The Segue Team (planning, implementing and overseeing the budding small group ministry) is recommending that we as a church go through a series of messages in the fall based on Crazy Love, a book by Francis Chan. Many of us have already read the book; some have even gone through a small group discussion of it. Suffice it to say that those who are familiar with the book are very excited to have our entire congregation work through the thoughts presented there.

This video gives you a taste of Francis Chan and his heart for ministry and the church.

Welcome Video from Cornerstone Church on Vimeo.

Beginning on our kickoff Sunday, we will begin to focus our attention during the worship services to the ideas presented in the book. Our prayer is that this series of messages will really challenge us to take seriously God’s call on our lives and to ask, “Where are we at in following Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior?” Or, to ask it in a way more in keeping with the book, “How fully in love with God are we?”

More importantly, we will also be kicking off a number of small groups to “bring the message home.” We want the message and the ideas to literally be wrestled with in each one of our lives and in each one of our homes. These small groups will meet until Thanksgiving. In the winter of 2011, we will be offering more small groups focusing on a variety of different subjects.

So, what’s next? I need some help in thinking ahead! When we have done church-wide studies in the past, we have usually used materials supplied by others – including worship helps, visual ideas, etc. This time, we’re going it alone! To do this well, I/we need some help in brainstorming.

We’re looking for creative people who will be able to join together either June 29 from 9:00 – 10:30 at church or July 1 from 7:00 – 8:30 at my new house. In these meetings, I will present the overall vision for the study and begin to elicit some creative ways that we can visually draw our congregation in to the message. This may involve decorations in the Worship Center or Gathering Place, but could also be videos during worship, movie clips for during the sermon, thought-provoking items in the Gathering Place prior to worship, or…the skies the limit.

Following these two initial meetings, we will also gather on July 13th at 6:00 at the church to begin to draw the ideas together. We’ll have a potluck meal and enjoy some time together dreaming and planning.

If you are interested in helping, please let me know soon!

The game goes like this: go to the hardware store looking for help with something for which a solution has not yet been made. Ask for help. Watch them scratch their heads. Leave empty-handed. If it doesn’t seem fruitful or fun to you…make your own game! I enjoy this one. What I especially like is that often, while we’re walking the aisles, I find something that I can make work to do what I want.

OK, so you want an example. I have been missing a knob on my car stereo for years…like, at least 9 years. I decided it was time to fix it, so I went to the hardware store to buy a knob. Did they have one? No. So the game began. As I walked the aisles, I noticed two things that I might be able to make work. One was a nylon tube that I figured I could cram on to the knob holder thingy and it would be easier to grab and spin than that thin piece of metal. I also found a cork. I figured I could cram that on to the metal piece and spin it. It worked…or a day. Then it stripped out in the middle.

Anyway, I thought I would let you in on the fun…but at my expense rather than the hardware folks’. So, here’s the game: throw me a question that you would like to have answered in a sermon. It could be a passage that you don’t understand or a parable that leaves you scratching your head. Perhaps you’re baffled by a concept (grace, justice, the rapture, etc.) or are looking for advice in an area of your life. Take your best shot!

How can you get your questions to me? Well, go to pastorcal.com and leave a comment, for one. Or send me an email. If you want a low-tech solution, there is a box currently labeled The Power of One on the table as you come in the front door. Drop a question/note/comment in the box and let me help you wrestle with the concept in a sermon this summer.

One caveat: the questions are due on or before May 7. The following Wednesday, the Worship Planning Team will be meeting and they’ll want to know what is coming up in order to plan worship services.

As the old Pat Benatar song went, “Hit me with your best shot!”

• look at the basics of the Christian faith;
• investigate the reasons behind church membership;
• discuss the purpose behind what we do (and don’t do) as a congregation; and
• talk about expectations that we have for our members (and why!).

You might be thinking that the only thing we’re leaving out is the kitchen sink. But wait! There’s more! I would also like to have two discussion opportunities. I’ll arrange for there to be a light dinner so that we can eat and talk. The first one will be on April 18. While all questions will be good questions, I’d like to especially focus on the Christian Reformed Church in particular – our theology, our history and our various ministries. On the sixth (and final) Sunday (May 16), I’ll again have a light lunch available after the service. This time will be more open-ended. I will do my best to answer any questions that you have about the expectations of members OR what to do next if you would like to become a member of Bethel Church or…whatever is on your mind.

I will be sending out a letter this week to those I think are considering membership at Bethel. This letter will include more details, especially about the membership process at Bethel. If you don’t receive a letter, don’t feel hurt. Just come to Bonnie or myself and we will get you a copy of the letter.

By the way, there will be a separate class available for any youth that are interested in publicly professing their faith in Jesus Christ. If you sense that you are ready to take this official step in following Jesus, please talk to Jason Ruis or Pastor Cal.

Through the Valley to Joy