WE WELCOME YOUR COMMENTS.

On January 24 and 25 of this year (2007), the North Pacific Union Conference sponsored the first of several meetings of an Education Summit involving a select group of Northwest educators and administrators. Coordinated by Lanny Hurlbert, NPUC education director, the summit group focused on six different areas of concern that speak directly to the quality and value of Adventist education: Enrollment, Finances, Leadership, Marketing, Message & Mission, and Spirituality. Six study groups were formed during that initial meeting to explore each area and return with a preliminary report of brainstorming ideas at the next meeting.

On May 10, the summit reconvened to hear reports from each committee, and instructed that these reports be made available for broader comment and response from concerned church members throughout the Northwest. 

So here we invite your comments on the the committee reports listed here under the headings of: Enrollment, Finance, Leadership, Marketing, Mission and Spirituality. To go directly to a specific report, click on one of the report topics in the “Categories” list to the right.

To enter your comments, go to the end of each report. Click on the “comments” link, add your own “reply,” then click “Submit Comment.” If the link below the report says “no comments,” that simply means no one has yet filed a comment–go ahead and click to become the first one to comment.

Although we want to hear your honest opinions, please keep your comments constructive and non-personal. The GLEANER staff reserves the right to delete comments not in keeping with these guidelines.

Deadline for comments on these six reports is July 31. If you would prefer to email your comments, you may do so at talk@gleaneronline.org. 

Thank you for helping us better understand the concerns of parents and members around the NW, and for helping Adventist educational leaders move ahead with informed choices and a mission for positive change.

I dredged up a long lost formula the other day. It franky hadn’t crossed my mind since high school when a teacher said with great feeling, “You’re going to need this someday.” That advice, quickly forgotten, came back to me suddenly when I started thinking again about Momentum–an effort here in the Northwest to change church members attitude about evangelism–that it’s an everyday connection with real people, not just a 14-night event that your church hosts once in awhile.

In the physical world there is actually a formula of sorts for Momentum. As I understand it (and, yes, my high school memories are increasingly fuzzy) Momentum describes the relationship between the Inertia and Velocity of an object. Inertia is the state of being–either of inaction or action. If an object is standing still, it takes a great deal of energy to change that inactivity into motion. On the other hand, once an object has been placed in motion, it takes a lot of energy to stop it. The more mass the object has along with increasing velocity, the harder it is to stop it. The greater the Momentum, the harder it is to deaccelerate. It’s sort of a natural consequence of Newton’s first and second laws of motion.

So, what is the state of Momentum within our Northwest churches? What is our state of Momentum as individual believers? It takes a great deal of energy to get any one of us to move beyond status quo–a inertia of inaction. But once a few of us move beyond status quo to motion, our mass is increased, and hence our Momentum is increased.

You can see this principle enacted in negative ways, as in a mob mentality, where individuals, who wouldn’t normally commit a crime, do so because everyone else is. But can’t that also prove true in positive ways–where the timid soul realizes that they are not alone in wanting to do something noble and good?

The Northwest is labeled as having the greatest number of “unchurched” people. What would it take to change that state of inertia?   That’s a question best answered first in our own hearts, in our own churches. Status quo will never do what an increasing sense of Momentum jmight.

I sat in a darkened room along with several hundred others, captivated by the power of simple testimony. It wasn’t a doctrinal dissertation. There were no strident tones, no partisan posturing.

Instead, there were captivating tones, whimsical, humorous, poignant, intense, along with amazing dexterity of both technique and wit. The connection between performer and audience was automatic, as if it were, a gift.

The spotlight shown on an unassuming tousle-haired young man, in T-shirt and jeans. And …. a guitar. He played each song, secular or sacred, as if it were an offering. In between, he talked about how every good thing comes from the One who made it. He deflected any accolades of his talent, preferring instead to talk about the gift he had been given to share. He and his wife travel the country, the world, ministering to real people in real-world ways. There’s no pretense here. There’s no Armageddon message, no prophetic trumpets or Three Angels. There’s no theological parsing or key proof texts. But those of us who listen are cut to the heart without even realizing it.

He’s not well-known. No billboards and full-page ads in the paper. Those who come to hear, do so because a friend has invited them word-of-mouth.

As I listen, I picture myself sitting on a Galilean hillside, long ago and far away, listening, captivated by the message of another unassuming young man with tousled hair. And I wonder if this is how real evangelism takes place. Not with an expensive series of meetings, but with word-of-mouth contacts, in small groups and gatherings, in real-world places, where inspiration falls naturally like the rain.

There’s no preacher in sight, yet I’ve been inspired by an incredible talent and a simple testimony. And I can’t wait to tell someone else about it.

Check him out for yourself: www.tracebundy.com.

In April of this year, Adventist churches around the Northwest will host evangelistic meetings with speaker Ron Halvorson, Sr. Will this be just another evangelistic event with a media blitz, ads in the paper, fliers sent out to zip codes surrounding churches? Or will it be something more sustained, something that makes a lasting difference?

Members around the Northwest are hearing about a program called Momentum. It’s an effort to help members understand their role in Christianity. Being a Christian means far more than getting up and going to church once a week, then calling it “good” and going back to “normal” life. Momentum is a term that includes the daily lifestyle of a Christian in being a witness to the life-changing power of God. As more and more members embrace this lifestyle “evangel-living” concept, Momentum will build.

And, perhaps, they will look at these upcoming meetings as a target, a goal, if you will, of developing relationships with their friends and neighbors who are looking for something better out of life. These meetings become a gathering point in which to bring these friends to a better understanding of God and His goal for their lives. Before these meetings, the relationships are developed. After these meetings, those relationships continue as each person grows in their understanding of the Christian life. And they continue to develop new friendships as they discover an “evangel-living” lifestyle. In that way, the cycle of relationship building, trust and commitment continues.

Evangelism is not something a Christian does once in awhile. Evangelism is something a Christian is, inside and out. It doesn’t make us into Amway Christians. It does make us sensitive to the needs of our friends that can be answered further by a relationship with Christ.

After promising myself and those I love that I would return to healthful ways after the holidays, I made my first pilgrimage back to the sweatshop known as 24-Hour Fitness.

Why was I not surprised to swiftly see so many others there in the throes of New Year’s resolutions. Rows of eliptical and treadmill machines, stairclimbers and upright bicycles, all taken by puffy, perspiring pilgrims, grimly gritting their way to better health. This is a commitment they’ve made and they’ll keep it, all the way through the end of the month.

But, come February, the parking lot won’t be so full; the machines will fall increasingly empty. The resolutions which seemed so firm and important in January will have succombed to the expedience of other priorities. For many, the inertia of inactivity creates too strong of a pull to merit regular exercise.

I’ve been on this pendulum for several years, beginning when my wife and I decided that a membership in a fitness club would help motivate us towards better health. It actually has. Regular, strenuous, cardiovascular activity kicks those endorphins into play and I feel better, mentally, physically and spiritually.

But it has not ceased to be a constant choice. Just like spiritual devotions, physical exercise, at least for some of us, is a choice we must constantly face to conquer the inertia of inactivity. The faith that such activity will reap positive results won’t do any good unless the choice is made to begin and to continue.

The guy at the fitness center told me that muscles weigh more than fat. So it’s an interesting balance: By exercising, we burn fat, but develop muscle. Lean muscle weight is better than passive fat weight. Yet, fat doesn’t get sore … muscles do! So amidst the soreness, I need to continue the push, believing that works, coupled with faith will reap the desire end.

Frankly, I’m looking forward to February and March, when, for some, the good intentions crumble, opening up more free exercise machines for me. But I pray that my choice will still be consistent to follow what by faith I know to be best.

In a recent column, Garrison Keillor, the familiar host of A Prairie Home Companion on NPR, quipped that “it’s highly unusual in this day and age to meet a critic face-to-face.”

He refers to the tendency we have to use the more easily accessed forms of electronic communication to disparage others, imagine conspiracies, or to otherwise assume the worst. We can do so in ether space without first checking our facts or even accounting for the implications of our words. A blistering email or blog is much more convenient than confronting someone in person. Yet in the weeks and months it takes for truth to prevail, credibility can be lost and reputations smeared.

Author Louis L’Amour frequently described the old West code–never shoot a man in the back, do it to his face. In a strange, rough sort of way, it was a mark of civility. These days, one way diatribes, whether it be during a shout-fest on TV, or in a one-way blog, are tantamount to shooting someone in the back.

Keillor has it right. “Civility,” he said, “doesn’t mean acquiescence. It simply means trying to observe the standards of face-to-face conduct.  People whale away at each other in the media and launch juggernauts of invective who never look each other in the eye … In the end, serious people have to be willing to sit down and look each other in the eye and say what we think.”

I suppose that applies as much to politics and religion as it does to the workplace and even the home.  

So as I think ahead on this New Year’s Eve, I would suggest face-to-face honesty and integrity as a worthy goal for us all. Once lost, it is hard to regain. So hold to it tightly and practice it every chance you get.

If anything steams me, it’s identity theft. Minds and consciences numbed with meth cannot fathom the hurt they have invoked. Reputations and good credit earned through years of fastidious living can be tarnished with one swipe of plastic. To me, identity theft should receive far heavier retribution from the law than is presently the case. Possessions are covered by insurance. What covers a lost reputation?

But wait. How does God feel about those who represent His name, but not His character? To be a Christian in name only … is that another form of identity theft? Is it possible there are many in every religion, Christians, Jews, Buddhists and yes, even in the Islamic culture, that while taking the name, smear the reputation of that religion by their actions and attitudes? The Islamic fundamentalist who hates unbelievers and the Christian leader who cheats on his wife may not be far different. They follow the same course as the identity thieves we all despise.

How about us? If taking the name “Christian” is a matter of the heart, and not just an outward label, where do we fit into the picture? Are we guilty of identity theft, too?

When His birthday came, we sang songs, celebrated with gifts, enjoyed the finest foods … and forgot to invite Him to His own party.

Why does the human heart yearn for traditions? Christmas time brings out some of the most poignant–decorations and activities and foods that surface only once a year. In my family, Christmas brings out the urge to make Yulecock, a traditional Scandinavian bread, rich with raisins, citron and cardamom–and wonderful as toast.

Somehow related to this is the desire (in many but not all cases) to be close to family during the holidays. There’s a need for “connectedness” to both our past and future, a sense of belonging, of our roots–that we were conceived with a purpose that is still valid.

Tradition can be a positive part of life, an inspiration to hold fast to values as a sort of generational glue. Tradition can also hold us back from our place in the future, i.e. the struggle within the familiar old story of “Fiddler on the Roof.” Tradition can prevent us from embracing new insights or preserve us from losing contact with timeless values. Tradition can add warmth to the journey or drape a cold chill over any hint of progress.

The key is what priority you allow for tradition. And that brings me back my Yulecock. The recipe’s simple–some water, flour, oil, yeast, brown sugar, salt, diced citron, raisins and cardamom spice. Oh, and kneading, lots of kneading! So, in your life, is tradition the flour or the spice, the foundation or the frosting, the main act or the encore? How has tradition enhanced or hindered your journey?

Their faces are anxious, frustrated, stressed. They’re not sure what to get … what that special person will really want. So Christmas for these earnest, well-meaning people becomes a “hell-a-day” of frazzled nerves, disappointed hopes and that vague ache in the core of their being that murmurs, “Is that what it’s really all about?”

Seems to me that the Prince of Peace came to deliver them … all of us … from the burden of a materialistic, self-centered “what’s-in-it-for-me” philosophy. Perhaps the truth of Immanuel, God With Us, is time set apart from all that other bustle, to spend with Him and reflect what His gift … His Gift … means to us, our families and our future. That is the gift that keeps on giving and giving for those that take the time, that are unencumbered with all the other trappings our world has placed on this special gift of time.