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: 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.”

Mission

Mission is how we live out our faith to make a difference in the lives of others.

On the Second Sunday of our Stewardship Campaign (theme: Worship, Mission & Ministry) we talked all about Mission. You can click here to listen to my sermon titled, appropriately enough "Mission." 

Church members took Post-It Notes and wrote down their favorite Mission Site (or a place where they volunteer their time) and affixed them to the church doors on their way out of the sanctuary, creating Mission-focused Stained Glass widows on the doors that lead us from worship out into the world.

 We also shared this Video from Rev. Al Beasley that takes you on a tour of a few of our Mission Partners...

Here at First Christian Church Scottsdale we are defined by our dedication to Mission, and we are fortunate to work as many incredible mission partners as we have -- Vista Del Camino, Operation Fix-It, AZ Family Promise, The Ronald McDonald House, AMOR Ministries, UMOM, Church World Services, Alcoholics Anonymous, the Disciples Mission Fund, St. Vincent dePaul, Feed My Starving Children, W.H.E.A.T., Silo Clothing Closet, and Healthy Packs just to name a few!

AND, we didn't just talk about Mission, we went out into our community and walked our talk...literally. After worship the members of FCC Scottsdale participated in the East Valley CROP Hunger Walk. FCC Scottsdale raised $1000 to help CROP stop Hunger and support the life-giving work of Church World Services. In fact, you can still donate online by clicking here.

At FCC Scottsdale we are on a Mission -- to live out our faith in a way that makes a difference in the lives of others!

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.