Ideas and Hopes

New Address

2010-08-17T12:59:00.000-07:00

I have moved my posts to two new locations.

cseitz.com is the place that I am writing longer, more thoughtful posts.

craigseitz.net is where you will find lighter news and information. This site also feeds my Facebook and Twitter accounts.

Jean and I moved to Alabaster, Alabama, in August 2010.

Teachers are the Greatest

2009-07-16T11:43:00.000-07:00

We always seem to underestimate the significance of simple things. One of these is the Sunday school. Sunday schools were begun in England almost 180 years ago. They were initially designed to provide education and spiritual guidance for children who were working in factories on other days of the week. Eventually the movement evolved to provide spiritual direction and Bible instruction for children in many churches.

My son Jonathan phoned home this week to report that he had just met the woman who taught his Sunday school class from 1983 to 1988. Jonathan and Emily have been in Louisville, attending orientation as Presbyterian mission workers. (They leave for Taiwan next month.) The commissioning service was held as part of the national meeting of The Presbyterian Women this week. Carolyn Coffman, Jonathan's teacher was in attendance. She and her husband Turner taught a little group of kids every Sunday morning at Saint Andrew Presbyterian Church in Suffolk, Virginia. Saint Andrew was a new church development at that time, and the number of children was small at first. So we had grades one through six at one table for most of those years. Turner was an engineer and Carolyn taught junior high school. They had many excuses for not teaching, but they took the responsibility upon themselves cheerfully.

I think that much of what Jonathan knows about Bible stories and Bible content was gained during those five years. As pastors, Jean and I were grateful to have other people showing our two sons that faith is important and that spiritual tasks are worth our best efforts. Carolyn and Turner provided that loving message to Jonathan each Sunday. When we left Suffolk and moved to Toledo, Ohio, in 1989, we could not express adequately what it meant to us and our family to have such wonderful people in our lives.

Who knows exactly how a life is shaped and directed. Only the Lord. But there is no doubt in my mind that Carolyn and Turner are central figures in the life of Jonathan.

What Summer Is For

2009-06-26T11:59:00.000-07:00

The routine of life remains busy at First Presbyterian Church, but the focus has changed for the summer. Other seasons of the year seem to be "for themselves." Fall is for fall activity. December is for Christmas. Spring is for Easter. Summer is not just for itself, but for picking up the unfinished pieces from this last school year and planning for the coming year.

The 2008-2009 school year ended several weeks ago. I appreciate the summer months as a season to look through all the notes and papers that accumulated and were not handled. These items are ones that were not urgent and could wait until now. But some of them are quite important and require careful attention.

The school year that starts in September will be an exciting one at the church. We begin with Rally Day and a Sunday to dedicate a classroom refurbished by the Cornwell family in memory of Kate Cornwell. Quickly we move into our bicentennial celebration in late September and early October. Then there will be a four week period devoted to renewing our mission for the church's third century and receiving pledges for the 2010 year. Following that is Thanksgiving and Advent. I expect the weeks will fly by once we hit September.

So summer is different, but it is not dull. We also have some pleasant summer activities, including band concerts, picnics, and several activities for children. It all looks very good.

Middle of May

2009-05-16T16:53:00.000-07:00

The spring is flying past, and it feels like there are a thousand things to do. When I hit periods like this I try to keep the focus on people. I am active in a couple of the church groups that have started meeting during the last year. I enjoy the Wednesday evening group quite a lot. It includes a number of younger professionals, and some of them have kids. My wife Jean and I help with the food prep most weeks, and sometimes we work with the child care people. It is good to know some of the little kids in more than a casual way. I also am active with another group that has been around for several years. Those meetings lately have been over lunch after church on Sunday.

Someone asked me again about small groups and the meaning of the groups movement. It really is nothing new, but groups are more important than ever. In past years we had lots of Sunday school classes that held social events on a regular basis. Now it is harder to get people to come out for an extra hour on Sunday mornings. Groups meet at the convenience of those involved. They provided extended periods of time to build deeper friendships and to root ourselves in a new environment. Groups are probably more important to newcomers and to people who do not have family nearby.

I read a blog this week that talked about groups in the context of "tribe." That resonates with me as being right. People seem to have fewer loyalties to big groups, looking instead to smaller networks of friends for support and encouragement. I am wanting to do anything that will build community into the life of the church. We learn more about faith and healthy living in a setting where people are more open and honest with one another. This is happening in the small group meetings that I experience

Seasons of Life

2009-04-03T15:55:00.000-07:00

Sunday is Palm Sunday and the beginning of Holy Week. These days and the weeks of Advent and Christmas are the two great seasons in the church year. I was raised in a church that did not emphasize the church year, and I have come to appreciate the seasons that are part of our life at First Presbyterian Church.

Today I was listening to a television interview with the actor John Travolta. He observed that life is filled with massive amounts of evil and suffering. Then he said that he tries hard to find signs of hope and happiness in life and to focus on those. Those words seem to me to be wise.

I find myself feeling saddened when we look at the final of days of Jesus' life, including the betrayals, hostility and violence that he faced. It is appropriate that we include these dark images in our thinking, so that we can be realistic about life. The world in which Jesus lived is one in which we live also. We must not be naive.

This is the backdrop for the miracle of Easter. Even in the struggle and darkness of life God is at work. Our hope is in the new beginning of a resurrection.

Since the recent death of my wife Jean's father, I have been thinking more about the endings of life. The African American spirituals often use for death the image of a river. The river is cold and wide. The prospect of passing through it raises doubts and fears in our spirits. But there is safety and new life on the other side. This is what gives us courage. Easter is a sign and symbol of that great hope.

Spring

2009-03-20T12:38:00.000-07:00

I am working in my home office today, looking out the window as I type. Spring is surely arriving. The little daffodils are up and in full bloom, sheltered and warmed in the flower bed next to the garage. The crocuses by the front door are up, but there are no blooms yet. It's too cold where they live, but they are almost ready.

At First Presbyterian Church we are in the middle of Lent and Easter will soon be here. The end of winter included for our family the death of my wife Jean's father. He was the family patriarch, a sign of strength and stability right up until the end of his life. He also was blessed with a clear mind for all of his ninety-six years. We will miss him and his wise counsel.

The sermon I am working on for Sunday comes from a text in Ephesians 2 on God's grace and forgiveness. It speaks of personal and corporate renewal, and the possibility of fresh beginnings. We all need encouragement and hope. These we find in the coming and spring and the joyful message of Easter.

Real Winter

2009-02-11T07:49:00.000-08:00

We are right in the middle of winter here in Athens. Several years ago I identifed a period as "the real winter." It starts on January 15th and ends with March 1st. During these six weeks I try to pace my work more carefully, and I try to be especially kind in my interactions with other people. This year's real winter has included several very cold weeks and an entire week of serious snow and ice. The last several days has been unusually warm and gentle, a kind break in the middle of "real winter."

We have had several deaths and funerals in our congregation this year. Those who passed will be missed by our congregation. Memorial services were varied, reflecting the written wishes of those who died and the desires of their families also. People sometimes say that these periods, where we have several funeral service, must be hard for me. There is extra preparation to do, but the services are actually an encouragement. As we grieve we also give thanks to God for the life of the person who has died. A memorial service is usually encouraging and inspiring. When we see God's grace in the life of another person, it gives us hope that we will find strength to live well and to follow God faithfully also.

Our congregation includes many older people, but we are also seeing a group of younger adults gathering at our church. Many of them attend a Wednesday night supper and discussion group. They have been reading the book The One Life Solution by Henry Cloud. It's a great thing to see new friendships and loyalties growing. Participation has been strong, even when the weather was challenging.

Several years ago I read a book of poetry about the later years of life. I think the title was Green Leaf in Winter. The theme was that small signs of hope and grace are seen even in the challenging seasons of life. I have been seeing that happening this winter.

Conference on Change

2008-11-05T10:08:00.000-08:00

I attended the annual conference that Scioto Valley Presbytery sponsors for pastors and other church "professionals" each year. It was at a hotel in one of the beautiful Ohio state parks. We started with supper on Sunday evening and finished with lunch on Tuesday. The speaker was David Sawyer, who teaches at Louisville Theological Seminary and also free lances at church events.

David Sawyer, it turns out, was assistant pastor at First Presbyterian Church in Athens, Ohio, from 1972 t o1975. He worked at the church while he was enrolled in a graduate program at Ohio University. His memories of the church were happy ones. The skills he gained in organizational dynamics are ones he has honed and deepened over the years.

The theme of the conference was change. David spoke of the transitions in human communication from oral to print, then broadcast (i.e., television) to peer-to-peer (email, texting). Most Presbyterian churches are still focused primarily on print communication. We have bulletins, Bibles, and hymnbooks. This creates distance between us and the younger generations.

I have been working hard, especially in the last year, to move more of my communication onto the computer -- websites, blogs, Facebook, etc. I carry a cell phone around with me, but I do not text, and I do not share my mobile phone number with many people. It is more for personal or urgent use. I like being able to "drop out" for an hour or two when I choose.

I believe that the future of the church will include helping people do self-directed learning. This will be based on lively group life; that is where the electronic communication comes in. People will probably always enjoy the celebratory tone of large events like congregational worship, but the music will evolve and the communication include more media.

This means change, and change demands effort. It also means overcoming our fears so that we are ready to face the new patterns and possibilities that God is bringing our way.

Stewardship Season

2008-10-16T10:58:00.000-07:00

First Presbyterian Church is in the middle of stewardship season. This is a time of year when we are invited to review the types of commitments we have made to God and to evaluate the depths of those commitments. We usually talk about time, talent, and money. I like to believe that we think about stewardship of life -- or discipleship -- steadily throughout the year. The focus this month is actually upon the financial pledges made to the church for the coming year. Over the next six weeks the Finance Committee and Session will evaluate the pledges that are made and the programs we want to support for the 2009 year.

Our stewardship theme this year comes from the title of a hymn, "Called as Partners in Christ's Service." During the last couple weeks we reviewed the web of relationships -- global, regional, and local -- in which we live and serve. The focus next Sunday will be upon the local partnerships which have shaped the life of our congregation. It is an impressive list.

All of this is happening in the midst of a major financial crisis in our country, now having global impact as well. It is pretty clear that many people whom we trusted were unworthy of that trust. Greed and selfishness, on many levels, motivated people to feather their own nest and ignore the well-being of the society as a whole. Jesus call to "love your neighbor as yourself" was ignored and forgotten by many.

Jesus calls his followers to be salt and light in the world. The selfless gifts of money and time that we see in faith-based groups gives us all hope that things can be better. Because of the hard economic times we expect it to be harder to gather funds for ministries like our church, but the influence of Christ is needed now more than ever.

One Great Family

2008-10-02T11:25:00.000-07:00

September has just ended and we are beginning October. This is a favorite time of year for me. The first Sunday in October is World Communion Sunday. For me that means a celebration of the worldwide international nature of the church and of life. Some scientists who are studying human genetics are saying that all of humanity can be trace back to less than a hundred people who lived fifty to sixty thousand years ago. We really are of one blood and of one origin.

One of the happy surprises of my years in Africa was the profound oneness and "peopleness" of all humankind. I remember one occasion when we were entering a portion of the rain forest for the first time. We were challenged by African warriors with spears whose heads were mostly covered with monkey skins. They were intimidating. Within a few hours we had eaten together and were seated around the evening fire, discussing the issues of life. Education of kids, medical care, and family financial plans were the concerns of us all.

On several occasions I met National Geographic and other film teams who were making documentaries about Africa. Without the ability to converse with local people they could be made to appear "primitive" and backward. When there was time to eat and talk we quickly learned how much we have in common. The great hope of the gospel is that God is guiding us toward a shared destiny and a world that will be healed and reunited.

Progress and Prisons

2008-09-13T19:31:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy week. I was determined last week to put in place some of the communication pieces that have been disorganized or non-existent. Last week I was working to get the church website in order so that new students would get the latest info when they visited. I have created a new email account for work at church, and I have the old email accounts forwarding mail to the new one. I created this new church-related blog and have also resumed posting on another blog that I do for our family. My Facebook account is up to date and I am using it to communicate with some of my friends. Yesterday I was contacted by an old high school friend that I have not talked with for decades.

All in all -- a productive week. Tonight I am finishing work on the sermon for the morning. We have a retired prof coming in to talk about his involvement with prison ministries. He will talk about the whole range of possibilities of ministry with prisoners -- from baking cookies to making visits. At one time I made regular visits with a church group in a maximum security prison. Now I visit in the prisons from time to time when family members phone (sometimes from out of state) and ask me to visit someone. Jesus, in his teaching, speaks about caring for prisoners and other neglected persons in society. I am hoping that someone will hear our speaker and decide that they want to be involved.

September 2008

2008-09-06T13:23:00.000-07:00

For the past year I have been tinking more and more about how communication will happen in coming years. Web, internet, email, Web 2.0, podcasts, blogs, Facebook -- all of this will be a big part of how we live and work together, and how we care for one another.

I have felt the traditional newsletters and bulletins at FPC to be a bit limited for all I would like to write. I would like to write about hopes and ideas, things I think and wonder about, and I would like to do it in a way that some conversations might emerge.

So here it is. I promise to post on a regular basis and to listen hard when I get responses through the blog, by email, by phone, or face-to-face settings. Let me know what you think.