New Website

After months of work, the new website for First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) will go public this Monday.  Our new website address is www.firstchristianchurch.org.  The new website is a cleaner site which should be easier to use for visitors and seekers wanting to learn more about First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) of Ashland.  Our old website, www.fcc-ashland.org, will redirect you to our new website.  In our evaluation of how our old website was used we discovered that the main pages viewed in order of popularity were the staff, newsletter, bulletin, calendar, prayer requests, DWM and sermon pages.  The website has from 800-1000 hits per month from between 400-700 unique users.  These results suggest that our website is primarily used by people familiar with our congregation who are looking for specific information.  About 200 hits a month are from users who have come to browse the website, most likely potential first time visitors, looking for information about our congregation.

Our goal for the new website was to, first, have a name that is recognizable.  Our old website had a dash (fcc-ashland) in the name, which is not universally recognized.  Our staff emails, like RevIke@fcc-ashland.org were not universally recognized by email trailers which would hinder emails or cause them to be returned as “undeliverable.”  Our new web name and email addresses, RevIke@firstchristianchurch.org, RevLarry@firstchristianchurch.org, should improve both our email services and increase our church’s website in search engine results.  These improvements will greatly increase our online traffic and make our website easier to find for people looking for a church home in the Ashland area.  Old emails will remain active during our period of transition.

Second, the new website retains the most popular features used by what we can assume are members who are looking for specific information.  Our newsletters, bulletins, calendar and prayer requests remain key features of the new website and have been redesigned for faster use.  Our staff page has been expanded to help visitors get to know our staff and primary programs featuring profiles of our staff and quick links to established programs.

Third, we have added more complete information about what visitors might expect on a Sunday morning.  One of our most common requests from first time visitors has been information about childcare and what they might expect in a typical worship service.  Information about our congregation’s history and organizational documents like our Constitution, By Laws and Board Members has also been added.
Overall, the website has a more contemporary design, other new features (e-cards, email lists, recommended links for Bible study), QR reader codes for smart phone users and direct links to our Facebook page.  The website goes live on Monday, October 15. Visit us at www.firstchristianchurch.org.  If you encounter any problems or see any mistakes, please give our Office Manager, Kathryn, a call at 324-5335 or email her at Office@firstchristianchurch.org.

Conforming to what?

Never underestimate the influence of the group in which you keep company. Jesus understood the power of “the group.”  “If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you” (John 15:19, ESV).

Sociologists identify this as the conformity effect. The concept suggests that when an individual is a part of a group, he or she will naturally and unavoidably begin to conform to the values and activities of the group.  Generally, this act of conformity is classified into two groups, informational conformity, which is when an individual does what the group suggests because he or she lacks the information to make a decision, and normative conformity, the dominant form of social conformity, where an individual goes along with the actions of a group to be liked or accepted.  Both of these kinds of conformity impact us every day.  Sometimes this can be positive for the community, such as the social norm of obeying traffic signals or respecting the property rights of other people.  However, history shows us an example of atrocity on a catastrophic level when typically decent people conformed to the policies of Nazi Germany.

The Apostle Paul understood the power of conformity when he wrote to the Romans, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect (Romans 12:2, ESV). Paul’s powerful reminder to us as individuals, as ambassadors of Christ, is that we should be actively examining our actions, words, and beliefs so that we will remain in conformity with Christ.

When you find yourself in a situation that is not familiar, ask yourself whether or not the actions or proposed beliefs are consistent with your own principles and those of Christ before automatically adopting them as your own.  Likewise, be honest with yourself in situations where you want to impress others or be accepted by a group.  Ask yourself if the actions proposed by the group compromise your own integrity.

Philip Zimbardo, author of The Lucifer Effect and current researcher in areas of teen bullying, writes: “To resist the powers of group conformity: know what you stand for; determine how really important it is that these other people like you, especially when they are strangers; recognize that there are other groups who would be delighted to have you as a member; take a future perspective to imagine what you will think of your current conforming action at some time in the future.”

An ancient term for baptism was “christening.” It literally means “to become Christ.” We all will conform. Will you be the reflection of Christ to the groups in which you live, work, and worship?

Why is it called "Good" Friday?

So, why is it called "Good" Friday? Actually, the word "Good" is a hang over from Old and Middle English.  In those days, the possessive was indicated by a double vowel rather then an apostrophe "s".  So the word "Good" properly translated would be "God's" or "God's Friday."
For example, "Good Bye" is actually a blessing one would give to another when meeting or departing. "Good Bye" may be written "God's be ye" or in modern idiom, "You belong to God" and therefore a blessing of safety to the traveler.
Regardless, today is God's Friday...and, using our modern colloquial definition, it is also a good Friday as God in Christ conquers sin and death. With that, I offer an ancient blessing as one traveler to another...Good Bye.

A Post-Resurrection World

“Son,” my father would begin, “the ‘good ole days’ were not that good.  You don’t remember, but we had to go outside to use the bathroom.”  Just this week, I was telling my son, “Son, I remember when you had to actually get up and walk across the room to the television to change the channel.”  Of course, some of you remember the hardship of the Depression and the sacrifice of World War II.  Some remember the days when previous generations struggled to end segregation or marched for women’s suffrage.  For younger generations, it can be hard to understand how bad it was before.  Most of us can only imagine what others have experienced as we declare to those in authority how bad things are now.  What was it like to have to submit to a monarch’s every whim before the Magna Carta?  What might it have felt like to have taxes levied on you without any voice in appointing the person who levies the taxes?  Even stranger still, for many of us, is the thought of enduring discrimination and recrimination simply because of our race or gender.

In many ways, it is a monumental task to wrap our minds around the concept of existence before the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  You and I have always lived in a post-resurrection world.  If we read the Gospels, we get some insight into the life of the disciples before the resurrection. Confusion, uncertainty, fear, jockeying for key positions in the Kingdom they thought was coming, and despair were all common traits in each of the disciples.  How did they and the world change after the resurrection?  Realization, confidence, courage, sacrifice, and hope were the hallmarks of the disciples turned to apostles as revealed in the books of Acts. I can only imagine the response of Peter or Andrew if they heard the church in the present day complain about persecution or show fear in the face of crisis. I suspect we would get a healthy dose of pastoral advice if one of the apostles were to hear the church verbalize the despair of evangelization in our very secular culture. Perhaps the same advice he gave to the Church at Ephesus is applicable today when Paul writes, “for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light” (Ephesians 5:8).

The season of Easter is a chance to “remember” through the Acts of the Apostles what a post resurrection people are called to be and to do.  Through Easter, the Old Testament lessons are replaced with readings from the book of Acts.  This Sunday we celebrate the victory of Christ over sin and death. The rest of the Sundays in Easter, we celebrate the victory of the Body of Christ, His Church, over the powers of darkness that seeks to swallow the world in despair and fear.

As Christians who have always lived in the ongoing light of the resurrection, we forget what “the ole days” were really like.  We live in the glory of the resurrection! Christ has been raised from the dead. Those in the church who keep that forefront in their proclamation will never know despair.

Relief Efforts for Tornado stricken West Liberty, Kentucky

Dr. Lon Oliver, Executive Director of Kentucky Appalachian Ministries and Associate Regional Minister for District 10 and 11(Eastern Kentucky), telephoned the church on Tuesday to thank us for our support of the initial relief to the community of West Liberty, Kentucky.  He has been visiting the shelters and collaborating with other agency directors as they pull together resources to help in the ongoing relief that may well take years.  One of the stories he shared with me was the image of a husband, wife and their children that were living in an area just big enough for a few cots.  The husband was making his way to work for the day and the mother was planning the day’s activities with her small children in area not much larger than the average bathroom. 

This far, our congregation has sent $600 in emergency grants to Kentucky Appalachian Ministries to purchase kerosene for older residents with no power or heat.  An additional $370 was sent to Week of Compassion who is working in partnership with KAM.  Thus far this week our congregation has received an additional $3,000 that will go to KAM’s continued relief effort.

What is next?  For many, the relief effort is frustrating as emergency workers are still doing initial assessment and managing the critical necessities of the survivors.  As the heads of these relief agencies have collaborated, they have wisely divided up responsibilities on which each group is able to focus.  Over the next few weeks, FEMA will provide trailers for long term temporary housing.  Rev. Greg Alexander and our Regional staff will be coordinating mission relief teams to head to the area in the months to come to help with clean up and repair of homes.  In turn, Lon has called together KAM congregations in partnership to help in the long term recovery. FCC-Ashland is partnering with FCC-Morehead to help with home needs.  Our two congregations will join with the Disciple congregations in West Liberty to hold a furniture and home drive to help furnish the FEMA trailers.  FCC-Ashland will be gathering bedroom and kitchen needs and FCC-Morehead will be handling bathroom and personal hygiene items.  Of course, we will receive any gently used furniture or kitchen supplies that we will take to one of the congregations in the West Liberty area for families with insurance or Red Cross certification.  The details of what exactly we will need will be discussed at a meeting with KAM and the minister of FCC-Morehead tentatively scheduled for March 22.  Our target date for the giveaway will be the middle to late April. 

I understand our initial impulse is to rush and do as much as possible today and our financial gifts are making that response possible.  However, in true Disciple ethos, we will not only be some of the first on the ground, we will also be the last to leave.  This relief effort will be a long term mission.  We will keep you informed as our elders, deacons and Outreach Department will be working with both the critical needs and the long term efforts in helping folks, like the family Lon told us about, to rebuild their lives.  There will be opportunities for all of you to be an integral part in this process. Thank you for all you are already doing!