Why I Love Liturgy

May 10, 2012 in Frontpage Featured, Worship with 0 Comments

I wasn’t raised in a liturgical church.  In fact, the churches that I’ve been a part of have been as non-traditional as they come.  And while there is certainly nothing wrong with less structured forms of worship, I consistently felt that something was missing in my worship.  Because those services usually consisted of four songs and a sermon, I always felt compelled to connect the “theological dots” when leading musical worship.  As such, I tried to plan my songs in a way that would remind people of the full story of the gospel.  I would then challenge them to consider the implications of this glorious truth for them personally and for us corporately.  Then I would encourage them to respond accordingly in worship and service in their daily lives.

This took a lot of work and creativity to find songs that suited this journey every week. But as I began to study church history, I found that generations of church leaders had felt this same need — to not only remind people of the truth of the gospel, but also to reenact the grand story of Scripture through a set rhythm of worship on Sundays.  Now that I am a part of this rhythm at St. Peter’s, here are a few reasons that I love our liturgy.

1. Liturgy helps me remember.

I tend to be forgetful.  I forget God’s past faithfulness, present deliverance, and future hope.  Because I am forgetful, I need to be reminded.  Every week, the liturgy leads me through a process of remembrance.  In the confession, I am reminded that I am a sinner in need of grace and the absolution assures me that grace is mine in Christ.  The passing of the peace reminds me that Christianity is not simply about me, but rather it is we who have been called out to be the family of God.  And because we are saved by grace, we respond by giving our hearts in song and treasure.  The Scripture is read and taught to remind me of the good news of Jesus and to challenge me to live in a manner worthy of this gospel.   And participation in the Lord’s Supper is, among other things, a cosmic reminder that our story ends with a feast when the Kingdom comes in fullness.  I love that the liturgy helps me to remember the full story of the gospel.

2. Liturgy helps me learn.

I am still learning what it means to be a disciple of Jesus.  Because of that, the shape and content of the liturgy gives me ways to order my relationship to God.  I use the order of worship on Sunday mornings as a process to walk through in my personal times with the Lord.  In the same way we begin Sunday mornings by welcoming the Lord to be near and confessing our sins, I am taught to begin my day in a place of humility and dependence.  In that state, adoration, prayer and Scripture study come freely and build me up in the faith.  In addition, the words found in the prayers and songs on Sunday give me a rich language to use while speaking to God.  I love how the Sunday liturgy teaches me how to personally interact with the Living God.

3. Liturgy helps me to participate.

I like to be entertained. And because I often enjoy passive forms of entertainment like TV or movies, my posture in worship can tend toward passive observation.  The liturgy doesn’t allow me to watch indifferently, but rather, challenges me to participate.  I do not simply listen to the clergy pray – I am called to pray.  I cannot simply enjoy uplifting music – I am called to lift my heart and voice in praise.  When Scripture is read, I am encouraged to affirm that it is truly “the word of the Lord”.   I love that in the liturgy I am not an audience, but rather a participant along with the people of God in recounting together this glorious story of our faith.

Patrick Schlabs
Worship Pastor

God Has Bigger Plans than We Know

May 4, 2012 in Children, Frontpage Featured, Students, Uncategorized with 0 Comments

It is with great joy and expectation, but also with some sadness, that I share with you what God has done in my life. In answer to an eight-and-a-half year prayer, He is releasing me into my lifelong desire and call to witness to the light and love of Jesus Christ to those in the horse world.

On June 15th (my birthday), I will start my dream job in North Carolina. There I will manage a private, family horse farm in Southern Pines, ride and train the horses, nanny and care for a young girl entering the 9th grade, and work two mornings a week at the family’s marketing company in town. This will place me in the heart of horse country and position me in such a way that I can pursue my God-given dream – and make it a reality for His glory.

With this said, my last Sunday at St. Peter’s will be June 10th. This is a hard decision and move for me. I love my Church family, and the youth of St. Peter’s hold a particularly special place in my heart. This Church and the youth are a gift from God to me; each has brought joy and love into my life. The youth have taught me so much and I have loved being a part of the fruit that God is cultivating in their lives. Make no mistake that God is up to marvelous things in the lives of those here at St. Peter’s, and it has been an honor to be a part of it.

Now for the better news: God is not done with the youth at St. Peter’s! He has wonderful plans for them, for you and for your families. While good-byes are hard and sad, He is still on the move. He promises to be faithful, and since it is He who started the good work, He will be sure to see it through to completion. St. Peter’s Student Ministry has never been a one- or a two-man show. First and foremost, it is God’s, and taking our orders from Him, He has given us an amazing team of people who are committed to seeing the lives of our youth transformed and the Gospel shared and fulfilled. These people are committed to stepping up into a greater role and filling the void of my absence. Plus, just as God has so perfectly opened the door for me to walk through into the horse world, He will also open doors for the Student Ministry. He does not miss a detail and will not let things fall by the wayside. This is His ministry, for His glory, and He will do the work.

I have urged the youth to “trust and believe” and then to sit back in awe and wonder at our amazing and marvelous God. I urge you to do the same. This is not goodbye. I will be here for another six weeks and I will be back often. This is my home and church family, and I will only be four hours away.

I love you all and cannot thank you enough for the privilege of working alongside you in the Gospel.

In His Joy,
Atlee <><

Embarking on a Faith Journey

April 25, 2012 in Frontpage Featured, Uncategorized with 0 Comments

Over the past month I have been talking to a lot of folks around our Church about who we are and what we value as a Church family. The purpose of these conversations is to clarify, simplify and ultimately invite you into an accessible rhythm of life that will bring God’s blessing and encouragement to you and your family.

These conversations will be ongoing for the next month as we pray through and consider how Jesus has shaped us and how he is calling us as we look to the future. On Wednesday, May 23rd we will gather as a Church Family and after a “family meal” I will present to you what we have learned and where I sense we are headed here at St. Peter’s. I know that you will be encouraged and very excited about the future because I don’t think that I have ever felt any more encouraged and committed to a mission and vision for a Church as I do with what God is unfolding here at St. Peter’s.

In these conversations, some simple words are beginning to emerge that seem to capture the heart of who we are. While nothing has been formalized, I want to give you an insight into what is being discussed.

There seems to be a common theme that as a Church family we are committed to be a community of connection in Christ that aspires to transform lives and culture across the Lowcountry and beyond. At this point in the conversation, four ways are being named that encourage this transformation to be played out in sustainable ways in our lives:

  • Connect to Christ, to one another and to those who our lives touch.
  • Grow in faith, in freedom and in Godly character.
  • Serve, empowered by the Holy Spirit, the cause of Christ for the sake of others.
  • Give sacrificially of our time, talents and money for our God given mission.

However the heart of our Church is captured in words, we will eventually use these heart themes as a matrix on which we build and grow a rhythm of life at St. Peter’s — one that will offer hope and power to you and to the mission and ministry of our Church. There is still a lot more to this conversation that needs to be engaged, but I am excited about this faith journey that we are on.

Thank you for being a part of God’s unfolding work in and through St. Peter’s.

Faithfully,
TJ Johnston
Lead Pastor

Advancing Into the Wilderness Where Jesus Waits

April 25, 2012 in Community Life, Frontpage Featured, Uncategorized with 0 Comments

On the weekend of April 20th, something happened to a group of 25 men from St. Peter’s Church (myself included) that was long overdue: we advanced. Our first ever Men’s Advance was a trip were a group of men hiked into the wilderness of the North Carolina mountains to a camp called Pioneer Plunge and came home different…and different is good, because we men are a strange breed. Maybe we have been lied to by cultural influences or maybe we have been lead astray by those who shaped us as boys. Whichever the case is, we live lives that look like a bird in a fish tank or a fish in a bird cage…something isn’t right.

Men were made for adventure, but we settle for sitting on the couch (with great passion) watching other more brave souls partake in sport and adventure. Men dream dreams of greatness and transformation. These dreams are driven by strong and true principles. However, we rarely take the risk to allow these dreams to come to being. Men neither step up to positions of leadership nor follow faithfully into uncharted territory. Instead, we stay put in our discontent places and criticize those before and behind us. We men don’t like to socialize and rarely dare to be relational for fear we might compare ourselves to others, but we are terrified of silence and solitude because that is where our own thoughts of inadequacy are most loud. We men are each a living and breathing paradox. So what can save us from this sad state of manhood?

In order for us to become what and who we were meant to be, men have to go into the wilderness. Why the wild? Because the wilderness is unknown. In the beginning – in the garden – Adam’s first sin was to want to know more than God intended us to know. So he ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and thus became aware of his nakedness and broke communion with God. We men feel the need to have all the answers and we feel uncomfortable in our own skin unless we do. We have to go into the wilderness where the reality of God’s truth and creation is untamed. There we are faced with our greatest fears. We are faced with adventure that we cannot watch on TV. We are faced with new inspiration that causes us to dream with great power… a power that cannot be ignored. We are lead into the wilderness and must follow others on a trail up a mountain because we do not know the way. As we journey into the unknown it becomes evident that we are leading those behind us and this metaphor for our faith becomes alive to us. In the wilderness we find silence and solitude, while simultaneously struggling with the loud voices of self-hatred and disappointment. Yet when we sit in that isolation and quietness long enough, the steady, soft and powerful voice of God’s truth becomes audible.

We men are not transformed by the wilderness, but rather by the One who comes into clear focus when we are away from our distractions, busyness and comforts. When all else is carved away, Jesus Christ is there, in the wilderness with us, and it is there that he begins to re-create us. Real men actually do retreat. We retreat all too often and that is the problem. We retreat into our own world instead of advancing into God’s transformational kingdom. So now, the stage has been set… real men must never again retreat. Men of faith must ADVANCE into the wilderness and into the unknown quietness and adventure that is Jesus Christ.

Always Advancing,
Jimmy

 

Confirmation 2012

April 20, 2012 in Frontpage Featured, Students, Uncategorized with 0 Comments

This year, the St. Peter’s Student Ministry had an amazing Confirmation Class! For the past month and a half, some of the Youth at St. Peter’s and their parents decided to go on a journey to get to know Christ in a more intimate way, and to ultimately recommit their lives to him. They took five classes over the course of this time, and the Lord really spoke to them through Pastor TJ and Pastor Allen. It was amazing to see the Lord work through the Youth at St. Peter’s and see them recommit to the most important decision of their lives — to accept Jesus as the Savior of their life – and to answer a call to spend every day trying to honor, glorify and know him better. Praise the Lord!

In Christ,
Daniel

Cast Your Net

March 19, 2012 in Community Life, Frontpage Featured, Uncategorized with 0 Comments

“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” Mark 1:17

The imagery and significance of this statement has been one that I have reflected on and thought about during this Lenten season.  I have heard it, and know it, but what does it really look like in day to day living?  I really do like to fish, but the thought of “hook, line and sinker” doesn’t seem to match up with the heart of Jesus.  We can catch a vision, get drawn in and be all for it, but then what do we do with it?  We don’t want to “sink”.  This implies we may find ourselves alone.  That is not Jesus’ intention for us or the church, either.

As he begins his ministry, he calls on men who are fishermen-it is their job.  They couldn’t spend all day just casting a rod and reel with hopes something would bite.  They had specific places they knew they could go and catch the fish.  They had to rig large nets that would spread wide and catch masses of fish for their mission.  I love that image of a net.  Most of us are not fishermen by trade; some go for leisure, and others have no desire at all to go.  BUT, we all rig our lives by weaving a net that allow us to cast to people in our community.  Think about it: On a daily basis where do you go?  Where do you spend the most time?  Who do you spend time with?

If you were to draw a line from place to place, how would your net look? 

This is such a great visual of the reality of your community and where you are invested.  I pray we are a church that will be intentional with where we spend time and that we would cast wide into the Lowcountry community in order to pull others into what we know of Jesus and His great love for us!

In Him,
Margaret
Pastor of Community Life

Winter Weekend Highlight Video

March 19, 2012 in Students, Uncategorized with 0 Comments

Here is a link to the St. Peter’s Student Ministry Winter Weekend Highlight Video. We took 15 High Schooler’s to Lake Lure, NC and had a blast! Enjoy!

Groceries Galore!

March 19, 2012 in Missions, Uncategorized with 0 Comments

Thank you all who participated in Grocery Bag Sunday!  We successfully donated many, many meals for our neighbors in need.  If you would like to continue to donate on a regular basis ECCO is always open for donations.

 

Let us not forget those in need as we get back into our daily grind of life.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”  Mark 12:30-31

 

 

Daily “Doing” During Lent

March 13, 2012 in Children, Frontpage Featured, Uncategorized with 0 Comments

For centuries, Christians have observed a forty-day period of preparation prior to Easter Sunday. They have used this period to focus on what our Lord Jesus did and taught during his last days on Earth. St. Peters Church and the Children’s Ministry continue to build on that tradition with our Lenten Series teachings.

Many of us were raised in various churches, and I, for one, was raised in a church that didn’t ask us to “give up something for Lent”. As a child, I was always relieved that I didn’t go to the same church where my friends went. I thought how horrible it must be to give up something you love like soda, chocolate, candy, etc. As I’ve matured in my Christian walk, I find it intriguing and powerful, and a small way to try to fully grasp the sacrifice Jesus made for us.

In the Children’s Ministry, we’re talking about how Lent can be honored by not only “giving up something”, but also by “taking on something extra” daily. Something we don’t really want to do but it would be nice if we did….and we need to do it every day for 40 days. During those times when we crave what we gave up or don’t feel like doing the service we took on (i.e. making our siblings bed everyday), it serves as a reminder of the sacrifice Jesus made for us and of how much he loves us. During our reflection of this, during this 40 day journey, it is our opportunity to explore His love for us and rejoice in the victory He has won for us!

In Children’s Ministry we asked the kids to think of things they could do for people they love each day to symbolize this. They made coupons to give to parents, siblings, grandparens, or friends. I was so impressed with the thought they put into this and with some of the things they committed to doing. Make sure you get your coupons and talk with you children about how important it is to actually do what they said they were going to do. And, when they don’t feel like doing it, remind them to think of how much Jesus sacrificed for us. I know they are in for an incredible journey.

May our Savior fill you with awe and wonder as you walk closely with Him in the weeks ahead.

Children’s Ministry Volunteer Coordinator,
Shari Sebuck

Grocery Bag Sunday

March 8, 2012 in Missions, Uncategorized with 0 Comments

In mid-March, we are participating in Grocery Bag Sunday in partnership with East Cooper Community Outreach. On the 11th, we will be giving empty grocery bags out after the service for each family to take home and fill with non perishable items throughout the week.  The following Sunday — March 18th — we will collect all the bags and give them to the ECCO Food Bank for distribution to our neighbors here in Mt. Pleasant.

Last year,  ECCO handed out 186 thousand pounds of food to the community.  That is a staggering amount of food, but what is more staggering to me is the fact that the recipients are my neighbors!!  Would you ever think that the people you live among everyday were in need of thousands of pounds of food?

So, this begs the question…what are you going to do about it?  What are we, as a church going to do about it?  What are you as a neighbor going to do about it?  Our donation to the food bank is a good first step, I encourage you to pray the following prayer and then listen to what the Lord has to say.

 

Loving God,
You are our Creator and Sustainer.
When You open Your hand,
You satisfy the hunger and thirst of every living thing. And so we look to You whenever we are in need,
trusting in Your love and Your abundant goodness.

As You once fed the hungry crowds with five loaves and two small fish,
we ask that You would again fill those who are empty this day.
Pour out Your Spirit on all who hunger and thirst, especially our own neighbors here in Mt. Pleasant.

Fill us with Your compassion and love,
so that we would willingly share some of our abundance with those in need.

In Jesus’ name we pray

~Amen~

Be Blessed,
Millie Eggert
Missions Director

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