UBC Town Hall Meeting Notes...

(The following are notes from the UBC Town Hall meeting on Sunday August, 12.  Four of the full time staff shared with the community some important conversations that have been happening among the leadership of UBC over the past few months. Below is a synopsis.) Josh

Josh spoke briefly about how his tenure at UBC has been marked by a heightened reality of staff turnover, culminating in the departure of founding pastor David Crowder early last year.  This resulted in a period of trying to navigate leadership holes that had developed and in an elevated feeling of anxiety among the staff and others in the congregation.  Out of this came a series of meetings with the staff and Lacy McNamee, who is a part of the UBC community and an expert in organizational communication.  The biggest takeaway from these meetings was the conviction that we need to clarify and communicate exactly WHO WE ARE.  Our identity needed to be discussed.

One of the realities that had already changed and needed to be named is this:  While we began as a church that existed primarily for university students, and while that demographic still makes up a large portion of our congregation, the scope of our mission has expanded to include children, youth, young families, older professionals, grandparents and everyone in between.  Each of these demographic groups make up our church and exist in the community for the mutual benefit of the others, and will be embraced, not simply accommodated.  None of them are elevated in importance over the other.  (Interestingly, we believe approaching church this way is a much better model for nurturing the spiritual lives of college students than if we placed our sole focus on college students.)

As stated above, this is a reality that has already occurred, so in many ways we are already living in it.  However, there are some practical shifts that are implied by this:

• Financially, our ministry expenses will begin to reflect a greater balance in ministry focus.
• There will be a shift in the way we approach the calendar.  We will continue to operate on an academic calendar, as do most churches, but will not be bound by it to the extent we have been in the past.  (For example, this year, for the first time ever, we will hold a worship service on the Sunday closest to Christmas.)
• There will be a shift in our language.  While we certainly won't be "policing" this, and acknowledge that it will be a challenging transition for some, we will be careful not to refer to UBC as a "college church."  When speaking of the people in our community, we will be careful not to refer to them with the blanket term of "student."

All of this that Josh shared invites the question:  If our identity is no longer shaped solely by students, then what is our identity?  Who are we?  We have identified three areas that are already a part of our mission, vision or core values, but will take a more prominent role as we move forward.  These areas were shared by Tye, Toph and Craig.

Tye

Greater Engagement with the Arts and Culture-- It is our hope, as people who were created by God to create, that UBC will be known as a place that is known for embracing beauty and for leading the way (rather than mimicking contemporary culture) in creating art-- visual, musical, literary, etc.-- and for being an attractive and welcoming place for the local arts community.  Practical ways this will work itself out (which was discussed during the question/answer portion of the town hall) include promoting musical events, providing space for visual artists and creating groups for writers and other artists to help hone their gifts.

Toph

Being Missional both locally and globally-- We are renewing our commitment to being the presence of Christ and intentional neighbors in our immediate neighborhood, which is marked by extreme need.  Practically, this will mean that we refocus our efforts on partnering with Cesar Chavez Middle School, which is in the process of doubling in size.  We have set an ambitious goal of having 40 Lunch Buddies (mentors) available to the school.  We will host several community movie nights, a neighborhood clean-up day and our Annual Trunk-or-Treat program, all with the goal of getting to know our neighbors and finding out how we can be an influence on their lives.  We will also create involvement in our own community in administering the food pantry that we currently operate.  In addition to this, we will continue to focus on our partnership with Batay 50 in the Dominican Republic, walking alongside the families of that sugar cane village as we help them improve their quality of life.

Craig

Discipleship and Spiritual Formation -- UBC has always been a place that encourages authenticity.  People often share with us that they choose to become a part of our community because we are a place that allows them to be themselves and doesn't require them to fit into the mold of what "Good little Christians" are supposed to be.  Our vision statement is that we are a place that "Challenges People to Know God."  While there are many ways in which we do this well, there have often been times where we sacrifice discipleship and spiritual transformation on the altar of authenticity.  One of the reasons that we often shied away from "discipleship talk" is that we have seen many people be emotionally and spiritually hurt under the guise of "discipleship."  But rather than shying away, we will be deliberate about finding ways to redeem discipleship and to be intentional about helping others  become people who follow Jesus.  One of our own, Jacob Overby, will be doing his mentoring at UBC this coming year and his project will be to help us develop a model for discipleship that is authentic to who we are, yet consistent with where God wants us to be.  Our staff will be more intentional with connecting people and nurturing relationships that exist for the purpose of mutual-discipleship.

_______________

After the meeting there was very productive conversation about what all this means.  A lot of great ideas were shared.  What was most encouraging is the amount of excitement generated around the desire to be people who more intentionally follow Jesus in every way possible.  We invite any comments, questions or suggestions you may have.

Sunday Morning Announcements...

There were so many announcements this morning that I've decided to post them here, so that you are without excuse.  :)

• This is the last week of Waco Dives.  On Tuesday at noon we will meet at Taqueria Jardin de Jalisco at 900 N. Valley Mills.  It is just next door to Baris, in the old Tommy B's/Schlotzkys building.
• Next Sunday after church we will have a clean day to get our building in shape for the return of those who have been away for the summer.  Pizza will be served.
• The next Sunday we will have a UBC Town Hall meeting.  Time TBA.
• This Friday, August 3, we will have our third-of-the-summer Parents Night out.  If you have young children and would like an evening to yourselves, we will take them off your hands!  For information email beth@ubcwaco.org
• Next Sunday is Stock-the-Food-Pantry Sunday.  We need everything, but especially the following items... Rice, Pasta, Canned Beans, Tuna and Peanut Butter.  
• Communion Service will continue throughout the break in other activities.  We will continue to meet at 6:30 until Wednesday the 22nd, at which point we will resume the 5:30 time.

Generosity...

Several weeks ago our food pantry was bare, full of expired items and empty shelf-space. Our teaching pastor, Josh Carney, put out a call of UBC to step up to the plate and go overboard with generosity, and now our food pantry looks like this.

Because of the summer, there are increasing financial demands on the families in our neighborhood-- children home from school, rising energy costs, etc.  Your generosity will go a LONG WAY in us being the presence of Christ to those families who need a little extra help.  Thanks UBC!

New Office Administrator...

Friends, We are pleased to welcome to the UBC staff Michelle Hale, who is our new Office Administrator!

Michelle and her husband Mike have been a part of UBC since early this year. They moved here from Ohio, where they attended Malone University, to attend George W. Truett Theological Seminary. Michelle's undergraduate degree was in Social Work, and she is a part of the MSW/M.Div. dual degree at Baylor and Truett. The newest member of their Michelle and Mike's family is Stella, a 4 month old lab/retriever mix

Michelle would like everyone to know that she feels blessed to be a part of and to work at such an amazing church as UBC!

Blessings,

UBC Staff

UBC in the Dominican Republic___(by toph whisnant.)

We moved to TN when I was 4.5yrs old, and my parents still live in the same house I grew up in.  As a pastor’s kid, I was well versed in prayer, bible drill, and always putting on my “Sunday’s best” anytime we were around people from church.  There is not a time in I can recall not knowing the name of Jesus, who he was, and the fact that he should have some kind of importance in my life.  As I grew in wisdom and stature (much like Jesus), I became keenly aware of two things: I am a sinner and I need Jesus.  For me, at least to my best recollection, the Gospel centered on Jesus, but secondly it centered on my personal relationship with Him. While I realize the intent of shaping Sunday School lessons, Vacation Bible School, and Sunday night youth sermons on having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, I feel I missed the whole part about the Kingdom of God coming on earth as it is in heaven.  When I heard the word “missions,” several things came to mind: poor people with few clothes on, starving children with swollen bellies, grass huts, Annie Armstrong, foreign people, and Gospel tracts.  While many images came to mind concerning missions, each one pointed me toward the main goal of anything the church did; evangelism.  From everything my young self could gather, the goal of anything we did, as a body of believers, was to get more people to accept Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior.

Skipping forward a few years, when I was a junior at Carson Newman College, the opportunity came for me to go live in Cagayan de Oro, Philippines to partner with local organizations ministering in the city.  This was the first opportunity for me to travel outside of the United States, and the Lord began a work within me I wouldn’t fully realize until 6 years later.  The Philippines opportunity fell through the cracks at the last minute, but a passion had developed within me to know the Lord’s work around the world.  While my definition of “missions” had evolved since my early years, my worldview was still pretty small.  Over the next several years this passion grew as I traveled to Mexico, Nicaragua, Canada, and Kenya.  In the summer of 2006, the word “missions” began to take on a fuller meaning for me as I spent 3.5weeks in Kenya among some of the poorest of the poor and several women who were infected or affected by HIV/AIDS.

I learned in college that you cannot tell people about Jesus without helping meet their physical, emotional, or social needs, but I still felt like everyone I knew saw “missions” as the opportunity to go, give, tell, serve, and leave.  On the trip to Kenya, I began asking better questions, and I began listening to the people of God much more than I shared.  It was in listening to people from another culture and language that I first began to understand when Jesus prays “your Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven” involves much more than simply a decision to “accept Christ into your heart.”  As Corbett and Fikkert put it in When Helping Hurts: “Yes, Jesus died for our souls, but He also died to reconcile--that is, to put into right relationship--all that He created.”

“Missions” is not about taking God into places where he seems not to be, nor is it simply about sharing the Gospel with everyone you encounter. “Missions” requires an acute listening to the voice of God and how he is already working in the places we find ourselves.

UBC took our first mission trip to Batey 50, Dominican Republic this past May, and we were able to see firsthand how God is working among the people there.  In preparation for the trip, our team intently sought to listen to the voice of God through one another, and to prepare ourselves to listen to the voice God in the people we would encounter.  Our brothers and sisters in Batey 50 taught us much over the course of our time there, but there was nothing more powerful than the time we shared a meal together our last day.  On the last day, after the Sunday service, our team provided money to have a meal catered for the entire batey.  This gave our group a chance to not only serve a meal to the people, but also a chance to sit around a common table and break bread together.  While the food was being set-up, the people of Batey 50 organized themselves into a few groups.  When the line opened for service, the people of Batey 50 made sure all the children of the village received their food first.  Next, the people led those in the village who were blind and/or crippled through the line to receive their food.  Next in line were the elders of the village, then mother’s with babies, and finally those who had not yet received food came through the line.  As we watched and served the people, they lived out the Gospel in front of our eyes.  The people were unselfish, they made sure to take care of those who could not take care of themselves, and they did all of these things with the joy of the Lord.  When we debriefed this moment later in the day, there was an unspoken challenge that had been given to all on the team: Do we understand how we saw Christ in action today, and are we willing to live as self-sacrificially?

Traveling to the DR we sought to understand, rather than to be understood.  Being in the DR we sought to listen, rather than to tell.  And leaving the DR we were challenged to remember how God is moving among our brothers and sisters in Batey 50, so that we will not fall back into the routine of self-centeredness.  Yes, part of the Gospel is about having a relationship with Jesus Christ, but the good news is that God is reconciling the world to himself in Christ, all of it.  The Kingdom of God is much bigger than we can imagine, and I am thankful we were able to see a small glimpse of the Kingdom in action in Batey 50.  May we always seek to understand before being understood, may we learn to listen well to the voice of God in others, and may we embrace beauty in all things.

Becoming a "South Baptist"___(by josh carney)

I am a pastor at University BAPTIST Church.  If you had told me 15 years ago that this would be the case, I would have never believed you. My impression of Baptist was shaped by my experiences.  There was one Baptist church in my small Northern Wisconsin town of predominantly German Catholic/Scandinavian Lutherans.  I was a nondenominational charismatic.  The few Baptists I knew seemed frigid and reeked of the wrong kind of religious piety.  To make matters (or at least impressions) worse, the other Baptists I knew were from the area home school group of which I was a part.  They were kind but struck me as culturally unaware in way that made the Amish look like hipsters.  We’d gather for co-op events like down hill ski day and the Baptist homeschoolers would show up in long jean skirts with scarves wrapped around their ankles.  Attempts at cultural conversations about Michael Jordan, Jackson or J. Fox were completely futile.  The only Mike they new about was the one that helped Daniel.

Given this, it might surprise readers to know that I chose to go to a Baptist college.  At Bethel University I discovered Swedish Baptists, which are part of the Baptist General Convention (BGC).  These Baptist shared my evangelical flare, but lacked the gifts of the Holy Spirit.  Lucky for them I came to Minnesota to fix that.  The next four years were some of the most formative of my life, as college often is.  I moved toward a Baptist identity and in the process discovered that many of my BGC friends already knew about the Holy Spirit and had a wide variety of ways of responding to that knowledge.

Variety, I would come to learn, is an identity marker of Baptist life.  Pick a theological issue and you’ll find a variety of opinions from a variety of Baptists.  This point was made poignantly clear to me by the stark differences in Greg Boyd and John Piper’s Baptist churches, both of which are BGC churches I visited during my four your stint in St. Paul.  The two have about as divergent of opinions possible on issues including, but not limited to: salvation, providence, and God’s knowledge.  If I moved to one side of the Baptist tent, what I discovered is that I didn’t have the keen vision needed to see the other side.  Baptist, I learned, meant a lot of things.

It wasn’t until I got to Truett Seminary that I actually learned what a Baptist was.  In my polity class we learned that the Baptist distinctives are: autonomy of the local church, soul competency, two ordinances, priesthood of all believers, separation of church and state, Biblical authority, and two ordinances of the church (give or take a few … see autonomy of the local church).   At this point I thought to myself, “self, I could get behind this Baptist thing.”

The other lesson I learned about Baptist when I came to Truett is that there are a lot of politics in Baptist life.  Peers would refer to the big six Southern Baptist Seminaries none of which I had ever heard of.  Anonymous someones would share how people had been hurt, fundamentalists had taken over and moderates were organizing in response.  I quickly learned that I was not a Southern Baptist, though I was now a Baptist in the south.  So this is how I now self identify:  As Baptist with a southern flavor distinguishing myself from Southern Baptist.

But it’s not just being Baptist that has taken some getting used to, it’s also the South.  Madison, the capital of my home state Wisconsin, was the first city to lobby to have sex change operations reimbursed with public money.  This example is accompanied by the social climate that one might suspect gives rise to that sort of political legislation.  If you are a demographer of any kind you might guess that the North is a much more sterile, even religiously hostile, place.  Though census reports may reveal that religion runs rampant, Christian faith and more accurately denominational affiliation is by and large a civic duty.  No one talks about the Jesus at the center of their Chreaster goings.

Conversely, the first week my wife and I lived here we stood in line at Jason’ Deli listening a pair of young women in front of us talking about church planting.  Instead of the yellow pages being dominated by bars, they are consumed by churches.  I was shocked when I reached the center of field as a coach my son’s soccer team and the referee asked who was going to pray—a city league mind you.  I thought about volunteering and ending the prayer with “and we pray these things in the name of Allah,” to make a point, but wisdom prompted me to do otherwise.

Waco has turned out to be a much different place than Tomahawk, where I grew up.  It might be because the city plays host to the largest evangelical university in the world, but I’d argue that Waco lays exclusive claim to the title, “buckle of the Bible belt.”

Given this, pastoring in the Baptist South has presented me with interesting challenges and opportunities for growth.  I love the passion of the South.  Though I don’t always agree, I love that South Baptists care so much.  I love the sincerity of people around here.  People aren’t just nosy, they are concerned.  I love Baptists’ insistent belief that each congregation is unique and has something to contribute to the Kingdom.  I love how networked this world is.  The differences between large “C” and little “c” church is relatively minimal not just among Baptists but even across some denominations.

I love the efficiency of the second person singular and plural forms “y’all” and “all y’all”.  I love the Baylor Bears.  I now love brisket and TexMex and will even occasional enjoy a sweet tea.

But most of all I love UBC.  This community has redefined church for me in the healthiest possible way.

Embracing the Beauty in Others ______(by katie lauve moon)

This week will be Katie Moon's final week as the UBC Office Manager.  Next month she will be moving to New Orleans to begin work on her Ph.D. in Social Work at Tulane University.  Katie and Timmy have been a part of the UBC family for several years and have left an indelible on our community.  They will be greatly missed.  Below are farewell words from Katie... _________________________________

I went to college at Louisiana Tech University.  To many, a Louisiana state school means one thing---trouble.  But if you were a Louisiana native like myself, you would understand that all that trouble happens in the bottom half of the state and that everything grows lily white in the northern half of Louisiana.  You would also know that Louisiana Tech (of the north) thrives in the richness of the great Bible Belt in a dry town called Ruston. Now, Ruston is a safe place where good ole boys, Protestants, and Republicans can all live on forever finding their family, friends, and purpose all in one place—First, Second, or Third Baptist Church right down the road. This is where I spent four years of my life. This is where I began to build the adult version of myself. This is the environment that welcomed and guided me as I entered into arguably a person’s most transformative time of life.  And I loved it.

I loved that I was surrounded by a group of people that was concerned with my spiritual journey. I loved that they cared enough about me to give me an accountability partner, feed me lunch on Tuesdays, and call when I missed a Sunday. I had my own little world safe and separate from the big, scary college world. It was very similar to the youth group I came from. It was home away from home.

But then I turned 21 [insert dramatic music that indicates a shift in theme]. Now readers, I think we can all call a hen, a hen here and not be so naïve to think that I didn’t drink alcohol before my 21^st birthday. Of course, I did. But I did most of my drinking in the closet next to my shoes. And when I say in the closet, I mean with my sorority sisters outside city limits far away from my friends at the Baptist Collegiate Ministry (BCM). Now, I didn’t do it without guilt. A whole lot of guilt and begging for forgiveness from God, and confessing. Well, not a whole lot of confessing.  I did confess it to my college minister and accountability partner one time, and then I was under constant surveillance for the next 3 months (I think that is the standard amount of time it takes to get the devil out of you). That was the last time I did that.

When I turned 21 though, I became more open about my casual drinks and my “community” became more open about their disdain for my choices.  I was still “welcomed” but I was on the fringe.  To be real honest, my heathen sorority sisters gave me more love and grace than I ever found at the BCM (with a few exceptions). Point being, I found that most of my friends at church only accepted me if I agreed to fit into the acceptable mold that they had created and that the generation before had created for them. I was backed into a corner forced to choose between two groups, two lives, two perspectives. It was a black or white issue.  And what did I do? Well, I chose my church group, of course. Did you think I would risk my eternity for authentic friendships? Nope. I stepped right into that mold and shut the door. Misery now, but paradise tomorrow.

The next natural step for me was to answer my call on my life and go to seminary.  Perhaps, I initially chose to go to seminary because of the urgings of people around me.  But really, that wasn’t the reason.  A voice within me (within me, not a literal one), told me there was more for me to discover about this universe and about God, and this discovery began in seminary.  I came to Truett not knowing much about it.  I actually came to Truett because it offered a dual degree social work program not because I knew it would offer me a totally new way of learning about and experiencing God. But it was here that walls crumbled and doors opened for me. For the first time, I was being taught how to think not what to think. There were so many opinions and perspectives all under one roof…and it was okay. Welcomed, even.  I began to discern my thoughts and feelings about my college experience. The trouble wasn’t that I disagreed with my college folks’ perspective, the trouble was that there was only one perspective that I could choose to agree with. Where were my options? Was it absurd to think that there could be (should be) more? Couldn’t we see things differently, and still all be Christians at the end of the day? I found that it’s not about whether we are liberals or fundamentalists, drinkers or non-drinkers, Republicans or Democrats, country singers or rap idols—it’s that we agree to make room for all of us and at least try to understand and sympathize with each other’s viewpoints. Let’s create a little bit of gray.

This lesson I learned at Truett came to fruition in my time here at UBC.  Because of the acceptance and grace UBC offers, I was able to experience community in a very intimate and authentic way. UBC truly became a home filled with love and support as well as a solace for different opinions, approaches, and even shortcomings. I was allowed to become the most authentic and honest version of myself at UBC and be given the invaluable gift of freedom.  As a congregant, student, and staffer at UBC, I have gotten to see and experience what it is to love others and be loved wholly.  My husband, Timmy, and I will be eternally grateful for our experience here.  The friendships we have made and the approach to life and community we have experienced will always be kept in the pocket closest to our hearts. Always ready and handy to be taken out and shown to others we meet as we journey forward.

As we say good-bye to this community, I am reminded of a sermon I heard in college from 1 Corinthians 12 which speaks about unity and diversity within the church’s body.  The lesson I learned that day was that we all have tangible and different gifts that we offer as members of the body of Christ.  We all need each other because we all offer a valuable function to the community.  I don’t doubt that this is true.  But, (admittedly, this is without reverting to commentaries-forgive me) I now have to believe that this passage is referring to more than just the tangible elements we have to offer. It’s not only our different tangible gifts and functions that make the body the body, but our intangible and diversified collection of souls.  And with this comes our call to embrace others fully and wholly.

“But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.” 1 Cor. 12:25-26

UBC. May you always be a community that embraces the beauty in others.

Musical Boxing: Art vs. Accessibility _(by tye barrett)

A few weeks ago I was hired by Ubc to be the new Worship and Arts Pastor.  The title “Worship and Arts Pastor” excites me, in part because it sounds way cooler than “Minister of Music”, but also because I know that I am a part of a community that values creativity and the act of being creative in our worship. About a year after Dave had moved to Atlanta, the Leadership Team began meeting to discern what music, worship, and art would be like in Dave’s absence.  The Leadership Team felt that it was important for our church to continue to celebrate art and using art in worship with the same careful and thoughtful attitude that Dave worked so hard to foster here. Thus, Worship and Art.

Occasionally, the way we use art and our creativity in worship can be challenging.  This challenge can be easily perceived when overhearing someone say, “The music was really artistic, but it just was not accessible.” Accessible may mean several different things to the person making this statement- that they didn’t have the spiritual experience they sought, they didn’t prefer that style of music, that it was too fast or slow, too loud or soft, or perhaps that they weren’t familiar enough with the words to sing along. Many times I think it can mean that the worship just made them feel uncomfortable. There is a need for us to be creative in worship, but also a need for the congregation to connect with what is going on.

Below you will find Round 1 of a two-part match between art and accessibility.

………………………………………………………………………

In the left corner: at 119 pounds, in plastic black framed glasses, vintage T-shirt, clove cigarettes, no money, and a weird beret…Art.

And in the right corner: at 130 pounds, with a minivan, Starbucks, KLOVE radio, and a Target gift card…Accessibility.

Round 1- Trying to be Radiohead

DING

Circa 2010 I thought that most Christian bands sucked and that they didn’t work hard enough to be artistic.  On a muggy summer night in Houston, I, critic extraordinaire, had the chance to prove once and for all that Christian music can in fact be creative.  Below is the account of this heroic tale.

I was really fortunate to have a roommate as cool as Griffin Kelp.  Griffin is one cool dude. His beard grooms itself, he looks good in Wayfarers, and he is comfortable in his own skin. Griffin also makes very cool music.

So, when my friend Kyle Wilson, a youth minister at UBC Houston, gave me a call and asked if I could put together a band for an event he was having at his church I quickly said yes and then quickly called Griffin. Being the ever-nice guy that he is, Griffin agreed and we quickly went to work. I worked hard to pick out songs for our band that I thought were artistic, the type of songs one would associate with guys that looked as cool as Griffin.  We learned Radiohead’s All I Need, Crazy by Seth Woods (aka the Whiskey Priest) and a few more awesomely obscure slightly spiritual tunes.  We made loops, came up with interesting guitar parts, and worked hard to create a unique sound. Our efforts produced a band that what I, and probably many of you, would consider artistic.

Kyle asked us to play as the students walked in. The lights were dark, we were rocking, and in they came. After the first song the lights in the room came up.  I looked out across the room and noticed that there were only about four people in the room over the age of twelve.  These students were not just kids, but Kids. Turns out we were playing for a group of soon to be sixth graders who were about to matriculate into Kyle’s youth ministry. It became immediately apparent in the wide eyes of these children that our artistic approach was not going over well. We painfully made our way through a twenty-minute set.

Even though the worship set that Griffin and I had played that first night was intentionally artistic and creative, it failed to connect with the students of Kyle’s ministry.  In our desire to be artistic we left these young minds with the impression that a worship service is a time for a band to get up and experiment while they look at lyrics on a screen. We failed to me the needs of those we were trying to serve. Before we played the next day, we quickly learned a few songs that were more appropriate for the students that Kyle had brought us in to play for.

Like that night in Houston, there are times when our efforts to be creative backfire. Sometimes we work so hard to be unique, to push ourselves artistically, and to experiment with new sounds and textures that we fail to meet the needs of our congregation. I wish Griffin and my experience in Houston was an isolated incident, but every now and then I look out into the congregation and see something in the eyes of twenty and thirty year olds that reminds me of what I once saw in a group of twelve year olds.  As we at Ubc continue to value art and creativity in worship, it is important for us to keep moments like the one I had in Houston in mind.

Well after a few good swings it looks like round one goes to Accessibility.  Don’t go anywhere folks, we’ll be back after a short break with Round 2:  Not Wanting to be Nickleback.

The Cumulative Nature of Corporate Worship (by craig nash)

The church I attended as a child and teenager was (and is) firmly rooted in the tradition of 20th century revivalism.  Every part of the Sunday morning worship service pointed to one event-- The altar call.  The majority of hymns centered around giving (or re-giving) our lives to Jesus.  Sermons were about conversion and rededication.  If someone missed church for whatever reason, the questions they asked about the service inevitably centered around a version of "Did anyone 'walk the aisle'?"  (Other variations of this question were "How many decisions were made," "Who 'went forward' this morning," or "Did anyone get saved?") The first church I was a part of after graduating from high school was influenced by the neo-charismatic tradition.  The "altar call" was also the central aspect of the worship services at this church, but it took on a different significance than conversion or the making-of-a-decision. For one, although there was a specific time dedicated to "coming forward," we certainly weren't limited by that portion of the service to come forward-- we could do it anytime.  (The really spiritual and "broken" people (which was considered a good thing) actually came forward at the most unorthodox times.)  But mostly, the difference was this:  Going to the altar was less about making a decision and more about allowing the Holy Spirit to do "work in your heart."  (To be fair, the revivalist services of my childhood also allowed for the Holy Spirit, but the main point was "the decision.")  In fact, every part of the service was about the Spirit's effect on our lives and, more specifically, on the moment we were in.  The questions asked of these services was "Did God do anything big today," or "Did the Spirit move?"

Other churches I have been a part of have focused more on the mind.  Cognitive acquisition of facts about the Bible  was of primary importance.  To be sure, the goal was to make a decision, and the Holy Spirit was an influence on what was happening, but folks usually left these services saying "I learned so much today!"  The songs were highly doctrinal and the sermons came complete with a fill-in-the-blank outline.  Sunday Worship was God's School.  The idea was that if we just got all our facts straight, and responded to God based on these orthodox beliefs we had acquired, then "true worship" had occurred.

And then there were the churches and ministries affected by the "Passion Movement."  Infused with the theology of John Piper, worship services became all about God's Glory.  The idea is that corporate worship, like real-life discipleship, is solely about self-decrease and God-increase.  Phrases like "God's fame and renown" and "my unworthiness" were the operative buzzwords of song and sermon.  There were decisions made, the Holy Spirit moved, and information was disseminated, but each of these were in service to the elevation of God and de-elevation of ourselves.  "Was God glorified?" became the question de jour about these worship services.

These all represent very important streams of Christian thought and are essential elements to the life of any worshipping community, along with many traditions that I have not mentioned.  But there is a fatal flaw in each of these manifestations of Christian Worship:  There is too much expectation wrapped into every Sunday morning for something to happen.  We create mental checklists of success and require a "C" average, at worst.  If we fail one or two Sundays at checking off the required boxes, that is ok, we'll work harder the next week to make everything come out ok.  If on the third or fourth Sunday we don't have any salvations or the Holy Spirit doesn't "fall" or the sermon doesn't "resonate with us," then we start to sense something is wrong.  By the fifth Sunday a meeting is held of the church leadership to see what needs to be done.

All of this perpetuates (and is perpetuated by) a very nearsighted view of Christian community that sees the life of Corporate Worship as nothing more than a series of disconnected events, productions really, that need to be "successful."

This has also created a multiplicity of churches designed solely to resonate with a particular demographic of people, beliefs or leanings.  Churches now are formed (in the Bible Belt, anyway) based on what "resonates" with a group that does not find resonance elsewhere.  If you want to go to a church that has numerous weekly conversions and baptisms, I've go the church for you.  Looking for a church where the Holy Spirit moves?  I've know the perfect place for you to be.  Want doctrine, missions, artistic worship, God's fame?  Go here, here, here or here.

(Don't think I have missed the irony of me, a pastor at UNIVERSITY Baptist Church, writing such things.)

I think the difficulty here is one of perspective. Namely, a perspective of time.  This is especially poignant in a college town like ours where every fall we ask students to visit around a few churches, "give them a look," and decide which is the "right place" for you.  As if you could possibly discern the heart of a church in a couple of visits.

This places incredible burden on churches to "put on a good show" for new people. (And old ones as well.)

In the role I play in leading our worship services at UBC, my hope is that something is created that is not a show meant to get decisions, feelings, knowledge-acquisition, etc. (though these are all important.)  My hope is that we, as a worshipping community, can repeat the Words of Life so often that slowly, over time, we start to believe them.  And eventually, with much grace, that we begin to live them.

Words matter.

"This is the Word of the Lord-- Thanks be to God!"

"Christ has died, Christ is Risen, and Christ will come again!"

"As we approach this week, may we love God, embrace beauty, and live life to the fullest."

The reality is that worship never simply happens in a service, it happens in a life.  And, more specifically, it happens over a lifetime.  And even more specifically, it happens over all the lifetimes of individuals that make up a community of faith.  As we speak and sing the words that matter, we become a worshipping community.

Wendell Berry tells a story about an old bucket hanging on a fencerow of the property his family has lived on for generations.  On one of his daily walks he noticed something peculiar happening-- soil was being created in the bottom of the bucket.  Leaves had fallen in the bucket, as had snow and rain.  Birds had left their droppings and squirrels had hidden nuts.  The moisture from the rain has rotted the materials in the bucket.  These processes have happened and repeated themselves for decades, producing a thick, life giving layer of fresh soil at the bottom of the bucket.  Berry says...

However small a landmark the old bucket is, it is not trivial. It is one of the signs by which I know my country and myself. And to me it is irresistibly suggestive in the way it collects leaves and other woodland sheddings as they fall through time. It collects stories too as they fall through time. It is irresistibly metaphorical. It is doing in a passive way what a human community must do actively and thoughtfully. A human community too must collect leaves and stories, and turn them into an account. It must build soil, and build that memory of itself—in lore and story and song—which will be its culture.

This accumulation is what happens in Corporate Worship.  On most Sundays something small lands in our bucket.  But not always-- There are extended periods of drought and inactivity.  Occasionally a significant collection of raw materials finds its way into the bucket and on rare occasions, (maybe a handful of times in a decade?,) manna from heaven falls and it is undeniable that something important has happened.  All of these collected materials are important, but none are more important than the lifetime of accumulation that they have brought about.

So when someone asks a question like "What can I expect to experience when I attend one of your worship services," I am inclined to reply-- I'm not sure.  Ask me at the end of my life, and I might have a somewhat decent answer for you.  In the meantime, why don't you come worship with us.  Stick around for a few decades and after singing, hearing and reciting together that ancient, magnificent story in the midst births and deaths, periods of conflict and moments of peace, days of joy and nights of grief, maybe then we will have a reply for each other.

But until then, let us sing...

Church Beyond UBC...

Because of the historically transitory nature of our church (read: we have tons of college students,) this is the time of the year when we experience both the joy and the sadness at saying "goodbye."  Although we have seen an increase in the amount of graduates sticking around Waco and UBC when they begin their careers or continue their education, we still have a large segment of students leaving us as they move on to different cities and towns, all over the world.  This weekend in our worship service we will recognize them, show them a video about Mr. Rogers, and commission them to do the work of Christ in whatever place and profession they find themselves in next.  It will be a time of tears and a time of excitement about what is next. For numerous reasons these students have found a place of rest, home and Christian community at UBC.  Some have poured their lives into small groups and Bible Studies, some have made tremendous sacrifices of their time and resources to worship and do life with us.  Still others were a part of us from a distance.  We were the "last chance" at faith for many of them and they simply needed a place to breathe and to ease themselves into the life of worship from the periphery.  We consider all of these, those we know well and those who are only friendly, familiar faces on Sunday mornings, to be part of us, and we pray the next step in their journey is a meaningful one that finds them a few steps closer on a journey toward Christ.

One of the things we often hear from our graduates once they move on is how difficult it is to find a community of faith to worship with in the new places they find themselves in.  Sometimes they find a place that "will do," as they continually to seek a place that is more like UBC.  Other times they give up altogether, reckoning that they will never again find a church that resonated with them in the same way UBC has.  We do not want either of these to happen.  We believe that faith in Christ is best lived out in the midst of other believers who have committed themselves to worship, prayer and the proclamation of Scripture.  Meaningful Christian faith has always been done in the midst of community, and we pray that our graduates find that community.

With this in mind, we would like to offer a few suggestions to help you along in the next step of your journey...

1.  UBC is a very diverse place.  Socially, theologically (how we think about God,) ecclesiologically (how we think about church,) soteriologically (how we think about salvation,) we are ALL OVER the map.  Sure, there is a general trajectory that most at UBC find themselves on, but that trajectory has room for a lot of people.  We have hand raisers and stoics; Calvinists, Arminians and Open Theists; those who would never considering drinking alcohol and those who would never consider not occasionally drinking alcohol; Republicans, Democrats, Libertarians, even anarchists; Pacifists and Just War proponents;  And the list goes on and on.

A couple of things about this.  First, don't become anxious if you don't find a place that is diverse as we are.  While there are definitely churches out there, the general feeling of many churches is that there needs to be a rallying around of specifically agreed upon principles that participants should give ascent to before they become members in good standing.  This is not necessarily a bad thing.  (In fact, it can sometimes be a very good thing.)

Second, think about 2-3 elements of UBC that are especially meaningful to you, and move in those directions as you begin to think about new churches.  For example, you may find a place that has similar teaching, puts a high premium on community and social action, but whose musical worship styles are vastly different from ours.  Don't let this prevent you from worshiping with a church that is a good fit in every other way.  Similarly, you may find everything else is meaningful to you, but the teaching may really rub you wrong.  Don't let this necessarily be a deal breaker for you.  To be sure, there may be teaching that is so far out of the realm of Scripture and Christian tradition that should keep you away from a church.  But it could also be that you are simply hearing a different perspective on the gospel that you haven't heard before.

In short, be wise in choosing another church.  Feelings are important, but don't make a decision based solely on feelings. Reasoning is important, but don't make a decision based solely on reason.  Begin praying now that you will find a community of faith, knowing that there is no perfect place.

2.  Look for a place to serve.  Being in such a "Christian" place as Waco, with the world's largest Baptist university just a few blocks away, most churches do not lack for people to do the work of the church.  In our own church, there are people on just about every row who could preach, lead worship or a Sunday School class, organize an event or provide very important pastoral care for the people in the church.  However, this is not the norm.  The vast majority of churches in this world are PRAYING FOR YOU RIGHT NOW to come their way and to give yourselves in service to them in a sacrificial way, and for them to be able to love you as their own.  Be on the lookout for these places.

3.  Find a church close to you.  All too often we hear about that church forty miles away in which "God is doing some great things" and we want to see "what is going on there."  While it isn't unhelpful to visit these places, it is more important that you can be in a place where you at least have some chance of interaction with the congregants OUTSIDE OF CHURCH.  You are more likely make a church home (and it will be better for your stress level) if you find a place that isn't a "Church on Display for the world to see," but a "Church that is quietly doing the work of Christ in your very neighborhood."

4.  Three tangible resources in finding a church--

• Although "emerging church" is a term that is so broad and elusive that it is hard to sometimes describe what it means, UBC can be described, at the very least, as a church that has the fingerprints of that movement all over our history.  We are by no means forerunners of "emerging thought," and many would even question us falling under that umbrella, but we certainly identify with many of the churches whose trajectory of faith has been influenced by that tradition.  As you begin to look for a church, this may be helpful knowledge for you as you begin to navigate terminology.
• UBC is affiliated with The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.  The CBF is a very diverse collection  of historically Baptist churches that work together in an effort to be the presence of Christ in the world.  While we are certainly unique among CBF churches, most of them share our desire for authenticity, generous orthodoxy and authentic community that seeks to transform believers into the image of Christ.  Here is a "Find a Church" page on their website that is very helpful.  
• Between the full-time and part-time staff of UBC, as well as dozens of more people in leadership positions, we have connections literally all over the world and would love to help put you in contact with a church that we may have relationships with in your new town.  If you would like us to help with this, email craig@ubcwaco.org, let me know what town you are heading to and we will do our best to find you a list of options.

Remember that we are praying for you to find a meaningful community of believers to share the next steps of your journey with!

Baptism at UBC...

At UBC, baptism is special.

To be sure, it is special for all who follow the way of Jesus.  Baptism is the marker, the statement we make to tell ourselves, each other and the world "I am identifying myself with Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and choosing to follow after him.  I am handing my entire life to God to do with it whatever God chooses."  We baptize because Jesus was baptized.  We baptize because John the Baptist and Peter and numerous saints along the way have preached "Repent and be baptized!"  In baptism we go under the water, remembering that one day, in death, we will be placed into the ground.  We go under the water also remembering that we are sinking in our sins.  We come out of the water in anticipation of being raised out of the ground, and in recognition of our great need to be raised out of the torrent of sin.

And for us, baptism has taken extra significance.  In 2005, as our friend and pastor Kyle Lake prepared to baptize a member of our congregation, a series of malfunctions occurred and he passed away.  It was a horrific day, a day in which the brokenness of the world was made manifest before our eyes, a tragedy that we have been marked by.  But can I be so bold to say that something beautiful happened that day as well?  In those waters-- waters that represent the passing from  temporary, sin-filled and self-obsessed life, to death, to eternal life with our Creator-- our friend passed from life in this broken world to life in a complete, eternal world.

The sting of death was very real and present on that day, but because of the picture baptism paints for us, we remember that death does not have the final say, Jesus does.  This story is ever present with us when we come to the waters of baptism.

Since that day we have moved baptisms from our building to the outdoors.  We offer up Palm Sunday of every year-- the day Christians celebrate Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem to defeat death once-and-for-all-- as the day for those who have not yet been baptized to do so.

If you would like to be baptized on that day, please let us know.  Any of the pastors at UBC would be overjoyed to baptize you.  If there is someone special in the church who you would like to baptize you (Mi Casa leader, Sunday School Teacher, Parent, etc.), we encourage that as well.

If you are interested, please email craig@ubcwaco.org before Wednesday, March 28th.

Via Crucis...

In the first week's selections for Devotions for Lent, you'll notice a painting by Pablo Sanchez.  The title of the painting is Via Crucis which translates as "The way of the cross."  It is a fitting visual to begin a forty day journey with Jesus into the wilderness because all true discipleship consists of walking the way of Jesus, which just so happens to be the way of suffering. At the end of the book of Mark, there is a scene that illustrates this well.  (Many scholars believe Mark actually ends in 16:8, and that the rest was added in an attempt to "clean things up" a bit.)  On that first Easter Sunday the women who had stayed with Jesus until the end made their way to the tomb only to discover a messenger who announced to them that Jesus had risen.  He gave them the instruction to tell the disciples to go to Galilee, where Jesus had already gone ahead to meet them.  The final verse is telling... Mark 16:8: "And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid."

What a way to end a gospel!

"They were afraid."

After hearing that Jesus had risen, why was fear present?  Maybe the answer lies not in the resurrection, but in the final instructions-- Go to Galilee, where Jesus will meet you.

Galilee.  The place where the ministry of Jesus began. The place that set Jesus onto the road toward the cross.  The beginning point of suffering.  The way of Jesus may end in resurrection (thanks be to God it does,) but it begins on a journey to the cross.

Take a few moments to look over Sanchez's painting and reflect on the following questions...

1.  What do you notice about the people carrying the cross?

2. Where do you find yourself in this painting?  Where do you want to find yourself in this painting?

3.  In Waco we live in a culture in which it might cause more suffering, shame and ridicule if you aren't a Christian than if you are.  What does the "way of the cross" look like to those in Waco, TX?

4.  What else do you see in this painting that speaks to you about discipleship and being formed in the image of Jesus?

Please share your thoughts in the comments section...

Reading for Transformation...

First of all, we have received a large shipment of the Devotions for Lent booklets.  We will have them at the church for you to pick up for $3, beginning tomorrow morning. A few words on "Reading for Transformation..."

________________

Most reading we do is either for information or recreation.  With informational reading the goal is to receive data, facts and ideas and to churn them around our brains until the end result is knowledge.  

Recreational reading seeks to help the reader escape.  Though the acquisition of knowledge may occur, the main purpose isn't knowledge, but enjoyment.  (In a similar way, informational reading can also be enjoyable, even though that isn't the primary goal.)

When we read the Bible and other Christian writings, the acquisition of information and enjoyment are certainly things that occur, but neither should be the main point.  Instead, our prayer should always be that in devotional reading we are being transformed.  This means that God, through our engagement with the words on the page, is turning us into a different person after the reading than we were before the reading.  The change that occurs within us may be monumental and instantaneous, but is most often incremental and gradual.

A key component of this is that we remain engaged with what we are reading.  Remember, the Bible was written, and for centuries was received, in an oral culture.  For the majority of Christian history, where very few people were literate, Scripture and devotional reading was heard, not read.

When we read things, our eyes can always scan back over the words as we seek to master what is written.  But when we hear things those parts of our minds that imagine and intuit are awakened through engagement with the text.  And only when our imaginations are quickened and we envision what our lives can be, are we transformed.

As you read the selections in Devotions for Lent, and as you read Scripture and any other spiritual material, go into the experience expecting to be changed.  Engage with the text.  Wrestle with it. Reread it slowly.  Reread it quickly.  Live it.

________

If you have time, there is a perfect example of what engaging with the text and reading Scripture  imaginatively may look like, check out THE FEBRUARY 23rd sermon from Truett's chapel  by our friend Robert Creech...

"Devotions for Lent"-- Week 1

Sunday February 26, 2012 The Devotions for Lent booklets are coming in slower than we had expected.  This morning we will have a few copies for those who have $3.  The rest should be coming in early this week.  No worries, though, for the publisher has placed the first weeks readings, art and reflection online in a pdf. format.  You can access it HERE...

A few words on how to read the devotions--

1.  There is a list of weekly readings on the first page.  At the end of the booklet are the complete verses.  Spend time each day reading one of the selections.

2.  You'll notice that there isn't a clear "flow" to each week.  This is intentional.  The goal isn't to get to the end of the week having checked off every little item, but rather to have spent time intentionally reading the Scriptures, praying the prayers, and reflecting on the artwork.

3.  Don't read so much for information but rather for transformation.  More on this later.

Be on the lookout this week on this blog for reflection questions.