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We Call Ourselves Disciples |
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Location: Blogs Brad's BlogMid-Week Missive |
 | | Posted by: Brad Miller | 7/9/2008 2:43 PM | Greetings on this hazy, lazy summer day,
Yesterday I was talking with someone who had been told I was a minister and he asked what denomination I was affiliated with and I replied, “The Christian Church (Disicples of Christ).” He said he had never heard of it and I went into my explanation of how we are set up, what makes us unique among Christian denominations, what denominations we are most like, etc. It is a conversation that I have with a fairly large number of people. Depending on what kind of day I have had, how I am feeling, what the attitude is like of the person I am talking with, I may answer enthusiastically or not. What I mean by that Is, on most days I am thankful for the opportunity to talk with someone about our church, our denomination, what we believe, what I believe. But there are some days when I just kind of sigh and half-wish I was a Presbyterian or a Methodist or a Baptist or a Lutheran that everyone has heard of! Luckily, those days don’t come very often.
Have you ever had the conversation? What do you say? If you haven’t had the conversation yet, what might you say if someone did ask about the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)? Sometimes we get so caught up in what we do within our individual churches, we forget that occasionally we may have to have that conversation with someone is interested in our church. Of course, I always say the easiest way to answer questions is to invite someone to come and experience our worship, meet some folks, get a feel for the church. But that is not always possible, and even then, many questions might not be answered.
All of this is prelude to something I have been thinking and planning now for a couple of months. In order to reacquaint ourselves with what is of importance to our church I am planning a sermon series for the months of August and September called “We Call Ourselves Disciples: An Exploration of our Faith Heritage.” On the six Sundays where I will be concentrating on this topic, the following sermons and scriptures will be used to explore some important matters - from a Disciples perspective: “The Good Confession” (the only thing we require for membership in our church) Matthew 16:13-19; “People of the Book” (looking at the centrality of Holy Scripture to our faith walk) 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5; “The Cost of Baptism” John 1:19-29; “A Covenant People” (an exploration of the importance of covenant to how Disciples order their denominational life) Genesis 17:1-9 and Acts 3:25-26; “Gather Round the Table” (the importance of communion to our fellowship) 1 John 1:1-9; “Our Polar Star” (a look at Disciples role in the ecumenical Christian movement) Ephesians 4:1-6.
Through an exploration of scripture, history and practice, I hope we can come to a fuller appreciation for what it truly means to be part of this great movement we are a part of. This might be a good time to invite friends to learn a bit more about the Disciples. It might even be a good time for those of who are members to reacquaint ourselves with who we are, where we come from and where we are going. And it might even help us all be better prepared when someone says, “Disciples of Christ? I’ve never heard of them.” Because we need to be able to respond, “Well, let me tell you about us…”
For an updated prayer list and list of upcoming activities please go to www.brookhavenchristian.org
Announcements:
As the summer rolls on, please remember to keep up to date with your pledged giving to the church operations. Even as many of us take time away from home, and church, the ministries of the church (and the expenses!) continue. Thanks for your support of Christ’s church and the ministries of BCC!
We have such a wonderful response to our “Participating in the Miracle of Abundance” food collections that last week we actually broke the collection basket! Not to fear, we have replaced it with a slightly more sturdy vessel and will continue on. So, when you leave the house for worship this Sunday, don’t forget to bring your canned goods to be shared with our brothers and sisters in need.
If you are interested in learning more about the Garden Club at BCC and their efforts to further beautify our church grounds, come to a meeting right after worship this Sunday, July 13th and find out how you can be a part! For more information, contact Daonne Caldwell or Susan Hall.
Prayer List:
Please keep all those who travel this summer in your prayers…and may they return safe and well rested from their trips.
I hope you will be able to join us in worship this Sunday as we once again celebrate the Lord’s Day together. The sermon this week is titled “Figured It Out Yet?” and the scripture lesson is Matthew 8:23-27. Have a great rest of the week.
Be peaceful,
Brad | | | Permalink | Trackback |
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