Do You Have ‘Full-Brained’ Small Groups?

By

-

March 9, 2022

In our previous article, we introduced the concepts of right and left-brain associations with one’s pursuit of relational development, as described by authors Jim Wilder and Michel Hendricks in their book The Other Half of Church. As we journey through this series of articles, we will continue to study the principles from this insightful text while applying them to our respective small group ministries.

Today, we will unpack what Wilder and Hendricks label as “full-brained Christianity,” a practice of pursuing one’s faith where both sides of the brain are healthily engaged within the process of an individual’s relational development.

Full-Brained Christianity Within Small Groups

Although their book encourages us to view ministry from a vantage point that intentionally engages the right-brain more often, Wilder and Hendricks are quick to uphold the importance of discipleship programs and left-brain activities. It is here in this balance where “full-brained Christianity” can thrive within a church’s small group ministry. But do we nest right-brained activities within a left-brained discipleship structure of small groups? Or do we nest left-brained activities within a right-brained relational structure of small groups? Wilder and Hendricks opt for the latter. To them, forcing character change without first engaging the right-brain is like putting the cart before the horse since “our preconscious right brain is the driver of character change, not our conscious thoughts and willpower.”

So if relational growth is strengthened through activities that promote right-brained engagement, then is opening the Bible and reading Scripture together a worthwhile activity for a group that wants to grow? Before answering, perhaps it might be better to reframe the question: Rather, does the group have a level of relational connectivity established so that they can explore the text and also feel safe in their vulnerability with one another? I confess that I’ve been on both ends of this spectrum. In one group that I had attended, we opened the Bible to read the Word and would typically end up pointing out a few items that we liked within the passage; Yet I’ve also been a part of a group where the text was opened and we poured out our souls over the living Word of God, allowing the Holy Spirit to saturate our conversation with revelatory insights. The difference between the two groups that I experienced was the level of relational connectivity that we had established before we engaged in studying the Word.

Relational Brain Skills and Covid-19

While the pandemic certainly inflicted collateral damage upon various areas of our lives, our willingness to pursue relationships may have been one of the more impacted areas of them all. Wilder and Hendricks note that when we possess a lack of social interaction, it can lead to a church system that leans more towards left-brained Christianity. From here, this type of framework begets a loss of relational and emotional skills, which further compounds and inevitably results in ineffective discipleship. In other words, without a relationally-focused recalibration of the direction of our small group ministries, the pandemic may likely be causing our discipleship programs to become less effective.

On the other hand, Wilder and Hendricks note that when we increase our “relational brain skills,” we build up a joy capacity that can help us navigate through the larger emotional events that occur within our lives. Indeed, “when our identity is not well developed, our personality will change in different settings. With a well-formed brain, our identity will not change in different circumstances.” If an individual’s identity—or even their church’s identity—still feels “off” after returning from lockdowns, it might be worth considering a season that focuses intently on the pursuit of developing the community’s relational skills.

The Road Ahead

To help encourage healthy character transformation within the church, Wilder and Hendricks present four essential ingredients: relational joy, hesed love, group identity, and healthy correction. In the articles ahead, we will explore further what these ingredients mean within the context of our small groups, and what we can do as leaders to stimulate organic growth. Let us forge a community with a foundation that will not be easily shaken by the tumultuous seasons that may lie ahead. Let us pause for a moment and truly ask one another how the other person is doing. Let us strive for the type of Spirit-filled whole-brained community that we read about through the book of Acts, where both the temple courts and the house-to-house meetings actively took place (Acts 2:46).

This article originally appeared here and is used by permission.

Spring Break Ideas: 5 Youth Ministry Activities You Can Try

By

Heather Schnese

-

March 8, 2022

Do you need suggestions to keep teens connected and active during spring vacation? Then check out these five awesome spring break ideas. We’ve assembled one activity for each weekday of break.

These activities are ideal for the young people in your community who won’t be going on vacation during spring break. Use the time to connect with teens, serve together, and have fun!

5 Spring Break Ideas for Teens

1. Monday: Broomball Tournament

Head to the ice indoors or outdoors (depending on where you live). Take brooms and a ball, and set some wacky rules. End with a pizza party and a group devotion.

2. Tuesday: Service Day

Contact your local homeless shelter, food pantry, or nursing home. The options for youth service projects are endless! Ask how you can best serve. Depending on how large your group is, send different teams to various locations. Then come back together and share stories from the day while enjoying snacks.

3. Wednesday: Scavenger Hunt

Hit a local mall for an afternoon scavenger hunt. Then grab dinner together as a group. Be sure to call the mall beforehand to let them know what you’re planning.

4. Thursday: Fundraise and Babysit

Offer babysitting for an afternoon. Parents can drop off their younger children for a few hours. Teens can play games with the children, do crafts, sing songs, etc. Be sure to have plenty of adult volunteers who have had background checks. Optional: Take donations for upcoming mission trips or youth ministry activities.

Former Miss America Says She Is ‘Nothing’ Without God After Successful ‘American Idol’ Audition

By

Jessica Mouser

-

March 8, 2022

Former Miss America Betty Maxwell, née Cantrell, made it to Hollywood after her audition on the 20th season of “American Idol” was met with unanimous approval from all three judges. Maxwell says that she is thankful to God and does not feel she deserves all of the blessings that she has received in life.

“For the past 5 or 6 years I’ve dealt with imposter syndrome,” said Maxwell, who was crowned Miss America 2016, in a post on Instagram. “I feel that I don’t deserve the blessings and success in my life. I feel like I’m unworthy of the praise and the talents God gave me. I don’t know why…maybe part of it is just the pressure to always have something bigger and better on the horizon. Part of it is that I know deep down I’m just a normal girl from a farm in Ga and I just feel like I’m not worthy of it all….that’s why I’m always so thankful because I don’t feel like I deserve it.”

Betty Maxwell Gives ‘All the Glory to God’

Betty Maxwell, 27, is from Warner Robins, Ga., and counts being an author, motivational speaker, singer, actress and model among her many accomplishments. The episode of her audition on “American Idol” aired Sunday, March 6.

Maxwell did not expect to win the title of Miss America 2016 and had “a lot of mishaps” during the competition. One was that she had a sinus infection, a serious detriment since her talent was singing classical opera. Maxwell says she has been singing since she was about three years old and called singing one of her “deepest passions.”

For her “American Idol” audition, Maxwell sang “A Moment Like This” by Kelly Clarkson. Judge Katy Perry then asked Maxwell to sing part of a country song. The former Miss America chose Carrie Underwood‘s “Jesus, Take the Wheel.”

Judge Luke Bryan told Maxwell, “You don’t sing like a pageant girl. You sing like a real singer.”

“There is a lot to work with,” Perry agreed. Judge Lionel Ritchie encouraged Maxwell to find her own style, which Perry said could be country music. The judges then voted unanimously to send Maxwell to Hollywood for the next step of the competition.

“I was honestly so nervous about my audition airing,” said Maxwell in her post, which continued:

You just never know how they’re going to edit it all together or how they’ll portray your story. I just knew if the focus [was] all about me being Miss America, people would think I wanted it that way or I’m egotistical and they’d judge and stereotype me immediately.

‘Unbreakable’ Christian Activist Strives to Share Gospel With China’s President Xi

By

Stephanie Martin

-

March 8, 2022

Zhou Jinxia, a Christian woman in northeast China, has been arrested—again—for proselytizing. That comes as no surprise to family and friends, who call her “unbreakable” and “irrepressible.”

More than 50 times, Zhou has attempted to share the Gospel message with Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan. The result? Repeated arrests and detentions—and now a growing notoriety that some people fear could result in longer imprisonment.

Christian Woman Says President Xi Needs God

Using placards filled with Gospel messages, Zhou regularly stands outside a gated area in Beijing where top Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials reside. Last month, she did so to greet President Xi when he returned from the Winter Olympics, leading to her arrest for “picking quarrels and provoking trouble.” Authorities ordered Zhou to return to her hometown of Dalian, where her beef with the government began.

In 2009, local authorities seized and demolished Zhou’s house in Dalian without her consent, later turning it into a city square. According to the group China Aid, Zhou and her family members have spent years seeking justice, only to be detained and lose their jobs. In 2014, when Zhou led her church in worship on the site where her house had been located, police reportedly interfered.

Religious liberty magazine Bitter Winter explains that Zhou “took seriously [President] Xi’s statements he would fight corruption.” So after his 2013 inauguration, she repeatedly wrote to him about her unjust eviction. Because Xi never replied, Zhou “concluded that no solution to China’s problem would be possible unless [the president and his wife] would receive God in their hearts.”

CCP Cracks Down Harder Every March

Several of Zhou’s arrests have coincided with China’s annual “Two Sessions” political event. Every March, government leaders gather in Beijing for what International Christian Concern (ICC) labels “essentially a political theatrical showcase highlighting upcoming policy direction.” ICC, on its persecution.org website, notes that ahead of this event, “The Chinese government usually intensifies its crackdown against civil society to ensure everything goes on smoothly without accident.”

In March 2015, Zhou’s evangelism attempts landed her in detention for 10 days. Arrests for similar charges (“disturbing social order”) led to detentions again in March 2016 and March 2018. On her placard, Zhou writes about God’s love and the need to repent. “God loves the people of the world and is calling out to Xi Jinping and Peng Liyuan,” read one sign. Its message continued, “Atheism nurtures sin and brings down the people. The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand; you should repent.”

John MacArthur to Headline Conservative Baptist Network Event Ahead of SBC 2022 Annual Meeting

By

Dale Chamberlain

-

March 8, 2022

John MacArthur CBN — Screengrab from YouTube.

The second full week of June is shaping up to be an eventful one for Southern Baptists who will be present in sunny Southern California.

The Southern Baptist Convention is set for its annual meeting in Anaheim, which will take place June 14-15. During that meeting, the Convention will see a new president elected, as Ed Litton has announced that he will not seek a second term. SBC messengers will also be updated regarding the independent investigation into whether the SBC Executive Committee mishandled allegations of sexual abuse.

During that same week, the Anaheim Convention Center will also be host to an SBC pastor’s conference.

Further, on the Sunday leading up to the annual meeting and pastor’s conference, a Conservative Baptist Network (CBN) hosted “evening of fellowship & preaching” is scheduled to be held nearby. The featured speaker will be none other than John MacArthur, author and pastor-teacher of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, Calif.

The CBN tweeted an announcement of the event, which will apparently be something of a rallying moment for right-wing members of the SBC ahead of the annual meeting.

While not himself a Southern Baptist, MacArthur nevertheless has a considerable measure of theological and ideological alignment with the CBN, and a number of Twitter users responded positively to the announcement.

“@johnmacarthur saw the bat signal for Voddie! It is about to be the Justice League of Conservative Christian leaders,” one said. “I guess JMac is Superman.”

Late last week, a number of SBC leaders tweeted an image of Voddie Baucham’s silhouette superimposed over a Bat-Signal as an expression of their desire to see him accept a nomination for SBC president. Baucham later indicated that he didn’t feel he was eligible for the role.

“Major W,” responded another person to the event announcement, with someone else saying, “The SBC dropped the ball not getting MacArthur to preach at our pastor’s conference. Thankful for @BaptistNetwork getting this together! Signing up now.”

While MacArthur has been influential and quite popular among large groups of evangelicals for some time, he is not an uncontroversial figure. For example, in 2020, Grace Community Church found itself locked in a public legal battle with the county of Los Angeles for flouting COVID-19 safety guidelines, a battle that was lauded by some evangelicals but sharply criticized by others.

Missionary Plane Crashed in Alaska Over the Weekend

By

Jesse T. Jackson

-

March 8, 2022

SEND North Plane Crash — In this aerial photo provided by Alaska State Troopers, an Alaska Air National Guard helicopter arrives at a frozen lake that was the scene of a small plane crash on Saturday, March 5, 2022, near Iliamna, Alaska. Authorities say the five people on board the plane were injured. (Trooper Travis Lons/Alaska State Troopers via AP)

This past Saturday, a missionary plane owned and operated by Christian organization SEND International’s SEND North crashed around 12:35 PM on the frozen waters of Lake Iliamna, Alaska.

The plane, a Cessna 206, was being flown by a SEND North pilot during the time the of crash. According to a statement released to the Associated Press from SEND North area director Jim Stamberg, the pilot and its four passengers were taken to Anchorage area hospitals.

Alaska State Troopers said one was in serious condition, another was in fair condition, and the other three were listed in stable condition.

The single-engine propellor plane left the community of Levelock and was on route to the small community of Port Alsworth. However, for not-yet-known reasons, it crashed on the frozen Lake Iliamna.

The Associated Press reported that poor weather conditions made it difficult for the U.S. Coast Guard and Alaska Air National Guard to safely reach the crash site as soon as it happened.

Alaska Wildlife Troopers were able to reach them by helicopter and snowmobiles to care for those who were injured until the other rescue teams were able to fly them to the nearest hospital.

SEND North is an interdenominational missionary organization that conducts remote ministry activities throughout Alaska, including the Yukon Territory and Northwest Territories in Canada.

“Our vision is to see every community of the 60/70 Window filled with local disciple-makers who meet together regularly and have established regional leadership,” their website reads. “Basically, we want to make northern disciple-makers,” Stamberg says.

On Monday, SEND International posted a message on their Facebook page, saying, “We praise God for His protection and mercy.”

“The SEND North team wants to thank the Alaska Department of Public Safety, Alaska Rescue Coordination Center, Alaska Air National Guard, United States Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak, LifeMed, Iliamna Clinic, Lake and Peninsula Airlines, Iliamna Air Taxi, and the volunteer search and rescue members of Iliamna,” the missionary organization wrote.

SEND International asked people to praying for those injured in the crash, saying, “Please join us in praying for the pilot and passengers, their families, and our SEND North team.”

The crash is under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board to determine the reasoning for the crash. An aircraft maintenance company is also working on the repairs.

Samaritan’s Purse, Israelis Will Treat Wounded Ukrainians in Lviv Field Hospitals

By

Yonat Shimron

-

March 8, 2022

medical aid — A Samaritan's Purse emergency field hospital is assembled in an underground parking garage in Lviv, western Ukraine. Photo courtesy of Samaritan's Purse

(RNS) — Samaritan’s Purse, the Christian humanitarian relief organization, is setting up an emergency field hospital in an underground parking garage in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv to provide medical aid to those besieged in escalating Russian attacks.

The Rev. Franklin Graham, who leads the organization based in Boone, North Carolina, said he already has close to 100 medical and logistical workers in Ukraine, Poland, Romania and Moldova, with more on the way.

Medical personnel will begin treating wounded Ukrainians at a triage clinic outside Lviv’s train station on Tuesday (March 8), Graham said. The underground field hospital is expected to begin accepting patients on Wednesday.

Israel on Saturday (March 5) announced that it, too, had dispatched an emergency field hospital in Ukraine. It will also be built in Lviv. Graham said the two would work cooperatively.

Lviv, just 44 miles from the Poland border, is about 340 miles west of Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. Russian troops have been moving toward Kyiv from the east in an effort to encircle and capture the city. Thousands of women and children have been catching trains west out of the city, according to The New York Times.

“It’s chaos,” said Graham. “When you have that many people, mostly women and children, it breaks your heart when you see what they’re going through.”

Samaritan’s Purse has also distributed food, drinking water, hygiene kits and winter clothing to thousands of refugees crossing the border.

Graham said another cargo plane and a 747 Boeing airline will take off from North Carolina to Ukraine this week, packed with personnel, medical supplies and blue plastic tarp, which the organization distributes to people to cover windows that have been blown out.

The humanitarian response comes as Russia is intensifying assaults on civilian targets and infrastructure. On Monday, the World Health Organization confirmed at least 14 attacks on Ukraine’s health care facilities and classified two more attacks as “possible,” The Washington Post reported.

The Samaritan’s Purse hospital will be equipped with 58 beds and two operating rooms and will be able to perform as many as 14 surgeries a day.

Graham, a conservative evangelical, who met with President Vladimir Putin in 2015 and has praised the Russian president for, among other things, “protecting Russian young people against homosexual propaganda,” said he opposed the war.

Vote Delayed Again, Some United Methodists Say They Quit. Now What?

By

Emily McFarlan Miller

-

March 8, 2022

The Cross and Flame is the official logo of The United Methodist Church. Image courtesy of The United Methodist Church

(RNS) — Last week, when the United Methodist Church postponed — for the third time in as many years — a vote on an orderly plan to split the mainline Protestant denomination long riven by disagreement over the full inclusion of its LGBTQ members, some conservative United Methodists announced they were finally done: They would launch a new denomination in May, orderly plan or no.

And United Methodists across the theological spectrum were left asking a number of questions, not only about the logistics of congregations leaving one Methodist denomination to join another, but also about the meeting where delegates are expected to discuss those plans to split.

“There are more unknowns than there are knowns around delegations,” said Jan Lawrence, head of the Reconciling Ministries Network, a progressive group that advocates for LGBTQ inclusion.

For decades, debate over ordaining and marrying LGBTQ United Methodists has roiled the United Methodist Church, one of the largest Protestant denominations in the United States.

At a 2019 special session of the denomination’s General Conference, the denomination’s global decision-making body, delegates approved what’s known as the Traditional Plan. Backed by conservative United Methodists, the Traditional Plan strengthened the denomination’s standing bans on the ordination of LGBTQ clergy and same-sex marriage.

Bishop Cynthia Fierro Harvey announces the results of the Traditional Plan votes late on Feb. 26, 2019. RNS photo by Kit Doyle

But after progressives and moderates rebelled against the Traditional Plan, leaders across theological divides negotiated a proposal to split the denomination called the Protocol of Reconciliation and Grace Through Separation. Delegates were expected to vote on that proposal at the 2020 General Conference meeting, to be held in Minneapolis.

Then COVID-19 happened. The meeting was postponed to 2021, then 2022.

Last week, the Commission on General Conference announced it was postponing the meeting again — this time to 2024. Though COVID-19 numbers have dropped in the United States, the commission said, delegates living outside the country are having trouble getting visas to travel to the in-person gathering.

For all this time, United Methodist leaders — right, left and center — have held their collective breath. Leaders of the theologically diverse groups that negotiated the protocol urged their members to remain in the denomination. Conservatives agreed to suspend trials against clergy who are LGBTQ or who perform same-sex weddings.

For those conservatives, last week’s postponement was too much.

“We’re encouraging those who can find a pathway that is appropriate for them to go ahead and exit the denomination,” said the Rev. Keith Boyette, who leads the Transitional Leadership Council that is guiding the creation of the Global Methodist Church, the new conservative denomination.

The Rev. Keith Boyette, president of the Wesleyan Covenant Assoc., responds to questions from Judicial Council members during an oral hearing on May 22, 2018 in Evanston, Ill. Photo by Kathleen Barry, UMNS

The Rev. Keith Boyette responds to questions from Judicial Council members during an oral hearing on May 22, 2018 in Evanston, Ill. Photo by Kathleen Barry/UMNS

Last year, the Transitional Leadership Council announced it planned to launch the denomination after the General Conference voted on the protocol. The postponement pushed up that timeline.

“The delay is what the problem is,” Boyette said.

Some conservative groups have questioned the reasoning for a third delay of the General Conference. Other groups are holding meetings this year — even other groups with international membership, according to lay delegate John Lomperis, blogging for the conservative Institute for Religion and Democracy.

There also are questions about how churches and conferences can leave the United Methodist Church to join the new denomination. The Protocol of Reconciliation and Grace Through Separation would have allowed them to leave with their buildings and other assets. A “traditionalist” Methodist denomination was slated to receive $25 million over the next four years.

“Every theologically conservative local congregation and annual conference should have the right to join the Global Methodist Church with all of their property and assets intact,” the new denomination’s organizers said in the statement announcing its plans to launch this year.

Pope Francis Deploys Top Vatican Officials to Ukraine to Help Migrants, Seek Peace

By

Claire Giangrave

-

March 8, 2022

Pope Francis Ukraine — Ukrainian soldiers and militiamen carry a woman in a wheelchair as artillery echoes nearby, while people flee Irpin on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, March 7, 2022. Russia announced yet another cease-fire and a handful of humanitarian corridors to allow civilians to flee Ukraine. Previous such measures have fallen apart and Moscow's armed forces continued to pummel some Ukrainian cities with rockets Monday. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

VATICAN CITY (RNS) — Stepping up his already concerted efforts to secure peace in Ukraine, Pope Francis will deploy two of his most trusted Vatican officials, both cardinals, to go to Ukraine to seek an end to the conflict and to advocate for immigrants and refugees and foster relations with local churches.

In what the Vatican called “an extraordinary gesture,” Cardinal Konrad Krajewski and Cardinal Michael Czerny will go to the war zone. Czerny is the ad interim prefect of the Vatican Department for Promoting Integral Human Development. Krajewski holds the title of papal almoner, officially charged with performing acts of mercy on behalf of the pope.

“The Holy See has put itself at the service of achieving peace in Ukraine,” the Vatican said in a statement issued on Monday (March 7), adding that the two cardinals “are directed to Ukraine and depending on the situation they intend to reach the country in the coming days.”

Cardinal Michael Czerny on Thursday, May 6, 2021. RNS photo by Claire Giangravé

Czerny will go to Hungary on Tuesday (March 8) to assist migrants entering the country from neighboring Ukraine. According to the Vatican statement, the cardinal will raise awareness for other conflicts currently taking place around the world and “raise concern that African and Asian residents in Ukraine, also suffering fear and displacement, be allowed to seek refuge without discrimination.”

Recent media reports showed that some African and South Asian citizens seeking to flee Ukraine were met with hostility by Ukrainian officers at the border and were not allowed to board the trains, which gave priority to white refugees.

“There are also worrisome reports of increasing activities of human trafficking and smuggling of migrants at the borders and in the neighboring countries,” the statement read, adding that since many refugees are Christians, Czerny “will affirm that religious assistance should be offered to everyone, with sensitivity to ecumenical and interfaith differences.”

Krajewski will go to Poland, where he will focus on helping migrants and volunteers at the border until he can find safe passage into Ukraine itself. The objective is “to reach people who are suffering,” Krajewski told Vatican news outlets, in the name of the pope, and to “tell them that he loves them, (and) pray with them, because prayer is even capable of stopping war,” Krajewski told Vatican news outlets.

The pope’s decision to send two high-ranking Vatican officials so closely tied to Francis can be interpreted as a definitive commitment by the Holy See to help mediate the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, which every day risks drifting further away from a peaceful resolution.

“The Holy See is ready to do everything, to put itself at the service of this peace,” Francis said during his weekly prayer service on Sunday (March 6). “The presence of the two cardinals there is the presence not only of the pope, but of all the Christian people who want to get closer and say: ‘War is madness! Stop, please! Look at this cruelty!’”

The pope lamented that “rivers of blood and tears are flowing in Ukraine” and said that the current conflict is “not merely a military operation, but a war, which sows death, destruction and misery.”

California Russian, Ukrainian Southern Baptists Pray, Grieve, Send Aid

By

Diana Chandler

-

March 8, 2022

Ukrainian Southern Baptists — A woman holding a child cries after fleeing from the Ukraine and arriving at the border crossing in Medyka, Poland, Monday, March 7, 2022. Russia announced yet another cease-fire and a handful of humanitarian corridors to allow civilians to flee Ukraine. Previous such measures have fallen apart and Moscow’s armed forces continued to pummel some Ukrainian cities with rockets Monday. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (BP) – Rocked by Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked attack on Ukraine, Southern Baptist Slavic churches in California confess a love among Russian, Ukrainian and other Slavic peoples cemented in a shared language, culture and Gospel conviction.

Russian Baptist Church in West Sacramento, a congregation of Russians and Ukrainians that drew about 2,700 Sunday worshipers before the COVID-19 pandemic, is particularly challenged by the tragedy. Before the Russian invasion, the church mostly steered clear of politics, senior pastor Mikhail Avramenko told Baptist Press.

“We condemn the invasion. We condemn the war and we condemn the pressure which is now from Russian side toward the Ukrainian government,” Avramenko said. “We believe that Ukraine is independent, free country. But before this happened, we never speak out or speak loudly about this issue, because we stay away from political points, (because) we’re preaching the Christ. … It’s definitely a touchy subject now.

“We have here in California many, many Slavic churches,” he said. “When I say Slavic, I want to stress this, that they are both mixed by nationality, Russian and Ukrainian, Moldavian or Belarus. So basically, common denominator is language, definitely, and culture.”

About 30 or 40 percent of the members of Russian Baptist Church, one of many Southern Baptist Slavic congregations in California, are Ukrainian, and many of the families include both nationalities, Associate Pastor Igor Dronov said. Members are grieving in various ways, both quietly and vocally.

“So we are allowing grieving process to go its way,” Dronov said. “We are there to support, to help and of course we do God’s work trying to mediate through the grief, so that people will respond biblically the way Christ told us.”

In cooperation with Baptist Slavic churches in California, Russian Baptist Church is participating in a cooperative schedule of prayer and fasting. The churches are collecting freewill offerings and wiring money to pastors in Ukraine to help both those who remain in the country and those who have fled. Clothing and toys donated by children were shipped to Ukrainian schools Feb. 28. Church members are communicating with family members in Europe.

“The first level of communication or support is prayer,” Avramenko said. “So definitely, as soon as we knew the war is start, we established our prayer meetings. Even last Sunday, all day in the church we pray with prayer chain meetings, like after service, every hour we have different groups coming and praying for peace in Ukraine, for stop the war, for stop the invasion.”

The church membership is challenged by the war, Avramenko said.

“We definitely feel tensions between some Russians and Ukrainians because some of the people (are) very, very hurt,” he said. “Their families there (are) struggling. They’re refugees now in different countries. And they’re very hurt about what Russian government did. So definitely, they’re in grieving process and they’re very irritated by that.”

Russian Baptist Church is ready to help any refugees of the war who are able to flee to California.

Instituting a New Normal of Compassion and Care for Church Staff

By

Dwayne Bond

-

March 8, 2022

I still remember the feeling—I was a shell of myself, not connecting with Jesus, my wife, or those close to me. I hadn’t had a break from preaching for nearly four months and I was toast—tired mentally, emotionally, and physically. Somewhere along the way I had believed the lie that more is better and that I was a superhero.

And I am not alone.

COVID-19 has changed the landscape of our churches and our leaders in ways that are nearly unrecognizable compared to just three years ago. We have seen pastors burning out at higher rates, church buildings closed from prolonged financial crisis, and nearly everyone questioning the future of the church—Is it in person? Online? Home-based?

And church leaders have primarily been at the center of the burnout discussion as they have tried to lead well through the crisis.

But there are other victims of COVID-19 as well: our church staff. For many, the pandemic simply highlighted and put in accelerated motion an undercurrent of fear and burnout that was already at work in a setting where the stakes were so high. Working in a church isn’t like working in the business or marketplace sector. The weightiness of the call to care and provide for those in the church spiritually and socially can make the lines of vocation and avocation blur quickly.

As we look at new ways of doing and being the Church today, we cannot gloss over the problems that plague the people who keep our churches running. Jesus knew it well. He both modeled what health looked like to his weary disciples, and He encouraged them to rest when needed. Luke 6:12 even lays out the model of retreat for those of us committed to the growth of the kingdom of God: “One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God.”

Since the pandemic began two years ago, I have seen more pastors and leaders take either planned or forced sabbaticals than at any time in my ministry.

And if we need to take action to care for ourselves, how much more do those under our care?

Let me suggest four ways we can better care for our church staff who have, are, or will be suffering the effects of COVID-19.

First, model self-care.

As leaders, we cannot properly encourage our staff towards boundaries and self-care unless we understand and have experienced the value of it ourselves. There is a reason that we are told to put our oxygen masks on first if an emergency arises on an airplane. We must be healthy in order to lead healthy.

This can look like a break from work—this is the shabbat rest we see God model after creating the world and all that’s in it (Gen. 2:2-3). He ceased from his work. But it must also include the idea of nuakh, the other main Hebrew word for “rest,” which means something like “to dwell.” God does this in Genesis 2:15 after creating humans. He settles with them.

Wonky Worship: 3 Worrisome Woes

By

Clint Archer

-

March 8, 2022

Some time ago my kids and I listened to the audiobook of Roald Dahl’s Charlie and Chocolate Factory. I had never read this book as a child and was quite taken aback by some of the sinister plot twists.

Charlie Bucket and four other kids win golden tickets to tour Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory, where he invents new types of exciting candies. As the story progresses you realize that the novel candies can have a lethal side to them. If the kids don’t obey Mr. Wonka and stray from the designated route, they disappear from the scene. The reader is not sure what has become of them.

Each of the children in turn gives in to temptation and disobeys Wonka, and pays the price. Miss Verruca Salt goes near to the squirrels after being told not to—and she ends up in the incinerator as a “bad nut.” Violet Beauregard chews the gum she is not supposed to eat and morphs into a giant, inflated blueberry. Augustus Gloop gets sucked into a pipe after falling into the river of chocolate, and Mike Teavee gets shrunk down to the size of a chocolate bar after disobeying Wonka. I had not realized quite how macabre this children’s story is.

But the same can be said for inventing your own religion. If we don’t stick to the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints—the results can be lethal. This is the message of the Book of Jude. Both Dahl and Jude teach us that if we stray from the path set before us —destruction is swift.

Jude uses three Old Testament characters to teach his readers about the consequences of wonky worship of God.

3 Worrisome Woes of Wonky Worship

1. Personalized Religion

Woe to them! For they walked in the way of Cain … (Jude 11)

Personalizing is our way of taking something is that is generic or one-size-fits-all and changing it to what suits us.

We tailor our suits, renovate our kitchens, monogram our shirts, customize our motorcycles, and personalize our iPhones. We want to make them our own, not exactly like everyone else’s. This isn’t harmful in the field of interior decorating, but it gets dangerous when you apply it to the theology and the practice of the faith once for all delivered to the saints.

Jude is warning against teachers who try to tweak the way God wants to be worshipped to suit us more than to suit God. This is what Jude calls the way of Cain.

You remember the story of Cain’s customized sacrifice in Genesis 4:2-5. His brother Abel brought a lamb, but Cain brought crops he had grown – and God rejected Cain’s sacrifice.

God’s rejection of Cain’s vegetarian offering presupposes that God had revealed to them that they should bring a blood sacrifice. The point of sacrifices was to symbolize that the wages of sin is death and that an innocent animal was dying in your place so you could be forgiven.

But Cain was a farmer of plants. So, instead of trading potatoes for a lamb, he just offered what he had on hand. He tweaked what God had revealed to suit him, to be more convenient, to be personalized to his own style of religion. “I’m a tiller of the ground, not a raiser of livestock, so God will understand when I offer something that suits my lifestyle better.”

Volunteer Handbook: A Free Resource You Can Customize

By

Daniel So

-

March 7, 2022

Volunteers are essential for running any type of ministry or program. That’s especially true when it comes to youth ministry. That’s why we’re providing this free volunteer handbook. Download it today! Then customize it to fit your needs and your ministry.

From Stuff You Can Use: “We review the year’s handbook in depth (usually over some Starbucks) with every new volunteer that we add to our team. We also refer to it in many of our training meetings throughout the year. It’s been a super helpful and valuable resource for us. It helps us organize our own vision and priorities. Plus, it helps us communicate them to our volunteers.”

Download the Volunteer Handbook Now

Resource provided by StuffYouCanUse.org

Download Instructions: To begin your automatic download, click on the gray “Download This Free Resource” button. It’s located near the top of the post.

Cuomo Uses Brooklyn Church Pulpit to Defend Himself Against Sexual Harassment Allegations

By

Jessica Mouser

-

March 7, 2022

Former New York governor Andrew Cuomo, appeared at God’s Battalion of Prayer Church in Brooklyn, N.Y., Sunday where he defended himself against allegations that he had sexually harassed multiple women. In his first public appearance since his resignation, Cuomo claimed he had been canceled and said that God and “the Good Book” had been guiding him.

“I’ve learned a powerful lesson,” said Cuomo, “and I paid a very high price for learning that lesson. God isn’t finished with me yet. And every day I ask him for his guidance to help me grow and to help me learn.”

New York Attorney General Letitia James, whose office conducted an investigation last year into the allegations against Cuomo, responded to his Sunday message in a statement, saying, “Serial sexual harasser Andrew Cuomo won’t even spare a house of worship from his lies. Even though multiple independent investigations found his victims to be credible, Cuomo continues to blame everyone but himself. Cuomo wasn’t railroaded; he quit so he wouldn’t be impeached. New Yorkers are ready to move forward from this sick, pathetic man.”

Why is he speaking at a church? https://t.co/s7QKuo4ERf

— Daniel Darling (@dandarling) March 7, 2022

Andrew Cuomo’s Tumultuous 2021

Beginning in December 2020, multiple women came forward alleging that Cuomo, then-governor of New York, had harassed them with conduct that included sexual comments, kissing and groping. On Aug. 3, 2021, James released an investigatory report that found Cuomo had sexually harassed 11 women. The report, which is over 160 pages long, concludes in part:

Upon completion of our independent investigation into allegations of sexual harassment brought against Governor Andrew Cuomo and the surrounding circumstances, we have reached the conclusion that the Governor sexually harassed a number of State employees through unwelcome and unwanted touching, as well as by making numerous offensive and sexually suggestive comments. We find that such conduct was part of a pattern of behavior that extended to his interactions with others outside of State government.

Many of Cuomo’s colleagues, including President Biden, called on him to resign, which he did on Aug. 24, 2021. Cuomo has persistently denied the allegations against him, saying he is “old-fashioned” and that the women are misrepresenting what happened. While some prosecutors have found the allegations credible, none have pressed criminal charges against Cuomo due to a lack of evidence.

In November 2021, the New York State Assembly released a report that concluded: “Former Governor Cuomo engaged in multiple instances of sexual harassment, including by creating a hostile work environment and engaging in sexual misconduct.” That report also found that Cuomo misused state funds and property to write, publish and promote his book and that he did not accurately report the number of nursing home residents who died as a result of COVID-19.

Andrew Cuomo Speaks at Ally’s Church

Rev. Alfred Cockfield II, who has been a supporter of Andrew Cuomo’s for some time, introduced Cuomo to his congregation Sunday after summarizing several ways the former governor stood with “our community” during the pandemic. “He’s a friend,” said Cockfield, “and I never turn my back on friends.”

Voddie Baucham Confirms He Has Been Asked to Run for SBC President, Questions of Eligibility Remain

By

Dale Chamberlain

-

March 7, 2022

Voddie Baucham — (left): screengrab from YouTube; (right) screengrab from Twitter.

With Ed Litton’s announcement that he will not run for a second term as the Southern Baptist Convention’s president, the field has opened up with speculation about who might take his place after the SBC gathers in Anaheim this coming June.

One day after Litton made his announcement, Baptist Press reported that Willy Rice, pastor of Calvary Church in Clearwater, FL, will be nominated by Clint Pressley, pastor of Hickory Grove Baptist, for the SBC presidency. In the following days, some speculated online whether a nomination was also coming for Voddie Baucham.

Baucham was the founding pastor of the SBC-affiliated Grace Family Baptist Church in Spring, Texas, and has served as Dean of Theology at African Christian University in Lusaka, Zambia, since 2015. He serves on the board of Founders Ministries, a Reformed Baptist group within the SBC, and is on the steering council of the Conservative Baptist Network, an SBC group formed in 2020 to combat what it sees as a “liberal drift” in the SBC.

Baucham is also the author of “Fault Lines: The Social Justice Movement and Evangelicalism’s Looming Catastrophe,” a 2021 book in which Baucham denounced critical race theory and social justice.

“Social justice is inherently incompatible with biblical justice,” Baucham has said.

Late last week, some began speculating about a Baucham candidacy, or at least expressing their desire for it, on social media. Some even went as far as to post images of a Bat-Signal with Baucham’s silhouette superimposed on the flood light.

On Friday, Baucham confirmed that he had been asked to accept a nomination for SBC president but did not indicate that he would.

“I have indeed been asked to accept a nomination for SBC President. While I am honored to have been asked, I am not sure I am eligible,” Baucham said in a statement to the Christian Post. “There are questions about the way church membership is considered for missionaries (SBC Article II and Article VIII).”

While Baucham planted an SBC church in Texas and serves in leadership for more than one SBC-affiliated entity, since he lives in Zambia, he is not connected to a local SBC church on a weekly basis. A requirement for eligibility to run for SBC president is that the nominee must be a member in good standing with a local SBC-affiliated church.

“As outlined in SBC Constitution Article VIII, officers of the convention must be members of a church in friendly cooperation with the Convention as stated in Article III. Employment status, whether as a missionary or any other vocation, is not germane to one’s eligibility for an elected office,” said SBC Executive Committee Vice President for Communications Jonathan Howe in a statement to ChurchLeaders.

Howe went on to clarify that local SBC churches have the final say in determining who their members are, saying, “As an autonomous body, a local church determines its own membership requirements as well as who it selects as its messengers to the SBC Annual Meeting.”

‘Jesus Is Why’—Celebrating the Life and Legacy of Christian Singer Jane ‘Nightbirde’ Marczewski

By

Stephanie Martin

-

March 7, 2022

Nightbirde — Screenshot from YouTube / @Cornerstone Church

Loved ones gathered in person and online last Friday to honor Jane Marczewski, the 31-year-old Christian singer who died Feb. 19. Marczewski, who went by the stage name Nightbirde, gained fame after appearing on America’s Got Talent (AGT) last summer and talking about her cancer prognosis.

Marczewski was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2017, and it later spread to her lungs, liver, and spine. She inspired AGT viewers with her faith and optimism, as well as her voice. Although she received the “Golden Buzzer” award for her performance, she soon withdrew from the TV competition to focus on her health.

Funeral: Jane ‘Nightbirde’ Marczewski ‘Was a Reflection of…Jesus’

Marczewski died in California, but her funeral was held near her family’s home in central Ohio. Thousands of people watched the YouTube livestream, where they heard Todd Garman, pastor of Cornerstone Church in Heath, talk about Jane’s faith in Christ. “If…our admiration for Jane stops at Jane, we’ll be missing something very major,” he said, “because Jane was a reflection of the Jesus that she loved. The reason she was so magnetic, magnanimous, others-centered, servant hearted, intentional, was because she was imitating—imperfectly—the Jesus of the Scriptures.”

Marczewski’s friend Celeste Kuriokos said, “Jesus is why [Jane] believed a painfully tragic life could still be worth living—that life could be beautiful even when the world came crashing down.”

Other friends and family members shared stories about Marczewski, recalling her magnetic personality and selfless spirit. “Jane was consistently giving,” said her brother Mitch Marczewski, “and she was consistently looking for ways to bless other people.” He recalled how she befriended disadvantaged children while attending Liberty University. Jane also served as a youth camp counselor and ministered to women in prison.

Abby Hernandez, a longtime friend who got matching heart tattoos with Marczewski, said, “I can’t help but hear her ask me, ‘Abby, how is your heart?’” She added, “I have wanted more than anything to look her face to face and tell her how much my heart is breaking since she left this earth. But instead, I’m asking God to relay that message to Jane.”

An original poem of Marczewski’s was featured on her funeral program. Titled “A Hero in Flames,” it reads: “I would like to die like Joan of Arc/ With dignity and urgency and stubbornness/ A watercolor portrait in the night/ A sight to behold, a hero in flames.”

Foundation Aims to Pay Support Forward

In Marczewski’s honor, her family has created The Nightbirde Foundation to help artists pay for cancer treatment. On a GoFundMe page, her brother Mitch writes, “The proceeds from this fund will be used to honor Jane’s memory by allowing her dream and inspiration to impact millions of others.”

Nevada is the Most Sinful State in America—Idaho is the Least, While RI is Most Lustful

By

Jesse T. Jackson

-

March 7, 2022

WalletHub Sinful States — Photo via Pexels.com @Alexandr Podvalny. Overlay via Unsplash.com @unitasphotography.

The Bible tells us that we are all sinners and fall short of God’s glory. So, when WalletHub recently conducted a study regarding “2022’s Most Sinful States in America,” it wasn’t a question of whether people sin but how much—and, in this case, which U.S. state ranked the worst.

The report based its rankings on seven sinful categories, which included anger and hatred, jealousy, excesses and vices, greed, lust, vanity, and laziness.

Out of the 50 states in America, Nevada, which is the home of Las Vegas (often referred to as “Sin City”), was ranked number one overall as the most sinful state, with California, Texas, Florida, and Louisiana rounding out the top five.

Idaho ranked as the least sinful state, while New Hampshire, Iowa, South Dakota, Vermont, and Wyoming weren’t far behind in WalletHub’s rankings.

According to WalletHub’s findings, over $300 billion per year is spent on smoking in America and nearly $5 billion on gambling—temptations that have been heightened by the stresses of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The report used 47 key indicators of immoral or illicit behavior to determine in its rankings. Important data regarding violent crimes per capita to excessive drinking and gambling disorders were all used as metrics.

For instance, in WalletHub’s metric of anger and hate, which looked at violent crimes, they additionally reviewed bullying rates, teen dating violence, road rage, mass shootings, and sex offenders, to mention a few.

Alaska, Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, and Tennessee were five states that tied for the states with the most violent crimes. WalletHub reported that Maine is the least violent.

While Mississippi, Hawaii, and Arkansas were found to be the states who spend the least amount of time on adult entertainment sites, Rhode Island was number one—followed by Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Connecticut.

In the sloth category, or as WalletHub labeled it, laziness, Kentucky ranked as number one, with the highest number of adults who don’t exercise. Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma were named in the next four spots, while Utah recorded the lowest number in that category.

Wisconsin was named the state with the most excessive drinkers of alcohol and Utah has the least.

View the entire results here, or click on the interactive map to see how your states fair according to WalletHub’s sin findings.

Source: WalletHub

Man Used ‘Ghost Gun’ to Kill 3 Daughters in Church

By

Don Thompson

-

March 7, 2022

FILE - A memorial for the three young girls, who were slain by their father, David Mora, is seen outside The Church in Sacramento in Sacramento Calif., on Tuesday, March 1, 2022. Immigration officials told the Associated Press, Friday, March 4, 2022, that Mora had overstayed his visa after entering California from Mexico in December 2018 and was in the United States illegally. Mora, 39, who was under a restraining order and was not supposed to have a gun, when he fatally shot his three daughters, a chaperone and himself on Monday during a supervised visit with the girls. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)

Eds: CORRECTS: This story was first published on March 4, 2022. It was updated on March 6, 2022, because the previous story reported that a possible motive was fear of being separated from the children through deportation. The AP did not have the reporting to substantiate that as possible motivation. This version raises details about the ghost gun and edits headline and summary to match.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The gunman who killed his three daughters, a chaperone who was supervising his visit with the children and himself in a Northern California church this week was armed with an unregistered “ghost gun,” authorities said Friday.

David Mora, 39, was armed with a homemade semiautomatic rifle-style weapon. He had an illegal 30-round ammunition magazine and 17 bullets were fired, the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office said.

Mora was under a restraining order that barred him from possessing a firearm and authorities do not know how or when he obtained it.

“The person who knows these answers is dead. I think I can safely say, he obtained it illegally,” sheriff’s spokesman Sgt. Rodney Grassmann said.

The Sacramento church where the killings occurred had been Mora’s home since he was released from an involuntary mental health hold in April 2021 after threatening to harm himself and his estranged girlfriend, investigators said.

The violence erupted Monday during a weekly supervised visitation Mora had with his daughters, ages 13, 10 and 9. Investigators have revealed no motive. At the time, Mora was out on bail after being arrested five days earlier on charges of resisting arrest, battery on a police officer and driving under the influence.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman Alethea Smock told The Associated Press that Mora was in the country illegally. He overstayed his visa after entering California from his native Mexico on Dec. 17, 2018,

She didn’t say when his visa expired. But because he overstayed his visa, ICE asked to be notified when he was released from jail after he was arrested in Merced County for assaulting the California Highway Patrol officer.

The Merced County Sheriff’s Office told the AP that under California’s so-called sanctuary state law, it does not notify immigration officials about in-custody people who are being released, and ICE was never notified. The 2017 state law restricts local law enforcement’s cooperation with federal officials except when immigrants are accused of very serious crimes.

“This unspeakable tragedy highlights the true cost, unintended or not, of sanctuary policies that prevent law enforcement from protecting its citizens,” Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones said in a statement.

Among Russian Orthodox, Glimmers of Dissent Against the Invasion of Ukraine

By

Jack Jenkins

-

March 7, 2022

(RNS) — More than 275 Russian Orthodox priests and deacons from around the world have signed an open letter expressing their opposition to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, challenging the Russian government and breaking with the tacit support of the military action by church leadership in Moscow.

The letter called for “the cessation of the fratricidal war” against Ukraine, insisted the “people of Ukraine should make their choice on their own” and lamented the “trial that our brothers and sisters in Ukraine were undeservedly subjected to.”

“The Last Judgment awaits every person,” reads an automated translation of the letter. “No earthly authority, no doctors, no guards will protect from this judgment. … We remind you that the Blood of Christ, shed by the Savior for the life of the world, will be received in the sacrament of Communion by those people who give murderous orders, not into life, but into eternal torment.”

The Russian Orthodox Church has long lent its considerable influence, within Russia and abroad, to the geopolitical aims of Vladimir Putin. The Russian president, in turn, has enjoyed close personal support from Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, who once characterized Putin’s leadership as “a miracle of God.”

While Kirill called on military leaders to minimize casualties when Putin’s assault on Ukraine began last week, he seemed to support Putin’s disputed argument that Ukrainians and Russians are one people and notably made no appeal for a cessation of hostilities. A few days later, Kirill referred to Russia’s opponents in Ukraine as “evil forces.”

The Russian church has a long history in Ukraine, but in 2019 Patriarch Bartholomew I, the Greek Orthodox primate, defied Kirill and recognized a new, independent Orthodox body in Ukraine that broke away from the Moscow-based church. In an interview this week with CNN Turk, Bartholomew said recognizing the new branch made him a “target” of the Russian Patriarchate.

But the priests’ letter showed Russia’s invasion has further challenged Moscow’s leadership. While their protest is qualified and the number of signers tiny compared to the total number of clerics (church authorities estimated roughly 40,000 operated within the church as of 2009), it points to a broader trend of dissent within the church regarding the Ukraine invasion, and could signal important shifts for a tradition that has in recent years operated in lockstep with the Kremlin.

“We are transmitting the message that there’s no way for a Christian to enter eternal life without forgiving — but also without being forgiven,” The Very Rev. Andrey Kordochkin, dean of the Cathedral of St. Mary Magdalene in Madrid and one of priests who initiated the letter, told Religion News Service in a phone interview.

“Entering into (eternal) life being cursed by thousands of mothers, Russian mothers and Ukrainian mothers, is not really the most appropriate way for a Christian — especially if he’s getting older — to prepare for the end of his earthly life,” Kordochkin said.

1...586587588...1,206 Page 587 of 1,206

Full-Brained Christianity Within Small Groups

Relational Brain Skills and Covid-19

The Road Ahead

5 Spring Break Ideas for Teens

1. Monday: Broomball Tournament

2. Tuesday: Service Day

3. Wednesday: Scavenger Hunt

4. Thursday: Fundraise and Babysit

Betty Maxwell Gives ‘All the Glory to God’

Christian Woman Says President Xi Needs God

CCP Cracks Down Harder Every March

First, model self-care.

3 Worrisome Woes of Wonky Worship

1. Personalized Religion

Download the Volunteer Handbook Now

Andrew Cuomo’s Tumultuous 2021

Andrew Cuomo Speaks at Ally’s Church

Funeral: Jane ‘Nightbirde’ Marczewski ‘Was a Reflection of…Jesus’

Foundation Aims to Pay Support Forward

New Articles

New Podcasts