Fresh Earth

Fresh Earth?

 

Don't know about you, but I… HATE… Summer.  Yep, "hate" is definitely the word.  Sweating when you work or workout is no big deal to me, I don't mind that, and kinda like it actually, but sweating while you are just standing there, or just trying to get ready for work… not so much.

This past Summer was even more despised by me than most, because I spent much of it laid up and trying to recover from surgery.  I had to just kind of sit there, sweat, and wait for Summer to pass.  For me, the only thing good about Summer is that it is followed by Fall.  Yep, I'm a Fall guy.  And, Fall is finally here!  Yay!!!

Fall is my favorite time of year for so many, many reasons… football, deer hunting, cooler temperatures, the opportunity to ride my motorcycle down back-roads lined by trees losing their leaves and in various stages of change and color.  Fall…  Happy days are here…  

Over the past few weeks I have been reminded of a couple of additional reasons I love Fall as I had the opportunity to return to rural America and to do some evangelistic speaking in Ashland, Nebraska, and Rozel, Kansas.  While there, I found myself surrounded by agricultural communities both of which were either preparing for, or in the full swing of Fall harvest and planting season.  There is something about the smell of corn and milo harvest in the cool of an early Autumn evening on the Great Plains that stirs my soul.  And, in Kansas in particular, the smell of fresh earth that fills the air as wheat farmers till up the ground from last year's crop and plant (drill) the coming year's crop, just floods me with hope.

Fresh earth, I truly love that scent… For me, it is the smell of potential and possibility.  It is a smell that reminds me that there is a future that I cannot see, and that God is ultimately in control of.  It is a reminder to me to pray and ask God to break up the hard, dormant ground of my heart and to ask Him to prepare me for the planting within of that which will produce in me a fruitful and abundant spiritual harvest.  

Hosea 10:12 says, "Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love, break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the Lord, that He may come and rain righteousness upon you."

This Fall, as you see all of the Autumn and seasonal changes going on around you, I'd like to challenge you to begin to pray this prayer, or one like it:

"Dear God, please break up the hardened areas (fallow ground) of my heart, and plant (sow) in me right thinking, attitudes, words, actions, feelings and all the changes that you see are necessary in me at this stage of my spiritual growth.  Then, rain down on me Lord, the blessings of your goodness, love, mercy and forgiveness (righteousness), that will help me live out the purpose and the plan you have for my life, and bring forth a harvest that will truly make a difference in this world.  Help me Lord, in this season of Grace in which I find myself, to seek you with all of my heart, soul, mind and strength, knowing that with you, in you, and through you, the best is always yet to come.  Help me Lord, to Keep on Keepin' on In Jesus, in and through every moment of every day of every season that I find myself in the midst of. 

In Jesus Name, Amen"

 

Rob Schmutz, Pastor
Zechariah 4:10a

The Church at Park City
1510 East 61st Street North
Park City, KS 67219

 

www.facebook.com/TheChurchAtParkCity

http://www.churchatparkcity.com/

 

 

Faith-sharing in a “Pre-Christian” Context

Faith-sharing in a "Pre-Christian" Context (An article written for "RETHINKHOME")

There has been much talk over the past 5-10 years, from Church growth experts and Church futurists, lamenting the reality that we now live at a time in which the Church has lost relevance, credibility, and position in both culture and society. These experts tell us that we now live in, among other things, what could only be identified as a "Post-Christian" era. Likewise, word has it, that in this "Post-Christian" era, the Church is in the process of "imploding" and that all things Church are undoubtedly going from bad to worse, doom to gloom, destruction to blah, blah, blah…

But, what if potentially, we have the power, as the Church, now, to create and begin to live in an alternative reality? And, what if in the missional context that the Church now finds itself, it could be that the best is yet to come? What might happen if we stopped lamenting, labeling and defining these times which now surround us as "Post-Christian," and instead decided to take a leap of perspective and begin to see them as "Pre-Christian?" What if we stopped focusing on what once was, and opened our eyes instead, to a new paradigm of hope, embracing as the Church, what might just be a divinely appointed (kairos) moment of opportunity to be the Church, and to begin to experience something very much like the First Century, all over again?

For us, at C@PC, as a "parachute drop" (90% failure rate) new church start, having started with literally only 12 people, meeting "illegally" in the back room of a gutted, bankrupt, foreclosed on store-front building (not yet approved for occupancy), in a decreasing population area (hit hard by the economic downturn that began in 2008), this leap to an alternative perspective and the complete embracing of a paradigm of hope has been the only way we could have survived as a new church start beyond our first 6 months of life. It has been an experience in which we have been forced to understand that faith-sharing in a "Pre-Christian" context must be both culturally relevant and determined by the felt needs and the expressed interests of the mission field. (See: Acts 17:22-34)

As a result, we have intentionally taken a "non-typical" approach to how we engage with our mission field in faith-sharing, both by employing the use of social media for coordinating, publicizing, and promoting events and outreaches (cultural relevance / technology), and by determining what are the expressed needs of our target demographic in the planning of ministry actions and events (missional context). For example, as I write this article I am doing so with an ice-pack on a shoulder injury I sustained while taking part in a fitness obstacle course called "Hard Charge" that was held in the context of our mission field, having just also posted pictures and comments from the experience on social media which is literally (as I write) exploding with interactions and connections between event participants, C@PC'ers, and their friends.

Events like this to us at C@PC are a great way to make our presence known in the community, and also draw in, start conversations, and create relationships with people who do not yet have a relationship with Jesus or a church home. For us, events like this are faith-sharing (evangelism) opportunities in a "Pre-Christian" context. And, we purposefully choose again and again to be active participants in events like this as a means of becoming all things to all people that by all means we may reach some.
(See: 1 Corinthians 9:20-23)

One of my favorite stories along these lines is that of Kris (Tex) and Andi and their pre-school aged daughter Addyson. I first met Tex at a "member-guest" sporting-clay outreach event we sponsored in the Spring of 2013. Tex was to say the least, not a "churchgoer" and at that time, had no real intention of looking for or attending a church. But, he had been invited to our Clay Shoot by a work associate named "Tank" who was himself a new believer at C@PC.

Fast forward a few months and Tex wakes up at 6:30am on the 1st Sunday in August with the thought in his head "Get up and take your family to church, it's time to change your life path and show everyone you are a better man than they see you as." So… He did just that. And, they kept coming. Then on Sunday morning, November 27th, one year to the day of his mother's sudden death, before worship started, Tex asked if he could talk to me. I said "Sure, let's step outside." In the parking lot that morning Tex told me about the death of his Mom and how much he missed her, and about how she had come to know Jesus before she died. During that conversation I listened, shared a couple of thoughts with him, let him know that I'd like to pray for him about the pain he was feeling but before I did I wanted to ask him an important question. I then said: "Tex, have you ever prayed a prayer and trusted Jesus as your Savior?" He said: "No, I never have." I said: "Well, when I pray for you in just a moment, would you like to pray that prayer and begin trusting Him as your savior now?" He said: "Yes I would." So, right there in the parking lot of our strip mall church, while my worship leader played an extended worship set because he saw that I was otherwise occupied, Tex, a big giant of a man, a former bouncer, bounty hunter, and addict, with tears streaming down his cheeks, prayed a prayer in which he committed his life to Jesus and trusted Him as his savior. That was truly an awesome experience. And, it all started with a conversation at a clay shoot.

Since that day, Tex and Andi got married (Dec 28th), Andi trusted Jesus as her savior, along with her sister Melissa and her husband Bobbi. Then, on February 23rd, 2014, Tex, Andi, Addyson, Melissa and Bobbi, all got baptized and became Charter Members of C@PC. Andi's mom Zoe now also comes to church, and Tex is the leader of our Outdoor Adventure Team and was just in charge of the Spring Clay Shoot we held this past Sunday (4/27). That's the power of faith-sharing in a "Pre-Christian" context.

"Tex" getting baptized, and his brother-in-law Bobby assisting.

This so called, "Post-Christian" era in which we now find ourselves in ministry is, in my humble opinion, the best time there has ever been, in the entire history of the Church, to begin engaging in contextually relevant faith-sharing. Truly, the harvest is plentiful, but… who will take up the work of culturally relevant ministry to meet the expressed needs of the "Pre-Christian" mission field? If not you and me, then who? If not now, then when?

Rob Schmutz, Pastor
The United Methodist Church at Park City (C@PC)
Zechariah 4:10a

The "Postexilic" Church!?! (Redux)

So...

Tomorrow AM, I, and fellow C@PC'ers, Ben & Angie Walker, Andrew Moyer, Jerold & Christy Jay, along with Corey Godbey (Great Plains Hispanic Min. Coord.), Gabriel Marrero (Great Plains Hispanic Min. Evangelist), will all be heading North to Norfolk, Nebraska ,to be part of leading a District Training for Pastors and Lay Leaders from the Elkhorn Valley District of the Great Plains Annual Conference.  At this training we will be working from a "Zombie" message theme and talking about Awakening the UNdead, Revitalizing the Local Church, and Redefining the Mission Field.

Below, is a blog post from back in February of 2010 when I was first bouncing this idea of a Postexilic Church around.  I ran across this old entry as I prepared for this upcoming District Training.  Please check it out and let me know your thoughts.  And, as you do, let me know your opinion, is there still hope for mainline denominational churches like the United Methodist Church?

 The "Postexilic" Church!?! (Redux)

"'So, what the heck is a 'Postexilic' Church?'  A good friend of mine asked me that question as I tried to explain to him the concept of the re-awakening of denominational churches all across our state and nation. "That, is a good question," I said.  And, here is my answer as best as I can remember it...

I believe that there is an "awakening" going on in "mainline" denominations all across our nation.  And, as a Lifelong United Methodist, I refuse to believe that the "mainline" denominational church is terminal.  Oh yes, we may be, or may have been terminally ill. But, we are NOT dead!  We are NOT hopeless!  We are NOT beyond the reach of the Spirit and the Plan and the Purpose of God.  And, I absolutely refuse to believe that God is done with us.

We may have lost more life than we can even really conceive, or comprehend.  We may have made some significant blunders as we have "coasted" through the last 3-5 decades of our recent past history.  And, we may have purposefully closed far more churches than we have passionately planted.  But today, at this moment, there are local churches that are arising, in communities all across our nation.  And, they are awakening from their deathbeds and their comatose stupors, and they are breathing deeply again, praying passionately, taking drastic action, and refusing to be those who "keep on waiting... waiting for the world to change."

All across our nation there are churches, leaders and pastors arising.  They are "returning from the exile" if you will, and they are calling on God to show them the way to rebuild.  They are hearing the message of the Spirit deep in their hearts, just as the prophet Zechariah did in Zechariah 4:1-14 where he was given a message for another postexilic leader.  A message for a person of his time, a leader, a rebuilder, a visionary, a man named Zerubbabel.

That message "then" and "there", to a postexilic people, is our message "here" and "now" as the postexilic Church.  Here it is... There is sufficiency enough in God for the task at hand.  We can be rebuilt, reconstructed, reassembled, and restored to relevance and significance in the lives and the eyes of a people who are still searching for something far more vast and real than anything this world has afforded them.  Even though we are now truly the result of what we have done and that which we have been, we are not yet fully that which we will or can be.  And, the message now is that we can live to see the task completed. We can be a part of this great reawakening. We can be used by God in this enormous task of reconstruction.  And, as we let God use us in this work, the people who watch and see it will shout "Grace, grace to it!"

Our time is now.  The hope is returning.  I can see new life in the eyes of the body of Christ.

Rob Schmutz,
2/17/2010"

Riding the wind...

This past Sunday, a handful of "Riders" from the Church at Park City got together after 2nd service and rode up to Coronado Heights, north of Lindsborg, Ks.  In a word, it was a "stunning" day for a ride, and it would have been nearly impossible to have asked for a better one.  And, for me, it wasn't just an additional event on an already packed Sunday schedule, it was a much needed few hours of being on the road with Jesus.

I don't know what it was, but being there, riding together with a group of people, on a beautiful day, across the wide open Kansas spaces, watching the road roll out before me and the land unfold all around, taking in all of the scents of early Fall (sunflower fields, headed out milo, harvested corn, freshly tilled soil, blossoming alfalfa, and newly swathed hayfields), and hearing the roar of the wind in my ears... it just opened my soul.  And, with each additional mile I prayed a prayer that felt like an involuntary response of my heart saying, "I'm listening Lord, speak to me please..."

Once we arrived at our destination, we parked our bikes and climbed to the top of the sandstone WPA castle at the crest of the hill.  From the top of the castle we spent a few minutes talking about our ride and what all we noticed and experienced along the way.  Then we spent some time "taking in" what is undoubtedly one of the best views in the state of Kansas.  It is a view that is indeed picturesque, to say the least.

During our last 20 minutes on the hill, we all took some individual alone time to observe our surroundings, think about our lives, about what we really needed, and about what God might be saying to us at that particular moment.  As we all met back at our bikes, getting ready to head out, one of the things that a couple of us discussed that we had noticed were the vultures that were "riding the wind" all around the summit of the hill. 

For me, the really cool thing was that not only had we each noticed the vultures, but that we had also received the same "word from the Lord."  Which was...  "Don't fight the wind... ride it.  Ride the wind like they do."  For me, the moment that word came to my heart, it found instant application.  And, as soon as I received it, I whispered a prayer and said "Bring the wind Lord, whatever it is, I'll ride it.  I'm so sorry for all of my resistance and for all of the ways I have fought for control of my life and of the winds I encounter every day.  Bring the wind Lord, Bring it, I want to fly like they do."

So...  How you doin'?  How has the wind impacted your life to date?  What if now, right now, may just be a great time to begin to realize that the Christian life is actually a lot less about fighting the wind, resisting it, hunkering down and hiding from it, and a lot more about jumping up, lifting off, taking flight, and allowing the winds of life, that we never have been able to control or stop anyway, to be the very thing that helps us become who and what we were actually created to be in the first place?  What if that which we have previously feared and fiercely resisted is in God's reality the very thing that we most need in order to become who and what we have always wanted and dreamed of becoming?

I don't know about you, but for me it's time to pray "Bring the wind Lord, and give me the faith to ride it..." as I keep on keepin' on in Jesus through it all.

Isaiah 40:31

-Pastor Rob

By the way...  John, the guy on the right-hand side of this picture, said a prayer of faith and became a brother in Christ right before we headed back down the hill last Sunday afternoon!  What a truly awesome day!

"So... What's A LifeHouse?!?!"

"So...  What's a LifeHouse?"  I've been getting that question a lot lately, and, quite honestly, I love it! 

For us, here at The Church at Park City, the "LifeHouse" started with the realization of a "need" that was revealed to us through our first organized prayer-walk back in July of 2011.  From that point it became a recurring prayer in which we began to ask God; "Lord, what can we do to make a difference here in Park City, in the lives of young, single moms, who find themselves with limited resources and options?"  And, from that prayer request forward, that "revealed need" became a recurring theme that God began to lay on the hearts of people who were drawn by God into the life and ministry of the Church at Park City.  It was a theme that would resurface again and again in prayer and in conversation, at small group gatherings, church functions, and in interpersonal interactions as different people, from different backgrounds, shared either similar personal first hand experiences, and/or a common burden for single moms facing difficult circumstances and uncertain times.

Then, in January of 2013, during our "Sanctity of Life" message series, I asked a "What if?" question and issued a challenge to our church...  "What if God wants C@PC to not just be a 'Pro-Life' church, but to also take a very real step of faith and open a 'LifeHouse' here in Park City for young moms facing an unplanned pregnancy?"  In response, a handful of people gathered that Sunday AM after the message and prayed.  In that prayer, we asked God to abundantly provide for whatever it was that He would call us to do.  And, in many truly remarkable ways, God began to answer, not only that prayer, but every prayer that we prayed, every time we asked Him to show us His will regarding the C@PC "LifeHouse."  God's answers came as He provided more people who expressed interest in making the LifeHouse happen, and more people to pray for it.  He then provided answers through a group of people who began to investigate options and possibilities for a "LifeHouse."  And, then... He actually provided a person who literally felt called to sacrifice their (then current) place of residence in order to make room for a young mom in need of a LifeHouse.  And, finally, God also provided a couple who offered that same (and now open) residence (an additional home they owned here in Park City) as the future home of "LifeHouse" itself.  Stunning!  Truly!

Today, all of those answered prayers have become a revealed "Calling" that has been placed on our hearts (as a church) by God.  It is a calling for C@PC to provide an 18-month program, that takes place in a stable, structured, safe environment, specifically designed for first time, single moms, who find themselves in need of a place that can help them create a new beginning for themselves and for their baby.  Presently, we are in need of people to help with some basic interior and exterior preparations (painting, flooring, cleaning, etc.) and we are also in need of a Godly, live-in, resident "house-mother" as well.  Our daily prayer is that God (as He has so faithfully before) will continue to provide the answers we ask of Him, and that He will help us be able to have the house open and ready for our first Mother and child "house guests" by June 1st of 2013.

So... will you join The United Methodist Church at Park City as we continue to step forward, seeking to make this "Calling" and this new ministry opportunity a reality?  If you are interested, we'd like to invite you to come to our "LifeHouse Community Luncheon & Open House" (1419 Beaumont here in Park City) on Sunday, May 19th, from 12:00 Noon to 2pm.  This "Open House" event will not only give you a chance to come and see the LifeHouse in person, but it will also provide you with an opportunity to see the needs firsthand and to sign up to help out in whatever way you may be feeling led by God to do so.

I Hope To See You There!

Keep On Keepin' On...

Rob Schmutz, Pastor
The Church at Park City
Zechariah 4:10a

(For more info call 316-744-0029 or email us at
churchatparkcityops@gmail.com)

Happy Birth-Month C@PC!!!

Happy Birth-Month C@PC!!!

Sunday, February 5th, 2012 was the last day of an unforgettable kind of weekend. On Friday the 3rd, C@PC'ers Eddie & Jeannine Pennington exchanged marriage vows to become the official first couple to get married in the church! (Happy Anniversary Eddie & Jeannine!) Then, on Saturday the 4th, we had our first funeral, out at the "101 Club" north of Park City, and celebrated the life of an amazing woman (and sister in sobriety) named Annette Kerr. Then, it was on the next day that we actually opened our doors for our first "Official" Worship & Connection time on Sunday the 5th, and then later had our First-Annual "Super Bowl" party that evening.

What had initially started 6 years earlier as a "gnawing" burden for the Park City Community (that had first been placed on my heart as I drove through Park City to do marriage counseling and home visits with a couple that had moved from Benton, Ks, into the Chisholm Creek Mobile Home Park here in Park City) had finally become a real church, with an actual "open" door... And, even though we were meeting in a formerly bankrupt "Movie Gallery" building, in a foreclosed-on Strip Mall, in a space that looked more like a "bar" than a church, in a community where three churches had recently closed down in the past three months, we actually managed to scrape together 121 humans to come to our very first service... (Though I'm pretty sure we had to count expectant mothers as "2" to get that number!)

Looking even farther back, it was in February of 2011, that we had actually started meeting illegally (unbeknownst to us at the time) in this same (then unheated) building (in the only corner of it that was not under major renovation). Initially we met as a small group of 15 adults and 9 children who gathered together on Sunday evenings for Worship, Friendship, and to Study Francis Chan's book and DVD curriculum "Crazy Love". And, it was from that "small beginning" that we were first given the verse that would become our theme verse ("Despise not the day of small beginnings..." Zechariah 4:10a) and an understanding of who we were to be and what we were to become as a church. A place that focused on Worshipping God, Loving People and Following Jesus... where people could reconnect with God, and with one-another.

This month, we will be celebrating our "First Birthday" on Sunday, February 3rd, by having an Early Worship "Preview Service" at 9AM, hearing a testimony from Keith Thomas (1st Svc.) and Kristena Hoover (2nd Svc.), enjoying Birthday Cake before and after services, and then having our 2nd Annual Super Bowl Party and watching the game on a 16foot High-Def Screen here at the church. (Thank you Don Neff!)

To all of you who know that God has brought you to this place, to jump in and become a part of C@PC, thank you so much for your faith and faithfulness. Wow! You guys truly blow me away! Knowing each one of you has both touched and changed my life forever. I am deeply indebted to you, and I consider it the highest honor to be your pastor, and to call you a friend. Thank you to each one of you who have become such a special part of this amazing adventure!

May we all... Keep on Keepin' on In Jesus... Because I truly believe that the best is yet to come!
(1 Corinthians 2:9)


Rob Schmutz, Pastor
The Church at Park City
Zechariah 4:10a

www.facebook.com/TheChurchAtParkCity

Sent from my iPhone

A Gun Dog’s 23rd Psalm

I got the chance to do a funeral for a friend of a friend last week, an awesome guy named Roger Duncan, who passed suddenly and who will be missed by many. 

Though I did not know Roger, I was blessed to talk to so many who did and to then have the honor of officiating at his Funeral.  His life impacted mine even though it was through what others told me about him and not from having been well acquainted.  As I thought about the words God wanted me to share at his funeral, knowing that Roger was a dog trainer, a dog lover, a hunter and an outdoorsman, the Lord led me to re-work the 23rd Psalm... from the eyes of a hunting dog...  Here is my best effort...

"My Master is my provider,

I trust Him to give me everything I need.

I lie down, and I rise up at the sound of His voice.   He teaches me to seek, and to point the quail and the pheasant hidden in the fields, the meadows, and the hedgerows, and along the creeks where we venture.

My soul is most alive when He leads me along the well-worn paths that take us to all of our favorite places, and my heart soars at the rush of the wings as the birds rise from my point.  Hope bursts from my chest at the sound of his shot, and it is for His Names sake that I proudly retrieve the birds that are downed and place them into His hands.

Even when I grow fearful, or weary, holding point in dense cover, seeing Him in my memory, His shotgun in hand, remembering the sounds of his approach through the grass, I am comforted, and I am strengthened, knowing that my Master will find me again, no matter where I may be.

Water, food, a warm bed, all this… He prepares for me, and He speaks my praises in the presence of lesser dogs and of their Masters.  I am certain he is proud of me as he pats my head and says “Good boy…”

Great memories, of the best of times, that only a Gun Dog can know, will be treasured in my heart… and those memories will follow me all the days of my life, knowing that, in my Master’s Soul… I will dwell forever and ever.   And He… by me… will never be forgotten."

-          Pastor Rob Schmutz