Faith vs. Religion

There has been an on - going debate within my conscience regarding faith and religion. These are two subject matters that I have never really given much recognition to until about six months ago. Since then, however, it has been like a non - stop ping pong match inside my head and quite frankly, my brain is a little tired (not to mention, bruised).

That is way I am reaching out to you, my fellow compadres in Christ. Is there truly a difference between faith and religion?? Are people who attend church doing so out of faith or merely out of habit?? To elaborate even further, is going to church absolutely imperative to living a Christian lifestyle or can a person still maintain a strong relationship with God despite not going every Sunday?? More than anything, however, can faith exist without religion and vice versa??

Please give thoughtful consideration to each of these questions as well as to the following : what do you feel are necessary components to maintaining a healthy and maturing relationship with the Lord?? Also, how does someone truly immerse themselves in culture while continuing to embrace who he or she is as a child of God??

Here's how to Get Mapped on the Builders in Ministry - Around the World map!

Hey Builders in Ministry!

Here’s how to stake your claim on a piece of our Builders in Ministry – Around the World map!!

1) Follow this link to our map: <http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=100327673646283010015.0004678556b61c391b386&ll=39.96028,-91.494141&spn=8.452293,19.6875&z=6>

2) The Google search bar is located at the top of the page. Type in your address (ex. 100 College St, Winfield, KS 67156) then click “Search Maps”. This will bring up a map with your location.

3) In the box, below your address is “Save to My Maps”, click here and save to Builders in Ministry – Around the World.

4) Once you are plotted on the BIM Map, edit your window in the following ways:

a. Replace your address with your name, then put your address, phone, website, or other contact information in the window below;

b. Replace the blue teardrop icon with a purple teardrop for your home address or;

c. Replace the blue teardrop icon with a purple BIM logo (located in My Icons) for your place of ministry;

d. Replace the stock photo with your own photo of your church, youth group, home, or family – what ever you’d like.

e. Add any additional information you think might be useful to other Builders in Ministry – what you do, focus of your ministry, etc.

5) Save your work and then check to see who else is mapped! If you don’t see some of your fellow Builders in Ministry, share the link and have them get mapped!

Greetings from Haysville

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Hola fellow builders,
I think i am supposed to be working right now but as i was reading some of the posts i got very intrigued, so i decided to do my contribution. I would like to give some updates about what is going on with me and the ministry i am right now. Since February of this i have been working for the Haysville United Methodist Church as the new Ministry Development Youth Director. Since then everything has been a challenging experience. Being involved in ministry is an awesome thing, but when you get involved in ministry with a leadership position is a double awesome-ness. When i entered the ministry i did not have much "field experience" which it made a little bit rough to get things together. I have realized that God is the one who equips you do to whatever ministry He has prepared for you (Ephesians 2:10).
One integral part of my faith formation was the Discipleship program at Southwestern College and it faith community or i should say my SC family. I have a lot of respect for the program that taught me and prepared me with the tools and resources i am using in ministry right now. I have never thought i would end up being a youth director but i guess God has mysterious ways and places He will take you. Like i said, I haven't been in this church for that long, but the long i have been in here, i already have experienced feels of joy, challenge, frustration, love, pain, admiration, etc, that ministry has within its realm. I must say that my perspective of the church has totally changed and now more than ever feel that tremendous, driven feeling of seeking the one true God.
Since my first day here i have been blessed with the opportunity of being coached or helped by a man (Todd Guinn)that i have a lot of respect for and for his ministry. We have a responsibility to care and pray for each other not only because we are fellow Builders but because we are ONE body that share ONE vision and ONE common goal, therefore i encourage you to pray for your brothers and sisters that they may find rest and strength to proceed to the end of the race

In His Name
Elohei Avraham Elohei Yitschak velohei Ya'akov.
Joel Alejandre

Announcing a BIM - Around the World Map

I'm working on creating a Builders in Ministry - Around the World map. You can use this map to locate fellow Builders, plan your next youth or mission trip or just stay in touch.

Just think - You're heading from point A to Point B. But . . . there are 2 Builders in Ministry along your route!! Potential for: fellowship, joint youth/mission trip, a place to crash for the night? The list can go on and on and so can the opportunities - not just for you, but for those with you!!

If you like to be included, please email your address to me at julie.headrick@sckans.edu or leave it in the comments.

Thanks!
Julie

Cannot Put a Band - Aid on This One.....

Only a few of you were present when I came back to my ol' college stomping grounds and gave my (brief) testimony. It was hard to encompass all that has transpired since I began embarking hard core on my journey with Christ.

The premise of this testimony surrounded the immense struggle I have had living with generalized anxiety disorder and depression since the age of eight. It has not only effected how I relate to my peers but also how I approach my relationship with God.

I have expressed a lot of resentment, bitterness and anger towards Him during my quiet times. It is hard to comprehend how these illnesses coincide with any plan that the He has for me. I mean, how is He going to use someone like me who is so screwed up emotionally to share His love with others when I cannot even love myself??

I truly desire to be rid of the mess that has become my life. I have isolated myself from everything that I truly am passionate for : people and writing. These two entities have really been the only things that have made sense to me.

Both are freedoms of expression. People are able to choose how to live life and engage it while writing has endless possibilities when it comes to developing a story and then choosing how to tell it.

I am hoping that eventually the script that God has created for me will resonate with my heart, freeing it of all the dirt and filth that has prevented it from truly beating.

Greetings From A Yellow Sanctuary--Meg Mojica

Nestled deep in the loving community of Winfield,KS sits a perfect, little yellow sanctuary. An ideal place for a recovering workaholic and future seminary student to find rest and renewal. With a daily schedule of staff meetings,volunteer recruitment, inventory, lesson planning, and discovering multi-sensory ways to explain the eucharist to seven-year-olds, an Assistant Minister and Children's' Director's job is never done. With this said, my house has become my safe haven....my sanctuary.
Every morning my kitchen morphs into a stage for holy jam sessions on my guitar, my argyle chair by the lamp is perfect for the works of Bonhoeffer, Jones, and Green, and the coffee table often holds card games or the tea cups of friends who fill this sanctuary with laughter. My name is Meg Mojica, a 2008 graduate of SC who happened to land her dream job in her college town. A Texan, I thought my time in Kansas would end at graduation, and I would be summoned to move on to my next life chapter. Little did I know, God would write the next chapter in Kansas as well.
The staff at First United Methodist Church of Winfield is exactly what a church staff should be. They are humble, equipped, constantly working towards Christian perfection, and above all, open to the Spirit's lead. We are a team. Though I have been involved in church leadership since 2003, this is the first time that Sunday morning worship is not our top priority, outreach is. Yes, Kimball would be proud. Very few local churches reach this point, and it as an honor to wake up every morning and head to Millington street.
Though I live in a yellow sanctuary, I am currently in the "wilderness". I have been offered a full-ride scholarship to an extremely elite seminary in the south. Though many would take this as a sign of God's call, my excitement is, well, nonexistent, (don't tell my grandmother), and for some reason...I do not feel called to journey there in the fall. As mentioned earlier, the happenings of Winfield First are rare, what if God still has plans for me in Kansas?

I'm at SC!

Hey everyone! This is my official first blog-- ever! I'm excited to see how it works and connects us around the world! After finishing my degree at SC I received my masters from Oklahoma State University in Music Performance and Pedagogy. Now, I am back at Southwestern working in two different worlds. I'm adjunct with the music department teaching theory classes, woodwind methods, flute, and running the Community Music School Program. I am also the Assistant Director of Campus Life. Needless to say, life is busy! It's awesome though! God is teaching me everyday and I couldn't ask for more.

I just want to encourage everyone to pray for SC and the people here. It is easy to forget to pray for the things you are so directly connected with, but we can always use prayer. God is doing some amazing things here and I know it is in the hearts of the ministry team to follow Him wherever He is taking us. Prayers are always welcome!

Love,
Melissa

Greetings from Haysville

Hola fellow builders,
I think i am supposed to be working right now but as i was reading some of the posts i got very intrigued, so i decided to do my contribution. I would like to give some updates about what is going on with me and the ministry i am right now. Since February of this i have been working for the Haysville United Methodist Church as the new Ministry Development Youth Director. Since then everything has been a challenging experience. Being involved in ministry is an awesome thing, but when you get involved in ministry with a leadership position is a double awesome-ness. When i entered the ministry i did not have much "field experience" which it made a little bit rough to get things together. I have realized that God is the one who equips you do to whatever ministry He has prepared for you (Ephesians 2:10).
One integral part of my faith formation was the Discipleship program at Southwestern College and it faith community or i should say my SC family. I have a lot of respect for the program that taught me and prepared me with the tools and resources i am using in ministry right now. I have never thought i would end up being a youth director but i guess God has mysterious ways and places He will take you. Like i said, I haven't been in this church for that long, but the long i have been in here, i already have experienced feels of joy, challenge, frustration, love, pain, admiration, etc, that ministry has within its realm. I must say that my perspective of the church has totally changed and now more than ever feel that tremendous, driven feeling of seeking the one true God.
Since my first day here i have been blessed with the opportunity of being coached or helped by a man (Todd Guinn)that i have a lot of respect for and for his ministry. We have a responsibility to care and pray for each other not only because we are fellow Builders but because we are ONE body that share ONE vision and ONE common goal, therefore i encourage you to pray for your brothers and sisters that they may find rest and strength to proceed to the end of the race

In His Name
Elohei Avraham Elohei Yitschak velohei Ya'akov.
Joel Alejandre

BIM week next year--Worship

Next years topic of discussion will be Worship. If you have any interest in helping with the discussion please post your ideas. Thanks, Steve

I'm so glad to be a part of this! What a wonderful way to communicate and to connect with one another. And I'm all for this since I didn't make it home for the BIM Week. And I SO wanted to hear Tony Jones speak after hearing rave reviews from an adjunct professor.

Currently, I'm in KCity, MO, working on my masters. I should be more enthusiastic, but I'm so tired, even after a one week break. I really enjoy seminary. I am thankful to be here, and I'm even thankful for the challenges this place puts forward for my heart and my mind. I'm surrounded by people who love God and love people. They are teaching me so much about how God is working in the world through us. This place always has its moments of testing, but they are quickly followed by moments of community and the joy that brings.

Again, I'm so glad to be on this blog, able to connect and catch up with those fellow Builders who are in ministry, living for God and following their call.

Best wishes!

Yours,
Kim Swartz