with Hurricane Katrina in the public consciousness since Aaron Neville sang it on a televised hurricane relief show a few years ago.

This song always makes me stop and think about water. Water’s many and varied uses are quite remarkable when you think about it. We drink it, bath with it, cook with it, clean with it, swim in it, extinguish fires with it, and water our lawns with it. During my tenure as a volunteer organizer with the RHINO program at Saint Charles Avenue Presbyterian Church in New Orleans, I was struck by the many ways that water is also destructive and harmful. It can smudge and stain your 50 year old wedding album, it can pick up your bed and move it in to your kitchen, it can turn the walls of your living room fuzzy and black, it can drown the family dog, it can crack your grandmother’s china, it can push a barge on top of your house, it can fill your refrigerator with an indescribable smell, it can completely rearrange and destroy your life.

For me, much of Lent is about considering those things in my life that have been damaged and hurt and are in need of redemption and healing, and making the journey towards that healing. In the broadest level, New Orleans is certainly one of those things in my life that I lift up in need of healing. How do New Orleanians, or any one for that matter, come to terms with the things that have destroyed, changed, or hurt their lives? How do we make peace with the things that have harmed us, be that water, people, racism or sexism, governments, schools, etc? As Christians we seek redemption in and through the Holy One who claims us and washes us with the waters of baptism. In knowing whose we are and trusting this claim on our lives we can travel to Jerusalem, confident that the joy of Easter Sunday will be waiting for us at the end. We will move through the waters, and rather than be washed away, as Randy Newman and Aaron Neville sang, we will be held and saved.

A pilgrimage to New Orleans every Lent has been a spiritual practice of mine ever since leaving my job there. In a few weeks I will make that pilgrimage with a group of volunteers from the church I am currently serving in Annapolis, MD. In the meantime, I leave my apartment every morning and look at the water stained postcard that was salvaged from one of the flooded homes I worked in and that now hangs near my front door. I read these words written on it:

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
when there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.

It is my hope that my mission group will be an instrument of peace, that we will help a city that has been damaged and washed away move towards redemption and healing, and perhaps find grace in our own lives in so doing. Let us all make this Lenten season a time when we will all be able to reclaim our lives and find grace in those things that have hurt us or those around us. Let us make the journey towards Jerusalem, remembering the One who goes ahead of us, and make peace with the water.

* * * *

Katie Cashwell served as the Field Coordinator for the RHINO program (Rebuilding Hope In New Orleans) of Saint Charles Avenue Presbyterian Church from 2006-2007. She's now the seminary student intern at First Presbyterian Church in Annapolis, MD. She has one year remaining in the MDiv program at Union-PSCE in Richmond, VA.

Charity:Water update!

2010-03-03T10:17:00.005-05:00

Wow. I'm floored. Floored by the generosity of the community here. This Charity:Water thing is incredible.

In just 14 days, we've had 35 donations totaling $1,314. The money we've raised thus far will provide clean, healthy drinking water for up to 65 people in need of it. This is a real, tangible difference we're making. Thank you.

We'll try to provide a weekly update, and if you feel so moved, be sure to share our progress with your friends, family, and co-workers. You can check up on the progress of the campaign at any time by visiting our Charity:Water campaign page at:

http://mycharitywater.org/churchisalive

In the Wilderness…

2010-03-01T07:42:00.007-05:00

Katelyn's post is part of our Lenten Water Project. Throughout this Lenten season our writers will be focusing on the subject of water and what that means to them. Please donate to our well-building efforts, and if you have something YOU would like to say about water, let us know and we'll post it here!

After the Israelites had gone out of the land of Egypt, on that very day, they came into the wilderness of Sinai.
Exodus 19:1

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil.
Luke 4:1

The wilderness is a not a place where most people would choose to be. It’s a scary place, full of uncertainty and devoid of life. In the wilderness, survival is a daily struggle, disorder and danger are everywhere, and desolation and drought threaten life.

For our biblical ancestors the Israelites, the wilderness is where they wandered for forty years, wrestled with God, and questioned whether God’s promises to them would be fulfilled. Jesus, still dripping with the waters of his baptism, was led into the wilderness where the devil was waiting for him.

The wilderness is nothing if not humbling. Perhaps it is appropriate then, that this is where the Lectionary has us begin our Lenten journey every year. We start in a place that reminds us of our dependency on our Creator God, the life-giving sacrifice Jesus made for us in his death, and the mysterious movement of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

Yet we are assured that the wilderness is not the final destination. The Lord led the Israelites out of the wilderness, and the Holy Spirit did the same with Jesus. God leads us out of the barren wilderness to green pastures and still waters where life is abundant, and we are called to share this life with one another.

May this Lenten season be a time when we remember what it’s like to be in the wilderness, find hope in God’s faithfulness, and rejoice with one another for the incredible gift of grace we have received in Christ Jesus.

* * * *

Katelyn Gordon is a graduate of Columbia Seminary and is the Children's and Family intern at Trinity Presbyterian Church Atlanta, GA.

The First Few Drops

2010-02-26T09:57:00.018-05:00

The steady hum and rattle of the diesel engine powering the drill echoed throughout the property, as the cold water from the rain collection tower poured over my head, washing the soap down to the drain. It struck me for the first time in that moment, showering in the middle of the plantain field under the water tower, what a huge moment had taken place the day before as the drilling truck pulled onto the property. Hope had come on the back of the truck, the opportunity for clean drinking water for those in Quimistan, Honduras, who had previously filled their buckets in nearby rivers and streams, or had to buy clean and safe bottled water. With this well came the promise of clean water, that didn’t cost hard earned wages. With this well came the promise of piping water into the medical clinic and Church community kitchen, to better serve those in the community. Yes, with the arrival of the drilling truck, this community had just been transformed in many ways.

I was involved in their first water project with the church in Quimistan, Hondruas, and it wasn’t entirely on purpose. You need to know that I do not have a scientific or engineering background, but rather had a small request to help get the final piece of the water project together. The final meeting with the drilling company and subsequent arrival of the drilling truck was the result of years of meetings between Church and community leaders with the drilling company. I was merely one of the last people, in the long line of those before me who helped get the drilling truck to the property that day. So as the drill hit water after hours of drilling that first day, I felt like my work was insignificant compared to those who had worked years on making this day happen. Though, that did not keep me from celebrating with the people gathered waiting for those first drops to hit the ground.

As the water began to pour from the ground and flood the property the community celebrated! It was an exciting moment, and a moment that I will never forget. I hope that through the water campaign we have embarked on, we can join those communities around the world, as they stand in anticipation waiting for water to flood from the earth. I pray for those who live amid the drought and scarcity of this world, and I pray that in the midst of my flooded life that I will seek ways to be a better brother in Christ to all. Even when we feel that our work is insignificant, let us press on, following into all the places and times that God is leading us. Often times we are just one person in the long line of many who have gone before us and will come after us, but what legacy will we leave? In a world in which "first" are few and far between, it is amazing to think that some communities around the world are yet to receive their first well, and first drops of clean water. What is our responsibility to those communities and to those people?

In this season of lent, as we reflect, pray, and discern, let us be ever present to what God is doing among us. Let us recognize that it's not the first time God has called or will call. Let us be a people who respond.

Today's article is based on my time reflecting this past week, on my trip to Quimistan, Honduras in 2006.

A Thirsty Lent

2010-02-22T08:45:00.003-05:00

Jessica's post is part of our Lenten Water Project. Throughout this Lenten season our writers will be focusing on the subject of water and what that means to them. Please donate to our well-building efforts, and if you have something YOU would like to say about water, let us know and we'll post it here!

Since I was a little girl I have entered church with the same ritual, dipping the tips of my fingers into a tiny metal bowl of holy water near the heavy wooden door of the sanctuary. I tap these wet fingers on my forehead, on the center of my chest, and on both shoulders; it is the sign of the cross. This practice, inherited from my Catholic tradition, reconnects me with the first Christian ritual I ever experienced—baptism.

It also engages the natural substance—water—that pervaded Jesus’ life. Jesus was baptized in water. Christ used it for miracles, using it for winemaking and walking on its waves. Jesus taught about living water.

Water is ubiquitous in my life and the Christian tradition, which is precisely why I find the season of Lent so startling. When I enter a Catholic sanctuary to pray or attend Sunday liturgy, I instinctively place my fingers into the tiny water bowl only to find it empty. Dry. During this forty-day liturgical season, the baptismal fount at the front of the church no longer hums with the trickle of clear, blessed water. It, too, is empty.

This is how we prepare for the annual remembrance of Christ’s suffering passion: we experience a little bit of life without the water that we take for granted most of the time. That way, come Easter Sunday when the baptismal founts are flowing and my finger tips are wet with Holy Water once again, I rejoice in the resurrection and the Water of Life with new gratitude.

When was the last time you were thirsty?

* * * *

Jessica Coblentz is currently pursuing a Master of Theological Studies degree at Harvard Divinity School. Her interests include Catholic theology, religious and cultural identity, and ritual studies. Follow her writing on the Web at www.jessicacoblentz.com.

The God Who Drank

2010-02-19T11:15:00.003-05:00

Katherine's post is part of our Lenten Water Project. Throughout this Lenten season our writers will be focusing on the subject of water and what that means to them. Please donate to our well-building efforts, and if you have something YOU would like to say about water, let us know and we'll post it here!

I sat on the bouncing bus, feeling so woozy that my brain seemed to be several feet above me and so nauseated that my stomach seemed to be…well…everywhere. 12,000 feet up on a winding Andean road, I sat grasping the little white altitude sickness pill in my trembling hand, wishing desperately that I could take it.

But I couldn’t, because I had no water.

On this long, rural road, there were few places to purchase water. Where it was available, stacked crowdedly in tiny, gated tiendas beside the road, or draped over the shoulders of traveling salesmen yelling “agua, agua!” it was impossible to know if it had been drawn from local faucets, containing parasites and bacteria that my unaccustomed gringa stomach could not tolerate.

Unlike the 1 in 8 people on the planet that drink dirty, unsafe water every day, me having nothing to drink was entirely my fault. I was thirsty, achy, trembling, dehydrated and sick because I had been stupid to take safe, accessible water for granted, to assume it would be available somewhere along the road, instead of buying it in a grocery store or larger tienda, where the water for sale is purified.

In the end, my stupidity cost me nothing other than an uncomfortable ride back to the capital city. I could chose, young and healthy that I was, to avoid drinking unsafe water. I did not have to choose between a certain death of thirst that day or a probable threat of death due to waterborne disease the day after, which of course is not a choice at all. But millions of people are forced to make this non-choice of a choice every day.

No one should ever be forced to drink water that kills. We serve the God of who offers us living water, who cried wearily for a drink as he fought for his last breaths. How then, can we let others go thirsty?

* * * *

Katherine Pater is a recovering Irish dance instructor from Wisconsin. She is currently a first-year Master of Divinity Student at Harvard Divinity School who is pursuing ordination in the PC(USA) denomination.

Announcement! Lenten "charity:water" project!

2010-02-17T13:23:00.012-05:00

In the days and weeks after the Haiti earthquake, the Church is ALIVE team - like so many others around the world - watched in horror as images of destruction flooded our television and computer screens. Feelings of hurt, sadness, and helplessness filled us as we were reminded of the great need in our world each day of the week, let alone when a natural disaster strikes. As a team we donated and prayed - and continue to do so - but we felt that we should be doing more. This led us to conversations about mission, and ultimately to ideas of partnering with an organization so as to raise awareness and live into the call to help our sisters and brothers in Christ. That is, we sought to break out of our shells of apathy and take action.

Thus, we chose to launch a “water campaign” at the beginning of lent. We do this because instead of giving something up, we wanted to add something to both our lives and our world. There is something so somber and real about the Ash Wednesday services we attended today; something very poetic - very soul filled - to be reminded that our lives will come to an end and to dust we will return. We believe that the charity:water initiative - the organization we have chosen to work with - reminds us of this message. After celebrating Fat Tuesday (in which we gorge ourselves on pancakes and whatever else we will soon be giving up during the season of lent) we gather on Ash Wednesday as a community of faith that marches together into the reflection, confession and prayer of this season. As we walk away from the music and celebration that is Fat Tuesday, we walk into the silence and quiet of Lent.

Again, we as a Church is ALIVE team want to begin this Lenten season by adding something to our lives and to the lives of other. We are reminded in the stillness and silence of Lent that many of the world's needs fall on deaf ears, and those who suffer in this world do so in silence, despite lacking in food, medical care, and water. We posit that we cannot be a people of faith who stand on the sidelines and watch helplessly. We are called to take action and care for our sisters and brothers in Christ.

Thus, we seek to raise money to build a well somewhere in the world. Right now, almost a billion people on the planet don't have access to clean, safe drinking water. That's one in eight of us. charity: water is a non-profit organization bringing clean drinking water to people who go without. We give 100% of the money raised to direct project costs, funding sustainable clean water solutions in areas of greatest need. Just $20 can give one person in a developing nation clean water for 20 years. A single well can provide an entire community with clean water for 50 years.

We have set up a charity: water campaign page to help raise money to build a well that will provide a community with water! We recognize there is a great need for water throughout the planet, and we will leave the "where" of the well-building to the professionals of charity: water.

So - we ask that you go to our charity: water page and donate! Give up your birthday, get people to sponsor the miles you run, sell lemonade, do something! Get your friends involved, your youth group, your Church, and your family! Together we - as a community and a church - can do make a difference!

Check out our profile: http://www.mycharitywater.org/churchisalive

We are excited about this project, and we are excited to see people come together to make this happen. If you have any questions ask them in the comments section below this post, we will respond to all of them!

In order to get the message out, we ask that you change your Facebook statuses to, "Help build a well - thechurchisalive.com!"

The Church is ALIVE in mission!

Reaching Out Where You Can (Even With Pancakes)

2010-02-15T09:05:00.000-05:00

For four months out of the year, I have the opportunity to attend church six days a week, take communion every Sunday and Thursday, and meet some of the most inspiring ministers in the PC(USA). I work year-round at Montreat Conference Center (come say hello!), and some really cool stuff happens here.

A few times per year, the Assembly Inn invites the public to a free pancake breakfast. It's a great opportunity to connect with members of the local community, and donations support a great cause: the Employee Assistance Fund, which provides financial support to members of our staff in financial or medical crisis. This past Thursday, the staff of Montreat Conference Center decided to take contributions for the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance effort in Haiti instead of the EAF.

I thought it was a wonderful gesture of missional outreach. I mean, we're usually the ones asking for money.

Mission. Always one of my favorite things done at my home church growing up. The opportunity to support those with less, often finding they were able to give back with glowing personalities, wonderful stories, and heartfelt thanks. It's a two-way street, and you often get more out of it than you were expecting. To me, it's soul satisfaction.

So I humbly encourage you to discover what kinds of mission opportunities there are in your community, your country, and the world, faith-based or not. We might be able to help you with that last one pretty soon... In the words of the rapper MURS,

"If you leave the world a better place than it was when you got here,then we all win"

[end note] I totally credit my good friend Jack Jenkins with introducing me to MURS. It's also his birthday today, so if you're his Facebook friend, you should totally utilize that poke feature all day long. (He's the first search result for "Jack Jenkins")

2.17.10

2010-02-12T17:46:00.000-05:00

Major Announcement coming in 5 Days! www.thechurchisalive.com

An Unlikely Path

2010-02-08T10:46:00.000-05:00

Much has been written, produced, filmed, and recorded about New Orleans and the Saints over the past fourteen days. Seeing the images of the flooded city, brought back a rush of memories for me. Until moving to Atlanta four years ago, I had spent more time in New Orleans than any other major U.S. City. Needless to say, New Orleans was and is a special place to me. After seeing and experiencing all the images in the build up to the Super Bowl, I went back to my journal and re-read my entry from December 17, 2005, the first time I went back to the city after Katrina. In the midst of the excitement of a Super Bowl win, I offer this reflection of that car ride into the destructed city, on December 17, 2005:

Silence falls over the car fifteen miles outside of New Orleans as we begin to count the blue tarps that cover rooftops of homes; the marking signs that FEMA had been there to repair roofs, and checked off each home surrounding New Orleans. As the van makes its way closer to the heart of the city we see that a majority of the power has yet to be restored, and in every sense of the word it is a ghost town. Billboards split in two, restaurant signs blown to pieces, cars turned over, walls on one Sam’s Club blown completely off, and homes destroyed. The homes, the one thing that we all connected to, the reason that we felt the call to New Orleans. Homes where families were born, raised, the first Christmas’s, Thanksgiving’s, Birthday’s, and the countless other memories that we cherish about our own homes. The homes that made up the communities that were now displaced, and from all outward appearances “washed away”. The sinking feeling in the heart and the aching in the stomach were all signs that pointed us that we were indeed in the middle of the destruction and exactly where we were called to be.
The van continued to make its way into downtown, more of the same, no power for miles with the exception of one or two lights sprinkled here and there, as if the last signs that there was power there to begin with. The flood of emotions and memories of the images that flooded our television screens, the internet, and magazines came to mind. The streets we were now driving covered in eight to twelve feet of water at one time. It’s hard not to envision what it must have been like a mere two months prior to us driving that day. People swimming, clutching to whatever they could find that would float. These are all images that we are familiar with. They were the images that we clung to in the days and weeks after what has been called the worst natural disaster in U.S. history. It’s hard to put into words what it felt like that night. Yes it was devastating, but we were there for bigger reasons than flooded houses, broken signs, ruined stores, and rusted cars; you see we were there to be in relationship with each other and the people that made these places home. Otherwise these were just houses, stores, wood, nails, and cement. So many people have asked where was God in the storm? How could this happen? As we addressed many of these questions throughout the week we quickly understood that God was there, in the rebuilding process. God was there in the community that was taking place in the destruction of houses, but in the rebuilding of relationships, that were broken long before the hurricane. Our eyes were open to the community that we are called to live in each and every day of our lives.

A lot has changed in New Orleans since the flood and the city in many ways will never be the same, but the spirit of that place lives on. New Orleans is a place like no other. I cherish my time there, and the relationships that have come from that city. The spirit of that city lives on, and now with a Super Bowl trophy.

Brit Hume - To Mock or Not to Mock?

2010-02-05T13:30:00.000-05:00

: Hi. I'm Brit Hume, and I would like to talk to you about Jesus...

In the continuing tradition of my writing articles long after events have come to pass, I wanted to take a moment to talk about something that happened earlier last month...

Late last year the United States was wrapped in a blanket of fear. All across the country people huddled together for safety, urgently trying to comfort one another in the wake of a horrifying string of news stories that shocked the nation...

What were we shocked by? Was it the suicide bombings that killed several CIA officers in Afghanistan? Was it the almost-bombing of an Detroit-bound flight by a new breed of anti-American terrorist? Was it the possible shake-up of Late Night television?

No, it was far, far worse: Tiger Woods’ honor as a husband was called into question. :: shudder::

Hearing the distraught pleas of the masses, the ever-vigilant twenty-four-hour news media swooped in to comfort a forlorn America desperate for some kind of explanation.

Naturally, Brit Hume - a former ABC anchor turned Fox News pundit - had his own explanation (and recommendation) for the American people and Tiger Woods:

“Tiger Woods will recover as a golfer. Whether he can recover as a person I think is a very open question, and it's a tragic situation for him. I think he's lost his family, it's not clear to me if he'll be able to have a relationship with his children, but the Tiger Woods that emerges once the news value dies out of this scandal -- the extent to which he can recover -- seems to me to depend on his faith. He's said to be a Buddhist; I don't think that faith offers the kind of forgiveness and redemption that is offered by the Christian faith. So my message to Tiger would be, 'Tiger, turn to the Christian faith and you can make a total recovery and be a great example to the world.”

Perhaps unsurprisingly, many people were a bit miffed by Hume’s words. The Daily Show in particular got a good two days of material out of Hume’s words (<---Warning: link includes Basic Cable bleeped language).

In light of this, I’m going to do something weird. I’m going to ask you, our reader(s), a question: are the Daily Show and other media outlets right to mock Brit Hume for his remarks?

Before people clamor to answer, let’s break down (and admittedly oversimplify) the arguments by pretending to be a hard-liner on either side:

Viewpoint One: Brit Hume’s remarks were presumptuous and irresponsible and he should be mocked accordingly.

Why: For starters, to assert one religion as superior to another is just asking for trouble. Many doubt that Brit Hume has a particularly nuanced understanding Buddhism, and empirical evidence suggests that Hume is not a personal friend of the legendary golfer, and thus has almost no understanding of Tiger’s personal faith. It is condescending enough to make claims about another religion without backing it up, but it’s downright presumptuous - if not irresponsible - to make assumptions about another individual’s personal faith without even discussing it with him or her.

Furthermore, Brit Hume is a pundit on one of the most-watched networks in the country. Again, his words were bad enough in isolation, but to say what he said on national television is downright irresponsible. The reason the Founding Fathers gave us the First Amendment was to prohibit a powerful entity like the government from coercing people to follow a specific faith, and that is exactly what Brit Hume was doing.

No, Hume is not the American Government, but with great power comes great responsibility (and that’s a Biblical reference!). Besides, if Fox News is supposed to be “Fair and Balanced” - or offer unbiased reports - then Hume’s proselytizing makes for bad journalism, period.

And now Viewpoint Two: Brit Hume’s remarks were justifiable and mocking them is to mock religious freedom in the United States.

Why: Brit Hume is an American citizen. As such, he is entitled to his First Amendment rights - namely, the right to freely exercise his religion. It is true that the First Amendment does prohibit Congress from mandating a state religion, but Hume is neither a member of congress nor is he attempting to pass legislation. Hume is a journalist and thus entitled to say whatever he wants as long it isn’t slander or libel. His words were neither. Instead, his comments were a vocalized expression of a sentiment expressed by almost anyone who follows a particular faith tradition: that is, anyone who follows a specific faith is usually - by definition - silently making a claim that their faith is in some way superior than other faiths. True, there is a pivotal difference between people who claim that a faith is best for themselves and those who believe that a faith best for all, but the law sees both as equally viable.

Furthermore, there are adherents of several faiths who see mission work - or straight-up proselytizing - as an instrumental part of their belief system. Are we to mock them for making use of one of our nation’s founding principles?

Does Hume’s status as a nationally-recognized journalist give his words more weight than the average American? Certainly. Does that mean he should take his power into account before speaking? Certainly. Does that mean that with status comes the loss of one’s Constitutional right to religious freedom? Certainly not.

So, faithful reader(s), how do you feel about it? Do you side with Viewpoint 1, Viewpoint 2, or do you find them both oversimplified? Does the recent Pat Robertson comment play a role this as well? What do you think?

Ladies and Gentlemen, your Book of Confessions

2010-02-01T15:30:00.000-05:00

When I think about being a member of the PC(USA), there is a list of things that come to mind about the PC(USA) and the fact that we are a confessional church is, or was until recently, not anywhere on that list. As a younger member in our church, I think about things like Montreat, Ghost Ranch, Presbyterian Youth Triennium, and Young Adult Volunteers. When I think about the church as a whole, I think of General Assembly and our democratic processes, session meetings, synods, Presbyteries, the Church is ALIVE; there is a slue of words, phrases and places that are particular or not-so-particular but important to the past, present and future of the PC(USA).

One celebrated and historical aspect of the Presbyterian Church is the fact that we confess, as a church, every Sunday. That is part of what makes us a confessional church. I’m no seminary student, or graduate for that matter, but I’ll lay out a few guidelines to understanding the Presbyterian Church USA as a confessional church, which I think is important especially since it is something we do every Sunday.

The Presbyterian Church USA has a constitution comprised of two parts: the Book of Confessions (aka the boc) and the Book of Order (aka the boo! Which is great) The Book of Confessions is a series of historical documents written in the midst of difficult situations that are meant for the our church to be able, according to the boc preface, to:

“declare to its members and to the world
who and what it is,
what it believes,
what it resolves to do.”

These confessions shed light on the unity of our church and guide us through situations that we face in our own generations. While these documents may have been written to address very specific situations or questions that troubled the church in the past, they are consistent reminders of our own contemporary presence in the world and call our congregations to action when we need to be stirred up. The confessions are also helpful in the ways in which we interpret scriptures, and are good lenses through which we can look at our world at large. So you see, they are foundational and irreplaceable in our church’s identity.

The Book of Confessions is not only for seminary students, graduates, professors, ministers and elders. It is for all of us, because we do not want to be those church members who show up to church to go through the motions every Sunday. We want to be living congregants who actively engage in scripture, liturgy, and understand what it means when we say bits and pieces of confessions and when we state creeds. I got a gold star when I was in 2nd grade for memorizing the Apostle’s Creed, and I recited it pretty absent-mindedly for a long time until I asked my mom why we say we believe in the “holy catholic Church” if we are Presbyterian. It wasn’t until recently that I started paying attention to the creeds and confessions, and there really is some interesting stuff in that boc. So don’t let it gather dust, crack it open (or download it here) and learn a little more about what it means to be a Presbyterian.

Big Announcement 2/17/10!

2010-02-01T11:19:00.000-05:00

Over the past three weeks, the Church is Alive team has been working on a major project! We cannot wait to share it with you. Stayed tuned to the Church is Alive site in the coming weeks for news about the project along with the BIG announcement on Ash Wednesday, February 17th!

The Presbyterian Coffee Project

2010-01-29T09:04:00.000-05:00

I was a curious kid. I'd ask my parents all sorts of random questions that would float into my head: Why is the sky blue? How do birds fly? Who gets to make up words? Why does coffee smell good and taste bad? The answer my parents provided to that last question never satisfied me... "Well, I don't think it tastes bad honey." I promptly filed it away next to vanilla extract in my brain.

But like many college freshmen, I came to know and love coffee quite well. It was able to provide a few extra hours of "studying" and even if I only thought the taste was tolerable, it got the job done.

Fast forward to today (it's only like, five years), and I've become something of a coffee/tea junkie. I make it every morning, have it at work, and sometimes get carried away with how much I drink (this is known as "Jittery Josh"). I recently watched the documentary "Black Gold" which looks at the coffee industry, and specifically, how little coffee farmers are being paid for their commodity.

Enter the Presbyterian Coffee Project, which works with Equal Exchange to provide an easy, convenient way to get fair trade coffee into churches. Purchasing fairly traded coffee supports farmers all over the globe by allowing them to sell coffee beans at a fair price, giving them the ability to pay their workers fair wages and grow the local infrastructure. Rather than relying on charity and foreign aide, these communities are able to create a robust, sustainable economy. Learn more about fair trade practices here.

The Church is Alive. I'm encouraged by how in touch the PC(USA) seems to be with many of the larger social issues in the world today. The Presbyterian Coffee Project. Who'd have thought? I encourage everyone to make the effort to purchase fair trade coffee (and tea, sugar, chocolate, and nuts) at home and in their Church. It's not too expensive, and you'll know you're supporting a sustainable environment in a place that needs it most.

PS: Vanilla extract is not good by itself.

[Update] There has been some discussion concerning fair-trade coffee through the Presbyterian Coffee Project and through Starbucks.Starbucks has been selling fair-trade coffee products for a few years, and are to be commended for it. Equal Exchange offers great prices through the Presbyterian Coffee Project: Less than six bucks/bag when purchased in a case of six!

a bigger God than we can imagine

2010-01-25T10:47:00.000-05:00

"College is a time when many young adults begin to think bigger about who God is and who the people of God are."

Cynthia Rigby spoke these words to 860 College students gathered for the Montreat College Conference. She shared stories of her college experience, where she struggled with many notions of God she had known growing up and assumed as absolute truth. Can't we all relate to struggling with scripture and understandings of God? These moments can be frightening, as they can shake the very fiber of our being as who we know God to be.

Cynthia spoke of Kierkegaard's book "Fear and Trembling," based on the scripture passage that says "work out your salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12-13)." This is a reminder that there are no guarantees apart from the relationship we have with God. This is where our struggles with God reside, in a relationship that is based on who we know God to be.

Cynthia spoke of two ways of looking at our relationship with God. The first is the one she struggled with once coming to college, a transactional "checklist" model. In this model, every moment of our faith journey is spent trying to appease God and others, as if you are paying money and receiving blessings in response. The other model is submission to what God is doing in the world. This model does not reduce God to a transaction where we keep track of the "good" things we do for God and for others. This model is a recognition of God's sovereignty and LOVE for God's people. This LOVE is what we base our relationship with God in and understand God to work through. This LOVE is represented in the life and work of Jesus Christ.

When we look to interpret what God is doing in the world, we often turn to scripture. We must remember that the essence of scripture is the person of Jesus Christ. God's loving relationship with us is our assurance of faith. We need to remember that we don't have God figured out. God is greater than we can conceive God to be. God is greater than words in the Bible. God is a loving relationship that is understood to us through Christ reflected in scripture.

Some people tend to forget that they actually do NOT have God figured out. They do NOT have a direct line to God.

I speak of a particular person who shall remain nameless (to avoid giving him more recognition - he's mentioned halfway through this clip).

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

Haiti Earthquake Reactions

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show
Full Episodes

Political Humor

Health Care Crisis

This person spoke horrific words about the recent tragedy in Haiti. He spoke from a position that expressed he knew God's motives, motives that were in violation of God's loving relationship with us. Perhaps he should examine what it means to work out his salvation with fear and trembling? Perhaps he should realize that God is MUCH bigger than who he sees God to be.

I'm grateful to see some wonderful responses to his comments:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2010/01/the_devil_writes_pat_robertson.html?ft=1&f=103943429/r:t

http://donmilleris.com/2010/01/13/1513/

As Donald Miller implies, we should have sympathy and reach out in love even to people with such comments. This is not a chance to attack his position, but rather, a chance to make a more truthful position LOUDER.

Let us continue our prayers and support for the tragedy in Haiti. God's love extends especially to the poor and downtrodden. Let us continue to ask and wonder why this happens, yet never forget that God pulls us into relationship and calls us to reflect this love from our very being.

Martin Luther King Jr.

2010-01-18T17:53:00.000-05:00

Today, we celebrate an American hero, pastor, and prophet. MLK stood up in the face of oppression with a fierce conviction that all children of God are equal and loved.

Facebook statuses have been booming with quotes from Martin Luther King Jr.'s ministry. It's exciting to see how so many people continue to be touched by the powerful and prophetic words spoken and written by Dr. King, however, it's unfortunate that such words NEED to be said and heard even now, 30 years later.

What words/quotes/ideas of Dr. King have touched you? What messages still need to be heard in our day and time?

PLEASE SHARE! Post your quotes/thoughts in the comments!

Prayers for Haiti in Word and Deed the World Over

2010-01-14T11:56:00.000-05:00

Yesterday a horrible earthquake struck Haiti, leaving perhaps hundreds of thousands dead and far more wounded and homeless. In response, the Church is ALIVE team asks for your prayers - regardless of your religious beliefs - of word and deed. Below are two prayers of word offered up during this troubled time - one from the Presbyterian Church USA and one from Father Jean Jadotte, a Catholic priest of Miami's Notre Dame D'Haiti parish.

Below these prayers of Word are ways that you can pray for Haiti through deed and monetary donation. As mentioned yesterday, the PC(USA) has their own system of donation for the cause, but here is an incomplete made-on-the-fly list of different faith-based service organizations. They hail from a variety of religious traditions, and we have included their individual concerns about the disaster and links to their respective relief efforts.

NOTE: We have NOT individually verified all of these service organizations/relief efforts, so donate with caution. If you feel more comfortable, you can always hit up the Red Cross or UNICEF.

Finally, if you have any prayers of your OWN to share, please do so in the comments section below.

The PC(USA) Prayer for Haiti

Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

As the eyes of the world turn to Haiti, let us join our hearts in prayer:

God of compassion
 Please watch over the people of Haiti, 
And weave out of these terrible happenings 
wonders of goodness and grace. 
Surround those who have been affected by tragedy
 With a sense of your present love, 
And hold them in faith. 
Though they are lost in grief,
 May they find you and be comforted; 
Guide us as a church  
To find ways of providing assistance
 that heals wounds and provides hope
 Help us to remember that when one of your children suffer 
We all suffer 
Through Jesus Christ who was dead, but lives
 and rules this world with you.
Amen.  (Adapted from Book of Common Worship)

-Bruce Reyes-Chow, Gradye Parsons and Linda Valentine

‘Lord Hear Our Prayers' - a Prayer for Catholic Relief Services by Father Jean Jadotte, associate pastor of Miami's Notre Dame D'Haiti parish.

-We are praying for hope despite this situation, that even as we face darkness, people may see a pinpoint of light.

-Praying for families.

-Pray for a greater conscience among everyone not just in Haiti but all over that we must do something [to help].

-Pray for a spirit of thanksgiving for international agencies for their good heart and good faith.

-Pray for relief workers to have a spirit of patience and perseverance.

-For those who at this time are in search of meaning in their lives and peace.

An Incomplete List (as much as I could find in an hour) of Faith-Based Assistance/Donation Services:

The United Methodist Church is expressing concerns over missing missionaries, and is allowing for relief donations through the United Methodist Committee on Relief.

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is allowing for donations through the ELCA International Disaster Response.

Catholic Relief Services has their own system of donation.

The Episcopal Church, which suffered heavy damage to their Diocese, allows for donations through Episcopal Relief and Development.

 The Unitarian Universalist Association is joining forces with the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee to set up their own donations site.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Later-Day Saints has their own system of donation for Haiti.

Tzu Chi Foundation (a large service organization of the Chinese Buddhist tradition) doesn’t have an online donation page as of yet, but has set up a relief center that will be updated in the future.

Haiti Response

2010-01-13T14:55:00.000-05:00

In response to the catastrophic earthquake that devastated Haiti and especially Haiti’s densely populated capital Port-au-Prince yesterday, we wanted to make a special post to remind everyone that The Church is ALIVE in humanitarian aid in many different forms.

You can donate money on the Presbyterian Disaster Relief website here.

If you are not able to give a monetary donation, or in addition to monetary assistance, Haiti is in great need of all of our prayers and I know the Church is Alive and capable of keeping Haiti in our constant thoughts and prayers. There is no shortage of news sites that can keep you up-to-date on Haiti’s situation. The Lede Blog on NYT.com is being continuously updated and includes several additional sites where you can obtain information.

L'Union Fait La Force!

Montreat College Conference: Interfaith Dialogue

2010-01-12T14:38:00.001-05:00

Eboo Patel took the stage like so many before him have done. He spoke words of reconciliation, peace, justice, and interfaith dialogue. Eboo Patel is Muslim, and if there has been another time in Montreat’s history that a Muslim person took the stage for keynote, I am not aware of such time.

Eboo stated that over the next thirty years interfaith dialogue will be one of the most important issues facing this country and the world. The morning after his keynote, the above picture was on the front page of the New York Times. Quite prophetic.

His Keynote address focused greatly on Martin Luther King Jr.’s work as a result of studying Gandhi. Specifically he told Kings story of hearing about an Indian man, and his philosophy of satyagraha “truth force”, a philosophy of nonviolent protest. King heard this and knew he believed in these same ideals: love, justice, peace for all people. How can we as people of faith - who hold the same ideals - learn from one another? Eboo went on to talk about how King became the leader of the Civil Right’s movement, and how interfaith dialogue played directly into the movement.

If we are to be people of faith that hold fast to justice, peace, and love, we have to learn how to be people who can respect others religions. We have to be a people who intentionally learn about other faiths, and that means more than just which book particular faiths consider holy. We have to know what those books say. It struck a deep chord in me as I sat in the pew that morning, knowing that Eboo had studied Christianity and the Bible. He was speaking our "language". He was able to look to our scriptures and then reflect on the the Qur’an and see how our faiths are similar. If we are to be a people who seek to be faithful, “to do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with our God”, we are called to love all people, and to seek how to work in partnership. Our doctrines may be different, our understanding of who the Christ to be may be different, but imagine what we could do together.

In his closing, Eboo posed the question: “What if as people of faith, Christians, Muslims, Buddhist, Jainist, Jews, made it a point to end malaria? We know that in order for people not to contract Malaria they need a mosquito net over their bed at night. If they do contract it, they need a shot. What if as a people of faith we made it our point to end the injustices of this world, instead of fighting against one another? What if we did that?”

His words resonated within me, inspired me, and frankly led me to a place that I felt I could take on the world. With tears in her eyes, the person next to me in the pew embraced me after the eruption of applause subsided. We could speak few words, but in the embrace we knew no words were needed. We wanted to take on the world.

I leave you with this quote, “We need to get busy building the world we want to live in.” - Eboo Patel

Thoughts?

Check below for a little bit about Eboo Patel.

Grace and Peace- Matthew Ruffner

* * * *

About Dr. Eboo Patel (the SUBJECT of this post, not the author): Named by US News & World Report as one of America’s Best Leaders of 2009, Eboo Patel is the founder and Executive Director of Interfaith Youth Core (IFYC), a Chicago-based institution building the global interfaith youth movement. Author of the award-winning book Acts of Faith: The Story of an American Muslim, the Struggle for the Soul of a Generation, Eboo is also a regular contributor to the Washington Post, National Public Radio and CNN. He is a member of President Obama’s Advisory Council of the White House Office of Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, and holds a doctorate in the sociology of religion from Oxford University, where he studied on a Rhodes scholarship.

Montreat College Conference: 'God Without Borders'

2010-01-04T22:44:00.000-05:00

Part of the Church is Alive team is in Montreat for the 2010 College Conference. We will be bringing you articles from all the happenings of the conference. Be sure to check back this week for the articles and maybe even a bit of video! Also, if you attended the conference we would love to hear from you!

We hope you all had a great Christmas season!

Grace and Peace!

Merry Christmas/A Conspiracy...

2009-12-20T18:42:00.001-05:00

The members of the Church is ALIVE team are taking a little time off to celebrate with our families for the holidays...

BUT, we wanted to leave you with a little video about a really cool project called "The Advent Conspiracy." It's about making gift-giving a little less about "buying" and a little more about "giving." They also have a goal of providing clean water to those without, and that's always a good thing.

But that description doesn't really do the clips justice. Watch the original 2008 video below, and then watch the 2009 follow-up video below THAT and find out how you can help.

Christmas is about giving, after all:

And this year's version:

Merry Christmas all!

I'm Really Very Fond...

2009-12-14T11:29:00.001-05:00

Here’s part of a poem from Alice Walker, which, if nothing else, should be a good reminder about the dangers of dating, or, more precisely, breaking up with, poets.

I'm Really Very Fond

I'm really very fond of you,
he said.

I don't like fond.
It sounds like something
you would tell a dog.
Give me love
or nothing.

Throw your fond in a pond,
I said...
I love that line, “Throw your fond in a pond!” Now that’s poetry!

“Tolerant” is a word like “fond”. They’re lukewarm words, and anyone who’s read Revelations 3 knows that things didn’t turn out so well for the lukewarm church in Laodicea.

“Tolerant” is one of those words that make gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender members of the church a little squirmy. We say that we’re looking for acceptance not tolerance. Tolerance makes us feel as if we were some rash on the ecclesial body which the church is pondering whether to treat or simply endure. But lately I’ve been reconsidering …

To me, the newest generation of church leadership – those born after 1980, say – have redeemed the word “tolerant.” It’s a generation that’s comfortable with difference – that grew up with diversity, not as an ideal, but as a way of life. It’s a generation that has by dint of circumstance, come to understand the world as a complex place, and where disagreement doesn’t equal separation.

Several recent studies, for instance, show that even among Christians who identify as evangelical, there has been a significant shift toward greater support among those under 30 for marriage equality and for expansion of employment nondiscrimination and hate crimes protections to cover sexual orientation and gender identity. I think what’s going on here is more about a change of values than a change of beliefs. It’s not so much that beliefs about “homosexuality” have changed for these younger evangelicals, as it is that they value a healthy respect for difference. What’s more, they are more interested in the kind of advocacy that can unite people –tackling the environmental crisis, facing racism, ending poverty; in a certain sense, the next generation of Evangelical Christians is less interested in ideological positions, and more interested in practical transformation.

I could live with that kind of tolerance. I can imagine a healthy church that isn’t susceptible to constant fracture along ideological fault lines. I can imagine a church that gives fair consideration to all who are called to serve as officers regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity, and still allows for the full range of ideological perspectives. I can imagine a church that has moved on from the debate about the place of glbt persons in its life and ministry – a debate that keeps our attention focused inward; I can imagine a church where people who hold vastly divergent theological views come together to get stuff done; I can imagine a church that can not only come together to talk deeply and wisely about racism, poverty and the environment, but that can also head out the door and make a constructive difference.

In our red-state/blue-state nation where it’s nearly impossible for a member of one party to cross-over and vote with the other party, and legislation with bi-partisan sponsorship is almost unheard of, maybe the example of a thriving, vital, creative, engaged Church made up of members from disparate, even opposing theological points of view could point the way to a new way of confronting big and serious issues that affect all of us.

“Forbearance” might be the dressed up theological word for tolerance. Even so, right now, I’m rather fond of “tolerance”.

* * * *

Lisa Larges is the coordinator for That All May Freely Serve, a grassroots organization advocating on behalf of all who are disenfranchised in the Presbyterian Church, especially lgbt members. She's a 1989 grad of San Francisco Theological Seminary, a member of Noe Valley Ministry, a Presbyterian More Light Congregation in San Francisco, and likes cheese!

Waiting on the Past: Advent's Hope in the Midst of Unspeakable Loss

2009-12-07T10:34:00.001-05:00

A little while ago, my friend Matthew asked me if I’d be up for writing about how I’ve encountered the Church as truly alive. Naturally, my first instinct was to write about campus ministry, about how we have all of these vibrant college students within and outside of our denomination (the PCUSA) who tackle faith and the questions it poses. But then I thought that might be a bit narrow-minded of me. I mean, how cliché is it for a campus minister to write about campus ministry?

There’s so much going on within the Body, I thought. Why not venture outside of your little bubble, your little world of ivory towers and Crimson Tide football, and consider what else is happening in the ecclesiastical world?

Unfortunately, this line of thinking led me down a road I did not altogether expect. Not that I should be surprised, since I’ve discovered that, when it comes to deciphering what God may be up to, there is no such thing as a foregone conclusion. But in my quest to find a living, breathing Church, I was stymied by a lack of inspiration. I just wasn’t feeling it. And how the heck was I going to write about the Church being alive when I wasn’t sure what that looked like?

Now, please don’t misunderstand me. I’m not saying that campus ministry is the only place where things are kickin’. And I’m certainly not implying that God needs to branch out a bit. To say that might render me vulnerable to not-so-random strikes of lightning from on high or, perhaps worse, trial by PJC (Permanent Judicial Commission). What I am saying is that the proverbial rub starts and ends with me, a victim of my own narcissistic tendencies and campus ministry tunnel vision. Or, put another way, I’ve just been too dang focused upon what’s going on in my own pastoral world to even consider what’s happening elsewhere.

Something tells me I’m not the only one who has experienced this. I believe we pastors are by our very nature a narcissistic bunch, which seems counter-intuitive when you consider the “selfless” nature of our calling. It’s easy to obsess over “the perfect sermon” or to allow other people’s opinions to haunt us at night or to believe that the fate of the Church rests solely upon our shoulders. And it’s tempting to think that whatever happens within the walls of the steeple centers around us.

Of course, to believe that is to buy into a lie. And, unfortunately, it often takes something “big” to jar us out of our selfishness... which is precisely what happened to me.

First Sunday of Advent. We’re supposed to be anticipating the birth of a child, not mourning the loss of one. Yet that’s exactly what was happening in our congregation, as we sat there, dressed in black and gray, remembering all of the ups and downs of this little child, thinking about what was and what could have been. Nothing seemed right with this picture. Nothing at all.

Except...

Story after story was told about how the congregation—no, the Church—had been with this family. People they didn’t know asking about them. Flowers being sent. Visits being made. Emails asking for prayers. On and on and on.

And, on this Sunday afternoon, mere hours after we had lit a candle of hope, the pews were filled by doctors, church members, nurses, old friends, extended and immediate family, hospital staff, young and old alike. The great Body of Christ in action, responding to a call to love one another, to comfort the grieving, to reach out and offer a hand to those who could not stand on their own.

It didn’t happen the way I expected or the way I wanted, but, on that Sunday, I was reminded that the Church isn’t about one person or one family or one group or one congregation. It involves a lot more than that. And, precisely because of that, the Church is very much alive.

I know this to be true because there, amidst the sadness and grief that Sunday, was a people waiting on the past, waiting on something that once was to happen yet again in ways we cannot even comprehend, waiting on a time when we can celebrate alongside the people we mourn, waiting on a space in which we no longer have to think about what could have been.

We wait because we hope, which, on that first Sunday of Advent, seemed mysteriously providential...

* * * *

James Goodlet is the Presbyterian Campus Minister at the University of Alabama and author of Presbytide.wordpress.com

The Church is ALIVE Supports World AIDS Day

2009-12-01T19:10:00.000-05:00

The Church is ALIVE supports World AIDS day. AIDS is an issue that effects us all, no matter what church you attend. Check out the video below:

The Church is ALIVE because it cares for others. Find out how you can help fight AIDS:

Check out and support Project (RED) here.

Check out the PC(USA)'s world AIDS Ministries here.

Lady Church, You Are Alive

2009-11-23T19:41:00.001-05:00

Those paths that once made the way so clear, the seminarian-to-associate-to-head-of-staff paths have begun to crack (some might even say crumble.) As those seminarians step from the classroom they’re finding other trails – some muddy, some hidden, some that haven’t even been revealed yet. They lead to counseling centers where clients cry out for the Spirit and to taverns where friends fellowship at tables over bread & beverages... sound familiar? These ministers are finding it necessary to supplement their ministerial incomes by brewing coffee or substitute teaching or even returning to the careers they swore they had abandoned – all for the chance to supply preach at the fifteen member church forty-five minutes away. They don’t have to. But they do. Why, you ask? Because they are called. Lady Church lives among them and she smiles at their freedom. Yes, the Church is alive.

Think what you will, say what you want – it appears as though Lady Church has given us every reason to believe that she dying. Just weeks ago as seminary presidents and elected church representatives gathered for the November meeting of the PC(USA) Committee on Theological Education, the statistics spoke a clear picture:

“Half of PC(USA) congregations are no longer served by fulltime theologically trained ministers.”

“Two-thirds of the congregations in my home presbytery cannot afford full time pastoral ministers.”

At this very moment, 2156 ministers are seeking a call, while there are only 559 open positions for them to fill.

It did not take long for our committee to arrive at the obvious question: for what kind of church are we preparing our seminarians? If the simple laws of supply and demand are shouting: “TOO MANY PASTORS!!! NOT ENOUGH CHURCHES!!!” then why do we continue to admit, financially support, and educate people young and old who claim that God has placed a call upon their lives to the Ministry of Word and Sacrament.

Because, friends – God has placed a call upon their lives to the Ministry of Word and Sacrament. It just doesn’t look like it used to. The Church is alive; she’s just rearranging the furniture a little. While the paths from seminary were once laid in solid rows from classroom to pulpit, recently they’ve begun to wind a bit more – and Lady Church has decided to seek opportunity outside the stained glass windows. Forget the wood paneled walls and the antique desk lamp, Lady Church is not always found in her office anymore. In fact, she’s taken to spending her mornings at the coffee shop: Calvin on her Kindle and Indigo Girls on her IPOD. Jesus told her life was more interesting on the road.

Not all of the straight paths to the pulpit are gone – not at all. There are places where the fulltime, theologically trained, well paid pastor continues to thrive – and Lady Church tips her hat. However, she must admit that these new places and faces bring her such a particular joy. Perhaps it’s because they bring God joy and it is because they bring God joy they must not be ignored.

Lady Church is alive – alive with God’s mysterious Spirit that inspires her to open the doors and repaint the walls and breathe in the life that is going on because of her or in spite of her. Therefore, we owe it to Lady Church to pay attention to her life as we train the ministers who will soon step out onto those paths. Technology, diversity, creativity and ingenuity are all steps along the way. As theological institutions learn to walk the line between tradition and change, Lady Church is with them – her Blackberry in one hand and her Bible in the other.

* * * *

Kathy Wolf Reed is a member of the PC(USA) Committee on Theological Education. She is currently serving as a resident Chaplain at St. Thomas Hospital in Nashville, TN..

The Politics of Jesus…

2009-11-16T15:57:00.001-05:00

Recently I have been rereading one of my favorite books, Jesus for President: Politics for Ordinary Radicals, by Shane Claiborne. Throughout the body of this book it consistently reminds me as a follower of Christ that I am called to adhere to a radical politics of love and justice. Indeed, Micah 6:8 continually reminds us as God’s people “to do justice, love kindness, and to walk humbly with our God.” And somehow in our society today it is difficult to remember and live out that call. We become so focused on ourselves (checking everything off the to-do list and wading through the day-to-day) that we forget the weak and oppressed in society.

Several days a week I try to live out that call in a unique way when I get off the D.C. Metro near Capitol Hill, walk by the Russell and Hart Congressional buildings and into the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Washington Office which sits directly across from the Capitol building and next door to the Supreme Court. The Washington Office is the public policy information and advocacy office of General Assembly and therefore advocates on behalf of social witness perspectives and policies of GA. Through the work of the Washington Office, the voice of the Church is heard on Capitol Hill and by our legislators, as we continue to call for justice in the world. From sign-on letters, to hill visits and constituent briefings the Washington Office works hard to let Capitol Hill know where the Presbyterian faith community stands on a variety of issues as they are determined by General Assembly through intensive scriptural based study.

Through this office I am able to live out the radical call of Christians: to show love and compassion to all while working for justice throughout the world. This work reminds me of a Derek Webb song, “King and a Kingdom” which says,

my first allegiance is not to a flag, a country, or a man
my first allegiance is not to democracy or blood
it’s to a King & a Kingdom

Indeed, my first allegiance is to God and to the clear call of Jesus Christ to “love my neighbor as myself” and to “care for the least of these”. Therefore, I urge each of you to show that the church is still alive by being an advocate, a Presbyterian advocate calling for justice in the world. Get involved in work to bring about justice for all, as Representative and great Civil Rights leader John Lewis said in his book Walking with the Wind that we should be like children attempting to hold down the corners of the house being lifted up by the wind. “You and I. Children holding hands, walking with the wind. That is America…not just the movement for civil rights but the endless struggle to respond with decency, dignity, and a sense of brotherhood to all challenges that face the nation, as a whole.” So let us go forth and be children, holding hands, and walking with the winds—children walking with the winds to hold down the four corners of justice.

For more information of how to be an advocate within the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) please visit the Washington Office Webpage.

* * * *

Nan Arnold is a 2009 religion and history graduate of Presbyterian College in SC. She is currently the intern at the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Washington office and seeks a future within the church.

Website News!

2009-11-16T12:00:00.000-05:00

That title is a little more positive than I felt this morning, when I realized that the Church is Alive website was broken in Chrome and Safari. The method I was using to mask the blog was broken by an update to web kit (I think), so for the time being we'll be on blogspot. Don't cha worry though, you can still send your friends to thechurchisalive.com! Sorry about the mess!

Grace and Peace - Josh.

[UPDATE 11/21/09] Everything should be A-OK now, including any image caching issues you might have had. Things still look wonky or did you find something I missed? Shoot me an email: joshutk(at)gmail.com

What If? A (Very) Open Question

2009-11-09T14:41:00.000-05:00

"What if...?" is one of my favorite questions, it really allows you to move into the wonderful land of the hypothetical and daydream a little bit. So I was intrigued by a video from the PC(USA) that popped up on YouTube last week and made its way around the offices of Montreat Conference Center, where I work...

The video poses some great questions, and I think we're best served by taking this to the comments.What do you think about the PC(USA) office teaming up with institutions like Montreat to offer special programs? Are camps and conference centers connected to the denomination at large as closely as they should be? What would you like to see camps and conference centers do more of? Less of? Start doing?

For the record, one of my favorite answers is "Why not?"

Generations of Christ - Carol Howard-Merritt

2009-11-03T13:16:00.001-05:00

One of our elders, a twenty-something law student, explained recently, “Living in D.C. as a young woman, I could live my whole life and never talk to someone who is older.” She went on to tell us that the reason why she attends Western Presbyterian Church is because she has a chance to be with people from all different generations.

And it is wonderful to see—we have Christmas Pageants with responsible college students working as stage director, making sure that the costumes stay on. We have Easter hunts, with young professionals stuffing eggs. And all throughout the year, recent graduates learn from young parents, how to juggle the challenges of careers and raising children. Men and women who are getting their first “real” job have a chance to talk to retiring people, and learn what they need to negotiate now, in order to be prepared for the future.

In D.C., where so many people have been transplanted away from their friends and family, there is a chance for young adults to build a support system, an intergenerational network of people who will care for them, encourage them, and allow their gifts to flourish.

There are many who say that if the church wants to reach out to men and women in their 20s and 30s, then they need to start from scratch. They need to plant new, Gen X churches that are particularly marketed to a new generation. And while I applaud and encourage New Church Developments (NCDs), I also realize there is something else going on in our lovely downtown church. It is an intergenerational congregation, where legitimate power is being shared with younger members, where their voices matter around the table, and where the congregation is able to grapple with the real political and theological changes that have occurred in a highly evolving culture.

What’s going on at Western that attracts so many people in their 20s and 30s? Well, there are a lot of things, but I’ll highlight three of them.

Well, the biggest thing is our commitment to social justice. Many people talk about “finally going upstairs” in our church, and we immediately know what they are talking about. It means that they have been volunteering in the basement, at Miriam’s Kitchen, and they are so happy with the work that’s being done there, that they learn to make their way up the stairs, into the sanctuary, on Sunday morning.

The second thing is Campus Ministry. The church decided that they would organize their staffing so that a significant amount of time each week would be spent on Campus Ministry. This allows me to constantly think about the needs of the students on George Washington University Campus and stay engaged with campus life. This shift in focus and ministry has allowed our church to remain relevant, implementing new technologies, staying in tune with students’ struggles, and just keeping up with exam schedules.

Third is a basic shift to power sharing with a new generation. As the Head of Staff, John Wimberly, explains, “We develop leadership like an NCD instead of a historic church.” While historic congregations may make new members go through a drawn-out hazing process, so that people can prove their faithfulness and worth, we look for leadership in the new member class. We ordain college students, graduate students, and D.C. interns, even when we are not sure that they can make the three-year commitment, because we realize how much we need their insight, ideas, and vision.

In a time when Robert Wuthnow says that 6 million young adults are missing from our congregations, Western has learned that the Church is, indeed, Alive. Because of the selfless leadership and insight of an older generation who was open to change and younger leadership, we have learned to build an intergenerational church.

* * * *

Carol Howard Merritt is a pastor at Western Presbyterian Church in Washington, DC. She’s the author of Tribal Church: Ministering to the Missing Generation and Reframing Hope: Vital Ministry in a New Generation (forthcoming). She co-hosts God Complex Radio with Bruce Reyes-Chow and blogs at TribalChurch.org.

The Sacred Space of Life

2009-10-26T11:50:00.000-04:00

I do a good bit of traveling these days for work, and last week found me in the great state of Illinois. I’ve recently become a huge fan of audio books. Being able to actually get some reading done while driving is well, perfect. Though there is always the issue with the narrator. I have a slight admission, on long driving stretches, I really enjoy the sometimes corny, and over eccentric voice of a narrator. Last week though, I found no such voice, but rather Barack Obama’s voice as he narrated, Dreams From My Father. Now I know there may be some of you out there that are rolling your eyes at the fact that I waited to listen to this particular audio book until I was in “the great state of Illinois”. I understand that, and I honestly thought about this fact, but my inner nerd only reinforced my decision. As I drove the highways of Illinois, through her corn fields, and around her wind turbines, Barack’s voice boomed in the rented Prius as he told the stories of his life.

If any of you out there have read the book, then you may agree with me, maybe not. It is simply amazing that Barack is our President. It is truly amazing that a man with this story is now the President of the United States. As I fed the radio, CD after CD I found myself thinking how incredible this was, and I also realized how often I said, AMEN!

As you can tell, I loved the book. I loved hearing the stories that have made up Barack Obama’s life. The stories from his childhood, to the stories of community organizing, and then to the stories of Kenya. I loved hearing Barack reflect on his life in real and honest ways, inviting us as readers into those stories, and thus into his life in some way. Albeit, selective ways. As I heard the stories, I heard the rawness of life, and I was reminded that story makes up our lives, though our narratives may be different. One thing was clear from Barack’s words, the people that helped make up his narrative, the ones who influenced and challenged him along the way were important, if not critical to his life’s work.

I couldn’t help but hear his story and think of the countless other stories I had heard that week. Stories of how folks have been encountered by God in different ways, and how they have reflected back over those encounters and felt a real call to ministry, or other vocations. It is in the midst of our everyday lives that God is at work, and somehow the regular, mundaneness of it all our lives become something greater, something shall I say, sacred. Even when we seem to miss it, or when we are so busy not to even notice God’s work, we look back over our lives only to see where God has been at work. For me, I seem to remember this after I hear others stories.

While I was Vanderbilt University last month, I participated in worship with their Presbyterian Campus Ministry. During worship they had a time in which one person shared their faith journey, their “story”. The student who told his story that night, told of a faith that was hard to put into words, but a faith that had led him to campus ministry at Vanderbilt. He told of a family that was supportive, but also broken. He talked about faith as well as doubt. His story was dirty, broken, and real. He was thankful for a place where he could just come and be himself. A place where he could bring his faith as well as his doubts. A place where he could bring his story, bring all that made him who he was.

That time during worship that night was deeply personal, it was messy, and it was sacred. I was thankful to have heard his story that night. I believe as we continue to share our stories with one another, as we continue to dig into the everyday, and as we begin to reflect on the many ways we encounter God we understand the very space of our lives as sacred space.

I know that this may seem like a very simple idea, and it is. I believe it is even common sense to have people that surround us so we can have these conversations. In a time in which we are pulling money and staff positions in the PCUSA from College Ministry and Chaplaincies, it seems it may not be common, but rather be uncommon sense.

I am thankful to have participated in ministry on College and University Campuses, and seen how God is at work in and through these ministries. I am thankful for those who enter into conversations to reflect, not to answer. I am thankful for those who seek to help us claim the sacred space that is our lives.

It is truly amazing that our lives are what they are, a series of experiences with many different people in a certain time and certain space. It is amazing how the same Spirit who is at work in you, me, your friends, is also at work in Christ. The God who has knit us in our mothers womb, and loves us to no end, has given us each gifts and has called each one of us. Let us be a people who seek out God on the journey.

This week I ask that we do something in the comments section below, first- please feel free to leave your comments, they are always welcome! Second, let us give thanks for those who have sat with us along the way and engaged us in the hard/fruitful conversations that make up our lives. Third, let us also recognize those among us who's stories are not heard. Let us not discount those "voices who have been long silenced." Go out and sit, dwell, listen, care!

Are Our Congregations Eco-Friendly Enough?

2009-10-19T11:44:00.000-04:00

God saw all that God had made, and behold, it was very good.

My front porch offers quite a view. I live on the side of a mountain, and looking out offers a great view of brightly colored tree tops (I love fall) and various mountaintops that surround Montreat, North Carolina. This valley is beloved by many Presbyterians for its beauty and tranquility, the intangibility of “getting away from it all” presents itself clearly here. In the US, we’re fortunate to have places for solace and sabbath close at hand, but that proximity also blinds us to the fact that our consumption is killing us.

We’ve consumed ourselves into crisis of climate and pollution, and perhaps worse than that, consumed those in developing countries into the same. My good friend Patrick writes,

We need to move our thinking toward the larger implications of our own greed, consumption, and lifestyle. In other words, for Christians, excessive materialism isn’t just dangerous to us as individuals, but also to those that we are taking advantage of to acquire such luxuries.

Unfortunately, the effects of our consumption often present themselves to the less fortunate first. Strip mining, deforestation, trash heaps and islands of plastic aren’t in our driveways or on our way to work, so they’re easily overlooked. Ignoring these problems is not an option for much of the world’s population.

I think many Americans believe that being environmentally friendly is painful. We have to take short showers, not fly in airplanes, keep our homes a little too warm in the summer and a little too cool in the winter. The belief is that sustainable life is less fun than normal life. It doesn’t have to be. When you have to replace your refrigerator, buy one that consumes less energy. When your aging church building needs a new boiler, advocate for solar panels on the roof or a more energy efficient heating system.

Environmentally preferable alternatives exist, but we have to take advantage of them. Speaking at the Presbyterian Women event in Louisville this summer, Barbara Rossing (.pdf) spoke of churches embracing the need to protect our environment:

Limestone Presbyterian Church in Wilmington, Delaware has put 180 solar panels on the roof of their church, and now new people are being drawn into church! Caring for creation is revitalizing the congregation.

Denominationally speaking, the PC(USA) seems to understand the urgency of our environmental situation. In 1988, the church created the Office of Environmental Ministries to address environmental concerns as the denomination moved into the future. Just last summer, Louisville released a statement called “The Power to Change,” that commits the denomination to ambitious goals for climate change advocacy and reductions in carbon emissions. This effort, among others, make me proud to call the PC(USA) home. But that’s not to say there isn’t much that can be done.

Does your congregation address sustainability? Are we as congregations in a denomination devoted to the problem doing enough? Are we doing anything?

An Open Question: Who Are We? No, Seriously, Who?

2009-10-13T12:03:00.000-04:00

A few days ago a Divinity school friend and I were strolling down a dusty, red-bricked sidewalk. As the greens, golds and maroon-browns of fall spiraled down from the trees around us, we started commiserating about a church service we had just attended. Naturally, we - being Presbyterians - jokingly hyper-analyzed the sermon and highlighted the theological conundrums brought up by the pastor. I had enjoyed the service, but my friend felt otherwise - she just “wasn’t a fan.” She explained that it had been a “somewhat unorthodox” Presbyterian service, complete with boisterous musical numbers (Johnny Cash) and a slightly-less-than-organized order of worship (I still have no idea what happened during the Children’s Sermon). As such, she seemed displeased and uncomfortable with the overall feel of the service. Given that I, admittedly, really like organic approaches to worship, I started to press my friend for a specific reason for discomfort.

“Look,” she finally replied, flustered, “It’s not that it wasn’t a good service, it’s just...it’s just not Presbyterian, you know? Like, seriously.”

Seriously. I gawked. What did she mean by “not Presbyterian?” Was there some golden standard of worship that I had missed? The pastor had hit all the necessary points that I could think of: there had been a passing of the peace, acolytes to light the candles, a prayer of confession, a reading from the lectionary, an offering, a sermon, a grape juice communion complete with tiny germ-free cups and all the other worshipy-accouterments that come standard with Presbyterian services. It was, in short, right where it “needed” to be Presbyterian-wise. So what, I wondered, was missing? Can a worship service be deemed “not Presbyterian” simply for how it feels?

It’s an odd idea, but it begs a larger question: do we even know what makes us “Presbyterian” in the first place? Granted, it’s not a new conundrum - even the Moderator of the PC(USA) has been asking it recently. But with the Christian tradition now being labeled as a “dying” faith, there seems to be a renewed interest in defining ourselves as Christians and - by extension - by individual denominations.

So where do we start? Are folks in the PC(USA) defined by our theology and doctrine? Presbyterians, after all, are known for our deep affection with the great movers and shakers of the Protestant Reformation - namely John Calvin and John Knox. In fact, it is our association with their views on predestination and the “elect” that make us theologically distinct, so is that what defines us - our espoused theology?

If that’s the case, then Presbyterianism might be in trouble: virtually every Presbyterian can name a friend (or themselves) who struggles with concept of predestination, and the majority of lay-Christians (and some pastors!) can’t even cite the ten commandments, much less main tenets of their tradition. And we’re not alone: a 1992 Gallup survey found that only 30% of Catholics believed in transubstantiation, and - despite the proclamations of the Pope - 67% believe that non-marital sex is just fine. Moreover, while the majority of Protestant denominations officially paint homosexuality as less-than-desirable, 45% of actual parishioners believe it's no big deal. Thus, if doctrine and theology are supposed to define a denomination, then churches might find their staple message doesn't resonate with every congregant.

But perhaps we’re looking in the wrong place - maybe our demographic makeup tells more about us. Presbyterians are, for instance, an overwhelmingly white congregation - 92.9% in fact. We are more female (58%) than male (42%). Almost 50% of our churches are between 1-100 members, with a mean of 208 members. Our highest concentration of members are in Pennsylvania and Southern California. Lastly, the PC(USA) is the wealthiest denomination - per congregant - in the United States. In other words, are Presbyterians wealthy, white women from small towns in Pennsylvania and Southern Californian who go to small churches?

Well, shucks...that sure leaves me out.

Well, then, perhaps it’s our style of worship that sets us apart! Most Presbyterian services, after all, follow a pretty straightforward system: you sing hymns from the blue (or red) hymnal, you follow the order of worship, and you read from the lectionary. But what does that make of those crazy emergent churches - the “Presbymergent” ones where people do all sorts of wild “non-Presbyterian” things in their services? What of Youth Sundays? If they sing out of a hymnal that isn’t blue (or even green!), does that make them less “Presbyterian?”

You know, this is harder than I thought.

So what, good community of Church is ALIVE readers, defines us as Presbyterian? Heck, what defines any Christian denomination? If it’s not theology, demographics, or style of worship, then what do we hold onto? What do we call our own, if anything? What makes us an “us?”

Are we defined by what we have been, what we are, or what we could be?

What do you think?

Risking and Trusting

2009-10-05T21:44:00.000-04:00

Book of Order
G 3.0400 Called to Risk and Trust
The Church is called to undertake its mission even at the risk
of losing its life, trusting in God alone as the author and giver of
life, sharing the gospel, and doing those deeds in the world that
point beyond themselves to the new reality in Christ.

There's always a precarious balance between tradition and newness. A community of faith MUST remain grounded in the reformed tradition which calls us to continually be guided by God-inspired scripture that has led our church fathers (and mothers!) to establish what we have today. However, a community of faith MUST also be continually committed to the NEW things the Holy Spirit is calling us to each and every day.

It is these new things that often demand we "risk losing our life" and "point beyond ourselves." How can the church better live out this calling in the book of order?

I am serving an internship year at Broad Street Ministry in downtown Philadelphia. Even in the month that I've been here, I've witnessed how this community risks and trusts.

Broad Street Ministry started around 5 years ago out of a church that had died, BSM grew out of a need to serve the downtown community. This turned into several feeding and social service programs for the poor and homeless, worship that incorporated artistic expression via university of the arts students around and musical expression via the rich diversity of musical backgrounds around, engaging speakers and performers who represented the voice of the city, and many other expressions of the faith community. This church in some ways looks quite different from the "church" many of us grew up in or know about (dressing up, organ music, hour-long service). BSM has taken the risk to be a worshipping community that is engaged in the city in many unique ways. There is no attention to the maintenance of the building, nor is there attention given to making sure membership quotas are met. These aspects, and many others, may be dangerous to not give more attention to. However, who ever said that following Christ was not dangerous?

I'm not saying BSM is a perfect model of what church should be. Rather, I am witnessing what it means to "risk and trust" in their work. Though it is not perfect, the basic premise of following the lead of the Holy Spirit into transformational new things is very present. They are very attentive to the needs of the urban community, and respond quickly to their needs as Christ would lead them.

What new things is the Holy Spirit calling you and your church to? What would it look like for you to truly risk and trust? Do we point to ourselves more than we point beyond ourselves to Christ?

God's Heart Has No Borders

2009-09-27T20:06:00.000-04:00

In 2008, the Pew Hispanic Center estimated that 11.9 million undocumented immigrants were living in the United States. Seven million of these immigrants are from Mexico and four out of every five undocumented immigrants is from a Latin American country just south of our border. Traditionally, Mexican migrants came to the United States to work seasonal agricultural jobs, staying for around six to nine months out of the year and returning to Mexico for the rest of the time. They would migrate to the same major agricultural locations in the United States going either up the west coast of California, through the center of the country or along the southern border from Texas to Florida as crops changed throughout the year.

In 1986 the United States government passed IRCA: the Immigration Reform and Control Act, which essentially changed the nature of migration to the United States. While the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services described this act as a law to “control and deter illegal immigration to the United States,” it in fact granted asylum to 2.3 million undocumented immigrants in the United States. This allowed migrants to apply for the legal immigration of their family members on the one hand, greatly increasing the legal migrant network to the United States. This also added millions of people to public benefits and social safety networks; a burden that many states were loath to bear. Another aspect of the IRCA was the reinforcement of border patrol, which disrupted the seasonal flow of migrants. With heavier border controls (that have only increased since 1986), undocumented immigrants were not deterred from entering the United States but rather were reluctant to leave, making the undocumented shadow population ever larger and spreading further into new receiving areas of the country.

The shadow population of undocumented immigrants is quite literally on their own, in need of a community willing to reach out and help them integrate into the United States. Shadow populations can be unhealthy for a community, literally and figuratively. Undocumented immigrants are too afraid to enter the public arena to report criminal acts (not necessarily committed by immigrants), thousands of undocumented workers do not have union representation and are exploited without fair wages, and healthcare is too difficult to attain so many migrants simply deal with sickness without access to even the most rudimentary healthcare (a subject that is increasingly coming under fire, often to the heightened disadvantage of the immigrant). In a time of nationwide economic downturn, the public outcry against illegal immigration is growing louder and the attitude toward immigrants is more hostile. How should the church respond to the immigrant community?

The PCUSA will become the proverbial ostrich if we simply keep our heads in the sand and hope the problem will just disappear. Immigrant communities are usually on the periphery of cities (unless we are talking about established immigrant-receiving cities like LA, Chicago and New York, though there are still separated pockets here as well) and we aren't going to be able to connect with these communities unless we seek them out. Undocumented immigrants are not going to go away, and it is simply a moral issue to be willing to help a neighbor in need. Churches are the historical social safety net of the world - we are the ones who need to stand up for social justice and instigate positive change. We can make a positive change in immigrant communities by reaching out and bringing them into a community of faith. While it is true that the majority of immigrants are coming from Catholic countries, this does not mean that they are not interested in becoming a part of a community of faith (especially with Presbyterians who are similar liturgically). Does your church engage the immigrant community? Are there ways in which your church home reaches out to immigrants, undocumented and legal? Or, what do you think about the idea of reaching out to these communities in general?

Here are a few ways I think the Presbyterian Church can help (thanks to the inspiration of a local Methodist Church in my area, West Nashville United Methodist, who works tirelessly with the local immigrant population helping them integrate into our great city):

· Free English classes

· Free computer / technology skills classes

· Spanish or bilingual services (bilingual seems a like a big step, I know, but you should see this church I’m talking about in Nashville. Instead of pouring their money into their facilities, they have invested in a translating system for the sermon and they put projector screens on the back walls that have the Spanish translations of prayers and hymns. It’s AWESOME. A gradual implementation from two separate language services to one bilingual service a month to a bilingual service every Sunday helped facilitate the change.)

· Free Spanish classes, so the English–speaking congregation can communicate on a whole new level

· Bilingual Vacation Bible School (the picture below is a photo taken from the VBS at West Nashville United Methodist – a bilingual wonderweek of kids from various ethnic backgrounds worshiping together in English and Spanish)

In conclusion, I’ll share a brief story about an undocumented immigrant family that worshipped at West Nashville United Methodist. This was a family of 5, with one little girl on the way. Just a few weeks before the mother gave birth to their new daughter, the father was apprehended for a minor traffic violation and was shipped to a prison in the south where he was not allowed to phone home. His wife, kids and church community had no idea where he was. If it wasn’t for WNUM, who tracked him down and helped secure his temporary release before he was deported, it would have been difficult indeed to reunite the family. The father was the only one in the family with a job, so without his help the mother and children had to rely on WNUM for food and other necessities like diapers for the newborn. What would have happened without this incredible action from the church? Before the family was deported to Mexico in September of 2008, the father gave a testimonial translated from Spanish to English to the church congregation. At the end, he said he was happy he was going back to Mexico, where he was going to embark on a mission to start the first Methodist church in his hometown. Now that, my dear PCUSA, is some effective mission work, and a real example of loving your neighbor.

Leslie McClure is a student in the Latin American Studies Program at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, where she currently studies Portuguese and the sociology of immigration.

A New Phase: The Church of the Word(s)

2009-09-26T10:43:00.000-04:00

Church is Alive Readers,

We've got something new in the works, folks: we've started writing!

That's right, the Church is ALIVE team will now begin posting blog updates one-to-two times a week. Just like your videos, our aim is to report on different parts of the church that we think are alive today. In so doing, however, our hope to promote dialogue and discussion about the important issues that effect the modern church. We invite and encourage all readers to respond to articles by using the comments section below each article, although we would also encourage all responders to be respectful.

But it's not just us: YOU can be a writer too! Starting sometime in the next few weeks, we will begin accepting applications to be a Church is Alive blogger. Just like we accepted - and continue to accept - videos from all over the world showcasing how the church is alive, so too will we except your prose! So get your pens and typing fingers ready, folks - we want to hear from you!

This will be a phased process, so bear with us during the transition. The website will be updated and given a fresh facelift over the next few weeks, and there will be some restructuring as well. In other words, "pardon our dust."

Anyway, don't misunderstand: we still want your videos, so if you've got any - OR if you want to make a video in response to one of our articles - send it along!

We look forward to these new additions to the Church is ALIVE website, and we hope you will too!

much love,
Jack and the Church is ALIVE Team

The Church is ALIVE at New Hope Presbytery

2009-06-28T16:45:00.001-04:00

The church is certainly alive through youth leadership at the New Hope Presbytery of eastern North Carolina. Check out the video above to see why.

Totally biased shout-out: not only is this Presbytery pretty amazing, it is also very close to the hearts of some of the Church is ALIVE crew. Representatives of CiA were recently blessed to participate in one of the retreats shown above. They truly are a wild and passionate group, and a testament to what can be done through youth-led ministry.

Get hyped. Get hyped. New Hope's got what you like.

Check 'em out here: http://www.nhpresbytery.org/

The Church is ALIVE at United Campus Ministry!

2009-05-19T11:54:00.001-04:00

If you have any doubt about the merits of campus ministry...watch this video!

Carol Howard-Merritt and the crew from United Campus Ministry in our nation's capital share some testimony about the impact of campus ministry on their lives. We are reminded that campus ministry provides a place of worship, spiritual development, and Christian fellowship for students who might not have the opportunity for these things otherwise! As John Welton says towards the end, it is the comfort and the challenge of the gospel that calls people into this fellowship and out into the world.

If you aren't a part of a campus ministry...get involved! If your campus doesn't have one set up...take charge and work to set one up! The spirit of the Lord is alive and moving in campus ministry!

The Church is alive!

Thanks be to God!

Check 'em out here: http://www.ucmcollegepark.org/

The Church is STILL Alive in East Tennessee!

2009-05-07T12:12:00.001-04:00

Today's video comes to us from - once again - the Presbytery of East Tennessee Youth Council! Nancy Meyer has this to say:

"The faith of these youth is alive and well!"

Keep 'em coming, folks!

The Church is ALIVE in Church Activism

2009-04-15T11:52:00.001-04:00

Today's video comes from Tennessee. She has the following to say about how the church is ALIVE to her...

On February 4, 2009, prisoner Steve Henley was executed in Nasvhille, Tennessee. A brief statement from the website www.stevehenley.org sums up the unjust nature of the case:

"Two men were implicated in the murder of Fred and Edna Stafford. One served five years in prison.

The other received the death penalty."

The 171st General Assembly of the PC(USA) states: "capital punishment cannot be condoned by an interpretation of the Bible based upon the revelation of God's love in Jesus Christ," and calls on Christians to "seek the redemption of evil doers and not their death." The statement goes on to say "the use of the death penalty tends to brutalize the society that condones it." (This statement can be found here, as well as other resources regarding general facts about the PC(USA))
On February 3, some Presbyterian friends and I attended a candlelight vigil outside the prison until 1:00 in the morning when Steve Henley was executed by lethal injection. We prayed for clemency until the very last moment.

This was a very powerful experience for me in my faith. TCASK, or Tennessee Coalition Against State Killing, organized the candlelight vigil. Stacey Rector, the executive director for TCASK, was the associate pastor for my church (Second Presbyterian in Nashville, Tennessee) until she felt that her call was to lead this organization (here is a brief article on her decision to join TCASK).

I say it was a powerful experience in my faith because this was not just gathering of Presbyterians. There were people from all walks of life attending this vigil for Steve Henley and we all were able to put differences aside to join together and be present for Steve Henley's final moments.
I think the Presbyterian Church is alive in moments such as these, when we are able to gather with our brothers and sisters of other faiths and beliefs and yet who share this world with us to stand up for what we believe in. When we show the world that, despite our differences, we love each other, and simply do the right thing in this crazy world in which we live, we fill our church with life.

Thanks for your submission! We here at thechurchisalive.com are dedicated to representing any and all who feel the church is alive in their area. Send us your video today!

The Church is Alive at the Church of All Nations!

2009-04-14T12:04:00.001-04:00

Today's submission comes from the Church of All Nations in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Jin S. Kim, the submitter, writes:

"The Church is alive when it risks its own institutional life for the sake of doing the ministry of reconciliation. The Church of All Nations in Minneapolis was founded in 2004 to be a high-risk, low-anxiety church that always pushes the boundaries of what it means to be church so that we might be a living parable of good news to a broken and divided world."

Thanks Jin!