Emerging Pensees

Sunday, October 26, 2008

A Phantom Limb

It's been two and a half months since we left Illinois, and four months since Via Christus stopped meeting, and while I'm liking our life here in Austin so far, there are still times when I'm struck by a pang of sadness/nostalgia/melancholy when I think of Via Christus and the community of friends and "family" we left behind there. There are times, often when I'm not thinking about it at all, when suddenly I'll be struck with the thought that I don't get to see those people anymore. Or I'll be thinking of some idea and reflexively think "Oh, I should bring this up at Via Christus on Sunday," and then of course remember that I can't.

I was talking about this with Julie last night and compared it to the "phantom limb" phenomenon that amputees report. It's like having a limb that's been removed, and yet sometimes your brain still thinks it's there and responds as if it is. To then have to consciously remember that it's really not just makes the loss of it all that more acute and difficult to bear.

I guess the take home message of this post for any former Via Christus folk reading it is that I miss you guys and I miss our community. I hope y'all are doing well and are each finding, um, replacement limbs? to take the place of what we lost. I know that some of you are having more luck at that than others. Know that our prayers are with all of you.

Labels: personal, Via Christus

posted by Mike Clawson at 9:59 AM | Permalink | 3 comments

Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Agreeing to Disagree

This is another thing I'm going to miss about Via Christus. This was from the FAQ section of our website:

What is your church's stance on ___________? (abortion, homosexuality, speaking in tongues, Evolution, etc...)

We really don't like a litmus test approach to faith. Faith is a journey we take together, not an exclusive club where we all have to think and act the same. We are serious about being the kind of church where we can agree to disagree on difficult and controversial issues. At Via Christus you are likely to find people on every side of most issues, and we like it that way! This doesn't mean that you're not allowed to have strong opinions about an issue. Just the opposite in fact. Sharing our different perspectives and strong opinions is how we learn and grow together. But it does mean that we agree to put our value of love above all of our disagreements. There is no requirement that you have to agree with anyone else's opinion to be a part of Via Christus - just the requirement to love and respect and listen to everyone, despite their differing opinions. As our friend Jim Henderson has said, "It's more important to be kind than to be right."

This also doesn't mean that we have no beliefs, but we have deliberately chosen to keep our essential, core beliefs as simple and universal as possible. There is a core story to the Christian faith that all believers can agree on - beyond that there is plenty of room for diversity and disagreement. As the saying goes, "In essentials, unity. In non-essentials, liberty. In all things, charity (love)."

Labels: Via Christus

posted by Mike Clawson at 7:46 PM | Permalink | 0 comments

Monday, June 30, 2008

Farewell to Via Christus

Yesterday was the last Sunday gathering for our now-defunct church plant, Via Christus Community Church, here in Yorkville, Illinois. We've spent the past three years trying to build a self-sustaining faith community here on the furthest edges of Chicagoland, and while we did succeed in creating a wonderful house church, we simply never grew past that size to a point where Julie and I could draw a livable salary and continue the work here. Our decision to pull the plug now rather than stick it out a while longer was mainly due to the fact that a large percentage of our regular attenders have also moved out of the area this summer, and others are likely moving soon. Rather than start over from square one, we realized that it was time to move on to other things.

However, I don't at all feel like this has ultimately been a failure. I am proud of the community we created and the life transformations that have occurred as a result - not to mention the impact we've had on the wider Yorkville community. We have lived up to our mission of "transforming people to transform the world". And I'm especially pleased at the unique kind of church that we've created together. We set out to be a different kind of church, and we were. Something I wrote for the Visitors section of our website captures well what was unique about Via Christus:

When we say Via Christus is probably like no other church you’ve visited before, we’re not kidding. Imagine a church where it doesn’t matter how you dress, what you look like, how you talk, whether you know the right beliefs or even how to “behave” in church. Imagine a church where you get to be part of creating the “sermon” – asking questions and sharing stories. Imagine a church where “worship” involves way more than just singing – it involves art, and imagination, and contemplation, and movement, and creativity, and much more. Imagine a church where you don’t just sit and absorb, you are invited into the experience.

And most importantly, imagine a church that cares more about how it is going out into the world to serve others on a daily basis, than about how to draw people into a once-a-week religious service.

We are very experiential and participatory as a church. However, as a new visitor, we will never put you on the spot or make you feel uncomfortable. You are welcome to simply come and observe – there’s never any pressure to participate beyond what you’re comfortable with. We want you to get to know us at your own pace.

For those who wonder if we are “traditional” or “contemporary” – the answer is yes… and so much more as well. We try to appreciate and incorporate good elements from the whole buffet of spiritual practices that have been handed down through the centuries of the Christian faith. Whether it’s ancient or postmodern, contemplative or charismatic, hymns or praise songs – we will embrace whatever is helpful for drawing us closer to God and each other.

So what should you expect? Expect a church that is open to trying new things (and old things). Expect a church where you have the opportunity to not just sit and listen but to actively engage. Expect a church that is friendly, fun (even silly at times), and laid-back, and yet challenging at the same time. Our goal is to transform lives and the whole world with God’s love, so expect to be changed (for the better we hope) by your time with us.

This is what Via Christus was. It's going to be hard for us to find another community that will replace this.

Labels: personal, Via Christus

posted by Mike Clawson at 3:12 PM | Permalink | 5 comments

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Back from the Castle

We had our third and final Via Christus retreat at the Stronghold this weekend. This was the beginning of the end for our church, a final chance to be together as friends, look back at where God has brought us in the past few years and look forward to where he is leading each of us now. We will be meeting six more weeks for Sunday church gatherings, but from here on out our community begins to scatter and dwindle as many of our members move out of the area for various reasons.

It was a bittersweet time, a fun and relaxing experience, but also sad to think this part of our journey together is drawing to a close.

Labels: Via Christus

posted by Mike Clawson at 12:43 PM | Permalink | 3 comments

Monday, January 14, 2008

The Kids of Via Christus

Labels: Emma, Via Christus

posted by Mike Clawson at 12:22 AM | Permalink | 3 comments

Thursday, October 18, 2007

A Greener Yorkville

As an example of just one of the ways even a small church like our own is making a difference, one of our members, Jill Fleishman, was just appointed by the new Yorkville mayor, Valerie Burd, to chair a committee to help the city become more environmentally conscious. The citizens group will meet every other month and make recommendations to the City Council on earth-friendly policies. You can read about the creation of the group here.

Our church has been active in local environmental issues for over a year now, and we often talk together about our obligation to care for God's creation. We have hosted a Faith & Environment forum, helped the local environment coalition put on an Environment Fair, and educated our folks about what it means to be good stewards of God's gifts. This citizens groups is just one more way that our church, by way of Jill, is serving our community.

Way to go Jill!

Labels: Via Christus

posted by Mike Clawson at 3:12 PM | Permalink | 1 comments

Tuesday, April 24, 2007

Are we making a difference?

As the pastor of a small church plant that is still struggling to get off the ground it can be easy to feel like we're not really making a difference in the world or in our community. And a lot of folks might say that we shouldn't expect to. Our goal should just be to get the church established and then worry about our mission in the world later. However, that's not how we look at the church. For us the church doesn't just have a mission (that we can get around to eventually), the church is a mission, we are God's redemptive agents in the world to act as catalysts for love and justice. If we are not out there making a difference from day one, then we might as well not exist.

So have we made any difference? As I started to reflect on the things we have been involved with just this past year I was surprised to realize how much we've done even as a brand new baby church. (Of course, this list is based on the premise that our church is wherever our people are, and serves through them, not always through formal church programs.) I don't offer this in a prideful "look at how great we are" way, but simply as an encouragement to our own folks to not get discouraged, as well as to others who think that you have to have big budgets and big congregations to make a difference.

This past year our church has:

Fed the poor in our community.
Begun a project to build schools, hospitals, and businesses in Haiti
Helped with the recovery in New Orleans.
Supported local anti-war vigils.
Sponsored a conversation about the intersection of faith and immigration issues.
Helped educate people about how to care for our environment (and why this is important from a faith perspective).
Stood in the way of people wanting to pollute the rivers, land, and air in our county with a landfill and promoted positive alternatives. (Not to mention actually going out and picking up trash along the rivers ourselves.)
Started to build bridges with the local Hispanic community.
Worked for inter-denominational cooperation among local churches.
Spoken out against homophobia on college campuses (and been arrested for it).
Worked with disadvantaged kids in after-school programs.
Served families and kids at a local camp/retreat center.
Given financial assistance to individuals with serious immediate needs.
Thrown parties for the poor and the mentally handicapped.
Encouraged female empowerment within the church.
Raised awareness about issues of Fair Trade, Third-World debt relief, modern slavery, extreme poverty, the global AIDS pandemic, and domestic abuse.

With many of these we didn't do it all ourselves (but who says we have to?), but instead partnered with other organizations and like-minded individuals in our area. Our contributions to some of these may have just been one small part, but that's okay. We don't have to have a Messiah complex and think that the solutions have to all come down to us. We don't need to be glory hounds or even get recognition for our part in any of this. We just need to do our part. I'm proud of my community thus far, because I think we are doing our part.

Labels: social justice, Via Christus

posted by Mike Clawson at 10:50 AM | Permalink | 7 comments

Thursday, February 01, 2007

New Church Website!

We've finally redesigned and expanded our church website! Check it out at viachristus.org.

It's not completely "done" yet. There are still some formatting issues to be tweaked and content to be added, but even still, I think it's a lot better than our old site.

Labels: Via Christus

posted by Mike Clawson at 4:22 PM | Permalink | 1 comments

Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Kendall Environmental Coalition

Our church has recently gotten involved with a local Environmental Coalition. This really fits with our desire to be missionally involved with our community, and especially related to issues of social justice like caring for God's creation. We've taken an active role and we're helping to plan several events coming up over the next two months. In particular, our church is kind of the spearhead for the Faith & Our Environment Forum on March 5. It's a follow up to the Faith & Immigration Forum we did back in October. We hope to do a number of similar "Faith & Politics" discussions over the next few years together in partnership with other area churches.

Below are all the Coalition events going on in the next few months. If you're in the area and any of this sounds interesting, you should come on out!

February 18, 2007
An Inconvenient Truth

Watch the movie that has sparked an important discussion about Global Warming and the future of humankind.

Time: 6:30 p.m.
Yorkville Congregational Church
409 Center Parkway
Yorkville, IL 60560
Contact: 553.5073 / 553.5188

March 5, 2007
Faith & Our Environment

Local pastors, scientists & activists share a discussion about caring for God's creation.

7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Yorkville Congregational Church
409 Center PKWY
Yorkville, IL 60560
Contact: Mike Clawson 630.742.4062

March 24, 2007
Environmental Fair

- Building awareness of local recycling programs
- Teaching energy efficiency
- Exploring new technology
- Local recycling programs and you
- Cars and fuel for the future
- Children and families: tour the nature museum
- Electronics recycling drop-off

9:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon
Old Kendall Courthouse
110 W. Madison St.
Yorkville, IL 60560
Contact: Danielle 630.553.4111

Labels: social justice, Via Christus

posted by Mike Clawson at 1:43 PM | Permalink | 0 comments

Sunday, January 14, 2007

First Day in Our New Space

Today was our first day in the new space for our church. Everything went really well. Setup didn't take long and wasn't stressful. The setting was comfortable. We had a good time and were able to utilize the extra room to do things like prayer stations. We had about 30 people come, some visitors, and some folks who had only been there a few times before. In all, it was a good start. There is potential to be creative in how we decorate and utilize the space, but for now we want to keep things simple.

Honestly, it felt good to be somewhere new. It felt like we were making progress. It felt like we finally had room to grow and could start gaining some real steam. I'm hoping that our mailer for the February 11th kick-off, followed by a few rounds of door hangers and a food drive in early-April will help the community gain more awareness of us over the next few months and start attracting new families. Now that we have room to grow I don't feel so ambivalent about encouraging the growth.

It's good to have a home!

Labels: personal, Via Christus

posted by Mike Clawson at 9:52 PM | Permalink | 1 comments