Revitalizing the Mainline?

Arrrgh! Why did I not find out about this until just now? Looks like a good conference near Chicago, starting Friday, for those of us who are are not leaving our mainline (oldline, sideline) denominations. Hat tip Mere Comments.

ANSWERING THE CALL - Chicago - Aug 6-8

Conference on Replanting, Revitalizing and Pastoring the Church

Do you believe that God is calling you to reach out to a community with the message of Christ? Do you have an unshakable love for Christ’s church even with all her flaws? Do you desire to transform a church towards being missional in all it does? Does the idea of church replanting intrigue you? Are you interested in reaching new American mission fields with the gospel? Do you long to energize the local church with a passion to reach the world for Christ?

One of the emerging ministry opportunities is open pulpits in mainline^* churches. There is a mainline church at the center of almost everyone town in America. They provide a great opportunity to reach communities with the message of Christ starting from the center of town.

Keynote Speakers:

• Ed Stetzer - Being Missional in your Community
• John Hull - Being a Servant Leader
• Jim Tomberlin - Leveraging Multi-Site concepts for church growth
• John Armstrong - Your church is too small: Missional Ecumenicalism

Practical workshops on the “how to” aspects of church replanting/revitalization

Pre-Conference Church Replanting Bootcamp

• Why Replant Churches
• What Does a Church Replanter Look Like?
• Church Replanting Is Not A Tweak – Setting Vision & Leading Change
• Church Replanting Is Not A Task - Understanding Culture and Working with People

This conference is for pastors, laity and students interested in learning how to minister the gospel in the mainline. August 5-7, 2010 in Chicago, Il at Elmhurst College. This will be a great time to think, learn and discuss how to apply the scriptures to the task of sharing Christ in our communities via mainline churches.

For more details

• Website: www.mainlinecall.org
• Registration: mainlinecall.org/registration/
• Download the brochure

See you this summer in Chicago!

^*Mainline churches typically include the American Baptist, Disciples of Christ, Episcopal Church USA, Evangelical Lutheran Church, Presbyterian Church USA, United Church of Christ, and United Methodist Church.

Opera Diva Modern Rocks!

Several years ago I was so intrigued by the BMG Classical Music Club review of an album of pop-rock music recorded by a famous opera singer that I ordered it. Eagerly opening the CD of fine songs by a fine singer, I was quickly disappointed by nearly an hour of, well, blandness.

Fast forward to July 2nd's ABC special America Celebrates July 4th at Ford’s Theatre when opera singer Renée Fleming started singing the song that turned me on to the alternative rock band Death Cab for Cutie, "Soul Meets Body," and pulled it off. Lionel Richie and Kelly Clarkson couldn't hold a candle to her performance. I put her new album Dark Hope on my list of CDs to buy -- soon.

A copy was on display at Barnes & Noble when I was there earlier this week and I slid it into Sebastian's (my Golf TDI) CD player as soon as I slipped into the driver's seat. Within 15 seconds I was ready to be hooked. Then Fleming started singing. Oh, it's good! Watch the trailer for a taste of the concept and execution of Dark Hope:


I've been listening to Renée Fleming's Dark Hope -- the whole thing, not just a few cuts -- all week in the car. Yeah, this diva modern rocks.

A Christian's Death (?)

Today in Vadstena, Sweden, my friends in the Society of St. Birgitta have been celebrating her heavenly birthday with a High Mass, the prayer offices, a "formal lecture" by Archbishop Emil Paul Tscherrig (the Papal Nuncio to the Nordic lands) entitled The Reason for Christian Hope in a Joyful Future, and have concluded with their grand procession into the Vadstena Klosterkyrka (Abbey Church).

If I could afford to go to Sweden every summer, I'd be there for that and I expect that it, along with the entire week of the SSB's General Chapter, would have lifted my spirit from some of the angst of being in the ELCA these days. (Oh, well -- next year in Vadstena!).

All this as a way of introducing this reflection of death by Martin Luther that appeared as the fourth reading in For All the Saints for the Monday of the week of Pentecost 7 in year 2 (or a week ago Monday):

At birth a child comes forth amid pain and danger, from the narrow dwelling of the mother's womb, into the broad light of day. In a similar way a man goes through the narrow gate of death when he departs this life. And though heaven and earth under which we now live appear so wide, so vast, yet, in comparison with the heaven that shall be, it is far narrower and much smaller than is the womb in comparison with the broad expanse of heaven. That is why the death of saints is called a new birth, and their festivals birthdays.

A woman, when she is in travail, has sorrow, because her hour is come; but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembers no more the anguish for joy that a man is born into the world. Likewise in death. We wrestle in anguish, yet know that hereafter we shall come forth into a wide, open space, and into eternal joy.

When I feel the dread of death, I say, "O death, you have nothing to do with me, because I have another death which kills my death. And the death which kills is stronger than that which is killed."

God appointed death to be the destroyer of death. It is evidence for God's surpassing goodness, that after death has entered, [Gen. 3:19] it is not permitted to hurt us ultimately, but is taken captive at the outset, and made to be the punishment and death of sin.

41 Years Ago Today

"Houston," radioed Apollo 11's Commander Neil Armstrong, "Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed."

That's what we heard at the Tibbetts household 41 years ago today while, as at homes all across the nation and (indeed) the world, glued to the TV. We were watching on KNXT Channel 2, the CBS O&O station in Los Angeles, and Walter Cronkite was presiding. Here are 10 minutes of highlights of what we saw that week on CBS, courtesy South Florida's CBS4 site.

And here's 10 minutes of video footage of the landing from inside Eagle, with just NASA's audio:



Once upon a time, we could put a man on the Moon. Someday, hopefully soon, we'll be able to do it again. But until then, enjoy.

A Fashion Statement: Edward vs. Buffy

While I'll be headed to the theater soon to catch the latest installment of Twilight -- yes, I've enjoyed the films and the books -- nevertheless, this t-shirt ad at Jinx makes me smile:

Buffy Staked Edward T-Shirt

Don't you think the vampires-are-people-too thing has gone a little too far? I mean, the whole point of a vampire is that they survive by sucking your blood. I don't care if his skin glows and twinkles and he smells like kittens and fabric softener, he's still just a glorified syringe. Remember the last time you had blood drawn? Yeah, me too, and it sucked! It's time we put an end to this nonsense: Edward, may I treat you to a stake dinner?

Well, black is my color...

Launch of Falcon 9

So last Friday as I'm making my pheresis donation at the local Red Cross, I look up to the TV screen and see CNN covering live the first test launch of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket. This is the first 3 1/2 minutes or so, including the separation of the the first stage rocket, of the feed shown live on TV. Having grown up watching the Gemini and Apollo shots, I felt like a boy again!



The privately built Falcon 9 rocket and its Dragon capsule (which will be capable of carrying a manned crew) are replacing the Space Shuttle to re-supply the International Space Station.

Franklin Roosevelt's D-Day Prayer

Try to imagine the President of the United States going on the radio (TV, etc.) to do something like this today. D-Day, the Allied invasion at Normandy to begin the liberation of Europe from the Nazi's was 66 years ago today. And FDR spoke to the nation...

My fellow Americans: Last night, when I spoke with you about the fall of Rome, I knew at that moment that troops of the United States and our allies were crossing the Channel in another and greater operation. It has come to pass with success thus far.

And so, in this poignant hour, I ask you to join with me in prayer:

Almighty God: Our sons, pride of our Nation, this day have set upon a mighty endeavor, a struggle to preserve our Republic, our religion, and our civilization, and to set free a suffering humanity.

Lead them straight and true; give strength to their arms, stoutness to their hearts, steadfastness in their faith.

They will need Thy blessings. Their road will be long and hard. For the enemy is strong. He may hurl back our forces. Success may not come with rushing speed, but we shall return again and again; and we know that by Thy grace, and by the righteousness of our cause, our sons will triumph.

They will be sore tried, by night and by day, without rest-until the victory is won. The darkness will be rent by noise and flame. Men's souls will be shaken with the violences of war.

For these men are lately drawn from the ways of peace. They fight not for the lust of conquest. They fight to end conquest. They fight to liberate. They fight to let justice arise, and tolerance and good will among all Thy people. They yearn but for the end of battle, for their return to the haven of home.

Some will never return. Embrace these, Father, and receive them, Thy heroic servants, into Thy kingdom.

And for us at home -- fathers, mothers, children, wives, sisters, and brothers of brave men overseas -- whose thoughts and prayers are ever with them--help us, Almighty God, to rededicate ourselves in renewed faith in Thee in this hour of great sacrifice.

Many people have urged that I call the Nation into a single day of special prayer. But because the road is long and the desire is great, I ask that our people devote themselves in a continuance of prayer. As we rise to each new day, and again when each day is spent, let words of prayer be on our lips, invoking Thy help to our efforts.

Give us strength, too -- strength in our daily tasks, to redouble the contributions we make in the physical and the material support of our armed forces.

And let our hearts be stout, to wait out the long travail, to bear sorrows that may come, to impart our courage unto our sons wheresoever they may be.

And, O Lord, give us Faith. Give us Faith in Thee; Faith in our sons; Faith in each other; Faith in our united crusade. Let not the keenness of our spirit ever be dulled. Let not the impacts of temporary events, of temporal matters of but fleeting moment let not these deter us in our unconquerable purpose.

With Thy blessing, we shall prevail over the unholy forces of our enemy. Help us to conquer the apostles of greed and racial arrogancies. Lead us to the saving of our country, and with our sister Nations into a world unity that will spell a sure peace a peace invulnerable to the schemings of unworthy men. And a peace that will let all of men live in freedom, reaping the just rewards of their honest toil.

Thy will be done, Almighty God.

Amen.

Interestingly, just now I'm listening to XM Radio's old time radio station, with Orson Welles' Mercury Theater broadcast for the day after D-Day. Agnes Morehead is narrating and, suddenly, what do I hear? An actor portraying FDR saying this prayer over the air!

Hat tip to TitusOneNine, where Canon Harmon posted this last week. This copy is the from Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.