Its that time again

Where has time gone? To me it seems like only yesterday we were ringing in the New Year with traditional festivities. For some, their minds and hearts were filled with excitement in anticipation of saying “goodbye” to the old and “hello” to the new. Where has time gone? In the blink of an eye we are prepared to say goodbye to August. Anticipation of change once again fills the air around us. I have noticed people seem to have a new bounce in their step as they look forward to the upcoming changes. The days are growing shorter and eventually cooler. Trees will clothe themselves with color variations of gold and red leaves. It is about time for the annual migration of birds and people from our country’s northern region as they set their sights on the warmer climate of the south. The tourist season is about over, much to the anticipation of many local residents. Labor Day weekend is around the corner with plans being made to celebrate the “end” of summer although summer is not officially over until September 21. I would be remiss if I failed to mention the holy grail of southern tradition in the fall. Hank Williams, Jr. said it best in a song, “Are you ready for some football. Are you ready for a party”?


Anticipation of change is present at the Church of the Palms. Sunday school returns along with other familiar activities such as the fall bazaar. An “old friend” returns as we anticipate the formation of small groups. Fellowship, study, and prayer will bring about ways to reconnect with each other. Many opportunities for Bible studies independent of small groups will present themselves as a way to satisfy a hunger burning deep within our souls. A new journey will begin by some of our youth as they anticipate the beginning of confirmation classes. We are even exploring the possibilities of a week day prayer service as a way to nourish our spiritual hunger. Yes, anticipation fills the air with an unbridled excitement.

Looking at the opportunities before us I have noticed a commonality in all of the events. Each event offers a way to grow a deeper faith through studying God’s word and loving relationships with each other. Two thoughts immediately come to mind. First, upon completing the testing part of my psychological evaluation (required for those exploring ordained ministry in the UMC) came the exit interview. The person responsible for the administration of the test and interview was Rev. John Holler. He gave me some advice that still resonates within me today. He said pastors tend to experience burnout when they try to go it alone. He urged me to stay connected to God by nourishing my spiritual life through prayer, study, and fellowship. The second thought came during a continuing education event for clergy which was led by Rev. Dr. Michael Wolfe in the Greenville District. Rev. Wolfe serves as a mentor for candidates exploring a calling into ordained ministry. He has a sting 168 inches long hanging in his study with one inch blacked out. This is representative of a week. Each week has 168 hours and the average person dedicates approximately 1 hour during the week to their spiritual life. This limits the chances for growing a deeper faith in Christ.

Staying connected with God and spiritual growth are a part of the upcoming events anticipated at the Church of the Palms. We struggle when we try to go it alone on our faith journey. There is strength in numbers. We find peace and comfort through the love of God expressed in our relationships. Do you realize that spiritual growth is more likely to occur through Bible study and Sunday school, rather than a 15-20 minute sermon? I see church growth in two ways, physical and spiritual. If we seek to grow the church numerically without Jesus Christ as its foundation we may experience a limited success in the short term but eventually the numbers will dwindle. If we seek to grow the church through spiritual nourishment the chances of increasing the numerical size of the church are greater. If we begin with ourselves first we see how our biblical witness to others is influenced. Seeking God’s kingdom allows us to offer a community longing to fill some kind of void in their life. I, for one, am excited about the upcoming events and look forward to growing in my faith as we sit side by side with each other.

Sleep Over

One of the ministries Church of the Palms participates in is Family Promise. There are many churches in the area that also support this mission. While I am not that familiar with Family Promise I have been exposed to the nature of this type of ministry. In Greenville, S.C. area churches participate in Interfaith Hospitality. Both these ministries work with families that, for various reasons such as loss of a job, are homeless. These families enter a program, such as that offered by Family Promise, where basic needs are provided by the ministry to give families a chance to get back on their feet. One way the ministry is structured is by pairing with local churches in close proximity to each other. Families sleep overnight at a host church, which is partnered with a support church. Each church is asked to provide housing and meals for the families one week out of every quarter. Our partner church, Grace Coastal PCA, serves as the host church while we fulfill the role of the support church. Families are housed at Grace Coastal while we, COTP, help provide meals and volunteers to spend the night with the families in need.


Church of the Palms is asked to participate in Family Promise ministry once a quarter. Our turn came a little over a week ago but did not go as expected. Grace Coastal has been undergoing renovations along with an expansion of the existing building. Since they are the host church in our partnership a problem arose as a result of limited space. We were asked to serve as the host church during this week due to the unforeseen circumstances at Grace Coastal. As the week was being coordinated through the diligent efforts of Karen Stevenson I was asked to be one of the overnight chaperones. I had a hard time saying no to the request. While I have knowledge of ministries such as Family Promise, I as an individual have never been an active participant in the ministry. This presented me with the opportunity to experience what the ministry is all about. The night arrived for my “sleep over” which had been greatly anticipated up until I saw my bed. Before me was a cot which pretended to be a bed. The “bed” was unfolded so it could be prepared for use. Unfortunately bedtime approached which meant I could no longer avoid the inevitable. After my body was stretched out on top of the “bed” my thoughts turned to my own comfortable bed with a mattress that makes me feel as though I am floating atop the billowing clouds.

Yes, the “bed” was uncomfortable which I fervently expressed to God by way of lamentations. At this point the night couldn’t have been any worse than it was. I was wrong. Thin walls enabled me to hear another chaperone snore the night away. Morning did not come quickly enough. Upon waking, I went into the kitchen, surveyed the unfamiliar surroundings, and yearned for my personal stash of coffee. While I was feeling sorry for myself because I lacked the creature comforts of home I was greeted by something I had not anticipated. As I looked down, standing before me was a little girl with an angelic face. The precious smile beaming from her face suggested to me that she was happy that people cared enough to provide for her and her family. Her eyes reflected the genuine love she has encountered through the volunteers of the churches supporting Family Promise. My selfishness cast a shroud of guilt over me. Here I was feeling sorry for myself because of the inadequacy of the conditions while the families being cared for may have viewed the accommodations much in the same way a vacationer views a four start hotel.

The little girl standing before me was the face of Jesus the Christ. Quickly, I was reminded of a passage found in Matthew 25:31-45 (The parable of the Sheep and The Goats). Paraphrasing, the passage could read: “We were homeless and you gave us a place to stay. We were abandoned by society but you cared about us. We hit rock bottom but you lifted us up. Lord, Lord, when did we do this. Truly I tell you, when you have done that for them you have done that for me”. Jesus asked Peter in John 21 three times, “Do you love me?” Peter answered yes each time. Jesus responded to each answer, “Feed my lambs. Shepherd my sheep. Feed my sheep”. We, as members of the Church of the Palms, belong to the body of Christ. It is our arms and legs, which we have been called to use so we can make Christ known through our actions. Through an authentic compassion grounded in our faith we can make known the unconditional love of God. I feel that the church today, is at times, more concerned about its own needs (Just as I did) rather than serving the one who is professed as the Redeemer who was sent because God so loved the world. We as followers of Jesus Christ are called to nurture and care for others who are unable to provide for themselves. If we do not care, how will others know Christ lives today? Wherever you passions lay I encourage you to use them as a way to make Christ known in our community.

A Precious Moment

Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow;

Praise Him, all creatures here below;

Praise Him above, ye heav’nly host;

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

We sing the doxology every Sunday. Why are we praising God? We live in a world full of violence, hatred, and apathy. People are oppressed by poverty with little hope on the horizon. Children are hungry and need care. Some families do not have a place to live. Disease tears apart our bodies until we can no longer sustain life. Personal struggles are faced every day. Our congregation is not immune to these daily problems. Why can’t life be easier? With all that goes wrong in life it is perplexing to the mind as we ask, “Why are we praising God”?

The most amazing thing happened to me the other day. I went to visit Henrietta Thomas (Anne Abernethy’s mother) at her nursing home in Port Royal. In all honesty I cannot say going to a nursing home has been a most desirable activity for me. Nursing homes can appear to be places of despair with no hope. Maybe we can describe a nursing home as the place where we leave, and forget, the elderly for the remainder of their life. As I entered the nursing home I noticed the familiar smell that exists in all facilities of this type. As we reached the room, Anne introduced me to her mother. A genuine smile appeared on Henrietta’s face, not because I was there, but because someone, apart from Anne, had come to see her. Pastor Wayne Smith had been visiting Henrietta, and he called me one day to tell me about her. What a blessing this turned out to be! Henrietta is 93 years old with arthritis in her hands, she needs a walking aide, and she is loosing her eye sight to glaucoma. (It may seem strange that I am describing a woman suffering in such a fashion as a blessing). After the introductions, Henrietta sat down on her bed. I sat in a chair facing her, turned in the direction of her daughter, and while holding a puzzle book, Henrietta said “I have already finished this word search puzzle which I started this morning”. She is proud of her accomplishment. During our conversation I learn that Henrietta reads music and plays the piano (She has a keyboard in her room). After we share in communion Henrietta says she feels like playing a song. She makes her way to the keyboard and plays a hymn, quite well I must say. All I could do was close my eyes and let the melody flow over me like a gentle summer breeze in the cool of the evening. Henrietta then wanted to know if she could play another hymn. On the day I met Henrietta, I met a person who wants to praise God with music as long as she can see and her hands are able. She has placed her trust in God to get her through each and every day. The doxology took on a new meaning for me.

Henrietta is just one of the many stories I can tell in my short time at Church of the Palms.

Psalm 146 starts out “Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul! I will praise the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.” God blesses us in so many ways even though our struggles impede our vision. The God who created the universe is the same God who brings us hope in our chaotic lives everyday. I hope we can, at some point, stand and shout from a mountain top that our God is mighty and worthy to be praised. Our God brings hope to a world which is broken. At one point in my life I was unhappy and did not see any hope. While it may be difficult to see that God’s mighty hand is at work in our lives, in that special love God has revealed in Christ Jesus, hope abounds and gives cause for praise. I want to be like Henrietta and hold strong to the promise of God’s redeeming grace.



Try this exercise. Take each letter of the alphabet and write a word that describes God.

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

W

X

Y

Z





http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuXB1a3NBCw

Walmart

Walking through Wal-Mart the other day I overheard part of a conversation between a mother and her young daughter as they walked past me in the opposite direction. The woman was a young African-American mother pushing her daughter around in a shopping cart. The daughter appeared to be no older than 3 years old. What I heard was this, “Just because I am light brown does not make me any different”. If only I had heard the question then maybe the response might take on a concrete meaning for me. A smile came over my face as I imagined possible questions the young daughter might have asked. I turned around to get a glance at the mother. Much to my surprise her skin color was darker than I had pictured in my mind.


Isn’t it amazing how we tend to pay attention to physical differences in other people? In my very first appointment, I will not name the church; one of the church leaders called to my attention a mobile home park behind the church. She explained how the people there did not desire to attend church. In other words this particular church leader was warning me that I had better not invite “them” to attend church. The mobile home park in question had a large Hispanic population. Even today, I am still puzzled about why she felt that way. Maybe in some ways I am still naïve. Is this what God has called us to do? To worship with those who look like us? Can we really assess the character of an individual based on physical appearance?

The Apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the Galatians, 3:28 “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Each group mentioned by Paul could be distinguished by a physical feature which pointed out differences between them, whether they were racial, social, or gender related. Yet, to Christ Jesus the heart was more important than the aforementioned. Jesus was a revolutionary as he challenged the “church policy” of his day. The church had established an exclusive system designed to keep people out of the church. What really upset the church leaders during this time period was Jesus wanted to let everybody in.

What I have come to appreciate is the diversity of our culture. Genesis 1:27 “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” Even through our differences we are a reflection of the Creator. Did you know the most segregated time in America is during the church hour? Segregation does not always involve race. It can include other physical appearances such as tattoos, piercings, single parents, among other differences. We maybe able to make general assumptions based on physical differences but we are not able to judge the heart of an individual. John Wesley had a “heart warming” experience at Aldersgate which changed his life forever.

I have completed my first month at the Church of the Palms. I see a congregation which is willing to and does embrace diversity. I also see a church which understands its mission as part of the body of Christ. We, as followers of Christ, understand the importance of being an inclusive church reaching out in the love of God. Together we will make a difference in our community through our ministries. No longer will there be Greek or Jew, male or female, and slave or free. Truly we are blessed by God.