Happy New Year!

As the new year begins, we hear quite often the hope expressed that "this year will be better than last year." That kind of hope wells up inside of us as the calendar year turns over, but I'm wondering why we only think in these terms based on the calendar? Wouldn't it be better to keep this kind of hope daily? "I hope that today will be better than yesterday."

I suppose that we do carry this daily hope, albeit not so overtly. Without it we would despair. However as this new year begins, let me suggest going a step further.

If we are to grow as followers of Jesus, we need to assess our spiritual growth daily. Charting that growth through journaling will enable us to see the progress we are making in the spiritual life. And if we can see how God is "growing us up into Christ" (Eph. 4:15-16) that will feed our hope that today (this month, this year, etc.) will be better than the last.

Health Care Debate

Health care reform is a hot topic right now. Everyone seems to have an opinion and I am no different. I am against government-run health care because everything I have ever seen the government run has been far less efficient than privately-run equivalents, with the exceptions of the military (NOT the VA health care) and the IRS bill-collection department (those guys are amazing!). I don't like to use the clichés of the Post Office and the DMV because it isn't fair to over-emphasize the obvious. So let me just mention the city building department and the California State Legislature. 'Nuf said.

As a pastor, I have known many people through the years who belong to Kaiser. I have found that there are basically two kinds of Kaiser members: (1) Those who love it and think it is the best thing since Dr. Kildare, and (2) those who hate it and think it is the worst thing since the DMV (oops, sorry, I said I wouldn't use that). The lesson? That anecdotal stories are not very helpful in determining the best way to go for health care. Kaiser is a private HMO (depending on which of the two categories above into which you fit, that stands for Health Maintenance Organization or Health Mutilation Organization), and no matter what kind of "reform" in health care we get, I suspect it will look a lot more like an HMO than not. Keep that in mind.

Much of the discussion over health care reform has centered on how other countries handle their health care. It has been said over and over again that America has one of the worst health care systems, and of the developed countries we are the only one without a universal health care system. Again, anecdotal stories of hell or nirvana are not helpful. The only thing that is helpful are facts measured broadly, and even those are suspect. Take statistics, for instance. Much is said about the life expectancy of Americans compared with citizens of countries where health care is universally available (and "affordable" but that is another discussion). The problem with the quoted percentages is that we have no way of easily determining if those figures are (1) accurate (they are usually put forth by groups that have an agenda, and yes, the World Health Organization has an agenda!), or (2) clean (comparing apples to apples and not apples to crabapples). Take life expectancy for example. The numbers include murders and automobile accidents. Deaths by these factors do not necessarily reflect on the nation's health care system. Murders in the US are much higher than in the UK, for instance. I read one source that said if murders were factored in, Americans would have the highest life expectancy of the industrialized world. Or take infant mortality. In the US, the infant mortality rate includes those babies who are born to drug addicts and illegal aliens. I suspect that the UK (or even Canada) has much less of an illegal immigrant problem than we do. So statistics, as they say, can lie. Not that they always do, but we need to consider them properly and not just throw numbers around unqualified as though they prove our point.

With such a divisive issue, tempers are sure to flare, as we have seen. But the US Congress seems poised to pass some sort of health care reform. No doubt it will be quite the conglomeration of compromise and will probably please very few people. After all is said and done, caring for people will continue to be the main thing. How to pay for it is another matter altogether.

Abortion “Rights”

I am going to try and write more blog entries than just my local church newsletter articles! So, here goes… wading into controversial waters!

My abortion position changed when Cyndy and I experienced the first of seven miscarriages. There isn't any way to convince me that when the baby died that it was "only" a piece of organic matter. The loss we felt was real. Yes, we felt the loss of a life full of potential, but we also felt the loss of actual life. One of our children was born alive, only to live for three hours outside the womb. We had Joshua Howard Haworth (7/12/87) baptized so that he would "know" a family and a faith. Our district superintendent, Rev. Don Locher, assured us that we didn't HAVE to have him baptized (United Methodists don't believe that unbaptized babies go to hell!). But it wasn't about that. It was about having our son know, even for a brief moment, that he was loved and that he was a part of our family. Each Christmas we still hang an ornament with Joshua's name on it.

I have performed funeral services for babies that have died in utero and felt the extreme grief of the family. They were not grieving the loss of a mass of flesh, but a member of their family. Think of it. Why perform a funeral for a mass of organic matter? An unborn baby is not a tumor.

Abortions are performed all too often in the world, and all too often simply for the convenience of the mother and/or father. In truly life-threatening situations, I think there should be some grace. But ALL abortions are life and death decisions for the baby.

Don't talk to me about injustice in the world until you are ready to acknowledge that abortion involves one of the greatest injustices of all: the valuing of one strong life (and its preferences) over another weaker one.

As the adoptive father of three, I can say without a smidgen of doubt that adoption is a FAR more compassionate option for most "unwanted pregnancies" than abortion. And since compassion seems to be the value du jour for liberals/progressives, I don't understand their support for abortion "rights."

Financial Crisis and the Church

Friends, I write this with a heavy heart because I know, as your pastor, how this will affect you. Our church is facing a serious financial challenge as we enter the final third of the year. I am calling the entire church to be in prayer about this, seeking guidance from the Lord and wisdom.

At the beginning of the year we passed a budget in our special Church Conference (every member invited to attend and vote) that included a line item called "Faith Income." That line was set at over $35,000 in order to "balance" the budget. Unfortunately, now that we are in August, not very much has been done to address that income line. Only something over $2000 has come in to be applied to that "Faith Income" line.

Our congregational giving is doing pretty well. We stand at 95% of budget in that area, so you are all to be congratulated on that! Even in these tough financial times, your faithfulness in giving is outstanding! But since we have not had a functioning Finance Committee (because no one has stepped up to be the Committee Chairperson), we have not conducted any major fund raisers to try and address the needed additional income. Our expenses have been right on budget. But our income has not. Currently our arrears in income correspond almost exactly to the deficit in that "Faith Income" line item. To put that in black and white, we are behind our budget in income by about $18,500.

Thankfully we have funds on account so that we can keep our bills paid and obligations met. But, obviously, we cannot continue in this direction if we hope to remain solvent. Your Board of Trustees and Church Council are doing what they can to address this issue, but we need more than just these groups working on it. We need all the members of the church family to consider ways to address the problem. If we cannot find a way to "stop the bleeding" we may have to make some serious and deep cuts in the budget next year, possibly even having to cut staff in order to balance our budget. I know that no one wants to do that, but it is a possibility. There is even the possibility that we might have to drop down to a part time pastor if we can't find other ways to balance the budget.

So please hold this issue in prayer. I'm asking all CUMC members and friends to earnestly seek the Lord in this matter. We need His guidance and wisdom. If you hear anything from the Lord, please communicate with Pastor Glen, Church Council Chairperson Mac Brazelton, Lay Leader Frank Cookingham or Trustee President Mike Proffitt. And come to church on September 13^th as we go to our knees together as a congregation in a "Concert of Prayer" on this and other matters.

Thank you for your faithfulness!

Blessings,

Pastor Glen

New Sermon Series: Growing Together

Starting this Sunday, July 19th, I'll be preaching a series of messages called "Growing Together." It is about community, especially as it relates to the Christian life. We form community whenever we are in relationships: Family, Church, Neighborhood, etc. And those relationships are best nurtured when we are accountable to a small, trusted group of people who are companions on our life's journey.

The Wesleys (John and Charles) were very good at calling the early Methodists into small groups to nurture their life of faith. These "classes" were the forerunners to the small groups movement that is exploding today. As a church family, Chino United Methodist Church is intentionally calling its members (both present and future) into small groups for Christian discipleship and caring. This sermon series will highlight the Biblical and social foundations for small groups.

So, come on by any Sunday! You are welcome!

The Summer of Our Discomplacency

I love making up new words! I think it is a form of poetry, but I'm not sure. Discomplacency, according to the Haworth Dictionary, means the opposite of complacency. Complacency means "A feeling of contentment or self-satisfaction, especially when coupled with an unawareness of danger, trouble, or controversy." (e-Ref-er-ence, by Houghton Miffin) And so discomplacency means "A feeling of DIScontentment or self-DISsatisfaction…" Yeah, that's about right.

What I mean is, we cannot afford, as a church family, to become complacent! Our sanctuary is rebuilt, we have recovered from "the fire." Now it is time to get down to the business of the church!

It would be very easy for us to sit back now and just coast. After all, we have put a lot of work into rebuilding the sanctuary and all of the other projects. We're tired! We need to rest! But I am here to tell you that to do so will spell the death of our church. I've seen it happen many times: when a church finishes a major building project it just begins to die out. Heaven forbid that happen at Chino!

Now is the time to begin stretching ourselves, reaching out in new and profound ways, getting serious about discipleship and what it means to wear the name "Christian." Now is the time to catch our second (or third or fourth or…) breath, push forward into God's future and BE what God has called us to be.

An important element in the process, as discerned by church leadership, is to form small groups for spiritual formation and Christian discipleship. In a small group, one is able to "get real" about one's walk of faith, seek the support and accountability of other Christians, and learn from others what following Jesus is all about. This fall, you will have the opportunity to join a small group as we study together The Purpose Driven Life by Pastor Rick Warren. A pilot group will be meeting this summer to prepare leaders for small groups across the congregation. Be praying and watching for the invitation to join a small group this fall. My hope, and the hope of the church leaders, is that engaging in "40 Days of Purpose" will inspire and motivate the entire congregation to embrace small groups as an essential (and very Methodist, by the way) element in our life as a church. Will you pray?

Be Blessed!

Pastor Glen

God Shows Up in Prison

Another Epiphany Ministries weekend is complete and 28 more young men at the Stark Youth Correctional Facility in Chino have been blessed with an out-pouring of God's love. And about the same number of Epiphany team members have, too!

It was a wonderful weekend, May 15-17. Jon Burk and I were part of the ministry team that went into Stark YCF for three days, spending all day each day sharing the love of God with young men who had been locked up in prison for, in some cases, several years. And for many of them, this was the first time anyone had shown any real love to them!

We lavished them with food, snacks, small gifts and, most importantly, attention. We listened to their stories. And we shared the Gospel with them. Over the course of the weekend, God melted their hardened hearts and released them for hope and faith.

Not all of them will hold on to their newly enlivened faith; but most will. And their chances for leaving prison and establishing lives of hope and productivity are greatly enhanced. We will visit them monthly as an Epiphany team, sharing some more shacks and goodies and talking about how Jesus can make all the difference in their, and our, lives.

I personally sat and listened as several wards (they are not called prisoners) revealed to me that they intended to walk the "straight and narrow" after they are released, to find a church home, and to reach their goals of finding gainful employment and meaningful relationships. I hope our church will be courageous enough to welcome a former ward into our church family should they show up some Sunday!

If you would like to make an eternal difference in a troubled young man's life, consider getting involved in the next Epiphany weekend in November. Jon or I can set you up with the right people! It really is a significant mission of love.

Be Blessed!

Pastor Glen