Friday, April 13, 2007

Rentz Family News

By Chuck Rentz:


Jenny and I want to keep our East Hills Family up to date with our status as C&MA Missionaries and have some new news to report. As many of you know, factors related to our son Erich’s epilepsy made it necessary to remain in the States for a second year of Home Assignment. Jenny and I prayed that God would make a way for us to stay in the States a second year without the need for Chuck to be on missionary tour for 6-8 weeks at a time. God answered our need and made it possible for us to join the ministry team here at East Hills Alliance. East Hills has been an answer to our prayers. God has been using the you, the people of East Hills to refresh us and remind us of God’s love and goodness. Jenny and I wanted to thank you for blessing us.

HERE IS THE LATEST NEWS:
March 29 – God answered our prayers
1) Erich and Emily were accepted into school in Berlin! Praise the Lord!
2) We received a call to ministry with Berlin International Church which we have accepted!
3) We received permission to move back to Berlin early to get set up prior to having our next baby in August.

April 11 – Erich’s latest Pediatric Neurology Appointment.
Jenny and I left the appointment very encouraged. Erich only showed one area of spiking in his brain during his most recent EEG. This was the best news we have had yet and though Erich will still need to be on anti-seizure medication we are hopeful for the future. Perhaps God will heal Erich in His time.

This news means that our last Sunday at East Hills will be June 3. We plan to leave June 4th and drive to Toledo, Ohio prior to our flight to Berlin hopefully on June 18th.

BABY #4 ON THE WAY!
For those of you who haven’t heard, Jenny and I are expecting a baby boy due August 22, 2007.

Pews, your days are numbered

Since March 12, a remodeling task force has been meeting to study ways of improving the church sanctuary and entryway. The basic ideas behind the remodel, and the membership of the group, came from Nick with input from the elder board. Kirk Sherrell, Bob Shaw, Tom Hight, Katrina Mendenhall, Jeremy McAninch, Leon Rennells, and Jean Imholte are on the task force and have been gathering suggestions and ideas from the congregation. Since my dad is the elder board representative on the group, I interviewed him today about the progress so far.

Doing nothing is a very poor option; the sanctuary carpeting is deteriorated, and the roofing, almost 30 years old, is already letting some small leaks through around the steeple. But just replacing worn-out materials does nothing to address flaws that hurt the sanctuary's usefulness.

"Over time, the church has changed," Tom said. "The demographics of our church are young families, primarily. It's not really representative of who we are. And the platform area really limits what we can do as far as performance arts for ministry support."

So far, a clear majority of the feedback favors upgrading both the functionality and appearance of the sanctuary. The single biggest issue is seating: immovable pews not only project a churchy attitude, they close off options for any use of the room besides traditional services. With a fully carpeted floor and moveable chairs, we could set up tables for a conference or clear the space for youth events. My dad visited Northlake Baptist, where they have been using chairs for five years, and got a good report: people say the chairs are more comfortable and have responded well.

Because it is likely that no walls will be moved, the biggest proposed structural changes are those aimed at the stage. This Sunday and Monday, the task force will be meeting with people involved in worship, drama, and other up-front activities, to get their recommendations. The main goal is to enlarge the platform itself and give musicians and performers more clear space to work in. Money is already budgeted to buy a stronger, higher-resolution projector and mount it from the ceiling, freeing up still more space and making the display itself more readable. The lighting leaves much to be desired, such as eliminating morning glare from the rear window, installing stage lights, and intensifying the ordinary room lights. Another item on the wish list is to wire all the light switches to one panel for better control.

Although the task force is directly concerned only with interior work, it may also recommend re-roofing before the sanctuary remodel begins. With the roof in its current condition, any insulation or other improvements on the ceiling could be damaged by leaks or the roof work itself. The team will also look at ways to improve the entryway inside and out, and possibly the front stairs.

"There are things we can do to make our church building more attractive and usable, but the building is a facility to be used for building up God's people. We're not doing this primarily for ourselves. It's more for people who have no relationship with Christ."

The task force envisions being ready to start work in early fall, but nothing major can happen without the approval of the administrative board and a vote of the congregation. This is not intended to be an obscure or secretive process, so feel free to approach any of the task force members with your concerns. If you would like to submit written comments or questions, feedback forms are still available in the back of the church. Anonymous feedback is acceptable, but please do put down your age and how long you've been attending EHA.

Arrr!

A very important Vacation Bible School meeting is going to happen this Thursday at the church from 6:30 to 7:30, and anyone with any interest in participating should be there.

The 2006 VBS will happen from 9:00 to noon on June 25-29. We hope to have 60 to 80 children there, a number that we have experience handling and that has matched well with the space and staff we have available. The outlines of what those kids will be doing for that week is already set. They will arrive to find the sanctuary transformed into the inside of a pirate ship. On the first four days, they will split up and rotate through four activity sites, but on Friday, they will stay in one group for a day of celebration. "Pirate University" is the theme; strangely, there is no Christian pirate curriculum available, so the VBS staff will create their own lessons and materials. The Wilson family will once again grace our stage with an episodic drama, and Caleb, who came up with the name, has already written most of the music. Every child will have a turn hearing the salvation message and be asked to respond by accepting Christ, but the other three sites will have their own response elements as well, rather than just imparting a lesson to passive listeners.

"[The staff] considers the week of VBS one of the most fun weeks of the year," Ann said. "'Pirate University' is easy and fun to promote and has a high interest level for girls and boys."

Tuesday's meeting is when we move from "what" and "when" to "who" and "how." Lori Shero, the director, needs leaders and helpers for the four sites, and the VBS "crew" has to work out which rooms to use and how to dress them as ships, ports, desert islands, and other appropriate locations.

"People will have an opportunity to hear an overview and help decide some of the details," Ann said. "We're looking for people who have a heart for kids, but some things need to be done outside of that week, or even on just one day."

Whether you have an interest in working with children, or would rather cook, pray, or help behind the scenes in other ways, this meeting is the place to find a role that suits your abilities. It's also an opportunity to give your input on the creative aspects.

Easter Service

Pastor Nick delivered his Easter message very efficiently at Kelso High: the count was 269 in attendance, meaning that for all of them to hear him preach in the sanctuary, they would have had to divide among three services.

"It was like a celebration just to have the whole church family together for one service," Ann said.

Nick offered this thought about his sermon: "I think I always use a different approach at my thesis than I normally do. My normal style tends to be deductive-- give the big points first, then the evidence-- but this time it was interesting to just let the story be told."

If I had to choose a day to get up and preach, Christmas and Easter would be my last two choices. I was impressed with Nick's ability to work within the confines of a seeker-oriented service on a major holiday, yet still reveal fresh ideas that hold the attention of long-time Christians.

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Pulling the Plug

Four years ago, the administration board approved a compensation package that included sabbaticals for staff members. It was designed to give staff members a one-month period of discretionary time after each three years of service. After discussion with Pastor Nick, I made a request to the elder board in March to use my sabbatical leave from April 23 to May 22, and they approved it. I am so blessed to be part of a church that values the health of its staff. I am not “dropping out” because I am toasted and just can’t take it anymore; I am going away to be refilled and renewed in order to better serve. Because this has not been done before, we have had to address a lot of general questions in the process.

The sabbatical concept is rooted in Scripture and is by its very nature a time of rest and reflection. Genesis 2 and Deuteronomy 5 are key chapters that guide this process. To use this time of rest and reflection well requires quite a bit of “unplugging” as preparation. I have been working toward this for many weeks, and I find myself with mixed feelings. Part of the time I am excited to experience a sabbatical, and part of the time I feel left out of the excitement of living out the call God has gently placed on my life. Also, I am fighting the inner pressure to over-format this month with schedules, lists, and deadlines-- that would completely undermine the whole purpose.

I see this as a time of rediscovery: first a time to rediscover my God, second a time to rediscover myself, and finally a time to rediscover my ministry. It has been difficult to say no to some things that are scheduled for my sabbatical month. For instance, I will miss some important meetings that my heart wants to participate in. I will not be attending EHA weekend services during this time or meeting with our life group. It is a little scary to think about being away from my dear EHA family and co-staff members. But gradually, I am seeing a little intriguing light waiting for me on the horizon. What does God have in mind for me?

Friday, April 06, 2007

A Blessing in Difficult Times

A Blessing in Difficult Times
By Jim Cram

Some of you may know that in May of last year, my brother George died. This has certainly led to a mass of changes in my family and particularly in me. You see, George was the only one of my siblings living near my mother, who is not in very good health. George helped her with whatever needs she could not do independently. As a result, my mother has moved to Kelso and I have taken the primary responsibility to make sure her needs are met. In addition to this, my relationship with one of my sisters was severed, and the relationship with the other sister was strained. Denise’s father’s Alzheimers has gotten worse, and he is now using a walker, and I have found that I need to give them more of my time as well. Time. Stress. Responsibilities. In order to alleviate some of this, I stepped down from being an elder and have cut back on my responsibilities at church. At times, I feel left out from those meetings I used to attend – kind of like an outsider. Yet, I know that this is what I had to do. So, did God lead me to this place of life? I know He did. So, why has church responsibility taken such a back seat for right now? I ask that quite a bit, yet I know He is with us in wherever He leads us. And we can always find Him, especially in the small things.

God has shown his faithfulness to me in many ways. Shortly after my brother died, my youngest sister, Twylla, and I both realized that we needed each other, and God has opened the doors for us to have a great relationship with each other, and to even enjoy one another regularly. While my mother went through 2 hospital stays and 2 moves, my sister, Doris, came by the house to visit, somewhat cautiously. She stayed for 5 hours, and before long our differences had dissolved, and we see each other often now. God made you and me to have relationship, with Him, with family, and with neighbors. And He is the healer of relationships.

My mother realized that she needed to be near her children, so she decided to move to Longview. She had applied to get into senior housing in Kelso, but we were told that the waiting list was long, and that her income was too high to get onto a reasonable accommodation list. So she moved into another apartment which cost more but was very nice, and she felt she could afford the rent. It was not long until she realized that her money was gone before the month was. Just at that time we got a letter from Cowlitz Villa senior housing that there was an opening, and because mom was now paying higher rent she now qualified for reasonable accommodation and had moved to the top of the list for a one bedroom apartment. God is good. While we thank Him for the apartment she lived in for those first few months, it is good to see her breathe a bit easier financially. I appreciate the generosity and kindness that Chuck Bond and his staff have shown to my mother. My mother found herself having to pay rent at 2 apartments for April, since her agreement said that she had to give 20 days notice, and she was unable to do this in order to not have to pay the April rent. However, within a week, Chuck’s staff called and reported that mom’s apartment had been rented and that not only did she not have to pay April’s rent, but that she would receive a partial refund for March as well! God is truly a generous God.

There are other things that we see in the blessings in our life. God’s provision of a new car for Buell and Lorraine. An special relationship with my brother and his wife as they ventured into the world of caring for her parents. Support from our life group, and the way that Nick has continued to make me feel a part of the church leadership. I don’t know how people can make it through stress and difficulties without a supportive church family and without knowing the grace of our God. As I look back, I can only say, “Thank you, God. Thank you for the blessings you give to us.”