Dottie’s Dialogwhere faith, hope and love intersect!

Reading this book sparks many ideas about how things continue to change while we continue to hold on to old patterns.  I was wondering what we would write if we had a similar title for churches:  ”The Tyranny of Dead Ideas, Letting Go of the Old Ways of Thinking to Unleash a New Church.”

What ideas about church are already dead, but haven’t received a proper burial?  In what ways are we holding on to something that not only doesn’t work, it also isn’t productive to the mission of loving God and loving God’s people, or making disciples for Jesus?

Of course there is the obvious:  Music styles (anybody seen an organ piece on the top hits list lately?). While preferred music is defined by generations, are we only speaking to one generation, or are we open to generate into the future?  But also there is the less obvious:  are we communicating through social media?  Are we spreading the message via Youtube and internet?  Are we creating communities outside of buildings that are empty?  Are we going to the world or expecting the world to come to our doorstep?  Or, what about the need for interactive worship today?  Do we ask our members to turn off their cell phones during worship, or do we encourage them to twitter during worship?  Do we have avenues for online offerings?

And that is just the “how” of things.  But what would we do different if we asked pertinent questions about the “where,” “when,” and “why” of our practices?

It is easy to live in dead ideas because we haven’t noticed they are dead.  And that is a sad affair.  We need to wake up to what lives today, and connect with the world we are placed in, and be enthused about learning new ways to bring the old gospel to a new group of young adults and children.  Otherwise, our main idea (Jesus is Lord…love God…love neighbor as self) will also die.

How about another title:  ”The Freedom of Alive Ideas” by Your Church!

CrossRoads United Methodist Church filed a complaint in court…going through the process to right a wrong.

The weekend services were great.

Saturday worship was over before the rain began.  A first time volunteer, young woman, looked over the whole thing and teared up.  A regular volunteer is figuring out what to do with our flower garden. Steve brought his trash can art (see photos). Ralph is back outdoors again and hoping to find a spot to stay dry today.  The sermon was fantastic (thanks Tom!).

Sunday worship also great.  Worshippers gathering together to focus on the Stations of the Cross and to go deep with God. Margarita, our young artist, put up pictures of the first three stations and we walked those stations during communion (great art work, Margarita!).  Looked at what to do “When You are Unjustly Accused.”

The thing I love about weekends is that people gather and focus our thoughts on God and on God’s people…moving beyond our narrow views to see the wider view of life.  Refreshing…  Ready for the week now.

Last Thursday we lost the appeal to the Board of Adjustment of the City of Phoenix.  What that means is we are still defined as a “charity dining hall” when we have a worship service with breakfast for the poor and homeless of our neighborhood.  How audacious to have the City redefine a church based on their understanding (or not) of who we are!  It really blows my heart!

But, no worry.  We go on.  We take the next step.  Conferring with our attorneys will make that clear soon. Step by step.  Inch by inch.  Move the mountain by standing, walking, continuing, pushing, plodding….and especially hoping…hoping for a new day where the words of Isaiah 58 are lived out by all:

No, the kind of fasting I want calls you to free those who are wrongly imprisoned and to stop                     oppressing those who work for you.  Treat them fairly and give them what they earn.  I want you to               share your food with the hungry and to welcome poor wanderers into your homes.  Give clothes to those     who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help.  If you do these things, your                 salvation will come like the dawn.  Yes, your healing will come quickly.  Your godliness will lead you             forward, and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind.  Then when you call, the Lord will                 answer, ‘Yes, I am here,’ he will quickly reply.

Sounds like “church” to me!

Saturday Breakfast Worship

The decision has been made that we are operating as a charity dining hall, and therefore are breaking zoning ordinance. So, to feed the hungry and poor on church property, according to this ruling, is not an allowed function of the church.

But the process is not over. We can appeal to the Board of Adjustment, and will be able to continue our ministry during this time.

However, there’s still a lot of questions to be answered. Questions like, How hungry? What about our potlucks? What about our Christmas dinner or Easter Sunrise breakfast? When I eat that, I am pretty hungry…is that allowed? What about the coffee and donuts we serve on Sunday mornings? Can we eat that if we are hungry? And then there is the other question, “How poor?” How poor do we have to be to be considered a “charity?” Federal-poverty-guidelines-poor? Not-able-to-make-the-house-payment-poor? Or, how about not-able-to-pay-off-the-credit-card-poor?

Or, are we just discriminating against people who are poor and who don’t have homes, because we don’t like what we feel when we see them? The real issue, is not that there are hungry people out there, or that we serve food in church, the real issue is that we are afraid. Afraid to reach out a helping hand; afraid to see what the economy could do to us; afraid to face our worst fears…

We can minister to the poor…that’s a given. We can hold a worship service for them out on the front lawn. We just can’t feed them. We can’t fill their bellies with warm food. …We might as well just go to the street corners and start handing out money, in hopes they will make their way to some food, because you are not allowed to do it at church!

And since, when we give food to the hungry and poor, that somehow redefines us as a “charity dining hall”…who among us can eat at church? Can we put a donut or a sip of coffee in our mouths when we can’t do the same for the poor? In good conscience, can we eat anything on church property if we can only give food to the well-off and wealthy?

And I haven’t even asked the other questions about our freedom of religion…our country’s decision to let religious folk be free to act out our faith…

Too many questions bog down my heart….

Oh, but one more question that was pointed out to me a few weeks ago…I wonder if Jesus had a permit to feed the 5000, or to break bread at the Upper Room, or to turn the water into wine at the wedding in Cana?

My, my, my! What have we come to? Where’s the love? Will you pray with me?

Rev. Dottie Escobedo-Frank

Pastor

CrossRoads United Methodist Church

I’ve been reading statistics about our neighborhood…and seeing the amazing diversity and rich fabric of all God’s creation that surrounds CrossRoads.  And I’ve been talking with pastors nearby and people in the neighborhood, and have been so awed by our shared difference.  I say “shared difference” because we are each other’s neighbors, and what happens to one happens to all.  We sometimes forget that, but today I am remembering…

So when a young girl asks for help, I remember what it was like to be young, while at the same time feeling my age…

And when an elderly gentleman explains his viewpoint, I hear his cry for the past, while continuing to seek out our common future.

And when an immigrant says, “I just want to work, Pastor,” I lift my head up and cry out to God for change so that he can work and feed his family…all the while I am humbled to be able to feed those I love.

We are so different.  But we belong to each other.  We are all neighbors, no matter our diverse-ness.  So when Jesus said “Love thy neighbor” I’m thinking he probably meant all of us.

well just got home from a beautiful and restful trip to Idaho.  Enjoyed visiting with family and being out of cell phone access.  I missed the phone for..oh…about a day.  Then I celebrated life without interruption!  The beauty of Idaho hills, the quiet sounds of nature, a real (non-commercialized) hot springs, and getting back on a horse again…all did wonders for this city-used-to-be-country girl!  Rest is good for the soul.

and so is work.  Landed back in Phoenix to see off our Seminary Intern, Brian Schlemmer.  He preached a powerful and challenging sermon.  What a godsend he has been as we faced a summer of challenge.  He’s off to finish his last year of seminary, and I’d say, he’s already ready to be a pastor.

this week will be another series of meetings as we continue to sit down with our neighbors and work towards resolution.  We are continuing to feed the homeless and stepping up in our attempt to be neighborly to all.  We have added a trash patrol, and alley-way checks on Saturday mornings.  We have added a 24-hour cell phone for assistance for the neighborhood.  The city, the neighbors, and the church are at the table doing the work of being a community.  Even though it’s not easy, it feels good and right.  Isn’t this what life is really about?

thank you everyone for your ongoing support.  We will keep you updated as time goes on, but for now, we continue to care for “the least of these”…and as our intern, Brian, reminded us this morning:  We need them as much (or more) as they need us.  In fact, if you think about it, who’s to say that “the least of these” isn’t just us?  (not good English, but you get the point).

what a summer!  God is good.  All the time.

A neighbor complained because we were feeding the homeless on church property.

So, two weeks ago, we were told by the City of Phoenix that we cannot feed the homeless on our property. It was said that we were in violation of our zoning ordinance.  As explained to us, feeding the homeless can only occur in a commercial or industrial zones, and we are residential.  But I believe the officials are redefining us as a “Charity Dining Hall”…or a “Religious Mission.”  Both of those entities have these zoning restrictions.  Our appeal to the city is that we are a “Church” and as such, the zoning ordinance does not restrict us from feeding the homeless.

More than that, we are a church who has a core belief in the action of faith.  Faith, for us, is not just something we talk about…it is something we do. 

In a city where homelessness is on the rise, where new first-time homeless families are showing up, and where even children and teens are being raised without roofs over their heads, this church, CrossRoads United Methodist, is stepping up to address a problem.  It does not make sense to ask us to stop for any reason!

We want to be good neighbors.  And for us, we see the “neighbor” as defined in the story of The Good Samaritan.  We will not pass by the neighbors with houses, nor the neighbors with out houses.  For it is our charge to live out our faith in the world, so that the one left broken, beaten down, and hungry is cared for, loved, and given hope.

So we gathered the family in Rocky Point (Puerto Penasco) Mexico…and there we witnessed the marriage of Sara and Alex Kekic.  It was a beautiful sight…watching love’s expression of commitment happen as we dressed formally, but barefoot, on the beach.  The sun was setting to a beautiful hue of reds, oranges and pinks…colors of the heart.  If we had planned for everything to go perfectly, we couldn’t have pulled it off better…which makes me think Someone was watching over us to give us a moment of true beauty.  And, the Mother Preacher didn’t even cry (I did all day, but not during the wedding!)

Afterwards we ate great food…even had a woman making homemade tortillas…and danced till they made us leave.  More fun.  More joy.  Life fully lived in a moment’s time.

Sara and Alex and Niko are fully family now.  And we are so proud of their love and life.

We are exhausted…and thanking God for the gift of deep joy.

This Sunday is Mother’s Day and I hope that you all come with your mama’s, your sons and daughters, and your grandchildren and greatgrandchildren.  It’s a day to worship as a family and to see how deep our connections go.  It’s a day to remember our mamas, and how deep our love endures.

My mama is an amazing woman of great strength, never-ending faith, and sure compassion.  She never talked ill of anyone, and if I did in her presence, she would gently remind me that we all have our stuff.  She would move the furniture around by herself, bake bread…teaching me how to knead it with her till it was “just right”, and provide emotional and faith support for people all around the world.  I know, cuz I listened in on many one-sided conversations…  I guess she taught me how to have compassion that way…

It’s not that mama’s perfect.  But it’s that she’s perfect in love.  No matter what happens, I know mama will be there on the other end of the phone when I need an understanding heart.  And I know she will tell me it’s going to be alright, and she will end up praying for me…right there on the phone…until the calm returns.

Every mama was created for love.  Maybe you are one.  Maybe you wish you were.  Maybe you never wanted that title attached to your personhood.  It’s okay.  Mostly I want you to know that you are loved, that you are loving, and that you are lovely.  All in God’s eyes…the One who made you just like you are (thanks Ruthanne!).  

Oh, yeah,…this Mother’s Day, I’m baptizing our grandson!  Think I’ll cry?

In faith, hope, and a mama’s love,

PastorDottie

…is one of my favorite sayings in the scripture.  Mainly because I can use it to care for other so often.  Like when we are praying at a hospital bed before surgery…peace that passes understanding…  Or when someone doesn’t know why they lost their job…peace that passes understanding…  Or when you get the news that your mama just passed on…peace that passes understanding.

I remind myself of this often too.  Mostly when I look at the news and see the words “Swine Flu Pandemic,” or “Schools Shut Down” or “Should We Gather in Public Spaces?”  Those things can bring us to a state of panic if we let them.  But we are the ones who follow the One who believed in “peace that passes understanding.”  So I encourage us all to keep the peace in our hearts, minds and in our families and communities.  Live the rule of love.  Keep close to God and to God’s world every day.  

And, in case you were wondering,…I’ll see you in church this Sunday!

Pastor Dottie