First Presbyterian Church of Danville, Virginia

Just a quick note: as I have mentioned in our monthly newsletter and in this past Sunday’s sermon, we will be hosting Presbyterian Global Fellowship’s Moving Back into the Neighborhood conference on May 19.  If you would like to register for the conference, do so by clicking here.  Thanks, and I hope to see you there!

-Allen

I’m not much of a television guy.  There’s only one show that I really watch regularly.  It is set in 2030, with a father narrating to his teenage children the extended story of how he met their mother.  The name of the show is How I Met Your Mother.  Pure genius.  Next year is the eighth and final season, so it’s been a long story (it’s also PG-13 at best, so be aware). 

I may get that question one day from my kids, but a more common question that I still get when I meet people around town is, “How did you get to Danville?”  I don’t have room for a terribly long story here, but I will start with the same time frame: when I first got to seminary.  

Pittsburgh was the first major city in which I had ever lived, and it was first that I ever really tried to explore.  The seminary was at the border of two diverse neighborhoods, one of them pretty wealthy and the other pretty poor.  As a result, there was a major emphasis at the seminary on interacting with all the different people around us. 

I had felt called to seminary in part because I realized that Christianity in America was declining, and our country itself was becoming a mission field.  My second year, I took a “missiology” class that placed a significant focus on that phenomenon.  As a result, I became intrigued by an organization called Presbyterian Global Fellowship (PGF), which had started in 2006 precisely to call the PC(USA) to address that same issue.  The shorthand for the larger movement of which PGF is a part is the “missional church” movement, which I have mentioned many times before. 

In my final year of seminary, I began to work closely with the director and founder of PGF, and I was extended a call to go to my previous church in Atlanta in part to write two curriculum pieces for them.  I eventually became a PGF board member, and took part in the planning of a number of conferences. 

For the past three years, PGF has been holding regional “Moving Back into the Neighborhood” gatherings for pastors and church members to come together to discuss how they can reach out to their local neighborhoods and communities: their mission fields. 

Many of the elements of the missional church movement made me feel called to come to Danville, and I was immensely blessed that the Pastor Nominating Committee agreed!  We are a city with a proud history and an uncertain but hopeful future.  As a congregation, we are located throughout the area, and our particular place in the city gives us the great missional charge to follow and speak to what Jesus is doing in Danville. 

On May 19, thanks to our session, the Patton family, and others throughout our presbytery, we have the opportunity to talk about our calling at a PGF “Moving Back into the Neighborhood” gathering in our very own fellowship hall!  This is a major event, with an internationally known speaker, and I hope that as many of us as possible are able to attend.  You can find some more information about the event in this newsletter, and I will be speaking about it more in the next few weeks. 

Meanwhile, I am literally moving into the neighborhood! Kelsey and I just closed on a house right down the street from the church building, and we look forward to getting even more settled.  Thank you for all of your support, and I will see you in May!

In Christ,

Allen

Friends,

As always, we will be hosting Holy Week services in our chapel at noon each day (Sutherlin Ave. entrance), followed by lunch in our Overby Fellowship Hall!  The following is the schedule for this year:

Monday, April 2: Rev. Paul Johnson, Shelton Memorial Presbyterian Church

Tuesday, April 3: Rev. Barry Foster, Mt. Vernon United Methodist Church

Wednesday, April 4: Rev. Josh Hearne, Grace and Main Fellowship

Thursday, April 5: Rev. Dr. Bill Leathers, First Baptist Church

Friday, April 7: Rev. Vanessa Falgoust, West End Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

We hope you can join us for worship and lunch!  Call the church office at 792-7822 if you have any questions.

In Christ,

Allen

I spent the month of February talking about love, and how our English language has more limited language for love than did the Greek language in which the New Testament was originally written.  In doing so, I have recalled my disdain for buzzwords—words that can mean different things to different people, but which sound good so they get used often. 

This past fall, I tried to expound upon one of those words that I use a lot, “missional.”  That’s a big church buzzword these days, and I hope that it got through that it means more than just participating in mission projects and supporting missionaries.  It’s an identity of who we are as Christians: the sent people of Jesus Christ (John 20:21).

Another word I feel like I use a lot is “oriented.”  That’s not exactly a buzzword, but its meaning can be vague and I find that the way I use it is also lacking in concrete examples.  But, when I use it, I mean to say that our lives should be oriented first toward Jesus—who he is, what he calls us to do, and what he means for the world.

In a way, that is what the season of Lent is about: orientation.  As we will discover through our Bible passages for the next few weeks, much of what Jesus tried to do as he approached his death concerned the orientation of his followers to the kind of salvation and reconciliation with God that he was offering. 

Jesus’ followers had certain expectations both for Jesus and for their own roles in God’s work, much like any of us would when entering a new job or a new school.  So, just like with any job or school orientation, the disciples needed to be given some basic understandings of what to expect.  Jesus’ journey to the cross was their orientation.

For us, there is an even deeper sort of orientation going on, as well.  Part of the disciples’ orientation was a lesson on the Holy Spirit, who works today to turn us—our desires, our choices, our lives—toward Jesus.  Sometimes this means that we abandon certain parts of our lives or give some things up, even temporarily as many of us do during Lent.  Other times, it means taking on new disciplines, activities, or relationships.  Quite often, it could just mean making the effort to listen to and talk with God a bit more during your day, either on your own or together with someone you love.

Whether you have set aside or added a particular discipline for Lent, or whether Lent for you just happens to be another season in your continuous effort to draw closer to God, the words and deeds with which Jesus left his disciples can serve as an orientation to a life built around him.

I am excited to be entering my 12^th month as your pastor, and I look forward to seeing you soon!

In Christ,

Your Pastor,

Allen

Thanks to all of you who were a part of the community Ash Wednesday service!  It was a blast to share the pulpit and lectern with colleagues from around town.  May God bring you closer to Him in Lent, and send you to minister in Jesus’s name as a result!  Here is a PDF of tonight’s sermon: 2012 02 22 A Very High Sealing (Ash Wednesday)

The community Ash Wednesday service will be at 7:00 PM this Wednesday in the sanctuary.  Ministers and musicians from seven area churches will be participating as we gather together to mark the beginning of Lent.  If you have any questions, contact our office at 792-7822.  Be careful in the snow, and we will see you Wednesday!