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Children’s Day Outside

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October 10th is a national “Children’s Day” holiday. We celebrated the Saturday before. Deanna got some volunteers and organized some things. When it was supposed to begin, only 20 kids were here. We had bought 120 hot dog buns. Half an hour later there were 190 people, counting helpers, and I was heading downtown to visit the baker again. It was a good event. We handed out prizes at the Youth Service that night, which brought many of them back to church. We hope that by doing events like this (among other strategies) our church community will grow. PLUS, it blesses the neighbourhood.

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The Children of Marabá

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Here are some photos I took at our Children’s Event last week. When you look closely, can you see how business people and adults you know might have looked 20 years ago? I see some have a tendency to want to joke around, others are serious, others are worried, others are curious. We have this opportunity to invest in these lives now, to train them in God’s principles, to help them develop personal relationships with God. What an honor this is. Thank you for working with us and enabling us to be here.

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Elismar’s Dance

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We have an interesting welder in our church. He can make lots of things out of steel, but he doesn’t talk much. He surprised us all last Saturday night when he got his Bible Study group of young guys to do a choreographed dance. Two were dressed like Brazilian Christian soldiers, two were soccer players, two were capoeira dancers and two were first nations. To upbeat music the soldiers prayed for each group, then the groups waved Jesus flags over the soldiers. It was really cool, and put on by some of the toughest, most rebellious young guys in our neighborhood.

 

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Four Lessons About Church

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My parents, as a newly married couple, agreed to join a church-planting team. They left their home church, which was just a mile up the road, to help plant the Brookswood MB church in Langley, BC. It was a 20 minute drive away. When I was six my parents, who do not change significant routines often, switched back to their sending church.
1. I remember making a fuss one Sunday morning during the service. Dad warned me that if I didn’t quit, he would discipline me. I remember thinking, “I don’t think Dad will make a scene here, with all these people around.” I was wrong. That was a good lesson. Occasionally I’ll stop a service to help a child settle down, especially in a new church situation, before we have trained ushers.
2. One Sunday, Dad must have been travelling. Mom was driving home with us kids in the blue car. There was a girl riding a horse alongside the narrow, paved road. Just as we were coming up behind them, the horse got spooked by something and jumped in front of the car. Mom was going slow, but she hit the horse and knocked it on its side, right there on the pavement. No one was seriously hurt. Many people have the best intentions for Sunday church, but just getting there and back can be a real challenge. In our pre-service prayer we pray that God will protect people from distractions and confusion that could keep them from coming. (And I drive slowly when I see animals alongside the road).
3. I remember Dad always gave us kids some change to put in the offering. He gave his tithing envelope. We gave our offerings. What a special privilege for Dads! But what about the kids whose Dads do not teach them about the honor of giving back to God? I always try to bring change, and hand it out to kids without dads. I can see their same feelings of responsibility as they put the money in the offering plate. What about those who keep some of the change? It is worth the risk for me, and it happens less than you might think.
4. When I was six my cousin came to live with us. She was 15. Her parents were missionaries in Borneo. I remember overhearing Dad and Mom talk. We moved back to their sending church, which was only a mile from our house, so our cousin could participate more with the Youth Group. I believe in neighbourhood churches. Here in our neighbourhood where people live very close together and don’t have many cars, we have a rule of thumb. After a 20 minute walk you are in a good place to plant another church. 
5. Bonus Lesson: We went every Sunday that we were home. We got there early. This was a firm ritual in our weekly cycle. One winter I as a young adult I was living in the Mule Creek Camp in the Yukon Territories, 65 miles from the nearest town, which was in Haines Junction. The mountainous road was very curvy and dangerous when icy. One spring day it rained, and then froze. It was Sunday, my day off. Others on the crew would sand this road, but I had to leave early, if I wanted to get to the tiny (about 10 people, counting kids) church I was part of. AND, I had just bought my first computer, a Tandy 1000 (the kind with the green letters on the monitor). The road was dangerous, and the computer was enticing. Then I heard/felt a big voice say inside of me, “Do you want to be part of My program, or not?” I dropped everything, and got my keys. A few months later we had a guest speaker for a week-end. He was from a town in Southern Canada, 2,000 miles away. It’s a long story, but I ended up marrying his daughter, Deanna, about 5 years later.
In summary:
1. Pay attention in church, even when it is difficult.
2. Beware of distractions before and after church.
3. Help others learn the privilege of giving back to God.
4. Join a church where you can easily participate more than just Sunday mornings.
5. Go every Sunday that you are home.

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Weekly Leadership Meeting

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Wednesday afternoon from 4-5 has become our time to meet as a team and discuss the bigger picture. What kind of things do we talk about?

Today topics included:

1. We opened with prayer.
2. The Saturday Children’s Day outreach plans.
2. An update on our project to make the church become more like a community center.
3. Some talk about a “date night” for each couple.
4. Some talk about “fringe” church goers…those that want to participate on their own terms.
5. A short talk on “Bounded Set vs Centered Set” thinking.
a) Bounded Set thinking = You are in or you are out.
b) Centered Set thinking = Are you heading towards Jesus, or in some other direction?
6. There were also many rabbit trails, and there was some laughter.

All this, in about one hour, and in two languages. I think that’s pretty good.

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4 Reasons Why I Get Up Early

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4 Reasons Why I Love to Get Up Early in the Morning
I have been reflecting on this for a week now. Why do I love getting up early in the morning. I rarely set an alarm clock. When I wake, I am wide awake. I cannot get back to sleep. 
1. All my childhood years I remember my dad getting up very early and working long, hard hours. I understood, growing up, that this is what responsible adults do.
2. The early morning hours are quiet. No one interrupts me. I found that if I get up two hours early, and rest one hour after lunch, this is much more effective then trying to work straight through the afternoon.
3. I love the early morning quiet, and the strong, black coffee. My actual devotional exercises vary. I always read the Bible through each year, praying first for God to give me the wisdom to understand His word to me today. After my reading I pray for a few of my most important relationships. My most recent “discipline” involves Facebook and Twitter. I tested the waters by picking a few authors. I started following John Maxwell, Donald Miller, and Rick Warren. They post short videos, and blogs, and they Retweet the best of their friend’s writings. So now I follow some of their friends. I find the whole 15 minute exercise provides me with encouraging thoughts for the day.
4. THE MAIN REASON I LOVE TO GET UP EARLY: I think it boils down to this…I honestly love my job, and my life, and I cannot wait to get started with it. I love our work. I love Monday mornings. I love being tired from working hard. The reason I love it so much is because I honestly sense we are making a difference in where people will spend eternity. We have a few years of harvest. Maybe 70. Hopefully 90 or 100. Maybe a few more or less. Then we have eternity, billions upon billions of years. I love building structures and systems where people can be transformed, where they can learn to get off that wide, shallow, meaningless life to the high road, where life is full of purpose and joy. I just love it. It is early Monday morning, and I am eagerly anticipating all we are going to get done this week.
I hope you are looking forward to your day and week too.
Sincerely,
Rick Bergen.