December 2002 Contents

We are saddened to inform you that Maxine Blackwell, the wife of Dean Blackwell, died peacefully at 4:25 p.m. on December 13th at her daughter’s home in Texas. Dean is receiving much comfort in the presence of his children and grandchildren. He is appreciative of everyone’s thoughts and prayers, but would appreciate privacy at this time. 

A memorial service is planned for 3:00 p.m. Sunday, December 22, at the building the WCG uses for worship services: 401 S. Tyler, Big Sandy. 

In this issue

Financial Model

We are pleased to announce a step toward the implementation of our projected new financial model, writes controller Ronald Kelly. We will return 80 percent of contributions over the budgeted base to the congregations. Page 3.

Campus Sale Update

On Oct. 29, all WCG members in and around Pasadena were invited to a meeting in the Ambassador Auditorium to meet the team working on the entitlement and sale of the Ambassador campus, writes Mat Morgan. On Oct. 30, the church was host for an open house in the Hall of Administration for residents of Pasadena. Page 5.

Pastor General

The Old Testament is a story of frustrated hope, writes Pastor General Joseph Tkach. It begins by revealing that humans were created in the image of God. But it was not long before we humans sinned, and we were kicked out of paradise. Page 6.

Reconciliation

Several pastors and others have asked questions about the background and purpose of the Office of Reconciliation Ministries. Curtis May, ORM director, gives some background on the ministry. Page 8.

Window on the World

How many times have we prayed, asking God to let his will be done in our lives? asks Randal Dick. How seriously do we take those requests? The Bible employs the analogy of the potter and the clay. Page 12.

Youth Ministry

Eight camp directors, three district superintendents and two representatives from Church Administration met with Jeb Egbert, the national director of the Summer Educational Program, Oct. 5 through 7, on the campus of Sonlife Ministries in Elburn, a suburb of Chicago. Page 14.

Men's Ministry

Our theme for this year’s Promise Keepers conference in Southern California Sept. 27 and 28 was "Come as a Child," writes Paul Sniffen. Many hours of hard work in preparation for this men’s ministry event resulted in what the leadership team referred to as "payday," and it was well worth every effort. Page 19.

Bible Study

Luke begins his book with dramatic announcements: angelic messages, songs of praise and miracles, writes Michael Morrison in his study on Luke 2:1-21. This is only the beginning, for Luke has equally dramatic events to report for the birth of Jesus. Page 25.

Financial Report

Member donations continue to remain reasonably stable, with October at $1.8 million, writes controller Ronald Kelly. The five-month total is just over $8 million. Page 29.

A step toward our
new financial model

By Ronald Kelly

PASADENA—We are pleased to announce a step toward the implementation of our projected new financial model.

Your contributions to the WCG are normally attributed to the congregation you attend. Your pastor and district superintendent receive monthly reports showing the total donation income for the congregation (not each individual) as well as expenses that headquarters pays on behalf of the congregation. Most pastors share this information in the weekly church bulletin or announcements during worship services.

For budget-planning purposes, we establish an annual donation base calculated on a fiscal year starting Oct. 1, and continuing through Sept. 30 the following year. Your pastor now has received a spreadsheet from his district superintendent showing the new fiscal base for 2003. It also shows expense projections such as hall rent, the pastors pay package and ministerial expenses.

This step we are implementing, although small, certainly has the potential to be quite encouraging— to return to the local church 80 percent of all member contributions that exceed the budgeted fiscal base.

Here’s an example of how it will work. Let’s say the annual contribution for the previous fiscal year is $108,000. Divide that number by 12 to determine the average monthly donation—in this case $9,000 a month. As a phase-in to the new model, every month in which donations exceed $9,000, 80 percent will be returned to the local account. Let’s say in January, donations are $8,000. That does not meet the fiscal base, so there will be no return.

In February, though, the contributions are $10,000. That’s $1,000 above base, so $800 will be returned. If July donations are $12,000, then $2,400 will be returned. And so it will go throughout the year.

Months with no increase above base will not impact other months that exceed the base. In other words, every month that shows an increase over the fiscal base results in 80 percent of the increase of that month being returned to the local church.

The reason I think this can be encouraging is that our experience with the pilot program congregations shows an average increase in donations of 15 percent. One congregation in the pilot program has experienced more than 40 percent increase. If an average of 15 percent were realized in our example above, the $108,000 would increase to more than $124,000—or almost $13,000 being sent back to the local congregation.

Of course the denomination benefits as well, because 20 percent of the increase assists the international administrative work of the church. That’s about as near a win-win situation as I can imagine under our current circumstances.

It is interesting that the idea for this phase-in was presented by a member in the Northeast district. This is a great example of members participating with the denominational leadership to assist the work of our fellowship.

Sometimes members ask why we can’t implement the new financial model now. We have been unable to move more rapidly in that direction because implementation of the new model is dependent on the successful sale of the Pasadena property.

Although I have attempted to explain why the property sale is so important, let me rehearse it once again. The church has two major financial responsibilities that will not be required after the property sale. The first responsibility is the maintenance of the Pasadena property itself. After the sale, headquarters will be relocated into a facility smaller than even the current administration building, ending the expense of maintaining the 50-acre campus.

The second financial expense is discretionary assistance, which cares for more than 230 former employees who faithfully served the church, but are now in their retirement years. Discretionary assistance will be fully funded with a portion of the proceeds from the campus sale and will thereafter not require funding from general contributions. Until we no longer have these responsibilities, we have no capacity to implement our new financial model.

We continue to explore a variety of ways to defray these two major expenditures even before the property sells, but up to now we have not found a way. If we can determine a method to do so, we will move rapidly toward the new financial model.

Our financial decisions are motivated by our desire to have funds available in every local church for outreach, evangelism and ministry programs. A downsized headquarters will then be properly positioned to provide a variety of services that will benefit the work of congregations and international missions.

These last few years have been a long, hard, uphill struggle financially. The financial burdens, however, have been offset by the joy and excitement of God’s loving grace to our fellowship in doctrinal and administrative changes that have brought us into even richer fellowship with our Lord and Savior and with fellow members of the Body of Christ.

We hope you will rejoice with us in this first step toward our new model. Please pray for your local church to grow both spiritually and then in numbers as we share the truly Good News we have been privileged to understand.

Dennis Pelley’s letter to those missing in action in the October issue makes an important statement. Unfortunately, most of the people he is trying to reach no longer receive the WN. For those people, I’d suggest that members pick out a couple of people or families who are M.I.A. and begin an intensive prayer vigil for these. Ask God to use you to go to those you know. After weeks in prayer, ask them out to dinner. Let God lead you.

To those mentioned who are now "part of another troop of God’s army" (I’m in that group), perhaps we need to reconsider our calling. Our heritage could benefit the current body of the WCG. I’ve taken the opportunity to revisit several WCG congregations over the last year. Never once did I feel unwelcome. Never once did I feel the "I told you so" attitude. Never once did I feel like I was not still part of the group.

I did feel the love and move of God in each congregation. I was made to feel like I was still part of the family. I was welcomed with open arms.

To those who are still able to read the WN and do not attend church anywhere, I challenge you to visit a local WCG church just once. Prove my statements above. You do not have to counsel with the minister first. You do not ever have to become a member again to attend. You will not be put down or looked upon as a deserter. You will be loved and appreciated. You will see the mighty work God has done in this organization.

Clyde Thompson
Dallas, Texas
Former member

Dennis Pelley’s letter in the October WN encourages others to come back to church, to reclaim their place in the Body of Christ when we have had problems or when we are far from him.

We must make good decisions, for life is short. We are blessed that Christ died for us.

I also thank Pastor General Joseph Tkach for his item in September on "Grace and Truth". We no are longer under the law of Moses but are under Jesus Christ. By grace and truth, which came by Jesus Christ, we are redeemed. In John 3:17 we read that God didn’t send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

May God continue to inspire his servants.

Serge Nama
Yaounde, Cameroon

I was inspired to see the article "Faith and Freedom Service in Dallas Central" in the November WN. I support a Christian legal ministry that (among other things) fights to maintain the religious freedom God originally blessed us with in this country.

Gary Cloth
Washington, D.C.

Update on Sale of Campus

Church conducts
listening meetings

By Mat Morgan

Comments and concerns are submitted.

Church members hear update on sale.

Neighbors look over plans.

Interested in living on campus?

Setup in Hall of Administration.

Photos by Thomas C. Hanson

PASADENA—On Oct. 29, all WCG members in and around Pasadena were invited to a meeting in the Ambassador Auditorium to meet the team working on the entitlement and sale of the Ambassador campus. Bernie Schnippert, director of Finance & Planning, introduced the consultants and then the team answered questions. Please see the team roles and responsibilities listed later in this article.

On Oct. 30, the church was host for an open house for residents of Pasadena. All 75,000 households in Pasadena were invited to the Hall of Administration to meet the team, ask questions about the entitlement process and provide suggestions on design transportation and the future of the Ambassador Auditorium.

About 320 attended, with more than 1,000 others sending their comments in the mail. Many guests expressed interest in being kept informed about the process as well as a strong desire to live in the residential community being planned.

In preparation for this meeting, the church’s Facilities Department built about 140 feet of display wall to hold architectural designs, maps and photographs. By using internal expertise and labor, the church saved several thousand dollars that would have been spent to rent a temporary wall.

We conducted a public workshop on Nov. 19 in the Hall of Administration, where we shared preliminary plan elements with the public. We are refining the plan to present it to the public again on Dec. 17 and probably in January. The refined plan will be presented to the Pasadena city staff in the spring.

November was a busy month for the entitlement and sale team. We conducted listening and update meetings with Pasadena city council members and their deputies; the Ambassador Hall Board, a citizens group that supports the reopening of Ambassador Auditorium; the Pasadena Design Commission, a city council-appointed group responsible for reviewing design elements of new development; members of the Transportation Advisory Commission; the Developers Club of Pasadena; and other interested citizens. Many additional meetings are scheduled.

In addition to the main campus entitlement and sale process, three parcels of land that are not part of the main campus are being marketed to take advantage of the strong real estate market. Escrow on these parcels is scheduled to close early in 2003. The church’s Facilities Department, headed by Vance Gilless, working in conjunction with Ron Urwiller, church archivist, are relocating church archives from buildings located on these parcels in preparation for the sale. Some roof repair and other minor upgrades are being made to buildings that will now house the archives.

Many members have called to express their support and prayers. Thank you. The entitlement and sales team covets your prayers as we proceed with these complicated next steps in the entitlement process.

Worldwide Church of God—Owner

As owner of the property, the WCG will retain the lead role in planning the future redevelopment of the campus property. The church will be actively involved in all aspects of the planning and decision making process. The church will not play the role of developer—upon approval of the proposed plan, a team of builders will be chosen to implement development on the various parcels.

SheaHomes is working with the church to assemble and manage the team that will design the proposed community. Shea’s core responsibilities will include: (1) management and oversight of the planning and entitlement process, (2) construction of common improvements (common areas, streets, infrastructure), and (3) management of the builder team to ensure coordination and compliance with the established master architecture and urban planning framework.

VTBS and EDAW will lead the entire design team in the development of the urban planning and architectural framework for the community.

Jan Van Tilburg of VTBS will head the effort and provides exceptional expertise and experience in a wide variety of building typologies.

Steve Kellenberg of EDAW will provide depth and experience, with particular focus from an environmental planning perspective. Ultimately, the proposed community will be reflected in a comprehensive set of design guidelines that will establish the urban planning and architectural framework.

A team of architects will be chosen in the future to design individual buildings within the established framework. VTBS and EDAW will retain responsibilities for review as members of the Design Review committee to ensure compliance with the established Design Guidelines.

EDAW’s landscape design team will play a supportive and collaborative role in the design process. The famed landscape architect Garrett Eckbo, one of the founders of EDAW, designed the Ambassador campus decades ago. The landscape group will be charged to ensure the plan achieves its goal of integrating architecture with landscape. The Design Guidelines will govern all of the landscape for the proposed community, including common area, perimeter and internal streetscapes, and individual building areas.

Meyer, Mohaddes Associates (MMA) will support the design team in the area of transportation and circulation analysis. MMA will be charged with optimizing the circulation elements of the proposed plan to achieve the stated goal of encouraging pedestrian and bicycle circulation, and enhancing linkages to public transit.

They will be integral to the planning process in analyzing and advising on appropriate ingress and egress service points for buildings, parking and internal and external pedestrian, bicycle and automobile circulation. The City of Pasadena will choose the traffic consultant to perform required technical traffic study for the anticipated Supplemental Environmental Impact Report.

Historic Resources Group (HRG) will support the design team in the areas of historic preservation planning and building assessments. HRG is the recognized regional leader in historic preservation planning and has completed a number of projects throughout Southern California. The firm has a mix of professionals including architectural historians, architects, planners and educators—ensuring the best level of expertise available in the industry.

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Copyright © 2006 Worldwide Church of God

Reconciliation Ministries: 
better relations with God
and each other

By Curtis May
Director, Office of Reconciliation Ministries

PASADENA—Several pastors and others have asked questions about the background and purpose of the Office of Reconciliation Ministries. In the following article I would like to give you some background on the ministry.

Jesus Christ is the who of reconciliation. It’s all about him. He died and rose again to reconcile the broken creation to God (Colossians 1:19-22; Ephesians 2:14-18).

ORM is a ministry that seeks to be used as an instrument to help fulfill the will of God "that they may be one as we are one" (John 17:22).

ORM has an international office in Pasadena and 23 chapters and chapter leaders in five countries:

Chris Beam: Houston and Lufkin, Texas.

Dan Bierer: Manhattan and Westchester, New York.

Randy Bloom: Memphis, Tennessee.

Keith Brittain: Charlotte, North Carolina.

Steve Brown: Clearwater, Florida.

Sam Butler: Grandville and Muskegon, Michigan.

Marilyn Fall: Phoenix, Arizona.

Tina Graham: Renton, Washington.

Mike Greider: Charleston and Huntington, West Virginia; Paintsville, Kentucky.

George Hart: Cincinnati, Ohio.

Lynn Hebert: Dallas, Texas.

Willard High: Chicago, Illinois.

David Kaiser: Akron and Canton, Ohio.

Richard Parker: Long Beach and Orange County, California.

Tom Pickett: Fort Worth, Texas.

Raul Ramos: West Covina, California

Leigh Sniffen: Arcadia, California.

Ron Washington: Livonia, Michigan.

Evelyn O’Callaghan Burkhard: County Cork, Ireland.

Olivier Carion: North London, England.

James Henderson: Johannesburg, South Africa.

James Herst: Lalrne, Northern Ireland.

Owen Willis: Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.

   
The Office of Reconciliation Ministries has a newsletter
(Reconcile), a flagship video (Reconciliation—A Move of God),
and a web site, atimetoreconcile.org

As Christians we have been given the ministry and gospel of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:16-21). We feel a burden and a special call to help fulfill this ministry. We feel a need to help stand in the gap with others who feel this burden and call (Ezekiel 22:30). This ministry, as most ministries, began in response to a need. We answered a request for assistance in resolving conflict within the church.

We began in January 1996. As expressed by the address of our web site atimetoreconcile.org, we believe the time to reconcile is now.

As we look at the world we are heartbroken over the divisions and walls we see. And far too often those walls exist within the church. We see the need for repentance now, for the kingdom is at hand (Matthew 3:1-2).

ORM strives to do the following:

• Model and preach the gospel of reconciliation and address all areas where walls, barriers and divisions exist.

• Take a holistic approach in the ministry of reconciliation by being comprehensive in scope.

• Enlist the services of speakers who are well qualified in specific areas of the ministry of reconciliation and human relationships to speak at our reconciliation workshops.

• Instruct others on effective follow-up and implementation of materials covered at our workshops.

• Recommend resources on the subject of reconciliation.

‘Love, Harmony and Cooperation Among All’

• To assist others toward reconciliation to Christ. To aid others in understanding and overcoming biases that erect walls between peoples. To assist others toward reconciliation with fellow human beings in areas where broken relationships exist.

• To advance the kingdom of God through assisting members of the body of Christ and the world (where possible) in coming into a more harmonious relationship with God and each other (2 Corinthians 5:16-21).

ORM had workshops and meetings in the following areas:

February—Memphis, Tennessee. Received key to city.

March—Grand Rapids, Michigan.

June—Huntington, West Virginia. Brought two fellowships together for worship.

September—Belfast, Northern Ireland; Perth, Scotland.

October—London; Cork, Ireland. Conducted conferences on reconciliation.

November—Manila and Bacolod, Philippines. Spoke and conducted reconciliation workshop with WCG and people from different fellowships.

November—Met with one of our designated church leaders in Tokyo, Japan, Pastor Shunsuke Nakagawa, his wife, Shizuko, daughter, Hatsuho, and sons, Bungo, Dan and Esai. Discussed reconciliation ministry.

Worldwide Church of God:
'Living and Sharing the Gospel'

The Worldwide Church of God is committed to living and sharing the good news of what God has done through Jesus Christ.

The church seeks to fulfill this mission by:

• Building healthy, Christ-centered congregations that are sanctuaries of worship, friendship and nurturing pastoral care.

• Providing sound biblical teaching through congregations, media and personal outreach in relevant, meaningful forms for people of diverse backgrounds and ages.

• Expressing the love of God to all through the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

• Equipping people for Christian service so that the gospel can be known, understood and experienced.

• Sharing in the work of the gospel with the broader Christian community, acknowledging that we can learn from one another and that Christ’s love goes beyond denominational boundaries.

We believe:

In one holy, loving, all-powerful, and gracious Creator God who exists in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

That the Bible is the inspired and infallible Word of God, fully authoritative for all matters of faith and practice.

That Jesus Christ, born of the virgin Mary, fully God and fully human, is both Lord and Savior.

That Jesus Christ suffered and died on the cross for human sin, that he was raised bodily on the third day, and that he ascended to heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father.

That Jesus Christ will come again to judge the living and the dead and to reign over all things.

In the Holy Spirit, who brings sinners to repentance, who gives eternal life to believers, and who lives in them to conform them to the image of Jesus Christ.

That Christians should gather in regular fellowship and live lives of faith that make evident the good news that humans enter the kingdom of God by putting their trust in Jesus Christ.

In the spiritual unity of all believers in our Lord Jesus Christ.

That salvation comes not by works, but only by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

In the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.

Church Administration Department--
United States Mission

'Making Disciples Who Make Disciples'

The Church Administration Department—USA is committed to building and equipping pastoral leadership and congregations of the Worldwide Church of God in the United States to make disciples who make disciples.

CAD seeks to fulfill this mission by

• Providing for the building and equipping of District Superintendents who can teach, train, mentor, lead and supervise pastors.

• Providing pastors and congregations with resources that build and equip them for the fulfillment of the Great Commission.

• Providing and maintaining proper staffing of the denominational office, District Superintendents and pastors.

• Practicing good stewardship with all departmental resources.

African update:
Uganda, Cameroon, Malawi

By James Henderson
Regional director
Africa

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa—William Wilberforce Othieno, our contact in Uganda, updated us on the situation with our members in Kitgum, northern Uganda. The fighting there has intensified and your prayers for the safety of our members and all Christians would be much appreciated.

In Tororo and Uganda as a whole, weather has been poor, thus making a poor harvest. There has not been enough rain in most areas, especially in northern Uganda, where the drought continues. Worst still is the war in northern Uganda, where we have members in the Kitgum and Pader districts.

William Othieno

I have just received the leader from north Uganda, Bernard Abwola, who dared to pass through the battlefield to come to Tororo. He had heard the several announcements on Radio Uganda I had sent that if he was still alive he should do all he could to come to Tororo for full information concerning the war and the state of our members there.

I thank God for Mr. Abwola’s courage. Indeed he showed real concern as a dedicated shepherd. I call for spiritual support through prayers and material support in the war zone.

Because of the war, these members cannot meet. The three leaders, Mr. Abwola, Kanido Obita and Mr. Atyak, have meetings with the members encouraging them not to lose faith in Jesus Christ. Sometimes these meetings are conducted through crossfire. Most of the families have been separated because of the war. Some live in camps guarded by government soldiers, especially children and women.

I gave the money Mr. Henderson sent to the members to help them in that pathetic time of need because food and property were being looted. The families are also in grave danger. We have more than 700 contacts there, including children.

Jean Mvondo, one of our pastors in Yaounde, Cameroon, informed us of a serious attack on one of our deacons: "Sad news: Roger Kolokosso, our deacon in Yaounde, has been attacked by armed robbers in his residence. He was wounded on his head, but thanks to God, his life and all his family were spared. The robbers who attacked him at around 2 a.m. took all his savings. With four children attending high school and university, he is in a deep concern. Please pray for him and for our country, where violence is increasing.

Jean Mvondo

Thank you for all the prayers, support and fund-raising on behalf of our members and contacts in Malawi who face famine. Thanks to the generosity of our worldwide fellowship we are well prepared to give the needy assistance.

It is anticipated that famine conditions in Malawi will peak from December to March. We are now in a position to directly help our 75 families involved, and aid has already been sent to them. The food involved is primarily bags of maize flour, a traditional staple.

Gossiping the Gospel

Over the past few months I have been asked by some congregations to consult with them about how they might be more effective instruments of Christ. I consider this a privilege and have learned as much from these members as they have learned from me.

One congregation had been devoting themselves, as a group, to asking God to transform them so that they might be able to fulfill his will. Together we discovered that we are bound to some faulty paradigms, which must change if we are going to be effective stewards of the gospel.

Paradigms are values and assumptions we never question. They are difficult to change because they remain invisible. Everyone just "knows" that a particular way of doing or thinking is right—so paradigms are assigned a truth status that is rarely questioned. Some are incorrect from the outset. Others may have been correct initially, but as situations change a helpful paradigm can cease to be valid and become toxic.

It might be helpful to share a couple of areas where we (Western Christianity, including the WCG) tend to be paradigm bound—that is, unquestioningly accepting a faulty paradigm. I’ll then try to contrast the faulty paradigm with one that is hopefully more reflective of Christ’s intent.

Christ intended that his disciples embark on a lifelong journey with him. The early church was dynamic—it spread like yeast spores, penetrating increasingly diverse places, crossing ethnic and cultural boundaries. The church could not be contained by any economic stratum and surmounted all class barriers. Only after several centuries did the church begin to position itself as the center of society, government and culture. It became the static church—everyone and everything in society was expected to revolve around the church.

In the United States we have no conscious awareness of this dynamic; nevertheless, this is where the prevailing Western Christian paradigm got its start. Over the last few centuries, government and society rejected the church being the center of all things. The church was forced to accept this new status, but did not shift back to its original dynamic, journeying role. Instead, the church began to compete for a place in the life of the individual, which brings us to a second flawed paradigm.

As the increasingly disenfranchised church continued to cling to the security of its centuries-old static paradigm, it was forced to adopt an approach of trying to attract unbelievers to it. As a result nearly every evangelistic program and effort is built around the concept of either directly attracting people to join the static church, or to raise the awareness and reputation of the church. This is part of an effort to grow by attraction. The attraction paradigm is essential if the church is going to be static and still grow. This approach was effective to a greater or lesser degree, depending on the receptivity of the target audience.

Since World War II the church in the West has been considered increasingly irrelevant. The target audience has grown more resistant to organized religion. The continued attempts to attract have increasingly resulted in sheep shuffling, or transfer growth, rather than an increase in conversion of unbelievers.

(Note: It would require a separate article to begin to explore how pervasive this faulty paradigm is in Christianity and in our fellowship for that matter. Perhaps we can explore this in a later column.)

The static and attraction paradigms have caused us to adopt and cling to another toxic paradigm that I’ll call the marketing paradigm. To attract effectively, the church has essentially cloned the business model and seeks to market the gospel. Hence we have a huge emphasis on "evangelism," a term that seems to defy precise definition.

We find a strong focus on learning how to witness, share our faith, advance the kingdom, lead someone to Christ, give our testimony, fulfill the Great Commission. We take out ads, we do radio and television shows, we have seeker services, we conduct crusades and revivals, we canvass neighborhoods, we build attractive buildings with maximum amenities, such as childcare and exciting audio-visual effects.

All this is part of seeking to make our product (the static church) more attractive to unbelievers. The desired result is the same—that unbelievers are brought to Christ—hence to the (static) body of Christ. The problem is that more and more effort is being expended for less and less result. Modern unbelievers in the West tend to reject the institution of the church.

Increasingly, wise heads within Christianity are urging us to force ourselves back into a dynamic mode instead of our comfortable static/ attraction/marketing mode. I would strongly urge the WCG congregations to follow suit for two reasons. First, if we pursue a marketing paradigm, we are taking on as new something that is actually old and increasingly proven to be ineffective. Second, we are too small, too poor and too far behind to compete in that market. The good news is that there is a better way.

Let’s take a fresh look at the principle upon which Jesus founded the church and see if we might recapture some of Jesus’ paradigm. One of the most overused slogans in the marketing paradigm is Matt. 4:19, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." Reading this through marketing-paradigm eyes causes one to miss the true paradigm that Jesus was communicating. Under the marketing paradigm, we place the emphasis on learning how to be effective "fishers of men." That is backward thinking! The emphasis of Jesus is on the "follow me."

Jesus is saying that we are invited to be on a journey (dynamic paradigm) with him. It is in following Jesus in a journey that he will cause us to be effective fishers of men. This is the opposite of the static paradigm—and takes one in the opposite direction from the marketing paradigm. As Wayne Meeks, church historian, puts it, the early Christians, who were a vibrant part of their communities, "gossiped" the gospel. The joy of the journey with Christ simply overflowed, impacting those in their intimate community. They didn’t have to "evangelize."

The church Jesus founded was dynamic, not static. They had no status, no grand institutions or facilities other than their homes. They expected Jesus to return, and viewed themselves as sojourners. They lived normal lives and did not stand out from the culture around them—except that inwardly the Holy Spirit of God was radically transforming them.

The church was fully engaged with its community. Unlike our WCG history, where we awaited Christ’s return in as much exclusion as possible, Jesus plunged the first Christians into the world.

Except for avoiding idolatry, the culture of the church was virtually indistinguishable from the surrounding Jewish, Greek or Roman culture. By Christ’s design, his people remained tightly connected to their friends and relatives. It was Christ living out of the daily lives of Christians that made them attractive. The focal point of the life of the church and the basis of its growth was the household—a fabric of family and business relationships.

Rodney Stark, sociologist of religion, relates research on the growth patterns of the early church in his book The Rise of Christianity. Stark shows that the growth of the church from its tiny 120 person beginning to a conservative estimate of from 5 to 7.5 million Christians by the early 300s need not be the result of unending signs and wonders or any other abnormal process. Stark demonstrates that a growth rate of about 40 percent per decade would account for the growth of the early church. This translates to 4 percent per year.

Even in our modern context, this is not unknown. The Mormon Church has grown about 40 percent per decade for the last century!

Stark shows that the primary means of the growth of the early church was by attachments and networks of intimate relationships. Stark says that "conversions to new deviant religious groups (as early Christians were viewed by those around them) occurs when, other things being equal, people have or develop stronger attachments to members of the group than they have to nonmembers." (p. 15).

Stark then points out that 

"the basis for successful conversional movements is growth through social networks, through a structure of direct and intimate interpersonal attachments. Most new religious movements fail because they quickly become closed, or semi-closed networks. That is, they fail to keep forming and sustaining attachments to outsiders and thereby lose the capacity to grow.  Successful movements discover techniques for remaining open networks, able to reach out and into new adjunct social networks. And herein lies the capacity of movements to sustain exponential rates of growth over a long period of time."

I would urge any and all congregations to devote significant time and prayer to trying to discover how they can create and maintain open networks.

The early church grew because close friends and relatives of new Christians saw a transformation taking place in the lives of the believers. Mr. Tkach tells us that as a fellowship we need to start living. We need to get in a frame of mind that embraces the fact that we are spiritual pilgrims while living a normal life, with relational attachments to our unconverted friends and loved ones.

By breaking out of the marketing paradigm, we will instead become servant-priests (1 Peter 2) who offer spiritual sacrifices of love, prayers, and quality time given to our household. This includes those friends, relatives, neighbors and associates with whom we have an open networking relationship. This may mean re-ordering our use of time.

Accepting Jesus’ paradigm would lead us to love and serve rather than look for the opportunity to give our gospel sales pitch. Jesus said in Acts 1:8: "You will be my witnesses."

We witness him by living in close connection with our household, or network of relationships. The growth of the church will take care of itself when we love the household that God has given each and every one of us. Growth takes care of itself because "as movements grow, their social surface expands proportionately. That is, each new member expands the size of the networks of attachments between the group and potential converts."

To summarize, we need to process out of the paradigm of marketing, which tries to attract people to the institution, and seek instead to do the following:

1. Every individual asks Jesus to transform him or her enough into his likeness to be an effective witness through ordinary living.

2. Every individual seeks to deepen the attachments with his or her existing network of relationships of unbelieving family, friends and associates. The individual purposely looks for ways to love and serve—with no strings attached.

3. When the Holy Spirit brings the unbeliever to a desire to know more, the Christian needs to have, through personal study and prayer, an effective answer for the hope that motivates them.

I’ll try to develop these concepts further in future articles.  

Sequel 1: The power of intent

Sequel 2: Ordinary people change the world

Randal Dick   Copyright © 2002 Worldwide Church of God 

SEP camp directors
meet in Chicago area

ELBURN, Illinois—Eight camp directors, three district superintendents and two representatives from Church Administration met with Jeb Egbert, the national director of the Summer Educational Program, Oct. 5 through 7, on the campus of Sonlife Ministries in Elburn, a suburb of Chicago.

The meeting helped the camp directors to assess how well the transition had been made from a national to a regional camp model. They addressed areas for improvement and shared lessons they learned.

The stories about how each camp went in 2002 confirmed that the transition into a regional camp model has gone well. Part of that success story is made up in the numbers. Almost the same number of campers (500) participated in the regional camps in 2002 as had participated in the national camp (540) in 2001. And almost 100 more staff members served the various camps than had served at Orr.

Three new camp directors were introduced and prayed for. James Newby, pastor of the Chicago Northwest and Joliet, Illinois, churches, will serve as the SEP director in a new camp in Iowa. Marty Davey, pastor of the Jacksonville, Florida, and Brunswick, Georgia, congregations, will direct the winter camp in Florida, and Cliff Snyder, pastor of the Pueblo, Colorado, church, will direct the camp in Colorado.

The Florida camp will take place Dec. 31 through Jan. 5. For more information or to apply, you may either visit the SEP web site at www.wcg.org and click on the youth ministry button, or call the SEP Office at 1-972-712-5737.

The camp directors discussed two improvement themes. First is the need for camp ministry to become better integrated into youth ministry at the district and congregational level. The SEPs should complement and support what is taking place in youth ministry at the local level. The camps may serve to concurrently build and equip youth ministry workers (who will make an impact in their local congregations) at the same time they are helping those who are uncommitted to come into a relationship with Jesus Christ.

The second theme was the need to be more intentional about modeling Jesus’ ministry. Ultimately, Jesus created disciples who made disciples, not just believers. SEP needs to assist those within a district in terms of helping our youths develop the tools and abilities to reach the lost.

This second theme was a point of emphasis the day after the SEP meetings ended, as those attending the conference were treated to a one-day training event sponsored by Sonlife on the strategy that Jesus used to develop a healthy (youth) ministry. This course demonstrated the process orientation of Jesus’ ministry—everything was intentional. Nothing was haphazard.

David Fiedler, North Central district superintendent, said after the sessions concluded: "Since we are planning an SEP for this district next year, I wanted to be in on the debriefing of this year’s camps. I was deeply impressed with the love and passion for youths displayed by each of the regional camp directors. It was great to hear that as many youths were served at regional camps this year as we had at the final camp in Orr, Minnesota. But what I found especially inspiring was that we had twice as many people ministering at the regional camps as we did at Orr. This bodes well for the future as more and more young people are gaining ministry experience in the camp setting."

CAMP DIRECTORS MEETING—Back row from left: Jim Valekis, Ohio; Charles Albrecht, Church Administration; Marty Davey, Florida; Ken Williams, Northeast superintendent; David Fiedler, North Central superintendent; Jeb Egbert, SEP National Office; Steve Botha, Connecticut; and Dennis Pelley, California. Front row from left: Ted Johnston, Great Lakes superintendent; Cliff Snyder, Colorado; Mike Rasmussen, Oklahoma; Amy Johnson, Washington; James Newby, Iowa; and Greg Williams, North Carolina. [Photos by Barb Egbert]

Conference participants

New Albany, Indiana,
teams up for
Vacation Bible School

NEW ALBANY, Indiana—The New Life Fellowship (WCG) congregation partnered with the New Albany Advent Christian Church to conduct The Amazing Amazon Vacation Bible School. Children from both congregations were involved as well as a number of guests from the neighborhood.

The event was a good launch for future co-denominational events. The two congregations are working toward developing a youth program that will bring the two youth ministries together on a regular basis. We have developed a letterhead that has the New Life Fellowship logo on the left side of the paper and the Advent Christian logo on the right side. In between the two logos are the words, "Two Denominations … One Lord!" Rick Shallenberger.

Pikeville, Kentucky, has
Joy of Jesus Kids Camp

PIKEVILLE, Kentucky—The Pikeville church was host for its third annual Joy of Jesus Kids Camp. Each event was centered on a biblical principle.

Melvin Wilson began by having everyone decorate T-shirts. Lynn Duncan organized a treasure hunt. Christine Stewart had the children color a wooden apple and then gave a narrative depicting the Trinity. Mike Stewart had a seed spitting contest showing the difficulty in landing on the fertile ground in the midst of the stony and thorny ground. Rita Worrix led the painting of wind chimes with a story illustrating how the unseen wind moving the wind chime is similar to the Holy Spirit moving the Christian. You cannot see the wind or Spirit but you see the effects.

Each child was awarded a certificate and gift bag. Debby Bailey.

KIDS CAMP--From left: Kenny Worrix, Matthew
Worrix, Max Bailey, Casey Ferguson, Shane Duncan
and Mike Stewart, who led the seed spitting contest.
[Photo by Eddie Bailey]

Sam Wegner earns
Eagle Scout award

PASADENA—Sam Wegner, 15, from Boy Scout Troop 509, La Canada, California, became an Eagle Scout, the highest rank that can be attained by Scouts. Only four percent who join Scouting earn this honor.

Adam Buczek
honored as scholar
athlete in New York

DERBY, New York—Adam Buczek, a member of the Buffalo, New York church, was the only student awarded scholar athlete in three major high school sports in western New York. He accomplished this in basketball, baseball and volleyball.

His senior class was recognized as the best athletic team Lake Shore has had in all 59 years of existence. He was one of eight boys selected by WIVB (Channel 4) for student athlete of the month. He also received the 2002 Babe Ruth award from Lake Shore as the most outstanding athlete in his senior class.

Adam was also recognized as student of the month by the Town of Evans, the Hamburg Sun and Business First for outstanding service and contributions to the Lake Shore Central Schools. He was in the Honor Society for four years maintaining a grade point average of 3.75.

Gov. George Pataki congratulated Adam for playing in the Empire Games. Adam played volleyball on the gold winning team for western New York in the summer of 2001.

He accepted a basketball scholarship to Houghton College, where his major is liberal arts and eventually he will be pursuing a career in sports management.

Miami, Florida, North Vacation Bible School

MIAMI, Florida—The Miami North church conducted a Vacation Bible School, Aug. 12 to 16, at the Family Worship Center. Marvin Chavez and his assistant, Ophilia Chavez, had training sessions well before the event. Twenty-eight children between the ages of 4 and 11 from church and the community attended.

Church teens along with other members of the Family Worship Center served as group and crew leaders. They used Group Publishing’s "A Bug Safari." Every day included praise and worship, Bible exploration skits, Bible games, snack time and arts and crafts, along with videos and movies to reinforce the messages from Scripture.

"Lady Bug Landing" was used for the younger children. Each day they were given a different message about God’s love. The daily themes were God knows us, God helps us, God is our friend, God forgives us and God teaches us how to love others. Charles Taylor.

A gift from God:
Carolina summer camp
moves to higher ground

By Shane Bazer
Assistant camp director

CARY, North Carolina—Last summer at our North Carolina summer camp at Campbell University I got a strong prompting that I should look for more camplike facilities for 2003.

Our summer camp was good, but being housed on a college campus in a place where temperatures usually reach 100 degrees wasn’t ideal.

In discussion with Greg Williams, camp director, we decided to ask the campers and staff to dedicate a day of prayer and maybe fasting during the second week of August, for God to lead the efforts and to put us where we could best serve him.

I spent nearly 75 hours searching the Internet for camp facilities, calling conference and retreat centers and searching high and low for potential facilities. The Carolinas have great camp facilities, but they are in high demand. Of the 200 or so camps I found, about a dozen might have an open week and the facilities we needed. My family packed our bags and headed off on a three day, 700 mile journey across the state.

We saw several facilities, although none were overly impressive. When looking for a particular camp in the Blue Ridge Mountains, I took a wrong turn and saw a sign for Look-Up Lodge, a nondenominational Christian retreat facility.

The large lodge sits on a bluff, overlooking a gorgeous, expansive lake. This was a full camp facility on 230 acres with rooms and cabins (all air conditioned) that can house more than 300. It has a double zip line over the lake, paddle boats and canoes, a three person harness swing, volleyball, tennis and basketball courts, miniature golf, a soccer field, low ropes, a game room and even paint ball. A chapel sits on the bluff on the opposite side of the lake. I don’t think I could design a better summer camp if I tried.

The camp manager said they run a full summer camp program, but do rent out the facility during the Fourth of July week to give their counseling staff a break. She had just received word that the church group that had rented that week for several years would not be returning in 2003. But, she was quick to note that at least 10 other groups had asked to be put on the waiting list.

When we arrived home I gave Greg a glowing report about Look-Up. I quickly sent an e-mail to my list of 150 youths and youth workers in the region telling them what I had found and asked them to pray specifically for this one possibility. I have experienced the power of prayer many times, so I still had hope.

It turned out that Greg grew up in Hendersonville, North Carolina, which is only 20 miles away from this facility, and he had taken his preteen group to one of Look-Up’s weekend camps on two occasions. Greg had contacted Look-Up for our 2002 camp but they told him it was full and that an opening in the near future would be unlikely.

A couple of weeks after my initial visit, Greg and I went back to Look-Up to have another meeting with their staff. Their camp director recognized Greg and we spent a couple of hours talking about camp ministry and other details. At the end of our meeting it was apparent that both of our visions for youth ministry were the same.

When we were leaving, Kathy, the booking manager, said that she would know in about four weeks whether any of the other groups would want the facility.

Surprisingly, the next morning Kathy called me and offered us the camp for that week. She said their staff prayed about it and just felt right about having us there. She said they wanted a group with whom they could build a long-term relationship and could see us being there and growing with them for many years.

Because of the size of the facility we will be able to lower the camper age to 10 years and will probably be able to accommodate parents and drivers (for a fee) who would like to spend the holiday week worshiping and growing with us on higher ground.

For more details, see www.carolinacamp.com

LOOK-UP LODGE—Site of SEP Carolina 2003.

Youth ministry--

the importance of prayer

By Jeb Egbert, SEP director

FRISCO, Texas—It’s a tough world. The devil, our fallen nature, a self-centered and materialistic culture, all are having a powerful effect on a vast segment of the population, and nowhere is this more evident than among young people.

As adults, our best intentions in working with youths are not good enough. Ultimately, the battle for the hearts, minds and souls of (young) people is spiritual. One thing I’ve learned in youth ministry is that I just don’t have the means to win that battle. There is nothing I can do to ensure a young person will turn from the lures of this world and toward Jesus. But God can!

I pray often for young people. I pray for the youths in the world. I pray for the young people in our church. I pray for the three children in my family. I implore God to counteract the magnetic pulls of this world. Programs, plans, mission statements and activities on a human level have little effect. But when we humbly bow and ask for God’s intervention, awesome things begin to happen.

It is important for our children to hear us pray. It is important for them to hear us pray for them. As we model prayer, they begin to see that talking to God is something they can do. Some of the most powerful and inspiring prayers I’ve ever heard have come from children. Of course, impressing other humans is not the purpose of prayer. But I’ve eavesdropped on prayers of young people.

For example, I had the privilege of listening in on prayers of a group of teenage boys at SEP not long ago. These boys were 14, 15 and 16 years old. They were gathered in a circle, hands clasped. One after another, they opened their hearts to God, sharing the challenges they face in their schools, neighborhoods and families. Tears came to my eyes as I listened to these remarkable, heartfelt prayers of teenage boys. If they were concerned about how they sounded in front of each other, I didn’t notice it. It sounded as if they were all alone with their Creator!

Regardless of whether we are working with children, preteens, adolescents or college students, prayer should be central to our ministry. In fact, would you mind pausing now and praying for some young person that you know? Why not go to the Source of all power, wisdom and glory to ask for help for the wonderful young people that he has put before us? Why not now?

Promise Keepers
in Southern California

By Paul Sniffen
Men’s ministry director
Southwest region

LOS ANGELES—Our theme for this year’s Promise Keepers conference in Southern California Sept. 27 and 28 was "Come as a Child" (Matthew 18:2-3). Many hours of hard work in preparation for this men’s ministry event resulted in what the leadership team with rejoicing referred to as "payday," and it was well worth every effort.

Close to 15,000 men attended the two-day conference at the Great Western Forum in Los Angeles. More than 3,000 men went forward and made a commitment to Jesus Christ.

It has been a year of tremendous spiritual growth and self-awareness, as God led us through a self-searching period of how to be simultaneously childlike and men of integrity.

We look forward to the coming year with great anticipation as God is leading us to focus on what it means to love him with all our heart, mind and soul, and our neighbor as ourselves (Matthew 22:37-40). It is clear to us that God is reconciling his creation, and through this movement he is teaching us to do so, from the inside out—male and female, both made in his image—then those they are given responsibility for and then to the broader community.

Paul and Leigh Sniffen
[Photos by Michael Morrison]

Promise Keepers conference at the Great Western
Forum in Los Angeles.

Promise Keepers for teens

By Michael Morrison

ANAHEIM, California—About 9,500 adult and teenage men attended Passage 2002, sponsored by Promise Keepers, at the Arrowhead Pond Nov. 1 and 2. The event was designed to encourage young men who are making the passage from adolescence into manhood, and to encourage adults to help the young men mature in their Christian faith.

Many societies have a rite of passage that marks the transition from being a child to being an adult. The Jewish community, for example, has the bar (or bas) mitzvah; some churches have confirmation. Passage 2002 was designed to affirm teenagers that they are mature enough to accept Christ’s call on their lives. The Passage event included speakers, music groups, and sports that appeal to young men. The messages are archived at www.trinetcom.com/clients/pk/pas sage/webcast/

Paul Sniffen, an elder in the Pasadena NewLife Fellowship, was the event’s head volunteer coordinator, just as he was for the Promise Keepers event at the Forum in September. There, 41 volunteer leaders (heads of security, retailing, lunch distribution, ushering, transportation and evangelism) reported to him. He credits his experience at WCG festivals for giving him experience in working with volunteer crews. Several teens from the NewLife Fellowship attended the event.

Sons who attended from NewLife Fellowship in
Pasadena included from left Ben Dizon, Steven
Morrison, Anthony Walton and Abel Dizon.
Not pictured: Aaron Golden.

How people come into the church

The Institute for American Church Growth interviewed 10,000 church attendees to learn how they came into their church. The most potent agent of church growth is people who are already members. It is not as a result of wonderful preaching, the personality of the pastor or conducting evangelistic campaigns. While these may be contributing factors, the results of the survey overwhelmingly show that new members come because other church members befriended and invited them to attend church with them.

79 percent from the influence of a friend or relative

6 percent because of the pastor’s influence

5 percent because of interest in Sunday school

3 percent just walked in

2 percent because of a special need

1 percent in response to a visit from the church staff

.5 percent in response to a special crusade

One of the difficult obstacles in our transition has been for members to feel ownership for the great commission that Jesus gave to the church. I am delighted to see that more and more members see themselves as a meaningful part of the Body of Christ. A body functions best when all its parts work together both to keep itself strong and to do its appointed tasks. Every member is an important part of the commission Christ has given us to live and share his good news. Joseph Tkach.

More than 500 adults and children assembled in Grand Junction for a fall worship festival bearing the name "A Celebration of Grace." The festival was coordinated by the Grand Junction congregation with principal speakers provided through Church Administration in Pasadena.

Mr. Albrecht presented sermons concerning a believer’s complete rest in Jesus alone (Matthew 11:28-30) and the salvation that comes by grace alone through faith in Christ alone (Ephesians 2:1-10). Mr. Albrecht also presented a two-part seminar on methods of Bible study that help careful students of the Bible avoid errors in biblical interpretation.

Ted Johnston, Great Lakes district superintendent, presented sermons outlining how Jesus’ sacrifice ended the Law of Moses as the identifying marker of God’s people (Ephesians 2:11-18) and concerning Jesus’ invitation to the Jews assembled at the Feast of Tabernacles to "come to me and drink" (John 7:37). Mr. Johnston also gave a seminar titled "We Believe," which examined the core doctrines of the WCG from the perspective of the Apostles’ Creed.

Allen Bullock, pastor of the Denver North and Colorado Springs, Colorado, churches, presented a sermon that discussed the importance of solitude as a spiritual discipline and another concerning how our receipt of the gift of eternal life affects us now. Ted Johnston.

Grand Junction children's choir

Three hundred forty members celebrated a festival in De Haan, Belgium, Oct. 26 to Nov. 2.

The theme was faithfulness. Gerard Claude, national director of Belgium, spoke on Caleb’s faithfulness as an example. Gerard Stevenin, president of the French board, addressed the subject of God’s faithfulness toward his children and his promises. Dominique Alcindor, pastor of the Paris church, proved the faithfulness of the Scriptures regarding Christ’s mission. Donat Picard, national director for France, spoke first on faithfulness to the church as a whole (Christ’s Body), and second, on bringing the lost to Christ through consolation. Guest speaker Jesse Korver, national director of the Netherlands, could not come because of a storm that damaged his home.

During the festival, prayer groups were organized every morning. The pastors led a question and answer session on Christian life and doctrines. People suffering from loneliness were invited to a heart-to-heart discussion.

The highlight of the festival was the celebration of the 35th anniversary of the WCG in France with a slide show. Marie-Angelique Picard.

About 250 members and friends of the WCG enjoyed a wonderful and instructive time as we corporately celebrated Jesus Christ in fellowship and worship. Our strategic regional vision calls for the festival to offer a bridge of cooperation for other Christian denominations as we seek ways in which we can further the Great Commission while promoting the true ecumenical spirit of John 17.

Markus Wagner of the Evangelical Alliance spoke on "The Jesus Strategy: Multiplication," and Andreas Hildebrandt of the Evangelical Alliance spoke on "Joyful Be He Who Has Character—Christ’s Government Program." WCG sermons covered the following topics: "The Significance of the Transfiguration," "The Love of God," "The Generation Gap," "Jesus, Our Judge," "Personal Commitment," "Blessed Are Those Who Are Poor" and "Spiritual Maturity."

Two seminars covered "Ways to Holistic Discipleship" and "Living as a Christian in a Multi-cultural Society."

Worship services were translated into English for about five English-speaking guests. We would like to welcome more English speakers in 2003. Santiago Lange.

Twenty-eight adults and children attended the festival in Malta. Worship services were conducted on three days, and the group donated generously to the offerings. The relationship between Christ and the church was the subject of the main messages.

Communication, especially within marriage, emerged as a dominant theme for the three evening studies.

Members generated their own activities for the younger members, and on two evenings members took part in dinners with a Maltese theme. Members attended a farewell dinner to say their goodbyes. Barry Bourne.

Hands of Hope
in Winnipeg

WINNIPEG, Manitoba, Canada—Hands of Hope is the largest provider of free furniture to families in need in Winnipeg. This charitable organization was founded by Charles and Sandra Norris, longtime members of the Winnipeg congregation, with a great deal of support from Pastor Alan Redmond, the men’s small group, women’s prayer group and many members of the church.

About three years ago, Charles discovered that hundreds of adults and children in Winnipeg were living without furniture, often sleeping on the floor. There were all kinds of people—senior citizens with no family to help them, refugees, people with health challenges, those escaping abusive relationships, young single mothers and aboriginals coming off reserves.

The Norrises started taking furniture to people, 70 families the first year, 200 the next, and this year it appears Hands of Hope will help 800 families.

Those receiving furniture are told, "This is what Jesus would do." When one young woman heard those words, she burst into tears, crying that her parents had been missionaries, but she had turned to drugs and prostitution. She said she now was beginning to believe God was calling her to change and turn to him.

Another single mother came home to find everything stolen out of her house; she was depressed when she phoned for help. When she found out our church actually cared enough to help her, she decided to attend.

The practical help Hands of Hope is giving is shedding a good light on the WCG and Christianity. The WCG youth group, led by Matt Feakes, an Ambassador graduate and youth leader, helps deliver furniture, as have a dedicated group of six volunteers plus the board of directors, composed of WCG members, and many others helping with accounting, fund-raising, telephone answering and occasional furniture delivery. During the festival, a group from near and far participated in a truck rally that delivered furniture to 11 families in three hours.

A lot more could be done to alleviate the poverty and despair of thousands of people in this troubled city where more than one in five children live below the poverty line, and many do not even have a bed to sleep on.

Charles spoke to two Mennonite churches, and both have begun to contribute money. So have individuals in and out of the church. Other charities and government agencies give moral support and finances toward a new delivery vehicle and warehouse.

The Winnipeg church has been energized by making Hands of Hope its main outreach mission.

   
       
Photos courtesy of the Winnipeg Free Press

A Savior Is Born
A Study of Luke 2:1-21

Luke begins his book with dramatic announcements: angelic messages, songs of praise, and miracles. This is only the beginning, for Luke has equally dramatic events to report for the birth of Jesus. First, he sets the scene by telling us why Joseph and Mary went to Bethlehem.

"In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register" (Luke 2:1-3). Roman taxation was based on population counts.

Unfortunately, we do not have any Roman records of this census, so we do not know the date. For one thing, the census may not have been done in all regions in the same year. Luke’s words could mean "that Caesar decreed that the enrollment, which had previously been going on in some parts of the empire, should now be extended to all parts" (Ben Witherington, "Birth of Jesus," Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels, p. 67). In Egypt, a census was conducted every 14 years.

Luke, writing in the style of a Greek historian, indicates dates by political rulers and events. Quirinius ordered a census in A.D. 6-7 (mentioned in Acts 5:37), but we do not have any evidence that Quirinius was governor when Herod was alive. He was a consul at that time, and may have had a temporary authority over Syria.

If "everyone" went to their own town for this census, it was presumably required (registration by family origin was a Jewish, not a Roman custom), and most likely at a time of the year when people could travel to their respective cities.

"So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David" (Luke 2:4). Many other people would have also been of the line of David, but if they lived in Jerusalem, only five miles away, they could register for the census without having to spend the night in Bethlehem.

"He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child" (v. 5). Joseph and Mary were not yet officially married, but for the census they were counted together. Perhaps Joseph did not want to leave Mary alone in Nazareth, where she might face ridicule and shame. And perhaps they knew, as others did, that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem (Matt. 2:5; Micah 5:2). The political decree therefore served the purpose of God, who was working behind the scenes as well as in more spectacular ways.

We do not know how long Joseph and Mary stayed in Bethlehem. They probably traveled well before the baby was due. Luke just tells us, "While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn" (vv. 6-7). Bethlehem was small and off the main road; it may not have had a real inn—the Greek word may also mean "guest room" or "upper room," as it does in Luke 22:11-12.

Poor people often did not have a barn for their animals, so they had a manger inside the home. Mary used the manger because the guest room was either not large enough or occupied by others. Luke describes this in a matter-of-fact way, as if nothing was too far out of the ordinary.

"In the vast majority of ancient Near-Eastern peasant homes for which we have archaeological and literary evidence, the manger was within the home, not in some separate barn. The animals as well as the family slept within one large enclosed space that was divided so that usually the animals would be on a lower level, and the family would sleep on a raised dais.... We should probably envision Mary and Joseph staying in the home of relatives or friends, a home which was crowded due to the census.... Mary gave birth to her child perhaps in the family room and placed the baby in the stone manger" (Witherington, 69-70).

The point is that Jesus (although a king) was born in humble circumstances. Even in his family’s home town, he was in temporary accommodation, with an improvised bed. One lesson we see here is: "Importance is not a matter of one’s environment or the supposed status that things bring. Rather, importance is a function of one’s role in God’s work" (Darrell Bock, Luke, NIV Application Commentary, p. 86).

Luke now brings the supernatural into the story: "There were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified" (2:8-9).

Although the Bible portrays most shepherds in a positive way, society often looked down on them, as they do the homeless today. Shepherds could not keep ceremonial laws, they moved often, and people didn’t trust them—they weren’t even allowed to testify in court. Due to their occupation, they had not gone to their own town to register for the tax census. (Flocks of sheep were kept year-round near Bethlehem to provide sacrifices at the temple.)

Like most other people, the shepherds were afraid when they saw the angel and the glory of the Lord. But the angel told them: "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger" (vv. 10-12).

The angel announced the good news: the Messiah has been born, he is a Savior for all the people, the Lord, and this is cause for great joy. But most people were totally unaware of the good news. The angel was not sent to everyone—just to a few shepherds who represented all humanity.

It would not be strange to find a newborn baby wrapped in cloths, but it was apparently unusual to find one in a manger. This is the third "sign" (evidence that God was involved) that Luke reports. Bethlehem was small enough that there wouldn’t be very many newborn babies in it, and it was apparently small enough that the shepherds could find the baby without supernatural help.

"Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests’" (vv. 13-14). This short song is called Gloria in Excelsis Deo, which is the way it begins in Latin. An army of angels announced peace.

Through the Savior, peace will come not to everyone, but to those God is pleased with (see Matt. 10:34; Luke 12:32). "It is those whom God chooses, rather than those who choose God" (Leon Morris, Luke, rev. ed., p. 95). "Jesus comes for all, but not all respond to and benefit from his coming" (Bock, p. 85). Though we were formerly God’s enemies, we were reconciled to God, given peace with him, through our Savior. The birth of the Savior is certainly a good reason for praising God!

"When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.’ So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger" (Luke 2:15-16). This apparently all happened on the evening after Jesus’ birth.

"When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them" (vv. 17-18). So the shepherds became evangelists for a time, telling people about the angels, the singing and the baby. As in previous cases, everything the angel said was true.

People were amazed at the story, but did they believe it? We do not know. Amazement is often short-lived (see Luke 4:22, 28). Mary, however, "treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart" (2:19). Mary, the model of a good disciple, not only remembered these events, she also thought more about their significance. What manner of Messiah would her child be? The story is just beginning.

So the shepherds returned to their flocks and fields, "glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told" (v. 20). God had kept his word. The shepherds went back to their work, filled with hope and confidence that deliverance would come.

Meanwhile, Joseph and Mary had to complete the assignment that Gabriel had given them: "On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise him, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he had been conceived" (v. 21). 

Questions for application

• How would I feel about a couple who were not officially married, yet were living together and the woman was pregnant? (v. 5)

• How would I feel about putting my firstborn child in a feed trough because that was the only place there was room? (v. 7) How often does God’s plan for me involve inconveniences, and how do I react to them?

• How would I react to a heavenly choir singing praises to God because a baby had been born? (vv. 13-14) Does the birth of Jesus bring me joy?

• How well do I tell others about what God has done? (v. 17) Am I amazed? (v. 18) Or could I be totally unaware of what he is doing?

• Do questions cause me to doubt, or do I patiently ponder them? (v. 19)

Michael Morrison, Copyright © 2002 Worldwide Church of God

Woodcuts by Julius Schnoor von Carolsfeld, from Das Buch der Buecher in Bilden. Used by permission of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod.

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Planting the Strathroy church--
challenging, yet rewarding

By Miriam de Vlugt

STRATHROY, Ontario, Canada—On any given Sunday morning in the community of Strathroy, Ontario, 50 people gather to learn, worship and fellowship in the name of Jesus.

Strathroy Community Church, a WCG church plant, thrives with a growing fellowship of people who desire a deeper walk with the Lord. The congregation, pastored by George de Vlugt Jr., is now home to many who had no church home, but felt a desire to be more at home with the Lord, to know more about him and belong to a community of believers.

The congregation’s beginnings were small by comparison to most church plants. Beginning in 1995, God began planting seeds in our hearts for this church plant. Late in the evenings, I felt the urgings to start a Sunday school. In the context of our denominational history, my first response was "What?!" But the burden grew stronger and more urgent.

So, in November 1997, we began with seven children in our basement. Living in a subdivision with many small children, I simply asked some parents if they would be interested in sending their children on Sunday mornings. The response was positive.

The Sunday school grew to a point where we decided we would offer a Christmas social for the parents of the children. We had more than 30 in attendance. The following Easter, the Sunday school was host for a social, combined with a worship service and play put on by the children. More than 60 attended. At this juncture, my husband proposed to the parents the idea of a church. The idea was warmly received. In May 1998, Strathroy Community Church was born.

The effort to get the church off the ground was at times overwhelming. My husband also pastored WCG congregations in London, Sarnia and Windsor, Ontario. Many weekends left us drained physically and emotionally. We had trials of low attendance, low funds and lack of help.

But along the way we experienced blessings of lives being gently changed, hope being restored, faith being strengthened and children learning for the first time about the love of God. We also experienced special times when God gave us miraculous signs that we were doing his will and he was pleased.

Slowly, the church grew from a regular attendance of 17 to 20 to the point it is now, a church with a membership of almost 70 people. God has provided a wonderful, affordable meeting place. Giving increases with each year. The congregation grows continually in faith and love. A number of baptisms are forthcoming. And the Lord has provided pastoral help.

Keith Higgins, a semi-retired pastor in the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada, and his wife, Allona, responded to the pull of the Holy Spirit to help us. After attending with us for a year and thoroughly examining WCG doctrines, the denominational website and our local church web site www.ourtownchurch.com, Keith and Allona felt comfortable with our fellowship and offered their assistance. On July 14, he was commissioned as an elder in our fellowship, with the blessing and commendation of his denomination. We are assured of God’s care for our flock by providing us with the wisdom and experience of Pastor Higgins and his wife, Allona.

Members have also taken ownership of their new congregation and assist with all areas of the church. The needs we still have, we are confident that God will provide for them at the right time. We have been blessed to have the prayerful support of the other congregations in my husband’s pastorate as well. The congregations have taken advantage of opportunities to fellowship together. The members of Strathroy Community Church have received from the established congregations