October 15, 2021

Dear Prairie Avenue Family,

The days are shorter, the temperatures are cooler. Our COVID-19 cases in the county are declining, although our vaccination rate is not even at 50% of the eligible population. Recently, booster vaccination guidelines have been released, targeted to vulnerable populations, and the first vaccination authorizations for children have been approved.

We move closer to the anticipated holiday seasons of Thanksgiving and Christmas and receive good news about Halloween festivities. Resuming some regular activities and events reminds us that our season of limited interactions and gatherings will one day pass through to memory.

There have been losses. There will probably be more. We grieve, we mourn, and we question and contend. We have changed. We will be changed. As the former things pass away, the new thing is coming. A new season. New life. Renewed hope.

We continue to explore what it means to be a disciple. To be a disciple means to follow, to take up your cross, and follow Jesus. Last week a young rich man who had kept the rules refused to go at Jesus' invitation when it meant losing one's possessions, one's trust. This weekend we encounter two who should know better, James and John, who seek viceroy positions in Jesus' coming kingdom. They glibly respond to their willingness to take the cup and the baptism of Jesus as their own. The crown and glory of Jesus is the servanthood of one for all. Position, power, domination, even pecking orders, are not part of the Kingdom of God. You must be willing to surrender to serve. Otherwise, you act just like Gentiles (not a very good compliment to Jewish followers).

Worship This Sunday:
Take Up Your Cross: Refocus
The audacity of James & John's request should be staggering! They demand Jesus grant whatever they ask him to do. I know a few five to 85-year-olds who try this tactic: just agree to what we want before we tell you what we are asking for! Jesus tells the disciples what is exactly about to happen as they approach Jerusalem: betrayal, death, and resurrection. For a third time. Mark likes to tell things in threes, reinforcing their importance. In the shadow of the approaching cross and crucifixion, James and John submit their resumes for consideration of Prime Minister and Viceroys of the Messiah kingdom of glory.

The disciples are incensed when word spreads about their request. The ten other disciples were not angry about what they asked for; they were upset because they asked for it first! So Jesus explains again what carrying one's cross means: unconditional servanthood, being set free from the selfish ways of the world, always scheming and manipulation for power and poise, position and authority. Gentiles behave like this! Disciples should not.

Yet we do, and we will. We at times behave worse than even James and John, expecting God to perform our request without any sacrifice, service, or loss on our part.

Greatness comes not from sword or pecking order, or title or claim. Being released from those things is what Jesus came to do. It is a price willingly paid. It may require setting one's sight on something more. To refocus purpose and plan, not for position, but to live a down-to-earth way of humble, just, and beautiful love with God and for others.

Cost of Discipleship Book Study Begins
Sunday, October 17, 10:30 AM
To explore the subject of discipleship further, I am going to lead a book discussion on The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. The Cost of Discipleship is a compelling statement of the demands of sacrifice and ethical consistency from a man whose life and thought were exemplary articulations of a new type of leadership inspired by the Gospel, and imbued with the spirit of Christian humanism and a creative sense of civic duty.

We will begin this study with an introduction to the life and legacy of Dietrich Bonhoeffer following the 9:30 am worship service. Look for a Facebook announcement regarding online class videos and discussions.

Leaders Lab Update: The SPIRE Assessment Report
Since July 2021, I have been participating as part of a cohort for training and development as a community development leader, transitioning our emergency assistance services to address the underlying causes of material poverty impacting our neighbors and neighborhoods. You may recall I distributed a survey in September to utilize for this program. Thanks to you, five program supporters completed and turned in their assessments for this important work.

SPIRE assessment is an impact readiness report. Each letter of SPIRE represents assessment areas broken into 21 separate benchmarks: S=Solutions, P=Participation, I=Integration, R=Relationship, and E=Execution. Scores do not reflect performance nor "success." The report provides a point-in-time assessment for how well we are organized, responding, and collaborating with those experiencing material poverty, and developing deeper relationships with program participants beyond transactional services.

The working name of our neighborhood development program is Prairie Avenue Neighborhood Services (PANS). Since this is a new outreach and development initiative, we have no program participants at this time. Our SPIRE assessment revealed that we have a solid group of leaders who are committed to one another and to the work. This type of leadership is worth celebrating!

Another area of the SPIRE assessment to celebrate is in the area of RELATIONSHIP. This benchmark considers the level of comfortability that our team has when engaging people of different social, economic, and/or cultural backgrounds within the current context.

A sustained willingness to work on vision alignment and collaboration will give us our greatest chance to bring about lasting changes in our neighbors' lives and communities. We have been providing momentary relief to our neighbors experiencing poverty. To enter into more meaningful community engagement, leadership will first need to reimagine their goal as one that invites key stakeholders to move beyond the activity of material provision and into a more expansive vision of long-term impact. What purpose/vision we set for PANS, a crucial step toward collaboration and inclusivity, developing deepening relationships not only within Prairie Avenue but in every other realm of the community, particularly those who are living the experience of chronic material poverty and collaborating to co-create solutions.

Further vision alignment and collaboration will begin in November. I look forward to sharing with you this important development work that will shape the future of our community for years to come.
Security System Update
Sometime between 10 pm Saturday, September 25 and 7 am Sunday, September 26, vandalism of the main elevator entrance occurred. Fortunately, the likely would-be thief discovered safety glass rather than window glass. The incident has prompted solicitation to upgrade our existing camera security. We have received bids to install monitoring and recording cameras and equipment between $7500-$13,000.
On A Personal Note...
This upcoming Wednesday, October 20, will mark our 20th Wedding Anniversary. I am humbled and grateful for the blessings of my marriage with Amanda. We have traveled this road of life together, and through dark seasons of illness, crisis, and more. My faith and my journey with God have been made all the richer with her as a partner, friend, and confidant. Little did two twenty-somethings know that bright October day, just one month after the national tragedy of September 11, was what God called us to do in life together.

In celebration of our milestone anniversary, Amanda and I will be traveling to Mackinac Island Michigan to stay at the Grand Hotel during the Somewhere In Time weekend events. The movie, starring Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour (and Christopher Plummer), is one of our favorites. My brother Nathan and his wife Karen will be joining us. We will depart on Wednesday, October 27, and return Sunday evening, October 31. And yes, worship for October 31 is covered.

It will be our first vacation since December 2019.

Invite friends to join you for worship this weekend, in person, online
In-person on Sunday mornings at 8 am or 9:30 am. Masks are encouraged regardless of vaccination status if social distancing cannot be kept.

Online at prairieavenuechristianchurch.org, and Facebook Sunday at 8 am or 9:30 am.

See you this weekend online or in person,

Blessings to you all,

Jason
As a church family, we care for and pray for one another.

As a matter of online privacy, we will only disclose public sympathy to a church friend or family member whose passing has also been publicly disclosed.

The Family of Darla Sue Lienemann, who passed September 26, 2021

If you would like prayer, please submit your prayer request online, and Pastor Jason and prayer team members will pray for you.
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