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A Pastor's Perspective: 3/25/20

3/25/2020

I've been thinking a lot about Easter these last few days. Especially since Mayor Lucas, other local, and county leaders have given a 30-day "shelter in place" order to help stem the spread of the coronavirus. I don't take this action lightly, and neither does the leadership of the congregation, that's why the suspension of in-person gatherings has been extended.

Back to Easter.

It's going to happen, Jesus will rise, the angels will sing, the stone will be rolled, the gardener will speak Mary's name, the disciples will be perplexed.

It just isn't going to look like anything we've ever experienced before. Isn't that kind of the point of Easter? The resurrection of the Lord was something the world had never experienced before. This year, we will probably celebrate Easter twice! Once on April 12th, from our home and online, and again once we're safely able to worship in-person. Because Easter is about the return to LIFE - and in the Church, a return to in-person gatherings will be a huge breath of LIFE!

In the coming weeks, we will experience perhaps some of the feelings of the disciples, who after the crucifixion were shuttered up in hiding; sheltering in place, as it were.

The first news of resurrection came to them when they were socially-distanced. I can't help but consider parallels for Christians today. What news of new life and God's goodness are we awaiting? In the meantime, focus on God's presence with you, even in the valleys, wilderness, and "tombs" we face. God is good. God is with you in comfort and assurance of hope.

Peace be the Journey,

-Rev. Andy Beck

In-Person Gatherings Suspension Update

3/25/2020

Here is an update on activities in the life of the church:

Out of an abundance of caution, all in-person services and activities in the church remain suspended through the length of the "Shelter In Place" order in the KC metro area. The duration of that order is through Friday, April 24th. The Hillside Board of Directors met Sunday afternoon, March 22nd at 4 pm via video conference to discuss. It was a unanimous consent that Hillside should remain in "suspension of in-person activities" status.

One way to love our neighbors is to protect them from possible transmission of the coronavirus. Be encouraged that Hillside leadership (Board, Elders and Staff) are in ongoing dialogue about upcoming plans, scheduling and additional ways to be church at a distance. Please continue checking email frequently so you don't miss out on important updates and information.

-Rev. Andy Beck

Online Worship: #ChurchAtHome Streaming

3/25/2020

During our time of social distancing, we are happy to offer our Sunday service, live & online at 10:30 am. Click below to use either Facebook or YouTube to see our stream on Sunday mornings.

FACEBOOK STREAM
YOUTUBE STREAM

Bookmark these pages so you can get back to them in the coming weeks.

We are also offering a weekly online bible study, "Viral Verses" through Facebook groups. Find information on our FB page. This is a static reflection, with commenting and discussion accessible weekly from Wednesday through Sunday. Also, our Children's Director, Peyton is uploading daily devotional videos to the Facebook page for kids (and adults!)

The Church website is a great destination for links, documents and videos during this time. We are posting new content on the Home Resources page through the week to keep you informed, as well as reflective about the COVID-19 isolation. Grief and anxiety can be difficult burdens to shake, especially when news is dim and mounting.

Let support one another through this time, as church family in grace and patience, and faithfulness to God - the one who sustains and redeems.

-Rev. Andy Beck

Worship Service Update Amid COVID-19 Outbreak

3/13/2020

Hillside Friends and Family,

Grace and peace to you in the name of Jesus our Christ.

As I hope you are aware, church leadership has been considering best practices and plans for mitigating the spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus) in our community. Out of an abundance of caution regarding the rapid spread of the virus, and the awareness of the average age and risk of our particular community, the Hillside Board of Directors, in consultation with staff and with the affirmation of the Circle of Elders, has made the decision in a meeting this afternoon, to suspend in-person church activities, including worship, for the next 2 weeks. This means, classes, groups and meetings are postponed through March 27th at this time.

Leading the discussion was the overall concern for the well being for vulnerable members of our congregation, based on our faithful understanding to care for our neighbors. State and Federal declaration of a state of emergency, as well as recommendations from federal and global health organizations have also been influential and helpful in coming to this decision.

While there are no current positive cases of COVID-19 in Platte or Clay counties, waiting for positive cases may be too late to help stem the spread of the virus in our community.

We are preparing for live streaming of worship experiences for these 2 Sundays, on Facebook and our YouTube channel, and start checking the Hillside website for more online connections soon during this time.

While we will not be together in person, our bonds of faith and fellowship remain strong. We will record sermons and other worship resources and you can access them each week if you cannot join us live. Please be sure to open all emails and check in on Facebook (if you have it) for additional notices and information.

I ask you to be diligent in prayer for our church families and their extended families, our city, state, nation, our leaders, and all healthcare workers. This is not a time for panic or a doomsday mindset. It is a time for intercession, good and proactive decisions, extreme caution, and perseverance. Together, from our homes, we will weather this storm, sustained by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Comfort and assurance,
Rev. Andy Beck

The Myth of American Exceptionalism, and the Failure of the American Christian Witness

7/4/2019

14 And you, beloved, are the light of the world. A city built on a hilltop cannot be hidden. 15 Similarly it would be silly to light a lamp and then hide it under a bowl. When someone lights a lamp, she puts it on a table or a desk or a chair, and the light illumines the entire house. 16 You are like that illuminating light. Let your light shine everywhere you go, that you may illumine creation, so men and women everywhere may see your good actions, may see creation at its fullest, may see your devotion to Me, and may turn and praise your Father in heaven because of it.
- Matthew 5:14-16, The Voice translation

American exceptionalism, the idea that the United States of America is inherently different from other countries is presently, a myth. Long have we forgotten the basis of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” The promise proclaimed to all other nations by the Mother of Exiles, with lightning trapped in her torch, has been eroded by a caustic and vile misinterpretation of American values. Our mutually agreed upon principles of egalitarianism, liberty, and democratic governance are today publicly refuted and boldly challenged by the elected, in favor of gaining power through fear and sewing suspicion.

We extol the virtues of the American independence on July 4th. We honor that which has set us apart from authoritarian and oppressive regimes, namely the principles that make up the Bill of Rights. We gleefully display the American flag on clothing, stickers, koozies and beer cans, against the regulations listed in the U.S. Flag Code, and without realizing the underlying irony.

Unintentionally, I believe, we reduce the flag and therefore the values it represents to a simple mark to overt patriotism, while abandoning the virtues it symbolizes. I suspect that these virtues are too often a romanticized memory, a faded vision of Old Glory seemingly forgotten in the corner of America’s cluttered, dusty partisan garage.

How is it possible for American Christians of any stripe to commemorate Independence Day without also recognizing the irony of our history, and more poignantly, our present? How easily has our society forgotten, or purposely and foolishly ignored, the suffering of Indigenous Americans, African slaves, Japanese Americans, and millions of others at the hands of the American Empire? Can we not learn from our history to keep from making the same mistakes?

If Emma Lazarus’ poem “The New Colossus”, etched on the base of the Statue of Liberty were 2000 years older, we’d consider it sacred scripture. Hear the echoes of Jesus’ words from the Sermon on the Mount, as Lazarus recalls the image of an illuminating beacon that summons all who are weary to come;
“Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

Friends, I take no pleasure in saying this, nor do I say without consideration; America isn’t exceptional in the world. Not when refugee children are dying in makeshift detention facilities in the name of national security. America isn’t exceptional in the world. Not when refugees are indefinitely detained and denied basic hygiene supplies. Not when the dead bodies of migrants wash upon our shore because xenophobic policies turn them away from our “golden door". Not when compassionate volunteers are arrested for supplying water stations in the desert for neighboring sisters and brothers seeking a better land to call home.

When these atrocities and others happen, we’ve lost our credentials to claim exceptionality. Rev. Robin Tanners says that “there is hypocrisy in declaring loyalty to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness while abiding slavery, imprisoning babies, or making fellow humans drink from toilets.”

And for American Christians, to stand silently and idly by while those sick on power exact inhumane control over a vulnerable population is anti-Christ. It is dangerous to the heart of the Christian to level public faith with nationalism. Let me say this plainly; the immigration policies that are currently in place are not only causing a humanitarian crisis, but are fueling a faith crisis in America. If followers of Jesus are to take his words from Matthew 5, or Matthew 25 seriously, or the overarching witness of God’s liberating intent in scripture, we cannot in good faith, abide the indignity shown to, and outright disregard toward these ones who also bear the image of God.

The idea that America is somehow exceptional in the world is no longer apparent or accurate. American Christianity has failed to stand as a witness and check on the empire of power, and too often is complicit in dehumanizing acts of racism, sexism, xenophobia and homophobia. The witness of American Christianity has too long been dominated by the values of discrimination, bigotry and hate.

The witness of American Christianity has failed to proclaim jubilee; failed to guide public conversation with love and grace; failed to celebrate a diversity of images for the divine in the public square. American Christianity has in many circles, turned a blind eye not only to the plight of the marginalized, but also to the sacred scripture that expects hospitality, not maltreatment, for “foreigners who reside among you in the land…” (Lev. 19:33)

My colleague Rev. Julie Richardson suggests 3 ways for Christians to respond: that we pray for humility, humanity and honesty. Humility that seeks to listen and serve. Humanity that we have the ability to see one another as kin. Honesty in that we deeply examine our influences and seek new understandings.

I would add that in our prayers we confess our sin of indifference, repent of our selfish and greedy ways, and seek forgiveness from our Creator and our human kin. That this nation, born of immigrants and the dream for a better life, not forget these founding experiences shared through centuries with our sisters and brothers.

So as independence is remembered and commemorated today, also be mindful that the very nation whose freedom we celebrate, is once again engaged in inhumane and unwarranted incarceration of foreigners. Let us too be mindful of our ancestral stories in scripture, that our welcome of the sojourner would be a faithful practice of our Christian witness of God’s love and compassion.

This is our way to be excellent to each other.
-Rev. Andy Beck

Leviticus 19:33-34 (New Revised Standard Version)
33 When an alien resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien. 34 The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.

Climate, Controlled!

6/12/2019

The HVAC work that's happening at the church is progressing, and should be finalized in the coming weeks. New units for heat and air are being installed in 60% of the building, where the old boiler/chiller worked. This is all done thanks to the generosity of our members and friends who responded to the Extending Our Welcome capital campaign.

With the HVAC work completing soon, I'm eager for us to get into the next steps of the remodeling project. Ceilings will be updated in the hallways and entryways - so the exposed wires etc will be organized and hidden away from view. The main hallway will get a "facelift" too, with updated walls and flooring. This work will be a slower process, and done in part by our awesome team of volunteers.

It's a joy to see these things being realized, especially in the season of Pentecost, where we recognize the ways the Church is recreated, renewed, and refreshed in us daily. Thank you for your trust, your faith, and your participation in the ministry of Hillside. We're stronger together - and we're building on that strength toward an emphasis of welcoming and inviting!

-Rev. Andy Beck

Extending Our Welcome

4/29/2019

Sunday, April 28th we launched the "Extending Our Welcome" Capital Campaign. It was really the 3rd of 3 really special weeks at Hillside. Beginning with Palm Sunday and the beautiful procession of waving palms in remembrance of Jesus' triumphal entry to Jerusalem, we moved through Holy Week. We celebrated resurrection on Easter and shared in the promise of life, and God's abundance. And we kicked off our own celebration of renewed life with the campaign.

In addition to our regular ministries, our efforts have also been on improving our physical spaces, to prepare us for the next 60+ years of ministry. While it's true that "church" can happen anywhere and everywhere, our gathered participation in worship and education classes requires spaces set apart for that holy work. The same is true for programs that assist the poor. HOPE.wrx wouldn't be as strong today if space hadn't been set aside for growing that program.

And now it's our time to support the future of Hillside, by raising the capital to replace the main HVAC system. We're not the only ones who use our building, and our hospitality is gaining in exposure around the community. From youth sports programs to children's theater groups, adult language classes and all kinds of assistance programs that meet at Hillside, our willingness to open our doors for the community is evident.

I invite you to join with us in continued efforts to welcome the community, and support the Extending Our Welcome capital campaign.

You can find much more information on the campaign page.

Leadership & Lent

3/11/2019

I've learned a lot about congregational leadership over the last few weeks, as our Finance Team is considering options for our upcoming Capital Campaign. I look forward to making an announcement this Sunday about our big steps forward, as we continue to build strong foundations for ministry and mission to the community here at Hillside.

I recently enrolled in an online course through the Ministry Training Program at Phillips Seminary. It's a class about congregational leadership and administration. So naturally I'm thinking about that topic a lot these days. I'm reminded of the strong lay leaders of Hillside's past and present. Our governing bodies, the Finance Team and the Board of Directors are policy and decision-making bodies. Our Circle of Elders are spiritual and pastoral care leaders. Healthy congregations have clear roles for various leadership groups. These distinctions grow clearer as we continue to develop our ministry teams for their specific roles.

As for the season of Lent, it never really starts for me until after the Ash Wednesday service. The morning is spent in preparation for a day and evening of marking with ash. There's something on this side of the imposition of ashes that is divinely humbling. You've entrusted your spiritual care to me, and I in turn work at training up a volunteer group for the work of congregational care. Our Elder's are truly an extension of the pastoral care given by clergy. The Care Clusters are one way we make that happen. This work of caring for the spiritual needs of one another is not something I take lightly, it is perhaps the culmination of the work of congregational ministry.

After the service Ash Wednesday service I was taken aside by one of our Elders. They mentioned that I hadn't had the opportunity to receive the mark of ash myself. They escorted me to the table, laden with last year's dried palm branches and a single white candle. We held hands, and they imposed the ashes on my forehead - a gesture that in that moment I took as a reminder of the tall order we ascribe to as disciples of Jesus; we are here for one another to journey along a path toward Jesus.

My eyes water a bit in remembrance of this act, now just 14 hours in my past. Even as we're just a day into the season of Lent, I cannot help but proclaim an Easter theme: "I know my redeemer lives!" because I've seen and experienced the divine presence in the genuine care of a friend.

Open yourselves, dear friends, to the caring acts shared with you, and recognize therein the Christ of our faith who walks this journey from shadow to light with us. What a holy way to ...
Be Excellent To Each Other!
- Rev. Andy Beck

The Hard Work of Being a "Movement for Wholeness"

2/27/2019

[This article first appeared in the March edition of the 'Hillside Good News' monthly newsletter. it is reprinted here with permission.]

The Hard Work of Being a "Movement for Wholeness"
by Rev. Andy Beck

As I write, representatives from the United Methodist Church are debating and voting on issues of same-sex marriage and ordination of LGBTQ clergy.

Most mainline protestant denominations including the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) have faced these questions in the recent past. The 2013 Disciples General Assembly resolution 1327 calls for the church to “become a people of grace and welcome to all”, giving clergy and congregations the power to answer these questions themselves.

Our own history as a movement challenged the church of its day. Early Disciples pushed back against the suppressive practices of the Scottish Presbyterian church. In our call to unity as Disciples, congregation by congregation, the DOC remains unsettled on questions of inclusion and affirmation of LGBTQ folks.

I’ve served 5 congregations in 20 years of vocational ministry & I know how easy it is to grow more concerned about the institution & survival of church, rather than the people who make up the Body of Christ. I know how readily folks can retreat into protectionism, especially when challenges arise within their fellowship.

We can be proud of Hillside, & our history as a welcoming congregation in practice, and our faith in Christ who spoke no word of exclusion to the marginalized. I am proud that we are living into his way of love, rather than a way of segregation. Join me in prayer for our sisters and brothers in the UMC. I pray for those LGBTQ clergy that are hurt by their leaders. To paraphrase a comment I saw recently: “It’s not good news to have someone else vote on your identity. God has already claimed me as beloved.”

Hillside is in a tangential discussion. Not whether we will affirm LGBTQ folks – we already do, and with great joy. Our conversation is about how we communicate & let all people know that Hillside is a safe place to worship. One option is to vote to become an “Open and Affirming” congregation. Another is to simply adopt policies that nurture inclusive practices in communication, mission, and worship.

I have an intentionally limited role in the work of the Welcoming Committee, but I encourage your participation in the Welcoming Assessment. It can still be completed online at www.hillsidecc.com/assessment. I look forward to our work together, on behalf of the Gospel, by continuing to feed all people in mind, body, spirit and community.

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

Seasons in Congregational Life

2/19/2019

The author of the wisdom book Ecclesiastes in the Hebrew Bible ("Old" Testament) knows a thing or two about the ongoing cycle of life. Transitions are a constant reminder that we're transient people, here in this place for a time then among another place. The Byrds song notwithstanding, Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 depicts the ever-churning nature of life.

1 There is a time for everything,
    and a season for every activity under the heavens:
2     a time to be born and a time to die,
    a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3     a time to kill and a time to heal,
    a time to tear down and a time to build,
4     a time to weep and a time to laugh,
    a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5     a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
    a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
6     a time to search and a time to give up,
    a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7     a time to tear and a time to mend,
    a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8     a time to love and a time to hate,
    a time for war and a time for peace.

I wrote the following note to the Elders of the church recently, and it also appeared in my regular "Pastor's Perspective" article in our weekly newsletter. I recall that even in a season of great grief currently in the congregation I serve, there is an abiding presence of God always working among us.

"Congregations are built on seasons. We live through seasons of all kinds. Our worship is largely built around liturgical seasons. Lent is about repentance, Advent is about anticipation, Pentecost is about growth. The cycles of the congregation’s worship life is akin to the cycle of life & death that congregations have experienced for thousands of years. It’s no surprise that Hillside is not unique in this. Yes we’ve experienced a concentrated season of deaths in our congregation. And together, we have faithfully loved one another, we’ve rightfully given thanks to our Creator for the lives of loved ones, and we’ve comforted our friends with calls, cards, and condolences.

Even as we’re preparing for another couple of funerals in the coming days, we’re also in the beginning of several moments of joy in the lives of people in our congregation. We’re preparing for baby dedications and baby showers over the next several months. We’re preparing for weddings and baptisms and the joys of new adventures in life. We grieve together, and we share joy together. We move in and out of seasons, with God amid all of it for us.

The letter to the believers in Thessalonica (5:15-18) reminds the faithful community about one of our most important responsibilities:

Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else. Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

I am confident that we’ll make our way through this season as well, by the grace of, and in great thanksgiving for, God our Creator.

Rev. Andy Beck