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Get Connected Wednesday: Church Volunteer Central

joelsr — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 05:01:39 +0000

On Wednesdays we will often key in how you can excel in service and in your participation in community at your local church. If we believe that we are all a part of the Body of Christ and everyone has an important role to play in the Church, then you can’t sit on the sidelines.

For church leadership, there are resources to engage folks in your congregation to get plugged in. It’s not about filling up gaps in the work with “warm bodies,” but its all about facilitating spiritual growth and renewal as we come together to serve God and serve others as a community.

A great place to start is Church Volunteer Central, a clearinghouse of ideas and strategies with a healthy dose of encouragement and training for leaders of volunteers at church. The site is run by Group Publishing and includes features and tools for recruiting, equipping, retaining, leading, and protecting volunteers.

The cost is $119.99 per year and includes everyone at your church. Find out more at churchvolunteercentral.com.

Church of the week: McLane Church-Erie “Church-in-a-Bar”

joelsr — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 23:46:05 +0000

Typically on Mondays here on TheChristianBanner.com we will feature our own conversation with a church leader about what God is doing in their local church. But given the highly unusual and excellent feature this weekend on McLane Church’s Erie site, named “Church-in-a-Bar” by the Erie Times-News, we thought we’d just point you over toward that direction.

Reporter Valerie Myers and Photographer/Videographer Rob Engelhardt captured the vision and passion of this most unique church, which Site Pastor Andy Kerr leads, meeting at the Cell Block bar at 1213 State Street, Erie on Sunday evenings at 5:00 PM. A great quote from the story:

College students and families worship with addicts and the homeless from downtown shelters. The congregation is young and old; white, black and Hispanic; in designer jeans with stylized holes and in jeans with holes from hard wear. “It’s about as diverse as you can get,” Kerr said.

Here are links to the story, photo gallery and video on GoErie.com:

Story: Church in a bar has large downtown Erie congregation
Photo Gallery: Faithful Worship In Erie Bar
Video: Church in a Bar

You can find out more about McLane Church-Erie “Church-in-a-Bar” at their website: www.mclanechurch.org or call (814) 734-1907.

Generous inner city church vandalized

joelsr — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 05:01:32 +0000

Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, in the heart of Erie’s old Little Italy neighborhood, is a true light to its community. On any given evening, volunteers and clergy will be serving meals, distributing clothing and food, helping children with their school work, or facilitating support groups for struggling adults.

The church takes seriously Christ’s command to “feed my sheep.” That’s why it is so disturbing to hear of the severe vandalism unleashed on the church by an individual. As reported in the Erie Times-News,

The damage was extensive: A U-shaped kneeling rail at the white-oak altar was snapped off and thrown into the pews. The baptismal fount was chipped, and the organ had been tipped over. It no longer works, the church secretary, J.J. Lee, said.

“It looked horrible in here,” Lee said.

Church members spent several hours Monday repairing the damage. They found candles, vases, hymnals and crosses that had been thrown across the room. Several of the pews had been torn from the floor.

The paper reports that an insurance estimate could mount to $15,000 in damages. The vandal, a man who hid in the church overnight Sunday after a support-group meeting, was charged with burglary and institutional vandalism, and remains in Erie County Prison on $50,000 bond.

Ash Wednesday in Erie

joelsr — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 11:42:21 +0000

Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. Today and for forty days leading to Easter (not including Sundays) many Christians enter into a season of contemplation and spiritual evaluation.

Here’s an explanation of Ash Wednesday from Catholic.org:

Following the example of the Nine vites, who did penance in sackcloth and ashes, our foreheads are marked with ashes to humble our hearts and reminds us that life passes away on Earth. We remember this when we are told”Remember, Man is dust, and unto dust you shall return.”

Ashes are a symbol of penance made sacramental by the blessing of the Church, and they help us develop a spirit of humility and sacrifice.

Roman Catholics are joined by churches of many different denominations such as United Methodists, Presbyterians, Lutherans, Episcopalians, who mark the day with special services.