The Melheimian Sabbatiblog

Dying Church

Photo: Debbie's son Daniel doing the work of the church
at a FINK Renaissance conference a while back.

My friend Debbie just returned from spending a few days with her Dad in the Poconos. The graveyard where her mother is freshly buried got her thinking about dying churches. This is what she writes:

It's a small graveyard a stone's throw from the very small church I was raised in. ELCA, built from stone by my Great-Grandfather who was a mason by trade. While I was there, my Dad had the weed wacker and was trimming around headstones.

Within a few yards of one another, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, all who died within the last few years. My family, my faith family. Wow! Talk about a "dying church".

But wait...all their sweat and tears and prayers were for me and my children and all the lives we touch.

In fact Burt, the boys and I have touched lives in congregations in Spain, Japan, Rhode Island, Virginia, Penna, and Illinois and vice versa. And then I've had the blesing and opportunity to go beyond that (as director of FINK's Generations In Faith Togehter - GIFT)

Perhaps it's not a "dying church" after all.

In fact, it's a living, vibrant, loving, caring church!

Debbie's family may be buried there, but their faith is not. It is still alive, moving, giving and growing in the lives of their children, and their children's children.

Fun Church

In Praise of Chaos

If you have had trouble finding time to talk with your kids lately, or kids who want to talk to you, I suggest you tear your house apart, place all of your belongings in the room with your biggest television, unplug every other tv in the house except the smallest one you own, and place it at the foot of the bed in your bedroom for the next couple months. The reason? Let me explain:

Our house is under construction, and in total disaray. The family room is torn apart. There is a 2-foot-wide pathway through the living room with all of our displaced posessions stacked seven feet high in the living room. The only television in the house is a 13 inch (color!) in our bedroom. And what exactly has all this chaos done for our family?

For one thing, we have had some great nights with our 13-going-on-19 year-old son who normally doesn't talk a lot.

Mom and dad's newly finished, spacious, air-conditioned bedroom has become the central gathering place, the central eating place, and the central conversation space.

Every night since we returned from Australia a month ago we have done our ritual "highs and lows" at the end of the day with the kids sitting on our bed. Then Joseph plops down between us to enjoy the post-news world of late night talk shows and determine whether Leno or Letterman has the best monologue. We laugh at stupid headlines and ignorant people out Jay Walking. We cringe at bands that "have no business being on tv." We talk about the talk. Then old dad starts drifting off, waking up just in time to hear the Scottish guy do his monologue and say, "Ok Joseph, dad's got to sleep. Work tomorrow."

I usually have to say it five times before he leans over for the cross on his head and finally leaves.

"Love you, Joseph."

"Love you."

He only has to say that once before I am blessed and ready for rest.

Church Marketing Sucks

I'm in the Hartford Airport, waiting to take He Qi to the ELCA Global Mission Event where he's keynoting. Wireless here is free as the grace of God.

Isn't that they way it should be everywhere? Couldn't the wireless companies make you sit through a 30 second commercial, then give it to you free for the next half hour? Come on, marketing people, get with the program.

Speaking of marketing, there's a good blog worth visiting if you're into churches, marketing, marketing discussions, logos, and helping churches with images.

www.churchmarketingsucks.com

It covers stuff like this:

What is Marketing?
                  
                  Our Best vs. The Best
                        
                        Is Marketing in the Bible?
                        
                        Message Drives Marketing
                        
                        Money Is Not an Obstacle
                        
                        Be Who Your Church Is
                        
                        Many Ways of Doing Church
                        
                        Is Marketing a Dirty Word?
                        
                        Church Without the Trappings

By the way, their logo is a cross in focus, surrounded by a whirling blur of chaos. Brilliant concept.



...but haven't I seen that somewhere before?

Major League

"It's the Bible. You get credit for trying."
-Wooden Eyed Pirate in Pirates of the Caribbean

I like to encourage kids to try. Maybe it comes from seeing too many kids knocked down by life, other kids, an inner voice or their own parents' negativity. Maybe it comes from having a mom who always encouraged me. Maybe it comes from the realization that batting .333 is pretty dang good.

Golf is unforgiving. You can make great shots 90% of the time, then mess up big time 10% and leave a loser.

Baseball is much more forgiving. You can strike out two times in a row, then get a single single the third time at bat, end the game batting .333 and be scouted by the majors.

Don't be a golf parent. Be a baseball parent. Give your kids some grace. Give your kids some encouragement. Then, when they do that surprizingly wonderful thing on the third try, give them some applause and tell them:

"Hey kid, you're major league in my book!"

Deliver You

Here's a little something fun I wrote for Bible Song Sunday School. You'll know where it's from as soon as you hear the lions.

Todd Ernster of the Killer Hayseeds sings lead.

Torture

He Qi Returns

Our friend He Qi returns from China today, preparing to spead at the ELCA's Global Mission Event in Amherst, MA. He arrives home with three new paintings to add to his 2006 collection and the future He Qi World Art Bible. Here's the first glimpse at his new work seen in the western world.

The Prodigal Son
The Prophet's Vision
Entry into Jerusalem

Send a "welcome home" to He Qi at abc@heqiarts.com and tell what you think of his new work. Oh yeah, tell him Rich sent you!

Saul Rough at the Lake

Here's the rough of Acts 9:4-5 that we wrote on the spot in Todd's lakeside studio yesterday.

Lake Recording

We had a marvelous day at the lake studio of our crackerjack engineer, Todd Ernster, yesterday. CEO Brad Lynch had just written a final song for our new New Testament confirmation themeset on the book of Acts and needed to lay it down quickly so Todd could do his magic and we could have it out next week. The kids came along to do some tubing on the Lake. Todd and Karen were gracious hosts, and we even got Kathryn, Joseph and Jesse into the studio. We wrote a rought "Saul, Why Do You Persecute Me" on the spot and they did the vocals. Here's a couple shots of the youngest members of the FINK music guild and a rough of something new for fall.