Fall Changes!

Greetings Rinn Nation!

We passed a milestone in my house this week. About this time of year, my wife gets a distinct glint in her eye. After studying her condition for years now, I know the symptoms start when tree leaves change color. Cooler temperatures contribute as well, along with the approach of Halloween. It all builds into a profound mania, and as I poured myself a bowl of cereal the other day, I saw the first signs that this year’s madness has arrived. It’s unmistakable. On the shelf next to my Honey Bunches of Oats, there was a big box of Pumpkin Spice Cheerios.  It might has well been the proverbial scout before a large army. It’s first of many, many, many Pumpkin Spice products to make their way to my house. In other words, the invasion is here, people! BRACE FOR IMPACT!!!

October is also a time when new ideas arrive in churches. It a natural progression. People are increasingly looking towards December, and planning better ways to approach the coming New Year. We are currently doing this here at Rinn. Normally, we’d be spending October looking to fill the holes in our five required administrative committees (Church Council, Finance, Trustees, Staff/Parish Relations and Nominations). But not this time. This year, we are potentially looking to replace our entire leadership structure with a “Single Board Governance” that streamlines our five committees into one central governing Church Council.

The system has numerous benefits for congregations that utilize it. Instead of waiting weeks for different committees to communicate at their separate meetings, the Single Board Model puts all leaders around the table at the same time. Decisions are made much faster as a result, or delegated to ministry teams already engaged in the work. Another benefit is it requiring less people to maintain. As of now, Rinn has 20-30 people serving on our required committees. That doesn’t sound like a lot, I know. But we’ve found it is extremely hard number to maintain. People can’t make the long commitment a committee requires. So a growing number end up not finishing their terms. Conversely, if they complete their service and rotate off, they prove hard to replace. As a result, many of our key leaders have stayed on for multiple terms, risking burn out to continue guiding our church. Single boards top out at 15 people. Meaning we don’t need as many people active in administration. Plus, our best leaders will be gathered in this one group, permitting us to have our top minds establish policies to train future leaders.   It should help our ministry too. With 15-20 people previously in administration now freed up, they can begin serving outside in our greater community.

Our Church Council has been looking at this model since April, and at our September meeting, we came to consensus that we would like to experiment with it in 2017. But we won’t do so without your blessing, which is why we are planning to have an All Church Meeting after our 5^th Sunday Potluck on October 30^th. At this meeting, our Church Coach,Rev. Beth Estock, will give a presentation on what a Single Board Governance could mean for us. I will be working closely with her in preparation for this conversation. And resourcing us both will be Rev. Steven Ross, who pioneered this style of administration in Methodist Churches throughout Oregon.

At this meeting, you will hear everything you’d ever want to know about Single Board Governance and be able to ask questions before we take a congregational vote to determine our path forward. As you may have guessed, my hope is that we will chose the Single Board. Why? Well, in addition to the benefits listed about, Beth Estock will tell you that this model is shown to be tremendously effective in churches with 120-150 active members (sound familiar?). Plus, it is very flexible, allowing us to determine a board composition that fits our needs and identity. It is also a great format to engage discussions concerning God’s mission and vision for us, which I want us to resume doing in 2017.

If you don’t feel we should go to this new model, know it is totally okay. The traditional way is perfectly fine if a church can count on its congregation to fill the leadership void. As you’ve heard, we have not had this lately at Rinn. So if we do choose to remain in the traditional Methodist system, I am going to need your help. We will need many people to step up and fill the gaps in our committees. But really, is this where our attention should be? I don’t think so. The community outside our doors is the goal, and as I’ve long been saying, WE NEED TO BE OUT THERE. I would much rather put a new Kids Hope Mentor into our program, or a new volunteer out to the Carbon Valley Help Center than have that person volunteer for a committee because no one else would do it. There are other alternatives, friends, can we explore them?

Nation, I could go on and on about this, but that’s not the point of this note. The idea here is to let you know what our leaders hope to do and why. And as passionate as I am about this potential switch, remember, no decision has yet been made. So we wait until October 30^th. But if you’d like more information in the meantime, I’d be happy to oblige. Come talk with me. Roust me out of my office! I’ll buy you a cup of coffee over share all the resources I’ve amassed. I am an open book. Please take me up on it! Until then, enjoy all the Pumpkin Spice products abounding everywhere. I will too, as long as they don’t chase me out of house and home!

Blessings, my friends. Enjoy this beautiful time that is fall and get excited for what God is doing among us. Much love to you all.

In Christ,
Pastor Bryson

Coming Back Strong

I am a proud pastor right now. I have to admit, I’ve been nervous about how our congregation would return from Summer Break. It’s a problem unique to Colorado churches. We have countless awesome things to do in this state. So people tend to disappear for weeks at a time during the summer months.  With so many of us coming back and adapting to reality, it can be an arduous process getting back up to speed. Personally, I feel it’s a lot like jumpstarting a dead car. I need to literally get an infusion of energy and enthusiasm to do what I have to do! Thankfully, Rinn is showing signs of coming back strong. Without the benefit of jumper cables, no less. Two of our fall programs are proving to be very popular. Our Prelude Prayer Service, which starts September 11 at 8:30a (during which we will commemorate the anniversary of the Twin Towers attack in NYC), has garnered a lot of interest. People are excited to explore the spiritual practice and have more time to support the people who are on our prayer list every week. We had 5 people for our initial offering, with several being out of town. Next, our fall book study on The Year of Living Bibilcally filled up fast. We have 9 people involved and our first session was full of hooting laughter as we recapped the first chapters of the book.  Both these efforts run until 10/16, so there is still plenty of time to get involved!

              Beyond strong participation numbers, however, I am more proud of the physical statements we’ve been making. Back in August, I led a sermon series looking at ways to bridge the many cultural divides we face. One of the biggest divisions involves politics. So at the end of one of my messages I challenged our congregation to write our congressmen, not to agitate or advocate for a political issue, but to simply let them know we were praying for them. I took the liberty of providing a pre-written note, complete with stamps and an envelope. And to my surprise, the initial 30 copies I made for both Sen. Cory Gardner and Sen. Michael Bennet disappeared immediately! It was so well received that people were asking for more. So the next week I made an additional 15 copies, which also got snatched up and send. All told, approximately 45 letters went out. Each one stating that we were tired of seeing things divide us, and praying for our leaders to come together. It’s a pretty strong message to send in our fractious times, is it not?

              My prayer is that these two elements, our participations and spiritual growth, become strong building blocks for us as we go into the fall. There is a lot for Rinn Church to do before 2017. We are looking at large changes in our administrative structure so we can pursue the exciting mission and vision we witnessed through the WCI process. It takes a lot to shift to being an intergenerational church that welcomes young family, so your prayers and support are most welcome! As to what these changes are, our leadership will be introducing them around the beginning of October. I will try to get info out before our next newsletter to keep you in the loop. But rest assured, they will be out in some shape and form. For those of you who follow Rinn online, you will definitely find out before we get anything out via snail mail. So please feel free to follow our facebook page, twitter feed or signup for our weekly email info blasts by going to our website and clicking on the “Contact Us” link.

              So yes, there is much going on that I am proud of. But I am not the one we need to be impressing Now, let’s keep doing the things that make God proud. Because Divine approval is far more important! Blessings to you and yours as the fall season descends. As the weather gets cold, may the presence of family, friends and our Lord Jesus Christ bless you and keep you warm!

             

Take care, folks!

Pastor Bryson

Back to School!

              Sarah and I went shopping at Target a couple weeks ago. Just inside the door was one of those giant racks that come out this time of year. It was full of sheets of paper, school supply lists for the various grades and schools in our area. The sight dampened Sarah’s mood somewhat. She’s an elementary school music teacher in Greeley. So I am sure she was seeing past the paper to how her vacation running is quickly running out! I, however, had a different series of thoughts pop into my brain. Being your pastor, I thought about how so many people in Rinn Nation have been out on vacation this summer. Fall is coming for us as well. Therefore, I thought it would be helpful to post a School Supply of sorts for our church to help people prepare as they return from break. It’s going to be another busy year around Rinn, so we are going to need to be ready! Here’s what you can bring to help us:

·       Energy- You’ve had a few months to rest. So I hope you come back energized and excited for our mission and ministry. We are again going to be working with our developing vision to be an intergenerational church that supports the families in our community. It’s something that is full of possibilities. So get excited about what God is doing! Tell others that Rinn is a church on the move!

·       Commitment- We are going to be unveiling some new discipleship options in the fall (stay tuned to our emails for details!). Some are going to be unlike anything Rinn has offered before. There is talk about having new studies for adults, small groups for parents and other exciting things. Then there are our returning classic ministries like Kids Hope, Brews and Views, Habitat for Humanity and our partnerships with the Carbon Valley Help Center. We need these ministries to be live and vital! Our Sunday morning worship also needs to be the basis for all we do. So what can you commit to helping us with? Can you be in church one more Sunday a month? Can you contribute to or lead one of these efforts? If so, we will rocket out of the gate in the fall.

·       Flexibility- We are again going to be experimenting with our church’s dynamics and trying new things come September! As you know from last year some efforts will succeed, but others will come up short. So we ask for your patience as we work. Bringing God’s vision into reality takes time and determination, so thank you in advance for your help!

·       Feedback- With so much going on, it is critical to hear your thoughts one what is occurring. Good or bad, your leadership would love to know what you are feeling about the life of the church. I especially value your opinions, but unfortunately, I don’t hear many of them firsthand. There still seems to be some misconceptions out there that I am too busy and don’t have time to hear you out! This is totally not the case. I love your in input and I buy a mean cup of coffee for discussions. Our leaders need your thoughts too, as they point out things we may not see. So please, share away!

·       Your Prayers- this is by far the most important element you can give. Our Whole Church Initiative coach, Rev. Beth Estock put it this way, “Bryson, your church needs to tap into a deep well of spiritual strength. So up your prayer life!” I am summarily issuing that challenge to you. Reach out to the Divine and ask God to guide Rinn. Pray that we could see the way and find strength for the journey.

If we can bring these things to the fall, it will be a great year! I look forward to being with you through it. Blessings to you and yours as summer comes to a close.

Blessings,

Pastor Bryson

Unexpected Voices

It's been a while since I dusted off the old blog . Unfortunately, my voice is one of millions out there. So not a lot of people drop by here, or at least I don't thing they do. But, I learned recently I need to maintain some sort of a presence online in case a situation like what I detail in my newsletter article below occurs again.   So look for me to update every month or two, and let me know if you are listening! I'm always one to talk, and would be happy to use this medium. Until then, be well friends.        ---Bryson 

June 2016

        I occasionally get random emails from people I don’t know in the slightest. Most are disconcerting. They want to alert me to the great Islamic threat, share prophecy about God’s impending judgment for our moral woes, or invite me to come hear some visiting pastor talk on the end of the world. 99% have this sort of focus and quickly find their way to my online trash can as a result. But then I get an out-of-left-field note that makes me stop and be thankful. Last week brought one such message, and I thought I would share it with you all since it made my day. Keep in mind, this person has absolutely no connection to Rinn. He encountered our website one day and wanted to tell me about it. This is what he wrote (I summarized some of it for brevity’s sake):

“So I stumbled across your site through a very strange way, but that is a story for another day. I’m not religious, I believe there is something, but not necessarily what religion has had to offer me. However, this is not about me, but I wanted to pass on a few items after spending some time on your website…

The FAQ is probably one of the best I’ve read. It is like a person answering your questions and not trying to be something you are not. Nice job being so open and honest. The Cowboy fellowship page is also very welcoming. What a great message!  Your willingness to be open and post honest information about [what’s going on in your church] is amazing. Being open and upfront with your members will only make your church stronger, closer, and full of trust. Good on you for being open and honest. Finally, your support and care for the surrounding community is also much appreciated.”

            Cool stuff, huh? It goes to show, you never know who is going to encounter your church and where! This gentleman and I have since had a great online conversation. It sounds to me like he’s not from around here and doesn’t go to church due to a previous bad experience. But he’s open to God, so the Spirit could be at work in our continuing association.

            So why am I telling you this? It’s not to praise the website, which I help oversee for transparency’s sake. Nor is it to pat myself on the back for the manner in which I communicate with you all, or for how I am handling this new online friend. No, what I want to say is it wasn’t the language or the presentation that elicited this man’s reaction and interest. It was you. When I generated the content for the website, I was describing the people and ministries of Rinn and the qualities they have from an outsider’s perspective. My tone reflected what I got from you, how you want to be welcoming, encouraging and open to new people. You all have an approach that other congregations do not, and in detailing it to the outside world, it showed. It became a hook that brought someone in!

So I have to wonder, if one person got this from our website, what will it be like when we start getting ministries associated with our vision off the ground? Who would you reach if you lived a lifestyle of evangelism, like we talked about in a sermon not-so-long ago? You never know who is watching and what little thing might reach them for Jesus Christ. So as we go into the summer months, see if you can find way to show Rinn to the world. Whether it is an organized event, like the Pig Roast, the Food-and-Flick-Friday or VBS, or just the way you go about your daily life; let Rinn, and the way we experience the Holy Spirit shine. I think you’ll be amazed at the people who respond.

Blessings to you all and stay cool!

In Christ,

Pastor Bryson

Swords into Plowshares

As a moderate, I am blessed to have friends of all political persuasions. For the most part it's a great thing. I get to experience many different views on pertinent issues, which then influence how I proceed forward.

But. . .

When events like yesterday happen; when our country once again has to deal with a disturbed individual who felt the only recourse for his problems was to take the lives of others, that's when my spot in the middle becomes turbulent.  My Facebook feed yesterday clearly showed the dichotomy at work. Many treasured friends were calling for stricter gun control measures, while other loved ones sought more guns, more protection, more shelter from villains and criminals. 

Two completely different views. Both well thought out and based in various facts. But they have polar opposite methodologies. So which one is right? Which one represents the path that good Christians like us should follow? 

In these cases, I am so glad for the guidance of scripture. Of course, the Bible doesn't specifically mention firearms, as they were created thousands of years after the texts came into being. But scripture does talk about weapons, warfare and the use of violence; all the things that undergird our modern problem. So when you read the Bible, some of the text might seem pro-gun. Protection was important then, as it is now. Many sections  deal with armies at war, or travelers carrying swords to protect them from thieves. One friend on Facebook even pointed out that Jesus himself seems to endorse arming oneself. In Luke 22, he tells his Followers to “take your money and a traveler’s bag. And if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one!"  However, it must be noted that later on, when Jesus is about to be arrested, he tells his followers to ""Put away your sword, [for] Those who use the sword will die by the sword." (Matthew 26:52)

See how complicated this gets? Even in the Bible a conflicting viewpoint/argument rages.

Thankfully, scripture does eventually clarify its views when it comes to what people should ultimately do with their weapons. The Prophet Isaiah discusses it in Chapter 2:1-4 of his work when he sees a vision of the "End of Days." It's great times when all the righteous are united in God forever and "In the last days," Isaiah writes that:

  "the mountain of the Lord’s house

    will be the highest of all—
    the most important place on earth.
It will be raised above the other hills,
    and people from all over the world will stream there to worship.
3 People from many nations will come and say,
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
    to the house of Jacob’s God.
There he will teach us his ways,
    and we will walk in his paths.”
For the Lord’s teaching will go out from Zion;
    his word will go out from Jerusalem.
4 The Lord will mediate between nations
    and will settle international disputes.
They will hammer their swords into plowshares
    and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will no longer fight against nation,
    nor train for war anymore."

As Christians, we believe we can limitedly live into this eternal reality now by following Christ. So since this is our goal, when it comes to gun control, doesn't it make sense to seek the overall peace the verse discusses right now? It's a place far from gun violence and more importantly, there is nothing in the section about adding more weapons to the pile to bring forth the Kingdom. Rather, the solution involves working to manage and dissemble the arms we already have.

To me, that is a clear indication about the path we should take. The Bible shows that we need protection to navigate this broken world, but our greater purpose should be lessen the need for arms. We should be working to turn swords into plowshares even now.  So why don't we? What would it look like for us as people? As communities? As a nation? As a world? That path is what we should seek, and I would love to hear where you think it might lie.

Feel free to respond, friends. But lets keep it respectful and sacred.  Thanks everyone.

Bryson

Ask Me Anything Questions

Greetings Friends! If have come to worship at Rinn Church recently, you’ve probably heard of the Ask Me Anything (AMA) box. To give you some quick background, AMA is a segment done by the website www.reddit.com. In it, the public is invited to ask powerful people (politicians, movie stars, inventors, etc.) questions in an interview forum. It’s surprisingly effective and produces some candid answers. Thus, I thought I would bring a version of it to Rinn to help you get to know me as your new pastor. My plan is to answer in future newsletter articles, blog posts, sermons and face-to-face conversations. So please feel free to fire away with your musings! With that out of the way, here are two recent submissions:

 • When you get free time, what do you like to do? –Sharon Thompson

 Good question! I am actually an introvert. So when I get free time, I usually take a moment to zone out in front of the TV or with a good book. It’s hard existing in a hustling, bustling world. Therefore, it helps me to recoup energy before I do anything overtly fun. After this happens, I enjoy activities like cycling and playing various sports. I used to do much more than I do now, but I haven’t been as active since I blew out my knee playing softball a couple years ago. Otherwise, I also love to study history, play various video games and participate in the “geek” culture that is so popular in America., That’s right, I am an avid fan of things like Star Wars, Star Trek and Battlestar Galatica, And whenever I see a trailer for a new Marvel Comics superhero movie, I squeal with joy and watch it several hundred times before joining online discussions about it. Back in high school, this sort of behavior got me teased. Yet nowadays, it is amazingly fashionable. The times, they are a changing!

 • Are you liberal or conservative? Ha ha, just kidding. - Anonymous

 This query may have been made out of jest, but it touches on an important issue. My old barber used to joke that religion and politics were two things he would never talk about in his shop. They were always in conflict, so he felt it better not to bring them up (especially when he had sharp scissors in his hand!). That being said, I believe there has to be some interaction between faith and politics. It must be done carefully, however. One must never come to fully define the other, as stated so well in the First Amendment. This is my one concrete political belief. Other than this, I hold to perspectives from both major political parties and I regularly vote for the person I believe will best carry them out. As far as existing with those who believe differently, I feel Methodism’s Founder, John Wesley, said it best when he wrote:

 “I met those of our society who had votes in the ensuing election, and advised them: 1) To vote, without fee or reward, for the person they judged most worthy. 2) To speak no evil of the person they voted against. 3) To take care their spirits were not sharpened against those that voted on the other side.”

Essentially, I am an independent who tries to love everyone as God loves me, while letting that belief guide who I vote for. I know that’s a real brief explanation, so please feel to follow up with me in person if you are interested. I think that’s a great start to this AMA experiment. If you’d like to participate, the box will be outside the sanctuary for the next month or so. Or feel free to email me your queries at rinnpastor@gmail.com. Keep writing friends, and I look forward continuing the awesome start I’ve had with you! Until next time.

In Christ,
Bryson

A New Place for Old Memories

I recently moved to serve a new congregation, Rinn United Methodist Church in Frederick, Colorado. It should come as no surprise if you've read the undercurrent of my previous posts. Things weren't going well in Wellington, or at Fort Collins for me. So a new start was desperately needed. It has been great so far. Rinn Church is so different, with so much possibility. So I pray that God will bring forth the growth and vitality that was so illusive in my previous setting. Thoughts on the past are heavy on my mind as I write this note. How can I not be nostalgic? This is my first time back to the ol' blog in some time. So much has happened, making this place and time a natural location to sit back and reflect.

Additionally, I finished setting up my new office today. It now holds all my books, as well as the many knickknacks I've picked up over my 7 years of ministry. Many of these items hold a great deal of significance. There is the battered handle of a hammer, broken off by a well meaning lug of a kid who didn't realize his own strength during a mission project. I will always remember the look on his face when he realized what had happened. The hammer had gone up, but not come down having broken off mid swing. The there is the mini trophy given to me at FUMC Independence's Youth Group End of the Year award party. It was a gag award ceremony, and my particular trophy surely is that. It recalls how I nearly destroyed the church van's emergency break, while driving around with it on without realizing it. I can still smell the smoke that built up in the passenger compartment, letting me know something was amiss. And I will always remember the hooting laughter of the kids when they remembered how frustrated I got. There are many more items. My bobble head John Wesley from Annual Conference. A container of rice and a piece of brick from a latrine made by a Fort Collins mission team in Cambodia. The Green Lantern doll I won during a night out with the family of a close colleague. . . and so much more.

 Each item is yoked to a memory, all speaking of the man I have been. And yet in this place new life is dawning. What I was, all the previous instances of God working in my life through my ministry will feed into what I become, all because of grace. I am grateful for this, friends. And you should be too. So take a look at your own knickknack shelf tonight. What experiences do the items there represent? And how has God made you through them? How is the Divine Life continuing to transform you using the foundation the memories give? I hope you can recognize this in your lives this week, friends. May you see the way the Potter is molding the clay.

In Christ,
Bryson