Vol 2 No 22a - Here We Go Again

Hello, All.

Hard to believe I am writing you again on a Monday, but once again we were hit by a thief (or several thieves). Same MO. Smash the window of my office, rip some things apart, and start heading for the electronics of the building. There is blood evidence this time, which the Morgan City PD has collected.

There is nothing else much to tell, since about the only thing I see missing is another DVD player.

As I mentioned in the sermon yesterday, we worship a big-picture God. We, as the people of God, must not allow the things of this earth, such as the criminal element of society, rob us of our faith or our Christian attitude. Yes, it is very upsetting to have these things happen, but in the big picture of things these are but minor blips on the radar. Remember, even if they had cleaned us out completely, taking EVERYTHING in the building, we would STILL be the church. We would STILL be Easter people, raising our voices to proclaim the good news that absolutely NOTHING will discourage us or keep us from doing the work of God. Even if they take everything in the building, we still will gather for worship on Sunday, gathering as one to encounter God through Christ by the power of the Spirit. We will still engage in ministry to the community and to the world, along with each other.

All this being said, please know that I have spent the past week getting bids on an alarm system for the church, and by this time tomorrow night I will have signed a contract for the installation of a system to be done ASAP. Nothing will ever guarantee that this will not happen again, but we do take seriously our obligation to be good stewards of what God has given us, and this is a step in the right direction.

There are a lot of emotions that come forward at a time like this, but I urge you to remember that we are NOT going to be people who allow these sort of things to get the better of us. After all, we are a forward-looking people, not a backward-looking people.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to let me know.

Grace and Peace,
Lamar

P.S. Earlier today, I told several of you that one of the stolen items last night was my white stole. Tonight, it was found, blood-stained, in the back parking lot of the church facility. More about this later.

Vol 2 No 22 - Where is Your Community?

Earlier this afternoon, I received a phone call from one of my retired clergy associates who called to express condolences about the break-in that occurred in my office and to let me know he had a file full of old sermons in case the thief made off with all of my sermons. We had a good laugh, and I enjoyed the call - it was a nice break to a crazy day. However, as I reflect further, I realize that his was an important call not just for the offer of the sermons (although those of you who have been around here long enough have probably already heard most of Vernon's sermons), but also to be reminded that ours indeed is a connectional church; whatever happens to one congregation affects us all, and that we all have a stake in each other's ministries.

Why is this important? In a society where we have more ways to be connected to one another than ever before, it seems that we are more and more isolated. Instead of being a part of our local communities, we now have the ability to make communities wherever we would like, and these communities know no geographic or political boundaries. It is very easy, as we unfortunately see from time to time, that one can go through life without knowing any of the people around them. As the people of The United Methodist Church, we reject this notion of life and say that community is at the heart of how we do things. More importantly, as people who profess to be Christian, we have no choice but to live in community with one another.

My question for you today is: What is your community? Who resides there? Where is the community located? Do you have a community?

Thanks again to Vernon, and to others who have checked in upon hearing about our misfortune - it is great to know that Pharr Chapel does not exist in a bubble, but is indeed part of a larger body of people who pledge to be with one another in all things.


See you Sunday!
Lamar

Vol 2 No 21 - Let's Go Camping!

In the mail this morning I received the registration form for summer camps at our district camp, Uskitchitto Retreat Center in LeBlanc, LA. Looking over the many different camps that are going to be offered this season, I am jealous of the opportunities our young people have to get to experience God. From Kindergarten through 12th grade, there is something available for everyone. As a member of the board of directors, I can assure you that any child who has the opportunity to go will be immensely rewarded by their time spent with children and adults from all over the tri-district area. As your pastor, I can assure you that the church will make sure that any child who wants to attend a camp will be able - we as the church will provide whatever it takes, be it finances or transportation or both. I know that a number of parents have their children involved in a number of things for summer - I strongly encourage you to get the children in your lives (children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews) to attend one of these camps.

Why do I feel summer camp is so important? Continuing from the theme of yesterday's special edition of this e-mail, one cannot help but be struck by how so many people are struggling to respond to this tragedy at Virginia Tech. My heart aches for those college students who are having to deal with the aftermath of the horror that went on in front of them or at least on the campus where they live. I wonder how much we as the church do to help our children prepare for those times when tragedies occur. I wonder how much parents understand that it is not only our right, but it is our responsibility to ensure that our children get as much exposure as they can to the truth of God's grace and love - and that this responsibility extends beyond worship for one hour on one day of the week. Reading and watching the coverage of these events, I just want to scream at all involved that better days are ahead. Sadly, however, I don't think as many of them as we would like to think have ever heard that message, much less been exposed to it on a regular basis. That's why I value our camping program so much - from the earliest age, we provide an environment where our kids are given a reality to ground themselves in - a reality that they will need for their entire lives, since we will never be able to insulate them from the possibility that their school could be next, no matter how much we try to stop these things.

For more information on the summer camping program, visit www.campurc.com or shoot me an e-mail.


See you Sunday!
Lamar

Vol 2 No 20a - A Better Day (Special Edition)

In the wake of the Virginia Tech Massacre yesterday, I felt compelled to write to you early this week and discuss this current tragedy - along with what shall help shape our response. I have read many different commentaries on this horrific event, and so many of them are asking, "Why?" Why did this happen? Why didn't someone do something to stop this from happening? Some are calling for more laws, different laws, stepped-up enforcement of laws already on the books. I've been thinking about this a great deal this morning as I have gone about my daily tasks, and as I headed out for lunch, something moved within me to write about something I am seeing and hearing very little about in the midst of this discussion, and that is the true root of any answer to the 'Why' question: Quite simply, we live in a world where not everything goes according to God's will. Ever since Genesis 3, the world we now live in has not been as God originally intended. Through the crucifixion and resurrection, our Lord began the work of restoring creation to the way it ought to be. However, no one knows that day when He will come again and glory and all will be right with the world.

We, the church, have just gotten finished with our annual celebration of our Lord's last days, his death, and his resurrection. If I had one thing to say to you as you process this truly heinous day in Blacksburg, VA, it would be this: Do not let anything in this world, nor anything that happens in this world, rob you of the hope that we have as Christians that better days are ahead. Good Friday and Easter Sunday remind us that ours is but a temporary residence in this world - that we have a future that far exceeds our wildest imaginations when it comes to pure unbridled joy. We worship a God of redemption and hope, not destruction and despair. This is not to minimize at all what happened at this university, nor to minimize the pain and trauma that so many are experiencing at this time. I cannot imagine the pain and sorrow that these families (the families of the students who lost their lives - including the murderer - and the larger Virginia Tech family), and I know you join me in extending thoughts and prayers to those who are directly involved in this disaster.

To answer the question why leaves us with a quite unsatisfying human reality, for the ultimate answer is: We don't know. And we probably never will. The good news is, however, we worship a God who is not up there looking down upon us, but a God who is walking with us, through the highs and lows of life. No matter what we go through, no matter how high or low the situation is that we find ourselves in, our God is right here walking with us, experiencing everything we experience. And in that, we find comfort and strength in times like these.

I will be reflecting more on this during worship this Sunday, and to help us prepare for worship this Sunday I would appreciate your taking the time to send me a brief note with your thoughts and reflections.


See you Sunday!
Lamar

Vol 2 No 20 - Easter Implications

Thank you all for helping to make this past weekend such a blessing to me and to the congregation. Saturday morning, we had approximately 100 runners & walkers show up for the 9th Annual Edward Askew Memorial Mission Run. The weather was absolutely perfect, and a great time was had by all. Not only was the fellowship great, but we were also blessed by God through our participants and sponsors to have raised a record amount of over $12,500(!) to be used for the missions ministry of our congregation. I want to say a public word of thanks to Gina Sanford for all the work she put into making this happen, along with all of you who showed up to help be a part of the support staff on Saturday morning.

What a great Easter Sunday celebration we were privileged to be a part of on Sunday! We had over 160 people worship between the two services. It was especially wonderful to be a part of sending our youth and their leaders out on the mission to Heifer at the 8:30 service. As I saw each of them come down the aisle to be greeted and prayed for by you all, I was inspired to see that God has given us such a great youth group to inspire us to further the kingdom of God. The excitement and anticipation on their faces (admittedly with a little sleep in some of their eyes as well) made me want to hop in the van with them, and I hope to be a part of their future missions.

One of the most interesting things to me about Easter is that for so many of us, Easter is but a day, or even a morning, and then it disappears. However, for those of us in the Christian faith, Easter is not only a day, but a season that lasts until Pentecost. Easter is not only a season that lasts until Pentecost, it is a way of life. Once we have encountered the empty tomb, we cannot help but be absolutely hopeful of God's amazing work to be done in our lives and in the world. Once we have encountered the empty tomb, we are confronted with a Lord who not only calls us to service, but a Lord who keeps his word and assures us that our faith is not in vain. Simply put, when we encounter the empty tomb, we become a people of hope and love, not a people of despair and hate.

During this Easter season, we will be looking at the post-Resurrection texts with a focus on what did the people see? As they encountered the risen Lord, what happened? What are the implications for us today? Start by asking yourself what do you see when you see the post-Resurrection Jesus?


See you Sunday!
Lamar

Vol 2 No 19 - A New Week, A New Life

Sunday morning, Palm Sunday, was a celebration that I still get the chills thinking about today. What a wonderful time of worship with over 138 in attendance at the special service. It is always a humble and holy blessing to celebrate the Lord's supper with you all. Speaking of eating, the fellowship we had over lunch immediately afterwards was simply outstanding. To see the people of the church dining together, visiting, laughing, and carrying-on - what a joy! The children had a wonderful time with the Easter Egg hunt and all the prizes that went along - and we even had a visit from the Easter Bunny. Thank you to Gina, Dana, & Thelma for helping organize the day's events.

As wonderful as last weekend was, we are entering into the crux of the Christian year. Tomorrow, Maundy Thursday, we will encounter our Lord at the communion table as we re-visit his last supper with the disciples. We will hear again the story of what occurred on that fateful night when they came together to celebrate the Passover feast. Dining together at our Lord's table, we will once again be brought into the presence of the universal church as we celebrate the breaking of the bread and the passing of the cup.

Then on Friday we will come face-to-face with our Lord's last hours as our choir leads us in a service of tenebrae (literally, shadows). Through this special worship time we will be coming in to the realization of Christ's passion, suffering, and death. This service is unique in that, like all Good Friday services, everyone leaves in silence, beginning a time of stillness in the life of the church.

Easter Sunday will be a glorious celebration of the resurrection of our Lord! It will be especially celebratory at our 8:30 service, where we will be commissioning the youth and adults going to Heifer International on a mission right after worship. What finer way to observe the resurrection than to send a group of dedicated people to spread the word?

I look forward to seeing you Thursday, Friday, and Sunday - don't miss the importance of Maundy Thursday and Good Friday; Easter Sunday makes little sense without them!

See you Sunday!
Lamar