I laughed, then I nervously laughed, then I watched with the thought “ouch” in my mind. This is sooo true for so many reasons. Thanks Sam Luce for bringing this to my attention.
I Met Phil Vischer
Tonight was the first night of the International Network of Children’s Pastors Conference (or CPC for short) in Orlando, Florida. Kimberly and I had a wonderful time of worship, food, a speaker, and (my favorite) to visit the vendors.
Among the line of children’s ministry celebrities was Phil Vischer who kindly allowed me to have my picture taken with him. If you are not familiar with him, he created Veggie Tales, and has recently launched a whole new line of characters focused on biblical literacy. You can check it out at www.jellytelly.com
Familial Memories — The Unseen Chain
A Walk in a Dark Park
We were able to go to Alabama this year for Christmas (the first time in a long time), and we had a wonderful time with family. One of the evenings over the remnants of a delicious meal, dessert, and Dunk’n Doughnuts coffee my father said he wanted to take my sister and I to a cemetery.
Yes, I said cemetery. How is that for a transition from dinner to “catching up†conversation? So, I asked him, “should I bring my camera or my shovel?†He said, “no, I just want to show you two something.†So the next day we started out early and went to the graveyards my father had in mind. This was not exactly what I had in mind for a short Christmas vacation, but life has a way of bringing reality to your doorstep.
We drove to a plot of graves; my father stops, turns off the car, turns towards us and began to talk. He said that he was concerned that there were members of our family that if we (my sister and I) did not know where they were buried, then they would be forgotten, and that no one would know who they were. He was concerned that no one would take care of the tombstone (laying flowers, checking on them, etc.)
He then began sharing whom each person was, whom they were related to, and some memories from their lives.
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 Ft. Benning Liaison
Recently Ft. Bragg was merged into Ft. Benning, GA, so there was corresponding surge of soldiers and their families into the Russell County, AL area. This is where I grew up, and still consider my ancestral home. Because of this significant growth to the population, housing, government spending, the expanding training facility desired to purchase what equaled to thousands of acres and the lower third of the county.
In order to make a purchase of this size, there was a community meeting. At this meeting, the people did not line up to sell their land, and the flavor of the meeting was quite the opposite. The military and their desire to expand did not understand the blowback they were getting from the community. The deathblow to the discussion was when the liaison for Ft. Benning said, “it’s just land.â€
Trust me, it’s not just land.
What the liaison didn’t realize was that this “land†had been in families for many generations. Family members going back hundreds and hundreds of years were buried on the land. Livelihoods were developed off of the land, blood, sweat, and tears were shed on this land, and there was a connection to the land that a carrier military officer, who had traveled all over the country and world, and did not have this connection, did not understand.
Large tracks of land were passed from family to family, and there was an unseen chain of memory that connected these people to plots of land, and to a way of life. These chains were not one of bondage, but one of responsibility. It was a way for them to be grounded and to feel connected to others in their community. These plots of land were connected by marriages, memories, and a love for neighbors. This southern culture had a genuine family value to build and to improve. They desired to have a better way of life for their children, and eventual grandchildren. You cannot put a price on a way of life, and a value in a person’s life.
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Familial Memory
Why was it so important to my father for my sister and I to know where our relatives were buried? I believe that it goes back to that unseen chain of memory. Each generation adds a link to this chain that if it is broken, a connection is lost that gives one strength. Families that remember where they have come from have history.
History gives one an ability to learn from past mistakes, and to build upon previous successes. When this history is lost, each new generation has to start over in the building process. Even a family filled with previous bad decisions can learn that this way of life does not end well. Families that can build generation upon generation can build upon their ability to influence the world around them (for the good). 
We all have a part to play in the world around us, and for me that requires a calling to a place apart from the ancestral home, but the chain is still connected and because of years of story telling over dinners, family gatherings, and a trip to a cemetery, memories have been passed down and our family becomes slightly stronger.
See also Institutional Memory.
Why Local Churches Should Work Together
For the typical Southern Baptist Church there is the assumption that churches are working together if they are giving a portion of their budget to the Cooperative Fund. This is very important to their missions efforts, but there may be no actual work that is done (in person), where various personalities and talents work on a project or event in close proximity of each other. Â Too many times the first question we ask is, “how will this help our church?” or “Who will get credit for this?” Growing our churches seems to take the place of God receiving glory through our service in His name.
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So why should churches work together (in ways other than the financial pooling of funds)?
1) churches will gain a respect and genuine love for a body of believers other than their own local church. People have a tendency to value what they invest themselves into. If you give days to an effort and work long hours with others, there will develop an overall concern for the project to be a success.
This desire will overflow into a love for others who are also trying to make the effort a success. There will be a sense of camaraderie that will lend itself toward letting go of pride and “our church” and to see the church universally. That is not to say that an individual should not be a member of one church and be apart of that body through giving, service, fellowship, worship, etc. but joint efforts allow people to see beyond their own congregations.
2) churches accomplish more when they work together, than if they work separately. When resources, volunteers, and man hours are channeled toward the same efforts by different churches, the over all event or results is more than either could do by themselves.
Each person is a special and unique being created with their own personality, talents, gifts, life experiences, and countless other things that makes them different. There is no other “you” in another church. Churches are not made of the same personalities, doing the exact same roles or functions, just in different bodies of believers. There are pastors at every church, but there are no two pastors that are alike.
So when you combine all these different gifts, talents, life experiences, etc. it makes for a glimpse of heaven. Heaven will be a time when we will see all of God’s children gathered together to serve and worship Him, and we will all be unique and wonderfully made.
3) churches are able to share the joy of serving together. When a church has an event and experiences the joy that comes from service, that joy is confined only to the local body of believers. But when when churches work together, the joy is multiplied. Two churches are able to share in the joy of serving Jesus — and there is plenty of joy to go around.
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Today was Christmas Time at Camp Rock where First Baptist Church Valdosta and Redland Baptist joined together to serve foster families in 13 surrounding counties. The two churches were able to minister and share Christ’s love to hundreds and hundreds of children, siblings, and foster parents. These families were served a hot breakfast and lunch, hosted by Disney characters, pony rides, petting zoo, inflatables, carnival games, gingerbread houses, a drama group came and performed, various bands played, local high school coaches and football players came out, and all the children received a Christmas gift (plus much more). It was a time many will never forget.
For some this would be the only Christmas they would experience, and for many it was a magical day where they could forget about the pain and abuse they have suffered. One five year old foster child there today was left in her home for five days alone to fend for herself. It was on the fifth day that she was found by the authorities — who knows how long it would have been otherwise. Today she was loved and shown a magical day. Today she smiled. Today she smiled because two churches worked together.
One particular boy when he received his gift ran up on stage and looked at me right in the eye and almost yelling said, “thank you!” He was thanking me as if I were responsible for putting this whole thing together. It was then that I felt that love for all the volunteers from both churches that made the event happen. How could I say, “your welcome?” I pointed him to Pastor Jay Watkins, and said “that’s the guy you should thank.”
So from time to time put the church banners, brochures, postcards, pens and pencils, and promotional flyers away, and just focus on showing Christ’s love with a new Christian friend from another church family. Trust me, it’s a ton of fun.
Click here for an article regarding Christmas Time at Camp Rock.
2011 Children’s Ministry Musical
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