Original Sin and Alzheimer's - Theology Matters

When we first got the diagnosis, I was pissed... pissed at Adam and Eve.

Kim

When Adam sinned, everything changed - the relationship of Adam and Eve, their relationship with God, nature - everything... including the introduction of death. God warned that sin would lead to death and in the chapters following Genesis 1-3 the genealogies end the same - 'and he died.' Alzheimer's disease, like all diseases is a result of the death that came with Adam's original sin.

Today I visited Kim and her husband Daryl at a local hospital - Kim's mother has been dying because of Alzheimer's and it seems that the end is very near. Kim's theology rightly places the blame for her mother's disease and death on sin. Likewise, her understanding of the hope that we have in Jesus for a restoration of all things lost and broken by sin gives her great joy - knowing that her mother is a follower of Jesus means that one say they will meet again - next time without suffering, pain, disease, or death.

Theology really does matter, and really is practical.

Changing - to the glory of God

New City Church often asks the question - if the Kingdom of God dropped down on our city center, what would change? The answer - everything.

As the kingdom visible in our city center, we expect to be a catalyst for gospel change in our city. We expect to see everything in our city transformed. So we are involved in many, many things in our city.

I wanted to share - to the glory of God - several comments from non-New City downtown leaders:

"You guys have done more to change downtown than anyone."

"New City and the 567 have been the catalyst for all that has happened over the past 2 years."

"The people you are bringing into the city are our future."

"You guys give me hope for our city's future."

Four conversations with four different people over the past two weeks - one common theme - New City Church is changing downtown.

One Sermon - Two Places

Last Sunday we started a new series - Who Is Jesus: the gospel according to Mark. I am really excited about the series because:

1) I have never preached through an entire gospel

2) We get to look at the Jesus of Scripture every week

3) For the first time, New City Church will have one sermon in two places.

Ryan and I are working together to outline Mark and organize thoughts for each sermon. The sermons will not be exactly the same as we are each writing our own sermon, but we will both cover the same verses and hit the same big ideas. So a person could attend the New City Church milledgeville gathering on Sunday, then connect with a New City Church downtown MC during the week and be a part of the sermon discussion!

This has been a part of our vision since before we held our first gathering - one church in Middle Georgia, one mission and vision, going one direction together! God is graciously working in and through us.

Coming Back To Life

2010 was a tough year... maybe one of the toughest so far, and I have had some tough years. I never imagined how hard the renovations to the new building would be. Even now, I have searched for weeks to find the right words to describe things and just cannot find them - but I will try...

In January 2010 we negotiated the deal that would move New City Church and The 567 to a 12,000 square foot building in the heart of downtown. The building had been vacant for 12 years and would require a total renovation - gutting the interior completely and starting new with everything.

Neither New City nor The 567 had very much money, nor was it possible to borrow money for the project. This meant that I would largely act as the general contractor - being here everyday to line up contractors and oversee the work. It also meant that as much could be done by New City or 567 volunteers would have to be. This also made me chief laborer.

Work began in late January. For 5 months I tore down, cut out, put up, hauled off, pushed, pulled, and dragged - in by the end of June New City was able to hold services in the main venue of the new 567.

It then took us a couple of months to finish up minor details and settle in a bit... then we started upstairs.

Nothing was different financially - except that we now had less money! The upstairs of the new building houses a music studio, an art gallery and music venue, 8 offices, restrooms, and 5 large multi-use rooms... quite a bit more work than the main floor. We are mostly finished with the second floor and should have a full Certificate of Occupancy this week.

As general contractor and chief laborer as well as pastor, President of the 567, husband, and father I worked, perhaps sinfully in 2010. The vast majority of the year I worked 7 days a week, night and day, putting in more hours than I could possibly count.

I want to say that God has been incredibly good during this stretch - to me, my family, the church, and the 567. We have fought, as a family, for time and for sanity. The church has continued to grow in number and in influence in our city. The 567 is truly becoming a core part of the downtown community and a great catalyst for transformation.

I also want to say thanks - to Kevin Welsh who has worked about as many hours on the building as I have and who has sacrificed to see us get in. And thanks - to all of the volunteers that I haven't thanked enough for all of their incredible and free labor. And thanks - to all of the contractors who, for the advancement of the kingdom cut prices for us to see this through. Thanks to my family.

I should also apologize - and ask the forgiveness of a whole lot of people - when I am tired I am not the easiest guy to be around - I am sorry.

This year has hurt me more than I could possibly explain - physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.

but

I feel like I am finally beginning - BEGINNING - to breathe again - to live again... I'm coming back to life.

The 567 is Seeking Your Art Donation

We are seeking donated artwork suitable for hanging on a permanent basis.

The 567 Center is moving from its current location to 533 Cherry Street. The new location will provide 12,000 square feet of multi-use space including ‘incubator offices’ for new business starts, a 300 seat music/events venue, a 100 seat music/events venue, and hundreds of square feet of wall space for art.

Our art walls will include space for monthly art shows as well as permanent display space. Our permanent walls are located in the glassed window displays on Cherry Street, the 567’s Lobby, stairway walls, as well as hallways. We are seeking donated artwork suitable for hanging on a permanent basis.

Any submitted work should be in keeping with the fact that the 567 is an all ages art and music venue which will host events for all ages. Submissions should be ready for hanging.

If you are interested in donating your art to the 567, please email Keith Watson, keith@newcitydowntown.org.

Seeing Youth Ministry Happen Without A Youth Group

It is far from a 'blossom' at this point, but maybe we are pushing through the dirt toward a blossom.

The discussion on ministering to our New City kids and reaching other kids in a model other than the Youth Group model continues to take place. A couple of days ago I sat with a New City family that I love very much to discuss leadership's vision for ministering to our older kids. The meeting was painful. This mom and dad had a great experience in a Youth Group ministry model and they cannot imagine that any other model could effectively reach and minister to kids. They are praying now as to whether or not they will stay at New City even though their children are years away from a youth group. I cannot imagine any pastor feeling good about a family like this one possibly leaving the body. It is discouraging.

Yet in the midst of that discouragement comes great encouragement! While i am working on this week's sermon, Amy and Ivey are at a horse show in which Ivey is competing. Amy called to give me an update just a few minutes ago. She also told me that Ivey had an audience today - Amanda (a recent college grad) who has become one of Ivey's friends came to support her. Amanda and Ivey text, face book, talk - and sometimes Amanda comes to hang out with Ivey. Megan, Ivey's MC (missional community) leader also came to the show, bringing with her Jenna (a middle schooler) also now in Megan's MC with Ivey.

A couple of weeks ago, following an MC meeting almost the whole MC group drove over to the baseball park to watch the last half of Robby's game. They stayed until the last out of the extra-innings game even though Robby had been pulled out of the game in order for some of the younger guys to get playing time. Every one of them (I think) stuck around until the coaches were done talking to the players so that they could speak to Robby.

Is this the totality of our vision for ministering to our students? Far from it. But it is a great start... A New City Community ministering to, supporting, and loving the kids that God has brought their way and reaching out to others who are not really connected to the community.

New Space in the News

Church revives downtown landmark
By CHRIS HORNE - chorne@macon.com
Photo by Beau Cabell

For the first time in its history, the old building at 533 Cherry St. is about to be the home of something besides R.S. Thorpe & Sons, a men’s clothier that set up shop there in 1929.

In mid-June, it’s set to reopen as the 567 Center for Renewal, a multipurpose facility catering to local music, the arts and entrepreneurship. The center will be operated by New City Church.

”I think it’s really important for Cherry Street for New City Church to buy and renovate such an historic building,” said Mike Ford, president of NewTown Macon, an organization that works for the revitalization of downtown Macon.

Thorpe’s, as the clothier was better known around town, was established in Macon in 1908. For nearly 85 years, men all over Middle Georgia bought their suits at Thorpe’s, a mainstay of downtown retail. R.S. Thorpe even operated another branch in Lexington, Ky.

All told, the business survived the Great Depression, the physical collapse of its original location and even a fire in 1939, but it couldn’t survive the sprawl that swept shoppers out into suburbs, turning the city’s urban core into a virtual ghost town.

In 1992, Thorpe’s closed.

For the next 17 years, the building remained vacant, gathering cobwebs and dust. The facade deteriorated, and the rusty iron frame of the former awning became another downtown eyesore.

But better days were ahead.

Out with the old

The first step back to life for the Thorpe building came when the Facade Squad, a local nonprofit dedicated to improving deteriorated facades, used a $15,000 grant from the Community Foundation of Central Georgia to repair the building’s front.

Keith Watson, pastor of the New City Church, said the first time he was able to take a good look at the building was when the Facade Squad was making repairs.

Ultimately, that trip inside led Watson and his congregation to where they are now, writing the opening lines of a new chapter for the building.

While the church, which currently meets at the Cox Capitol Theatre on Sundays, will gather at the 567 Center for worship services, Watson says the center will operate as a separate entity. It will focus on arts and culture for the entire city, especially downtown.

Historic Macon Executive Director Josh Rogers, who serves on the board of the Facade Squad and worked on the Thorpe building’s facade renovation, said he’s happy to see the 567 Center move in.

“We never imagined, in our wildest dreams, (the renovated facade) would bring in such a big investment,” he said. “We just hoped it’d look better.”

Facade Squad Director Shae Hinson said he thinks the 567 Center will have a catalytic impact on both historic preservation downtown and cultural activity.

“What we did is very little compared to what is going to be going on downtown,” he said.

A fresh start

The 567 Center for Renewal is named after the little storefront at 567 Cherry St. where Watson transformed his office into the 567 Cafe.

At the cafe, spoken word poetry and singer-songwriter nights merged seamlessly in the small venue with art openings, rock shows and hip-hop concerts — nary a Bible in sight — to form an early version of the sort of arts and cultural events they want to do in the center.

The 567 Center is a bigger, more-thought-out update of the 567 Cafe vision, which is to reach out to the creative culture that has formed around downtown without beating people over the head with the tenets of the church’s faith.

“We believe God is a creative God, and he created humanity in his image so humanity is also creative,” Watson said. “What are some of the most beautiful things about life on Earth? I think it’s the arts.”

When he looks back through the story of Jesus, Watson said the people Jesus “beat up on were the Pharisees and the hypocrites. The rest of the world he just hung out with and got along with.” So the open-armed welcome New City gives to Macon’s creative community is, Watson said, an effort to be more like Jesus.

As such, the 567 Center — about 11,000 square feet spread out over two stories — will have a venue for live music downstairs that seats 300 and a recording studio upstairs. In time, it will have the ability to video live shows. Watson said he plans the venue to have the ability to record audio from a live show and burn it immediately to a CD as a post-concert souvenir.

The center also will do its part to help another group of creative people grow downtown: small-business owners.

Watson said the center is being outfitted for a “business incubator,” a group of affordable office spaces with shared access to Internet, phone lines, a copier, fax machine and a conference room, all intended to help entrepreneurs get started without breaking their bank.

A downtown hub

As a little girl, Wimberly Treadwell spent every Christmas working the gift-wrapping station at Thorpe’s. Her great-grandfather was R.S. Thorpe, so working there was a family affair.

It had its perks, too. Every year as the Christmas parade packed the streets of downtown, Treadwell said she had the perfect seat, looking out over Cherry Street from the second floor.

Now that she’s an architect responsible for the CityScapes program, which has cleaned up downtown’s alleys and dressed up its sidewalks, Treadwell has watched the slow decline of the Thorpe building.

“It was so troubling to just see it sitting there empty,” Treadwell said. “It was such a hub downtown for so long.”

Seeing new life breathed into the building, Treadwell said she couldn’t be more excited.

“(Watson’s) so great for downtown,” she said. “I think the 567 Center is a great idea.”

Sean Pritchard is a local music promoter who has put together about 25 shows at the 567 Cafe, most recently in conjunction with The Blue Indian, the Macon-based indie music blog.

Initially concerned about working with a venue connected with a church, Pritchard said he’s been pleasantly surprised by Watson’s openness to art and music. That openness has created the opportunity for new connections among Macon’s artists.

“They just don’t want an empty building sitting there on a Friday night,” Pritchard said.

“The best part about working with (Watson) and the 567 is they know a lot of people, and those people are interested in working together. A lot of informal networking has been happening.”

Working with the blog’s founder, Luke Goddard, Pritchard has brought a national indie music sensation, Washed Out, to the cozy confines of the cafe, drawing fans from Athens, Atlanta and Savannah.

With the bigger space and improved sound system, Pritchard thinks he’ll be able to put on better shows with larger crowds. That, he said, will have a trickle-down effect on downtown businesses.

“(The crowds) are going to want to go somewhere to eat, and they’re going to want somewhere to shop,” he said.

Goddard agrees, seeing it as a perfect fit for the creative and the business sides of downtown.

“For the music side of Macon, I think it’s going to be huge,” he said.

For Watson, the doors can’t open soon enough.

“We’re in a city we really love and care about, and being in this building keeps us in the middle of the arts and entertainment district where new business is coming in,” he said. “This helps us be a part of seeing all that continue.”

Information from Telegraph archives was used in this report. To contact writer Chris Horne, call 744-4494.
Read more: http://www.macon.com/2010/05/15/1128947/church-revives-downtown-landmark.html#ixzz0nznO38Vz

A Culture of Youth Groups and A Church Without One - Part 8 - "Orphaned" Kids

Some of the most common questions I receive about not having a Youth Group are centered on youth/students who attend church without their parents. Some of the questions are:
How will we reach these kids?
How will we minister to them?
If all ministry is “family ministry” won’t these kids feel awkward and out of place?

Let’s start with the first question - How will we reach these kids?
HOW?
For the most part, kids reach kids. It is extremely rare that a parent randomly picks a church and then drops their children off at that church with NO relational connections to the church. In fact, I have never seen or heard of this (though I am pretty sure it happens – rarely). Kids go to church with their friends or a friend’s family. This means that in the vast majority of instances when a child whose parents do not attend a church attends church, he does so at the invitation of another student and usually with that student. NCCd expects to reach students in the same way – through existing and new relationships which are primarily student to student.
With What?
I addressed a key philosophy for NCCd Part 6 of this series, number 3 – little “a” attractional, BIG “M” Missional. As a church we major on being missional in that we press our people to live like missionaries. This isn’t just an adult philosophy, but a church philosophy. We believe that Christian children are a part of the body of Christ (the church) and that they, like mom and dad, are called to live out the Great Commission of Matthew 28. We believe that they too are a part of the priesthood of believers who are called to proclaim the excellencies of Him called them (us) out of darkness and into His marvelous light. The mission that adults and children are tasked with – make disciples and teach them.
This is very different from the Big A – Attractional church where events are planned that youth and students can invite other youth to where a specialized “Priest” (youth minister) does the work of ministry by sharing the gospel somewhere in the midst of fun activities. The Youth Minister fulfills the Great Commission by making disciples and teaching them. The Youth Group’s responsibility is to have fun and invite their friends.

SO – while we do things that are fun for our kids – 2nd Sunday Brunch, 4th Sunday Fun, MC 3rd week events – and that other kids can be invited to, what we really hope to see are missional kids and missional families who relationally make disciples of other students and teach them through life together.

How will we minister to them?
Hopefully you read the response to the first question above! If so, you can see that ministry to “orphaned kids” is done primarily through families. This is most natural because the orphaned child likely already has a relationship with the family through a child. Outside of the family, is the Missional Community. The community as a whole reaches out, helps out, and “adopts the “orphaned child.” In community the child is loved, cared for, poured into, led, built up, encouraged…
Let me give you a non-church picture of this. Last Fall I helped a friend, Brad coach Robby’s football team. A parent had met a family – single mother, African-American, very impoverished, several children. One of the children wanted to play football. The White parent took the impoverished child to try outs and paid for him to play. She communicated to the coaches that they would need help with the child. Brad picked this kid to be on our team. Then Brad “adopted” him for the season. Brad, or me, picked him up for every practice and game and took him home. After every practice Brad and his son went to a local restaurant with another coach and his son. The “adopted” child went with them. Brad fed him, included him – he became a part of the family. Several times Brad picked him up and brought him home to play with his own son. I think he may have even spent the night with Brad’s family a time or two. Here’s what the “adopted” child saw - he saw a whole, healthy family with a mom, dad, and children who lived together and loved one another; he saw discipline and order; he saw unconditional love.
What if we did that? As a church. What if we “adopted” those “orphaned” youth and rather than SENDING them once a week to youth group, we included them in our lives – where they saw healthy families, saw healthy relationships with other families, saw and heard the Gospel working in a family and in a community?
This isn’t IDEALISTIC – I have seen it happen. I have seen the changes that it brings to the life of a child. I heard the hope for future that was stirred in an impoverished child without a dad around.

If all ministry is “family ministry” won’t these kids feel awkward and out of place?
NO. Not if we follow the model that I described above. Not if we truly love children. AND not if we recognize what is really going on around us:
On Sundays my kids often sit with other kids in their age group rather than sitting with Amy and me.
At events, my kids play/hang out with other kids – sometimes that includes Amy and me, sometimes not (while we are there together, Robby throws the ball, skates, swims… with his friends).

I (WE) love youth/students – I have 2 children who are youth aged. I love them and want what is best for them. The bottom line is that we believe this model of ministry to be most biblical, more effective and better for youth/students than the Youth Group model. If we didn’t, we wouldn’t be pursuing it.

A Culture of Youth Groups and A Church Without One - Part 7 - What Then?

So if you don't have a Youth Group - what then?

What do you do to minister to young people?

Lets start with the elements of a youth group ministry - what are the things that most people are looking for in a youth group?

1) friends/peers

2) teaching on the Christian life

3) fun (nights and events)

4) trips (youth camp, mission trips, six flags...)

5) worship

Am I missing anything?

First a simple question - MUST we have a youth group in order to have all of the above for students?

At New City we see ourselves as a church of house churches that gather together on Sundays for worship and celebration. For us that means that the majority of church life happens in our "house churches" which we call Missional Communities. These communities should be made up of a diverse group of people - various ages, stages of life, socio-economic positions, and even races. This community is the BEST place for the body to enjoy and participate in all of Scripture's "one anothers" - be at peace with one another, love one another, serve one another, be devoted to one another, build one another up... Though we don't do it all that well YET, our MCs will be diverse and will include youth/students. So is it possible that a few families with children of similar ages could get together as a part of one of our MCs? You know, so that young people/youth/students had time together with their peers/friends during the week when the MC met? And could the MC plan something that those students would enjoy for the 3rd week's 'get out of the house' night - you know something fun? And - when the MC is discussing the sermon from the past week and helping the community apply the gospel to life as they learn to walk the Christian Life, could students not be included by asking specific age related questions? Then - sometimes - depending on the subject matter - maybe the younger crew could be separated from the older and have some direct and intentional youth/student teaching - could that be possible?

And that is just in the MC

Add to MC life some other activities and events - like:

Second Sunday brunch - following our Sunday gathering for worship and celebration we head to Washington Park where we listen to music, have a picnic lunch and hang out with friends. The little kids love running around the park and playing in the water. The bigger kids and adults get to talk with friends/peers and enjoy the day.

Fourth Weekend Fun events - these are new - so far we have had 2. The first was skating! Oh yeah - old school roller skating! The kids loved it - the adults loved it. More fun with friends and peers. This past Sunday we went to the Amerson Water Park. The littlest played on the play ground with mom, dad, and their pee wee friends. Bigger kids (of all ages) threw the Frisbee, the football, baseball, and hiked - some to the pond, others to the River. This was yet another opportunity for students/youth to hang out with friends, have fun, and still be a part of the community of New City.

Yeah - but what about Mission Trips, Youth Camps... Several years ago we started a partnership with missionaries in Mexico. They were border missionaries so we stayed in Texas and crossed the border each day. It was an awesome partnership - one that extended to another church, and another church! When we went that first year our whole family went - in fact several families went. Our kids interacted with the Spanish speaking Mexican kids, they worked with us during the day, and in the evening they helped and participated in VBS in Mexico. It was great for all of us... and we did it as a community, a family - and not as a youth group. YES - it is possible.

It is also possible for MCs to take off to Six Flags, or for our Fourth Weekend Fun be a trip to White Water.

AND - there are always PARENTS! Parents could call up friends of their kids and take them all bowling - or swimming - or whatever. Kids could hang with kids - go to a concert, the mall, riding horses, and whatever else their kid finds fun with their friends! Take 4 in your car and have your friend take 4 in their car... and we still don't HAVE TO HAVE a youth group!

SO - without a youth group our students/youth get

1) friends/peers

2) teaching on the Christian life

3) fun (nights and events)

4) trips (youth camp, mission trips, six flags...)

5) worship

In addition they learn from others in an intergenerational environment that many studies show is better than segregated learning. They learn life from all ages. They see the struggles and victories of families, of single adults, of rich people, and poor people - people of all ages. They also get to be a part of the community that is the church. In that community they enjoy and practice the "one anothers" and they have an opportunity to serve and be served in the whole body - not as a church within a church that consists almost exclusively of other students. They have an opportunity to discover their own spiritual gifts and to use them for the good of the body.

Am I missing anything? Did I leave anything out?

I recognize that this is different - but different can be better.

I also realize that we are not there yet. But maybe this series of posts is the start.

** My next post will be on Orphaned Kids - What about those kids whose parents don't participate in church?

A Culture of Youth Groups and A Church Without One - Part 6 - Foundational Philosophies

Every solid building has a solid foundation. The foundation is the underlying base and support on which the building stands. The foundation also serves to tie all of the parts of the building safely together - strengthening the whole. Without a foundation walls and supports move and over time a building crumbles and falls apart. Jesus said that a wise man builds his house on a foundation of rock - it is strong and a building on it is not easily shaken. A foolish man builds on a shifting foundation like sand, because when the stream beats against that house, the foundation washes away and the house is destroyed.

The ultimate foundation for the church is the Gospel of Jesus Christ - but that is not the foundation I am referring to in this post. I referring to the foundational philosophies of ministry for nccd - the underlying base principles on which our ministries (and methods) are built. Let me share a few key foundational philosophies:

1) Parents are the primary teachers of children. Most of you reading this likely agree with this principle which is a clear teaching in Scripture. Because we believe this to be true, nccd will not take on the parents' responsibility to teach their children. Instead we will support parents in teaching their children and we will strive to equip parents to teach their children.

2) Community serves as the basis for making and maturing disciples. We were created for community. Community provides strengths for our weaknesses. In community our strength serves the weaknesses of others. Jesus gathered his disciples into community; he taught them in community; and he sent them out as a community. The New Testament epistles seem to show that the first churches followed the model established by Jesus - they too gathered into community, learned in community, went out (and served) as a community. We see community as a major means of extending the gospel to our city, of gathering believers and not-yet believers together, and as the primary place for discipleship. Therefore, rather than providing a list of events and programs for our people to choose from, we schedule little and push hard for people to be involved in a small community of people at new city known as a Missional Community.

3) We are BIG "M" missional and little "a" attractional. That is, we major on our people understanding that they are called to be missionaries, and equipping them as missionaries to live the life of a missionary - a life of making disciples and teaching those disciples (The Great Commission). We DO believe that people should be attracted to us as we look more and more like Jesus, but we don't focus on being the biggest/best/most fun/entertaining church that attracts people with a BIG A Attraction. (more on that here and here and here)

Since youth/students are a part of the church then these philosophies form the foundation youth/student ministry just as they do for adult ministry...

* If we want the next generation to be missional, then we must train them to be missional and the way to do that is (in part) by NOT doing BIG A Attractional youth ministry. Leading adults who grew up as attracted consumers to be a missional community is a tough! Wouldn't it be foolish to perpetuate this difficulty by raising up attracted consumer students that would one day need to be taught about missional living?

* If we want the next generation to be contributing members to the community now and in the future - shouldn't we make sure they are a part of the community now? And if community is the best place and the biblical model for advancing the gospel (making disciples) and for teaching disciples then why would we want our children/youth/students NOT in community?

Clearly there are other philosophies. The purpose of this post is not to say that there is only one way to do youth ministry or to say all other ways are bad. The purpose is to help you understand the foundational philosophies that lead us to do the things that we do - and don't do.

My next post will be on our vision for just what this ministry could look like.