Missionary Renegade: Normal Heights United Methodist Church of San Diego, California, United States with Reverend Brent Ross, Senior Pastor, This Week in Worship • A Thomas Moment for Thursday, 9 April 2015

Thursday, April 9, 2015

Normal Heights United Methodist Church of San Diego, California, United States with Reverend Brent Ross, Senior Pastor, This Week in Worship • A Thomas Moment for Thursday, 9 April 2015

Normal Heights United Methodist Church of San Diego, California, United States with Reverend Brent Ross, Senior Pastor, This Week in Worship • A Thomas Moment for Thursday, 9 April 2015
What you'll find in this week's email:
This Week in Worship: A Thomas Moment
Community Life
Faith on Tap: East Side ( Tonight! • 6:30p-8p )
Pancake Breakfast ( This Sunday • 8:30a-9:45a • Volunteers Needed! )
Faith on Tap: West Side ( 4/23 • 6:30p-8p )
Adams Avenue Unplugged ( 4/25 & 4/26 )

A few years ago, I attended a party where I knew absolutely no one. It was awful. As the “new pastor” of the church, I had received a request to attend a local community mixer with other leaders and business owners in the area, and so I had told myself that it was the “responsible thing to do” to attend this function. I told myself that this would be important for me, and that this would be worthwhile. I told myself that this is the type of thing “real pastors” do in order to immerse themselves in a community.
But, of course, from the first moment that I said I would go…dread had started to build. As the type of person who really likes to know what I am getting into, the fact that I couldn’t picture the answers to questions like: Who would I sit with? and Who would I talk to? really started to gnaw at me. The uncertainty of the event refused to let me be relaxed about the opportunity that was there, and instead caused me to focus on my worries. But, despite all my reticence, I maintained my resolve that I would go. And as the day of the party arrived, I headed to the venue…stirred my courage and walked in the front door.
And it was exactly the way I thought it would be…there was no one I knew, but clearly everyone else knew most everyone. People huddled in small circles talking and laughing as I looked for any opening to make my way in to a social circle. Worse yet…breakfast was served and I had to find a table to sit and eat, but most were full. I hovered from place to place constantly pretending to need a napkin or some sugar for my coffee, and all of this in hopes of delaying that moment where I had to squeeze my place in somewhere. I could not find my place in the party, and began to wonder why I had subjected myself to such a nightmare.
And then, it happened. I saw movement over to my right side and as I looked to where the front door was just swinging closed…a familiar face. A familiar face. Someone I knew! Someone that would be glad to see me! Best of all, someone that I could sit with! (Now, you may think I am overstating my exuberance, but I assure you I’m not. I believe that there is truly few things that feel better in life than when you suddenly find that you are not alone in a group.) And so it was, that only a few minutes later everything was right again. I had someone to sit with and someone who helped me feel “found.” It was glorious.
I think some of us will get that same experience this week when we read the story of the disciple Thomas found in John 20. Thomas, who has rather unfairly been labeled “Doubting Thomas,” shows up in this story about the risen Christ, and reading it feels like recognizing someone who you know…someone who by merely showing up reminds you that you are not alone. Because Thomas, he demands to know for himself whether Christ is really alive. He doesn’t rest on other people’s tales or evidence, but instead he says “I need to know for myself.” Thomas, you see, takes these claims seriously enough to weigh their truth for himself.
Do you have doubts about church? Do you have skepticism about Christianity? Do you ever stop and think “Wait a minute…is all this really true?” If so, good. You have a twin. A man named Thomas who felt the same way. A disciple of Jesus and one who is venerated in the Bible because he took the whole thing seriously enough to say “Show me. I want to see for myself.” Come on Sunday and lets do the same…lets talk about the goodness and the sacredness of demanding to know for ourselves that Christ is alive.

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Our Building Manager, Bert Hanlon, had a medical procedure earlier this week. Prayers would be appreciated for him. Bert is recovering well, and will be back to work in a couple of weeks. Please keep him in your prayers and thoughts as he continues to recover!
Also, remember the Samuela family in your prayers. Silei Samuela passed away last week at the age of 94, and she was truly a matriarch of the family. Please keep Joe, Lisa and the whole extended family in your prayers in light of Grandma Silei’s passing.

This Month's Topic:
Doubt and Faith...
Our East County chapter of “Faith on Tap” meets tonight! “Faith on Tap” is our monthly casual discussion group combining great beers with approachable discussions about theology and faith, and this month we will be discussing the topic of “doubt and faith”, in coordination with this Sunday's sermon. For more information and directions, please email Alisa Wentzel at sugie1980@gmail.com!

Our next free pancake breakfast is this Sunday at 8:30am! Come to serve, talk or just eat! Don't worry about feeding your family, let us do the work. Stick around and check out our Sunday School & Worship Service afterwards if you'd like.
We need more volunteers this Sunday! Please e-mail Nancy if you'd like to help out.

This Month's Topic:
Is there evidence in the Bible to support the belief that everyone might be saved?
This month we will be talking about the belief called Universalism. Universalism is the belief that everyone will be saved, and perhaps not even everyone, but everything. But what does it mean to say or believe that? Is there proof of this? Is it in the Bible anywhere? What does that say about personal responsibility? At our next Faith on Tap, we will be discussing the question: “Can Everything Be Saved?”
“Faith on Tap” is our casual beer and faith discussion group. We meet at the home of local church members, Mike and Nancy Palmer, and if you’d like directions or want more info, please email Nancy directly at nancy@nhunited.org. Everyone is welcome at this event!

Adams Avenue Unplugged is coming! This 2-day music festival brings people from all over San Diego to our neighborhood, and to our church! Our church has the distinction of being the main stage for many of the performances, which is a great opportunity to introduce ourselves to people. We are looking for volunteers in many roles to help ~ baking for the bake sale, helping families let their children use our playroom, and letting everyone know about our summer activities. Let Nancyknow if you want to help out. Note that on Sunday, April 26th we will have our service for the morning at 9am! This is due to the Adams Ave. Unplugged Series, which is using our sanctuary for many of the musicians, and to the roads being closed that day.