Church Marketing?

OK. Church and Marketing. Do these two words go together? Hopefully in the sense that we have Good News and want to share it. I created a Congregational Development page at the Diocese of Georgia website which deals with some of these issues. If anyone know of other resources to include there, please comment below and let me know.

One caveat worth naming...I feel that there are many things a church can do that are good things for churches to do and have as a bonus that they attract people to the church. But in general I am quite opposed to doing things so as to grow a church. It is far better to do things so as to BE the Body of Christ and I imagine that in doing so, church growth happens both numerically and spiritually for those already present. End of sermon/rant. Ideas appreciated.

peace,
Frank+
The Rev. Frank Logue, Pastor

I Dare You to Trust

The above is a clip showing straight talk from Brennan Manning. Thanks to Rob+ for this and the Patrick quote I used recently. Rob Lord's blog is A New and Unending Kind of Life.

Peace be with you

"You can't think straight with a heart full of fear,
for fear seeks safety, not truth.
If your heart's a stone, you can't have decent thoughts
—either about personal relations or about international ones.
A heart full of love, on the other hand,
has a limbering effect on the mind."
—William Sloane Coffin
In tomorrow's Gospel reading Jesus appears to the disciples without Thomas present and then a week later with Thomas also there. Each time he says, "Peace be with you."

The UCC website offers the quote above and this,

Whenever we're afraid and hiding out, all locked up,
God comes to us in the midst of our fear
and says, "Peace be with you."
Whatever doubts churn in our minds,
whatever sins trouble our consciences,
whatever pain and worry bind us up,
whatever walls we have put up
or doors we have locked securely,
God comes to us and says, "Peace be with you."

Whatever hunger and need we feel
deep in our souls,
God calls us to the table,
feeds us well, and sends us out into the world
to be justice and peace,
salt and light, hope for the world.

We can do it, if we keep our eyes open,
our minds limber, and our hearts soft and willing to love.
As God sent Jesus, God sends us, this day.

What Is a Bible Worth?

Anglican Journal tells of Janet Carlile, an accredited antique appraiser, who regularly assesses items at fund-raising events for charitable organizations such as public libraries and local museums. Bibles come up frequently. She knows that while they are “near and dear to people’s hearts, the majority are worth less than $50 and some a good deal less.”

In a career spanning three decades, the most expensive Bible she recalls sold for $1,200 and it was a very unusual volume. Such Bibles make the news but are a rarity. The article continues:

People bring Bibles to Ms. Carlile because they are often the oldest item in their homes. Tucked away in a cupboard in my parents’ den is a set of Swedish Bibles brought here by my maternal great great-grandparents when they immigrated. Although the language was lost many generations ago, the Bibles were not. Their yellowed pages, brittle leather binding, and foreign words belie their status as an heirloom. They are the only tangible link with our Swedish heritage and as such are valued.

Many Bibles are big, beautiful books. Produced in large quantities and instant best-sellers, publishers can afford to use fine quality materials. According to the staff at the Master’s Way Book Store in Pembroke, Ont., Bibles are a popular gift to commemorate a first communion or confirmation milestone. New translations are always sought after and the Catholic Bible and King James Version are perpetually in demand.

Some people cherish a Bible even though it is an unremarkable edition because it was a source of comfort, strength, or advice at an emotional time. Bev York, a lay reader and pillar of St. Augustine’s church in Beachburg, Ont., treasures her Bible because she relied on it through trying times of illness and bereavement. Then, and at countless other times, the words offered her solace and hope. She also holds dear a Bible that belonged to her mother and one that she rescued from a garbage chute. Although Ms. York has worn Bibles out, she won’t throw them away, preferring instead to give them to someone else, especially a new believer.

For Christian faith communities, a Bible is a collection of sacred writings. The content between the covers is the source of value, not the trappings. This leads to an answer to my original question: a Bible has an incalculable worth.

Incalculable worth. But unlike other valuable books, the Bible is worth more when it is in worse condition. The pristine copy with unmarred gold foil edges and a fine layer of dust is practically worthless compared to the dog eared copy with coffee stains and some portions underlined in pen and others marked with tears.

I arise today

Light of the sun,
Splendor of fire,
Swiftness of wind,
Depth of the sea,
Stability of earth,
Firmness of rock.

I arise today
Through God's strength to pilot me;
God's might to uphold me,
God's wisdom to guide me,
God's hand to guard me.

Afar and anear,
Alone or in a multitude.
Christ shield me today
Against wounding:

Christ with me,
Christ before me,
Christ behind me,
Christ on my right,
Christ on my left,
Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ in me.

I arise today
Through the mighty strength
Of the Lord of Creation.

—St. Patrick of Ireland

4,000 Funerals

Chaplain Jeff Jencks leads a memorial service in Iraq
The weight of war falls first and last longest on the shoulders of the men and women who fight. And alongside them are the chaplains who serve in the field. Newsweek has a current story Chaplains salute each of the fallen. The chaplain's work is vital to our troops, it is largely unsung, and it is done on behalf of those of us of faith who can not be there to comfort soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines in the field. Chaplains in Iraq include at the moment our own Pat Hahn, whose wife Madeleine attends the earlier service at King of Peace as well as a fellow Diocese of Georgia priest, Sean Wead, who is also currently serving in Iraq. Please remember them in your prayers.

The Episcopal Chaplain website offers more information. King of Peace maintains online an Online Prayer Vigil in time of war. The site includes a number of prayers, a brief prayer service, and the names of those for whom prayers have been requested. This prayer for combatants is from that part of our website:

Jesus Christ,
who in the hour of your death was recognized as Savior
by a soldier standing nearby:
be to those whose bear arms now, a sign of saving hope.
In circumstances of danger and ever-pressing fear
keep alive in them steadfastness and courage.
Preserve in them when tested, righteous and humane values;
and uphold their good wills
until they are released from the awful necessities
of human strife. Amen.

Baptizing a soldier in Kuwait

Really, Truly Resurrected

Over at On Faith, the panelists are weighing in on the question,

Do you have to believe the resurrection is literally true—that Jesus came back to life in his body—to be a Christian?

I have answered this before saying that I do believe in a literal resurection and that I think that this belief is at the core of the Christian faith as it fits not only with scripture and my own experience of God in prayer in worship, but this belief is also affirmed by being the only thing to explain Christian history. What else could turn a rag tag group of followers into fired up disciples?

N.T. Wright says in part,

The New Testament presents the resurrection of Jesus not as a bizarre event within the old creation, the present world of decay, corruption and death, but as the foundational, prototypical and generative event within the new creation, the renewal of heaven and earth which Israel's God had long promised and which was decisively launched when Jesus came out of the tomb (not, we note, as a mere 'resuscitated corpse', as some have accused me and others of suggesting, but in a transformed physicality that decay and death could no longer touch).

His full response is here: Resurrection Revolution.

Chuck Colson writes,

People will give their lives for something they believe to be true. They will never give their lives for something they know to be false. Had they not seen the resurrected Christ with their own eyes, the Apostle Peter would have been the likeliest candidate to become the John Dean of the first century church.

All of the panelist responses are online here: Resurrection.

The Rest of the Easter Photos

All of the Easter photos we now have on hand are online here: King of Peace at Flickr.

If you have photos to share, please email them to frank[at]kingofpeace[dot]org.

Easter Baptisms

When Makala was baptized on Easter she dunked her head under the water of the font and kept it there while the words "I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" were said. This was not done to be silly or just for fun, but in complete seriousness by a sweet girl who had looked forward to her baptism. It was an honor to say the words as she was baptized by God through the power of the Holy Spirit.




Laina was to be baptized later, but her family arrived on Easter morning and her mother felt like it was the day. Who can get in the way of such motherly intuition. It was indeed the right day for this much prayed for baby (problems in pregnancy) to be baptized.



Both girls were sealed by the Holy Spirit in baptism and marked as Christ's own forever.

peace,
Frank+
The Rev. Frank Logue, Pastor

Easter Vigil in Photos and Video

Here are video (above) and photos (below) of Saturday's Great Vigil of Easter at King of Peace.

A Prayer for Today

O God, who by the glorious resurrection of your Son Jesus Christ destroyed death and brought life and immortality to light: Grant that we, who have been raised with him, may abide in his presence and rejoice in the hope of eternal glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be dominion and praise for ever and ever. Amen.

—from the Book of Common Prayer, page 223

Easter photos

Nearly 300 people gathered to worship this Easter at King of Peace. Kenn had to leave from lunch straight back for work, so most pictures will have to wait, but here are a few for now.

Alleluia! Christ is Risen!

20 happy souls braved darkness and cold for our first sunrise Easter service which began in the sanctuary and then moved, during the sermon, to the gazebo in the Marcus Dickman Memorial Garden and concluded with communion around an altar in the garden.

The Free Man

Christ is the Free Man. Look at him, my soul, at his nakedness, his blood, his sweat. The Eternal Prisoner! The soldiers beat him, cursing and laughing drunkenly. They feel that they represent a higher civilization than his, a richer culture and an infinitely better race. In each blow there is contempt and greed. Are not the Roman soldiers masters of the world?

Even in his anguish and shame Christ takes pity on the soldiers in their captivity.

He is the Free Man. Gaze on him, my soul. Does he have wealth, worldly power, an influential position in the organization of the country? No. He has nothing but a body now and the soldiers treat that body as they please. Flesh, blood, skin, bones, hair – he has only these things now, and the kingdom of Hell wants to take these things from him.

Look at him, my soul. He is a Free Man; the only free man in Jerusalem.

Pilate’s empire is a prison; Caiaphas’ religion is a prison; Judas’ dream is a prison; Peter’s confusion is a prison; Herod’s ambition is a prison; having been freed from his cell Barabbas’ rebellious movement is a prison. Christ alone is free.

My soul stand with him. There, by his side, under the lash of the soldiers, freedom is to be found.

—Pennar Davies,
Cudd Fy Meiau, Gwasg Ty John Penry, 1957
(trans. Cynthia and Saunders Davies)

Good Friday Evening Service

The Good Friday Evening liturgy was held at Christ Episcopal Church in St. Marys as a combined worship service for Christ Church and King of Peace. Above June, from King of Peace, reads for the service.


Father Dick Casto of Christ Church leads worship.


Our Pastoral resident, Jay Weldon, preached for both the noon and 7 p.m. services.


Father Daudi Ndahana, visiting with us this Easter (see below), leads prayers.

The Easter Vigil
The Easter Vigil, the Queen of Feasts for Christians, begins at 7 p.m. This is the Christian Passover in which we mark Jesus' crossing over from death to life. This was once the high point of the church year. Today, it remains the coolest worship service of the year, though attendance is less in most every church that holds one as the main service for Easter the next day is the bigger draw for crowds.

Our Guest

The Rev. Daudi Ndahana is visiting with King of Peace this Easter. He is a priest in the Diocese of Western Tanganyika in Tanzania who is currently studying at Nashotah House Seminary in Wisconsin. He is pictured here above following the Good Friday Liturgy with Jay, Rachel and Frank. And below with Victoria and Frank and with children at King of Peace Episcopal Day School.





Daudi at the Banncroft sail exhibit at the entrance to Submarine Base Kings Bay.

Frank set the timer wrong and blew this photo of the two of them on the Bancroft exhibit.

Maundy Thursday in Photos

Memorial Garden Progress

Thanks to Al Virgin, Mike and Diane Waldron and others, the Memorial Garden is making good progress. The area has been zoned by the City of Kingsland for the burial of cremains and the Memorial Garden Committee is working on detailed rules and pricing so that we will be able to open up the area to use this year. If you have questions about this, you can email contact[at]kingofpeace[dot]org.




There is however, more work to go to get the whole area in shape.