I'm a Mrs!!

I got married!!  I don't have many pictures to post of my own, since I was a little preoccupied with being a bride.  However, Daphne (and her mom) took some lovely shots, which can be viewed on her blog.  It was a great time. 
Now we're back in Pasadena, finishing up finals and settling into our bungalow.  I'll try to share some pictures of our home soon. 

So, this is a quick hello from the newly named Mrs. Sara Hillegass

Parks and Recreation

How did a whole month pass since my last post?  I never even gave a report on Haiti.  Life got a little crazy after returning since I had a week of classes to catch up on, and then it was time for finals.  Finals were followed by a pretty intense work week - dean's office + grading papers, as I was a TA for a professor + new student orientation on Friday.  And that was our spring break!  Needless to say, it wasn't much of a break...however, I did manage to squeeze in a little time in the grand outdoors.  Thursday I went with a group of friends from Fuller to Joshua Tree for the day.  I honestly expected it to be a boring desert with a bunch of Joshua trees. But it was a lot more impressive than that! Plus, my dear ole pal, Naomi, came to visit from Seattle!  And she's so hard core, she hiked in her bare feet! :)

This past weekend some friends and I went to the Grand Canyon.  It was a pretty quick trip since we left Saturday morning, drove 7 hours to get there, then came back the next day.  But it was so worth it! Our friends, Cristian and Bella, are expecting a baby in 3 months, and then they'll be heading back to their home in Romania.  So this was a last opportunity to see the Grand Canyon before their life changes dramatically.  Grand Canyon is beyond grand; we didn't even come close to seeing it all.  Pictures could never capture it...  But here are a few anyway.  

And that guy standing in the snow with me...his name's Matt. And he's pretty great.

In Haiti

Beth and I arrived this afternoon...into a hot, muggy, cracked and tarped land.  All we've done thus far is get a ride from the airport to the compound where we're stationed.  The electricity just shut off, but I was told that I have a 10 minute window after the electricity is off that emails and messages will still send.  So we'll give it a shot...
Thanks for your prayers! 

Haiti, cont'd

Just over 3 weeks ago I wrote the last post...and now I'm about to leave for Haiti!  Funny how God works, isn't it?  I really cannot believe I am going.  When ECHO asked if I'd be interested and willing to go on a consulting trip, I said I absolutely would be, but didn't see how it was possible given my school schedule.  Spring break is coming up, but I felt like I really needed that week to recover and gear up for another quarter.  Then, out of the blue, Stan (ECHO's CEO) sent me a proposed itinerary that listed his wife, Beth, and I leaving for Haiti on February 24th.  I was both confused and amused, thinking that there is no possible way I could leave week 8 of a 10 week quarter. But out of curiosity, I checked my schedule to see what was going on that week.  I was completely dumbfounded to find that I had a group presentation the day before (which took place today) and one the day after I was scheduled to return...and NOTHING else was on the calendar.  Amazing!!

So I thought I'd pursue this a bit. I called Stan to find out what the plan was...I mean, who am I to go on a consulting trip??  When he informed me that the group who contracted ECHO (Relief Int'l) wanted ECHO to assist in setting up container gardens for orphanages, I felt pretty confident in that...at least, I had 2 years of experience in that field.  Creole language ability is so-so...it's been a while, but I think a lot will come back to me.  So then I approached my professors and the Dean.  Their perspective meant a lot to me, so I was a bit nervous about how they would respond.  Dr. Myers, who I have tremendous respect for, said that because we were invited to come and had a specific task assigned, he didn't see how we could do any more harm than good.  And the Dean said that because I was going with a reputable organization and had some experience, he had peace about it.  And he prayed with me.  And so many of my friends and classmates have prayed with me and promised to pray throughout this week.  I feel tremendously blessed and supported by this community!

So here I go.  As many of you know, it's been a whirlwind week of emotions, with my grandmother, my last living grandparent, passing away last week.  With that consuming my thoughts, I haven't had much time to try to mentally prepare for this.  But how do you mentally prepare to go into a relief setting...into a country decimated by an earthquake?  I don't know what resources we will have, how much interaction we'll be able to have with Haitians and how much hands-on work we'll be able to do. I pray that one thing I can contribute is to draw attention to the many Haitians ECHO is connected to through their vast network.  There are many well-qualified Haitians who are very capable to take on greater leadership roles.  While every NGO and their brother is in Haiti right now, there needs to be greater involvement and capacity building amongst the Haitians.

The few details I do know from emails I have received is that we'll primarily be working in and around Port au Prince. We'll be staying in tents on a UN compound; security is tight and our curfew is 6:30pm.  We'll take bucket baths and may or may not have access to internet. They do have a generator.  It is the start of the rainy season, so it sounds like it's pretty hot and humid, and the mosquitoes are pretty prolific.  

So my prayer is that, as Dr. Myers told me, I can be myself and not feel like I have to prove myself; that I will have eyes to see where God is working and build on those areas; to listen first and the courage to speak when appropriate; to learn about relief work; and to continue the process of healing that I wrote about in my last post.  I am still in awe of this opportunity God granted me.  It will be a short trip, but I believe that it will be significant.  It already has been up to this point. 

Thanks for your prayers

Haiti

News from Haiti is quickly disappearing out of the mainstream media, but Haiti's not fading out of my mind.  The whole situation is beyond comprehension for any of us. Many of us knew Haiti...knew that it was the poorest country in the western hemisphere.  For those who know nothing about Haiti, now they do.  But for myself personally, it's brought to the forefront issues that I never resolved from my time spent there nearly 5 years ago.  Those three months were some of the toughest of my entire life.  It wasn't homesickness and was not necessarily culture shock...it was something much bigger that I had never before experienced.  Only years later reflecting on the time can I recognize that I was experiencing spiritual warfare firsthand.  This was a totally foreign concept. But looking back, there were multiple things that happened that I can only attribute to this... I struggled with language, my legs were covered in some sort of rash that none of the long-term missionaries there had ever seen before, I got very little rest at night, having nightmares and waking up with a back ache every morning.  It was a really dark time for me, and caused me to question whether God was really calling me to be there or to do anything internationally.
All that to say, it tainted my view of Haiti. Not necessarily the people as a whole, because I met some of the most wonderful, sincere, humble, joyful people there.  But as a nation, I think I did see it as cursed.  Voo doo is real. We heard the drumming of worship services go all through the night.  And there are many who identify themselves as Christians while holding value in witch doctors and believing that people could place curses on one another if they were wronged.  It's difficult to overcome these superstitions that are so deeply embedded in the culture.
The news of the earthquake and subsequent responses of different people trying to answer the "why" question caused me to repent of this view I held of Haiti as a cursed nation that had become so dependent on foreign aid that they were enslaved in their own country.  I still maintain that the level of aid in the country before the earthquake was so high and in the grand picture, there was little to show for it.  However, in the Central Plateau, we got to build some relationships and see how people live. They didn't have much but they had everything.  They had a tight-knit community that was an extension of their family, they had enough to eat, most had access to primary education, and many knew Christ.  And the missionaries Daphne and I had the privilege of working with did a fantastic job of empowering the people in this small community to lead and dream and live fuller lives.
And so, watching the news reports of people worshiping in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake broke me.  Hearing from a Haitian lady here at Fuller whose extended family is still there say that her people are strong and that things were improving before the earthquake...this broke me.  Finding out that one of the boys Daphne and I knew during our time there - Fabneau, a bright young guy who played the accordian for the men's choir his father led, and who had gone to the capital for university - was killed when his house collapsed...broke me.  And now hearing about acquaintances with medical training who are going/have been there to serve in any way they can share of what they are seeing/doing - lots of amputations, bandaging wounds, loving frightened children...it's still breaking me.  And I pray that God will continue to break open my heart to increase my capacity to love...and not just for Haitians, but for anyone experiencing oppression, loss of physical needs, loss of loved ones, and loss of dignity.
I want to go back to Haiti...mostly to serve my brothers and sisters there in any way I can...but also partly to bring greater healing and resolution to this judgment I've harbored for the past several years.  Whether or not I go, I am so grateful that God has made it known that He has not cursed this nation, that He is still present, and that He loves each precious child.
I do continue to pray that this rebuilding can be done in a way that will restore some dignity to the people of Haiti, that it will be on their terms and not determined by foreign influences.  I pray for cooperation amongst all the NGOs to invest wisely and to be servants first. I pray for Thy will to be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

If you'd like to read more from Haiti, here's the blog of the organization I worked with: http://haffdetails.blogspot.com/

Notice of Filming

We got a notice on our door this week alerting us to the fact that a film company was going to be filming a movie on our street.  Included on this notice was a description of the scene:
"interior/exterior single shot 1/4 load gunfire and simulated bullet effects on body and things...atmospheric smoke and steam effects...weapons brandished...driving scenes...foot chase and fight scene on property and in streets...surveillance scene...glass breaking...talent falls into pool." 
I haven't heard any of the gunshots or had any celebrity spottings.  There are just a bunch of huge semis parked along the street and very bright lights shining on the house nearby. 
The movie is called "Justified." Watch for previews coming to a theatre near you. 
Welcome to LA.

New Years in Pasadena

This has got to be the place to be on New Years.  Colorado Blvd is one forever-long street party, where people set up camp on the sidewalks, playing cards, sleeping on air mattresses, spraying silly string and filling tortillas with shaving cream to launch on unsuspecting cars passing by.  It's really a fun atmosphere.
My New Years didn't start out so fun.  I willingly signed up to work the parade, and was told to report for duty at 2:30am.  So I went out amongst all the drunkards to find out what my job was going to be.  I figured we'd be doing some sort of crowd control or ushering people to their seats in the bleachers.  I was mistaken.  My job for the next 8 hours was to guard residential driveways from people parking in them.  And I was about 5 blocks from the parade route. Not my idea of a fun time.  Long story - short, I was never briefed by my supervisor, and after waiting 2 1/2 hours in the cold, with 2 coyotes running by within 10 yards of where I was standing, I decided I had had enough and proceeded to walk 4.5 miles home - virtually the entire parade route. 
I was a glutton for punishment, and decided to give the company one last chance to redeem itself and I worked at the Rose Bowl football game.  I mean, it's the Rose Bowl...how many times will I get to go to that game?  So I was assigned to guard a tunnel of the stadium.  After checking about 5,000 tickets, I was over the whole event staff job. I finished that shift, but have steadfastly determined that if I want to go to any other events bad enough I'll pay the money to see it rather than try to make a buck! 

Anyways, all was not a loss (except for Oregon!).  I got to see the end of the football game, and then Sunday my aunt and uncle and I toured the floats, so we got to see the amazing work of the designers and decorators, who work all year on those floats!  They told us the base cost for a float is about $200,000 and it goes up from there!  I love flowers so much and thought about how much my grandma would have loved to see the breathtaking display!

Christmas in So-Cal

First off, this was the aftermath of finals week. My room seriously looked and smelled like a boy's dorm room. Dirty dishes, chips, unmade bed, clothes strewn all over the place. It was revolting.

But now the incredibly busy quarter is over and everyone is filled with renewed optimism that the next one can't be nearly as bad.  I've already made lots of new years resolutions - to go to the gym, journal more regularly, spend quality time with people, spend quality time with God, start planning my overseas practicum (potentially for this summer), etc. etc.   All it takes is a little discipline.  All I need is a disciplinarian to reprimand me when I drop the ball.  That's all.

For the time being, I don't feel guilty for doing some fun stuff during the week off in Pasadena.  A friend and I went downtown this week to Grand Central Market, the Fashion District, Flower District, Central Library, Beverly Hills, then to Griffith Park to see the sunset and the city at night.  Pretty spectacular view up there.  However, LA can't hold a candle to New York or DC at Christmas.  It's already hard enough to think Christmas when it's still so warm and the leaves are just turning.  They have one semi-major lights display that people can walk through, and that's about it.  Maybe I'm just missing the other sights that you have to be "in the know" for.  Anyways, I'm disappointed Los Angeles...step up your game!

Last Book Review

Beyond Christendom by Jehu Hanciles
This book's intention is to explore the interconnection of globalization, migration and religious expansion. While Western influence consume the contemporary world order, globalization creates powerful trends that influence the West and all the world in significant ways. Dr. Hanciles, an immigrant from Sierra Leone, writes from a non-western perspective.
Chapter 1: Globalization pp. 1-37
This chapter looked at the concept of globalization VERY indepth. The term globalization, Hanciles contends, has been "in vogue" for about 30 years, but really it was at work long before then. Globalization ultimately involves marginalization and exclusion. The world is a dynamic entity and globalization cannot be the tool of America or Europe alone. And globalization cannot be considered solely an economic movement.

Chapter 4: The Birth and Bankruptcy of Christendomp. 84-114
During the reign of Christendom, Christianity was not based on faith, but was rather determined by one's national identity. With the "conversion" of such massive amounts of people, the creation of a "Christian society was a fitful and arduous process." As a result, Christian mission became inextricably linked with territorial expansion and political rule rather than discipling new believers. The first to contradict this approach were the Anabaptists, who themselves were marginalized and persecuted because of their rejection of civil society's role in the church. A effect of missionary influence and education resulted in national and racial pride, in addition to religious protest. In African and Asia, a large proportion of the first generation of nationalist leaders were products of missionary education.

Chapter 12 Sacred Canopies276-302
"Religious congregations serve to facilitate the immigrants' assimilation into American life while simultaneously allowing them to nurture their ethnic ties even as they ease their adjustment into their new country" (p. 278). In this chapter, the author argues that immigrant churches have a specific missionary function because they are the most effective means to model the Gospel to other immigrants. The first wave of immigrants came from northwestern Europe, followed by another wave of immigrants who were enslaved Africans (1619-1850).
The establishment of black Christianity signified anti-Christendom. This particular movement by African Americans resulted in the civil rights movement. Because immigrants often experience marginalization and racial prejudice, the immigrant church is a place they can find acceptance and solace to be in a familiar cultural context.
"African Immigrant churches are among the fastest growing because they reproduce or exhibit the same vitality and dynamism that are present in the homelands of immigrant members and also because they draw on a widening base of immigrants hungrry for religious association and participation" (p. 302).
As a result of America's diminishing "Christian" condition, it is less a missionary-sending nation and more and more a mission field.

Chapter 13 On the Road with Ancestors 303-323
African immigration to the US grew exponentially from the 1960's to the present. This is largely a result of the Immigration Act that in part offers diversity visas in a lottery system to Africans. Approximately 60% of African immigration is driven by family ties here. The majority settle in New York.
Transnationalism is the incorporation and involvement in the society of settlement and one's native context. "Transnationalism facilitates selective adaptation within the first generation of immigrants and will arguably have some impact on the acculturation patterns of the second generation" (p. 318).
There is a firm distinction between Africans in America and African Americans. African immigrants are often shocked to discover that many African Americans hold the same negative stereotypes of Africans that white people often believe - that Africans are poor, uneducated, and primitive. Yet the author stresses that both groups have a tremendous opportunity to practice reconciliation based on our biblical mandate.

Chapter 14 Have Faith, Will Travel324-349
It is primarily the Pentecostal and Charismatic movements who stress the importance of missions. Hanciles describes four categories of African immigrant churches:
- Abrahamic - spontaneous movements started by one individual who came to North America or Europe for a specific job and ended up starting a church. Most churches in the US apply to this group.
- Macedonian - these churches exemplify planned, organized initiatives, that are created by another church or ministry that is African-based.
*this two groups are closely related because the Macedonian group owe their existence most likely to an Abrahamic movement.
- Jerusalem - African-inspired and led church that is closely tied to a mainline Western denomination. This group is often known as an "ethnic" church.
- Samuel-Eli - mainline denominations that attract a large amount of Africans who can inform the worship and add to the larger church's diversity.
This chapter goes on to portray three case studies of churches derived from African influence: one in Maryland, started by a Liberian; his mantra was: Don't be refugees; be missionaries. The second story involved a Nigerian immigrant who came and found great success in the commercial world with Verizon, but eventually left that high-level job to start a church in Los Angeles. The third case study is a Congolese man who started a church in Chicago.
These stories convey a drivenness amongst the men, and capability to manage. Along with their strong faith, they are able to start thriving churches. However, no mention is given to any formal theological training that any of these individuals may receive prior to taking over in a pastoral role.

Chapter 15 African Immigrant Churches in America350-373
The age demographic of a lot of AICs are young families; 80% are under the age of 50. In a survey on why African immigrants attend church, the 2 primary reasons were lively worship and solid preaching/teaching. Prayer is also central to the gatherings - vigorous, collective meaningful praying. The majority of people in the AICs believe that their churches should do more to reach non-Africans. One major deterrent to that is people's hesitancy and intimidation with the language abilities.
The author ends by reviewing how little research has been conducted on this relatively young demographic. Their long-term impact on church and mission is yet to be determined. The key certainty is that "this African missionary movement reveals, yet again, how migration movement is intimately linked with the long-term prospects of the Christian faith. Yet all too often, the most momentous episodes in the history of Christian missions have been launched by small, insignificant initiatives, such as the ordinary actions of those unnamed migrant-refugees in first-century Antioch" (p. 373).

Last Class Reflection

Our last Church and Mission class for the quarter addressed Pentecostalism.American Pentecostalism started in Topeka, KS in 1901. During this time, the church was still racially segregated. A short time later, a worldwide Pentecostal movement was birthed on Azusa St.in downtown Los Angeles.
William Seymour was largely responsible for getting the ball rolling. He is now considered the “Luther” or “Calvin” of Pentecostalism.
Pentecostalism centers of the work and role of the Holy Spirit. The mission of the Holy Spirit is to lead us to truth. The more of the HS we have in our lives, the more we can get out of God’s word, which was inspired by the HS. Today Pentecostals comprise the largest denomination, or group, of Christians in the world outside of Catholics.  There are believed to be 600,000,000 believers who can trace the route of their faith to the Azusa Street Revival.


This has been a great class. I think I've learned a lot about the history of Christian traditions and its given me a richer appreciation for the diversity within my faith tradition.
Now, on to the paper writing, to prove that I did indeed learn something!

Anabaptism

Fitting for a lecture right after Thanksgiving, we learned about the Puritans.  The Puritans were being persecuted by the Church of England, so they sought asylum in a new land, just as the Israelites did in their escape from Egypt.  Because of this parallel situation, the Puritans saw themselves as God's new chosen people.  They wanted to be completely isolated from England and its strong connection with the state.  So in their newly created society in New England (the "promised land"), they said they were with God, but against the world.  They established adult baptism, rather than the tradition of Luther and Calvin to be baptized as a baby once.  Menno Simons, one of the early Anabaptist leaders, did not believe that the Eucharist truly embodied Christ's blood and body, but was instead a symbol of His unity. 

Turkey Day

When I was an intern at ECHO, a friend shared with us how she had a list of things she wanted to do before she was 30. And one of those things was to cook a turkey. I thought that was a swell idea, so I decided to set a similar goal. Another goal of mine is to do less procrastinating, so in order to kill 2 birds with one stone, I cooked a turkey for Thanksgiving, one FULL year before that big birthday milestone. This was a big deal to me since I 1)don't have a lot of confidence in my cooking abilities 2)H-A-T-E touching/cleaning/cooking/eating raw meat and 3)would be feeding a lot of people with this bird. So in order to try to avoid common pitfalls, I chatted with everyone who may have cooked a turkey in their life to learn from their experiences in the weeks leading up to the big day. Some of the common responses included:
* be sure to take the bag of guts out of the turkey before cooking it
* burning it may not look pretty, but will seal the moisture in
* you can never use too much butter

What people didn't tell me was how long it takes a frozen turkey to defrost...5 hours/pound, if you didn't know...that's a long time for a 17lb turkey! Also, the heavy wire that's wrapped around the legs doesn't need to come off before roasting it. And let me tell you, it won't come off short of heavy-duty wire cutters (which I couldn't find laying around anywhere). So I had planned to stuff some herbs, apples, onions and veggies in the cavity, but the cavity was a lot smaller than I imagined it to be. Nevertheless, I rammed as much colorful stuff in there as I could.
My roommates were there for moral support, and we all made multiple calls to our moms for instructions on anything from pie crusts to oven temperatures to how much stuffing it takes to feed 16 people.

The meal turned out gloriously, and we did feed 16 people.

Book Review #5

Emerging Churches Creating Christian Community in Postmodern Cultures
by Eddie Gibbs and Ryan K. Bolger

Chapter 1 A brief look at Culture
Churches in the west face a missional challenge...there is a great need to understand the relationship between the gospel and culture. In parts of the world where Christendom was once prevalent, this issue has not been addressed. In order to understand the mission of the church, Christianity in culture must be addressed. The western church is in rapid decline and movements that are growing are ones that deal with the role of culture in faith.

Chapter 2 What is the Emerging Church?
The Emerging church appeals to "Gen Xers" who have abandoned their parent's faith for something more authentic and relevant. But it's not just about one generation. It is vital for the emerging church to be solidly rooted in the larger historical church. Emerging church leaders prefer to not be labeled by a particular brand or age bracket. There is a strong effort to separate themselves from labels and get back to the basic premise of Christianity, to be a follower of Christ. Simon Hall from the UK says, "My main aim for the community is not to be 'post' anything but to be 'and' everything." The 3 core practices are 1)identifying with the life of Jesus; 2) transforming secular space; 3)living in community. And because of these 3 main practices, they practice hospitality, serve with generosity, create as created beings, lead as a body, and take part in spiritual activities (p. 44-45).

Chapter 3 Identifying with Jesus
This is about rethinking the meaning of church. Mark Scandrette of ReIMAGINE in San Francisco described the difference between megachurches and what they're about. He said, "We started out thinking about what form the church should take, as opposed to what the life of Jesus means in this time and place." This is about being Christ. "Jesus served and forgave others, and the early church was encouraged to do likewise." One understanding is that God is already working in the world, so our job is to find out where and move along with that. Andrew Jones from the UK put it simply, "We find what God is planting and we water it." To be a Christian is to be missional, seeking to embody the kingdom at all times.

Chapter 4 Transforming Secular Space
All life must be sacred in the emerging church mindset. Bridges are made between the secular/spiritual worlds in order to rid people's perceptions of the division. For instance, in some churches secular music is played during the service, and different forms of the arts and media are used. In that process, the secular becomes holy. "As many church people fight to keep the dying church modern, emerging churches abandon the modern church while bringing new life to the church (p. 72). The intention is to stay true to both their faith and their culture. This is not only to make the transition from the outside world to church feel less contrasting and uncomfortable, but also to allow us to take our worship from church to the outside world. This idea of culture embodied gospel is distinguished by its creative nature, as well being highly participatory and community-oriented.

Chapter 5 Living as Community
Because the secular space no longer exists, church becomes a 24/7 event, not just 90 minutes on Sunday. There is an understanding that the risen Christ now works by his Spirit, who operates through the community as well as beyond it, in the furtherance of his purposes in the wider world(p. 90). The church must first be the product of mission before it is an agent of mission (p. 91). Community must be present and healthy in order to exude a product of mission. There is a shift, as mentioned above, from the emphasis on church to emphasis on kingdom. As the body of believers become like a family, the institutional practices will change. Generally speaking, the church rises and falls based on relationships. It takes commitment and intentionality. Meeting together is an effort to serve the community and strengthen relationships. Because of this, the groups tend to stay small and intimate, with no great desire to grow large. The focus does not seem to be as much about deepening one's faith, though I imagine that is part of it. It does say that emerging churches believe the church should shape its corporate life in accordance with the practices of the kingdom of God (p. 115).

Chapter 6 Welcoming the Stranger
Emerging churches are inclusive, just as Christ was inclusive and welcomed the stranger. There is a tremendous value placed on hospitality to create a comfortable, safe place to worship. There is a belief that sharing the gospel should flow naturally as a reflection of one's life, and not some contrived proclamation. There is a stress on dialogue and being engaged with the contradictory opinions rather than an indifferent disregard for other people's backgrounds and influence. Christians are called to live their life publicly so that those on the outside can be attracted to the faith (p. 130). The following sentence is key for me in understanding Fuller's perspective on interfaith dialogue: "We deemphasize the idea that Christians have God and all others don't by attempting to engage in open two-way conversations. This does not mean we have lapsed into relativism, as we still believe in the uniqueness of our own tradition, but we believe that it teaches us to be open to all. We are also genuinely open to being wrong about parts and perhaps all our beliefs - while at the same time being fully committed to them" (p. 132).

Chapter 7 Serving with Generosity
Hospitality and generosity are both important to emerging churches, in effort to serve both those inside and outside their specific communities. In referencing our consumer culture, church can become a producer/consumer relationship and the church seeks to market their brand to consumers. If church becomes that, there can be no sustainability. If Jesus stops satisfying, they will move on to another spiritual expression and never truly be satisfied. "Consumerism both pacifies and disempowers people and robs them of their individuality and creative potential (p. 139). Instead, in the emerging church, consumers must become active participants. They believe that people must be rescued from their greed and wastefulness in order to live a life of service and generosity. And this service is not viewed as a social service; instead, it is a spiritual practice that is part of their holistic way of life. Generosity stems not just from material wealth, but also giving of one's time and self, such as through one's vocation. Generosity is never calculating. It is extravagant (p. 152).

Chapter 8 Participating as Producers
In order to be incarnational participants in God's kingdom, church must be viewed as the body rather than the place. People must be given the space to use their gifts, making each one feel a sense of ownership and belonging. And in order to make the worship meaningful, it must be indigenous to the locale and not prescripted.
Seeking to be open and authentic can allow room for individuals to really wreak havoc on a community. However, the rest of the community must be prepared to handle those situations. The ultimate goal is to create a genuine worship environment for all people to fully participate in.

Chapter 9 Creating as Created Beings
God is a creative God. And he created us with the ability to be creative. This is a major emphasis of the emerging church. However, our society tends to McDonaldize life, seeking efficiency, calculability, predictability, and control. Bad news! We are each unique human beings born with creativity (even though I don't feel like I received a whopping helping of it!). Yet, creativity gives worshipers the opportunity to embrace aspects of God's character they normally would not acknowledge (p. 178).

The Reformed Church

Well, talking about the Reformed Church in class should be a review for this Presbyterian-raised girl, right? Not so much...
We learned a bit about Calvin's background - how he wrote the Institutes of reformation at the age of 27. He was a preacher, not a renowned theologian. His goal was to make the church more personal. He proclaimed the priesthood of all believers, not just the apostolic succession honored by the Catholic church. The main focus was on the word of God rightly preached and the sacraments of God rightly given. Before this time, sermons were delivered in Latin, so most church attenders (which was basically everyone during this time of Christendom) didn't understand the message. How preposterous that sounds to us now. I mean, I've attended church services in other countries where I don't understand anything, but it's more about being there out of respect for the people there. Why would I attend a church in my own cultural context where I didn't understand any of it? Yet, that was how it was back in the day. So this new idea of "go to church, listen to a message, live it out" idea was radical! Maybe today radical things would happen if all of us believers practiced those 3 parts.

Luther and Calvin

I've been thinking a lot about the role of church and state. How should they interface...or should they at all?
Learning about Luther and Calvin gives some insight into the importance of both realms engaging with one another. Luther's teaching was a reaction against Catholicism, declaring the priesthood of ALL believers. This was one of the impetuses to foster individualism in church and society - which at the time, was viewed as a positive move, but today is very questionable.
There are benefits to recognizing our individual value and role in God's Kingdom, but we cannot lose sight of the importance of the church, which is the body of Christ...we are called to be in community with one another, and not to be an island. Our professor said something along the lines of: As long as we think of church as a time and place, we will have the sacred and spiritual compartmentalized in our lives.
We discussed the cultural passivity many demonstrate regarding paid leadership in the church. When someone gets paid, others view their work as their job and don't see a need to play a role. I believe this is the exception rather than the rule, but it does have an impact. We also talked about how church buildings can become distractions rather than assets to support the work of the church. I think this was true in my home church, where the emphasis became social activities more so than ministry opportunities; and upkeep on the building was a constant concern.
The measure of growth in a church cannot be simply number of attenders...while that can be some indicator, there should be different kinds of fruit produced - such as hospitality in opening your home to others, serving the poor, organizing Bible studies, etc.
The constant theme in this class has been to rethink what it means to be church. John Calvin said that the "Marks of a church are a sermon rightly preached and sacraments rightly given." It is not some all-inclusive box that contains pews, hymnals, a pulpit, projector, etc. Those things are not inherently bad. We just need to be open to let God be God...and what a creative God we serve!

New Monastacism

Today we talked a bit about the New Monastacism movement, and watched an interview with Shane Claiborne online. I've heard a lot about this guy and the Simply Way intentional community that he and some friends started in the poorest neighborhood of Philadelphia. However, I had never heard him speak. I was impressed with how down-to-earth and humble he was. He didn't speak out in anger against the traditional church, but rather challenged people to think about what it truly means to follow Christ. He pointed out that's there's a huge different between believing in Jesus and following him. And he said that in his pursuit of Christ, he found him in unexpected places...not necessarily in the church, but rather in his poor communities with homeless moms and drug addicts.
Living in community is still a challenge for us in our very individualistic, compartmentalized lives. But I believe that's one of the biggest draws towards Africa for me...the interconnectedness of one another is their means of survival. Everyone is a brother, sister, cousin, aunt, uncle. And you take care of your family. I know there are a lot of churches here that are really good at taking care of their own, and even those in the community, or outside of country. But does it stop with material goods? What this New Monastacism group has done is plant themselves in a place...a place that from the outside appears to be very dark and hopeless...and be fully invested in that community, building relationships and supporting one another in a humble, self-sacrificing way. It's a beautiful model...but of course not everyone can or should move to the inner city and join this group. Yet, what would it look like to build a stronger community and serve your neighbors wherever you are? Opportunities abound when we start to look outward.

Class reflection

In today's class, we addressed some of the questions and thoughts the stemmed from the Missiology lecture last week. On the topic of how diversity is fostered in these "Fresh Expression" church movements, we learned that the small gatherings that form out of similar interests (surfers, youth, pub churches) are still connected to the larger body of the Anglican church. And justice is at the heart of the church plants. So there may not appear to be diversity, but the entire larger network has great diversity.
Our lecture then dealt with the movement of Catholicism around the world. The Portuguese sent voyagers south into West Africa, where they established themselves and the church, taking the natives as slaves. The faith was always viewed as the white person's religion and was imposed on them. However, time has healed wounds, and Africa now accounts for 10-15% of the worldwide Catholic population. In Asia, several sincere leaders, such as Francis Xavier and Matteo Ricci, brought Catholicism to the people. And in Latin America, of course, is the largest population of Catholics. The Catholic church does not seem to be in decline in any part of the developing world, largely due to charismatic movements that are rising in these areas.

Book Review #4

Global Pentecostalism by Donald E. Miller and Tetsunao Yamamori

"Religion is a rather earthy phenomenon that is mixed up with escapism, cultural baggage, and fraud. This observation is not new; it is what the prophets of the Hebrew scriptures and all of the great religious traditions have denounced. But there is another side to Pentecostalism that marches to a different drummer...."(p. 224).

This book is basically a global overview of the movements and social action taking place within Pentecostalism. The book questions whether Pentecostalism, in all its diverse forms, can make an impact on the major issues in our world, particularly in the developing world. The researchers also investigated the influence of church plants created by outside missionaries, as well as the impact of liberation theology on the current trends within the Pentecostal church.

Ch. 1 Global Pentecostalism
The major growth within the Pentecostal church is happening in the global south, and therefore Christianity is being reshaped by very contrasting cultures.
Three common misconceptions about Pentecostalism are dispelled:

1. Speaking in tongues, being slain in the Spirit, prophecying, etc. are not all demonstrated in every Pentecostal services 
2. Pentecostals are not comprised of lower-class, marginalized, or uneducated people
3. Because Pentecostals are believed to be fixated on the afterlife, they give no consideration to redeeming this earth

There are legitimate arguments for where these stereotypes originated, but this movement has evolved and grown out of that narrow point of view.
A primary focus of Pentecostalism is worship, and the heart of it is through music. 
 The movement was in part a reaction to the Enlightenment, which said that through reason and science everything can be explained, squelching the role of the Holy Spirit. Pentecostalism focuses on the spiritual realm, and this resonates with many non-western societies whose traditions are rooted in animism.

Three means that the Pentecostal faith can potentially lead social transformation include:

1. Through encouragement and offering people hope in eternal life, free from poverty and oppression.
2. Through improving social welfare, largely due to their stance against alcohol, drinking, drugs, gambling and womanizing.
3. Through focusing on human rights.  They practice equal leadership opportunities for all people to have a role and proclaim that we all have direct access to God.

Ch. 2  Progressive Pentecostals
This chapter describes some of the work being done around the world and the profound impact it's having.  For example, in Ethiopia, a local doctor has opened a clinic, training "health evangelists" to do home visits with parents to encourage a more healthy and sanitary living environment. This has, in turn, helped the community serve one another by working together to collectively solve their problems.  It moves beyond simply charity to create a community development program.
Pentecostals such as this doctor believe that it is impossible to separate their Christian faith and commitment from their community involvement.  Florence, the Doctor, said, "It is through poor and disenfranchised people that we encounter Jesus" (p. 40).
One pastor commented that they feed the hungry in order to share the gospel with them.  There is a belief that in order to escape poverty, one must have a strong faith in Christ (prosperity gospel).  There is also a consciousness of not wanting to create dependency, but wanting to empower people through economic opportunities, all the while being sensitive to local needs and political structures.
The types of programs they encountered included: emergency relief, education, counseling, mercy ministries, medical assistance, economic development, the arts, and policy change. The researchers concluded that all these initiatives seemed to flow naturally out of their sincere commitment to carrying out an incarnational ministry. Their mission is to view human lives holistically, recognizing both the physical and spiritual needs.


Ch. 3 Building a New Generation
This chapter looks at the various programs focused on children and youth, such as children's homes in Uganda for orphans, camp programs, schools, vocational training, rescuing street children and trafficked children.
Children are encouraged and trained in the arts to hold dramas in churches and play music for worship, which builds their self-esteem.
Women are also served through some of these initiatives because they are given key roles in serving, thus empowering them as community builders.
While many of the programs reach out to individuals, the intention is that it will impact the larger community.  The overarching belief is that children have rights and should be treated with dignity, and that the church has a responsibility to create a safe environment to allow them to flourish.

Ch. 4 Practicing the Faith
In order to further transform individuals and society into faithful followers of Christ, ministries such as drug rehabilitation centers are organized.  Teen Challenge is one of the largest of its kind, with a strong charismatic influence. There are also prison ministies, mental health services, caring for people with HIV/AIDS, and ministering to sex workers.
The goal with all these programs is not charity, but rather to prepare individuals to be contributing members of society.  They help with vocational training and microfinance assistance to encourage people to start businesses. 
In addition, effort is made to encourage political involvement.  While Pentecostal churches are generally known for seeing politics as corrupt and not having a lot of direct involvement, there are still some more progressive leaders who try to foster engagement and dedication to improving conditions for the poor through politics. 
This book seeks to highlight the emergence of a new group of Pentecostals who still recognize the vital role of the Holy Spirit, but also seek to engage the world around them.  They recognize the teachings and life of Christ as seeking justice for the poor, prostitutes and children.

Ch. 5 Encounters with the Holy
In looking at the worship traditions of Pentecostals, it is highly participative. People attending are fully involved and there is a particular emphasis on touch, as people lay hands on one another and share the kiss of peace. Music is integral.  The worship experience is centered around corporal singing and music.  The typical flow follows a general pattern: 1) upbeat, energetic songs, 2) contemplative songs, 3) pray, maybe some speaking in tongues, 4) offering of scripture, sermon, invitation for healing, and 5) celebratory praise.  Dance is another common element of worship.
Prayer are more simplistic and personal than the traditional scripted prayers of Catholics and other Protestant denominations. However, it said that sometimes people will get lost in their prayer, gradually falling into a sermon with their eyes closed.
Gifts of the Spirit, such as speaking in tongues, healing, prophecy, and being slain in the Spirit are all common elements of Pentecostal worship. As mentioned before, these are all very cultural accepted practices for many non-western cultures. Western modern worldview often dismisses the presence of the spiritual realm - demons, spirits, etc.
Some churches have multiple services and the music worship style is altered for a certain demographic attending the service.  (So this is not just a western phenomenon, or was it transported?)
It was addressed in this chapter that Pentecostalism should not be viewed as a reversion to primitivism, but instead it is "ironically postmodern rather than primitive. It encourages people to merge mind and body into a unified expression that honors emotional and physical expressions as integral elements of worship" (p. 142).
The building structure of Pentecostal churches comes in many shapes and sizes, from multi-million dollar facilities, to simple shacks.
"It is the divine-human encounter that empowers people to help their immediate neighbor, as well as engage in various community building activities (p. 132).
The large emphasis is made on displaying unconditional love to all people. 

Ch. 6 Born in the Image of God
This chapter addresses the interaction of religion and economics.
The Pentecostal ethic aligns most closely with the Protestant ethic, fostering an honest, disciplined, transparent work ethic, viewing their vocationo as a calling by God that they must remain committed to. However, one step further, Pentecostals are strongly encouraged, as a new creature in Christ, to refrain from "pleasures of the flesh." Therefore, they have more money to invest in education, business, or other family/friends. 
There is a strong belief in the blessings one receives from tithing. Several testimonies were shared from individuals from India and Kenya who were successful in business, which they attributed to tithing. 
The Pentecostal tradition really emphasizes the dignity and worth of each individual, as a child of God.  Their core value proclaims the priesthood of all.  They were one of the first to give equal rights to women in ministry.
The church's vast services help members get a bit of an advantage in competing for business opportunities and jobs. The researchers recognized a correlation between Pentecostalism and capitalism, as many converts demonstrated upward social mobility.

Fresh Expressions, part 2

Bishop Cray is probably on an eastbound plane heading back to the UK, but not before really leaving a mark on this community and giving us much to ponder and wrestle with.  His talk really delved into what the essence of Christianity is and how we build a community of people who seek to embody that.  It centers on the cross.  We can't lose that focus in the midst of church hierarchy, rules, structure, traditions, etc. 
People say that humans are born with an intrinsic desire to understand the meaning of life and to recognize a power beyond ourselves.  However, this seems to be lost from a large population of the British, according to what we heard about the status of faith in British society.  So many do not even know who Jesus is or what a church is for.  The days of Christendom are long gone, though the Church of England is still in existence.  It's still hard for me to fathom a place where church is an oddity.
The challenging part for me in hearing about these "organic" church initiatives is, where does the diversity come in? I think it's wonderful to work within existing networks to grow a church, but it becomes a very homogeneous community.  If I hang out with a bunch of farmers forever, how will I ever learn to appreciate and relate to city folk?  And we're instructed to respect and learn from our elders; so a community of youth have little guidance and wisdom to draw upon in their circle.

Big Bear

It's been a while since I've shared any pictures on here...it's also been a while since I wrote something other than school work.  I apologize.  The reason for no pictures is because I lost my battery charger, so I've had a dead camera battery for a couple months.  The reason for no fun posts is because I've been too consumed with school and work to do anything fun, let alone write about it.
However, after an intense 2 weeks studying poverty and development under the renowned Bryant Myers (Walking with the Poor anyone??  I know my fellow CCSPers and ECHO folks are with me!), my brain was jello.  It was a lot to take in 3 hours a day for 2 weeks straight, in addition to working and taking my other classes.  So I needed a weekend without thinking!  Thankfully, largely in honor of Daphne's birthday and the fact that they are moving to Cambodia in several weeks, Daphne's husband, Ryan, organized a weekend away for 10 of us in a cabin in Big Bear, a lovely town in the mountains 2 hours northeast of LA.  People were actually skiing up there already, though the temperatures were still in the 60's!
It was such a wonderful weekend to relax, go hiking, journal, enjoy the hot tub, play dominoes, realize how bad I am at pool, breathe fresh air and just decompress! 
I wish I had some pictures to show what a gorgeous setting it was, but I'm sure Daphne will post pictures eventually:
http://ryandaphne.typepad.com/