Connected By Faith

Fall/Winter 2013

From Our Pastor

In a season of thanksgiving, I'm incredibly grateful God doesn't want me to live this Christian life alone. It isn't that God isn't sufficiently satisfying all by himself. Of course, he is. But God nonetheless puts us in community to worship and serve with others. Here are two examples for me this fall.

First, we just completed our fifth session of Faith Explored. With the highest average attendance so far and lots of new faces, the experience of addressing life's biggest questions continues to be one of the highlights of ministry for me. It reminds me that my joy in knowing who Jesus is and what he has done is magnified when others experience it, too. My joy is also magnified by serving with more than a dozen dedicated volunteers whose shared goal is to "show Jesus" to every participant.

Second, my community group continues to challenge and encourage me to know Jesus better and follow him radically. This fall, we've been examining the radical claims Jesus makes on our life. That can sometimes be uncomfortable. But then I remember the equally radical promises he makes to us. My life doesn't belong to me. It belongs to a Savior who is infinitely more trustworthy and who has secured for me in eternity far more than anything he asks me to sacrifice here on earth. If not for people regularly encouraging, challenging and loving me in small group community, I know I'd much more frequently forget that.

I hope you too are seeing the benefits of following Jesus by being connected in community. As you read this newsletter, consider the blessings of sharing, serving and following Jesus together during this season of Thanksgiving and into the new year.

Rev. Tom Harr, Associate Pastor

Explaining Community Groups : An Essential Component of Following Jesus at Faith

By Pastor Kevin Koslowsky

www.faithwilmington.com/communitygroups

I'm often asked to identify the essential components of participation for a person to spiritually grow as a follower of Jesus here at Faith. First and foremost is weekly worship. This is the public gathering of the church on Sunday mornings where we praise God, are taught from the Bible and celebrate the sacraments. This is the starting point. However if weekly worship is number one, then just beneath that are what I refer to as "2a" and "2b" -- Sunday School and Community Groups.

In Sunday School, we provide the opportunity for intentional and systematic learning about the Bible and its teachings for adults and children. In Community Groups, we apply the teachings of the Bible to our daily lives and care for one another's spiritual needs. While they serve different functions, both are essential and so it's our goal to have as many people at Faith participating in each. We'll come back to Sunday School in a future newsletter perhaps, but for now let's focus a little more on Community Groups by reviewing a few frequently asked questions.

What happens in a Community Group?

The question could be taken in two ways. First you could ask, "What happens in a typical Community Group meeting?" This varies depending on the group but, in general, groups gather for about 90 minutes which includes practical discussion of a particular biblical text or topic and a time of prayer for one another. In addition, there is usually unstructured social time (usually with snacks) before or after the formal meeting time. However, in a second sense, what happens in a Community Group is much broader than just meeting twice a month for a few hours. And perhaps the most important thing that happens in a Community Group is the formation of relationships that extend throughout the rest of the week. That means that people follow up on needs, offer encouragement to each other, pursue evangelistic opportunities, and share in each other's lives between meetings.

What makes it different than Sunday School?

Unlike what we've just described, Sunday School is localized to one 45-minute class per week for twelve weeks. Of course, you get to know your classmates in Sunday School. But the primary purpose is instruction and the reception of information. In contrast, Community Groups are intended to form deepening relationships that continue throughout the week and extend beyond the typical three-month Sunday School Class. In a Community Group, the primary purpose is not the transmission of biblical knowledge but the application of biblical knowledge to the stuff of everyday life. Doing it in a way that is both encouraging to the Christian and welcoming to the inquirer.

Do I need to be in one?

Well, in a sense, no. Participation in a Community Group is not a requirement for being a Christian or for being a member of Faith Church. But, in a different sense, yes. The reason our elders have prioritized Community Groups is because we feel that Christianity is a community activity. The book of Acts describes the fellowship of early believers as meeting not only for instruction and public worship, but in small groups in people's homes where they would eat together and meet one another's needs (see Acts 2:42-47). Community Groups at Faith are our attempt to build that essential feature of the universal church's identity into the structure of our local ministry.

But I find Community in different ways, like by serving in a particular ministry with other people or talking to people after the worship service. Isn't that the same thing?

Well, not really. The primary purpose of other ministries is usually to accomplish a particular task. Those tasks are vital to the work of the church and certainly can foster certain aspects of community. However, they don't provide the intentional long-term relationships of mutual care and discipleship that are the primary mission of a Community Group. Participation in other ministries is almost always more narrowly defined by gifts you have or interests you share. Only in a Community Group, though, is your participation defined simply by who you are as a follower of Jesus.

How is Faith Church structuring its ministry to align with this idea of Community Groups?

Each of our elders has responsibility for a Community Group or (over time) a cluster of Community Groups. Their role is to exercise first-line pastoral care to those in their group - ensuring members of their groups are growing spiritually, having their gifts developed, and are being given opportunities to serve. Members and attenders not identifying themselves with one of the Community Groups are assigned to one of the elders, ensuring that no one iswithout access to spiritual care.

But Sunday nights at 6pm don't work for my schedule or my family's schedule. What about me?

In January, we will increase the flexibility of groups to meet at different days and times. We'll do this by creating a new group or two to create room for more people to join. We'll also decentralize children's programming which currently limits meeting times to 6pm on Sunday nights because of church-centered nursery care and Kids Praise Club. While more details will be announced as plans solidify, this could mean that we have a group that decides to meet earlier on Sundays to make it easier for the bedtime schedules of young children. It could also mean that a group meets during the day on a weekday for those unable to drive at night.

How do I get involved with a Community Group if I've never been in one or haven't been in a while?

Just pick one and show up. Really. None of the leaders will be shocked. It happens all the time and you'll be welcomed. Then give it some time. Deep relationships don't happen instantly and they require you to give as well as receive. But the benefits are great.

What if I have more questions?

Please talk with me or any of our elders. Our goal is your joy in knowing Jesus better through the fellowship of His church.

See our Community Group page for details on the groups you can join and plans for the topical discussions in the groups this fall.

A Thank you from Faith Missionaries, Jeff and Holly

To everyone at Faith:

We wanted to thank everyone for the many things you contributed to the care package my parents delivered earlier this fall. It really was a blessing. We hadn't had a paper towel in the house for a good 8-9 months! All the chocolate chips, chocolate bars, mustard, hand shovel, and other things have been wonderful. We have appreciate the things, but more than that, we appreciate the relationship that we have with the church. It's a great encouragement to us when we hear that so many people have been involved in helping to get some treats and new supplies to us. The work here in Tanzania continues to go well. We're currently planning to come home next month and look forward to catching many of you up further then.

Jeff and Holly Robinson

Serving in Tanzania

Why we are fostering

an excerpt from Lydia Konstanski's blog

Next month, if all goes smoothly, the State will open our home and we will welcome our first foster child. Daniel and I have completed our pre-service training, we have filled out paperwork and gotten background checks. There are a convertible crib and convertible car seat waiting in the spare bedroom. We just need to get our physicals and finish baby-proofing while our friends send in their personal reference forms. We have asked for a child between newborn and age 2 so that he or she will be younger than our youngest. The next question is always "Are you looking to adopt?" and the answer is that we are open to it but not seeking adoption specifically. If we feel God urging us to we will, but at the same time there is a need for families who are willing to be there for kids for just a year or so as well.

When we talk to other families who foster I can see the burnout lurking and it scares me. Exposing my own children to the deep problems of other children scares me. It's not like I am just bursting with emotional energy and enthusiasm right now. Passion, yes! Enthusiasm, no. Twenty seven hours of training on where these kids are coming from and what it takes to be a "professional parent" has done little to raise my spirits. Passion, yes! Spirits, no.

Today I need to revisit why we are doing this, and what hope I have for fostering.

Reason #1: Obedience.

Throughout the Bible God has a lot to say about societies and people who do not care for the helpless among them: The orphans, the widows, and the aliens, but I will leave it at 2 passages:

Psalm 68:4-6 "Sing to God, sing praise to his name, extol him who rides on the clouds- his name is the LORD- and rejoice before him. A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families, he leads forth the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land."

James 1:27 "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."

The Scriptures make it very clear that while good works do not save you, they are the obedience expected from the redeemed. One of those areas of obedience is toward protecting the powerless. In America the orphans are in foster care and other alternative living situations, and Christians are called to be part of the solution.

more...

Read the full blog post here.

You can follow Lydia's blog at this address.

Lydia, along with her husband, Daniel, and their two daughters, are members of Faith Presbyterian Church, serving actively in their Community Group and other ministries.

Important

Fall and Winter Dates

See Full Calendar

Thanksgiving Praise Service, Nov 28th

November 28th, 10am - join us for this special hour of praise and thanksgiving and get home in time for your holiday celebrations.

Caf� Chocolat,
Dec 6th

Friday, December 6th- 7:30 pm- all women are welcome for a night of fun, fellowship, and of course, chocolate.

Youth Mall Scavenger Hunt, Dec 7th

Saturday, December 7th- 10:30 am

Annual Christmas Concert, Dec. 8th

Sunday, December 8th, 6 pm
Join us as we welcome in the holidays with hymns and songs of our faith. With choirs and chamber orchestra.

Family Movie Night,
Dec 13th

Friday, December 13th, 7 pm

All families are welcome to join us for a showing of "Merry Larry and the True Light of Christmas." Snacks are provided; invite a friend for even more fun.

Christmas Eve Services, Dec. 24th

Celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior from 7-8:15 pm (child care provided) or from 9-10:15 pm (no child care).

Faith Church Concert Series

Check out our music page and see our Concert Series. Join us for these meaningful and enjoyable concerts throughout the year.

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Connected By Faith is published by Julie MacDonald with editing support provided by Brent DeLeo and great content by your fellow leaders and friends. If you have topics you'd like to hear about, please contact Julie or the church office .