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Pastor Gregory Perkins encourages us to “keep our eyes on Jesus”
Pastor Gregory Perkins and the St. Paul Community Baptist Church were our guest on Tuesday, October 20, 2009 as we continued our pre-unity day celebration. The choir of St. Paul blessed our hearts with soulful singing and Pastor Perkins provided a timely reminder to keep our eyes on Jesus.
The Pre-Unity Day Celebration is going wonderfully and we have two more Tuesday night services to go. Next week our guest will be Pastor Terry McCullum and the Timothy Baptist Church of West Baltimore. All are invited.
Check out this clip from Pastor Perkins’ sermon and a few bars of the great singing that filled the house that night as well.
Pastor Guy Robinson kicks of Unity Day Celebrations!
Pastor Guy Robinson and the Jones Tabernacle Baptist Church were our guests on Tuesday, October 13, 2009. They truly helped to kick off Unity Day festivities at Pleasant Hope Baptist Church. For the next three Tuesday nights at 7PM, we’ll gather for worship.
For those who were not able to attend this past Tuesday’s worship, you truly missed a treat. Check out this clip from Pastor Robinson’s sermon: “A Critical Intervention.”
Analyzing The Church Covenant: An Invitation to Deeper Understanding
This past Sunday, after 6 months of asking the congregation to be prayerful about the Baptist Church Covenant, which we traditionally read on 4th Sundays before Communion; I made the decision to discontinue reading it until the church could explore both its origins and the context of its creation. In small group settings I learned that some members of the church had questions about it. Other members took issue with parts of it. Some questions were raised about it that I could not answer. I didn’t know the full history behind where this document came from and surprisingly neither did those who had been reciting it for years!
The other thing I learned in small group settings is that there were parts of it that people didn’t agree with it, so instead of joining the congregation in reading it in all parts; they would be silent on different parts that they took issue with. For those who did read all of it; they couldn’t stand and say that they practiced its words or were even trying anymore. (For example, in holding family devotions.) Sadly, the Church Covenant had become a stale and hollow document. It did not truly convict nor did it inspire. It was a recitation that could be mindlessly read with no true attention to anything it said.
It gave birth to a question in mind: Why is this church reading a document that they don’t know the history on, don’t agree with it in all parts, and aren’t even convicted to strive to the standard it sets?
So we’ve launched a churchwide campaign to analyze the covenant and our relation to it. The Lord’s question to the prophet Ezekiel was, “can these bones live?” And our question as a church family is, “can this covenant live?”
Below you’ll find the Church Covenant that we read congregationally every 4th Sunday before we take Communion. I’d be interested in hearing your thoughts, questions, or opinions on it. Send me your “covenant story.” How has the covenant impacted your life? What don’t you understand about it? What would you like to learn about it? In what ways do you agree or disagree with its contents?
The Baptist Church Covenant
“Having been led, as we believe, by the Spirit of God, to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour, and on the profession of our faith, having been baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, we do now in the presence of God, angels, and this assembly, most solemnly and joyfully enter into covenant with one another, as one body in Christ.
“We engage, therefore, by the aid of the Holy Spirit, to walk together in Christian love; to strive for the advancement of this church, in knowledge, holiness, and comfort; to promote its prosperity and spirituality; to sustain its worship, ordinances, discipline, and doctrines; to contribute cheerfully and regularly to the support of the ministry, the expenses of the church, the relief of the poor, and the spread of the gospel through all nations.
“We also engage to maintain family and secret devotion; to religiously educate our children; to seek the salvation of our kindred and acquaintance; to walk circumspectly in the world; to be just in our dealings, faithful in our engagements, and exemplary in our deportment; to avoid all tattling, backbiting, and excessive anger; to abstain from the sale and use of intoxicating drinks as a beverage, and to be zealous in our efforts to advance the kingdom of our Saviour.
“We further engage to watch over one another in brotherly love; to remember each other in prayer; to aid each other in sickness and distress; to cultivate Christian sympathy in feeling and courtesy in speech; to be slow to take offence, but always ready for reconciliation, and mindful of the rules of our Saviour to secure it without delay.
“We moreover engage that when we remove from this place, we will as soon as possible unite with some other church, where we can carry out the spirit of this covenant and the principles of God’s word.”
Asking The Right Questions
Christian Education at Pleasant Hope is about to undergo a transformation. Like many churches Sunday School, Bible Study, and Vacation Bible School have operated under a “what to think” educational pedagogy. People came to Christian education venues at church to find out what to think…to get the “right” answers and be affirmed in their Faith. This assumes something about the students and the purpose of the teaching. It assumes that they don’t “know” at the level they should and if they only knew more they’d be better Christians.
However, these days, I’m more and more convinced that “knowing more” alone doesn’t propel Believers to meaningful depth of relationship with God and each other. Some of the most knowledgeable people in churches across America are also among those who have a shallow and undisciplined Faith. It matters less now how much you know. Having God “in your head” is no comparison to God living in your heart.
What implications might this have on the local assembly?
I think it pushes us to move away from having all of the answers. (The truth be told this model doesn’t often inspire people to sign up to teach because they don’t feel that they have all the answers.)
Now the model invites us to ask the right questions – questions that will inspire reflection, discussion, imagination, and action. It may mean we have to put down the traditional Christian Education materials which focus on “multiple choice” and “fill in the blank” Faith. We may need to explore our environment for the issues that focus our minds on the questions of ultimate concern to our context and then wrestle with the Gospel’s application to that question.
With this as our pedagogy; it will become more and more common for us to engage in discussions where there isn’t immediate agreement. In fact, there may never be full agreement with the perspective of the person sitting next to you in Sunday School. The old model forced people into “right answers”. This new model invites authentic reflection and sharing. We won’t fall to pieces because we don’t agree on secondary Christian doctrine or application of scripture. To be honest, we are in love and in community with hundreds of people that we don’t agree with on everything.
It’ll be a less “manageable” Sunday School, but I guarantee it’ll be a more exciting one. People tend to gravitate toward settings where their opinion, perspective, or beliefs are welcome….even if not agreed with. Let’s retire the “Teacher-Student” model in our churches and explore how a “Facilitator-Participant” paradigm will enhance what should be the goal of Christian Education: mature, people of Faith, living in community with fellow Believers and Neighbors in light of the witness of the Gospel of Jesus.
Check out this interview with Gabe Lyons on Ooze.TV about Learning From Those Unlike You
Pleasant Hope joins neighbors in uniting for PEACE in our Community!
Thank you to all who participated! Let’s stay connected and allow God to use us to provide safe havens in our community for the young and the older alike. Violence will not have dominion in our community!
What do you think about the video?
For those who participated – describe what it was like allowing God to use you in this way on a Sunday after church.
(Thanks to Dalyn for shooting the video and to Habby for taking great pictures!)
More violence in our community: We choose not to stand idly by
Near the corner of York Road and Dumbarton Avenue, another incident of violence occurred in our community. The Baltimore Sun reports that 38 year old, John Woodies was shot at the local basketball and died later at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Sadly this was just one violent episode in this community which is in the midst of an already violent summer. The Sun gives this summation of recent violence in this community:
Baltimore police were investigating four shootings, two of them fatal. About 3 p.m. Monday, Antwon Witherspoon, 28, of the 2500 block of N. Charles St., was shot to death while standing in an alley off the 2900 block of The Alameda. About 7:15 p.m. Monday, officers were called to the 4000 block of Old York Road at Dumbarton Avenue for a reported shooting. They found John Woodies, 38, of the 700 block of Grantley St., lying on a basketball court with wounds to the chest, police said. The man was taken to Johns Hopkins Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 7:54 p.m.
As people of Faith and conscience; we cannot stand idly by while violence seeks to establish a stronghold in our neighborhoods. A diverse coalition of concerned neighbors is forming to discuss ways that we as a community can respond and hopefully stem the tide of murder and violence in our community.
As a first step, we’ll be gathering for a Prayer Vigil on Sunday, July 19, 2009 12Noon at the Family Dollar parking lot located at the intersection of York Road and Woodbourne Avenue. From there we’ll march a short distance to the site of one of the recent stabbings in our community. For more information click here.
Their blood cries out from the ground
Pleasant Hope’s facilities are located right near the Baltimore City/Baltimore County line. It is a diverse community with vibrant neighborhoods, a bustling commercial district, and a long list of k-12 and Higher Education schools. With all of those great components of a healthy community, one would think that our locale is immune to the violence that some are more accustomed to seeing in the more impoverished parts of Baltimore City. However, the scourge of violence can be found here as well.
A little more than two weeks ago, Joseph Woah-Tee, owner of the Gaimei Nangbn Multi-purpose Neighborhood Center and longtime resident of Baltimore, was killed in a robbery attempt at his center while trying to close up shop after renting the center for a late night party.
Then on June 18, less than 1 mile away, a young man in his late teens or early 20′s was killed in what the Baltimore Sun describes as a raucous “street fight between several people.” The young man was stabbed and died about an hour later at an area hospital.
And of course those in this community remember that it was only last year that our former Baltimore City Councilman, Ken Harris, was killed in a robbery attempt at Haven’s Lounge at the Northwood Shopping Center across from Morgan State University only a couple of miles from the murders listed above.
While, there were some rallies for peace after Harris’ murder, they eventually phased out and I’ve heard nothing of a community response concerning Woah-Tee’s murder or the murder of the young man on June 18th.
It compounds and complicates the situation when these types of atrocious acts can happen in our midst with little to no acknowledgement and no sustained plan of action to attempt to prevent it from happening again.
As a church family that is serious about being a beacon of light and hope in this community; the question is how should we engage these types of violent occurrences in our community? Is this a spiritual issue? A social issue? A political issue? And should our church just pray about it? Should we engage our elected officials? Should we attempt to organize other community members? Or is it a combination of things?
How should we respond? What are the issues that we must consider? That’s what we’re trying to discern at this point.
What do you think about all of this?
Come let us reason together.
Missionary Sunday comes to life at Pleasant Hope
Today was Missionary Sunday at Pleasant Hope. Missionary Sunday is usually the 5th Sunday of every month and highlights the service of the lovely ladies dressed in white who commit themselves to serving others in the name of the Lord. They sit on the second row and are called upon to read a scripture and provide a prayer to start the morning worship experience. This has traditionally been the Missionary Sunday experience.
Today however, we made a slight departure from that and began a new chapter by inviting an actual Missionary to be our morning speaker on Missionary Sunday. His name is David Hosey and he is a Mission Intern on the Board of Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church. He has recently returned from a year and a half stay in Palestine/Israel and now works at an organization called U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation.
Missionary David spoke passionately about the need for all Believers to pray for, be educated about, and advocate for peace in the so-called Holy Land. He informed the congregation about the myriad of injustices being committed on the Palestinian people at the hands of the Israeli Government and with the support of the U.S. taxpayer. Checkpoints, an apartheid wall, and house demolitions describe a small fraction of the unjust conditions being thrust upon the Palestinian people.
However, Missionary David also spoke of the amazing faith and hope that can also be found among both the Israeli and Palestinian communities. While often described in american media as eternal enemies, Missionary David spoke about how Palestinians and Jews in Israel are working together to create a peaceful and just existence for all in the often troubled region.
Missionary Sunday will never be the same and prayerfully new missionaries will rise up right from the pews of Pleasant Hope to answer God’s call to spread peace, justice, and righteousness both locally and abroad in the name of Jesus.
Missionaries on a Mission!
On Thursday, October 23, 2008, Pastor Brown and the Missionaries made their annual trip to the Maryland Baptist Aged Home. We had a wonderful time of sharing with the residents of that facility. Uplifting song, an inspirational message, and true Christian fellowship characterized the visit. We look forward to increasing our involvement with the Baptist Aged Home and were glad to make a financial donation in addition to giving each person a bag of goodies. We look forward to going again real soon.
Installation of our new Pastor – Sunday, October 5, 2008
At the 11AM Service we will be at Pleasant Hope Baptist Church (430 E. Belvedere Avenue, Baltimore 21212) with special guest preacher, Pastor Michael Bell from Peace Baptist Church (Washington, DC).
The official Installation Service will begin at 3:30PM at Shiloh Baptist Church (2499 Sycamore Avenue, Edgemere, MD 21219).
All are welcome!
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