900 NE Vivion Rd. KC, MO 64118   :   816-453-2623   :   Streaming 10:30 a.m. Sunday   :   We're social, you're social, let's socialize!
Hillside Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
  • Home
    • Contact
    • At Our Core
    • Calendar
    • Happenings Blog
  • Lent At Home
  • Connect
    • Worship
    • Music
    • Kids & Youth
    • Adults
  • Serve
    • Adult Missions
    • Hope.wrx
  • Give
    • Capital Campaign

Hillside Happenings: The Impact of Congregational Participation

8/31/2017

0 Comments

 
It's always a blessing to read how the church is making a difference in the lives of folks, and how they are glad for the ministry of Hillside. I share these words, with permission, from Cara Smelcer:


    "I have always considered myself a Christian, I felt close to God and didn't feel that I needed what I thought a church had to offer. However, after a rough patch in my life I figured it certainly wouldn't hurt. I didn't want to go and be talked at, told what I should and shouldn't believe. 
    Something was different this time around though I've really enjoyed the last year of growing in my faith and growing closer to God and Christ. Thank you Rev. Andy for a different church experience in giving us things to think about for ourselves and helping us grow spiritually over the last year. 
    I'm happier and more at peace with myself and my life than I though was possible. I still have a long ways to go but I'm really looking forward to the journey."

Together, we make a lasting impact on peoples lives. We don't take all the credit, for it is God working through us that people are drawn closer to the divine. The Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Galatia that, "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." (Gal. 2:20 NIV)

The lives we live now are lives in Christ. And together, by God's grace and the Spirit's leading we will continue reaching people with Good News and life changing love. 
 
Be Excellent To Each Other, 
Rev. Andy Beck
0 Comments

Church as Storm Shelter

8/31/2017

0 Comments

 
Lots of talking about churches in Houston & if they opened up for flood evacuees. I read a post that claimed 60% of churches didn't open their doors to the needy.

1) How do they know the % of unopened churches? Was there a poll done in the middle of a hurricane with 100% participation? 
2) I know from friends with 1st hand accounts of flooding, that many church buildings we also flooded, making them unable to safely house displaced folks. 
3) Opening up a building & making space is available takes volunteers, many of whom would be concerned with their own property, or unable to travel to the building because of flooding. 
4) There are real and important liability concerns about opening a building as a shelter which must be considered. 
5) Church buildings are usually not equipped for long-term evacuee housing.


All that said, I think congregations in areas that experience natural disasters like floods, tornadoes, ice storms, wild fires and hurricanes should be as prepared as possible to host people in an emergency situation. And that includes finding out about liabilities before hand and establishing a process for deciding if shelter need to be available.
That's why I'm proud of Hillside Christian Church - Kansas City and our dedication to serving the local homeless population through Family Promise of the Northland. We are pretty prepared to house up to about 15 or 20 folks if needed. And that is because we're regularly in the business of housing folks. We have air mattresses, bedding, sleeping areas, food supplies and showers.
​
I would not hesitate to open our building to those in need if we were able to help. But we are prepared for doing that, and many congregations may not be. I would urge all church-going folks to talk with their respective church councils or boards to see if there's a way they can be of good service to others during great times of need, for that is the call of Christ, and faith filled people must be responsible to that with the utmost humility.
As for now, do what you can - and that is pray for endurance and strength, & donate money to effective organizations who are already giving life-saving assistance.
0 Comments

The Nashville Statement

8/31/2017

0 Comments

 
Perhaps you've heard of the "Nashville Statement" this week. It is a series of beliefs laid out by a group of extreme evangelical Christian leaders, on the subject of human sexuality. If you haven't seen it, look it up and read the articles. They include distinct anti-LGBTQ statements that for some, have been received as hateful and hurtful.
I bring it up only to offer this counter narrative: LGBTQIA friends, the church doesn't hate you. The church doesn't wish you harm. When God spun the universe into existence, it was all deemed good - everything in it. in the Gospel of John we hear perhaps the most famous line from scripture, "For God so loved the world..." You've been made good, and God loves you. So do I and many, many other clergy and church leaders.
The Nashville Statement and manifestos like it do not stand in line with the narrative of God's love for humanity found in the scriptures, or the loving compassion exemplified by the Way of Jesus.
Christian friends, if we are to agree that God created and called the creation good, and if we are to hear the evangelist proclaim that God so loved the world, then who are any of us to hate the creation or any of the created? Might I suggest that in doing so, we will have abandoned the very nature of our being and the calling of God that we proclaim?
Pray our hearts will soften in compassion for our neighbors, and that our righteous indignation will be fueled against the source of all suffering: fear.
"For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline." 2 Tim. 1:7 (NRSV)
0 Comments

Love As Primary Function for Christians

8/30/2017

0 Comments

 
"We love because he first loved us. Those who say, “I love God,” and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen. The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also." 
 - 1 John 4:19-21


Of all the talk about racism and white supremacy over the last few weeks, perhaps the most disappointing to me has been the comments from President Trump. Please be aware that this column is not a political commentary, but one that is concerned about the righteousness of a nation whose currency is emblazoned with "In God We Trust", and whose government buildings are often adorned with holy scripture. 

The President seems to paint in very broad rhetorical strokes, leaving openings for wide interpretation to his words and the meanings behind them. Even after clearly denouncing the hate and violence shown in Charlottesville, the President went on to say of the protesters, that there were some "very fine people, on both sides." That kind of ambiguity is arguably a problem in itself, that the President has left the door open to accepting the views and beliefs of people who plainly support racism and white supremacy.

The author of First John reminds readers of a responsibility to love as the primary posture for Christians. And there are no windows left slightly open; if you say you love God but hate someone else, you are a liar. That is potent, and has the authority of scripture to convict. In Christ we find an example. In God we find forgiveness. And in the Body of Christ, we find hope. There is no room for racism, there is no place for white supremacy, there is no support for mistreating others in the Christ's Good News. 

May the prayer of the faithful be of reconciliation and righteousness, and of seeking forgiveness from those who have been hurt. May the actions of God's people lead by example - to continually reject hatred and racism, to recognize divine value in all people, to welcome without suspicion and to share without fear. May President Trump, his executive branch, the Senators and Representatives all understand more clearly the deep calling to lead all 326 million Americans to equality and justice. Please, as ones who take our scriptural ancestry seriously, Be Excellent To Each Other. 

Rev. Andy Beck
0 Comments

Total Eclipse of the Heart?

8/30/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture

​​The total solar eclipse recently has given us the opportunity to remember the grand scope of the universe. As I looked toward the sun and the eclipsing moon, I thought about the stories of creation in Genesis. God separated the day from the night and called it good. God placed the celestial bodies in motion and plotted their paths, and put us in motion as well. 

Even in the complexity of the cosmos, God saw need to create you. And I am so glad that God did! 

From the dust of creation, humanity was formed. From the same dust that created the stars, people were given life and purpose. You are made of stardust, and placed in motion for the good work and life of faith in your creator. And God has called the creation good- and you are made good. 

As we continue to look toward the Son, and learn his path- his way- may we always remember that God's creative and merciful touch has been part of our lives from the beginning of time. And even when the skies darken and the light is blotted out, God's presence and love will remain. 

Be Excellent to Each Other! <>< Rev. Andy Beck

0 Comments

    Author

    Archives

    March 2020
    July 2019
    June 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    July 2018
    June 2018
    April 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    November 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    December 2016
    October 2016
    April 2016

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed