Bless the Nations, not your Clan

Anna Moore and I recently attended the "Great Church Conference" in California where we heard a wonderful Southern Baptist (ironically from Columbia, SC!) who shared that a "Great Church" is a "Blessing Church." Reggie NcNeal reminded us that God made a covenant with Abraham so that he could "bless the Nations" and, he added, "not just your Clan." He described some of the major shifts in the missional structure of the Church; he shared data that showed the churches who have shifted their focus from internal to external and have become focused on creating the Kingdom of God on earth are the churches that are growing and thriving. He encouraged us to return to our churches and teach others to be "Kingdom people" who are looking for God in the world to help him in the redemptive mission/witness that is present in the world.

As a person of faith, who agreed with Dr. McNeal's premise and appreciates the incarnational focus of the Anglican tradition, I wondered how to share his ideas with the people of Beloved since many of his examples had to do with offering a blessing to those who live in the inner city. Then I came upon this story. I believe it beautifully sums up all that Dr. McNeal shared with us. I look forward to sharing more of this conference in future eNews articles. More importantly, I eagerly await hearing your stories of being a blessing to others in your own personal settings: be it workplace, school, neighborhood, family or in the wider Charlotte community.

In the late 16^th Century, Christian missionaries went to China. One of them came to a remote village and preached the Good News. Many of the villagers became Christians. The priest was there for many years until he died. Then the villagers told the stories and shared their faith. Their life was hard. They were poor and the non-Christians treated them badly.

The Christians had been pushed to the edge of the village and made to work only the terraces highest up the mountain, far away from the well. As they struggled with their pails and buckets walking up the steep incline, the other villagers ridiculed them and threw stones at them.

They wanted to live in peace and harmony with their neighbors. Most of all, they wanted their neighbors to know the love the Gospel had given them. They prayed for God to show them the Way.

Finally, an old woman spoke: "The Spirit has told me what we need to do-but you won't like it. We need to get up earlier than ever before and instead of carrying water to our patches of land on the top of the mountain, we must begin watering the land closest to the well and work our way up the mountain, watering our neighbors' land first."

When she stopped talking everyone was speechless. It was a horrible idea-exhausting, demeaning and stupid. Their neighbors would think they had gone mad. But they prayed; when they voted, no one objected.

The next day, they woke before dawn and began carrying water to the nearest fields. These were the largest ones belonging to the richest members of the community. Back and forth from the well they went. The sun rose, and their neighbors came out and laughed at them. They took the day off and sat watching these Christians in bewilderment. The next morning was the same and every day after that. The Christians barely had time to water their own fields.

The second week the villagers lined up to watch them-mostly in silence. No one ridiculed the Christians; no one threw stones. At the end of the week a child about ten years old joined them as they carried the water.

The third week a few more people joined them. As the weeks wore on, more and more of the villagers worked with them and stayed with them to carry the water all the way up the mountain. It took six months for the villagers to realize the Christians were going to keep at this. And then the villagers came to pray, to listen to the stories and finally be baptized to follow "One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism." Within a few years, the whole village had been baptized.

When the missionaries finally came upon the little village four centuries later, the village was still Christian. They called themselves "water-carriers" and told the missionaries that Christians were people who watered their neighbors' field first. They then invited the missionaries to the water and the bread and the wine and the community of the baptized. (from Lent: The Sunday Readings by Megan McKenna [Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1997], 108-111)

Clifford King Harbin, pastor

Around Beloved...Beloved's Worker Bees (youth 9-12) have a Movie Night this Friday, (2/24) beginning at 6:30pm at Beloved Garden. Don't forget to bring $3 and a friend...Beloved's fusion (youth 9-15) was scheduled to have a ministry field trip next Saturday to serve lunch at St. Peter's Soup Kitchen. Unfortunately Deacon Deb has just learned that the Soup Kitchen will be moving locations during the month of March and has cancelled all groups due to the suspension of its feeding program during that time...Beloved's fusion (combined youth 9-15) will go bowling next Saturday (3/4) from 3:30-6:30pm. Drivers are needed; we will leave and return from Beloved Garden. Click here if you can help. Advanced reservations only; mail $12.50/person (bowling, shoes, soda and popcorn snack) to the Development Office or place in a marked envelope in the worship offering basket by Thursday, March 2^nd...Sunday Christian Formation for adults and children resumes this Sunday...Last Sunday's FaithQuest 2.1 group at Beloved Garden eagerly hosted nine "field trip" visitors from the AMI's (Association Montessori International) National Formation Conference that met at Charlotte's Westin Hotel over the President's Day weekend. They were wonderful ambassadors of the Beloved's love to these women who traveled from as far away as Washington (DC), Indiana and California to see the FaithQuest (Catechesis of the Good Shepherd) process working in the unique venue of a retail shopping space. Well done, Daniel Dygowski, David Dygowski, Thomas Friend, Miles Harbin, Mitchell Harbin, Lexi Leinenkugel, Tori Leinenkugel, Elizabeth Nichols, Joseph Nichols and Sarah Stone!...Beloved Garden will be hosting a Level I National Training Course at Beloved Garden (90 hours of training) for those inside and outside of Beloved who desire to minister with children in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd faith formation process (called FaithQuest at Beloved) beginning in August 2006. Watch for more details. If you'd like to part of the Host Coordination Team, please contact the lead trainer, Clifford King Harbin, at the Development Office...Our admiration goes to Major Tom Friend, whose unit in Iraq has been unable to return to the United States this week as scheduled because someone in the military forgot to reserve seats for them on the only available overseas transport planes! Since this discovery, Tom has worked relentlessly to make sure that his men return home, a few at a time, on any available flight. He has chosen not to board a plane (probably around March 10^th) until he has seen everyone in his charge out of Iraq. Thanks, Tom, for your witness of integrity and honor...Congratulations to Beloved Band member Scott McCloud who, in addition to his duties teaching jazz history and music appreciation classes at CPCC, has been hired as part-time band instructor for middle school students at uptown's Trinity Episcopal School beginning Monday, February 27^th...Congratulations to Chet Rose who is engaged to be married to Nancy Borchardt of Charlottesville, VA. A wedding is being planned in Charlottesville on April 15^th...Congratulations to former Beloved participant Katie Lennox, a home schooler, who was accepted at St. Olaf College in Minnesota for next school year... Upon receiving $890 from the people of Beloved, an enthusiastic voicemail message was received at Beloved's Development Office from the Development Director of A Child's Place: "Wow! We just got a lovely check in the mail from your congregation. I wasn't aware that there was a new Episcopal Church in Charlotte but I sure appreciate the wonderful way you have made yourself known to us! I wanted to say thank you in person for caring for the needs of homeless children in our community. We are always in need of clothing, shoes, and school uniforms and we will use this wisely. Thanks so very much!"

A Spiritual and Physical house cleaning...Beginning in March, our focus as a congregation shifts to a time of spiritual preparation and "house cleaning" as we prepare for the celebration of Easter. On this Sunday, February 26^th, bring your palms from last year's Palm Sunday celebration to be burned in preparation for this year's Ash Wednesday celebration. There will be extra palms present so that everyone who desires to take part can participate...On Tuesday, February 28^th, we join folks from across the South Perimeter in an "all you can eat" Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper from 6-8pm in the Christian Life Center at Providence Presbyterian Church (10140 Providence Church Lane, just north of Ballantyne Commons Parkway on Providence Road). Suggested donation is $5; all proceeds go to support Habitat for Humanity. What better way to prepare for all that fasting than with a little preemptive feasting...On Wednesday, March 1^st, we will begin our forty-day preparation for Easter called Lent. Our 7pm Ash Wednesday liturgy will be celebrated at our worship space in Community House Middle School. Like all Beloved worship, it is designed for all ages in mind...For two weeks following Ash Wednesday, from Sunday, March 5 - Saturday March 18, we have a wonderful opportunity to transform spring-cleaning into a spiritual exercise as we pray and meditate while we clear out the physical clutter in our lives. Want to learn more? Click here.

Beloved Pilgrimage...Those who want to meet God for the first time or on a deeper level are invited to participate in a small and large group journey called Beloved Pilgrimage. Those who journey together on this pilgrimage could include older teens (15+) and adults who have never been baptized; older teens and adults who were baptized as infants or young children and want to publicly confirm these vows for themselves; those who want to experience God's revelation through the Bible as it impacts their life today; those who want to learn more about Jesus' Church as it is experienced in various Christian traditions in the US and around the world. This year's Spring Pilgrimage begins with a Friday evening and Saturday retreat (March 10 & 11). It continues weekly (eight gatherings, either on Sunday afternoon or Thursday evening) through the final Saturday retreat (May 13). The complete calendar for the spring pilgrimage can be found here; to register, click here.

Human Needs Outreach...Deacon Deb is looking for a group of people-youth as well as adults who have a passion for human need outreach efforts-to form a team that would:

Review the human needs outreach efforts at Beloved over the past few years
Find a diverse, exciting and worthy group of ministry projects that truly touch lives for Jesus
Pray for discernment as to where our best efforts might lie
Develop a realistic two-year projected schedule (2006-2008) that doesn't overwhelm our congregation
Develop a team approach and designate leaders for each event in 2006-2007
Develop a promotion strategy for each project (many of the organizations do the leg work; we just have to get the information they provide into people's hands)
Commit to pray for the plan and for each project

If this speaks to your heart, please email Deacon Deb to express your interest and indicate times you know are a conflict for a first get-together in mid-March.

Serving at God's Altar this Sunday at Beloved...Acolytes: Sarah Stone, Rachel Herring, Brian Sanniota, Katie Sanniota; Reader: Liz Wilson; Presenters: Heather Philips & Lynn Skrobot; Eucharistic Ministers: Al Krantz & Dick Reif; Offertory Basket Passers: Ceci Atwood, Gabi Leinenkugel, Jack Sanniota, Clare Harbin; PowerPoint: Paige Wilson.

In our Prayers...for Howard Stephenson and Janie Lownes, who are recuperating from hospital stays...for those serving in Iraq, especially Tom Friend and Scott, Dan Hood's brother...for Nancy and Tony Hodgson's granddaughter, Emily, who was in the hospital this week...for Marilyn Doyon and Marie Duty who are expecting babies this upcoming year...for Dave Crawford who broke a rib...for Jessie Powell who is hospitalized...for Dorothy, Mary Reid's sister who is fighting lung cancer...for Ed and Jean, Dick Reif's parents who are in declining health in Oklahoma...for Richard, Ginger Leppert's father, who is recovering from surgery...for Bill, Lee Frickhoeffer's uncle who has terminal cancer...for Lauren Skrobot and Katrina West as they continue medical testing...for Dan Blackwood who will have surgery on Thursday...for Chet Rose who is to be married.

Upcoming Calendar...click here