Are You Mom Enough?
A great article for mom’s addressing the mommy wars:  Time Magazine recently joined the fray with the provocative cover of a beautiful young mother visibly breastfeeding her four-year old son next to the title, “Are You Mom Enough?”  The message screamed at moms from this issue of Time, from television, Facebook, blogs, and Pinterest is: unless you are fit to run marathons, breastfeed into the preschool years, own a spotless and creatively decorated home, tend a flourishing garden, prepare three home-cooked meals per day, work a high-powered job, and give your husband expert, sensual massages before bed, you are not mom enough.

‘One Another’ Infographic
The New Testament contains at least 40 passages that contain the words “one another” and each one points to a way that Christians are to treat, or are not to treat, each other. This graphic seeks to display the whole lot of them.

Spoiler Alert!  Reading the Gospels from Back to Front
We hate spoilers, wishing to maintain our naivety and experience the surprise of discovery. But the Gospels all resist this straightforward retelling of Jesus’ ministry and place the cross/resurrection at the center of their narrative as the focal point of Jesus’ life.

First and Foremost Citizens of Heaven
Worship gatherings give us the opportunity to remember that, like our father Abraham and the patriarchs of old, this world is not our final destination (Hebrews 11:8-10; 13-16).We are a chosen race purchased by the blood of Jesus Christ. We are citizens of a heavenly country who owe our highest allegiance to God, whose authority is unrivaled.

Sermon on the Mount Cops
Watching video of demonstrators facing off with the police and watching police reactions have led me to the observation that police in these situations are nearly expected to behave as if they were following the Sermon on the Mount, while a demonstrators, in exercise of their right of free speech are pretty much uncriticized unless they actually attack a policeman (one cop was stabbed in the leg). They taunt, provoke, even throw urine and feces at police, while police are supposed to stand there and take it. Which is pretty much what they did.

The Problem of Evil
Flew’s conclusion was that the God of Christianity is dead; He has died the death of a thousand qualifications. And it was the problem of suffering and evil that motivated this conclusion.

The answer to the question, found in The Heidelberg Catechism, has been particularly resonant with me (for unknown reasons) this morning.

Q:  What is your only comfort in life and in death?

¹ 1 Cor. 6:19-20
² Rom. 14:7-9
³ 1 Cor. 3:23; Titus 2:14
⁴ 1 Pet. 1:18-19; 1 John 1:7-9; 2:2
⁵ John 8:34-36; Heb. 2:14-15; 1 John 3:1-11
⁶ John 6:39-40; 10:27-30; 2 Thess. 3:3; 1 Pet. 1:5
⁷ Matt. 10:29-31; Luke 21:16-18
⁸ Rom. 8:28
⁹ Rom. 8:15-16; 2 Cor. 1:21-22; 5:5; Eph. 1:13-14
¹⁰ Rom. 8:1-17

Carl Trueman hosts this nice, short, interview:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Sorry for the extra click – but it’s worth the effort as the accompanying story is touching.

Click here.

(h/t: Danny)

Thank you for your support (your phone calls, your emails and the many who turned out to the Town Council meeting tonight) on our behalf regarding our zoning change request.  Your communication and advocacy were critical.  And, to those who turned out tonight for the Council meeting, thank you for your patience (the “big box” store debate was the first agenda item on the docket – a 2 hour discussion!) and your support.  The visible show of support was powerful.

The result was that Town Council approved the first reading of our zoning change 9-0!

Thank you, also, to our Mayor and our Town Council members for their efforts, input, and their favorable decision.

I was particularly moved by the advocacy of some our neighbors who spoke about the generous ministry of St. Andrew’s in the neighborhood.  If you ever wonder the power of simple good neighborliness and Christian kindness, it was brought home in a fresh way tonight.

Thanks, especially, to the Lord who has called us at this time and in this place to give witness to Him and, who, in His kindness has given us favor with man.

SAMP is a scheduled to appear before the Town Council tonight to have our request for our zoning change considered (see previous post for more details).

Our Town Council meets tonight at 6.00 p.m. at the Town offices on Houston Northcutt Blvd.   Town Council has the final responsibility for deciding this matter.  You can help in the following ways:

1. You can pray.
2. You can attend the Town Council meeting this coming Tuesday (Town offices are on Houston Northcutt Blvd).  In fact, we would welcome your presence at the Town Council meeting.  Having Mt. Pleasant residents present and participating in Town Council meetings is always beneficial for our elected officials.
3. You can call, or email, our Mayor and Town Council members and express your support.  This, in fact, is an exceptionally helpful way you can participate in this process.  In your communication, you should be courteous, you should note that you are a Mt. Pleasant resident and you should ask the Town Council to support our rezoning classification from Residential to Public Institutional.

Please note that there is one – and the same – phone number and email address for both the Mayor and all Town Council Members.  The phone number is, 843.884.8517, and the email address is, councilclk@tompsc.com

Mayor
Billy Swails

Town Council Members
John Burn
Elton Carrier
Ken Glasson
Chris Nickels
Chris O’Neal
Linda Page
Craig Rhyne
Thomasena Stokes-Marshall

Terrell will be at St. Andrew’s for our confirmation service tonight.  In addition to confirming 51 young adults he will also assume the slot in the preaching rotation and pick up Articles 3 & 4, “God Proves His Love: Death and Resurrection,” in our series on the 39 Articles.

The service is at 6.00 pm and has been moved from the Old Church into the Ministry Center.

Dear Friends,

As you receive this month’s Congregational Letter our Neighborhood Meetings will be underway. Several have taken place (Old Village, Summerville/North Charleston, Belle Hall, Brickyard, Creekside, Old Church) and all have been very well received.

Over these past 11 years we have grown into a large church (3300 members), for which we can give thanks as it opens to us unique mission and ministry opportunities.  However, I always welcome the chance to create environments where we can gather in smaller groups to talk through the life and ministry of our parish.  The Neighborhood Meetings do just that: they provide us the opportunity to meet in a more relaxed and intimate atmosphere as we look at what the Lord is doing and may be calling us to do in the future.

My hope in hosting this series of Neighborhood Meetings is fourfold:

• First, I want to re-present the Mission, Vision and Values of St. Andrew’s and how these work together to give shape and substance to the manner in which we live our common life.
• Secondly, I want to introduce you to the work of our Campus Planning Team and share with you the way in which our Mission, Vision and Values are shaping our campus planning and development.
• Thirdly, I am excited to show you drawings and floor plans of our redesigned campus and new buildings.
• Finally, I want your feedback.  Your prayers and your participation in this process are critical.

A 2-Year Process

Under the leadership of Bill Maddux, our Jr. Warden, our Campus Planning Team (comprised of George Brewer, Chris Biggers, Mitchell Bohannon, Blake & Laura Middleton, Steve Middour, Howard Rambo, and Martha Senf) has met every two weeks, for the past two years for the purpose of evaluating the mission and ministry currently taking place at St. Andrew’s. A part of their evaluative work has been to meet with various ministry leaders to discern current and future space needs. The culmination of their work was a recommendation to the Vestry that we contract the good people at Building God’s Way to develop a master plan for the development of the physical campus of St. Andrew’s.

Over the course of a week this past February the folks at Building God’s Way came to St. Andrew’s to meet with our staff, Vestry, ministry leaders and all of our past Senior Wardens (dating back to 1989). Together we talked about what the next 20 years of ministry might look like and what kind of space and facility needs we anticipate. It was a great week and I look forward to sharing with you the outcomes of that week.

Where We Are

Quite a bit of work awaits us, though.  As you are presented with the material at our Neighborhood Meetings we will be asking you to join the current and past leadership of the parish in prayer and discernment.  We will be asking for your thoughts and feedback concerning the material you receive.  We will be doing a financial analysis of the giving patterns/records and projected capabilities of the parish.  The Vestry will then collect this input, and, working with the folks at Building God’s Way, we will report back to you the collected discernment of this process and any recommendations that have emerged.

Please Join Me

I hope every member will attend a Neighborhood Meeting (listed below), preferably with your LifeGroup. All of the meetings are 7-8 pm and light hors d’oeuvres will provided.

In the family,
Steve

Upcoming Neighborhood Meetings

Tuesday, May 8 – Mount Pleasant, Mathis Ferry Road
Home of Jan Hipp
154 Hobcaw Drive

Wednesday, May 9 – James Island, West Ashley, Johns Island
Country Club of Charleston
1 Country Club Drive

Monday, May 14 – Mount Pleasant, Hwy 41
Dunes West Athletic Club
(Tell the gate guard that you are attending a party at the pool.)
3003 Dunes West Boulevard

Tuesday, May 15 – Daniel Island
Home of Mike and Linda Hughes
171 Beresford Creek

Wednesday, May 16 – City Church
Music Farm

Thursday, May 17 – Snee Farm
Home of Robin and Eddie Gordon
1150 Deleisseline Boulevard

Sunday, May 20 – 12:15 pm
St. Andrew’s Ministry Center
Light hors d’oerves for adults
Childcare offered. Pizza for children

Dear Friends,

St. Andrew’s needs your help – again (specific action steps are noted at the bottom of this post).

In 2009 the Town of Mt. Pleasant ratified a “Comprehensive Plan” that has since served as the blueprint for growth and development for our community.  As a part of that plan, a new category of zoning was created.  This category, known as Public Institutional (PI 1), identifies all those buildings that serve the public good as eligible for inclusion. This includes government buildings, schools, hospitals and churches, which were specifically identified by the Town of Mt. Pleasant as those entities eligible for rezoning.  Not only were these entities eligible but the Town Planning Commission specifically recommended that such entities, including churches, pursue PI 1 status for the benefit of the wider community.

In a recent meeting with the Town planners they suggested that St. Andrew’s apply to change our zoning from Residential to Public Institutional (PI 1).  Their rationale for this suggestion is that a zoning designation of PI 1 allows St. Andrew’s, and every other public institution, to work directly with Town officials as we explore solutions to the problems created by our limited and antiquated building space (i.e., we need to rebuild the Day School, children’s and youth areas, etc).  Under our current zoning classification we have to apply for a zoning variance for each and every alteration we may wish to make.  Recognizing the protracted, expensive and difficult process imposed on public institutions to make changes to their facilities due to being zoned as Residential, the Town created the new PI 1 Zoning status and, as stated above, recommended that we apply.  St. Andrew’s was happy to comply with the Town’s request.  As a part of that process public input was sought.  At our hearing last month with the Town Planning Commission we received a favorable vote by  a 6-3 margin.

The next step was to appear before the Planning Committee of the Town Council, which we also did last month.  Though we enjoyed much local support from our kind neighbors, one family did attend to speak against our request.  They cited a concern over growing traffic problems as well as the desire to have public input in future building projects that St. Andrew’s may undertake.  As to the first concern, the matter of traffic is not an issue in a rezoning request.  As to the second concern, not only out of neighborly courtesy but also as a legal requirement there will always be public input in any future building projects that St. Andrew’s may undertake.  First, we must submit a traffic impact assessment and secondly we will have to appear before the Old Village Historic District Commission.  Both of those steps require public input.

Considering the above, we were surprised and disappointed when the Town Council Planning Committee voted to deny our request 3 -1.  After all, we did pursue the rezoning of our property at the Town’s suggestion.  We fear that the precedent set by this decision will have a negative impact not just on St. Andrew’s, but on every church in Mount Pleasant.  This concern is also shared by other local churches who sent representatives to speak on our behalf.

What can you do?

Over the past month we have had very productive conversations with the Mayor and various members of the Town Council.  I have been thankful for their time and the seemingly (hopefully) productive conversations we have had.  Our Town Council meets this coming Tuesday, May 8, at 6.00 p.m.  Town Council has the final responsibility for deciding this matter.  You can do at least four things to help us:

1. You can pray.
2. You can attend the Town Council meeting this coming Tuesday (Town offices are on Houston Northcutt Blvd).  In fact, we would welcome your presence at the Town Council meeting.  Having Mt. Pleasant residents present and participating in Town Council meetings is always beneficial for our elected officials.
3. You can call, or email, our Mayor and Town Council members and express your support.  This, in fact, is an exceptionally helpful way you can participate in this process.  In your communication, you should be courteous, you should note that you are a Mt. Pleasant resident and you should ask the Town Council to support our rezoning classification from Residential to Public Institutional.
4. Lastly, you can forward this information to all of your friends who attend a church in Mt. Pleasant and ask for their verbal support as well.  If the Town Council acts against their own recommendations, set forth in their own Comprehensive Plan, there will be negative ramifications for every church in Mt. Pleasant.  There is no reason that churches, having been specifically identified by the Town’s 2009 Comprehensive Plan as eligible for Public Institutional zoning, should now be denied.

Thank you for your prayerful consideration and your action on our behalf.  It is appreciated.

Yours in Christ,

Steve

Please note that there is one – and the same – phone number and email address for both the Mayor and all Town Council Members.  The phone number is, 843.884.8517, and the email address is, councilclk@tompsc.com

Mayor
Billy Swails

Town Council Members
John Burn
Elton Carrier
Ken Glasson
Chris Nickels
Chris O’Neal
Linda Page
Craig Rhyne
Thomasena Stokes-Marshall

When Serpents Bite Your Granny
Perhaps the most offensive claim of the gospel is that a hate-filled cannibalistic child molester finds the same redemption and has an equal status in the eyes of God as your dear old church lovin’, bake-sale havin’, baby burpin’ granny.  The truth that there is only one way to salvation for granny and the cannibal is equally comforting and offensive.  It’s offensive to the vestiges of self-righteousness in our own heart but it is a great comfort to those acquainted with the darkness of their own hearts.

The Widening Political Divide Between Catholicism and Mainline Protestantism
When Charles Colson died last weekend, he was best known as the Watergate felon turned prison minister. But Colson, a constant presence in Christian Right circles for over two decades, had perhaps his greatest impact in another sphere of American life: expanding evangelical-Catholic cooperation in the fight against legalized abortion into a broader political alliance.

Why Am I Not Enough for Him?
A great article that looks at the devastating impact on women whose husbands are involved pornography.

Is this Evangelical Coach out of Bounds?
There’s a saying in Nebraska: “If you don’t like the weather then wait a minute.” It is not surprising to run your heater and air conditioner in the same day. But such variable weather tends to coincide with stable public relations. This is why it is so interesting to consider the stormy story of University of Nebraska assistant football coach Ron Brown.

What if Your Life Could be More Engaging Than Television?
Ask yourself before your next major decision “If I were a character in a story, what decision would make the story more interesting?”

AMiA Saga Continues
The strange saga of the Anglican Mission in America (AMiA) continues to grow more strange. Bishop Chuck Murphy has just issued the following statement…

The Digital Gender Divide
From the Atlantic: According to a recent Nielsen report, women, overall, are significantly more likely to engage with social media than men. Per Nielsen’s Internet-usage index, women are 8 percent more likely than the average online adult to build or update a personal blog . . . 18 percent more likely than the baseline American to fan or follow a brand on Facebook or other social media sites . . . 6 percent more likely to have created at least one social networking profile and 12 percent more likely to have used the Internet to purchase a product featured on TV.  Takeaways?