Doug McMahon

A Place Called Vertigo: One Year Later

Last November, I began this new blog, Journeyman Preacher.  My first post was "A Place Called Vertigo."  I had just begun a new call as a church planter in St. Petersburg after being the pastor of Woodlawn Presbyterian Church for eleven years.  I remember that those first few months in my new work did feel like vertigo.  Vertigo is defined (Dictionary.com) as a dizzying sensation of tilting within stable surroundings or of being in tilting or spinning surroundings.  After living in the same house and being the pastor of a local Presbyterian congregation for eleven years, the call to be a church planter in St. Pete felt like vertigo. 

But it wasn't just simply moving to a new job and new home after eleven years, rather the feeling of vertigo was the result of the larger church changing drastically.  The way we do church has been changing and it seems like there is a lot more change on the way.  Some of the change is simply caused by the use of new technology.  We don't print weekly church bulletins on mimeograph machines anymore.  The change has to do with responding to the reality that many congregations have become holy huddles disconnected from their communities.  We've been forced to ask, wat does it mean to be the a faithful congregation today? 

This past year has been a growing experience for me.  I have learned to welcome the confusion I have felt at times because it helps me to trust God more fully.  It has been a time for letting go and letting God work in my life, and, for pushing me out into the community in a new way.  Creating this new blog is just one of the many new things I have experienced as I move out in a new way, as a new church pastor.  I have also become the Interim Director of Campus Ministries and Chaplain at Eckerd.  By letting go and letting God work in my life, I have been led to both campus ministry at Eckerd and to my new faith community, the Missio Dei Community in St. Pete. 

I have been a pastor for almost 23 year and want to continue to grow in faith, hope and love.  I desire to learn new and more genuine ways of being a community of faith.  One question that captures my attention now is "What does it mean to be an authentic church in the 21st Century?"  Gordon Cosby, founding pastor of the Church of the Savior in Washington DC, has said that in the later part of his life, this is the most important question for him.  He writes, "For me the central question is what it means to be the authentic church of Jesus Christ, crucified and resurrected.  What is its nature?  Its essence?  And how can that essence be structured and expressed so as to become a healing agent for the world?"

He and Kayla McClurg write about the authentic church as a place of extreme diversity.  They write, "The world has been damaged severely by the lie that we are meant to be separate from each other, that we are not bound together eternally as the children of one God.  The authentic church will be a diverse body, interconnected and interdependent.  The diversity will be of every sort--race, gender, economics, sexual orientation, age, etc.  Even persons of other faiths can find themselves at home in the authentic church  because Jesus Christ, with whom we are deepening in relationship, insists that we belong to the totality, the whole family of God.  If we think Jesus excludes anyone, we haven't yet gone deep enough in discovering who Jesus is."

To me, as a new church planter, a new faith community is not something we create, but something we rediscover and lean into.  It's something that we do together as brothers and sisters in conversation and in relationship to God. This place, a feeling of vertigo, is really just an invitation for me to let go and learn from God.  With open hands, an open mind and an open heart, I seek to rediscover genuine community.  At our faith community, we are seeking to be a holistic, missional Christian community of faith.  I am grateful  to God for all I have learned in 2009, and, for the people who journey with me.

Last November, I began this new blog, Journeyman Preacher.  My first post was "A Place Called Vertigo."  I had just begun a new call as a church planter in St. Petersburg after being the pastor of Woodlawn Presbyterian Church for eleven years.  I remember that those first few months in my new work did feel like vertigo.  Vertigo is defined (Dictionary.com) as a dizzying sensation of tilting within stable surroundings or of being in tilting or spinning surroundings.  After living in the same house and being the pastor of a local Presbyterian congregation for eleven years, the call to be a church planter in St. Pete felt like vertigo. 

But it wasn't just simply moving to a new job and new home after eleven years, rather the feeling of vertigo was the result of the larger church changing drastically.  The way we do church has been changing and it seems like there is a lot more change on the way.  Some of the change is simply caused by the use of new technology.  We don't print weekly church bulletins on mimeograph machines anymore.  The change has to do with responding to the reality that many congregations have become holy huddles disconnected from their communities.  We've been forced to ask, wat does it mean to be the a faithful congregation today? 

This past year has been a growing experience for me.  I have learned to welcome the confusion I have felt at times because it helps me to trust God more fully.  It has been a time for letting go and letting God work in my life, and, for pushing me out into the community in a new way.  Creating this new blog is just one of the many new things I have experienced as I move out in a new way, as a new church pastor.  I have also become the Interim Director of Campus Ministries and Chaplain at Eckerd.  By letting go and letting God work in my life, I have been led to both campus ministry at Eckerd and to my new faith community, the Missio Dei Community in St. Pete. 

I have been a pastor for almost 23 year and want to continue to grow in faith, hope and love.  I desire to learn new and more genuine ways of being a community of faith.  One question that captures my attention now is "What does it mean to be an authentic church in the 21st Century?"  Gordon Cosby, founding pastor of the Church of the Savior in Washington DC, has said that in the later part of his life, this is the most important question for him.  He writes, "For me the central question is what it means to be the authentic church of Jesus Christ, crucified and resurrected.  What is its nature?  Its essence?  And how can that essence be structured and expressed so as to become a healing agent for the world?"

He and Kayla McClurg write about the authentic church as a place of extreme diversity.  They write, "The world has been damaged severely by the lie that we are meant to be separate from each other, that we are not bound together eternally as the children of one God.  The authentic church will be a diverse body, interconnected and interdependent.  The diversity will be of every sort--race, gender, economics, sexual orientation, age, etc.  Even persons of other faiths can find themselves at home in the authentic church  because Jesus Christ, with whom we are deepening in relationship, insists that we belong to the totality, the whole family of God.  If we think Jesus excludes anyone, we haven't yet gone deep enough in discovering who Jesus is."

To me, as a new church planter, a new faith community is not something we create, but something we rediscover and lean into.  It's something that we do together as brothers and sisters in conversation and in relationship to God. This place, a feeling of vertigo, is really just an invitation for me to let go and learn from God.  With open hands, an open mind and an open heart, I seek to rediscover genuine community.  At our faith community, we are seeking to be a holistic, missional Christian community of faith.  I am grateful  to God for all I have learned in 2009, and, for the people who journey with me.

Love One Another

On Sunday, at the Missio Dei Community, we sang "O Holy Night."  As we sang the following words, I thought about the plight of many farmworkers in Florida.

Truly He taught us to love one another; His law is love and His Gospel is peace.  Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother.  And in His Name all oppression shall cease... Fall on your knees, Oh hear the angel voices!  Oh night divine, Oh night when Christ was born!

Since 1997, there have been seven convictions of slavery in the fields of Florida.  Presently, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers are advocating for a penny-a- pound more for all Florida tomato harvesters, safe working conditions and a voice at the table in labor negotiations.  You can read more about their work here.

This Christmas season, let us remember the words of the Christmas carol, "His law is love and His Gospel peace... And in His Name all oppression shall cease."

Talking About Spiritual Things

One of my all time favorite books is the little booklet, Becoming the Authentic Church.  You can find it at the Potter's House.   Gordon Cosby and Kayla McClurg write about sharing our stories of faith on pages 28 & 29: 

We understand the concern that to talk about spiritual things in insensitive ways can be off-puttting, creating a barrier of religiosity.  However, we have found that most people are eager to talk about themselves and what really matters to them.  When we have a conversation with someone new, we easily can say something simple like, “Tell me about yourself”; or, “Tell me who you really are”; or, “What’s important to you?”

If they share some of their story, we simply listen.  We listen as if we have all the time in the world.  We listen on behalf of all the times we have failed to listen in the past.  Then we share with them something of who we are.  Perhaps we say something like, “I don’t know if this might be true for you, but I have found that I sometimes have trouble being who I want to be and living what I want to live. I don’t know about your life, but mine has had a lot of brokenness in it and I find myself struggling with feeling loved.  I need others for support.  One of the things that has helped me is a group I’m in where we’re trying to learn how to love and be loved.  Would something like that be of interest to you?”  You’ll be surprised how often people respond gratefully to this sort of encounter and invitation.

Regardless of what we say in these moments, it is our presence, experienced through out deep listening and our willingness to reveal something genuine about ourselves that matters most.  Our acceptance conveys God’s acceptance.  What happens next is God’s business, not ours.  Our task is to be available and to see each other the way God sees us—to see how we look in God’s eyes.  Looking at each other that way evokes that true nature in us.  Who wouldn’t want to be around people like that?

1.     Do you think it is more helpful today to tell others about what we believe about God or to listen to them more deeply?

2.    Do you like the more vulnerable way the authors present the gospel when they say, “I sometimes have trouble being who I want to be and living what I want to live.”  Do you think followers of Jesus need to present an organized presentation of who Jesus is, or, is it OK to allow others to see that our lives are messy and full of struggles?

3.   During the season of Advent, my faith community (the misssio dei community) has been discussing the Advent Conspiracy.   We are talking about worshipping fully, spending less, giving more and loving all.  Which one of these actions is the most difficult for you to consider and which one is the most attractive to you?  How does each one relate to the other?

Prayer and Your Soul

Last week, on Tuesday, I voted and gave blood on the same day.  More than one person asked, "which hurt more?"  Actually, both were pretty painless.  In the election, some of my candidates won and others lost.  And giving blood didn't hurt at all.  And the folks at Florida Blood Services make you feel like a hero.  They said we were saving lives by giving blood.

A few days after giving blood, I was rereading a favorite book of mine, Mother Teresa: A Simple Path.  In that book, Mother Teresa says that prayer is to the soul what blood is to the body.

It's not an exageration to say that we can't pray enough.  Prayer is essential to life.  One of the most helpful things we can do as people of faith is to encourage one another to pray more often.

Mother Teresa once said, I always begin my prayer in silence, for it is in the silence of the heart that God speaks.  God is the friend of silence--we need to listen to God because it's not what we say but what He says to us and through us that matters.  Prayer feeds the soul--as blood is to the body, prayer is to the soul-- and it brings you closer to God... If you are searching for God and do not know where to begin, learn to pray and take the trouble to pray everyday.  You can pray anytime, anywhere.  You do not have to be in a chapel or a church.  You can pray at work--work doesn't have to stop prayer and prayer doesn't have to stop work.  You can also consult a priest or minister for guidance, or try speaking directly to God.  Just speak.  Tell Him everything, talk to Him.  (Mother Teresa: A Simple Path, Page 7-8, 1995: Ballantine Books)

A Church We No Longer Recognize

I was ordained by the Presbyterian Church (USA) as Minister of the Word in 1987.  That church and its way of being no longer exists.  There are many church folks who seem to be in denial about the changes in church and society over the past 25 years.  Of course there are many significant connections between the Presbyterian Church today and in 1987, but there have been huge changes in our way of being church.  And, there are more radical changes on the way. 

When I think about my church field education in Chicago in 1985-86, I remember church structures that are about as relevant today as a Best Buy store stocked with black and white televisions from the 1950's. I'm not celebrating technology.  I'm just amazed that congregations keep trying to move forward using church structures that are about as helpful as a Best Buy store filled with merchandise from 50 years ago.  I learned many valuable things in my field education many years ago. I remain forever grateful for my mentors and my theological education.  But, the church needs to be reformed and always being reformed.

There are many authors and religious leaders that are inviting us to live into a new way of being church that barely resembles church as we know it.  I'm joining this chorus.  I don't agree with everything that Frost and Hirsch write about in The Shaping of Things to Come, but I think on many points, these authors are right on target.  In the following quote they invite us to imagine a new way of being church in the world:

"The missional church represents God in the encounter between God and human culture.  It exists not because of human goals or desires, but as a result of God's creating and saving work in the world.  It is a visible manifestation of how the Good News of Jesus Christ is present in human life and transforms human culture to reflect more faithfully God's intentions for creation. It is a community that visibly and effectively participates in God's activity, just as Jesus indicated when he referred to it it in a metaphorical  language as salt, yeast, and light in the world...  In other words, such a church makes its mission its priority and perpetually asks itself, "What has God called us to be and do in our current cultural context?"  The issue of culture context is essential because the missional church shapes itself to fit that context in order to transform it for the sake of the kingdom of God.  By definition, the missional church is always outward looking always changing (as culture continues to change), and always faithful to the Word of God.  In many places it is so radical it barely resembles church as we know it."   (Page 7, Frost and Hirsch, The Shaping of Things to Come.) 

The Inward and Outward Journeys of Faith

A number of years ago, I came across the phrase, the inward journey and the outward journey of faith.  Many of my friends use this phrase and most credit the folks at The Church of the Savior in Washington DC with using the phrase first.  The life of faith involves an inward journey toward God and the outward journey toward neighbors and into the world.

Similarly, Jesus responded to questions about the law of God by saying all the commandments could be summarized by two:  love God and love your neighbor as yourself.  In the Bible we read this verse, "For anyone who does not love his brother [or sister], whom he [or she] has seen, cannot love God, whom he [or she] has not seen."  (1 John 4:20b, NIV)

But it is a constant struggle for most Christians to find the balance between the inward journey and the outward journey.  In fact, congregations tend to lean toward one favoring one over the other.  Too often congregations emphasize the inward journey.  These folks tend to believe that if you focus on the inward journey mission will flow from that connection.  But, that it is not the case.  We have to be intentional about prayer and mission, worship and mission and the inward journey and mission.

We cannot just assume the outward journey will automatically follow intentional inward practices.  Recently I encouraged my congregation to find a balance between the inward and outward journeys.  In response, someone said to me later, "Rather than finding a balance, I like to think of giving 100% to both!"  I like that enthusiasm.  Loving God and loving neighbgor go together.  The inward journey and the outward journey are essential to the life of faith. 

PC (USA) Young Adult Volunteers - Northern Ireland Program

Last night, I had the opportunity to welcome Rev. Doug Baker, of North Ireland, to Eckerd College.  He was our guest preacher at our Sunday evening worship gathering. He spoke about the Presbyterian Church (USA) Young Adult Volunteers program.  This is a great program available to all young adults not just Presbyterians.  The following is a quote from the PC(USA) web page about the Northern Ireland program.

PC(USA) Young Adult Volunteers - Northern Ireland Program

This is the tenth year for the PC(USA) Young Adult Volunteer Program in Northern Ireland. PC(USA) mission co-worker, the Rev. Doug Baker is the program coordinator. Forty-nine volunteers have served previously with sixteen different congregations or projects. Some of the projects where young adults have been placed recently are listed below.

The Bridge

Located in a low-income inner city Protestant / Loyalist district of East Belfast, the Bridge Community Trust (BCT) was established to be a link between "church" and community. BCT seeks to be a presence and support in the area, through a community café and involvement in after-schools and youth work provision. The volunteer helps develop the café / drop-in center, works with children in a homework club, and with youth at a local community center.

Read more about this mission program here.

More current information about Rev Doug Baker can be found here.  And you can find even more information about registering for the program here.

Preacher as Journeyman: Revisited

It has been almost a year since I began blogging.  In November, of last year, I signed up with Typepad and began the Journeyman Preacher blog.  The following is a rewrite of a post I wrote in December. Sometimes I wonder if I should rename my blog, but for now it is Journeyman Preacher. 

A journeyman is defined this way:  

1. a person who has served an apprenticeship at a trade or handicraft and is certified to work at it assisting or under another person. 
2. any experienced, competent but routine worker or performer. 
3. a person hired to do work for another, usually for a day at a time.(dictionary.com)

There are three reasons for the name Journeyman Preacher:

First, I think of myself as an apprentice, or disciple, of Jesus Christ.  When the TV program The Apprentice with Donald Trump was still new, I was reading the letters of the Apostle Paul, in the New Testament.  I thought about the way Paul encouraged his listeners to imitate himself, a follower and Apostle of Jesus Christ.  I thought about the word apprentice as a good translation of disciple in the 21st Century.  Maybe I first heard someone else use it for disciple and I don't even remember it.

As a journeyman preacher, I am, primarily, an apprentice of Jesus, but, also, of all the other mentors I have had over the years to whom I still turn today. Yet, I have been a pastor now for over 22 years, so I identify with the definition of "any experienced, competent but routine worker."  I enjoy being a pastor, and, though it can be a difficult job at times, I feel competent in what I do.  I am grateful for the calling to be a preacher and a pastor.

Thirdly, I like the idea that a journeyman preacher is "hired to work for another, usually for a day at a time."  I am called by Jesus Christ and, whether I recognize it or not, I only have one day at a time--today.  No one knows what tomorrow will bring.  Jesus said this in the Sermon on the Mount, "Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes. "   (Matthew 6:34)

I am writing about what I see God doing in my life, in my neighborhood and in our world.  One thing that is new since the first version of this post is my partnership with the Missio Dei Community.  Our new faith community was going to be Transfiguration Faith Community, but we decided to bring together the Missio Dei Community and Transfiguration  into one new faith community. Transfiguration was going to begin a new public worship gathering later this month, but Missio is already a worshiping community.  Therefore, we are going with the Missio Dei name rather than Transfiguration.  If you live in St. Pete, or know someone who does, we invite you to participate next Sunday at 11:00 AM at 2750 5th Ave N.  You can read more about the new faith community, Missio Dei, here.

Posted at 04:16 PM in Current Affairs, Faith, Friendship, Religion, Spirituality |Permalink

Sharing

Like most people, I want to make a difference in the world.  Seeking to make a difference is one of the major searches of life.  I remember Kennon Callahan teaching that people participate in four major searches.   People seek strength, community, wisdom and purpose.  People ask questions, like Who am I? Who are we?  How can I deal with this problem? How can I make a difference?  I remember someone else summing it up this way:  we want to understand, to be understand, to belong and to make a difference.

At some point in life, many of us realize that we have been blessed in many ways.  We have a need to give back a portion of that we have received.  Our gratitude motivates us to serve others who may be in need.  We want to share some of what has been given to us.  As a leader of a new faith community and as a college chaplain, I continue to be inspired by people who serve others with generosity and joy.

The way forward for churches involves removing the old barriers that block progress in these four life searches.  Many institutional structures have grown out dated and ineffective.  Its not that people don't desire to serve, rather we get involved in tired religious routines rather than finding new ways to deploy our talents and gifts in service to others.  When we put clear opportunities for service in front of people they often respond with enthusiasm and creativity.  

As people of faith, we must be working in the community and the larger world.  Whenever I recall stories of Jesus indoors at a religious service, I can remember ten other times when he was outdoors or visiting in the homes of people.  Jesus walked the dusty streets of Galilee and Jerusalem, traveled in boats and accepted invitations to dinner in people's homes.  This is how he spent most of his day. There is a time and place for indoor worship gatherings in houses of worship, but the life of faith is lived, most effectively, conversing in coffee shops, working on community projects and engaging in ministry with neighbors.  

It's a new day.  It's a day of mission, as Kennon Callahan also taught.  We are called to participate in ministry, not huddled up in our church buildings, but, by engaging our neighbors in conversation, serving those in need and growing in faith as we live at the crossroads of life.  The life of faith is about relationships, community and growing in faith as we serve, learn, help, discuss, work and pray together.  In short, as we share our lives and resources with others, we find God.

Sabbath Keeping

This past Sunday I preached about Sabbath, twice in the morning in Tampa and again Sunday evening in St. Pete.   The theme of Sabbath seems to be a complex topic to talk about today.  Slowing down and savoring life is a counter-cultural activity.

One listener in Tampa suggested that listeners need time to unpack the ideas in my sermon. He suggested that maybe a gathering or a blog post would give people time to respond to the thoughts about Sabbath in the sermon.  In our fast-paced culture, I confess that  I find it a constant struggle to keep Sabbath.

Recently I heard someone refer to Sabbath keeping as enjoying 52 snow days a year.  Those of us who grew up in the north know that snow days are often fun.  With snow days, most times, schools and businesses close and children get to stay home and play in the snow.  It has been suggested that keeping Sabbath is like getting a snow day.

I find that people who listen to a sermon on Sabbath respond with a mixture of "that sounds great" and "I can't do that."   I think my friend in Tampa is right.  We need time to talk about Sabbath keeping.   We need a lot more conversation.  This isn't something we can do on your own, rather, Sabbath keeping is a community activity.  

How do we enjoy Sabbath rest?  There are many helpful voices and authors to engage in this conversation about Sabbath keeping.  But, we can't just read books on our own and listen to an occasional sermon on Sabbath keeping.  We need ongoing conversations and support.  We live in a time and place that is not Sabbath-friendly.  But we need Sabbath because we need God.  Snow days were enjoyable because they were a community activity and so are days of Sabbath.

Posted at 06:05 PM | Permalink