Whiteboard: Go and Do the Same

This Sunday our Stewardship Campaign comes to a close with Dedication Sunday!

We have had three wonderful weeks of celebrating the blessings of Worship, Mission & Ministry here at FCC Scottsdale. We kicked off the campaign on 10/23 by talking about Worship, a week later Rev. Al preached about Mission, last Sunday we focused on Ministry, and now we are ready to wrap up the campaign with Dedication Sunday!

Dedication Sunday means that we’ll be dedicating our Pledge Cards at the end of the worship service…so this is your friendly reminder to bring your Pledge Card this Sunday!

I hope that you have been keeping up with the campaign and that you are as excited as I am about the wonderful things that God is doing with us and through us at First Christian Church Scottsdale. We are praising God in new ways by sharing our Lenten Special Services with our sister congregations at Foothills and Coolwater. We are serving our community in new ways by partnering with Tumbleweeds. We are deepening our faith through the Summer Adventures in Learning series, new small group ministries, and a full cadre of Sunday School classes. That is Worship, Mission & Ministry right there! And it is all made possible by your generosity and faithfulness in giving.

I also hope that you have been prayerfully discerning the ways that you can support our church. Last Sunday we passed out our “I Can…” Checklist that had 30 volunteering opportunities on it that you can choose from. If you didn’t fill one out and drop it off in our basket, know what we’ll have extra copies available in the Fellowship Hall this week. AND, lest we forget: We have a $10,000 Matching Grant before us this year too! For every increase in your pledge this year it will be matched dollar for dollar up to a grand total of $10,000. If you are new to our community and haven’t pledged before that means that your entire pledge will doubled for the coming year! And, if you forgot to turn in a pledge card last year, well, good news because your entire pledge will be doubled for the coming year!

I personally will be increasing my pledge this year in the hopes of maximizing this generous Matching Grant…but more importantly I am increasing my pledge this year because I believe in the good work of this church. I believe in the Worship, Mission & Ministry of First Christian Church Scottsdale and I am happy to support it with my time, talent, and treasure.

I hope to see you at Dedication Sunday! Don’t forget your pledge card…but know that if you do we have extra copies available in the pew racks too!

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Luke 10:25-37 The Parable of the Good Samaritan

Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. ‘Teacher,’ he said, ‘what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ He said to him, ‘What is written in the law? What do you read there?’ He answered, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbour as yourself.’ And he said to him, ‘You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.’

But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbour?’ Jesus replied, ‘A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan while travelling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, “Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.” Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?’ He said, ‘The one who showed him mercy.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go and do likewise.’

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Acts 11:1-18 -- Peter’s Report to the Church at Jerusalem

Now the apostles and the believers who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also accepted the word of God. So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him, saying, ‘Why did you go to uncircumcised men and eat with them?’ Then Peter began to explain it to them, step by step, saying, ‘I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision. There was something like a large sheet coming down from heaven, being lowered by its four corners; and it came close to me. As I looked at it closely I saw four-footed animals, beasts of prey, reptiles, and birds of the air. I also heard a voice saying to me, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat.” But I replied, “By no means, Lord; for nothing profane or unclean has ever entered my mouth.” But a second time the voice answered from heaven, “What God has made clean, you must not call profane.” This happened three times; then everything was pulled up again to heaven. At that very moment three men, sent to me from Caesarea, arrived at the house where we were. The Spirit told me to go with them and not to make a distinction between them and us. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered the man’s house. He told us how he had seen the angel standing in his house and saying, “Send to Joppa and bring Simon, who is called Peter; he will give you a message by which you and your entire household will be saved.” And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as it had upon us at the beginning. And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said, “John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”If then God gave them the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could hinder God?’ When they heard this, they were silenced. And they praised God, saying, ‘Then God has given even to the Gentiles the repentance that leads to life.’

Whiteboard: I Can

Our leadership team this year wants to emphasize that stewardship is about more than money. When we are sharing our blessings with each other here at the church that means that stewardship is about sharing our time and talents in addition to sharing our treasure.

In order to demonstrate the ways that we share our time and talents as part of the continuing Ministry at FCC Scottsdale this Sunday you’ll find an “I Can…” Checklist as an insert in your Sunday morning Worship Bulletin.

The “I Can…” Checklist lists off thirty different things that you can do help us further our Ministry programs right here at the church. The list ranges from “Come to Worship” and “Pray” to “Fold and Prepare The Newsletter for Mailing” and “Be a Substitute Teacher for Sunday School.” 

 In fact, if you would like a sneak peak at all 30 items listed on the checklist, well, check out the photos below!

Now, I don’t anticipate anybody will check off all 30 items on the “I Can…” Checklist, but I do hope that you will look over that list and check off the things that you are currently doing to further our Ministry here at the church and check off those things that you might be interested in participating in over the next year. 

We’ll collect the “I Can…” Checklists during the worship service and share the data collected with our different Ministry Team leaders here at the church to help coordinate our efforts.

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Acts 16:16-34 Paul and Silas in Prison

One day, as we were going to the place of prayer, we met a slave-girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners a great deal of money by fortune-telling. While she followed Paul and us, she would cry out, ‘These men are slaves of the Most High God, who proclaim to you a way of salvation.’ She kept doing this for many days. But Paul, very much annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, ‘I order you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.’ And it came out that very hour.

But when her owners saw that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the market-place before the authorities. When they had brought them before the magistrates, they said, ‘These men are disturbing our city; they are Jews and are advocating customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to adopt or observe.’ The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates had them stripped of their clothing and ordered them to be beaten with rods.After they had given them a severe flogging, they threw them into prison and ordered the jailer to keep them securely. Following these instructions, he put them in the innermost cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was an earthquake, so violent that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened. When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors wide open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, since he supposed that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted in a loud voice, ‘Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.’ The jailer called for lights, and rushing in, he fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them outside and said, ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’ They answered, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.’ They spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. At the same hour of the night he took them and washed their wounds; then he and his entire family were baptized without delay.He brought them up into the house and set food before them; and he and his entire household rejoiced that he had become a believer in God.

Whiteboard: Change Your Direction

For folks who are planning on attending the Worship Service in the Sanctuary, you have a special treat: The Rev. Al Beasley will be leading the service and delivering a Mission themed sermon that will highlight the ways your stewardship dollars are transformed into life changing programs in our community and out in the wider world. You’ll get to hear about our many outreach partners, the work of the wider church, and you’ll even hear about the upcoming CROP Hunger Walk!

After the Worship Service in the Sanctuary our Outreach Team has a special On Campus Workship Project for you that will be set up in the Fellowship Hall. We’ll be packing up much needed school supplies for the Paiute Neighborhood Center.

For folks looking to be a part of "The Fifth with First" and our Workship Project with Operation Fix-It, we'll be gathering at the Ramada at Chaparral Park at 9AM for a brief prayer service before heading out to help a local neighbor in need.

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Luke 19:1-10 Jesus and Zacchaeus

He entered Jericho and was passing through it. A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax-collector and was rich. He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycomore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way. 

When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today.’ 

So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him. 

All who saw it began to grumble and said, ‘He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner.’ 

Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, ‘Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.’ 

Then Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.’

Whiteboard: Stewardship Kick Off

With a huge assist from our friends at the Center for Faith and Giving, I'm happy to present my Whiteboard rendition of this year's Stewardship Logo!

This Sunday we are kicking off our Stewardship Campaign!

We have adopted the theme “Go & Do the Same,” which comes from Luke 10:37. At the end of the Parable of the Good Samaritan (a story about putting your faith in action) Jesus instructs us, “Go and Do the Same.”

So all throughout our Stewardship Season we’ll be talking about the ways that we take our faith and put it into action. As we’ve done for the previous two years we have adopted a Narrative Budget. That means that we’ve taken the proposed budget that our Treasurer has put together and translated it into the three broad categories that define our work here at FCC Scottsdale: Worship, Mission and Ministry.

(As a brief reminder, we take those three defining words right out of our Mission Statement. Every Sunday at the beginning of worship I proudly proclaim “At First Christian Church Scottsdale we are a Christ-centered community inviting everyone to seek and celebrate God’s love through joyful worship, mission and ministry!” So, of course, when it comes to describing the work we do we’d use those words.)

Our Stewardship Season will last four weeks. This Sunday we’ll kick off the campaign and focus on Worship! On Sunday October 30 (which is also “The Fifth With First”) we’ll focus on Mission with a special sermon at the worship service in the sanctuary from Rev. Al Beasley. On November 6 I’ll preach about Ministry, and then we’ll wrap up the whole campaign on Dedication Sunday, November 13 where we will turn in and bless our Pledge Cards.

We’ll kick off the campaign this Sunday where I’ll be presenting the first look at our Narrative Budget (including everyone’s favorite: The Pie Chart!). Then next week you’ll be getting your own detailed copy of the Narrative Budget along with a Stewardship Letter as well as your 2017 Pledge Card.

Come and join us!

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Luke 10:25-37 The Parable of the Good Samaritan

Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. ‘Teacher,’ he said, ‘what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ He said to him, ‘What is written in the law? What do you read there?’ He answered, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.’ And he said to him, ‘You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.’

But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbor?’ Jesus replied, ‘A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan while travelling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, “Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.” Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?’ He said, ‘The one who showed him mercy.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go and do the same.’

Luke 7:36-8:3 A Sinful Woman Forgiven

One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee’s house and took his place at the table. And a woman in the city, who was a sinner, having learned that he was eating in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster jar of ointment. She stood behind him at his feet, weeping, and began to bathe his feet with her tears and to dry them with her hair. Then she continued kissing his feet and anointing them with the ointment. Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw it, he said to himself, ‘If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what kind of woman this is who is touching him—that she is a sinner.’Jesus spoke up and said to him, ‘Simon, I have something to say to you.’ ‘Teacher,’ he replied, ‘speak.’ ‘A certain creditor had two debtors; one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he cancelled the debts for both of them. Now which of them will love him more?’ Simon answered, ‘I suppose the one for whom he cancelled the greater debt.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘You have judged rightly.’ Then turning towards the woman, he said to Simon, ‘Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has bathed my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not stopped kissing my feet.You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore, I tell you, her sins, which were many, have been forgiven; hence she has shown great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.’ Then he said to her, ‘Your sins are forgiven.’ But those who were at the table with him began to say among themselves, ‘Who is this who even forgives sins?’ And he said to the woman, ‘Your faith has saved you; go in peace.’

Some Women Accompany Jesus

Soon afterwards he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. The twelve were with him,as well as some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Herod’s steward Chuza, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their resources.

Stepping Into Stewardship

Last week I was in Orlando, Florida for the "Stepping Into Stewardship" National Conference co-sponsored by the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and our closest denominational cousin the United Church of Christ. It was a fabulous event with tremendous keynote speakers, enlightening workships, faithful conversations on stewardship best practices...and its own hashtag!

So here are a couple of my favorite Twitter-based reflections on the Conference.

The conversation has started! Talking church, money & joy together! #Faith #Giving #SISGenerosity pic.twitter.com/em6UkPyEfa

— Aimee A'Laine (@newjoynjourney) March 31, 2016

Let's do talk about money. And Justice. And Love. We can't honor God any other way. Live your faith. #SISGenerosity #Reflections

— Aimee A'Laine (@newjoynjourney) March 31, 2016

People give because 1.Belief in mission 2.Regard for leadership & 3.Fiscal responsibility. #SISgenerosity

— Brigit Stevens (@brigitstevens) March 31, 2016

If you don't believe you are making a difference - why should your donors? #sisgenerosity

— FaithandGiving (@FaithandGiving) March 31, 2016

If the Budget is the first thing on the board agenda, it speaks clearly that our churches mission is to balance the budget #sisgenerosity

— Liz F. DeWeese (@lizdeweese0624) March 31, 2016

Irreverent observation: Stewardship folks come more professionally dressed than any other church group gathering. #sisgenerosity

— Jim Thomas (@b74eqcm) March 31, 2016

"Stewardship is not fundraising... It is spiritual discipline." Bruce Barkhauer. #sisgenerosity

— Brian Frederick-Gray (@bfrederickgray) April 1, 2016

Thanks to all leaders and participants in Stepping Into Stewardship-especially UCC partners. Great Conference! #sisgenerosity

— FaithandGiving (@FaithandGiving) April 1, 2016

Keep up with the whole conversation at twitter.com/#SISGenerosity

Whiteboard: Dedication Sunday

This Sunday we complete our four-week Stewardship Season with Dedication Sunday. We'll be receiving and dedicating our Pledge Cards for the coming year all while celebrating the abundance of God's love and the possibilities that the future holds for us.

Once again we've built our Narrative Budget on the tri-fold purposes of our church from our Mission Statement: Worship, Mission & Ministry. For the last several weeks I've been writing those words out on The Whiteboard and sneaking a heart (or hearts!) into each picture. Well, this week I couldn't help but rearrange the equation. Instead of tucking a heart (or hearts!) into each word, I tucked the words inside of a heart. The truth is that Worship, Mission & Ministry stand at the heart of who we are and what we do at First Christian Church Scottsdale. It is every time we gather in the sanctuary on Sunday morning, every time we celebrate The Fifth With First, every Sunday School class and Small Group Meeting, every work project and outreach partner we support. Worship, Mission & Ministry defines us as a people, and is only made possible through your generous support of our church. 

If you want to learn a little bit more about FCC Scottsdale and how your stewardship dollars are put to use then check out these clips from our YouTube Channel.

If you want to know a little bit more about our focus for dedication Sunday then read Psalm 126 below.

Psalm 126 A Harvest of Joy

When the Lord restores us,

we are like those who dream.

Our mouths are filled with laughter,

and our tongues with shouts of joy;

then we said to the nations,

‘The Lord has done great things for us.’

The Lord has done great things for us,

and we rejoiced.

Restore our fortunes, O Lord,

like the watercourses in the Negeb.

May those who sow in tears

reap with shouts of joy.

Those who go out weeping,

bearing the seed for sowing,

shall come home with a harvest of joy.

When the Lord restores us,

we are like those who dream.

During the third Sunday of our Stewardship Campaign we'll talk all about Ministry.

Here is how we describe Ministry at FCC Scottsdale:

Ministry is walking hand in hand with a brother or sister in Christ.

Ministry is sharing your faith.

Ministry is following God’s call on your life.

Ministry is journeying together in service to God.

For the purposes of our Narrative Budget, Ministry describes the ways that we extend the love of Christ by taking care of one another right here in the church.

We see this in every hospital visit by an Elder, every Prayer Shawl that is lovingly knitted, every Pastoral Call, and every Prayer Chain email. This is every warm smile at the Visitor’s Center, every Fellowship Luncheon, every Youth Group Lock-In, every Summer Adventures In Learning Session, every New Member welcomed, every Lenten Study Session and every Sunday School Class.

Ministry is you and me working together to share God's love!

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Psalm 89 God’s Covenant with David

I will sing of your steadfast love, O Lord, for ever;
with my mouth I will proclaim your faithfulness to all generations.
I declare that your steadfast love is established for ever;
your faithfulness is as firm as the heavens.

You said, ‘I have made a covenant with my chosen one,
I have sworn to my servant David:
“I will establish your descendants for ever,
and build your throne for all generations.” ’

Let the heavens praise your wonders, O Lord,
your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones.
For who in the skies can be compared to the Lord?
Who among the heavenly beings is like the Lord,
a God feared in the council of the holy ones,
great and awesome above all that are around him?
O Lord God of hosts,
who is as mighty as you, O Lord?
Your faithfulness surrounds you.
You rule the raging of the sea;
when its waves rise, you still them.
You crushed Rahab like a carcass;
you scattered your enemies with your mighty arm.
The heavens are yours, the earth also is yours;
the world and all that is in it—you have founded them.

Whiteboard: Mission

Stewardship Season continues at FCC Scottsdale this Sunday!

We built our Narrative Budget around the tri-fold purposes spelled out in our Mission Statement: We are a Christ-centered Community Inviting Everyone to Seek and Celebrate God's Love through Joyful Worship, Mission, and Ministry!

On the second Sunday of our Stewardship Season we are focusing on Mission.

At First Christian Church Scottsdale we have a heart for mission. We truly strive to be the hands and feet of Jesus, alive and at work in the world. We do that through direct service, volunteering with mission partners, reaching out to our neighborhood community, and supporting the wider church through the Disciples Mission Fund. This Sunday I'll be telling stories about our Mission work, about our partners in ministry, and about the difference that this church is making in the world.

This Sunday is also All Saint's Day, which gives us a chance to recognize and honor those saints of our church that we have lost in the past year and to hear once more that the invitation of our faith is to live saints ourselves.

As promised in last Sunday's sermon, I will also have the full percentage breakdown of our Narrative Budget as well as some big news about a leadership gift we have received that will help us continue to dream big dreams here at the church!

See you on Sunday!

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Psalm 24 Entrance into the Temple

The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it,
  the world, and those who live in it;
  for he has founded it on the seas,
  and established it on the rivers.

Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?
And who shall stand in his holy place?
Those who have clean hands and pure hearts,
  who do not lift up their souls to what is false,
  and do not swear deceitfully.
They will receive blessing from the Lord,
  and vindication from the God of their salvation.
Such is the company of those who seek him,
  who seek the face of the God of Jacob.

Lift up your heads, O gates!
  and be lifted up, O ancient doors!
  that the King of glory may come in.
Who is the King of glory?
The Lord, strong and mighty,
  the Lord, mighty in battle.
Lift up your heads, O gates!
  and be lifted up, O ancient doors!
  that the King of glory may come in.
Who is this King of glory?
The Lord of hosts,
  he is the King of glory.

Whiteboard: Worship

This Sunday we kick off our Stewardship Campaign!

You'll remember that last year we made the switch to a Narrative Budget (and if that doesn't ring a bell, then check out my blog post from last year that describes the whole process). We have re-purposed our line item budget into the three major categories that define our work here at FCC Scottsdale: Worship, Mission and Ministry.

We didn't just pick those categories out of thin air. No, they come straight from our Mission Statement. The very same Mission Statement that I speak aloud at the beginning of each Worship Service. The same Mission Statement that is affixed to the Agendas of our Administrative Council Meetings and is printed onto our church letterhead.

At First Christian Church Scottsdale 

We are a Christ-centered Community 

Inviting Everyone to Seek and Celebrate

God's Love through joyful 

Worship, Mission, and Ministry.

That Mission Statement tells us who we are...and that is exactly what a budget (at its best) should be able to do too.

So for the next fours weeks we'll be walking through our Narrative Budget during our Stewardship Season. This Sunday we'll start, as the picture at the top of the post indicates, with Worship! You'll get to hear about the worship ministries of the church, celebrate the power of praising God together in community, and answer the question "Why do we worship?"

This year the Psalms will be guiding us through our Stewardship Season. While we are using Psalm 126 as our theme text ("When the Lord restores us, we are like those who dream") we will have a different Psalm for each Sunday. This Sunday we'll be using Psalm 34:1-10, which you can find below.

By the way, I love that picture! After all, worship stands at the very heart of what we do here at FCC Scottsdale. What better way to kick off our Stewardship Season than with a reminder of the power of praising the Lord! See you Sunday.

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Psalm 126 A Harvest of Joy

When the Lord restores us,
  we are like those who dream.
Our mouths are filled with laughter,
  and our tongues with shouts of joy;
then we said to the nations,
  ‘The Lord has done great things for us.’
The Lord has done great things for us,
  and we rejoiced.

Restore our fortunes, O Lord,
  like the watercourses in the Negeb.
May those who sow in tears
  reap with shouts of joy.
Those who go out weeping,
  bearing the seed for sowing,
  shall come home with a harvest of joy.

Great News!

The response to this year's Stewardship Campaign (theme: Worship, Mission & Ministry) has been thoroughly overwhelming!

I shared the news this past Sunday, but wanted to make sure and share it again for anyone who might have missed the announcement.

But first, a little bit of background: The Budget Proposal that had been approved by the Administrative Council contained a $15,000 line for "Additional Fundraisers." We have been doing this for the last few budget cycles (remember "Dinner with the Stars" in 2013?). That "Additional Fundraisers" line has been used to keep our budgets balanced, but it does mean that we have been passing Deficit Budgets for the past few years. Okay, you got that? Now lets get out of the weeds.

Here is the Good News: Enough people increased their pledges for 2015 that we fully taken advantage of the $10,000 Matching Gift! (Remember: We had an anonymous donor who agreed to match any new pledge or increased pledge dollar for dollar up to a total of $10,000).

But there is even more Good News: We didn't just come up with $10,000 worth of new and increased pledges. In fact, we blew past that total. You see with the help of our Narrative Budget approach and the Matching Gift we were able to raise $30,000+ more than we were anticipating!

$30,000+ worth of new resources to support Worship, Mission & Ministry at FCC Scottsdale?!? That is amazing! That is incredible! That is overwhelming support for what God is doing here at FCC Scottsdale! (By the way, that number keeps going up. I had to write "$30,000+ because we continue to receive pledge cards and that number just keeps getting bigger!)

So what does that mean for our church?

Well, for starters it means that our days of passing a Deficit Budget are behind us! I'm excited to say that we won't need that $15,000 "Additional Fundraisers" line in the 2015 Budget that we'll be adopting at our Annual Meeting this coming Sunday.

More importantly, it means that we are actually forecasting a Budget Surplus for the coming year!

Which is why the Executive Team of the Administrative Council here at the church has already started talking about "The Dream Fund."

You see, we want to make the best possible use of those resources that our church members are so faithfully sharing with the church. Now that we have extra resources pledged for the coming year we want to started dreaming -- What new things can we do in 2015? What old projects can we resurrect? What ministries can we form? What partners can we start supporting again? What new outreach projects can we get started?

You'll be hearing more about The Dream Fund at the Annual Meeting and in the coming weeks (here is a sneak peak: It is going to literally involve a box where people will be invited to fill out "Dream Sheets" and submit their ideas for consideration by the wider church!). But for now I need you to start dreaming.

This is an incredible time in the life of the church. I could not be more proud of our church! I could not be more overwhelmed by the support that has come in through our Stewardship Campaign! And I can't wait to see what amazing things we will be able to do, to the glory of God, with the abundance of resources that you all have entrusted us with at the church!

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Ministry

Ministry is you and me working together to share God's love.

During the third Sunday of our Stewardship Campaign (theme: Worship, Mission & Ministry!) we talked all about ministry. Here is what we said:

Ministry is walking hand in hand with a brother or sister in Christ.

Ministry is sharing your faith.

Ministry is following God’s call on your life.

Ministry is journeying together in service to God.

For the purposes of our Narrative Budget, Ministry describes the ways that we extend the love of Christ by taking care of one another right here in the church.

Ministry means nurturing our relationships with each other while deepening our faith in God. We see ministry in every hospital visit by an Elder, every Prayer Shawl that is lovingly knitted, every pastoral call, and every Prayer Chain email. Ministry is every warm smile at the Visitor’s Center, every Fellowship Luncheon, every Youth Group Lock-In, and every Sunday School Class. Ministry is you and me working together to share God’s love.

And here is what it looks like: 

Whiteboard: Ministry

As our Stewardship Season enters Week Three we turn our attention to Ministry!

For the purposes of this Narrative Budget, Ministry describes the ways that we extend the love of Christ by taking care of one another here in the church – nurturing our relationships with each other while deepening our faith in God. As you can see from our Pie Chart, this particular understanding of Ministry accounts for 32% of our projected church budget for 2015.

We see this in every hospital visit by an Elder, every Prayer Shawl that is lovingly knitted, every pastoral call, and every Prayer Chain email. This is every warm smile at the Visitor’s Center, every Fellowship Luncheon, every Youth Group Lock-In, and every Sunday School Class.

Ministry is walking hand in hand with a brother or sister in Christ.

Ministry is sharing your faith.

Ministry is following God’s call on your life.

Ministry is journeying together in service to God.

Ministry is you and me working together to share God’s love.

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Matthew 25:14-30 The Parable of the Talents

‘For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away.The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. Then the one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents, saying, “Master, you handed over to me five talents; see, I have made five more talents.” His master said to him, “Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.” And the one with the two talents also came forward, saying, “Master, you handed over to me two talents; see, I have made two more talents.” His master said to him, “Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.”Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward, saying, “Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.”But his master replied, “You wicked and lazy slave! You knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents. For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Whiteboard: Mission

Our Stewardship Campaign continues this Sunday! 

Our theme is Worship, Mission & Ministry and this week, using Joshua 24 as our guiding text, we'll be focusing on Mission!

Mission is how we reach out to our community and the wider world with the love of Christ.

By partnering with Operation Fix-It, Vista Del Camino, Healthy Packs, AZ Family Promise,
St. Vincent DePaul, The Ronald McDonald House, and others we’re making a real difference. 

You've certainly heard of Mission Nutrition. This is our healthy meals program here at the church that hand delivers a prepared meal to folks when they need it most. Christy and her team of volunteers prepares a meal once a month for our homebound members, folks who are sick or recovering from a hospital stay, and for members who need a little extra help. Then our team of drivers brings that meal right to your door. Well, last year Mission Nutrition  prepared and delivered over 250 healthy meals! 

What you might not know is that our church campus serves as a Mission Center for many in our local community. We presently have 8 different Alcoholics Anonymous Groups that meet weekly at our church. 

Oh, and let’s not forget that we continue to be the largest supporter of the Disciples Mission Fund of any Disciples church in Arizona – empowering ministry from our doorstep to the ends of the Earth!

As you can see from the Pie Chart on the Whiteboard, Mission activities here at FCC Scottsdale account for 28% of our total budget. 

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Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25

Then Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and summoned the elders, the heads, the judges, and the officers of Israel; and they presented themselves before God. And Joshua said to all the people, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Long ago your ancestors—Terah and his sons Abraham and Nahor—lived beyond the Euphrates and served other gods. Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the River and led him through all the land of Canaan and made his offspring many. I gave him Isaac;

‘Now therefore revere the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness; put away the gods that your ancestors served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. Now if you are unwilling to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.’

Then the people answered, ‘Far be it from us that we should forsake theLord to serve other gods; for it is the Lord our God who brought us and our ancestors up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight. He protected us along all the way that we went, and among all the peoples through whom we passed; and the Lord drove out before us all the peoples, the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore we also will serve the Lord, for he is our God.’

But Joshua said to the people, ‘You cannot serve the Lord, for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins. If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do you harm, and consume you, after having done you good.’And the people said to Joshua, ‘No, we will serve the Lord!’ Then Joshua said to the people, ‘You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the Lord, to serve him.’ And they said, ‘We are witnesses.’ He said, ‘Then put away the foreign gods that are among you, and incline your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.’ The people said to Joshua, ‘The Lord our God we will serve, and him we will obey.’ So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and made statutes and ordinances for them at Shechem.

Worship

Our Budget tells the story of our congregation – our priorities, our intentions, and our hopes. This year, during our Stewardship Campaign we are telling the story of our church using our Mission Statement and focusing on the words Worship, Mission & Ministry.

Each Sunday we affirm that “We are a Christ-centered Community Inviting Everyone to Seek and Celebrate God’s Love through joyful Worship, Mission & Ministry"

Over the course of our Stewardship Campaign  you’ll see how First Christian Church Scottsdale is putting your stewardship dollars to use for the work of God’s Kingdom.

As you can see from the pie chart we've broken down our 2015 Proposed Budget into three specific categories: Worship, Mission & Ministry. This is who we say we are, and this is how we will put our resources to work.

On November 2nd we kicked off our Stewardship Campaign by focusing on the first word of our theme: WORSHIP. Here is (a modified version of) the Testimonial Video that played at the beginning of the service.

You can listen to Rev. Brian's sermon (including a full description of The Narrative Budget Process) on the church's website by clicking here. 

2014 Stewardship Campaign

Every Sunday I begin worship with these words: At First Christian Church Scottsdale
we are a Christ-centered Community Inviting Everyone to Seek and Celebrate God’s Love through joyful Worship, Mission, and Ministry!

That is more than just a Mission Statement. That is who we are as a people of faith!

The gospel stories are about transformation -- the work of God at work in the world and the Holy Spirit at work in the followers of Jesus. We celebrate transformation each time we gather. We come together wrestling with the complexities of life and leave with the simple assurance of God’s abiding love. The financial gifts we offer become the resources for Worship, Mission & Ministry.

So I have a special invitation for you. On November 2nd we will kick off our Stewardship Campaign as we begin a four week journey considering how we are transformed by our encounter with Jesus. We will hear stories from people in our faith community that focus on their journey at FCC Scottsdale, and why this church is so important in their lives.

Every Sunday during our Stewardship Campaign a story from the life of Jesus will focus our attention on how God is at work in us and through us. My sermons will focus on how Jesus inspires us to follow him through acts of Worship, Mission & Ministry. That’s right, our Stewardship Campaign theme comes straight from our Mission Statement this year!

In the coming days you’ll receive another letter from the church office containing your pledge card and a copy of our prospective budget that is broken down in three categories to show how your stewardship dollars will be used to support the Worship, Mission & Ministry of FCC Scottsdale.

On November 23rd we will have the opportunity as a community of faith to offer and dedicate our pledges for the investment we feel led to make for resourcing the things God is calling us to do as God’s church. I hope you will be intentional about not missing a moment of the rich things God has in store for us at FCC Scottsdale during the campaign!

God has done, and continues to do remarkable things with us. I look forward to seeing you in worship each week during our Stewardship Campaign.

Whiteboard: Narrative Budget and Worship

Wait, a pie chart?

On The Whiteboard?

What is going on here? I thought The Whiteboard always had something to do with worship.

Well, you see, this Sunday we are officially kicking off our 2015 Stewardship Campaign and we'll be doing things just a little bit different this year.

During the Stewardship Campaign we'll be presenting a Narrative Budget. Now, have no fear. In order to prepare a Narrative Budget you first have to go and do the faithful planning of a tradition line item budget. We know how much money we need ($260,834) and where those resources will be spent. But a Narrative Budget doesn't stop with the numbers. No, a Narrative Budget is a way for us to tell our story through our budgeting process!

Here is what you do. After preparing a full line-item budget (and we have copies of that available in the church office for anyone who wants to see one, just stop by!) you break down that budget even further by determining how those particular line-items fit into the specific categories of work that define what we do here at the church.

Sounds complicated, but really it isn't. Particularly when you have something that helps orient and organize our work here at the church like we do...our Mission Statement!

Every Sunday I begin the worship service by saying, "We are a Christ-centered Community Inviting Everyone to Seek and Celebrate God's Love through Joyful Worship, Mission, & Ministry!"

Did you catch those last three words (well, four if you count the ampersand)?

Worship.

Mission.

Ministry.

Those words define who we are as a church and help us categorize our work. The Finance Team and the Executive Team here at FCC Scottsdale have been working hard to take our line-item budget and break it out into those three key categories so that we can see just how we are putting your stewardship dollars to work for Worship, Mission & Ministry.

Thus the Pie Chart. It turns out that we allocate about 40% of our stewardship dollars for Worship here at FCC Scottsdale.

And I know what you are thinking: "Is the Worship Committees Budget really that large? Are we spending that much money on communion bread and grapejuice?"

No.

Remember we are reallocating our line-item budget to fit our understanding of who we are. If you want to have a weekly worship service you're gonna need lights and (particularly here in Arizona) you're gonna need air conditioning. So we did a time study and broke out the amount of electricity that we need use on a regular basis for the Sunday morning worship service and we put that percentage of the Property Budget into the "Worship" category. We did a similar thing with my salary (about 40% of my time goes to planning and leading worship, so 40% of my salary went into the "Worship" category) and Jane's salary (30%, representing her time each week printing the bulletin, creating the Song Show Presentation, sending out the liturgy, updating the Worship page on the website and more). Since the worship service wouldn't be complete with music we also included the full salaries of our Director of Music Ministries, our accompanist, and our percusionist. Once you add all those things together (and a couple of smaller categories too, like, well, communion bread and grape juice!) you end up with a total that is about 40% of our budget.

That it is what you see on the Pie Chart this week on The Whiteboard, and that is what we'll be talking about in worship this coming Sunday -- Worship. We'll be talking about what it means, why we do it, why it is important, and we need to continue to support the worship ministries at FCC Scottsdale.

Next week I'll be adding the next category to The Whiteboard (Mission) and on November 9 the service will be built around it. Then on the week after that I'll update The Whiteboard with our third category (Ministry) and on November 16 we'll be talking about that. Finally, on November 23 we'll have our Dedication Sunday as we wrap up our Stewardship Campaign and turn over pledges to the glory of God.

It is going to be a lot of fun in the next few weeks church, because here is what a Narrative Budget really lets us do: Celebrating the stories of our church. We'll be talking about the incredible things that happen here at FCC Scottsdale and the ways that your tithes, offerings, and pledges help to make all of that happen. You won't want to miss a minute of it!

Whiteboard: Stewardship Sunday

This Sunday we are going to celebrate for a whole bunch of reasons!

We’ll celebrate because it is All Saints Sunday! This is our opportunity to honor those saints who have come before us – those pillars of Christian virtue who loved the faith so much that they handed it to you and to me.

But notice how I worded that. You see, All Saints isn’t just about recognizing that particular group of folks who have been officially canonized by the church (although that list is important too). No, saints are those folks who have passed the faith down to us. They are Sunday School teachers and prayer partners, Shepherding Group Leaders and youth group sponsors and sometimes they are even pastors. This Sunday we’ll recognize those saints who have gone on before us (we’ll have a special prayer for the members of FCC Scottsdale who have died in the past 12 months) and we’ll recognize the saints that are still hard at work all around us in the hope that we can recognize the saint that is inside of each and every one of us.

Which leads me to the other reason we’re celebrating this Sunday: It is Dedication Sunday! This Sunday we’ll wrap up our Stewardship Season by collecting and blessing our 2014 Pledge Cards. We’ve been using the theme Saints Alive! Living Generously! this Stewardship Season, and this Sunday will be our opportunity to do just that – to celebrate the saints at FCC Scottsdale, to celebrate the wonderful things that we are doing together to help further God’s kingdom by being the hands of Jesus at work in our community, and to give generously to support our church.

Oh, and if you forget your pledge card (and I’ll confess, I leave mine on the kitchen table just about every single year!) then don’t worry…we’ll have plenty of extras on Sunday morning.

Your generosity helps makes our ministries possible at FCC Scottsdale. So come join us this Sunday and help us celebrate Saints Alive! Living Generously!

Whiteboard: Children's Sabbath

During our Stewardship Campaign the Whiteboard will be displaying our Stewardship Theme...

...Saints Alive! Living Generously!

Two Sundays ago we kicked off our Stewardship Season by talking about generosity. Last Sunday we continued our theme by celebrating Reformation Sunday and talking about the great saints of history and the way their influence is still felt among us today. This Sunday we'll be focused in on our youngest saints as celebrate the Children's Sabbath at FCC Scottsdale. 

"Sponsored by the Children's Defense Fund, the National Observance of Children's Sabbaths Celebration is a way for faith communities to celebrate children as sacred gifts of the Divine, and provides the opportunity for houses of worship to renew and live out their moral responsibility to care, protect and advocate for all children."

Our youth will be leading us in worship this Sunday with several, special musical numbers. They have been working hard to get ready for this Sunday and you won't want to miss it!

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Psalm 119:97-104

Oh, how I love your law!
It is my meditation all day long.
Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies,
for it is always with me.
I have more understanding than all my teachers,
for your decrees are my meditation.
I understand more than the aged,
for I keep your precepts.
I hold back my feet from every evil way,
in order to keep your word.
I do not turn away from your ordinances,
for you have taught me.
How sweet are your words to my taste,
sweeter than honey to my mouth!
Through your precepts I get understanding;
therefore I hate every false way.

2011 Stewardship Campaign

There are so many things to love about First Christian Church Scottsdale!

During our Stewardship season I want to know how you would complete the sentence “I Love My Church Because…”

How would you fill in the blanks?

“I love my church because of our lively, Spirit-led worship service.” 
“I love my church because of our abiding commitment to outreach.” 
“I love my church because we welcome everyone to celebrate communion with us every Sunday at the Lord’s Table.”
“I love my church because of the potluck lunches and Bible Study classes, the Prayer Shawl Ministry and Ms. Jesse in the nursery, our music ministries and the friendly people.” 

For the next several Sundays I have invited everyone who has a speaking role in our worship services (from the Elders and liturgists to anyone giving an announcement, and yes even me) to preface their remarks by introducing themselves and then completing our stewardship sentence. Some of the answers will be funny. Others will be poignant. Some will be short and simple while others will be paragraphs long. Imagine all the different answers we can share!

As you hear the multitude of ways people respond to our stewardship prompt I hope that two things will happen. First, I hope that you’ll think of all the things you love about our church. Second, I hope that it will encourage you to support our church with your time, talent, and treasure.

Stewardship Letters went out to all the members of FCC Scottsdale this week. Accompanying those letters was a pledge card for 2012. Your pledge is important. Our ministries happen because of the generous financial support of the folks who love our church so deeply. So please fill out the front side of the enclosed card with your pledge for the coming year, but before you do so flip the card over. You’ll find our colorful “I Love My Church Because…” logo on the back of the pledge card. On the lines underneath that logo I hope you will write in your own answer to our stewardship prompt. Share with us what you love about FCC Scottsdale and help us continue to make those things possible!

We’ll collect and bless all of the pledge cards in worship on Sunday November 20. I’ll see you then! In the meantime, I can’t wait to hear how you complete the sentence “I love my church because…”