Run For God

For this week's blog, I want to share with you an article written by Connie Risch, one of our members and a participant in the Run For God ministry here at Epiphany.

Run for God, a Couch to 5K journey

On November 9^th, at 1:00 pm, 7 Epiphany disciples met in the Far Hills parking lot wearing our Run for God shirts.  Destination, the VA for a 5K (well, technically it was only 3 miles) run.  The weather was fabulous; especially considering it was early November.  We were so blessed to be among friends as our 12 week journey was on its final leg.

12 weeks prior, our group of 10 began meeting at the Austin Campus.  The weather was hot and the road from couch potato to 5K seemed like a long and impossible journey, especially since some of us had a “severe allergy” to exercise.  Throughout the 12 week course we inspired each other in so many different ways.

The first part of a Run for God program is the Bible study.  As a leader, I felt that I was not properly equipped to do this job.  The best part is that I didn’t need to have all the answers.  We explored the lessons together and learned from each other.  There was a bible verse to explore before each of the workouts each week which gave us more time to reflect on our relationship with the Lord.

The second part of a Run for God program is the runner’s education.  We were blessed to have two fabulous mentors in our group.  The shared their vast knowledge with us each week.  Topics included proper gear, injury prevention, proper nutrition, and runner’s educate.  They were also our running coaches because…

The final part of a Run for God program is the running.  The program starts out slow with the first weeks workout consisting of running 1 minute at a time (a feet I thought was going to kill me).  As we progressed the workouts pushed us to new depths with the final goal being the 5K.  Our mentors were there to keep us on track during that first run of the week, and be our cheerleaders.  Believe it or not, they were beginners themselves too.

The best part of a Run for God program is the friendships built, the accountability to do better, and the encouragement to step outside your comfort zone.  It’s hard to spend 12 weeks with a group of people without getting to know them.  We were able to hold each other accountable for our goals, both spiritual and physical.  Although I was not able to run the entire 5K, I still received encouragement for every step forward I was able to make.

This is our 2^nd Run for God session and I am learning and improving each time.  I look forward to our next session and hope you will consider joining us.  No matter where you are in your spiritual and physical journey, you will find this to be a very rewarding program.

I must mention that there were 10 people in our group.  1 was unable to run because of an injury, and 2 members did their 5K on November 8^th.  I am proud of each and every one of us!

from left to right:

Julie Thomas, Angie Day, Caroline Kennebeck, Zach Auman (front), 

Connie Risch, John Deitrich (back), Kathy Whited 

Thank you, Connie, for sharing!

Peace,

Pastor Charlie

Leading and Following

I am finally getting over jet lag from our trip to Israel - we have been back in the USA for over a week, but it has taken a long time to get back on schedule. Waking up at 3 am gives one an opportunity to have some quiet time before the rest of the world wakes up, and has provided me some time to reflect on the trip to Israel. If you want to find out more about that trip, you can check out the weblog I updated each day - www.israelpilgrimage2014.blogspot.com

Caesarea

Masada

Jerusalem (taken from the spire of the Lutheran Church)

We had thirteen in the group of which I was responsible for, and we were joined together with a group of 15 from Missouri and 4 from Florida. 32 of us together for week on a bus with a tour guide and a driver. The tour company took good care of us, coordinating our sites, hotels, meals and schedules. Our job was to show up on time and stay together. And my job as the leader of our group was take make sure everyone was doing their job.

I guess you could say my role was to lead by following. And follow I did. There were some in our group who had issues walking, and Israel is not flat, nor are the paths made for easy travel. Lots of steps. Lots of rocks. Lots of slippery surfaces. I found myself at the back of the group, counting to 13 to make sure we were all present, and bringing up the rear. Being 6 feet 4 inches tall, this made my job easier to say the least! As I was escorting one of our members by the arm back to the bus garage a few blocks away from the church in Bethlehem, one of the vendors along the street who was selling umbrellas stopped his sales pitch when he saw us approaching. He said to me, "God bless you. You take care of your women." I said, "God bless you too!" I was almost compelled to buy an umbrella from him just for that.

The other part of my job was to make sure my group knew the schedule - where we needed to be and when we needed to be there. I commend my group for their keeping with the schedule - it wasn't any of my flock that showed up late! I did have a couple of the sheep who thought we had left them behind, so they headed back to the bus before the rest of the group. Silly sheep.

Someone once said, "A leader who has no one following him is just a guy out for a walk." Yet sometimes what we are called to do is to lead from behind. Sometimes, the one who leads also needs to be one who is also following. We put our trust into our guide, who knew where we needed to be. He knew the people, the places and the best way to get a group through the sites. I did not. I needed to follow, so that I could lead others to follow too. Does that make sense?

One afternoon, near the end of our trip, we had a free afternoon. We decided to walk from our hotel to the Old City of Jerusalem - about a 10 minute walk from our hotel. We made it to the entry gate with no problem, but when we starting walking through the tight streets of the city with all the shops and vendors, we soon realized we were walking in circles. The spice store and the other store with meat hanging up in the window that we saw three times made that obvious. We were without our guide, and I appreciated his leadership so much more that day.

 

As a pastor, I am called to lead and to follow. If I am not listening to the leader, woe to the ones who follow.

Jesus Still Lead On.

1 Jesus, still lead on,
till our rest be won;
and, although the way be cheerless,
we will follow, calm and fearless;
guide us by your hand
to the promised land.

2 If the way be drear,
if the foe be near,
let no faithless fears o'ertake us,
let not faith and hope forsake us;
safely past the foe
to our home we go.

3 When we seek relief
from a long-felt grief,
when temptations come alluring
make us patient and enduring;
show us that bright shore
where we weep no more.

4 Jesus, still lead on,
till our rest be won;
heav'nly leader, still direct us,
still support, console, protect us,
till we safely stand
in the promised land.

(Text: Nicolaus L. von Zinzendorf, 1700-1760; tr. Jane L. Borthwick, 1813-1897, alt.)

Peace,
Pastor Charlie

The Epiphany Bus

This past Sunday, I shared this illustration in my sermon. It isn't plagiarism when you are the one who wrote it in the first place, is it? I thought I would share it for this week's post!

Not so many years ago, a group of people decided they wanted to buy a bus, a bus that would take them on a journey. While the destination was important, also important was the journey itself. You see, they desired to take a journey with Jesus, a journey they were invited to take when they were baptized. These people were looking for a bus to ride on, not just by themselves, but also their families, so they could raise their children on this bus and invite others to climb on as well. The bus was given the name Epiphany!

The journey began, a journey with Jesus. And a journey with Jesus is one that provides a life full of hope, a sense of purpose, a place of forgiveness and grace, and a promise that this journey never ends. Along the journey, the bus not only serves those on it, but is equipped to serve others along the way.

Yes, the journey began, and over the years, the bus has been modified, changed, overhauled and expanded to meet the needs of those who have jumped on for the ride, and to meet the needs of those the bus-riders are called serve. And there have been several drivers along the way.

A few years back, the bus came to the stop at a crossroads, and the question asked, “Which way should we go?” The road map was opened and reviewed and studied. That should make it easy, yes? But there was a disagreement about how one ought to interpret the map. Some in the group saw it one way, and others in the group saw it another way. In the end, there were some who did not agree with the direction the bus was going, and so they got off and climbed on other buses.

And so it came to pass that the Epiphany bus was in need of a driver. It took a while but finally, a new driver got on board. When the driver got on the bus, he heard over and over and over again, “We are so glad you are here.” While in the parking lot, we got on the bus, took some time to get to know our fellow bus-riders, and we checked out the bus.

Yes, the people are glad the driver is here, and the driver is glad to be called to be the driver. But the bus was not built to sit in the parking lot and look pretty. This bus is designed to move forward. And so we do move forward, always mindful of the map that directs us. Each week we hear and focus on the Gospel of Jesus Christ, reminding us of God’s great love for us, and telling us that when get off on the wrong path, God’s love and forgiveness gives us the grace to recalculate our route, and get back on track.

As the one called to be the driver of this bus, I want to emphasize that what I intend to do is that which I believe God is calling me to do. Through prayer and study of God’s word and through constant discussion with staff and leaders and members of the Epiphany bus - I will be faithful to this calling to lead us out of the parking lot and forward into God’s desired future for us. Loving Jesus by serving others, and raising our children to do the same.

I am excited about the future of Epiphany Lutheran Church.

• We are a growing church, with 11 new families, and several baptisms this fall.
• We are a church focused on outreach – The Pantry, Operation Prom Dress, Storybook, Interfaith Hospitality, Global Missions, Project Blessing, Operation Christmas Child, Adopt A Family, Drama and Puppet Ministry, plus support of Lutheran World Relief and various campaigns, including most recently the Malaria campaign, reaching our goal of over $2000.
• We are a church that gathers to worship – Music Ministry, Praise Bands, Choirs, Quality Worship, Gospel-focused sermons
• We are a church that welcomes the children – we have a fantastic Preschool and Daycare program that serves over 100 children each week – a great entrance into the church for children and families
• We are a church that values our youth, and provides a Youth Ministry program that is theologically sound and outrageously fun
• We are blessed that we have raised up leaders for the church, including Sean Barrett, who was ordained here earlier this year.
• We have re-established the small groups ministries and hope to add more groups next year.
• We are a church that has an incredible staff who love Jesus and are committed to serving others

We are a church that is moving forward.

• We are dedicated to sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ in everything we do!
• We have dedicated pastors serving our two campuses as one congregation, who model hospitality and welcome
• We are dedicated to Family Ministry, and through a generous bequest, we will add a new Children’s Ministry position beginning in in 2015
• We are dedicated to quality, authentic worship, and will add to that a new praise band leader starting tomorrow – John-Philip Fultz.
• We will also be adding a second service - a traditional worship service - at the Austin campus in 2015.
• We are dedicated to outreach, both locally and globally.
• We are dedicated to education opportunities for all

You see, here on the bus, we are constantly hearing the message of Jesus Christ. And the good news is that God is with us on the bus! (You see, I am not really the driver). The more we know who Jesus is and spend time with Jesus, and sit at the feet of Jesus, and come to understand what God has done for us in Jesus Christ, then when the time comes for the bridegroom to return, we will be ready. For we have been on HIS bus, and know that the journey ahead is in God’s hands.

Oh yes, there will be work to do, but this is the work we were made for – serving God as you have been equipped. Know there is place on this bus for you. This is a bus where your family can grow together. And know this –there are seats on the bus available so that you can invite others to climb on board. This is a bus where all are welcomed.

It is time to move forward once again. I invite you to get on board, and enjoy the ride.

Peace,

Pastor Charlie