service changes

I hope to have another post later today with information about the presbytery meeting yesterday. I doubt there will be much to say as Covenant was slated for ten minutes of the meeting on the schedule. But I'd like to be able to tell you if anything noteworthy was mentioned.

One change we're encountering this week is that the PC(USA) service is moving from 8:30 in the Fellowship Hall to 11:00 in the sanctuary. If there are those who currently go to the 11 service but are planning on joining the EPC (and want to continue at the now designated EPC services), they are encouraged to go to one of the earlier services or to the contemporary service, which meets in the Fellowship Hall at 11.

One bright side to this is that Bill doesn't have to run across the church from the contemporary service in order to throw on his robe and preach in the traditional service.

hebrews 10.25b

I had a gift this weekend. I was on the Winter Retreat with our High Schoolers up at Southwind, and my task was the teaching for our students plus those of two other churches. My aim was to retell the story of Jonah in three episodes: run, rescue, and response(s), and I had worked hard for the last month on the content that might best show the intersection between Jonah’s story, God’s story, and our own stories. The problem was … I felt I was totally failing. Sometimes I’m not the best at creating connections with groups I speak to, but I was trying hard … and sensing nothing – nothing Saturday morning, nothing Saturday night. I was missing the mark with them. I talked to some of our students and leaders about it, and sure, they all managed to explain it away. But I was down.

It felt a little better after Sunday morning, but I was still dispirited about the whole thing. Then at lunch, Will (the camp manager for Young Life) told me that he thought I had done a really great job with the students that morning. That was a huge encouragement to me, but I confessed I’d felt a failure the whole weekend. He tried to reassure me by saying that as an 11-yr veteran of teaching English to high school kids, he could really tell when the connection was there and the students were responding. I was humble and grateful. It meant so much, coming when (and from whom) it did. It encouraged me; it literally gave me heart. So Will – thanks. It was enough for that day. And may we do it for each other, each day – and all the more as that Day is coming.

a month of loss

Late last night, after we were in bed, we heard laughter outside, followed by the sound of a car accelerating away from our house. We looked out front, figuring at first that we'd been TPed, but we hadn't (and we don't really have the trees to make that worthwhile anyway). As I stood at the front door and looked for evidence of anything, I finally realized that something was actually gone. Dear friends back in North Carolina had given us a simple, solid wooden bench as a housewarming present, and someone stole it last night! It seems pretty crazy since the bench is nearly ten years old, and sad, too. I loved that bench; it was a great place to sit while the kids played on their scooters out front.

As I looked back over the past month, I realized that it's just another loss in the list right now. A week ago Monday, I was frantically shopping for a new washing machine as our faithful servant had given up (actually, it was our second washer to die, but when our first one went two years ago, our awesome neighbor Martie just happened to be getting rid of his old one, so we got it). That loss was actually pretty expensive because washing machines aren't cheap, plus we decided that with as much laundry as I do, it made sense to get a front loader (get this: a top loading machine uses an average of 40-50 gallons of water PER LOAD of laundry; a front loader uses and average of 13-16! No wonder we have been using so much water as a family! Just amazing!). With the laundry piling up rapidly, I was in a hurry to replace it, so didn't have much time for price comparisons... thankfully it was President's Day weekend so everyone was running a bit of a sale. I freak out when I think about the cost of the machine but I am hopeful that we'll really start to see a difference in our water bill (and electricity, too, a little bit, because this thing is supposed to reduce the drying time needed because it spins like an airliner).

The first loss of the month was our patio table out back. We just had a really windy day and the wind took out the umbrella (yes, in retrospect we should have taken it down before the wind) and just shattered the table. Andy got it all cleaned up, but enough fell between the boards that he is swearing to never go under the deck again. So now we don't have a table to eat at outside, which is sad because this is the perfect time of year for it (down here, sorry Rabia). The table and the bench are pretty low priorities for replacements right now as we are entering a transitional employment period. Thankfully neither are critical to our health and well being, but we are sad to lose them all the same.

The table shattered and I just had to take some pictures.




Thankfully we have only lost minor things (well, except for the washer but hooray for Lowe's (sorry Josh, but we did try Home Depot first) next day delivery!). And if you can't laugh about things like this, well then you are pretty far gone. So we are just laughing instead.

leave the catch

Bill preached this morning from Luke 5, where Peter and his buddies bring in a huge, miraculous catch of fish, thanks to this guy Jesus (side comment: Bill mentioned that Jesus' fishing clothes were the same as his preaching clothes...was this an indirect comment on those crazy robes? He and Stu don't wear them to the contemporary service anyway, but I wonder if he made the same comment to the traditional services?). The boats nearly sink because there is such an insane haul. And what happens next? Jesus suggests that they leave the catch behind and join in with him, becoming fishers of men. And they do. They pull the boats up on shore, leave everything, and follow Jesus.

Can you see where this is going? See, all along Presbytery has been reminding us that although we pay the bills for our property, they actually have the right to make decisions about it (sorry I can't point you to the specific point in the Book of Order but it's in there). We're not contesting that. We're not fighting for the property. My personal opinion (disclaimer) is that the presbytery has been laboring under the assumption that Covenant is so strongly associated with the property in our minds that many of us who might otherwise vote to leave, would choose not to if it meant leaving the property as well. And what Bill pointed out today is that it's not just the property, it's everything. The desks. The computers. The choir robes. The hymnals. The chairs. The decision that we are currently being asked to make, the decision to leave this property and Covenant PC(USA), is a decision to join a church with nothing, not even pencils or paper to write on. Is it possible that we'll be able to negotiate with the administrative commission to buy some of the equipment? It's possible, but how likely you think it is depends on how cynical you are (personally I am a very cynical person, take it with a grain of salt).

The presbytery has their regular monthly meeting this Thursday, at which point our list of names will be presented--the list of those of us who are requesting dismissal. We'll be dismissed as a body (after last week's signups we numbered 720 members out of 1300; more signed up this week but I do not know how many).

Bill also listed what ministries would be going with the new church, and the list was considerable. Actually, I'm not sure what ministries were not listed. Even Presbyterian Women are going to the EPC (although there will be women remaining at Covenant and I assume they will want to continue Presbyterian Women together as well!), which is a little ironic because that was one of the ministries we were assured that we would lose in leaving the PC(USA). We may be starting a new church here but we're sure hitting the ground running.

For those who have asked about their giving, we were given that information this week as well. Although our leadership is still in the process of setting up the paperwork behind the church, there is an account available where we can go ahead and make donations. The mailing address for the church is:

Gulf Coast Evangelical Presbyterian Church (this is only a temporary name)
PO Box 60155
Fort Myers, FL 33906-0155

We are voting on the church name next week (yippee, another vote). As of Easter, we'll be meeting at the old Gulf Coast Church of Christ, renting space from the new owner, a small Brazilian Assemblies of God congregation which meets on Sunday nights. So, the details are coming together.

It is comforting to know that so many are willing to leave all this behind--the trappings we've associated with Covenant for years. But really, if the things that we own, even as a church, can come between us and Jesus, then we are in serious danger. Maybe we are recognizing that and are excited about the possibility of starting over with just Jesus.

my thoughts today

I've been wanting to update again about what's going on at church and honestly, it seems like there are so many different things I could talk about, I don't even know where to start. So I hope you're sitting down because it might be bumpy....

Someone commented in an email to me the other day that they were praying for us and others like us because we were hurting (by the denomination was their implication). I've been thinking about that and I can only speak for myself here, but I can't say that I do feel hurt by the denomination as an entity. Part of that is because our church has been struggling with the PC(USA) politics for years, though, and I've been mentally prepared for their policy changes. I'm not sure I feel hurt by the presbytery, either, although they are serving as the main actor against our congregation, mainly because I imagine that presbytery is crunched between what we want and what they are being told to do from their superiors. And a dash of "we've been down this road before" so I kind of knew what to expect from presbytery as well. What about the loyalist group within our congregation? I think there is some hurt there, or surprise, or something...nothing on a personal level so much. Although the vote was officially announced in October (or whatever the three month mark was), the session has been preparing the congregation for the vote for much longer--officially, at least, since early last spring at a series of three Town Hall meetings (which I missed by way of being in Pasadena). So when the vote was announced, it certainly wasn't news. What was news to me, and I felt kind of blindsided (but maybe I was just out of the loop), was the loyalist organization, whose existence was officially announced at that meeting. I wonder if they had come before the session before that meeting to share their concerns. I don't know all of the loyalists, but those I do know I respect--they have been active church members, mentors, and leaders. I honestly didn't expect their passion on behalf of the denomination. Now that they have officially separated (they are holding their own service on Sunday mornings, separate from the congregation), I don't know what to make of that. Are they that hurt by us? I really felt like the session and leadership was pretty considerate and polite during the entire process (although they were blunt at times). So I guess I am a little perplexed and saddened on that count.

Other thoughts. I told you that Bill announced this "new thing" on Sunday and gave those who wished to transfer their membership the opportunity to sign up? Well, we did. And apparently, so did quite a few others--the last number I head was in the neighborhood of 700. Members. That doesn't count people like my children, who are not members but are coming with me. We all signed up to be a part of a church which currently does not have: property, staff, budget, buildings, location, or a name. It is amazing, exciting, and humbling.

Actually I guess that's enough for me this afternoon.

the anxious bench

Trust me, the title sounds like it's way worse than it really is. Funny name and my initial impression of it is not like what it actually is. This morning, Bill preached from Paul's passage about being a Presbyterian of Presbyterians... wait, sorry, it was a Hebrew of Hebrews... you know the one, where he goes on to say that he counts it all a loss for the sake of Jesus Christ. It's interesting, because Bill's preaching both his farewell sermons and his inaugural sermons in the same breath, and I imagine it's a challenge.

He chose this morning to illustrate his sermon with a word picture of three chairs, challenging us to really focus and decide which seat we would sit in. The first was a recliner: comfort, complacency. The second was a rocking chair: a chair of motion, of appeasement, but no progress. The third was the "anxious bench": an old revival term for a seat of surrender, costly, uncertain, but trusting in God. The announcement was made: a new church is being birthed; its first meeting will be Easter Sunday. Place: TBA. Time: TBA. Who: signups are starting today, out in the courtyard, for any who would choose to step out of the comfort of Covenant, who would decide that Presbytery's offer is no compromise, who would want to join in a new thing, a new church.

We (meaning the Cornetts) are officially on the "anxious bench". Hope to see you there.

so it has come to this

Hello all ... just thought I'd share the latest news from on-going saga at the church. As you know, Presbytery met in special session to hear the reports on our church. This is taken from the announcement on Covenant's website:

1. The Presbytery declared that Covenant Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) of Fort Myers, Florida, is a “church in schism” under the Book of Order G-8.0601.
2. Our motion to be dismissed from the PCUSA as a church was denied.
3. An Administrative Commission was appointed to dismiss the pastors and members of the Covenant Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) who wish to join the EPC New Wineskins Presbytery (G-11.0103i). The Administrative Commission will work with our church’s leadership to establish a timeframe.

As you can see - it was pretty one-sided. I did not go to the meeting (I stayed behind to lead the prayer time at the church), but those findings make the meeting seem like a formality - where the conclusions were all foregone and nothing different than 10 days ago. I must say I have never been a part of a schism, but I beg to differ with those who think we have created one. From where I sit, it seems that the declaration that we are "in schism" allows the Presbytery to effectively nullify both our vote and the fact that we completely honored the process, and allows them a pretty free rein to do what they see fit, or negotiate with us on their terms.

Despite all that, I am very excited. I feel like there's a real resurgence of passion for Christ among our members, a zeal in prayerfulness, and a thrill in noticing the many new visitors in worship this past week. Thanks for all of your prayers; God is listening, and he is answering! I'll tell you more after Sunday!

my blood has sooooo thinned out

Thought I'd sneak this one in while we're waiting... The kids and I flew up to Ohio last week to spend a few days with my dad before dragging him back here with us. I cannot begin to tell you how cold I was. Yes, it's official, seven years in sunny Florida has turned this girl into a temperature wimp. We spent a fun Friday at the Boonshoft (sp?) Children's Museum (formerly known as the Dayton Museum of Natural History).

Everyone had wet sleeves in about five minutes.

Yes, the tongue always comes out when intense concentration is required.

Michael totally hammed it up for the camera in the jail cell. What mother could resist?

I just wanted to show you that while his mother was shivering, this child was wearing shorts. Every day. He did concede that it was cold enough to wear pants outside when he wanted to go collect sticks. One science experiment we threw in for free was putting a bucket of water on the back porch to see how long it took to freeze. The answer? About an afternoon.

I think you are supposed to look through the other end of the binoculars.

They are looking for birds. And squirrels.

A totally cool exhibit about building things... this little Lincoln Log house is on an earthquake platform. Maybe if I had slowed down the shutter speed you could have seen the wobble. It withstood the quake, though, thanks to Grampa.

Elanor's favorite part was the hand dryer (next to the speedboat exhibit). I just wish I'd pulled the camera out in time to get her aiming her other end up at the dryer.

tuesday, a week after the vote

I'm sorry I haven't updated for a week but there hasn't been much to update. The kids and I flew up to Ohio for a visit with my dad at his place (and WOW was it cold! My blood has really thinned out with living down here!). Had a great time and I should have some pictures soon... I just like to look at them on my real monitor first instead of just the laptop.

Things at church have been pretty quiet, I guess a collective holding of breath for the called presbytery meeting on Thursday (Happy Valentine's Day... and called is just another word for special here). We continue to hope and pray that presbytery will allow our church's vote to stand, but we are looking into contingency plans as well. Presbytery is allowing our congregation to bring 100 representatives to the meeting, stipulating that both sides are equally represented. To them, that means 50 from each group... however, in terms of the vote, seems to me that 76 of the 100 should represent the "yes" vote and 24 should represent the "no" vote. But maybe that is just me?

One interesting note is that the group of Covenant PC(USA) Loyalists (their term) requested of presbytery (which in turn passed on to the Session) their own separate Sunday morning service, choosing to meet in the Fellowship Hall. I'm not exactly sure what to make of that, but it does not seem to me to mesh with the "we love you and want to stay with you" message that the Loyalist representative was sharing at a meeting a few weeks ago. Since I was out of state on Sunday, though, I don't know what was said at the special service or what the intent was behind it.

Once again I will point out that any opinions here are solely my own and do not necessarily represent the management. I will say that I love Covenant... I love the body of believers which worships at Covenant, the body which has become our family here.

Wednesday's update

After staff meeting, Andy sent an email to his youth leaders, which included the following:

Bill informed us this morning that the Session made some decisions last night, the details of which will be communicated in a letter going to today to all Covenant’s membership (you should receive it tomorrow). The Session chose to turn down Presbytery’s proposal to leave quietly in the next weeks, choosing instead to continue with our plans to formally request dismissal from the PCUSA at the Presbytery meeting on the 14th. Our conviction is that that we worked hard over many months to honor Presbytery’s process and meet its benchmarks, and we did: 76% of our membership present, and 76% of those voting in favor. At this point, it will be in Presbytery’s hands as to how things will unfold. Of course, we do realize the likelihood that they might refuse the request and take the property anyway, so we are continuing to pray and plan, plan and pray.

You may be asking what exactly our presbytery proposed since I haven't told you that yet. Honestly, I do not know the whole of it, but apparently it offered Bill and Stu the chance to be released to the EPC and a window of time for any members to quietly follow – but without any property. On the face of it, this might sound friendly and peaceful, but (disclaimer: everything following is Robin's opinion, not necessarily the official stance of our staff or leadership) what it says to me is that they want us to simply cast aside the time and expense (both considerable) which our church spent on this effort and simply fade quietly away. I'd like to remind you that our session upheld the requirements imposed on us by our presbytery. The numbers, the percentages, the time: all of those were set by presbytery, not by our session or pastors. Our church faithfully followed the process set out for us and I think it would be foolish not to follow through with the process. The vote did pass. Why should we pretend it didn't?

What does this mean for us at this point? It means that we hold our breath and pray for the next week. If our presbytery rejects our session's request for dismissal, the likely effect is that both of our pastors will be fired. Is that preferable to quietly resigning? In this case, I think it is. We could have left quietly, as the presbytery is proposing, at any point in the past year or more. If our action to seek dismissal was the right thing to do, and I think it was, then we cannot quit now. I, for one, am thankful that our session is not taking the presbytery's deal. We are waiting and pray that our presbytery will honor the vote and allow our church to stay together.

Tuesday night

I think I keep saying I'll have more information for you tomorrow. Sorry, I have to say it again. Presbytery made a proposal yesterday, our session discussed it last night, agreed to sleep and pray on it, and is meeting tonight to respond. The staff is meeting at 9am tomorrow to hear the next steps, so I hope to have more information for you by lunchtime. Thanks for your patience, and especially for your prayers.

"places we go" update

I know, I'm going crazy with the blogging this week... but then again I could be David Ziser, who posts his entries a half dozen at a time. I just wanted to take a moment to direct your attention to our sidebar, down in the section called "The Places We Go". I've added some links there that are worth a visit!

• Phoebe's Page: our dear friend Phoebe has started new adventures in Rwanda with Compassion International. She's promised me that she'll keep us updated in her blog. Also, she is now officially engaged to Joe, a guy I would love to meet in person.
• Dance Bochette: right now when you go here all you will see is a temporary page, but I'm including it in my list because I am the one responsible for it. Somehow my shooting my girls at ballet classes and shows has transitioned into web design for the studio. Kind of exciting!
• Confessions of a Pioneer Woman: she lives on a ranch, takes pictures like crazy, and is a really gifted writer. I am totally hooked on "Black Heels to Tractor Wheels" and it is so worth a read. Be warned, though, she is up to 26 or 27 chapters at this point. Oh yes, she also cooks.
• Ugly Mug Coffee: Don't forget to buy some yummy coffee through this link and support Habitat for Hope.

The links I didn't mention are fun as well... I've been adding feeds to my Google Reader like crazy and might add some to our list over there. Frequently, if I take the step of recommending someone here in a post, I'll add them to that list. Enjoy!

Monday's meeting

There was a large meeting at church this afternoon--our session, trustees, pastors, and the presbytery. As yet we do not know any details of what presbytery proposed, but the word is that it was a cordial meeting. More tomorrow--

press coverage

Our local paper has published two articles on our vote: one before, one after. Here are the links.

• Saturday
  
• Monday

the results are in

OK, everyone, our church met as one congregation this morning and voted on whether or not to leave the PC(USA) and join the EPC. I've been asked about the voting process and what it entailed so let me give a brief rundown of how it works (still ongoing and I'll explain why).

Our session (our body of governing elders) made a motion to seek dismissal from the PC(USA). This was after 7-8 years of growing frustration with the denomination's stance and direction on several issues, including the identity of Jesus and the authority of Scripture. The presbytery set all of the rules for the procedure of the vote (because it is a major vote). The three main requirements were:

1. We announce the congregational vote no less than three months before it takes place.
2. In order for the vote to occur at all, 2/3 of the active membership must be present for the meeting and vote.
3. In order for the vote to pass, 75% of those present must vote yes (to seek dismissal).

I have heard that approximately 40 churches have gone through this process in the last year (or so) and of those, our church was given the most stringent voting requirements.

Our numbers were as follows: 76% of the active membership came for the meeting and vote. Of those present, 76% voted to seek dismissal. So yes, it was a slim margin, certainly not as much as we had hoped, although we have known that we were in for a rough ride. However, the fact at this point is that we faithfully met all of presbytery's requirements, and the vote did pass.

We will know more tomorrow about what happens next, once presbytery has responded. I will be certain to update the blog as I have details. I will warn you, however, that I will only post what I know to be accurate information, so it may not be as detailed as you might like. Thank you again for your prayers. Please don't stop yet!