All I Want for Christmas

Dear Winter Park Family, As you know, we gathered for one worship service during the last three Sundays in June. This trial period emerged from three congregational conversations we carried out in April. During these conversations a big question surfaced: what would one worship service look like containing both contemporary and traditional elements? So, our congregation agreed to give it a go. Since our last Sunday together in June another big question has emerged: what’s next? In my last “Paul’s Perspective,” dated May 9, 2024, I acknowledged then that I was unable to see the future, and therefore did not know exactly what our next steps would be after the trial period. However, I suggested then that we would likely engage in further discussion. And so that is now the plan per our most recent church council meeting. This Sunday, July 28, we will carry out our regularly scheduled business meeting at 4pm in the sanctuary. And as a part of this meeting, we will discuss the congregation’s impressions of our trial period. Please begin to think now about what you would like to share concerning our three trial worship services that brought together both contemporary and traditional elements. As we prepare to carry out this post-trial conversation, I have a few guidelines to offer. These guidelines come from the work Lou Ann does with congregations, throughout our state, in conversation about various important and sensitive issues. She refers to these as guidelines for healthy dialogue: 1 – Be fully present 2 – Listen generously without interrupting 3 – Ask clarifying questions rather than drawing assumptions 4 – Treat everyone as made in the image of God 5 – Breathe and think before speaking or responding 6 – Work from a position of positivity, not negativity Please note there will be no vote taken on changing our Sunday morning worship structure at this business meeting. The goal, here, is simply to enable our people to express their thoughts about our three Sunday trial period. And then to allow our people to hear the thoughts of others about our three Sunday trial period – it is important that we listen to one another. And it is my prayer that as we listen to one another, we will sense the very voice of God providing us with direction. In Christ, Paul

Dear Winter Park Family, We are deep into our conversation about the possibility of adjusting our Sunday morning structure from two worship services to one worship service. This is a major discussion that stirs up strong emotions for many of our people – as it should because the two morning worship services structure has been in place for 28 years now. Change, even the possibility of change, causes anxiety and fear. It happens to all of us who are wrapped in human skin. I have been intensely engaged with this sensitive issue since Advent 2023. There have been many conversations with individuals in my church office, several conversations in my unofficial office at a local restaurant, emails and texts, and our recent three congregational conversations as well as last Sunday night’s business meeting. One of the results of our three congregational conversations was that some people would like to know what one worship service looks like for Winter Park Baptist Church. Therefore, at our most recent business meeting, it was decided to carry out a trial period. Please mark your calendars now as we will participate together in a single Sunday morning worship experience on June 16, June 23, and June 30. We will gather for Sunday School at 9am and worship at 10:15am on each of these Sundays. As we enter this trial period, I want you to know three things. First, I want you to know my interpretation of where our congregation is now on this issue. Second, I want you to know why I find the single worship service model theologically preferable. And third, I want you to know that I will serve as your senior pastor, with full heart and conviction, no matter the decision the congregation makes about our Sunday morning worship structure going forward. In the light of all the conversations mentioned in the opening paragraph, as well as email exchanges and conversations with our church council and personnel committee, I find the traffic light helpful. There is more than enough positive interest in the possibility of a single Sunday morning worship service to conclude that our congregation is not seeing a red light. However, there is also more than enough hesitation about a change to our current Sunday morning worship structure to conclude that our congregation is not seeing a green light. Rather, our congregation now sees a yellow light. It is no surprise that we would not be unanimous on a sensitive issue such as this. Therefore, we need to proceed. However, we do so with caution. When I came to Winter Park, I knew there were two morning worship services in place. And I thought nothing of it. While I had not served as pastor to a church with two morning worship services before, I was aware that many churches have two worship services in place on Sunday mornings and have done so for years. In my career as a college professor, I was very accustomed to giving the same lecture to a different group of people. So, I would just do the same with the Sunday morning sermon with Winter Park. Easy enough. However, within my first few months of Sunday morning worship leadership, I began to develop concerns in relation to both the experience of two worship services, and my understanding of the teachings found in the Bible. Last Sunday’s worship services serve as a superb example of the fact that the people who gather for each service have different experiences with God. Last Sunday, our church agreed to partner with the families of two children to raise these two children in Christian faith. The folks in the 8:30am worship service did not participate in the dedication of the child we dedicated in the 11am worship service. And the folks gathered for worship in the 11am worship service did not participate in the dedication of the child dedicated in the 8:30am service. So, I introduced each child to only a portion of Winter Park Baptist Church. In the 11am service, my good friend and colleague Anita Thompson was with us. I was thrilled to introduce her to the congregation I now serve. However, the 8:30am people did not get to meet Anita. On any given Sunday, the folks in the 11am service do not get to experience that abundance of children that are often in the 8:30am service. And when there is drama in the 8:30am service, the 11am people miss that. When someone joins the church in the 11am worship service, the 8:30am people may hear of it later, but they do not experience the thrill of the moment. And vice versa when someone joins the church in the 8:30am service. When the Gardner-Webb University concert choir was with us during their fall break, the 8:30am people missed a great blessing. A pastor who recently made this same discovery after leading two worship services for 15 years says, “In short, the church is a single gathering of people. A separate gathering of people, even if it’s for the next hour in the same space under the same leadership, is … an altogether different spiritual experience.” Not everyone agrees with this of course. However, I identify with this pastor’s observations after leading two worship services for 10 months now. I also see this principle in Scripture. The apostle Paul is fully persuaded that Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians should eat together. Though we probably think little of it, eating with someone is an intimate experience. In the ancient world you eat with people you accept. Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians emerge from very different cultures. They have different likes and dislikes. However, they are now united in Christ because in Christ the dividing wall of hostility between them has been removed (Ephesians 2:11-16). In fact, on one occasion, the apostle Paul rebuked Peter when Peter, a Jewish Christian, refused to eat with Gentile Christians (Galatians 2:11-16). I take it then that if Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians are to engage in the intimate activity of eating together even with their cultural differences, Christians that make up a local congregation should worship God together even with their differences. Please know that the decision to alter our current Sunday morning worship structure is not mine nor the ministerial staff. It is the decision of the congregation. To make any permanent change to our Sunday morning worship structure, a vote of the congregation is required. Of course, I do not know exactly what will happen after the trial period. However, I would imagine further congregational dialogue before any vote is taken. So, let’s carry out this trial period during the last three Sundays in June with the caution of the yellow light our congregation now sees. And let’s see what God does and where God takes us. And whatever decision the congregation makes I will count it a privilege to serve as your pastor. In Christ, Paul

Dear Winter Park Family, As I write this edition of “Paul’s Perspective,” I identify with Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome. You may recall that on Easter Sunday, we put ourselves in the Easter shoes of these three women. In the Gospel of Mark, it is these three women who bring spices to anoint Jesus after Joseph of Arimathea had laid him in a tomb and after the Sabbath was complete. You may also recall that on Easter Sunday, we spent significant time considering the unusual ending of Mark’s gospel. Mark 16:8 says about the women, “They went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had gripped them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.” The women are filled with fear and excitement all at once over the news from the young man, in a white robe, that Jesus is not in the tomb because He has risen. This is how I feel – excited and trembling – over important conversations that are around the corner in the life of our church. The following two topics are on the horizon: 1) Baptism and 2) Sunday morning worship structure. Allow me to offer a few words about each. We will vote on a motion, in our next business meeting on May 5, from the constitution and bylaws committee to expand our baptismal policy to accept people into our church membership who come to us from Christian denominations who administer baptism differently than we Baptists. If this motion passes, such persons will no longer be required to be rebaptized unless they desire rebaptism. Of course, we will continue to practice baptism as we always have – believers’ baptism by immersion. When persons come to us requesting baptism for the first time, they will be dunked! For persons seeking membership with Winter Park Baptist Church, who come to us from another Christian denomination, all that will be required for membership is their profession of faith in Jesus the Christ and the earlier baptism from whichever Christian tradition they emerge – Methodist, Lutheran, Episcopalian, Catholic, Disciples of Christ, etc. This Wednesday, April 10 at 6pm in our church fellowship hall, we will discuss baptism and this motion further. If you are interested in this discussion, please do all you can to be present. As you are likely aware, Chris Gambill will preach in both morning services this Sunday (April 14, 2024). And then, after a churchwide lunch that will begin around noon, Chris will lead us in an afternoon session that will begin at the conclusion of lunch and wrap up around 2pm. If you plan to eat lunch with us, please do sign up here , if you have not already. Or you can call the church office to sign up for lunch. Children will eat lunch with their families and then childcare will be provided during Chris’ afternoon presentation. Chris will speak with us about the impact of cultural shifts in American society on the church under the titles, “New Wineskins for New Wine” and “New Wineskins for the Post-pandemic Church.” After Chris’ time with us we will then engage in three congregational conversations about our Sunday morning worship structure. These conversations will be led by our church moderator, Steve Yandle, and these conversations will take place on the following days and at the following times: Sunday, April 21 at 10am in the community center (children and youth will meet as usual for Sunday School). Tuesday, April 23 at Noon in the church fellowship hall – bring your own lunch or sign up for lunch when the link becomes available later or just come. Wednesday, April 24 at 6pm – immediately following the churchwide meal which begins at 5pm. If you would like to eat at 5pm, sign up when the link becomes available later. Otherwise, just come at 6pm for the discussion. So, here we go – ready or not! I am ready, though. While not as big as Jesus’ resurrection, these two topics are, I believe, of central importance to our church’s future success and vitality. When such occasions arise, it is appropriate to walk with a degree of trembling in one hand and much excitement in the other. In Christ, Paul

 Dear Winter Park Family, This weekend looks to be a big weekend in the life of our church. We have plentiful and significant activities scheduled. On Saturday, March 9, 2024, we will hold a missions’ fair in the community center from 11am-2pm. There will be outside organizations that we partner with present such as Vigilant Hope, The Harrelson Center, Winter Park Elementary School, and Christian Women’s Job Corps. Most of us have an outreach organization or two that we hold in especially high esteem. For me, Christian Women’s Job Corps is one such outreach organization. Christian Women’s Job Corps assist women who are trapped in poverty with a hand up, not a hand out. There also exists Christian Men’s Job Corps. Did you know there are six Christian Women Job Corps sites in North Carolina and one of them meets in our building each Monday night? In addition to the groups mentioned in the above paragraph, I am thrilled to announce that not only will Marc and Kim Wyatt and Lydia Tatum be present with us on Saturday for the missions’ fair; they will also speak to us during both morning worship services on Sunday (March 10, 2024). Marc and Kim are well-known throughout Cooperative Baptist Fellowship life. For years now, they have served as Cooperative Baptist Fellowship field personnel in the Research Triangle of North Carolina. Previously they served as CBF field personnel in Thailand and Canada. The emphasis of their service is housing hospitality – assisting people and families in need of housing. In October 2015, Marc and Kim established Welcome House Raleigh. Welcome House Raleigh serves as temporary living quarters for refugees who do not have a place to stay upon their arrival to the area. Today, Welcome House Raleigh is a partnership between the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina, refugee agencies, partner churches, and individuals. Earlier this year, CBFNC hired Lydia Tatum as Welcome Network Director. As noted above, she will be with us this weekend along with Marc and Kim. Marc, Kim, and Lydia will educate us concerning their work with housing hospitality towards their neighbors. Of course, deep reflection upon their ministry is timely for us as our congregation is much concerned about how to best use the three houses we own to the glory of God. On Sunday, in addition to Marc, Kim, and Lydia, we will also have the Gardner-Webb University Concert Choir with us during the 11am worship service. Winter Park Baptist Church is a part of their spring break travel tour. No doubt, we have more Camels than we do Bulldogs in our congregation. However, I know of at least two Gardner-Webb graduates! Please do all you can to be here for the worship of God and to support the Gardner-Webb University concert choir. Perhaps some from the 8:30am worship service might consider staying for the entirety of the 11am worship service as well. I so look forward to our big weekend together! In Christ, Paul

Dear Winter Park Family, In my January “Paul’s Perspective”, I asked if you would like to have a conversation about our Sunday morning worship structure which has been in place for 28 years now. I asked if you would like to have this conversation because inquiries were made during Advent. Families that regularly participate in the 8:30am worship service and families that regularly participate in the 11am worship service pulled me aside and whispered in my ear. With the awareness that this would be a big change in the life of our church, these families found it so satisfying when our congregation worshipped together in one blended service that they thought a change, of some sort, is worthy of a conversation. At this point, I did not know how widespread this sentiment was or was not. So, last month, I held my breath and asked! As you might expect, with an issue as sensitive as this, there was some negative response. However, I discovered the great majority of our people are open to a conversation. Even so, the decision to move forward or not was put before our church council. And the church council decided, in January, indeed, to move forward with the conversation. Now, because of the church council discussion as well as staff discussions, the decision has been made to broaden the conversation to provide more context and thus make our conversation more informed. First, we want to discuss worship itself. What exactly is worship? How can we deepen the worship experience for those who participate in the life of our church – both members and visitors? What is the purpose of music in worship? How should we engage with the public reading of Scripture? Is our worship more active or spectator? Are we enthusiastic about inviting people to worship? These and other questions will be considered. As a part of our worship discussion, we also want to become familiar with the changes in American culture over the last 30 years or so that have greatly impacted church life. Why is it that Winter Park Baptist Church, as with many other churches, is significantly smaller than it was just 10 or 15 years ago? Of course, we can point to difficulties unique to our church. However, there have been changes in American society, not unique to Winter Park Baptist, that have led many people to stop participating in a local congregation at all, and many others who do participate in a church, to do so with considerably less regularity. Chick-fil-A’s practice of closing on Sundays used to be a common occurrence among businesses. Now it sticks out like a sore thumb. What’s happened here? Why? What should our church do to be more effective in the current increasingly secular climate? What does healthy church growth look like in our day and time? What is best for Winter Park Baptist Church and what is best for the wider community we serve? To help facilitate this discussion, of worship more broadly, we ask the following of Winter Park Baptist Church. First, please pray! Let’s make the Lenten season which begins on Ash Wednesday – February 14 – a season of prayer for this upcoming discussion about worship. Soon, you will receive a prayer guide for Lent as well as a handful of brief articles that are relevant to our forthcoming discussions about worship. We are hopeful that this season of prayer and reading will enable us to carry out our conversations about worship with a spirit of Christian kindness (Ephesians 4:32). On Sunday, April 14, Chris Gambill – an expert on the church in American society – will be with us. Chris serves as the director of the Center for Congregational Health in Winston-Salem, NC. He will lead Sunday morning worship and then, after a church-wide lunch, Chris will further instruct us in an afternoon gathering. Please do pray for Chris’ time with us. Finally, after a season of prayer/reading, and after our time with Chris Gambill, we will then have small group discussions concerning worship. This is a general guideline. More details and specifics such as the prayer guide are forthcoming. Our goal here is not to defend our personal likes and dislikes. In fact, let’s work towards the elimination of “I like” or “I don’t like” in our language about worship. Rather, the goal is to hear God speak. Whether we make any changes to our Sunday morning worship structure or not, I am confident God will speak to us through this process in such a way as to deepen our worship experience as Winter Park Baptist Church. And I am confident we will be better prepared to be the church of 2024 in Wilmington and beyond. This sounds like a win-win for those of us who make up Winter Park Baptist Church! In Christ, Paul

Dear Winter Park Family, This Sunday (1-7-2024) our church will resume our regular Sunday morning schedule with an early contemporary worship service that begins at 8:30am, Sunday school (small groups) at 9:45am, and a traditional worship service that begins at 11am. This has been our Sunday morning structure for 27 years now. As we exit the Advent season, and start 2024, I sense that the time is ripe for us to have congregational conversations over our Sunday morning worship structure. Let me tell you why. And then I would like to know if you too think it is time for this conversation to occur. Almost since my arrival in July of last year, I have heard people question the start time for the 8:30am worship service. There is an opinion in the air that 8:30 on a Sunday morning is too early. It has been pointed out that numerous other churches that have an early worship service begin at 9am. And it is true that many of our own people struggle to make it to the community center on Sundays by 8:30am. Worship begins at 8:30am sharp. However, people continue to enter until 8:45am (sometimes later!). Since my arrival, our congregation has made me aware of its desire to reach college students as UNCW is in our backyard and we are also surrounded by Cape Fear Community College students. Many are of the opinion that contemporary worship is more likely to appeal to college students than traditional worship. While I am hesitant to label a group of people with a single characteristic, I do agree with the accompanying opinion that many (not all) college students, and young adults, are less likely to get out of bed in time for a Sunday morning 8:30am worship service than other segments of the population. I anticipated that our combined worship experience, during Advent, would more reflect my own theological understanding of the church as one body as I hear Paul say in Ephesians 4:1-6. He writes, “Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.” (NASV) And so it was that I appreciated our church together as one body – no surprises there. I was surprised, however, by the number of people who voiced to me their desire for a conversation that considers the possibility that our church worship together throughout the year, as one body, as we do during the Advent season. The idea here seems to be a new service and a new time – something we have not done before, a blended worship service with both contemporary and traditional elements. If we engage in this conversation, there should be two main considerations front and center: what is best for Winter Park Baptist Church today and in the future and what is best for the wider community Winter Park Baptist Church serves. Through the years, I have noticed when people discuss worship the word “I” is frequent. For example, some say, I like contemporary worship or I like traditional worship or I like to have worship earlier, so I have more of my day in front of me or I prefer worship later because I am slow to move in the mornings. We all have our personal preferences. However, it is important to remember that worship is not primarily about us. Worship is about God. Worship is our collective expression of gratitude to God for what God has done for us in Christ. Worship is not a selfish act. God is not concerned with worship styles or times. God is concerned with worship that is sincere and focused upon Him. Choruses and hymns are instruments through which we worship. That’s all they are. There is nothing inspired, in and of itself, about a particular worship style. All styles are acceptable to God if they are accompanied with a sincere heart and followed through with a love of neighbor. So, indeed, our primary questions governing this potential conversation are not about my personal preferences or your personal preferences. It is not, “I.” It is “we” and it is “God.” Again, the questions are: what is best for Winter Park Baptist Church and what is best for the wider community? Is it best for Winter Park Baptist Church and the wider community to move forward with the Sunday morning worship structure we have in place now or is it best for Winter Park Baptist Church and the wider community to adjust our Sunday morning worship structure? At the very least, should we move the early service to 9am? I do not know the answers to these questions yet. This is why I believe congregational conversations are needed. Now, I am interested in your initial response. While I have heard much talk, during Advent and before, that demonstrates an eagerness for our congregation to discuss our Sunday morning worship structure, I have not heard from everyone. What do you think? Is this a conversation our congregation needs to have even if the idea of change causes anxiety? Or is the conversation unnecessary and, therefore, we should continue with the current Sunday morning worship structure as is? In Christ, Paul

Dear Winter Park Family, Winter Park Baptist Church experienced a glorious start to the advent season last Sunday (12-3-2023). Combining our worship services into one enabled our church family to nearly fill our large sanctuary. We had all ages together under one roof for the worship of God. In fact, what a treat it was for everyone to witness two of our children profess faith in Jesus the Christ. The music we offered to God as expressions of worship was rich and diverse. Even if some of the music or the time of our gathering did not reflect your personal preferences, there is no doubt we were all blessed by God on the first Sunday of advent. As we progress together through advent, I want to say a few words about the faces, plural, of advent. Indeed, advent has more than one face. In fact, I suggest three. The word advent itself, from the Latin adventus , means “coming”. So, during the advent season, which begins the Christian liturgical year, the church focuses its attention on the coming of Jesus into the world. When we ponder Jesus’ coming into the world our first, and often only, stop is Jesus’ birth. The accounts of Jesus’ birth are found in Matthew’s gospel and Luke’s gospel. And, indeed, our worship services will center of the theme of Jesus’ birth. From the pulpit we will consider Luke’s account of Jesus’ birth. Perhaps next year we will engage Matthew’s account. However, there are at least two other faces to advent – to Jesus’ coming. In addition to his initial coming as a baby born of the virgin Mary, now the church awaits Jesus’ future coming. Jesus speaks of this coming in Mark 13 (see parallels in Matthew 24 and Luke 21). Mark 13 is often referred to as the little apocalypse. Here Jesus predicts the destruction of the Jerusalem temple which occurred in 70AD in the Jewish war with the Romans. If you are interested in an account of this war, see Josephus’ Jewish War . After Jesus’ prediction of the temple’s future fall, Peter, James, John, and Andrew ask Jesus for more details. Jesus speaks of difficult times and dark days before and during the destruction of the temple. Then Jesus employs well-known apocalyptic imagery found in places such as Isaiah 13:10, Ezekiel 32:7, Joel 2:10, Joel 2:31, and Joel 3:15. He says, “But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers that are in the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And then he will send forth the angels, and will gather his elect from the four winds, from the farthest end of the earth to the farthest end of heaven” (Mark 13:24-27). Jesus here refers to himself with the phrase, “Son of Man”. Jesus then follows these words with the parable of the fig tree (13:28-33) and the man away on a journey (13:34-37). Jesus’ point: be alert and be prepared for his post-resurrection coming! Now, of course, we must deal with the obvious. There has been no temple standing in Jerusalem for roughly 1,953 years. And there has been no return of Jesus. For some people this is a serious problem, a deal breaker even. I, however, find Peter persuasive on this point. In 2 Peter 3, Peter acknowledges critics who say, in essence, where is this Jesus? There has been no sight of his return and the world just continues on. Peter responds by quoting Psalm 90:4. He writes, “But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient towards you not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:8-9). God’s sense of time is different from our sense of time. In the Old Testament, the Day of the Lord is a prominent concept (Zephaniah 1:14-18; Jeremiah 46:10-12; Isaiah 13:9-11; and many other places). The Day of the Lord is when God fully intervenes in our affairs and makes every wrong right. On the Day of the Lord, there are no more injustices, no more hunger, no more pain, no more war, and every tear wiped away. Early Christians then incorporated Jesus’ future return into the Old Testament concept of the Day of the Lord (see, for example, 1 Corinthians 15:20-28). And so we wait, and we prepare ourselves, for the Day of the Lord with the return of Christ. Good stuff indeed! This is also a face of advent. Earlier I said there were at least two other faces to advent in addition to Jesus’ first coming as a baby born of the virgin Mary. The second face, as discussed in some detail above, is Jesus’ future coming. And a possible third face is the coming of Jesus’ public ministry announced by John the Baptist. In Mark 1, John the Baptist appears preaching and baptizing. He then baptizes Jesus. Mark 1:14-15 declares the coming of Jesus’ public ministry, “Now after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand’ repent and believe in the gospel.’” Now Jesus’ public ministry to the masses is underway. He has come to preach and teach and heal. To enrich our 2023 advent season, I make you aware of the three faces of advent. Here they are – this time in chronological order: 1) Jesus’ coming as a baby born of the virgin Mary, 2) the coming of Jesus’ public ministry announced by John the Baptist, and 3) the future coming of Jesus at the Day of the Lord. In Christ, Paul 

Dear Winter Park Family, I have not found you to be a quiet congregation. You are passionate. You are committed. You care. One of the great joys of my early days with you has been the many theological conversations we have experienced together in my study or over lunch or simply spontaneously. I am grateful, so grateful, that you talk to me. Thus, I am surprised at your nearly utter silence over an early practice. For the first three months or so, after my arrival, I was in the practice of offering the same prayer each week after I read the sermon text. Remember? Here is the prayer: O God – we gather not to be blessed, but to bless. We gather not to receive, but to give. O God – we gather to bless You and to give thanks and praise to You for the life, ministry, death, resurrection, and coming again of Jesus the Christ. Amen. I wrote this some time ago. Originally it was not used as a prayer. Rather, it was a congregational responsive reading referred to, in the weekly order of worship, as “pastoral sentences”. I led the congregation in these pastoral sentences every week at the beginning of worship. The reason I developed these sentences is found in this Baptist News Global piece I wrote: “And therein lies the problem. Church leaders need to (re)teach people the meaning of worship. Gathered worship is not about meeting anyone’s needs, although it can be personally satisfying. Worship is an expression of thanksgiving to God. Individual circumstances matter not. Perhaps the sun shines in our lives. Perhaps the rains pour in our lives. The Christian community, during all of life’s cycles, gives thanks to God for the gift of God’s Son, Jesus the Christ.” Thus, what became a prayer at Winter Park Baptist Church was born as a small contribution to the herculean task of resisting the decline of the church. One reason worship participation has declined – either people do not participate at all, or they participate less in favor of other activities – is that people do not understand what we do when we gather for the worship of God. As I have said before, I am persuaded that the American god is entertainment – a football or basketball or baseball of softball or soccer game or a Taylor Swift concert or …. Of course, there is a place for entertainment in the life of the Christian. However, when stadiums are full and sanctuaries are half to a quarter full, we are much out of sorts. Due to the dominance of entertainment in our culture, I work hard to teach Christians that worship is not entertainment. If someone comes to worship with an entertainment mindset two things happen: 1) the person leaves frustrated or bored and 2) worship that is pleasing to God does not occur. Thus, in its original context, the pastoral prayer / pastoral sentences above were designed to lay the foundation for the worship experience. I noticed early on that liturgy (responsive readings or responsive prayers) does not have a prominent place in Winter Park Baptist Church worship gatherings. Yet, I wanted to hold on to the pastoral sentences for all the reasons above and more. So, I decided to convert the pastoral sentences into a pastoral prayer for use in between the sermon text and the sermon itself. And I noticed early on, that while you talked to me much about the sermon, there was nothing said about my practice of offering to God the same prayer every week. I am told that no other pastor in recent memory has carried out this practice of offering the same prayer, before the sermon, each week. So, I was curious: why so quiet about a practice that is so new to our church? As I pondered, I thought, maybe, there is disagreement with the prayer within our congregation. Perhaps some take issue with the opening sentence – we gather not to be blessed, but to bless. Of course, this statement does not exclude personal blessings that may come from gathered worship. It simply acknowledges that personal gratification is not the fundamental reason for gathered worship. Rather, we gather fundamentally to bless God. Nonetheless, I altered the prayer to this, “O God – though blessings may come, we gather not to be blessed but to bless.” And then, after a couple of weeks with this alteration in place, it happened! I received the lone comment I would receive concerning this practice. A faithful church member approached me and said, “I like the adjustment you made to the prayer.” A brief, but rewarding, conversation followed. And that is all I heard from an otherwise talkative church! Through the years, I have thought long and hard about worship – what worship is and how we best carry it out. I have a very strong conviction that worship is the most important activity of the church of Jesus the Christ – worship is the central axis upon which all other church activity revolves. The worship of God in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:19) is what sets the church apart from other organizations. Indeed, the worship of God in Christ gives the church its edge, its distinct voice. It is my objective to carry out my pastoral responsibilities, whatever they may be, with a strong theological foundation. Thus, the development of the pastoral sentences / pastoral prayer as well as the practice of sitting during the postlude in the 11am worship service (a related topic but for another discussion) and other practices too. So, I am curious. After reading this piece as well as my Baptist News Global piece, what are your thoughts about the use of the pastoral sentences / pastoral prayer in worship? Talk to me. In Christ, Paul P.S. Here are the pastoral sentences / pastoral prayer once again for reference. O God – we gather not to be blessed, but to bless. We gather not to receive, but to give. O God – we gather to bless You and to give thanks and praise to You for the life, ministry, death, resurrection, and coming again of Jesus the Christ. (Amen)

Dear Winter Park Family, Last Sunday (10-29-2023) provides me with an excellent opportunity to share with you what I see after four months of service as your pastor. Sunday’s activities provided us with a surge of godly energy as seven people joined our church. It simply feels good when people join the church. It means someone likes us! So, when seven people tell us they like us on the same day, overwhelming joy permeates the congregation as was our experience. We give glory to God for new people, and returning people, finding their place within our Christian community. Welcome Bryant and Savana, Kim and Norm, Dan and Donna, and Barb! Even if no one joined our congregation last Sunday, my current assessment of our church would be the same. I find myself quite optimistic about Winter Park Baptist Church. However, I want to make the most of the optimism we all felt last Sunday. Allow me then to share with you the reasons for my optimism about Winter Park Baptist Church. Several positive characteristics of our church were on full display during our business meeting last Sunday. We heard Jamie Craig give an update concerning the deacon benevolence outreach to members of our congregation. On Sunday, July 30 our deacons reinstated the practice of receiving a fifth Sunday benevolence offering. Our people were most generous. And we have used most of those funds in support of a Winter Park family. This past Sunday, October 29, was also a fifth Sunday. And we received another benevolence offering from which our deacons will share with persons, from our own church, in need. As important as it is to care for ourselves, it is equally important that our church has a reach beyond our own congregation. And so, we heard Wayne Polston invite our church to partner with Church World Services to assist a Pakistani family who will arrive in Wilmington on November 15. This family consists of a mother and her five daughters. We are asked to help this family set up a house and/or assist the family with transportation needs. I am thrilled our church has responded enthusiastically to this mission project. I am optimistic about Winter Park Baptist Church because we are intentionally reaching out to our neighbors with the love of Christ – neighbors we know and neighbors we do not know. We made a major decision during our Sunday business meeting. Following the example of the widow woman, found in 1 Kings 17, our church took a risk. We sensed a holy nudge and decided to step into the land of the uncomfortable. Even though our expenses are currently greater than our revenues, we unanimously agreed to recommend a new staff position in our 2024 budget. We will vote on the 2024 budget this Sunday (11-5-2023). The consensus view appears to be that it is riskier for our church not to call a full-time minister to students and their families than it is for us to take a bit of financial risk in pursuit of this church staff position. In addition to the needs of our current youth and college students, the 19 beautiful children who led us in worship Sunday morning serves as more evidence that God is leading us in this direction. I am optimistic about Winter Park Baptist Church because we not only say we believe in a God who enables small amounts of food to stretch days and days as well as in a God who raises the dead, we also behave like we believe in such a God. As to our finances, I will spare you the technical details. However, Richard, our financial administrator, informs me that we are in significantly better shape this year than we were last year at this time. In the past, our strongest giving months have been November and December. If this trend holds this year, we just might finish the year in the black. I see two steps in our journey to financial stability. First, we finish this year with our revenues exceeding our expenses. Second, in 2024, we come together and provide the additional necessary resources for our much-needed full-time minister to students and their families. I am optimistic about Winter Park Baptist Church because our people respond to our financial needs. Finally, our sanctuary had a full feel to it last Sunday. As I read the Scripture for the sermon, I could not help but be inspired by the number of people standing in our sanctuary. I find a full sanctuary, or community center, more uplifting than a sunrise at the beach or fall leaves in the mountains. On a related topic, you might be interested to know for October we averaged the largest number of people for Sunday School since my arrival – 185 people on average with a high of 204 on Sunday October 1. Most everything came together at once last Sunday – high levels of participation for worship and Sunday School, new members, a mission’s emphasis during the business meeting as well a spirit-led risk, and just an overall jolt of God-inspired energy. One of our new members said to me, “I felt it!” I did too. And it was glorious. I pray last Sunday was a foretaste of what is to come. I believe it is - this is what I see. Do you see this too? I hope so. The best action then the Winter Park Baptist Church community (especially church members but visitors as well) can take is to show up. Show up for Sunday School. Show up for gathered worship at 8:30am or 11am. Show up for Wednesday night activities. Show up for church mission projects. Place Winter Park Baptist Church high on your priority list. Dr. Robert Lamb, a beloved professor from my past, said, “It takes hard work for a church to grow.” Indeed, it does. But my oh my, doesn’t last Sunday make you want to roll up your sleeves and go to work In Christ, Paul