Posted in Uncategorized

How to do the BBQ fundraiser dinner

Posted on by William Douthwaite

chicken legs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today our high school youth group serve up a barbecue dinner for the congregation to raise money for out trip to the National Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod Youth Gathering in San Antonio this July. Pulled pork, chicken, slaw, baked beans and strawberry shortcake. We got a ton of support from the congregation and are well on our way to covering all our expenses.

How did we put on a successful event? Here are a few helpful tips.

A very visible and hard-working youth group. While the parents did the cooking, it was the youth who handled the ticket sales, handled publicity, set up the event, served the food and provided the entertainment. I am very thankful for the efforts of young and old alike, as well as the support of our congregation.

A simple, inexpensive and appealing menu. Everyone here likes barbecue chicken and pork. We prepared the pork in crock pots the night before, marinated the chicken night before, cooked it the day of, and added some last minute clam chowder from a native Bostonian who knew how to do it right.

Youth talent. Magic, music and balloon animals, all done by our youth. They’ve got so much to offer!

Lots of prayer. I had my doubts, but it turned out to be a great day. God was good (as He always is).

We’re going to make it after all!

Posted in Ministry

Caring for the Church

Posted on by William Douthwaite

“Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.” (Acts 20:28 ESV)

I'm preaching on this text tomorrow and in my preparation this past week the words spoke powerfully to me about my role as a pastor. That's a good thing, because I've learned that I generally don't preach very well until the word have touched my heart. This week's verses served as a great reminder of the blessing and necessity of spiritual oversight.

The Boston bombings this past week were a reminder of the threats to life that are always out there in our world. For a while, at least, we'll be a little more vigilant and observant. But what about spiritual danger? Who's keeping an eye on that threat? It's the overseers or pastors who have been entrusted with a flock or congregation. Just as you put youself under a doctor's care, follow your lawyer's counsel or an accountant's advice, God has given his church the gift of pastors, and we place ourselves under their spiritual care. I've often fallen into the pattern of simply providing spiritual goods and services rather than paying careful attention to those influences and ideas that draw people away from God's grace to self-righteousness, a path that leads away from God and eventually straight to hell.

If I forget my role as overseer, it quickly becomes about me, the people who come to hear me and those who join my church. But if this defines my task, it's all about Christ, who builds and gathers his church, pays the ultimate price to save it, and then protects it from danger through the word and sacrament ministry of pastors like me.

 

Posted in Ministry

How we started a “puppet ministry”

Posted on by William Douthwaite

One night I was spending the night at church for Family Promise and some of the kids needed something to do. Now, I have a drawer full of toys in my office, so I knew I could find something to play with. I I have some rubber snakes, plastic army men, a couple of Nerf guns, a box of Turkish Delight, Marchbox cars, a big button that says “That was easy” when pushed and…a box full of finger puppets. Finger puppets! That's what we can do! Sea creatures, people, various animals and birds. Success. The kids sat and played with them until bedtime.

Now, here's the fun part. Weeks later, someone asked our volunteer coordinator about our “puppet ministry.” <blush> Um, yeah, well, you see…our pastor is really just a big kid and has these toys and…that's how we started a “puppet ministry.”

 

Posted in Grace, Life, Ministry

What Family Promise did for our church

Posted on by William Douthwaite

family promiseFamily Promise is a fairly new resource in our area that provides temporary shelter for families experiencing homelessness. It involves local churches who provide a place to stay, meals and other support, enabling families to stay together as they take steps towards obtaining employment, transportation and a home. Churches provide a week’s worth of hospitality four times a year. 

Our church was literally dragged into this program by a family who insisted we be a part of our county’s effort to establish a chapter of Family Promise. While that family is no longer connected with our congregation, we found ourselves unable to find any reason why we shouldn’t or couldn’t do this. We had the space, the volunteers, the resources and the heart to minister to these families, so we became a host church.

A year later, after five different weeks of hosting, I find that for us, it’s not so much what we did for Family Promise, but what Family Promise did for us.

First, Family Promise exposed us to the name and faces of families experiencing homeless. Most of the time, when we talk about the homeless, we know they are out there, but we have no idea who they are. We may have seen someone in that situation, but we never met them. Now, we’ve broken bread with them, heard their stories, played with their children, worshiped with them and prayed for them. And we still do.

Family Promise blew up our capacity for compassion. We thought we were a compassionate, caring and loving congregation. Our guests took us to the next level, sharing their lives with us, caring about our families and gratefully accepting whatever we could offer them. In a way they took us under their wing and helped us rediscover the importance of family, of hope and commitment.

Family Promise brought people in our church together. Some of our volunteers had never met each other before. Our guests enabled new friendships to be forged.

Family Promise made us work hard and do things we didn’t want to do. We had to recruit volunteers, move furniture, buy food, prepare meals, clean, do laundry, spend the night, get up early and make our church home a safe home for the families. We actually had to do something rather than simply make a donation. We had to live the reality these families faced every day.

Family Promise showed us a different side of ourselves. You don’t get to know someone very well when you are sitting in worship on a Sunday morning. We got to see each other talking with the parents, playing with the kids, taking out the trash, and drinking coffee first thing in the morning. No better no worse, just real people doing real stuff in the name of a real God.

Finally, Family Promise opened our eyes to what’s possible when you drag yourself away from the TV, a comfy bed and the Internet for a while. You don’t need a ton of resources to make a difference. Just a little love.

Posted in Ministry, Rant

“Why I quit my church.”

Posted on by William Douthwaite

I quitThat’s the title of a book, article, blog post or email you will rarely if ever read. And that’s just a reality pill I sometimes have to swallow.

I began thinking about this just a few months ago when I got a one line email from members of our church reading, “We will not be attending anymore.” That’s it. No explanations. No conversations. No warning. And I had just seen them in worship a few Sundays before.

Earlier in ministry I would have gone into panic mode, thinking, “What did I say? What didn’t I say? What did someone else say? What if all the families start leaving?” But with a few years experience under my belt and a calmer spirit, I simply picked up the phone, called them, and left a message, saying that I’d like to talk to them. Their response? They resent the email, thinking that I hadn’t gotten it. I guess there wouldn’t be a conversation.

Hmm. Just like that. As I mentioned above it happens from time to time. Sometimes there is a little more information, like, “Well, we wanted to try something different.” Or “We really feel led to look for another church.” Once I got a “I’m not ready to talk about it yet.” But usually all you get is silence.

So to get some perspective, I thought about some of the members we’ve gotten from other churches. One family came because they wanted a later worship time. Another needed a cooler room. Another had friends at the church. And I know that none of them had a conversation with their pastor. They just started shopping at a different store…I mean, worshiping at a different church.

I also had some good friends tell me that sometimes, God wants or needs that family at a different church. They were being prepared at your church to be a much-needed blessing elsewhere. I kind of like that.

If I weren’t a pastor and attended a church, what would I do in their shoes? I might want to explain my decision. I might avoid a conversation. I might hide behind a generic email. I might want the freedom to walk away, to try something new, or make a change.

In any event, I’ve learned not to take it too personally. The church is fluid around the edges, with people coming and going all the time for all sorts of reasons. If I miss them, then they will be a blessing to someone else, and that is a good thing.

What’s the best way to quit your church?

Posted in Life

Some questions raised by Gosnell’s trial

Posted on by William Douthwaite

Even though pro-life voices claim that the murder trial of abortion clinic doctor Kermit B. Gosnell hasn’t gotten the media attention it deserves, one does not have to search far to find descriptions of the conditions, practices and deaths that occurred at the Women’s Medical Society in Philadelphia. One such report can be found here. I would have to imagine that readers on both sides of the abortion issue are horrified at the grand jury’s report.

As one who believes in the sanctity of all human life and opposes legalized abortion, the story raises other questions in my mind:

  • Why are more people not horrified at all abortions?
  • We’ve been told for years that abortion is part of health care. How many more clinics like this exist, providing neither health nor care?
  • Why are we surprised that such a place existed? When we start down a path that legalizes death, do we really expect to end up in a good place? We were told long ago that we reap what we sow. 

I know that not all will share my point of view and I know there is much more to the discussion than this one story. But I do hope that it will make us all think, talk and pray a little more about life issues. As one who has held many babies, including some of my own, at the baptismal font, my prayer today is once more, “Lord, have mercy.”

photo (13)
Symbol of baptism on the font
at Shepherd of the Coast Lutheran Church
Posted in Grace, Life

Boston in our prayers

Posted on by William Douthwaite

My heart goes out to the families of those who died in the bomb explosions near the finish line of the Boston Marathon today, as well as the many who were injured. I learned of it just minutes after it happened today when I quickly glanced at Facebook on my phone after a hospital visit today. In no time at all, there were prayers being offered (here’s one by our church body), rants against terrorists and the government, and even a Wikipedia page replete with details and references.

Instant news coverage means our lives are filled information, fear, anger and questions in an instant. It can be overwhelming. Thankfully, it also means that our minds are renewed with the perspective God’s Word gives us as the faithful have responded with proclamations of Christ’s victory over death, His mercy and healing extended through rescue workers, race officials, nearby churches and bystanders, and reminders to call upon Him in the day of trouble, for He promises to deliver us, and we will glorify Him (Psalm 50:15).

Our lives can end in an instant. Not just because someone has a gun, a bomb, mental illness or an ax to grind. It’s “because sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned” (Romans 5:12).

But…”the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). That is where we will find hope.

From a long time runner who didn’t quite qualify for Boston in 1982: “Lord, have mercy.”

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Posted in Life, Ministry

The wrong church

Posted on by William Douthwaite

For a change, I answered the phone last Thursday while I was still at church finishing up my sermon for Sunday. It turned out to be a most unusual phone call.

I always answer, “Shepherd of the Coast Lutheran Church; this is Pastor Douthwaite.”

“Hello, pastor. This is K**** (name changed to protect the innocent). I visited your church on Mothers’ Day and I was hoping you could tell me more about the ship’s bell in your entryway.

Sometimes we have unusual items in our entryway, or narthex, especially when we are promoting Vacation Bible School. One year we actually had a ship’s wheel on display. I thought really hard about what might be out there, but finally said, “We don’t have a ship’s bell here.”

“Sure you do. You must be mistaken, pastor.” Really. You’d think I’d notice something like that, especially since I’ve been through the narthex almost every day for the last six years.

I decided to investigate a little more. “You attended Shepherd of the Coast?”

“Yes ma’am.” Respectful, but just a little off the mark.

“On Pine Lakes Parkway, on the west side of town?”

A moment of silence. “I think I may have called the wrong church.”

“Maybe.” Click. Conversation over.

Attend the church of your choice this weekend. Take note of any nautical items you see. Glance at the church sign. Pin the location on your maps app. And have a great week!

Posted in Life

Eighteen months

Posted on by William Douthwaite
The presidential campaigns have begun already, eighteen months before the next election on November 6, 2012. Can we handle eighteeen months of speeches, commercials, debates and news reports?

When candidates traveled by rail and made speeches off the back of trains, it didn’t take eighteen months. So why, with so many ways to effectively communicate, do we have to start so early? To raise money? I suppose. It takes a lot of money to run for office. To win in the primaries? The Iowa caucuses are next February, only nine months away. Fail there and your chances are slim. To get your message out? Perhaps. Most of the messages we will get will be trash the other candidates. That shouldn’t be too hard to accomplish. Everyone’s got something in their closet. At least til it comes out. To create jobs? It takes a lot of people to run a campaign. Here’s a chance to demonstrate you bring unemployment down!

We should spend eighteen months praying for our country and our leaders, both present and future. Up against so much we can’t control, from the economy to terrorism, unemployment to foreclosures, problems in the classroom to health problems in our families, we certainly could use some divine intervention. Actually, this might take longer than eighteen months.