Two First Churches Together

Early in the morning on October 6th, 2006, the pastor of FUMC of Memphis was awakened by a haunting telephone call. The voice on the other end informed her that First United Methodist Church of Memphis was on fire. Since then Martha Wagley has demonstrated inspiring leadership to her saddened congregation as they meet in a chapel at St. Judes Research Hospital.

Yesterday First Baptist Church of Memphis was pleased to have the congregation of FUMC join us for worship, lunch, and a River City Band concert. The proceeds of the concert went to the building fund so that the once lovely, historic worship space could be built once again.

Ray Hatton, our minister to music, planned the event and it was a great success. This was actually the second time the two congregations had joined together. The first time was in the 1800's and it was First Methodist who opened up their doors to a bunch of disorganized Baptists.

But the highlight of the morning was when Carol McCall-Richardson, associate pastor of FBC and Martha Wagley, pastor of FUMC stood together at the pulpit to discuss their friendship with one another as two ordained women. What a testament to what great things can happen in church life when individuals open their heart and their minds to what is good and right.

Most of all, I was surprised about how moved I became when Martha Wagley described the feeling of getting that phone call on October 6th. There I sat with the other ministers in our cozy sanctuary knowing that these good people at FUMC would have to return to their temporary home at St. Jude. I sat there and tried to feel what they felt as many drove downtown to watch their church burn to the ground. What sadness I felt at that moment and this does not compare to the heartbreak that they felt that morning before sunrise.

I don't think that I ever truly attached a sense of empathy to the situation last October. I watched it on the news. I was burdened but did not know them. I watched and hated to see that beautiful building burn. But I had never pondered it all sitting in our sanctuary at FBC. How terrible it would have been to see it go up in flames.

FUMC, we pray for you daily. We pray for progress that will exceed all expectations. We pray for the architects, builders, planners, and committees that will meet and perform their duties. We pray for future growth and new Christians to be a part of the congregation one day. We pray for Martha Wagley as she presses forward with God has commissioned her to do.

Listening Sessions Continue

In Baptist life, everyone has a voice. Well, at least in theory. This historical process is often neglected in modern day Baptist circles but it must be retained if the Baptist tradition is to continue. This Baptist blogger believes that giving church members a chance to share their opinions on theology, polity, and church matters is of great importance.
Not long ago our pastor here at FBC Memphis resigned to pursue other interests. As a result, we've had to go through the process of selecting a good group of men and women to choose for us a new pastor. We pray, they pray, and we all hope that the man or woman chosen is the right one to take on the rather difficult position of head pastor of a historical Baptist church in Memphis. He/she will be asked to respect the past but move the church into an already postmodern era of thinking. He/she will be asked to be a pulpiter but also demonstrate charisma. He/she will be asked to well represent the community but asked not to forget about his flock.
I look forward to the day that a pastor is chosen but for now, our listening sessions continue. I'm proud to say that we exemplify the most democratic way of handling the situation in any Baptist church in which I've been a part. We gather, we voice our concerns and prayerful hopes, someone facilitates, and someone takes notes. The notes are given to the selected group of women and men chosen to represent our church as we go about the time-consuming process of calling a pastor.
If you haven't visited FBC Memphis, this is actually a good time to do it. There is a spirit of togetherness that I've rarely witnessed in church life. And tell them that I sent ya'. If you do, your membership is free!

Rabbi Micah Greenstein at FBC Memphis

Rabbi Greenstein is known for his warmth, way with children, and thought-provoking sermons. Since moving to Memphis in 1991, Micah D. Greenstein has served as Assistant Rabbi, Associate Rabbi, and now Rabbbi of Temple Israel. With the retierment of Rabbi Harry K. Danziger on September 1, 2000, Rabbi Greenstein became the 8th Senior Rabbi of Temple Israel.

Rabbi Greenstein will be speaking at First Baptist Church of Memphis on Sunday morning June 10th. This is a wonderful way to celebrate the ecumenical spirit between Temple Israel and First Baptist Church. The message title will be, "The Most Exalted Definition of True Religion." Please don't miss this time together.

Sunday June 10th at 11am at First Baptist Church of Memphis. 200 East Parkway North, Memphis TN.

Tell Me What You Think...

Some of you may be new to the world of blogging. I am. Makes me feel like I'm 15 again. But hopefully this will add a personal touch to what is going on at FBC along with many other thoughts, perspectives, and updates. Let me know what you think. Comment on something to let me know your out there. Give me your suggestions. Tell me your opinion. I would love to hear from you.

Cute Children with Cups

Wow! What a successful fundraiser we had for The International Justice Mission. On Sunday May 6th, our FBC children wouldn't let anyone out the door without making a donation. It was quite hilarious. I was actually quite surprised at how interested, excited, and intense the children were about raising money and handing out worthless items in a bag. My own 5 year old son was so excited that he received a $20 bill but when we were eating lunch he became disappointed because he thought he was raising it for himself. We explained that wasn't quite the way it worked. Ha. But we will begin counting money soon. Let me say thanks to all who donated to this wonderful organization.

More on Princeton...and NY

Princeton Theological Seminary is the leader in theological research and reflection concerning youth and family ministry (www.pts.edu). Youth leaders across the country can finally be encouraged. One day the local youth minister will not be considered just the "energetic yahoo" who exists to keep the youth entertained. Rather, research is indicating that the youth and family minister should be considered the resident theologian in the church. It is possible that the one who works with those in their first 1/3 of life will actually be considered the minister who best understands and interprets the culture. This is the challenge for all churches who mistakenly and unknowingly operate on a 1950's model of ministry. For instance, teenagers and young adults are driving what America is about. Whether it be fashion, technology, movements, or voting...young people are where you go to figure out where the world is heading. The struggle will be found in how well churches allow the youthful energy to find a place in the structure of the church. For decades the church has seen the congregation operate fairly well as long as the youth and children stay in their separate departments and designated area. This was described as the two-eared Mickey Mouse model where the larger church is symbolized by a circle with youth and children ministries symbolized by attached yet smaller circles. What would the church look like if these two ministries were active within the larger circle of the congregation? I would love to see this model at work.
A "just under the surface' reason that I attend the PTS seminars is to remind myself of what a great church FBC Memphis is. There are many troubled churches and many depressed ministers in this country. Many of them love to attend conferences so they can get away, become inspired, and complain to others. Well I got away...I became inspired....but I did very little complaining. FBC Memphis certainly has an uphill climb. It will be a while before we are prepared to write a book on church growth and discipleship. But I pray that we are well on our way. The survival of our church will never be based on glitz, glamour, or even programming. And for this we should not be ashamed. Just trying to attract people to the church is an old, tired, model that people do not trust. Rather, midtown will respond to a church that has a purpose, community, and offers opportunities for connection. But even more so, the church will move ahead because it is filled with imperfect believers who will not settle for anything less than a lived-out understanding that God dwells within them. Remember, if we simply believe that God is NICE, then we will only believe that the goal is to be nice to one another. This will not allow true and significant relationships based on faith. And if Jesus was simply therapeutic, meaning that our faith is only about the individual, then we will never see the needs around us. A life constructed by any person is never a life worth living. And if our image of God is deistic (God divided) then we will never really understand that God has made his dwelling place within his followers. He is not over there, or somewhere else, Jesus abides within me. Sounds radical but it is merely biblical.

Oh, and I did have an opportunity to visit New York. I always travel on the train into New York so that I can be reminded of why I love green grass, fishing ponds, and a slower pace. Great place to visit though.

Goodbye to a Good Man

On Sunday, our congregation was surprised to hear of the resignation of our pastor Ken Corr. Many tears were shed on this day. We will miss him dearly. I have only known Dr. Corr for 3+ years but I see the same things that others see in him. A wonderful pastor, husband, and father. One who would not compromise the meaning of the gospel under any circumstances. A creative thinker who gave his ministerial staff the OK on most things if it aided in the ministry to others. He was a leader for social justice and considered it to be integral to the true meaning of Jesus' words. Dr. Corr has left his fingerprint on FBC Memphis and for that we are confident about the future. Without him there would have been no stability and far less community. Without him it is possible that we might have only heard trite and inspirational sermons. Instead, he provided his congregation and 40,000 other TV listeners with deep, meaningful, and tranforming sermons. Truthfully, I never heard Dr. Ken Corr preach a bad sermon. I've always thought that if any pastor could get his members to talk about the sermon at the lunch table following the service then he has accomplished something great. As he pursues other interests, I pray that God will give will give him guidance for the future and a peace about the past. God has a specific will for Dr. Corr but we all must accept God's hidden will also. That hidden will is the will of God that no one can see. It is God working in and throughout history. God's hidden will is that in which we must place our confidence and faith. Confidence that God continues to work in the details of life and a faith that He will keep his promises to the end.

Easter Egg Hunt

What a great time we had on Saturday. We did the best we could in remaining silent in the chapel only to hear the clanging of a cymbal to symbolize the resurrection of Christ. It was cold, especially in the shade, but the children didn't care. There was candy to be found and a gigantic duck would lead the way to a sugar high that would last all day. The energy was enhanced by the 31 degree weather.

You have to love Easter weekend. Especially the consecutive 6:28am sugar rushes.

But fun was had by all. The faith community at its best.

Don't forget about the family movie night on Friday, April 13th.

Upcoming in April

April promises to be a special month for families at FBC. Our annual Easter Egg Hunt will be Saturday April 7th at 10:30am. We also have a family movie night on the 13th most likely featuring the movie, Charlotte's Web. I'll give the details on the week after. In addition, we will have a concert featuring a band that has two of our youth members taking the lead.