Living into the Kingdom

The Gospel of Matthew the 25th Chapter contains the following words
34-36 "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what's coming to you in this kingdom. It's been ready for you since the world's foundation. And here's why:
   I was hungry and you fed me,
   I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,
   I was homeless and you gave me a room,
   I was shivering and you gave me clothes,
   I was sick and you stopped to visit,
   I was in prison and you came to me.'

 37-40"Then those 'sheep' are going to say, 'Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?' Then the King will say, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.' The Message

Sometimes people ask a question like this….“ I want to make my faith count locally and around the world. What can I do?” Being a member of the Chapelwood community I get the opportunity to work with some amazing and aware individuals who are serving and making a difference. Before you hear from them ask yourself  this….. Who are these in this passage the “overlooked and ignored” Are they not those with little clothing, food and drink (the under resourced). Strangers (outsiders) sick (powerless) prisoners (those with few or no rights).I think Jesus has them in his mind in this passage. Now hear from some amazing servants who are helping transform lives locally and around the world. Listen to what they have to say about this and how they are responding to the invitation that this scripture lays out....
“Pay attention to our school system.  The question I ask myself is are we educating all of our children?” Camille Bryan

“As a parent to school age children, I schedule time consistently to coach teams, bring supplies to classrooms, tutor and mentor in after school or in-class activities.  What I can do is practice a matching program policy, so that for every special activity or program I commit to for my own children, I provide a like, needed service for a Spring Branch area child.”  Allison Gower

“Pray "Oh God, create in me a willingness to respond to what I see." My prayer partner while I was in Haiti shared a great quote with me:  "God does not ask your ability or your inability.  He asks only your availability."  ... Mary Kay Ash “I will give unconditional love to children at a local elementary school” Carleen Woods

“I am hoping that my efforts will help in the development of underprivileged areas (education, health, standard of living) in countries that have limited resources to support it.  I am hoping my efforts will provide hope and love to those that are in need and will show them the love of God in their lives”. Dave Luther

“I don't believe there is any one solution to the many problems of our community, our country and our world.  But I do believe that a good education will solve many problems for many young people.  I have seen educational opportunities change the lives of not only individual students, but also of their families.  Every time I see a life changed for the better it's payday for me.” John Grubbs

“I believe that the single most profound investment I can make in the lives of others is my time and attention. It is an investment that pays both the giver and the receiver. There is nothing that blesses me more than to see someone I have come to care about blossom and grow due to, if even in the slightest degree, to my involvement in their life. Whether it's a young girl learning to play volleyball with the help of my coaching, or a student learning math, or someone that simply needs someone to really listen to them, in each and every instance I am enriched by the experience. Every time I show love to one of my brothers or sisters, I show love to Him.” Joel Hall

“I believe that the best way for me to make my faith count  is to be true to where God is calling me. I have found that by being still and listening, I come to understand where and how God asks me to serve. When I am faithful to his will, my faith truly counts for "the least of these". Ted Desforges

I ask you to consider this….How can you offer yourself to the under resourced, outsiders, the powerless and those with few or no rights here in our community and around the world? Jesus words remain Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.

Jeremy Hall: Embodying grace through training others

Chapelwood member Jeremy Hall continues his updates from SIFAT

It's good to be able to report on the things God has been doing these last couple of weeks here, but the sheer amount worthy of reporting is a daunting task, so this is an attempt to mention some highlights.
The appropriate technologies that SIFAT  teaches are world renowned and are leading the way in producing solutions to many of the problems faced by the developing world, such as malnutrition, impure water, sustainable shelter, etc. Community leaders from 87 different nations have been trained in and have taken back to their homes the various technologies that SIFAT specializes in, and the results have been overwhelming. It's because of these results that SIFAT  is regarded as one of the top organizations in the nation addressing third world community development. It goes without saying, then, how much of a blessing it is for these students to have the opportunity to learn the exact same material regarding appropriate technology that is being taught to international community leaders. These students are being equipped with this knowledge not so much to use in their own communities, but more so to expose them to the idea of "appropriate technology"; to show them the difference between helping people and empowering people to help themselves; to get them thinking about what it means to live appropriately.

                                 Jeremy Hall leads a group of students at SIFATS training campus

Along with the technologies, SIFAT offers the opportunity for students to experience life in a rural developing nation environment through the global village located on campus. This village, which holds ten different living environments from different developing nations around the world, gives the students an opportunity to live out a period of time similar to how it might be lived out in the nation being represented. Its one thing to tell a student how families live in Ecuador, but when the student gets to feel the same feelings and experience things an Ecuadorian experiences, the student finds empathy, which equipps and motivates, rather than sympathy, which doesn't require much action, for 85% of the world who live in a situation similar to that.

SIFAT offers more moments of refreshment than anywhere else I could imagine. It has been a wellspring for my soul thus far, and I am confident in the fact that it will continue to be so for myself and those coming here after me. More to come
Love always
Jeremy Hall

More from Jeremy Hall as he continues his mission work at SIFAT

It might be of interest to know in detail more about the programs our students are participating in. The very first thing that the students do is experience the slum simulation. The challenge set before them is to attempt to live in the slums located on Sifat's property as families, with the end goal of then better understanding a lifestyle that is lived out by over 1 billion people on the earth (that's 1 out of 7 people on the planet in case you were wondering). The next program that students participate in is appropriate technology rotations. The students are given an opportunity to be taught the very same material that Sifat offers international community leaders regarding water purification/pasteurization, fuel-efficient cook stoves, appropriate nutritional supplementation, sustainable agriculture, shelter construction techniques, community mapping, and community development. After the students are exposed to the lessons regarding appropriate technology, they are given an opportunity to put what they have learned into practice within the confines of Sifat's global village. The students are challenged to survive in a rural developing nation setting and to ultimately better understand a lifestyle similar to 85% of the global population. After that experience, the students are then given the opportunity to go into the community surrounding Sifat and partake in service activities. Every step of the programing is surrounded by different worship settings which are meant to connect the programming side to the biblical ideas of loving God and neighbor. Most importantly though, the worship gatherings are an opportunity for the kids to connect what they've experienced to our Lord and respond to whatever He may be putting on their heart. The most rewarding thing for me is being present in the moments when a kid connects the lifestyle he hated living out in the slums to the love that God has for those living that out everyday. I laugh sometimes about the fact that they pay us to do this job, because the real reward is getting the opportunity to share life with these kids for a week.

Jeremy Hall

Mission SIFAT: Here is more from Jeremy Hall a Chapelwood college student who is sharring his experience at SIFAT (Servants in Faith in Technology). Jeremy was selected to be an intern at SIFAT for the summer to engage other youth teams and mission teams in learning about sustainable and appropriate technology among the poor.

We had our second batch of campers this week. Around 130 kids left yesterday absolutely on fire for the Lord and empowered to do something about it. I am humbled in knowing that every student who comes through here is equipped to love his or her neighbor with a greater intensity. Sometimes that looks like teaching kids about the appropriate technologies that SIFAT is known for worldwide and them using that in their lives. Sometimes that looks like just showing a kid what agape love is. Either way, God is glorified by the fact that each student is receiving an opportunity to love. As am I. Every day while I'm with these students a new opportunity is presented to me to show God's love to those around me. It's a unique feeling knowing that God is using you directly for the furthering of his kingdom in the lives of these students. The sense of accomplishment you receive from that knowledge coupled with the humbling fact that God is the one making it happen just amplifies my desire to be his vessel here.

Regarding the technologies being taught here, I really couldn't say enough about how astounding it all is. The information these students are learning is the same information that is being used to provide food, water, and shelter to the needy in 87 different nations. The opportunity for Americans investing in communities abroad to make a legitimate longterm impact is achievable with the technology of SIFAT.

Click HERE to find out more about the work of SIFAT.

A Summer at SIFAT

Below is an update from Chapelwood college student Jeremy Hall speaking of his experience at SIFAT (Servants in Faith in Technology). Jeremy was selected to be an intern at SIFAT for the summer to engage other youth teams and mission teams in learning about sustainable and appropriate technology among the poor. Check in for more updates!

It might be helpful to start with what it is I'm actually doing this summer. I am working as a counselor for SIFAT's “learn and serve program”, their summer camp for middle and high schooler’s. As a counselor, my responsibilities revolve around loving the students that I'm working with as Christ does all with the intention of allowing them to catch even just a glimpse of the love God has for them. The camp incorporates many of the teachings regarding appropriate technology and global experience that SIFAT provides to international community leaders. This gives the students the opportunity to become better equipped to meet the needs in their own community, to empathize with the needy around the world, and to possibly commit to serving them in the name of Christ.

Jeremy Hall and Andy Humphrey at SIFAT in 2011 for the CUMC youth Spring Break mission.

This is not an ordinary place. It is abundantly clear that God, from the very beginning, has had a unique purpose for SIFAT community. And community really is the right word. A solid description exists for this place, somewhere in the 2nd chapter of Acts. Just as that community was, it seems that the only true possessions anyone has around here are God's love and each other. No one is in need for any specific thing because if I have it, so do they. It's a beautiful reciprocity that can only be grown out of a foundation of Biblical thinking, prayerful discernment, and Christ-like action. This is indeed a strangely wonderful place.

We had our first week of students come through. It was awe-inspiring to see the transformations within them. They had the opportunity to experience life in an urban slum environment and in a rural Global village. They were exposed to appropriate technologies regarding food, water, shelter, and community development. Maybe most importantly, the students had the opportunity to authentically worship God in a loving environment. It was an unbelievable sight when the students collectively challenged themselves with the idea of the “kingdom of God” and what it means to belong to it. Seeds of faith were planted, watered, nurtured, pruned, and exposed to the light that is our God, and the fruit born from that continues to reveal itself.

 As for me, I've been taxed physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually in ways I have never been before. And I love it. This week definitely was one of those moments when you realize you chose the opportunity that was right for you. God is working, leading me down some unfamiliar paths, but I'm not afraid of that, I trust that whatever way he guides me down will be the one that I'm meant to be on. More to come!
 Love always, Jeremy Hall.

Mentoring: Making a difference

Chapelwood has many members who are engaged in the arena of public education as a volunteer. They are tutors, readers, mentors and friends. They serve in Elementary, Middle and High Schools all throughout Spring Branch. One of Chapelwood longest serving mentors and community friends is Jim Byerly. He was recently recognized as Volunteer of the month for February here in SBISD. Here is a video of Jim being honored. He is one of many who is helping to inspire minds and shape lives in our community.

Rebuilding Homes, Rebuilding Lives

Chapelwood volunteers with Rebuilding Together Houston each spring and fall. Below is a video that tells the story of the Chapelwood team that shared their second-hour with a local Houstonian.
WATCH HERE!

Sharing Christmas along the Border

Thank you, Chapelwood! Through your generosity, we collected 400 Christmas boxes through the Children's Ministry and other Chapelwood members. Half of the boxes were given to Operation Christmas Child and the global ministries of Samaritan's Purse. The other half were delivered to churches along the Texas-Mexico border. Katie Mattingly and Georgia Harmon, OCC team leaders, traveled with Melissa Maher to deliver the boxes and share the joy.

Susan Hellums (First UMC McAllen, TX) and Willie Berman (GBGM Missionary and director of Manos Juntas) work with Methodist Border Friendship Commission. The two groups shared stories of ministry. Here are a couple of videos.


Willie Berman explains how the gifts are organized.


Before the pastors left to return to Reynosa and surrounding areas, they shared a prayer of thanks to Chapelwood.

Hear the Cry

Last Sunday, October 2nd on World Communion Sunday the community of Chapelwood participated in an urban slum experience. The Fellowship Hall was transformed into a section of a global village and persons were invited to become a villager and hear the stories of four persons. Each person faced health challenges as a result of their living environment. The challenges they faced were not because of lack of knowledge, work, desire or commitment...it was because they were born in a challenging environment.

This video is a brief tour through the village. Nate Paulk from SIFAT will walk you through. The invitation is to hear the cry.

Chapelwood then packed UMCOR hygiene kits to be given after natural disasters and World Vision healthcare worker bags given to rural caregivers.

Join the village...

Colleigate Challenge program in SBISD

Check out this video from SBISD about the Collegiate Challenge program. Note the many Chapelwood volunteers included!

The Power of Mentoring

Mentoring is an incredible way to give back to the community and serve God. Check out these videos about Chapelwood mentors and their impact on SBISD.

The Power of One

A new school year will soon be upon us. As students, educators and administrators prepare to return to the classroom, mentors and volunteers from Chapelwood are preparing to return to the same classroom which is their mission field--the unique place where God is calling them to receive and embody grace.

Check out this video to hear why mentoring makes a difference!

Jeff Hoye, Chapelwood lay leader of Collegiate Challenge. "We have the opportunity to teach kids to dream!"

Wick and Jerry

Check out this dialogue with Wick Stuckey and Jerry Webber.

Video Part 1:

Video Part 2:

Thoughts on an Integrated Life

I'm trying to make sense of some things for the sermon I'm to preach this weekend. I've moved -- gladly, I'll say – away from preaching three times a week, and more during certain periods of the calendar, to preaching maybe once a year. I don’t mind that at all.

I don’t need to do it any more, but I don’t mind doing it, either.

[At one point of life I think I would have said, “I need to preach” but would not have admitted what a big piece of my ego was tied to that act and the accompanying affirmation. Today I probably need not to preach more than I need to preach!]

So it’s not the preaching that I’m trying to make sense of today. I’ve been wrestling for weeks, though, with this idea of “missional living,” which is the topic that five of us will be dealing with in a month of sermons. The terminology is fairly new, as best I can tell. When I ask those who use the phrase what it means, I either get blank stares, textbook-quoted answers, or statements that don’t seem very new and original.

In fact, “missional living” seems very much like what we called “discipleship” when I was a teen-aged Christian. We talked about following Jesus and did some things that in hindsight seem just about as radical as what some of the “emergent” and “missional” folks are talking about today. That was 35 years ago.

In more recent days I would have talked about living an “integrated life” or a “congruent life,” that is, a life that is seamless, non-compartmentalized and unified. One of the terms used today would be "non-dual" (as opposed to dualistic, either/or, compartmentalized).

The core issue that the five of us will wrestle with this month in sermon form is this: “How do I live into a life-giving rhythm that includes both an intimate coming-to-Jesusand an ongoing offering of myself in the world for God, for good and for the sake of others?”

The first part of the rhythm is an inner movement. The movement toward God means stepping toward the Center.

The, the movement into the world flows outward. Most earnest Christians live well in one or the other, but have difficulty finding a rhythm that includes both the inward andthe outward.

I don’t have bunches of answers, only lots of hits and misses.

In re-reading Henri Nouwen’s The Selfless Way of Christ a couple of months ago, I did see again how crucial the question is. Nouwen, a Dutch Roman Catholic priest, wrote honestly about his own struggle to live an integrated life. He, too, had questions about this rhythm of encounter/experience with Jesus (inward movement) which became the basis for mission/witness (outward movement).

Here are some of Nouwen’s thoughts:

“Yet this witness, which takes the form of preaching and teaching, of celebrating and counseling, of organizing and struggling to alleviate the suffering of our fellow human beings, is a true witness only when it emerges from a genuine personal encounter, a true experience of love. We can only call ourselves witnesses of Jesus when we have heard him with our own ears, seen him with our own eyes, and touched him with our own hands.

“The basis of the mission of the twelve apostles was not their knowledge, training, or character, but their having lived with Jesus. Paul, who was not with Jesus while he was traveling with his disciples, encountered him on the road to Damascus. This experience was the foundation on which all his apostolic work was built.

“There has never been a Christian witness whose influence has not been directly related to a personal and intimate experience of the Lord. This deep and personal encounter can take as many forms and shapes as there are people, cultures, and ages. Ignatius of Antioch, Anthony of the Desert, Gregory the Great, Benedict, Bernard, and Francis, Ignatius of Loyola, Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross, Martin Luther, John Wesley, George Fox, and John Bunyan, Charles de Foucauld, Dag Hammarskjold, Martin Luther King, Jr., Thomas Merton, Jean Vanier, Mother Teresa, Dorothy Day – all these witnesses have seen the Lord, and their actions and words emerge from that vision.

“Thus, ministry and the spiritual life belong together. Living a spiritual life is living in an intimate communion with the Lord. It is seeing, hearing, and touching. Living a life of ministry is witnessing to him in the midst of this world. It is opening the eyes of our brothers and sisters in the human family to his presence among us, so that they too may enter into this relationship of love.

“When our ministry does not emerge from a personal encounter, it quickly becomes a tiring routine and a boring job. On the other hand, when our spiritual life no longer leads to an active ministry, it quickly degenerates into introspection and self-scrutiny, and thus loses its dynamism.”

[Henri Nouwen, The Selfless Way of Christ: Downward Mobility and the Spiritual Life(Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 2007), 14 - 16]

Faith in Action 2011 Highlight Reel!

Check out the highlights of Faith in Action 2011!

How to Stop Living Life as a Plate Spinner

With all the roles you fulfill in your life, do you ever feel like one of those old plate spinners, trying feverishly to keep the plates from falling off the poles? I do. Problem with living as a plate spinner trying to find balance in life is that you end up always feeling guilty – some role in your life is ALWAYS not getting enough attention and threatening to fall off the pole!

That’s why I have been encouraged to view “living missionally” as an integrating concept in my life. From Mark 3:13-15 (I encourage you to stop now and read it!), we discover a “rhythm of grace” for living missionally – being with Jesus, and being sent by Jesus. Just as both breathing in and breathing out are essential to physical life, this two-fold rhythm of grace is necessary for our spiritual life. We become unhealthy if we spend all our time trying to be with Jesus in meditation, reflection, spiritual retreat, etc. without the matching rhythm of being sent by Jesus to do Kingdom work. Likewise, we become spiritually unhealthy if we are always doing Kingdom work without spending time being with Jesus. Healthy spiritual life is a rhythm – “breathe in” (be with Jesus), “breathe out” (be sent by Jesus).

The beauty is we can live in this rhythm in all the various roles in our life and we don’t need to feel guilty about being unbalanced!

So, where do you need to focus attention today? Being with Jesus? Being sent by Jesus? Just a thought. (Bob Johnson)

Extending Grace on the Streets

Chapelwood member Neal Robinson packs up his car several Saturdays a month to deliver sandwiches and water to Houston's homeless. He has personally done this ministry for more than six years. Over this period of time, he has come to know many of Houston's homeless by name.

KHOU recently featured Neal in one of their stories about what is right in the city. Neal sees homeless men and women as God-sent friends.

Neal quotes this verse when he thinks about his unique friendships:
John 13:16-20
Very truly, I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them. If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.

Dress a Girl from Around the World

On Saturday, March 26^th dozens of girls and women gathered to Dress a Girl from Around the World. This project is lead by Chapelwood member Nicole Wright, featured in the video. Over 50 dresses and 100 prayer dolls were made on this day and will be shared with girls in Uganda. Imagine the smiles on the faces of these girls as they receive a beautiful hand-sewn dress from girls right here in Houston! Truly grace will be shared and received.

We Need You!!!

Calling all Chapelwood members, WE NEED YOU!!!  Be sure to upload your submissions to be posted on the Embody Grace blog!  Tell you friends and family too!  Remember this is not just a Chapelwood blog, but a blog for anyone and everyone who serves.  Get out those cameras and smart phones and upload some pictures or video of your serving story!  If you are unsure how to upload a video, check out the clip below.

Drum Roll Please...

Well hello world! I would like to welcome you to the new Embody Grace serving blog by Chapelwood United Methodist Church in Houston, Texas. Our goal with this blog is to spotlight all of the serving opportunities and the people that make them successful. Over the next few weeks we will be showing people from our congregation and all over the world how they can upload and populate our blog. Thats right! We are not limited to Chapelwood, or even just Houston. We want to hear from anyone and everyone who makes serving a part of their world. There will be more videos, pictures, and posts to come soon!

PS: Check us out on twitter (@embodygrace) and at our youtube channel (embodygrace)