Part one of this series looked at the dynamics of small, medium, and large groups. Read it here.
​Part two offered some advice on cultivating medium sized groups. Read it here.
This final part of our series on gathering gives nine tips for leading a life group. Put them to use and start your own!

1. Start the party before the party starts. People are apprehensive when they arrive, especially when they don’t know what to expect. Be ready to start 10 minutes before your start time - food, music, chairs, lights - all in place. By doing so, you are saying, “I’m glad you’re here.”
2. End on time. Nothing is more deadly than a group that never ends… every week.
3. Ask open ended questions. Open ended questions cannot be answered with one word (yes, no, maybe). Ask questions that start with ‘how’ and ‘why.’  A favorite question of mine is, “What did you notice when…?”
4. Pray for one another. However you want to do it, but do it. Aloud together, share requests then pray in silence. Regardless of what you ‘believe’ about prayer. Even if God doesn’t listen or can’t intervene, praying for one another is one of the great gifts of life together.
5. Call each other during the week. Agree upfront to check in with each other. Give each other the permission to keep calls short. The accumulative connecting adds up.
6. Celebrate often… big things and little things. Celebrate everything. Cakes or compliments. Whatever works.
7. Address a felt need immediately. Sometimes a need is expressed that can be met immediately. When this happens, meet the need, immediately. Someone breaks down while sharing a prayer request? Pray for them immediately. Be willing to throw out the “agenda” to meet a need.
8. Help challenging people offline. Someone in the group is going to try your patience. They will say too much, listen too little, laugh to hard (or too little). For reasons that everyone can see or only you, they annoy you. First, remember YOU are that person to someone else. Next, address them directly outside of the group time. More often than not, doing so will engender empathy and help your group. Doing otherwise is toxic.
9. Give it away. Whatever “goodness” you receive from your group cannot be held on to, kept, or saved up. It must be given away. That’s God’s economy. “Your” group will not last forever. Give it away. Invite someone. Launch another group. 

What’s on your tip list? Let us know in the comments.

​~Sean

Most of you probably don't know that last Sunday, August 28, First Baptist Church in Newton made 12 large tables and 100 chairs available for the Boston Indie Game Dev Summer BBQ. It was a fun gathering of a diverse group of people in the Boston area who make tabletop games and video games. It happened the day after Boston GameLoop, an unconference (or open conference) about game development and related topics. Besides technical discussions, issues like cultural competency were discussed. I even led a discussion on good and bad examples of depictions of religion in video games.  

Volunteers from the event arrived at the church Sunday morning to help pick up and transport everything to the American Twine building in Cambridge where the event was held. It was a great group to work with, and they were even kind enough to put thank you notes to the church on all the tables.

Finally, I want to share with you a thank you note from one of the event organizers. I hope it gives you a sense of how much this simple act of generosity was appreciated.

As someone who loves video games and has been getting more involved with the Boston game developer community over the years, I echo those sentiments.

~Ben Chicka

I sat in on the recent Reimagining Theological Education: Online Conference (June 28, 2016). To those close to it, the need to rethink the training of religious leaders is obvious. What is less obvious is how to gather interested parties to collaborate and begin building what is not-at-all obvious - an effective approach to training religious leaders for the 21st century. 

Doug Pagitt (who joined us here during Lent) and Jeremy Fackenthal hosted the online gathering with graciousness, deftly navigating the challenges of online communication with humor and ease. Panelists included: Brian McLaren (who will join us for a special event in November), Phillip Clayton, Kelly Leamon, and Eric Samuelson.

The two-hour session was divided into three formats: 

1. Panelists shared live, often responding to questions from Doug.
2. Panelists shared videos which reported on conclusions from different work groups charged with reflecting on different topics related to rethinking training religious leaders.
3. “Breakout” sessions divided the 70+ participants at random into smaller groups to discuss assigned questions.

The bulk of the content will be available elsewhere, including a video. What I will offer here is a reflection on my own “training” as a way of contributing to the conversation. Ultimately, what I hope will be clear is how my experience affirms many of the insights and conclusions thus far. 

I will address three specific points mentioned in the conversation.

1. Most people are not following a “traditional” path into ministry.
2. A “modules” approach has been effective and will be effective in the future.
3. Being “problem centered” is not effective.

Most people are not following a “traditional” path into ministry
My childhood did not include a religious tradition, other than Sunday mornings at home with Bach and the San Francisco Chronicle (when I lived on the East Bay) or New York Times (when I moved to a Manhattan suburb). All in all, not a bad religious tradition! Nonetheless, my identity in relation to institutional church is as an outsider. Consequently, so was my entry into organized ministry.  

Para-church youth groups provided a bridge to institutions. My identity as an outsider was valued and provided an abiding and deep appreciation for the experience of those outside the community of faith. My own faith was the result of the “outward focus” of para-church groups and churches. I instinctively understood what it meant when I heard it said that “the church is the only organization that exists for the benefit of those outside of it.” While this is not entirely true, what it meant to me was that the heart of Christianity was the “Great Commission.” 

I have been fortunate to been involved with growing ministries for as long as I have been involved in organized ministry. Youth ministries, worship services, and new churches all grew numerically and outlived my involvement. Some extraordinarily so. In each setting, my gifts and passions were acknowledged and put to use regardless of formal training. I learned to learn. I sought out mentors, I attended conferences, and participated in ongoing local leadership groups. I was sought out and invited not based on my academic credentials, but on the apparent effectiveness of my work.

Ultimately, I enrolled in seminary. I began with a few courses, including some online (which in 1996-7 was quite ground breaking - hat tip to Leonard Sweet). I continued working full time, had my first son, and took classes. My ministry was growing, I was growing, and I was learning more at work than in school. Full-time theological school did not make sense. It gave me numerous gifts I treasure. However, an appreciation for what I was doing was by-in-large not one of them. How could it? I was not “sent” from a denomination or even by a church. I was not in a “calling” process or ordination track and my church did not fit neatly into a typical category. Despite my desire and efforts, I could not find a denomination that would support what I felt called to pursue. I could not afford the cost of membership.

I did graduate from theological school. It took a long time to complete part-time. There is a cost, for sure. However, I would choose it again in light of what at the time appeared to be the only alternative - feeling shackled by the limitations of failing institutions.
 
A “modules” approach has been effective and will be effective in the future
I pursued education and training with a decidedly pragmatic approach. It could easily be categorized as “modular.” Among other things, having one foot firmly planted in the emerging “information age” convinced me that the thriving churches of the future would not rely on “experts” - experts in Biblical interpretation, theology, or pastoral care. Churches would need different kinds of leaders in the wake of the internet boom, just as businesses have. Churches would need leaders that functioned more like “curators” who facilitated gatherings and settings where transformative encounters could occur.

I have studied at several different theological/seminary institutions in addition to my degree granting school. Each setting could be viewed as a “module.” I sought out different places for different things. A growing interest in the experience of the Early Church led me to study theology (liturgical and dogmatic/systematic) with the Eastern Orthodox Church (St. Vladimire’s Orthodox Seminary). Arguably, the Eastern Orthodox church has been the best caretaker of Early Church practice and thinking.  As their name implies, they have also retained a more “eastern” approach, less influenced by “either/or” thinking and more interested in “both/and” thinking. This has become especially relevant in our current cultural context which has a deepening appreciation for eastern approaches to spirituality like yoga and mindfulness or mediation.  It could be said that western Christianity is rediscovering its eastern roots.

I earned a certificate in Youth and Theology from Princeton Seminary. The spiritual formation of adolescents has been a central focus of much of my career and led me to deepen my understanding of child and adolescent development, and especially rites of passage. I developed a confirmation program and a leadership development process while actually working with hundreds of students over more than a decade. My academic engagement was fueled by specific concerns, a specific context, and specific people.

My education has not stopped since receiving my degree. My interests in the last decade have led me to explore continental philosophy more deeply, especially the religious turn in the philosophy of religion and radical theology. Most recently, I studied with the Global Center for Advanced Studies, a fledgling collection of researchers and instructors from around the world largely focusing on critical studies. The center provided the opportunity to study Radical Theology and interact directly with world renown figures in this area (John Caputo, Thomas Altizer, Peter Rollins, Creston Davis, et al). This work has been intensely practical and inspiring at the ground level of leading a church. It also provided me with an ongoing network of people with similar interests whom I draw upon regularly. All of this was accomplished online.

I also competed an 8 week mindfulness training at the University of Massachusetts designed by John Kabat-Zinn. This course was personally transformative, but has also deeply impacted how I approach “spiritual formation” in my congregation. Perhaps paradoxically, the experience built upon what I have learned from the Easter Orthodox Church.

Lastly, I would consider the small network of personal mentors I have cultivated over many years to be a form of learning “module.” Building and nurturing this group is an ongoing process requiring intention and skill. The value of such a group was impressed upon me as a young adult. I have worked diligently at cultivating a diverse group of people I admire with whom I can go to for encouragement and wisdom. In my experience, it is a skill that can be taught and one that is under appreciated.  Some of these mentors are from the world of business and have offered the equivalent of mini-MBA courses in leadership, fundraising, and organizational development.
 
Being “problem centered” is not effective
Brian McLaren noted that many of us in professional ministry have been trained to be problem solvers. However, what we are experiencing now is systemic change. Declining church attendance is not a problem to be solved, but a product of systemic cultural change. Systemic change requires adaptation and takes longer than typical problem solving. For perhaps the first time in history, the church is needing to answer the question, “Why do we exist?” Decades ago, Peter Drucker popularized two similar questions every organization needs to answer: “What’s our business” and “How’s business?” The first question must be answered before the second. Costco’s profit from sales does not define their business because they are not in the business of selling goods. They are in the business of selling memberships.

Those who are effectively adapting to the systemic cultural changes see opportunities. While launching a new church, we noticed many people who felt marginalized by traditional expressions of church. Consequently, we created opportunities which connected with these people. In truth, the number of things we did differently may have been outnumbered by the number of things we did not have to do because we were a new, younger church. Notably, our life together took on an increasingly liturgical, even traditional, shape. The frequency of communion increased, contemplative practices became more commonplace, and interest in rites-of-passage like baptism and confirmation were increasingly requested by those outside of the church community. What was obvious from the beginning, however, was that culture was critical.  Borrowing from Andy Crouch, culture is comprised of cultural “artifacts.” Consequently, our approach was less about solving a problem and more about creating “cultural artifacts” which reflected who we were aspiring to be (grace filled, creative, relational, intelligent, etc).  Eucharist, baptisms, and confirmation were all valued, but offered in a context which reflected the values and context of the local community.
 
Conclusion
As a way of contributing to the ongoing conversation, what I have offered here is a reflection on my own experience in ministry and my “training” in light of the recent Reimagining Theological Education gathering. My experience affirms many of the  insights and conclusions thus far and I look forward to seeing what emerges in the days ahead.

Sean Witty
Senior Minister

This past Sunday, August 14, Heather Palmer delivered our second Soapbox Sermon of the month. She was gracious enough to let us post the text of the message here for you to read. If you were present Sunday, surely you'll agree it is worth considering again. And if you could not join us Sunday, her fascinating personal story and message about hoping against hope is worth a read.

Get Ready for God: Grounded in Christian Faith
Delivered by Heather Palmer on Sunday, August 14, 2016
First Baptist Church in Newton

When I was very little, I knew exactly what God looked like. He had a longish face, a ruddy complexion, and curly, dark chestnut hair. Later I realized that this face actually belonged to the manager of the Baptist mission station in China where my father was a medical missionary. I still have a Christmas card that my parents sent home to England in 1939. It's hand written on thin airmail paper, with a small black and white family photo attached. There I am - the newborn baby - with my two older sisters, and my parents, looking very thin and very worried. By then, World War II made it too difficult to get back to England. Besides, the Japanese Forces occupying China allowed my father's medical work to continue, and his patients desperately needed him. Even after Pearl Harbor, when we and other enemy refugees were interned in a Japanese prisoner of war camp, I felt safe - because I was with my parents and their faith, hope, and love pervaded our family life. I remember the vigorous singing during church services in the camp - especially the carol "While Shepherds Watched their Flocks" and the Easter hymn "Jesus Christ is Risen Today.'' After the war, we sailed back to a "homeland" that I had never seen, where they prayed in the same words and sang those same carols and hymns.

While I was growing up in a grimy suburb of London we attended a Baptist church two, sometimes even three, times each Sunday, and a vigorous youth group on Sunday and Monday evenings. I was baptized when I was 12 and given as my personal text words from Paul's letter to the Galatians "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ Lives in me." I learned to practice daily Bible reading - from the only translation we had - the King James Bible. To this day, when I recall Bible passages they come to me in that translation.    

In high school, I joined the student-led Christian Union and shared experiences with girls from different Christian denominations. And when I got to University, I met intellectually stimulating theology, new Bible translations, and a dazzling array of Christian devotional styles and religious music. The vibrant Divinity school there was awash with the excitement of theological revolution. I joined Christian student groups and read much popular, and some formal, theology books. In my Bible reading, I learned that I should seek what the writer meant by digging into the historical context. I bought a concise Bible commentary and a Bible word dictionary. I came out of these experiences with a deep commitment and a systematic liberal theology framing my faith. 

With hindsight, it was a rather intellectual framework - a faith of ideas and actions: "I believe this, therefore I will do that." But, almost as an afterthought - of course - with God's guidance.

A Framework for Belief and Action
That framework carried me through the next phase of my life. I met my husband, Philip, when he came to my medical school on a summer exchange program from his medical school in Virginia. After a long distance courtship, we married 52 years ago, and I came to the States. Our residency and fellowship training soon brought us to Boston. My daily Bible reading fell by the wayside. But we joined church activities on the social justice issues of the day – civil rights and protest against the Vietnam War.

Soon, we found ourselves in the tug of war between work and family. By the time our two kids reached elementary school, we had settled in Newton and joined First Baptist Church. We became Sunday School teachers. Philip, with his gentle patient manner, was much better at it than I was! We served on various church committees. We couldn't attend mid-week study groups at church, but I usually read the book proposed for study. We faced various crises, of course - illnesses in our family, and some serious, bruising, challenges at work. But Bible readings that we shared in church, the sense of support from our church community, and our nightly prayers guided us through some wrenching decisions.

I worried that the culture in which our kids were growing up was overtly anti-Christian. And there was no youth group at First Baptist Church in Newton. I had a Jewish friend and neighbor, with kids the same age as ours, and she explained how the Seder and other home religious practices strengthened her kids' religious identity and sense of self-worth. So, taking that example, we invented our own practice of home worship. It began with an Advent wreath. For each Sunday of Advent, we had a theme with a brief phrase to remember. After dinner, we took turns reading passages from the Bible related to the theme. And we had an activity. For instance, on the first Sunday we had the room in darkness, then each lit our candles and talked about Jesus as the light coming into the darkness that had separated us. Then we added a Lenten series.

Again, each Sunday had its activity. For instance, early in Lent we planted dead looking seeds into little pots and then watched as they sprouted as we moved toward Easter. Finally we added year round what we called "Candle-time," which we kept up until our kids left for college. Every Sunday after supper we lit our own candle, shared reading of the lectionary passages, and then went round the table asking each person "Is there anything you want to thank God for or ask God's help with?" Recently, I learned with pleasure that our kids have warm memories of this home worship.

Christianity of the Heart
By the time our kids were out of the nest, and we had reached Medicare age, that framework of systematic liberal theology was feeling a little faded and church life seemed very routine. Then, immediately after Philip retired, 13 years ago now, came the biggest and final challenge of our married life. Philip began to develop dementia complicated by neuromuscular rigidity and disturbed behavior. I threw myself into doing everything I could to support him and thought I was managing brilliantly. But after 4 years, as his illness progressed, after many nights of lost sleep and troubled days, I wiped out. I woke with a complete memory loss – I could not remember what had happened even the second before. My daughter summoned an ambulance that got me to hospital where her then fiancé met me. Our son flew in from California. And church members helped us find support services for Philip. After about 6 hours, and several diagnostic tests, but without any treatment, my memory function returned.  But I knew I had exceeded my physical and emotional limits.

The intellectual framework of faith that had brought me thus far was not enough for the road ahead. With many sources of support now in place, including a couple of good angels that God sent to us, I began to get more rest, and resume physical exercise. On any given day, exercise can seem burdensome or unnecessary. But, if practiced consistently over time, it builds flexibility and strength. So, with the help of a therapist, I now began "practicing" relaxation exercises to build flexibility and strength in my handling of emotions and feelings. As with physical exercise, I learned to use these exercises even when I didn't feel I needed them. It proved easy to fit relaxation practices with Christian words and images from those stored in my mind. 

I couldn’t tell of course what would happen next. God doesn't promise that we will not suffer, but does promise that God will be there to help us bear the suffering and show us the way forward. Through activities and discussions at First Baptist Church in Newton over the past few years, we are rediscovering spiritual exercises that have long existed in Christianity. Along with many of you, I find that these spiritual exercises, when practiced consistently over time, build spiritual flexibility and strength. By God's grace, as we face serious challenges, we are together going deeper into the Heart of Christianity. We are joining the Church that is emerging among the tumultuous changes that catapulted us into this century.

It is a new phase of God's relationship with us. As our reading from Isaiah said "God says 'Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old. See, I am about to do a new thing'.” Those worship practices that had faded are not just to help us find Gods' guidance - they need to be revived to help us find God and God to reach us. God wants to clean out all that hinders love in us, to surround us with light so that we can see clearly and deeply, and to set us afire with love so that we can do God's work. 

In his book The Heart of Christianity, Marcus Borg explains loving God in terms of human relationships. When we love someone, we reach out to them, we pay a lot of attention to them, and we want to be with them and share everything with them. Just so, to love God, we wake up with God, we fall asleep with God, and in between share everything with God. This doesn't cut us off from life. Instead it enriches life as we become aware of the depths where we feel God's constant love and guidance.

How does this play out in daily life? Let me give a couple of examples. During Philip’s long slow decline I had to face difficult decisions that I could not discuss with Philip as we always would have done. Nine years ago, it became clear that his large size - he was 6 foot 5 inches tall and 260 lbs. - and his increasingly severe disability made it dangerous for us to keep him at home, even with two aides coming in to dress and shower him in the shower we had installed in our dining room. As I researched skilled nursing facilities, I also prayed constantly. I learned of a facility nearby that focused on quality of life, and the empathy of its staff. As I walked for the first time into the bright entryway, I heard clearly in my head, in just the voice that Martin Luther King had used in a famous sermon, "The Promised Land.” I knew that I had found the right place. Philip was there for the remaining 6 years of his life. His illness progressed to include difficulty speaking and swallowing. But the staff, the two good angels I mentioned earlier, and other families there supported us and cared for us both. And when his life ended 2 years ago, the community of First Baptist Church in Newton was there to help us celebrate his life.

Here's another example from daily life. Philip had sudden and frightening episodes of respiratory distress and the need for continuous oxygen. By reverting to simple and ancient practices I found I could be mindful of Gods' constant presence and loving kindness. Orthodox Jews bless God many times a day as they experience God's gifts. As children we sang "Count your blessings, name them one by one, Count your blessings see what God has done." So, some evenings when I returned from visiting Philip, worried about some new downturn in his condition, I would sit down before bed and list all God's blessings for that day, and then all the worries that were disturbing me. The first list was always longer than the second. The actual writing was helpful, along with remembering the words that we read from Matthew: Jesus offers to share with us the yoke that bears the burden. Having, as it were, laid my burden before God, I found I could sleep.

I began daily Bible reading again, helped by having a daily lectionary website on my phone so wherever and whenever I can find a few minutes I can read and re-read the daily readings. On any given day, the readings may not make much impression, but every so often a passage or phrase leaps out at me as the word I need that day. So I print it out and carry it with me. Even in these early stumbling steps along this new way, I find I am learning to go below the surface of life, and get closer to those depths where we meet God. Things fall into perspective, and I find God showing me the way. 

I often turn to Psalm 42, that we read this morning.  
"Why are you cast down, 0 my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God.” 

Hope. That word hope is everywhere in the Bible, from one end to the other. What does hope really mean? The passage we read from Romans tells us: Abraham, though he knew his body was "as good as dead", "hoped against hope" that he would become the father of many nations. But this hope was not just vague wishing-the passage goes on to say Abraham was “fully convinced that God was  able to do what he had promised.”

I don't know what further challenges the future holds, but I do know that God will keep the promise to be with me to the end. I don't have to decide everything, or know everything now. I can trust God to show me the way. I believe the same is true for our church community. We don't know where we'll have to go, but we can be sure that God will lead us throughout our journey.    ·

So now when I hear those words from Psalm 42, I no longer hear them as a cry of despair and resignation:
“Why, are you cast down O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God”
Instead I hear it in a new and unorthodox translation as a call to be prepared:

What’s the matter with you? What are you fretting about? Get ready for what God will do!

​~Heather Palmer

Summers may be associated with longer lazy days, vacations, and recovery from harsh winters, but things have not slowed down here at First Baptist Church in Newton. The year is just half over, but so much has already happened in our community. Take some time to read over all we have done so far, remember favorite events, read about things you may have missed, and get excited for the future.

Annual Business Meeting

Our church had its annual business meeting Sunday, February 7, at 11:15 AM. While that may not sound very exciting, that yearly event is very important in the life of the church. During the meeting the proposed budget was passed. There was also be voting on new Council and Ministry Team members. It is truly what launches the church into the new year. And you can click here to read the Annual Report from 2015, in case you missed it.

Lent: Clearing Out the Clutter and Getting Flipped

Lent was a time for renewal during a tough year. We cleared out some clutter and made room for new growth in our lives. This included some of you giving Soap Box Sermons on the Beatitudes, and a Maundy Thursday gathering where we shared a simple meal of soup and bread before a candlelit service in the Chapel. 

During this time we were also visited by author, speaker, and pastor Doug Pagitt. He co-hosted an OPEN Network "Open House" lunch with our Senior Minister Sean Witty. That was followed by an evening of readings, music, light refreshments, and conversation. Our own Lynn Bailey Witty performed and Doug spoke about and read from his new book Flipped. We still have some free copies available in the church office, in case you missed the wonderful event. Doug Pagitt then ended his visit by speaking during worship on Palm Sunday.

Saved From Sacrifice

During April and May, some in our community gathered at each other's homes to discuss Mark Heim's book Saved from Sacrifice and discuss why Jesus died the death that He did. It was a time of open honest conversation on a topic that is difficult to understand within our hearts or explain to others. 

Red Wagon Sundays

We have continued to gather non-perishable food items on the first Sunday of each month. The following Saturday, we put the food in a red wagon and walk it down to the Centre Street Food Pantry with children in our community. They then get to help stock the shelves. It is a great lesson in generosity. 
​
Resurrecting the Resurrection

Senior Minister Sean Witty followed up Easter by giving a series of reflections on resurrecting the resurrection, rescuing it from "professionals" who have kept it for themselves instead of making it available for everyone. As he put it:

Wrapping Up Sunday Gatherings

The Open Circle Bible Study, led by Mark Heim and Lloyd Clarke, read the the Gospel of Luke together.  The Science and Religion course, led by Dick Ransom and Phil Rounseville, discussed A Fine-Tuned Universe: The Quest for God in Science and Theology by Alister E. McGrath, and The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief by Francis S. Collins. Both wrapped up this Spring after an exciting year. Both will resume in the Fall, with the latter group switching topics to exploring Jewish, Christian, and Muslim versions of Biblical stories.

Red Chair Conversations

​Red Chair Conversations are a chance during Sunday worship for special guests to have a more relaxed conversation than a typical sermon allows. The conversations are moderated by Sean Witty, and also offer those in attendance  a chance to be part of the dialogue and an active participant in church life. Everyone listens, engages, and asks questions.

So far, Rabbi Or Rose of Hebrew College shared his reflections on the challenges and possibilities of Jewish-Christian dialogue and joint action in contemporary life.  Adam Hearlson, Assistant Professor of Preaching and Worship and the Director of Wilson Chapel at Andover-Newton Theological School, joined us for preaching and conversation on June 12. And our own Eunice Wilson joined Sean to talk about Compassion in Action Ministry here at First Baptist Church.

Common Cathedral

Speaking of Compassion in Action, some from our community recently served lunch and participated in worship at the Common Cathedral on the Boston Common. Common Cathedral ministers to the homeless population of Boston, and their friends. They handed out ​100 turkey sandwiches, 80 egg salad sandwiches, 100 individual size packets of fig newtons, 100 pieces of string cheese, 1 gallon of grape juice for communion, 200 paper cups, 200 napkins, a big can of powdered lemonade mix, and a birthday cake.
 
It was truly an example of compassion in action.

Wide Eyed, Big Tent Christianity

There has been a lot of talk about wide eyed, Big Tent Christianity around this church lately. Sean Witty has been clarifying his vision for this community - how it can be a place where wonder still exists that truly welcomes all by creating a space for believers and seekers, for the faithful and the faithless, and for the saints and the sinners. Wide eyed people are astonished easily. They are awake and aware. They have not lost their sense of wonder. They are curious and willing to ask questions without fear; questions that could easily be dismissed as childish, naive, or obvious. Big Tent Christianity nurtures hope and courage by creating room for doubt and uncertainty. Big Tent Christianity welcomes strangers.

Blue Ribbon Sunday

June 5 was our annual Blue Ribbon Sunday. After worship in the Sanctuary we enjoyed delicious Blue Ribbon Barbecue and live music. It rained this year, so we had to stay inside. But the food was still delicious and the music still got everyone moving. 

Matsiko World Orphan Choir

The Matsiko World Orphan Choir performed in the Chapel on Friday, July 8.  The chapel was completely full that night with some of our non-vacationing folks attending. But most attendees were members of the Newton community. It is great that so many came and supported the event.
​
The performance by the children was simply marvelous.  They are free with their singing, dancing, and especially hugs. 

Baptisms and Bibles

On Father's Day, in addition to recognizing fathers and those who have been fathers to us, we celebrated several baptisms, our graduates, and gave 4th graders Bibles during worship. It was wonderful to see so many extended family members with us that day.

Remembering Orlando

After the tragic mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida we remembered all the victims and lives lost by lighting 50 candles during our Sunday worship. 

Pokémon Go and Practicing Generosity

By now you probably know a few people playing Pokémon Go, the mobile game taking the world by storm. During a few days when the sun was bright and the temperature in the high 90s, we sat at a picnic table on the lawn with a bunch of ice cold bottles of water and cans of Coke. A sign with the church’s logo and name was put next to the table, along with “PokéStop, Free Drinks” to welcome people to our space. It was a simple way to show some generosity to people who were passing by our space.

August Soap Box Sermons

Thanks to all the positive feedback from Soap Box Sermons during lent, they are returning for the entire month of August. Each Sunday you (yes, you) are encouraged to share for 8-12 minutes on a topic and Bible passage of your choice. Churches now have a unique opportunity to become “communities of interpretation,” where the Bible and the world can be interpreted as a community, not simply by the “professionals.” In this type of church, soapboxes are brought inside and multiple voices can be heard as an expression of Christian faithfulness. In this setting, creedal confessions of faith can still be useful and honored. Though Christian identity is not defined by what we assent to verbally, but how we live together. How we live together becomes the objective and the measure of our faith.

So much has already happened here at First Baptist Church in Newton, and the year is only half over. We look forward to new experiences as a community during the rest of the year! And these are just a few of the highlights from the year so far. What is missing? Share your own memories in the comments below or let us know what you hope to see in the future.

Soapbox Preachers.

“Getting on your soapbox” is not exactly a term of endearment. Most of us at some time or another have been accosted by the sound of a bull-horned voice erupting from atop on a wooden box proclaiming a pending apocalypse. The message is usually religious or political in nature.  

Once upon a time, however, we relied upon these impromptu platforms. Without public address systems, phone lines, and the internet, we relied on the impact of a skilled orator and a wooden box on a busy downtown intersection. Churches civilized things a bit by designating a special person (clergy) and even a special place (a pulpit). Like the conductor of an orchestra, we read from the shared script (the Bible) and the conductor assures us we interpreted the score (text) as the composer (author) intended.  

Times have changed, however, and our relationships with authority figures have changed. Authority figures held power based on information and special training in interpreting the information. Lawyers interpreted law, doctors interpreted maladies, bankers interpreted numbers, and clergy interpreted sacred texts. But, no longer. We purchase legal forms online. We seek second opinions and alternative medicine. We manage our own retirement accounts. We interpret the Bible on our own and even ask friends to marry and bury us. 

We still need “trained professionals,” mind you.  I certainly want an “expert” to perform my heart surgery, should I ever need it. But, we need something different from these “trained professionals.” We need these trained professionals to convene “communities of interpretation.”  Put another way, we need more soapboxes.

Churches now have a unique opportunity to become “communities of interpretation,” where the Bible and the world can be interpreted as a community, not simply by the “professionals.” In this type of church, soapboxes are brought inside and multiple voices can be heard as an expression of Christian faithfulness. In this setting, creedal confessions of faith can still be useful and honored. Though Christian identity is not defined by what we assent to verbally, but how we live together. How we live together becomes the objective and the measure of our faith.

It is in this spirit that we offer Soapbox Sundays. Earlier this year, we beta-tested the idea by inviting almost a dozen people to choose and share about a “Beatitude” from the Sermon on the Mount. The response was overwhelmingly positive.
Each Sunday this August will be a Soapbox Sunday. You (yes, you) are encouraged to share for 8-12 minutes on a topic and Bible passage of your choice. Share a story from your life, make an argument for something you are passionate about, offer a response to a passage which inspires you or irritates you, or tell us about your long wonderful or harrowing history with the God and church.

A disclaimer: by the end of the month, you will be offended by something someone says or the way they say it. Count on it and welcome it. During these trying times, I can think of few more meaningful things for us to do than to celebrate one another by encountering our uniqueness as individuals in the caring context of our Sunday morning time together. At First Baptist Church, “getting on your soapbox” will be a term of endearment reserved for those willing to get up and get real.

If you are interested in giving a Soapbox Sermon, email Sean (sean@fbcnewton.org).