Harvest Time

John Teeter, Covenant Developer pastor from Los Angeles is preaching in my stead this coming Sunday. John is an evangelist, a street worker, a person who builds churches. John is one of the Pacific Southwest Conference church plants that are growing rapidly. The PSWC plans (prays) to plant 10 new churches each year for the next 10 years, that's 100 churches! The harvest? It's ripe and ready. Preach it John!

New Team working on Vision

Kathy Noling is working on a Doctor of Ministry degree from Fuller Theological Seminary. As part of her course requirements she must conduct an evaluation of a church, so she chose and asked to work with the MCC Council and pastoral staff. The main work of the evaluation is an online survey by the congregation and leadership evaluating 10 areas of church life. Right now the congregation is being asked to fill out these surveys either on line or with hard copy.
The team she chose is pictured above: Kate and Chris Schwass, Jennifer Taylor, Mike and Candy Stevens, Rick Noling and Diana Trautwein and myself. This is a wonderful gift to MCC at this time in our life; to take a good long look at where we are and where we need to go. Kathy will bring her findings to the MCC Council in later Spring. Thanks Kathy and team!

Transfigured Faith

Transfiguration; that great moment with Jesus, Peter, James & John and Moses and Elijah stretches the boundaries of our imagination and credulity. Did those two ancient figures really show up, standing next to Jesus? Or did Peter's enthusiasm create them there? Did Jesus actually glow or appear to glow? Those are all the questions that Peter liked to answer.
Whereas, the real truth of Transfiguration is Jesus, Jesus only, the beloved Son of the Father...listen to him.
The altar piece illustrates the supremacy of Jesus over the dark chaos of the rocks with the twin pillars of Moses and Elijah, Law and Prophets, urging Jesus ahead to his own unique Exodus, once for all from the slavery the sin wreaked on humans. His is the domminant light and referent point for all the decisions we will ever make.