Engaging
Our City
Dear First Pres Family, “The unexamined life is not worth living,” said Socrates. And he was not the dumbest guy to walk the stage of history. The Bible tells us to examine our lives in many ways. In 2 Corinthians 13:5 we read: “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?” Are you living an unexamined life? Zig Ziglar famously said, “Aim at nothing and you’ll hit it every time.” The unexamined life is a life that aims at nothing. The unexamined life is a life that drifts along. It is a life that doesn’t know where it is going and so never knows when it gets there. It is a directionless haphazard life, reacting to what happens instead of directing its energies to a worthy goal. You don’t want to live an unexamined life. Peter and Paul, as they preached in city after city, to group after group, preached a Way of Life. It is the Way of Life found in following Jesus Christ and submitting to His Lordship. They found along the way that they met resistance. The message of Jesus was not presented in a vacuum. People had already found different ways of life. Some led unexamined lives, others led lives of intent and purpose — but not God’s intent, and not God’s purpose. The sermons of Peter and Paul not only elevate the fullness of the Way of Life found in Jesus Christ, but deconstruct the competing ways of life they found in the world. How far can a life built on idolatry get you? How long should your energies bend toward hedonism and pleasure, and the empty results of a self-serving life? How long should we just drift? The staff and I were blessed to sit for two days and receive teaching from the Willow Creek Global Leadership Summit in August. One speaker, Pastor Wilfredo DeJesus, reminded us that “drift” is never a positive term. Ships drift when they lose power in the engines. Fish drift downstream after they die. Distracted drivers drift into the other lane. Cultures drift away from Christ if there is no solid leadership. Drift just isn’t any good. We need a way. A Way of Life centered on Jesus Christ has direction. The goal is ever before us, to become like Christ. The end is always in sight, the Kingdom of God. Our engine is sound and our eye is alert, intent to keep the ship on course. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Come examine a Way of Life found in Jesus Christ. Stop the drift. Leave the competing ways behind. In Him we have life and life abundant.
Yours in Christ,
Tim
FIRST PRES M
A
G
A
Z
I
N
Sept 2016 contents Amazing Food and Second Chances . . . 4 By Matt Fox Summer Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Called to Engage Our City . . . . . . . . 8 Matt Fox Serving Our City . . . . . . . . . . . An Interview with Michelle Swanson
10
Contributing Editors: Matthew Fox, Alison Murray Graphic Design: Beryl Glass Cover Photo: Josh Keffer Proofreading Team: Mary Bauman, Deb Berwick, Christine Dellacroce, Betty Haney, Daisy Jackson, Marty Kelley, Karen Kunstle, Linda Pung, Chris Sebby All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, © 2011 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. First Pres Magazine September 2016, Volume Eight, © First Presbyterian Church of Colorado Springs, CO. Published by First Presbyterian Church, a non-profit organization. To contact First Pres Magazine: 719-884-6175 or 219 E. Bijou Street, Colorado Springs, CO 80903-1392 or magazine@first-pres.org. Printed in the U.S.A.
E
Amazing Food
&
Second Chances By Matthew Fox
F
irst Pres is rooted in downtown Colorado Springs, and has been since our founding on August 17, 1872. Part of that identity of being a downtown church is being passionately involved in the needs of the city. One of the ways we make an impact in the city is through our partnerships with organizations such as Springs Rescue Mission. Springs Rescue Mission (SRM), also located downtown, seeks to meet the needs of the chronically homeless and those fighting addiction in Colorado Springs. SRM also provides meals, serving more than 250,000 meals throughout the year. It provides shelter, rehabilitation and job training, which offers those that come through its doors a chance to get back on their feet and find a path out of their current situations. One of the ways SRM accomplishes that mission is through its social enterprise, Mission Catering. It is a full-service catering company that specializes in custom, elaborate offerings
4 | www.first-pres.org 9/16
for a wide range of customers in Colorado Springs. Mission Catering offers a wide range of culinary services, everything from a box lunch to custom wedding menus. In addition to award-winning chefs, Mission Catering gives men in the SRM recovery program a chance to put their culinary skills to use serving clients throughout the community. A New Partnership The demand for Mission Catering’s services became so great that it needed expansion to a facility that empowered them to do more. At the same time First Pres had kitchen facility that wasn’t being used to its full capacity. Mission Catering had a need, First Pres had the resource, and a new partnership bloomed benefiting both organizations and the Colorado Springs community. In August, Mission Catering moved into the First Pres kitchen, using it as a base of operation to serve its existing clients while also becoming
the primary food provider for First Pres. It is a new phase of a long-time partnership between SRM and First Pres. “We deeply appreciate the work Springs Rescue Mission is doing for those in need in our community,” said Rev. Dr. Tim McConnell, Lead Pastor. “We’ve been partners in that work for the last decade and we’re grateful and excited to be able to host Mission Catering at First Pres. This is a great opportunity to further our partnership and make a Kingdom impact in Colorado Springs.” The feeling is mutual. “One of our biggest constraints was space,” said Chef Tyler Peoples, Catering Manager for Mission Catering. “We were doing a lot of things out of one space. Branching out allows us to serve our clients better and to expand our base. It really was a godsend in terms of good timing to enter this partnership at a time when we were wondering what we were going to do next. We’re really blessed by this opportunity and we’re grateful to First Pres for making this possible.” More Than A Meal Chef Tyler is part of the award-winning pedigree at Mission Catering. He worked as the lead chef at Briarhurst Manor and as Executive Chef at the Warehouse, a downtown restaurant, prior to coming to Mission Catering. Chef Tyler, who’s been at SRM for three years, was also named Chef of the Year by the American Culinary Federation in 2014. While he found success in the industry, Chef Tyler felt drawn to the culinary program at SRM. “I worked for some of the best chefs and restaurants in the city, but I always felt drawn to Springs Rescue Mission,” he said. “I would even drive by it at night after work and know I was going to work there one day even though I didn’t know much about it.” The mission of SRM is closely drawn to the passion that God has laid on Chef Tyler’s heart. He feels called to use his skills to make a difference in the lives of people in need. That’s something his work at Mission Catering affords him an opportunity to do. “I worked at some fancy places where we did
prepare incredible and elaborate things, but I thought to myself, I want to work some place where I can actually feed people who are hungry,” Chef Tyler said. “I want to make a difference. I knew there were people who were hungry, not just for food but for opportunity, information and training, which is what we have at the Mission.” Along with Chef Tyler, Jeff Cook, the Food Services Director for Mission Catering, brings more than 25 years experience in the industry. The culinary training program at SRM is led by Chef Michael Longo, who has worked in the food services industry for 30 years and served as an instructor for Pikes Peak Community College and Mission Culinary Academy. But the heart of the program is its outreach to the men in the program, who have a chance to learn a valuable trade and get experience working in the industry as they go through the long-term recovery program. The experience affords them the chance to graduate from the program and have the skills in place to enter the workforce. “That’s my favorite part of the program,” Chef Tyler said. “I love getting to know the guys, training them and helping them obtain jobs in the industry. We really seek to add value to the people we serve, both the clients we prepare meals for and the men who go through our program.” And this new partnership with First Pres affords Mission Catering the space it needs to grow and expand its reach, offering more opportunities for the men in the program to learn, grow and put their skills to use. Together we are providing not only great food but new life in Christ and second chances. Matthew Fox is the Manager of Communication for First Pres.
To learn more about Mission Catering visit www.springsrescuemission.org 9/16 | www.first-pres.org | 5
High school Crud Wars p
6 | www.first-pres.org 9/16
Arkorado missions trip q
all generations
Stratman farewell and all-church picnic p
Pre-school Kritter Caravan q
9/16 | www.first-pres.org | 7
Impact Lives
T
he history of Colorado Springs and the history of First Pres have always been deeply entwined. The City of Colorado Springs was founded on July 31, 1871, and our church was founded a little over a year later, on August 17, 1872. Ever since that day, First Pres has been a beacon of hope, committed to sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the community. For more than 144 years First Pres has inhabited the corner of Bijou Street and Nevada Avenue in the heart of downtown Colorado Springs. Our purpose is the one purpose of every church: to bring glory to God. Likewise, our mission hasn’t changed since Christ gave His great commission to His disciples after his resurrection: we “go and make disciples of all peoples.” It was out of that long and storied tradition that the Local Missions Team found the focus God has called First Pres to embrace — City Engagement. The mantra is part of a discernment process over the past year as the team’s listened to where God is calling First Pres to pour its time, treasure and talent in the next ministry season. “Since our founding First Pres has been deeply rooted to the life and needs of Colorado Springs,” said Rev. Dr. Tim McConnell, Lead
8 | www.first-pres.org 9/16
Pastor. “We want to be good neighbors, and good neighbors care deeply about and listen to the needs of those around them. We are a downtown church that is right at the center of this city, and as a body of believers we want to engage in those places that reflect the deepest cries of our city.” Follow The Cloud In May, Rev. Katie Fowler and Rev. Jennifer Holz offered a message out of Exodus 40 called “Follow the Cloud.” Part of our Together Series, the message focused on the spiritual discipline of the Israelites to follow the Cloud of the Lord as it directed their steps. “In all the travels of the Israelites, whenever the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle, they would set out; but if the cloud did not lift, they did not set out — until the day it lifted. So the cloud of the Lord was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the Israelites during all their travels.” (Exodus 40:36-38) The focus was the idea that when the Lord moves, His people should also move. That sentiment dovetailed nicely with the work of the Local Missions Team to discern where the Lord
Called to Engage Our City By Matthew Fox
is at work in Colorado Springs and how we, as a church, can join Him. “People in our Congregation are so wonderfully engaged in our city in so many ways,” said Shelly McBride, member of the local missions team. “This process was more about sensing a need to discern where God was calling us to focus as a body so we can better live into our sentness as a church.” Three Focus Areas The local mission team's process of discernment led to a crystallization of initiatives and processes in terms of City Engagement. The idea is to identify initiatives that lead to causes where we already have partnerships and work and provide pathways for people at First Pres to get involved. The longer the team sat in the discernment process, the more clearly they heard where God was calling First Pres in this next season of ministry. “Many of these things reflect who we’ve been,” said Yemi Mobolade, Minister of City Engagement and Worship. “We didn’t have to search for these things; they flowed naturally out of the DNA of our church.” The three initiatives the Mission Resource Team identified are Homeless and Housing
City Engagement Priorities God has called First Pres to the following needs in Colorado Springs: 1. Homeless and Housing Initiatives 2. Refugee Initiatives 3. Southeast Initiatives initiatives, refugee initiatives and Southeast initiatives. In each area the team was able to identify how it dovetailed with the passion of God, how it matched a desperate cry of our city and how it was a place where we already had deep partnerships in place. “It is a language that really tugs on the hearts of people today,” Yemi said. “We are engaging where the Spirit is moving; we just get to come alongside His work.” City Serve Over the next weeks and months the team plans to help expand on these initiatives and the pathways for congregational involvement. One of the first ways to get involved is through our annual City Serve Weekend, set for October 7 to October 9. This year’s weekend of city engagement will begin on Friday, October 7 we’ll worship with Christians from churches throughout our city to kick off the weekend. The featured speaker on Friday night will be Dave Runyon, author of The Art of Neighboring. Runyon’s work in the Denver area was lifted up as an example of city engagement by our 2015 speaker, Dr. Ray Baake. This year we’ll get to hear first-hand how God is moving through his work. On Saturday, October 8 we’ll serve our city alongside those from churches throughout Colorado Springs before gathering on Sunday, October 9, as a time of corporate worship together. Be on the lookout for more information on projects and how you can get involved as City Serve Weekend approaches. Matthew Fox is the Manager of Communication for First Pres. 9/16 | www.first-pres.org | 9
Serving Our City
At First Pres we’re committed to Preparing All Generations to Impact Lives for Christ. It is that commitment to doing all that we do For Christ that lies at the heart of the vision for the church, and for members of the church in the city. Many in our church work passionately to honor the call Christ has put on their lives. Each month we’re going to feature someone who is working for Christ in Colorado Springs, sharing a bit of their heart and vision for our city.
Michelle Swanson Director, Family Mentor Alliance
First Pres Magazine: How has God prepared you and called you to your position?
By Lindy Keffer
Michelle Swanson: Earlier in my career, I worked as a social worker, primarily in the school system, working with children and teens who were identified as SIED (Significantly Identifiable Emotional Disability). It was heartwrenching to watch students with so much potential try to fit into a structured learning environment, when they were struggling with so many serious issues such as mental illness (their own and/or family members), family dysfunction, poverty, personal family trauma and abuse. But it was also an amazing opportunity to focus on strengths-based assessments and interventions, to help them envision a positive future life story and develop strong support systems and networks. As I learned more about Short Term Missions and Christian Community Development, it became apparent that the best practices in each of these areas were based on these same principles — we cannot help others by doing for them, but by walking with them. Helping people overcome obstacles requires a focus on the strengths that exist in the person, relationship and community. Having a vision makes all the difference when trying to change and move in a different direction. And 10 | www.first-pres.org 9/16
relationships bring about transformation. FMA focuses on all of these — relationships that inspire hope and point toward current and future goals and help families establish support systems. Later, working at First Pres in Local Missions provided a strong network of community partners that has been a great resource to this program and our families. And serving on the Pikes Peak Long Term Recovery Group after the Waldo Canyon Fire further enhanced unifying relationships in the community with many different secular organizations and faith communities. FPM: What role does faith play in your work? MS: Family Mentor Alliance is not a faith-based program. As such, we ask that teams do not proselytize the families they work with. Of course, if the family expresses interest, that is a different matter. But it is amazing to see how the people on a mentor team can change the hearts and minds of those they mentor through their acceptance and unconditional love. A family that was recently mentored by a First Pres team was very wary of having a team from a church. But through the care of the team, they have sent their children to church camps, attended events at the church and are open to being prayed for. Giant steps from where they started! Working with families who are homeless and listening to their stories filled with so much heartache, brokenness and devastating trauma can be discouraging. But having experienced and seen God’s transforming power in my own life and others reminds me that there are no “hopeless cases.” And even though we may not share Christ in word, but only in deed, we have the opportunity of
walking alongside them, loving them and sharing hope with them as we serve and love them. FPM: What do you see as God’s vision for where you’ve been placed? MS: Unity! Homelessness is not an issue that can be solved by one group. The call of Christ to help the poor is not a solitary endeavor. Nowhere does the Bible tell us to be lone rangers. The call is for community, fellowship and working together as the Body. Working with those experiencing homelessness is hard! Through teams, not only do mentors provide support to families, but they also support one another. Each team member comes with a different story, experience, skills, gifts and passions — and all of these combined give a more holistic outreach to families. That is the microcosm of FMA. The bigger picture is that through our community partnerships — faithbased, secular, governmental and individuals — we can impact and participate in the eradication of family homelessness and in the healing and hope-giving to families as we help change their future life stories!
for christ condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. My dream is that we, as Christ-followers in Colorado Springs, would not condemn the world and blame others, but would seek to understand them, see them as Christ sees them and thereby be able to love them. What a difference that would make! With new research and brain imaging and a better understanding of brain trauma, especially on young children, it is nearly impossible, if you know someone’s story, to be unmoved by compassion. Lord, stir us with your compassion!
FPM: What’s one dream you have for our city? MS: The words following what is probably the best known verse in the Bible (John 3:16) say that God sent his Son into the world not to
M
ichelle and her husband, Doug, have been members at First Pres for many years. Michelle previously served as the Associate for Local Missions for 10 years. She now serves as the director at Family Mentor Alliance. FMA started at a Colorado Prayer Breakfast in 2011 when Gov. John Hickenlooper invited folks from different cities to learn about One Congregation — One Family, a model of helping move families experiencing homelessness into affordable housing, that had been working very well in Denver for many years. After an initial meeting of support by a number of local groups, including First Pres, FMA started in Colorado Springs in 2012 under Springs Rescue Mission and now continues under Catholic Charities of Southern Colorado. First Pres helped start FMA with financial contributions and mentor teams and continues to be the strongest supporter in terms of mentor teams.
9/16 | www.first-pres.org | 11
a d d r e ss
12 | www.first-pres.org 9/16
S ER V I C E
RE Q U E S T ED
A new preaching series begins August 28 Non Profit Org. U. S. Postage PAID Colo. Spgs. CO Permit No. 419