National Avenue Christian Church

Springfield, Missouri

17 Apr 2012
2 Comments

Resurrections and ruptures

This Eastertide, our conversations will focus on the reverberations of the resurrection throughout our tradition. The story of Jesus has inspired a global religious movement that has a wide-range of diverse beliefs and practices. Though they are so diverse, these different pieces of our tradition all trace their origins to the story of Jesus. As we continue to discern where God is leading us as a community of faith, we’ll be looking at some aspects of these traditions and searching for the hidden kernels of resurrection that have inspired those who follow in the way of Jesus for such a long time. Some of these thoughts might make us uncomfortable, but we may also be surprised to see where life shines through the many strands of the Christian history.

So join us for the next few weeks as we explore our past(s) and discover our future together.

Posted by matthewgallion in Forethought, The Church
04 Apr 2012
2 Comments

“I have been to the mountaintop.”

Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will. And [God]‘s allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked over. And I’ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land!

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop,” April 3, 1968

If you were taking a final journey with your closest friends, where would you go? Who or what would you take with you?

Posted by matthewgallion in The Church
03 Apr 2012

Holy Week and Easter

Don’t forget about these upcoming Holy Week activities:

  • Maundy Thursday Dinner – 6 pm in the Gallery at NACC. Please contact the church office so that we can be adequately prepared.
  • Community Good Friday Service – 12 noon at South Street Christian Church
  • Good Friday Meditation – 4 pm to midnight in the Gallery at NACC.
  • Easter Sunday Services – 8 and 10 am. We’ll be hosting a coffee fellowship at 9. Please feel free to bring some delicious goodies to share for that time.
Posted by matthewgallion in The Church and tagged | Leave a Comment
15 Mar 2012

The Charter of Compassion

Well-known religious thinker Karen Armstrong sent a note out this week describing an upcoming lecture she’ll be giving online on March 22.

Here’s a link to the note. Check it out!

Posted by matthewgallion in Uncategorized | Leave a Comment
12 Mar 2012

Evita

Our very own Kelly Osborne is the star of the Springfield Contemporary Theater’s rendition of Evita! The show runs for the next three weekends with matinees on March 18th and the 25th. Make sure you get some tickets and head to support Kelly!

For tickets, call 417-831-8001.

Here’s the website for more details and pricing.

Posted by matthewgallion in Uncategorized | Leave a Comment
06 Mar 2012

A word from Tina Watson

By now, you may have heard of the initiative to cap the interest rates that payday and title loan companies are allowed to charge in the state of Missouri. This issue is important to many people in our community and our congregation. Tina Watson is one such individual, and she asked us to share this note.

Are you interested in the current local initiatives regarding the minimum wage increase and a cap on predatory payday loan rates? If so and you’d like to help collect signatures toward these initiatives, there will be a training for this coming up by Emily Bowen of Brentwood Christian Church. Please email Tina Watson at cmwatson67@sbcglobal.net and let me know. The goal is to gather signatures on a few Sundays at church before April 1.

Posted by matthewgallion in The Church and tagged | Leave a Comment
29 Feb 2012
1 Comment

Times of pain

Lent is often associated with a wandering in the desert. Occasionally, we have our own deserts to face. Often we encounter others on our journeys who, though they only intend to help, seem to offer more pain than comfort. For example, I’ve heard people offer condolences to a young family who had lost a child by suggesting that “God must have needed another angel in heaven.” I’m sure these people were struggling to find something–anything–to say, but I couldn’t help but wonder if what they managed to come up with did more harm than good.

This week, we want our conversation to come from our own voices. We’re asking you to respond and to give us your feedback.

What is the worst thing someone has said to you during a time of pain?

Posted by matthewgallion in Forethought, The Church and tagged ,
27 Feb 2012

Lenten Practice

All truly great thoughts are conceived by walking.
–Friedrich Nietzsche

Check out these Lenten practices suggested by Nadia Bolz-Weber.

Nadia is the founding organizer of House For All Sinners and Saints, an emergent and Lutheran congregation in Denver, Colorado. A long-time member of the emergent conversation, she is a prolific writer/blogger and a sought after speaker.

You can grab her book about Christian television broadcasting here.

Or, you could check out her contribution to The Hyphenateds, which was edited by Brentwood Christian Church’s very own Phil Snider and which includes a really nerdy article by NACC’s very own nerdy pastoral resident. Just saying.

Posted by matthewgallion in Links and tagged | Leave a Comment
23 Feb 2012
3 Comments

Ashes to Ashes . . .

. . . we all fall down.

This week, Christians all over the world began their annual remembrance of the season called Lent. I noticed earlier this week that “Lent” was actually trending on Twitter, meaning there were a lot of people talking about it on the internet. All in all, most people were outsourcing their Lenten commitments and relying on their social networks to determine what they ought to give up. To be honest, it all sounded like noise to me.

But I was struck last night by the last phrase of the Scripture reading in our Ash Wednesday service. After Jesus was tempted in the desert for forty days, he was left alone in the desert. The quietness of those moments must have been a welcome relief. I was also reminded of the stories about Jesus calming the storm. The disciples were so caught up in the dangers of the storms, and Jesus simply speaks a word and peace settles over the surface of the waters.

Lent is a time of thoughtfulness in which we re-examine our old assumptions, look closely at our lives, and pursue meaning in unexpected places. This year, may we find the peace and comfort that comes in the silence of self-reflection and discovery.

Join us for worship at 10 am on Sunday as we embark on this Lenten journey together.

Posted by matthewgallion in Forethought, The Church and tagged
22 Feb 2012

Ash Wednesday Service

At our Third Sunday Service this past week, we had a conversation about Lent that centered around a single question: What does Lent mean for us in our here and now? 

In the course of the conversation, someone mentioned the beautiful experience of watching a child with autism discover a new way to communicate through a trumpet. Having worked with kids with autism, I was instantly reminded of all the incredible things I have seen when one of them found something like that.

This year, what if Lent was a time in which we sought out some new ways to express ourselves? What if our Lenten practices were a means to explore ourselves more fully, to create space for new experiences, and to pursue life in unexpected places.

Join us tonight at 7pm in the Gallery for a time of reflection and hopeful expectation as we moved into this season of Lent together.

Posted by matthewgallion in The Church and tagged | Leave a Comment

Post Navigation

← Older Entries
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.