A WAY FORWARD

by Reverend Heather Miner, Pastor of North Long Beach Christian Church

I became the minister of North Long Beach Christian Church (NLBCC), an elderly church located in an area of need, six years ago.  The church had no savings but had stalwart, ‘salt of the earth,’ faithful people.  We were 15 in worship.  We are now reaching towards 50. 

What happened is a series of testimonies to what God can do when churches care for one another.

The first significant event was when the Saturday night church, Holy Spirit Fellowship (HSF), closed.  They were born twenty years before out of Christ Chapel, an independent gay church in Long Beach.  Twenty years ago, they came to the elders of NLBCC and asked if they could rent the space Saturday night for worship.  Apparently, there was a lot of discussion.  But the elders decided that everyone should be able to safely worship God.  A relationship was born.  Over the years, the churches worked side by side to keep the campus safe and beautiful.  People felt free to move between the churches.  We shared a musician.  When it became clear that HSF could no longer sustain itself, they decided to go and support churches already in existence.  Ten people came into the worship of NLBCC.  Worship was filled with singing and spirit led ‘amens.’ 

But, still the problem remained of how to be welcoming to those who had children.  I prefer the model where children begin worship in the sanctuary with their parents and then have a space and time of their own with loving, faithful adults to guide them.  While I can fix toilets, preach, visit people in the hospital, and make community connections, I cannot be in two places at 10:45 on Sundays.   

Our congregation was still elderly.   Those who were comfortable working with children were no longer physically able to do so (despite the woman in the wheelchair saying she’d wheel on over and be there for them if I needed her).  And, our newer, younger members did not have a passion for children and youth ministries. 

Then, Community Congregational Church of Corona del Mar, UCC (CCCC) got involved.  I had served them as an Associate Pastor for five years.  One day, their Mission group asked me what I needed.  I responded money to pay for someone who could be a children/youth person on Sundays, help with our midweek Christian program we call Family Café, and with outreach during the week.  I created a 12 hour/week job; $600/month.  They sponsored that person and more. 

It took time to find the right person.  I made a couple of mistakes.  But the grace of the Mission people at CCCC, allowed me to try again. Finally, the right person came.  Amber attended our Family Café, which, when she first came, was limping along with the wrong children/youth leader. 

Things happened and Amber moved into the children/youth leader position two months ago.  In the six months she’s been with us, Amber has brought into our church eight people who now are the leadership for our Family Café and children/youth programs. 

Amber is a connector with a passion for people on the margins, a perfect fit for a church where those on the margins minister to those on the margins.  The people of NLBCC have ministered well to her and her children.  They welcomed her with open arms long before she took on her role with us.   When she was about to fall, they caught her, and helped her through.  The ability to help her with a financial situation was also enabled by the gift of CCCC.   

The newer people were integrated with our long term members through a weekend leadership retreat.  Our church people are on very limited incomes.  Food at the end of the month is often hard to come by.  Again, a member of a church I served in the past, asked “what is your need?”  This time, I suggested a fund so we could go on a yearly retreat together.  The retreatants connected deeply in the Spirit; a connection which strengthens our ability to minister to our community each week.

HSF and CCCC gave us a way forward.   They show how churches can truly support one another in Christ. As churches consider their mission budgets, it would be such a blessing if larger churches used some of their funds to helping struggling churches stand again.  By making it a partnership, rather than a grant process, you allow grace that enables a church to experiment until they find the right path forward.  And, you just might find yourself standing side by side someone dear and holy who you otherwise would never have had the chance to know.

Blessings!
Reverend Heather Miner    

Pastor – www.nlbcc.net

Coach – www.thesixthday.org

PACIFIC SOUTHWEST REGION OPENS SEARCH FOR NEW LEADERSHIP

The Board and Search Committee invite nominations and expressions of interest for the position of Regional Minister(s) of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the Pacific Southwest Region (PSWR). We seek the leader(s) who understand(s) the diverse and changing context of the church and society, and who can offer a clear vision for ministry that draws all to Christ’s Table. The position begins on or about September 1, 2019.

Regional Profile

The warm and vibrant church family within the PSWR celebrates diversity as its greatest strength and its greatest challenge. The area served by PSWR congregations includes 12 counties across portions of California, Nevada and Hawaii. Currently, we operate with a leadership model that has Co-Regional Ministers. In addition we have Associate Regional Ministers for youth/young adults and various ethnic ministries. In the past, the PSWR had one person serving as Regional Minister with some deployed staff.  We are open to God’s call for leadership of the PSWR, with no pre-conceived idea of the future ministry model. The full Regional Profile can be viewed here.

Nominations and Application Process

The Regional Minister Search Committee will receive nominations at PSWRsearch@gmail.com .

To assure full consideration, those interested in applying for the position must submit a letter of interest by November 9, 2018. In the letter, applicants should provide their personal characteristics, qualifications and/or experiences that meet the Preferred Skills and Preferred Experiences sections of the Position Description, which can be viewed here. In addition, applicants must include contact information where they wish to receive communications from the Search Committee. Letters should be sent to PSWR Search Administrator, 5225 Canyon Crest Drive., Ste. 71-711, Riverside, CA 92507 and electronically to PSWRsearch@gmail.com .

All applicants are required to provide updated profile information and letters of reference through the Search & Call process: https://www.discipleshomemissions.org/clergy/search-call/  The application period closes and all materials must be received by December 7, 2018.

This position is a six-year term with the possibility of a second six-year term for a maximum of twelve (12) years of total service.

The Story Behind the PSWR Immigration Immersion Project

Each year the Regional Youth and Young Adult’s ministry provide an immersion experience for young leaders to practice and engage the tools of faith they’ve gained from their training. This year we felt compelled to extend this opportunity to young adults from around the General Church – United States and Canada. In the past we have sent young people to unfamiliar areas of the world for most of us. When considering what unique opportunities we could host for folks from around our larger Church, it only seemed natural since we share a border with another country that we tackle issues of immigration and deportation.

With the support of a grant from the Oreon E. Scott Foundation, our region hosted a 10-day immersion experience for eight young adults, four youth, and a number of adults from around the PSWR. Five days of training were provided by immigration resource ministry Matthew 25, Obra Hispana National Pastor, Lori Tapia, our Associate Regional Minister, B. J. Barlow, and conversation that engaged perspectives on racism and cultural sensitivities. The other five days took participants across the US-Mexico border to visit border patrol agents, deported veterans, and our sister church Iglesia de Las Todas Naciones in Tijuana.

The results of this project are continuing to be revealed to us. Our hope is that with the gathering of resources, personal stories, and close encounters with our immigration system, these young leaders will work to provide support and services to immigrants throughout the General Church and beyond.

To hear the impact the program had on one participant, visit: https://youtu.be/4ciShEqHPg8 or watch the video below.

REGIONAL MINISTER SEARCH: RECAP OF THE SEARCH TO DATE

For the last four months, Regional Minister Search Committee members have been meeting with groups throughout the PSWR to listen and gather input about the Region and our future Regional Minister:

• 225 people in groups/committees of the Region were included in 23 meetings 
• 375 people attended 11 Region-wide congregational listening sessions from Hawaii to Las Vegas and Bakersfield to San Diego; 60% of attendees were from our Hispanic Convención churches 
• 60 responses have been received via the online survey. YOU CAN STILL PARTICIPATE! (http://www.disciplespswr.org/minister-search)
• Flyers were handed out about The Search at the National Hispanic Assembly, National African American and NAPAD Convocations to spread the word about our search on a national level
• Each church was mailed a hard copy letter encouraging people to take the on-line survey or attend a listening session
• The July and August E-Shout newsletters and Regional Facebook page included publicity about the online survey and participation in The Search process

The position description and Regional profile are being crafted based on the feedback received. They will be reviewed by a regional minister from another region, our denomination’s General Minister and President, Terri Hord Owens, and the PSWR Regional Board before the job opening is posted at the end of September 2018. If you know someone who should be considered for the position of the next PSWR Regional Minister, please give them the website above. 

September 24th Launch of the Certificate for Spiritual Entrepreneurship

We know you have heard bits and pieces from us and the PSWR about this new emerging discipline of Spiritual Entrepreneurship.  It is an exciting time to be on this side of the innovation curve and we are honored to be one of a few incubators in the country to be doing this work.  The PSWR is doing some amazing and innovative work and we are proud partners!  We just finished our April launch of our Certificate in Spiritual Entrepreneurship and we would like you, and maybe perhaps even your team, to think about being involved in the next launch coming September 24th.   

Within our Christian communities and congregations you can't help but be a part of conversations that are asking questions of what it means to move our faith into the future in ways that are transformational and meaningful.  At Hatchery LA we are an incubator for Spiritual Entrepreneurship and are asking what it looks like to innovate our theologies and methodologies in ways that are sustainable and viable for movement into the 21st Century.
 
With that being said we have teamed up with some friends to talk a little bit more about what this looks like.  We would like to invite you to a series of conversations in which we explore theological questions, dilemmas of practitioners and hear from some of our own Certified Spiritual Entrepreneurs.  Through this series of conversations we will be looking at some of the implications of moving faith into the future in ways that make sense theologically, spiritually and organizationally. 
 
This is completely free.  We just need you to sign up and you will have access to all three conversations when they are released starting September 6th.
 
Our conversation partners include Peter Rollins, Sue Phillips and Certified Spiritual Entrepreneurs.  Peter Rollins is a writer, philosopher, storyteller and public speaker who has gained an international reputation for overturning traditional notions of religion and forming “churches” that preach the Good News that we can’t be satisfied, that life is difficult, and that we don’t know the secret.  Sue Phillips is the Director of Strategy at the On Being Impact Lab, the founder of FAITHIFY, the first denominationally-affiliated crowdfunding site, and is the co-author with colleagues Angie Thurston and Casper ter Kuile of Faithful and Care of Souls which explore emerging models of spiritual innovation.   Finally, three Certified Spiritual Entrepreneurs from Hatchery LA’s Certificate in Spiritual Entrepreneurship program, Chaz Snider, Natasha Holmes and Alex Tan will be sharing about how the discipline of Spiritual Entrepreneurship helped move them forward in their ministry and in their own call and passions.    

Click here to learn more and sign up for free.  Looking forward to sharing these conversations with you!  And, more than that, exploring the intersections of Future and Faith!
 
See you soon!
Spencer Burke, Maria French and Barry Taylor
The Hatchery LA Team