The Vine - News Blog

Training Coming This Fall for Missions Ambassadors

 
As Arborlawn focuses more on being a missional church, our prayer is that we empower each other to carry the work of Christ outside of the walls of Arborlawn. This congregation is always so faithful. When a mission need arises, the need is always met in a myriad of ways.
 
When guests come to Arborlawn, we want them to learn about and experience our mission opportunities. We believe the best way for others to learn about missions is from our members, who are truly our mission ambassadors in the community.
 
A Missions Kiosk is planned for Arborlawn starting this fall, and we are currently looking to train volunteers to staff the Kiosk. If you have a desire to facilitate connections between people and mission service opportunities, we would like to visit with you. Those who go through this training program will learn how to share all of Arborlawn's missions so they can hold meaningful, informed conversations with our guests and new members. Our goal is to connect interested people with missional opportunities.
 
The training is scheduled for this coming September. If you are interested in participating, please contact Steve Johnson or DeAndrea Dare.
 
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ArborlawnUMC.org

Love God, Serve the City: Source of Life

 
By Dave Brower
 
When we choose to be sent into the world as God’s people we are assured of two things: 1) God is present; and 2) God’s way is the best. You may notice one omission that many people assume about aligning one’s self with God’s work – it is not a promise of an easy road.
 

Jesus begins his ministry by healing and feeding – meeting people’s needs. Once the people have begun to experience healing though the message picks up. Jesus begins to say things like “narrow is the road that leads to life” and “take up your cross and follow me.” These are not necessarily words that win you many friends and followers. It is no surprise that the crowds begin to thin.
 
The same is the work for the Old Testament prophets. They are tasked with the act of proclaiming God’s word to a people who are less than receptive to the message. Jeremiah describes his calling as being seduced by God. He feels tricked. God lured him into this calling by giving life to his passion and putting a word on his tongue that he could not keep in. All the while the work was difficult and he encountered hardship throughout.
 
The promise of God is never an easy life. The promise of God isn’t worldly treasure and fame. The promise of God is the assurance of God’s faithfulness and presence in the midst of our struggle and doubts. The promise of God is that our struggles are not a sign of God’s abandonment and displeasure; instead, they are an opportunity to remember the source of life – God’s spirit dwelling with us.
 
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ArborlawnUMC.org

Love God, Serve the City: Baby Steps

 
By Dave Brower
 
First steps are often the shakiest.
 
I have a two year old daughter and another on the way next month. I can still remember Ellison’s first steps on her own. They were shaky, short, stuttered steps. She only made it two or three steps before she fell down. Her steps were not the most confident, but I believe that those steps were the most faith-filled steps she’s ever taken. Letting go of the table she used to prop herself up and walking into the treacherous wilderness that was the living room required courage and a desire to walk.
 

As Christians we are on a similar journey. We learn faith from the lives of those around us. We hear their stories of God at work in and around them and we are inspired and excited to journey with God as well. But, when faced with the reality of letting go of whatever we’re holding onto, the life of faith can become daunting.
 
Abraham (known as Abram at the time) is called by God to “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you." (Gen. 12:1) I can imagine Abram’s mental dialogue. “A ‘place you will show me’? How about a ‘place that you will tell me... now.’” He, much like most of us, probably craved a level of certainty in his life. After all, he was 75 years old and still under his father’s protection. Journeying to a ‘yet to be determined’ location might not have been the safest or even the most financially beneficial move on Abram’s part. Yet, we are told, he goes.
 
Another great story of being sent is Moses leading God’s people out of Egypt. It becomes obvious shortly after they left that Moses hadn’t exactly thought through every step of the journey and they quickly came to a dead end – a dead end the size of a large body of water. With the whole host of Israelites now questioning their decision to leave, Moses puts his trust in God.
 
The Rabbinic tradition in Judaism has a wonderful way of expounding upon stories to look at deeper truths. There is one story told that as Moses assured the Israelites that they would be protected, the water didn’t budge. Moses would raise his hands and command the seas to part, but they never did. With the Egyptian army closing in and the end literally in sight Moses was out of options. God had abandoned them. Then, one Israelite child begins to walk toward the water. As the child steps in and begins to walk the waters begin to rustle. As the child ventures out into knee deep water the waters rush apart and a pathway is revealed for God’s people to journey on.
 
We crave certainty. We want to know the way. We want to know every twist and turn. We want to know which exit has the cleanest bathrooms and where we can find a good bite to eat along the way. We aren’t promised this kind of certainty in our faith. What we are promised is that God is at work where we are going. We do not travel alone. God is already there and will be there along the way. We follow the way of Jesus and step out into the unknown with the faith that God has called us into this world to be salt and light. We are sent out to Love God and Serve our City where God is at work. Our first steps aren’t always the most confident, but they often times require the most faith.
 
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ArborlawnUMC.org

Love God, Serve the City: “Go!”

 
By Dave Brower
 
It’s a phrase that appears a number of times in scripture. Abraham, Moses, Isaiah, and the disciples are all told to “go!” The theme of being sent within the Bible is a common one. Often times, the people being sent are the ones who are identifying their life with the mission of God.
 

God is an active God. God is at work in the world. If we are claiming to be God’s people and followers of Christ then we must be people who are willing to “go!” The term “followers” at its core suggests movement. In reading through the gospel accounts of Jesus’ life and ministry we find that he moves throughout the region at a brisk pace with the message: “The kingdom of God has come near!”
 
As the church we gather together in worship in order to open our eyes and our hearts to a God who is already at work. We do not gather for the sole purpose of anesthetizing our senses to the realities of life. No, instead we gather to heighten our awareness of God at work in those realities. The realities of: broken relationships, chemotherapy, birth, death, community, loneliness, and Facebook.
 
These are just some of the realities where God is present. In Luke 10, not even halfway through his ministry, Jesus sends out between seventy and seventy-seven (depending on translation) of his disciples into the world with the clothes on their back, a companion, and the message: “the kingdom of God has come near!” This message wasn’t a threat and it wasn’t a scare tactic. Instead, it was the good news of a proactive God and a new understanding of what it meant to be human in light of this news.
 
Today we hear this same call. We are to “go!” We continue to gather together in worship, week in and week out, but that is not our end-goal. We gather to be sent into a world with the good news of God’s presence.
 
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ArborlawnUMC.org

Love God, Serve the City: What’s Holding You Back?

 
By Dave Brower
 
“I assure you that whoever believes in me will do the works that I do. They will do even greater works than these...” John 14:12
 
Really, Jesus? Greater works than you? I know Jesus says a lot of shocking and alarming things in his ministry, but this may be the most shocking. Jesus tells his disciples (those who choose to follow him) that they will do even greater things than he did. Can you believe that? Maybe the question should be, do you believe that?
 

We hold Jesus in the highest regard. He is the revelation of God with us for us. He shows us what it is to be truly human and he exemplifies God’s love for us in his life, death, and resurrection. Jesus’ teachings form our moral understandings as well as our ethical understandings of caring for the poor and looking out for those in need. We claim to have faith in what Jesus said and did. But how many of us believe that we can not only do the work that Jesus did, but maybe even do greater? That seems sacrilegious.
 
We are taught from an early age that we should have faith in Jesus – that’s true and that’s good. What I am finding out more and more though is that Jesus has faith in us. Jesus calls us to be his physical presence in the world. Through the acts of being formed into the living temple of God (1 Peter 2:5) and discerning where the Holy Spirit is at work in the world (John 14:19) we begin to take on the identity as God’s people and Jesus’ disciples. The final step is what springs us forward into God’s mission. That is the act of joining in where God is already at work.
 
As we live with an awareness that has been formed in us we are able to discern where God is at work in the world. From that point we must have faith in Jesus that what he believes about our abilities is true. God can do amazing and miraculous things through people who are aware and willing to join in with God’s mission.
 
So, what is it that’s holding you back?
 
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ArborlawnUMC.org

Love God, Serve the City Through the Arborlawn Food Pantry

 
As part of our Love God, Serve the City series, we're focusing on the Arborlawn Food Pantry this week. One of the most robust mission efforts in our church, the Food Pantry provides supplemental food service to people living in proximity to our church in southwest Fort Worth.
 

Arborlawn's Food Pantry is located in the SAM Building and operates Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. Many volunteers give of their time to this mission, but there's always room for more help. If you're interesting in participating as a volunteer, contact Dawn Henderson or Rev. DeAndrea Dare.

 

Stop by the Food Pantry this Sunday for a tour and get a feel for this outreach effort. Your donations of food are also welcomed and encouraged. Download a Food Pantry Shopping List and bring your donations to the Food Pantry or to the church office any time.
 
This Sunday, January 26, we will have special collections areas for Food Pantry donations in the Lower Commons, in the Upper Commons outside the Worship Center, in the church office, and in the Food Pantry in the SAM Building.
 
Thank you for helping us serve our fellow residents of Fort Worth. Providing food to our neighbors is an excellent way we Love God and Serve the City!
 
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ArborlawnUMC.org

Love God, Serve the City: Recognizing God at Work

 
By Dave Brower
 
The work of the church is first and foremost about the work of God. When I first came across resources about the missional church, I was both encouraged and discouraged. I was encouraged by the number of stories that were coming out of the communities who were embracing this understanding of the work of the church in the world. At the same time, I was discouraged. How were these people coming up with these great ideas for serving their city? How did they create such transformative outlets to love God through loving others?
 

What I have come to understand is that the work of the church, primarily, isn’t created by the church out of thin air. The most effective ministry in the church is when the church recognizes God at work and simply joins in with that work. The best work we can do to Love God and Serve the City is when we realize that the best work happens when God’s ordinary people live with the faith that God is already at work in our world.
 
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ArborlawnUMC.org

Love God, Serve the City

 
“It’s not so much that the church has a mission, it’s that the mission of God has a church.”  Alan Hirsch
 

It’s a word you’ll be hearing more and more about in the coming weeks: Missional. Immediately following the resurrection of Jesus, the early church understood its primary calling to be the body and presence of Christ in this world. As Jesus rose, the church was sent. Over time, however, the church began to gradually shift the focus away from its missional calling, moving instead toward building and maintaining the institutional life of congregations. In recent history, the focus of the church has often been more about attracting new members to build an institution than equipping disciples for service to help build the kingdom.
 
This Sunday we’ll launch a new sermon series called “Love God, Serve the City.” At its core, missional is a critical shift in our normal way of thinking about church. It reminds us of our primary purpose as a church: to be the incarnational body of Christ in this world. Mission, then, is not something we do; it’s what we are. Love God, Serve the City begins now. Join us for the journey.
 
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ArborlawnUMC.org

Congregational meeting January 13 during Sunday School hour

 
We invite you to join us this Sunday, Jan. 13, at 9:45 a.m. in the Family Life Center for an important congregational meeting. The Leadership Council has been at work seeking to discern the next phase of where we believe God is leading Arborlawn in its mission and ministry. Strategic teams are already in place and working to help us map out the future. It’s important we all understand where we’re going as a congregation. Your role in this next journey is essential. Ben Disney and John Sieverling, Chair of the leadership Council, will lead the congregational meeting.
 
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ArborlawnUMC.org

Conversation about missions and ministries on January 13

 
The future looks bright for ministries and missions of Arborlawn, and we would like for everyone to be a part of the conversation we’re having. Please mark your calendar for Sunday, Jan. 13 during the Sunday School hour (9:45-10:45 a.m.). Join us that day and time in the Family Life Center as the Leadership Council (led by John Sieverling) bring us the latest on where we’re going as a church family.
 
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ArborlawnUMC.org

Conversation about missions and ministries on January 13

 
The future looks bright for ministries and missions of Arborlawn, and we would like for everyone to be a part of the conversation we’re having. Please mark your calendar for Sunday, Jan. 13 during the Sunday School hour (9:45-10:45 a.m.). Join us that day and time in the Family Life Center as the Leadership Council (led by John Sieverling) bring us the latest on where we’re going as a church family.
 
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ArborlawnUMC.org

Conversation about ministries and missions on January 13

 
The future looks bright for ministries and missions of Arborlawn, and we would like for everyone to be a part of the conversation we’re having. Please mark your calendar for Sunday, Jan. 13 during the Sunday School hour (9:45-10:45 a.m.). Join us that day and time in the Family Life Center as the Leadership Council (led by John Sieverling) bring us the latest on where we’re going as a church family.
 
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ArborlawnUMC.org