We Resume January 22, 2011

We continue our journey through Stephen Smallman's 'The Walk'. These are reflective, challenging and refreshing times for us as men following the Lord Jesus Christ. Come ready to be encouraged and challenged as a new or re-newed follower of Christ.

An Opportunity for our Men's Ministry - A Door of Hope Charity Classic

A Door of Hope Charity

Classic

Columbus Day - Monday, October 11th

Ed Oliver Golf Course

Wilmington, Delaware

Registration: 12:00 noon

Golf Clinic: 12:30pm

Shotgun Start: 1:00pm

Hosted by:

Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Newark

~Scramble Format Foursomes~

$100* per golfer includes:

18 holes of golf

Box Lunch

BBQ Dinner

*A portion of the entry fee will be considered a tax deductible contribution to A Door of Hope

Sponsorship Opportunities

Tee Boxes - $100 per sign

Longest Drive - $300

Closest to the pin - $300

Beverage Cart - $1200 (Partial sponsorship available)

For registration and sponsorship information contact:

Bob Lasher, (302) 530-0454, rglasher@verizon.net

Golf Outing in October

A moral failure of a man stands behind ever unplanned pregnancy in the womb of an unwed mother.  It is fitting that our men's ministry seek to help these women.  Bob Lasher, Todd Metzler and Carl Hilbert have been at work putting together a fabulous fundraiser for A Door of Hope.  Play golf (whether you are good or not!), and a portion of the fees goes to A Door of Hope.  Bob is working on getting sponsors for holes to raise even more money.  Approach your company to help him out.  Or, consider sponsoring a hole in memory of a loved one or dedicated to a loved one.  Here are the details. 

Men’s Golf Outing to Benefit ADOH

Monday, October 11 (Columbus Day)

Start Time 1PM

Ed Oliver Golf Course

Wilmington, DE

Event hosted by Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Newark (PCA)



· Shot Gun Play, scramble format

· $100/golfer includes 18 holes of golf, box lunch and a barbeque dinner (*)

· Additional event enhancements are being planned

· Singles and foursomes can register



To register or to learn about a variety of sponsorship opportunities, contact either Bob Lasher or Todd Metzler.  Thanks to everyone in our Christian community who supports our efforts to ‘see more babies born and moms born again!’



(*) – A portion of the $100/golfer total will be considered a tax-deductible contribution to A Door of Hope.

Guest Blogger Ti Brown

I asked Ti Brown to post something short about his experience with the men's ministry at EP.  I also asked him to write something longer which will be up in the near future.  Thanks Ti!

Although it was different than I expected, I enjoyed the 2 study sessions I was invited to & ultimately attended at EPC. EPC has been good to me or years. It has been over 10 years that I've been playing bball in the EPC gymnasium. The hoops sessions are great, but it was a nice surprise to be invited to a formal study. Coupling my spiritual emotion with an academic understanding of the Bible has been invaluable to me recently. See, lately I've been unsettled about my feelings concerning religion & church lately. Bringing me closer to the Bible and to men who already know how to show their love for God in manly, respectful ways has helped me begin to re-ground & re-focus myself.

I am a Black, working, single father and proud of all those attributes of mine. As such, I can't say it wasn't initially uncomfortable being the only minority man in the studies. But the men at my table and in the study hall made it clear that being there was about being closer to Jesus, and that made everything else fall into place.

It's been great to be invited to a place to discuss the challenges of life as a man with other men who also want to be close to Jesus. EPC has always been open that way to me. I've seen young, proud Black men come play bball with older White men and watch the games be played in respect for both cultures. I've appreciated that, as I appreciate the study invitation. I'm looking forward to the next one.

Paul Veenema on Taking Steps to Get to Know Other Men

At my request, Paul was willing to share some of this thoughts on how we as men can get to know one another.  Paul tells me that this is his first blog post, ever.  So far so good Paul!  Here it is:

If the rest of you are anything like me, then you really don’t know much about the other men in the church. This lack of basic information along with my natural inclination toward independence and the energy it takes for me to reach out results in few friendships. Gathering and sharing basic biographical information would be a good start toward finding connections and forming relationships that extend outside the church building and enable discipleship. I suggest gathering the information in face to face meetings, over breakfast or lunch would be low key and eating is something we all do. I find it works best if you introduce the person you got to know as a way of sharing the information and building the other person up. Once the basics are known about those in our group, it should give some insight into common interests and other ways to build relationship. Below is a list of questions, don’t feel restricted to these but they are a good start:

Where did you grow up and where have you lived, what influence has that had

Family background: parents, siblings and birth order, significant events growing up

Marital status

Children; #, ages, how are they doing

Work situation; what do you do, for whom

Education and training background

Hobbies, interests, goals

Tell about some accomplishment that you personally are proud of (may not be something others have recognized), what was it, how did you go about doing it?
In order to get started within our group, Benjamin and I will assign “homework” to pairings. The assignment will be to meet and gather this information and come prepared to introduce the other person.
 

Kingdom Focus

Yesterday I preached on Romans 14:13-18.  In the course of the message I spoke about verse 17, and alluded to (while not directly referencing) verses 18-19 in the application: 

"For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. ¹⁸Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. ¹⁹So then let us  pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding."

The Kingdom of God can be a confusing concept for people.  To understand the Kingdom of God, you have to begin with the end, with its ultimate expression.  The ultimate expression of God's Kingdom is when His people will dwell with him forever in the New Heavens and New Earth.  This will be a real, physical dwelling of God with men.  Thankfully, it will not be the "on cloud 9 with harp" comic strip picture of heaven.  We have a real, solid, concrete future with God.  Read Revelation 21-22 for a visual.  We experience this kingdom now as a foretaste by means of the Holy Spirit.  Our experience is real, though it is partial.  Paul says that in this life the Kingdom of God is (there is no separation in the Greek) "righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit."  

There is some debate as to whether these are individual blessings that the Spirit gives to the believer in Christ, or whether they are corporate/relational blessings blessings that believers are to pursue in the Holy Spirit.  I like to have my cake and eat it too on this point.  In Romans 5 Paul grounds the blessings of the Kingdom in Christ.  They are gifts for the believer (see Rom 5:1-2).  So, he may be recalling that teaching at this place.  But, in Romans 6 Paul makes it clear that the blessings of the kingdom that are in Christ are to be expressed in our lives individually.  If the righteousness, peace and joy of Romans 14:17 are blessings individuals have in Christ, Paul certainly intends for them to be worked out in the local fellowship.  On the other hand, if they are corporate blessings he certainly intends for them to be rooted and flowing from every individual's relationship with Christ.  

At this point in Romans Paul is exhorting the "strong" to remain focused on the essence of the kingdom of God rather than on the freedom that they have in Christ to eat and drink what foods they choose (the "weak" Christians in Rome did not think they were free to eat and drink certain foods prohibited under the ceremonial law prior to the coming of Christ).  Paul's point to the strong is not that they have to give up their freedom all the time to accommodate the week.  His point is that since the Kingdom of God is not at its core signified by such things and food and drink--but rather by the spiritual blessings of righteousness, peace and joy--they ought to be free to give up those freedoms occasionally to focus on Kingdom priorities.  We ought to be pursuing the kingdom, growing in our experience of the foundational blessings we have in Christ.  The bottom line is we ought to be pursuing Christ.  He is our righteousness, our peace and our joy.  The obvious question is, "Are you pursuing Christ in your life?"  

One of the ways that I most enjoy pursuing Christ is reading his word.  Time and again I am amazed at what he shows me, how he lifts my heart out of despair, how he gives my mind new food for thought and fresh perspective.  Thankfully, at this point in my Christian life I read with expectation of these blessings.  And, when my faith is challenged and I am feeling reluctant to read, I read with faith that Christ will give me faith and commune with me in his Word.  And, He does.  He does not do that in my life because I am a pastor.  He does that in my life because I am His brother, and a son of His Father.  He will do the same for you.  

Read Mark's gospel.  Try to read the whole thing one time through.  Here are some tips: You will need some time to do this.  Try a lunch break.  If at home, and you have a family, tell your wife and children what you are trying to do.  Tell them you have an assignment to read Mark.  You have to read it and report on what Jesus teaches you to the men.  Tell them that you will give them a report too.  (Your family will be greatly encouraged.)  When you share what you learned with your family or with the other men, don't focus on what others need to know.  Focus instead on what you learned about Jesus.  What did he reveal to you about himself, his mission, your need for him?  What did you learn about what it means to be a follower of Jesus?  If  you find that you read with a view toward others and not toward yourself, pray for Christ to slow you down and reveal your own heart.  Just some tips for getting started.