worship preview

Dear Saints: We keep hearing that a fundamental problem in our economy is that we have a crisis of faith in our economy. So many of us no longer believe that the markets are trustworthy that we are standing on the sidelines waiting for things to get better. Approximately 2700 years ago, a different kind of faith crisis struck the people of God. They had suffered through an economic upheaval that makes ours look completely trivial. Their entire economy was destroyed as they were carted off to the land of their enemies. Once they arrived, they refused to buy and sell land, start businesses, or conduct the normal events of life. Their hope was that their displacement would be short lived and they would be heading home soon. However, in Jeremiah 29:4-11, they hear that their hopes and dreams aren't going to happen. Their exile will last much longer than they had thought. And while this exile takes place, they are told to invest their money, time, and energy in their new land. God calls them to practice their faith not by waiting for some future event to arrive, but to live in the present and invest themselves in what is happening now. He also lets them know that He will be with them in all that they do. This Sunday we will reflect deeply on this experience of the Hebews as a way to listen for God's word of hope and challenge to us. Please read this passage in Jeremiah as well as Romans 8:18-25. As you read these passages, I would encourage you to reflect on the nature of this hope we have been given through Christ. How would you characterize hope? On what is it based? Can can hope impact and enhance how we live now? I look forward to worshiping with you on Sunday. In Christ, Bryan

worship preview for 2/22/09

Dear Saints: Every day we hear about businesses and industries that are going through profound "restructuring." Mostly this means laying off workers, reducing production capacity, and lowering wages and benefits. We keep hearing that these actions are needed to keep these businesses and industries alive. "Change or die" is the commonly recited mantra as everyone seeks to respond to the negative trends that continue to deepen. As Christians, we too have been called to restructure our lives, not out of economic necessity but out of spiritual possibility. The gospel of Christ makes it clear that we too must change or die. Unlike the challenges faced by corporations, we change not to ensure our own survivability, not to continue existing as we always have, but to experience life in a completely new way. The restructuring is necessitated by the new possibility that God offers to us through Christ. This Sunday we will reflect on the restructuring God invites us to undertake with His help. We will focus on two Scriptures: John 15:12-17 and Ephesians 4:21-32. As you read these Scriptures, ask yourself what kind of restructuring God has in mind for us? What is the nature and purpose of the restructuring? What kinds of specific acts and practices facilitate this restructuring? What would living in this restructured way look like? Feel like? As always I ask you to be in prayer for all who will attend and lead worship on Sunday. In Christ, Bryan

What do you choose?

Join the discussion! This week's Geneva blog question is:

In his inaugural speech, President Obama said that voters chose hope over fear. What situations are you facing right now where you are being challenged to choose hope over fear? What empowers you to make this choice?

Christian Faith/Work Life

During these difficult times, how does your Christian faith interact with your daily life at work, school or other activities?

Friday

It's another beautiful day here in the Dominican Republic sunny and low to mid 80s, though we had a brief midday rain.

Today our teams worked only the morning. Julia and Lindsay went with the ESL team today and the remaining members of the two CE teams combined forces. We had a very good morning with our group of 15 girls in ESL--it was much quieter without the boys!

Our group leader, Dick, picked the ESL team up at 11 am after we finished our morning session so we could go to Semillaro (a very poor shanty town up the hill from Gaspar-Hernandes) where the CE team was having Bible school until 11:30 am. It was quite an experience and one that I'm sure none of us will ever forget. We saw living conditions that no human beings should ever have to endure--tiny lean-to shacks of one or two rooms, dirt floors, occasional washing machines on the porches, garbage, dogs, cats and chickens and roosters all over the place. A number of people were doing their laundry and the soapy water running down the hill made it very challenging to make the trek up the mountainside. We saw the stream where many of the people get their drinking water--it's the same stream that all the sewage runs into. Mission groups that have been coming to the area for a number of years have installed outhouses and a water purification system, but not everyone takes advantage of them yet. The children were adorable and really enjoyed going to the little church at the top of the hill for Bible school. They all wanted their photo taken!

Our nurse, Judy, has had a very busy week. Thank you all for the donated medical supplies. Judy has put them to good use. She has seen some very difficult things here--elephantitis, severe infections, people with tumors, anemia, parasites and cancer. Some days she held a clinic where people sat and waited for hours to see her. On the other days, she went up into the more remote areas where people were too sick to leave their houses.

After lunch at the pastor's house, we had a meeting with the pastor where he shared his vision for the church and the community.

We returned and had a couple of hours of free time to go for a swim in the ocean before dinner. After dinner, we went to church for a special service where the church offered their thanks to God and us for this week. We were presented with certificates and gifts, prayers and lots of love and hugs. It was a wonderful time for all of us. Jeff, our team member who has been sick all week, was prayed for during the service.

Tomorrow, we have a day for sightseeing. We have invited the pastor Osvaldo and his wife, Rosa, to join us. We're looking forward to a day of relaxing before coming home. It will be hard to leave because we've all been so blessed by our time here.

Thursday--no rain today!

Barb and Jennifer had a very interesting experience today. We took a lunch-time walk around Gaspar Hernandez (the town where we teach ESL.) We met the town judge and a plantation owner. It turns out the plantation owner lived in Boston for 28 years and speaks wonderful English. One of his sisters is the mayor of Gaspar Hernandez. He took us for a little tour of the town and up to meet his other sister. It turns out that her house is the one that we had passed many times and wondered about because there is a big sign in front that says Jesus Christ is my Lord and King of this house. She welcomed us into her big beautiful house with warm, enthusiastic hospitality. We sat on her veranda overlooking the Caribbean and chatted for awhile. She is a social worker who brings food, clothing, and other aid to the poor of the area. She also helps them to find better houseing. She and her brother volunteered to take us for lunch and a day at the beach.

The CE Team yesterday didn't feel we had made any impact on the children at all, it seemed like crowd control. But today when the second team came to do there lesson, the children had made a large poster with hearts all over it thanking Julia, Carol & Joan for a wonderful day! God was at work all the time.

We all had a good day today, but are getting tired. We thank you for your prayers and support.

Here comes the sun!

We left our hotel at 8:15 this morning
(15 minutes earlier) because one of our Christian Ed. teams needed to travel one hour to their remote village and we'll do the same tomorrow.

Carol reports that their team, which
includes Julia, had a very "trying" day
teaching 35 children in a building about 10 feet by 15 feet in dimension. They were stuck inside because it was still pouring rain in the morning and early afternoon. The children ranged in age from 1 - 10. Most of the children came to both the morning and afternoon sessions each of which lasted for two hours. They needed to be very creative in choosing activities with such limited space.

The ESL team had a much easier experience. We had the teenagers today in both sessions. They all had at least some knowledge of English and most seemed pretty eager to learn more. We had an enjoyable time teaching new vocabulary, reading books, writing, and playing games. We were amazed that most of them had cell phones but didn't seem to have much experience with stickers.

The sun came out this afternoon and we're all feeling encouraged!

If it's Tuesday, this must be Gaspar-Hernandez

The monsoons continue here on the north coast of the Dominican Republic...

This morning we were down two team members due to illness, but one of them was able to join us at lunchtime.

We all felt better prepared today and things went more smoothly for our teams.

This evening we had dinner at a Japanese restaurant/Sushi bar which featured extremely slow service, so we're all too tired to contribute much to the blog. Hence, we'll include a few pictures.

Monday news from the DR

We are starting to think that perhaps this is "monsoon season" in these parts. Well, at least there's no snow and ice to contend with. Some of the roads here give Michigan some pretty stiff competition in the pothole department though!

One of our team members, Jeff, who was the designated driver for one of our vehicles, got sick during the night. Carol bravely volunteered to be the driver and I say brave because you haven't seen these Dominican drivers! She said this was the first time she had ever been stopped by a herd of cattle! Please pray for Jeff's recovery so he can join us tomorrow.

We have two teams going to villages to do Christian education in a VBS-type format. Lindsay is on one of the teams; Carol and Julia are on the other. Jennifer and I are on the English class team with one other person. We also have a nurse who does home visits to some very sick people, taking a translator with her.

This was our first day of "work" and we all came home pretty exhausted. Dick and Linda, who have organized the trip, always bring "Gumby" along on mission trips as a visible reminder of our need for flexibility. Our English teaching team had close to 30 kids for the morning sessions and another group of nearly 40 in the afternoon. Progress was not what we had expected or hoped for, but we trust that our efforts had some impact. The children were so polite and appreciative and were hugging and kissing us when they left. We have a new strategy for tomorrow, so please keep us in your prayers.

And now a few words from Carol (don't faint, David!):

In the morninng we had 21 children 3 yrs. to 6 years old. Then in the afternoon we had 35 10 & 11 year olds (mostly boys). The children in the morning were very excited to be with us, and very loving. But the afternoon boys were full of energy, and almost destroyed the parachute. Duck duck goose for over an hour was very exhausting for Julia (the boys loved to have her chase them). Tomorrow will be a whole new plan.

Sunday news from the DR

This morning after breakfast we drove to Gaspar-Hernandez for the first time. It's about a 30 minute drive from Cabarete where we are staying. We were all shocked to witness the effects of all the rain (almost daily for the past 2-3 weeks). There were numerous areas along the way where small villages were flooded. The river had swollen to about 5 times its normal diameter, People had gathered along the banks of the river to watch the rushing waters, It was such a sad thing to see families gathered on their porches with their front doors open to let the standing water out. Some were carrying babies and household items out, wading through about 3 feet of water. Since sanitation is virtually non-existant here, it was very disturbing to see. We even saw pigs floating in the water.

Once we reached Gaspar-Hernandez, things were drier. Pastor Osvaldo's church and home were dry. We were there for the first part of the worship service which was mostly very lively singing with guitar and tamborines, prayer and some scripture reading. Then we went along with all the children to the Compassion Center for Sunday School which was about a block away. Some of our team members had prepared a Bible story, which was delivered by a translator. Others prepared a craft and a game. The children were very well-behaved and seemed happy to be there. It was quite amazing that the theme for the story and activities that one of our team members had prepared was Noah's ark. We hadn't even known about the great flooding here.

The pastor's wife prepared lunch for us (great idea for Jennifer, don't you think?) before we returned to Cabarete for some free time. The evening church service was cancelled because one of the pillars of the church had passed away and they were all attending a memorial service.

We had our own time of reflecting on the scriptures and our experiences of the day, along with a time of singing and prayer. Tomorrow we go out into the villages to have Bible school and English classes. The children in the DR only go to school for half a day, either morning or afternoon, so we will have two different groups each day. Here are a couple photos from Sunday School and our trip to Gaspar-Hernandez. We appreciate your prayers as we go out to serve tomorrow and the rest of the week...

Saturday from the Dominican Republic

After a good night's sleep, we started our day with a Dominican breakfast at a local restaurant/pastry shop. Then we met with the team members who were here last week. Most of them are from the Presbyterian Church in Arlington Heights, IL. where Lindsey Anderson did her seminary internship. They spoke very highly of Lindsey and we were proud to let them know that she grew up at Geneva. After working on our lesson plans for Monday, we had some free time after lunch.
We had a visit from two PC(USA) missionaries who work part-time in Guatemala and spend their winters in this area of the DR. It was interesting to hear about their work with water purification projects and health/wellness education in that country.
Cabarete, where our hotel is located, is the kite surfing capitol of the world. With 30 to 40 mph winds today, it was fascinating to walk on the beach and watch them trying to keep their balance.
After a delicious seafood dinner, we all gathered in the suite that we Geneva members share and Julia, Lindsay, and Jennifer led our group devotions. They did an awesome job sharing a story about ministering to people despite a language barrier and then teaching us the Lord's prayer in Spanish. We have all bonded as a team in just a day and a half and are really looking forward to this next week serving together.

Worship Preview - for 2/08/2009

Dear Saints:

Change is a word we're hearing an awful lot about recently. We hear phrases like "Change we can believe in" and "The change we need" coming out of Washington, D.C. Certainly our times cry out for deep change. And yet, the change we most need and the kind of change that we can truly believe in can't possibly be enacted by our government. The deepest kind of change happens at a spiritual level and must be pursued on a personal level by followers of Christ.

Last Sunday we began looking at the process of change promised in the Bible. We focused on the call we have to keep in step with the Spirit and how the Spirit both claims us as Christ's followers and challenges the false self's agenda in our lives. This Sunday we will go further as we explore the difficult notion of dying to self that Jesus puts at the heart of the gospel.

In preparation for Sunday, please read first Luke 9:23-26 and then Romans 6:1-14. As you read Luke's passage, I invite you to focus on what it means to pick up our cross daily to follow Christ. What is this cross Jesus is talking about? Why must it be picked up each day? As you read the Romans passage, ask yourself, why does Paul consider dying to self so necessary to our hope as Christians?

I would encourage you to take your time to reflect on what it means to "count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus." What are ways of doing this that can make a difference in your life?

Please be in prayer for those who are leading this service as well as all those who will attend.

In Christ,

Bryan

iHola!

After meeting at the airport at 4:30 am, we arrived safely in the Dominican Republic this afternoon around 2:30 pm local time, which is one hour later than Michigan time. We sailed through customs and then the 13 of us all crammed into the church bus along with our 23 pieces of checked luggage and carry ons and a few of the church members!

As we were checking into our hotel, we noticed a "parade" going by, which was actually a large group of people riding horses, motorcycles, and very old cars which left. large plumes of smoke They were carrying signs and yelling protests in anger over their living situation, which we were told included frustration over the electrical power going out at least once a day. Needless to say, we're all carrying our flashlights!

We were unable to attend church this evening as planned because our bus never showed up. We're all so tired that we are glad to turn in early tonight. Here's a picture of the protest....

The Hidden Blessings of February

February for me is a month to rush through. It's a hard month. A depressing month. Something to endure rather than enjoy. When February arrives, I'm in the midst of winter fatigue. By the time President's Day arrives, I need more than a break from winter; I need it to end! Because February has so little to be commended for, I am grateful it's the shortest month of the year.

As I have pondered my relationship with February, I've realized that it's symptomatic of how I tend to view time in general. Often when I am traveling through my life, I'm looking ahead to what's coming next. When facing a challenge, I anticipate it being accomplished. When I'm doing a chore, I look forward to relaxing. When I'm hurting or angry or tired, I get my sights on feeling better or gettin comforted. In thinking about my relationship with time, I realize that I treat an awful lot of my life the way I treat February.

Such an approach is profoundly at odds with the desire I have to know and experience God. Since God lives in the present moment, whenever I look beyond the moment at hand, whenever my focus is on what's ahead, I miss out on being present to the One who is with me here and now. One of my challenges is to be more at home in the present moment and to discover the blessing of God in each moment of each day.

As February begins, I find myself being challenged by these words of the Christian monk Thomas Merton. "Love the winter, when the plant says nothing. In this mystic season, I want to remember to unplug the flashing lights and sip the long evenings, to breathe in the moon, dance in the dark, to love this winter nothing." For in doing such things, I might discover that God is present even in February.

--Bryan

Geneva's Vision & Mission

Geneva's Vision:
Exalt God, Edify and Equip each other, and Engage the world.

Geneva's Mission:

Embody the fullness of Jesus Christ;
Exalt God through Christ-centered worship;
Edify each other in the faith through Godly nurture and Christian love; and
Equip God's people to
Engage the world with Spirit-empowered ministry.

What do these words mean to you ?