Hot Topic is Not Punk Rock

This is a great punk rock song about how a store in your local shopping mall Hot Topic © uses contrived identification with youth sub-cultures

Hot Topic is Not Punk Rock

So, why mention it?

We are really learning a lot about Christian culture.

As in: “What is Christian?” and “What is culture?”; What is a Baptist? What is an Evangelical? What is Liberal/Conservative? What is Religious/Spirit-filled? Ask yourself what does Christianity look like? You may be surprised at how subject to culture our Christianity can be.

There are actually business models for church. Lots of consultants that want to ‘help’ me along (for a fee). There are political lobbying groups that want to suggest what issues the church must throw it's weight behind . There are plenty of books, sold alongside scripture picture frames with leaping dolphins (Apparently, after mankind, God’s favorite mammal). But where is the evidence of changed lives? The global impact that Christianity aspires toward? Is it found in China? North Korea? Iraq? Los Angeles? Alva?!!! We don't want to be merely trying to 'look like' church.

May I be so bold as to say: Jesus is Punk Rock!
The truth expressed to the common man irrespective of institutional church culture.

Church looks like people following Jesus. In the past it was achieved one way or another. Today may call for a change to achieve, once more, that same sincere expression.

Leaving me asking: "if not 'manager', 'marketer' or 'cheerleader', what is my job description?”
As is the case for most sincere searches, the answers can be found in Scripture:

1 Timmothy 4:12-16
…in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe. Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching. Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was bestowed upon you through prophetic utterance with the laying on of hands by the presbytery. Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress may be evident to all. Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things; for as you do this you will insure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you. ~ my job description

~~~

We have a Vision and mission statement
(not too original, but reliable):

Vision: Acts 2:42 They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

Mission: Matthew 28:19-20 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

~~~

My interpolation of something Steve Snook, my Pastor at Metro Calvary Chapel once said:

“Instead of looking to fall back on a 1^st century model for the Church we are striving forward toward a 21^st century expression of the Body of Christ”

Please don't stop praying for us!
Light and Life!!!

Love, David Elizabeth, Daniel & Josiah
We would love to hear from you. (even if you just comment on this blog below)

'nuff said

Ministry Photos

Sunday Morning

Sunday Evening


Kids Club




Baptisms

The Church

Someone asked me the other day: "what kind of staff do you work with?" Smile. We have no staff.
;)
The church is blessed to have a building!

We have a Deacon Board of five people who handle the finance, meeting minutes, church calendar, flowers, communion, collecting the offering, etc.
All the rest of us are getting the work done.Hospital visits, communion for the home-bound, the tiny ad in the local paper about our service times, and tea after the service. We are blessed to see that the people who come, do participate in ministry.

Its different here.

Each day I find myself meeting with someone who doesn't exactly know Jesus. We are ministering to a post-Christian nation who still calls themselves Christian. I am reminded "Thou shall not take the Lord's name in vain"

It is idyllic on one hand and very dark on the other.
The Freemason lodge sits on the headwaters of the village.
There are more pubs than churches.
Kids do not know what happens in churches.
We are planting a church within an older, out of touch church
with the help of some folks here that get it.

At the end of the day it is the Lord's work.
It is pretty cool to be living within a miracle.

The Fraser boys are growing as Autumn falls! (watch these trees!)

Country Life

Thats a John Deere Folks!
They're starting to talk funny, though!

Three Months

We are seeing the Lord bless the teaching of His word at Alva Baptist Church!

Since beginning to serve in June and agreeing with the elders of this church about the calling to pastor in July and then the official induction in August we are seeing signs of life!

We have seen the Lord bless a weekly prayer meeting (with about 30% of the membership attending AND praying), a discipleship course called Christianity Explored, a youth club and a growing community on Sunday morning and evenings. Other churches are reaching out to us to help and plan for reaching the communities in little ways.

Somebody asked if we record sermons! Like anyone would ever want to hear me twice! :) Seriously, it exposed the false humility of presuming that I could somehow limit how God may choose to use the preaching of His word in Alva. I sort of cringe at the realization that it was I who cared too much about my preaching (good or bad; performance, as opposed to faithfulness), rather than being willing to share with people who cannot attend on any given Sunday.
~~~
Alva Baptist Church will celebrate it's 125th Anniversary on September 23rd! God has contributed a man trained by serving at Metro Calvary Chapel, to an uninterrupted continuum of preaching the word in Alva that might have stopped. That is pretty cool.

We are so blessed to have folks with the collected wisdom of the better part of the last century as a part of our congregation. One might mistakenly think that the older generation would be somehow outdated in their outlook, but I find treasure! They represent the sort of life that is passing away from this world, if we continue to fail to pass on faith to the succeeding generations. Mind you, its not without its challenges, but God is faithful and we are blessed.

Our yout group has two or three people over 50 helping out who are totally cool and have 40-year-old stories about youth groups! Its amazing! And they are not uptight and they don't fail to reach out to kids. And we play sports and games and share a sermon on some memory verse every Friday.

We see about 20 kids coming each week. Its a kids club really 9-14. The older kids aren't so interested, though the range gets older and older. We have just opened the doors and minister to whomever comes, rather than turn kids away hoping for teens. The hardest kids have become softened and now more hard kids are coming around. We just keep praying and more and kids of drunks, fighters and Jehova's Witness are coming around; its challenging but its God's work and we shepherd sheep and watch God transform wolves. They all want metal camouflage bibles!!! We have lacked women helpers, but several women have expressed interest when we announced it on Sunday.

There is stress and challenge and trials, but it is the price worth paying to lead people to Christ and baptize new believers in waterfalls (BALTIC, ARCTIC WATER!)

Thats right we are seeing folks come to faith and ask to be baptized! Hallelujah!!!

I recommend stepping out into whatever crazy plan that God would seed your mind with. Its how He builds faith and assures of His leading. And then after you has seen God PROVE faithful we are able to depend on Him as entirely as His work requires.

Its not like we have arrived. (not by a long shot!) Please don't stop praying for us!
War in the heavenlies!
Light and Life!!!

Love, David Elizabeth, Daniel & Josiah
We would love to hear from you. (even if you just comment on this blog below)