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Dear Friends,

How can I improve the weekly sermon study guides?

After my sermons, on my way home, I always have a series of ‘”gee-I-should-have-said-it-this-way” moments. Until now, I have had to live with the frustration that all messages are completely preached on Sunday morning. But now I can get one more chance…and I am thankful to take it.  I get to come home and write out a Sermon Study Guide for members of our small groups and many other individuals who want to take a second look at the message. Go here to see what I am talking about.

The Sermon Study Guides come out every Tuesday in The Call and are a helpful tool for thinking and sharing at a different and deeper level. For example, this week, the newspaper article I referred to (the one about the church and the dance club) is referenced and linked to in the study guide. Additional ideas about what Paul means by “adoption” are linked to in the study guide. An extended quote from C.S. Lewis about the glory of humanity is listed in the study guide. I do hope you will make it a weekly discipline to use the study guide in your small groups and personal life, too. And if you have any suggestions about ways to improve the study guide, please let me know. You can email me, or leave comments at the end of this post.

Here are a couple of things you should know:

Fall Kick-Off Was Fantastic!
Our Fall Kick Off this past weekend was fantastic. After the 9:15 sermon, I ran over to Archgate Center to see our youth ministry program take shape. I was very pleased.  I spoke to 56 high schoolers, 67 seventh/eighth graders, and 47 sixth graders. I invited them to worship with us in the Sanctuary week by week at 11 a.m. I hope to see many of them in worship, and I invited them to stay connected to the sermon series through Facebook, too.

I also heard a few stories of the youngest members of our church yelling out to their parents after Sunday School. One little guy, without really caring who heard him, shouted that he had attended his Sunday School…and he loved it. He was proud of himself. And you can be proud of our Children’s and Youth Ministries, too. Both programs depend on the commitment of students and their parents to make it work. Christian education does not work without the parent(s) being thoroughly involved! Our staff is dedicated to partnering with the parents to raise their children to know, love, and serve the Lord.

On Point for Men
By the time you read this, the men will have met for their first session of On Point Bible Study. This is a great joy for Fr. Jason and me to teach. Over the six years that I have led this men’s study, I have seen incredible growth and spiritual strength emerge in these men. I love these guys and I try to prepare material that speaks to where they are in life. We deal with issues that connect directly to the life of the men of our church. All men are welcome to attend…and you don’t need prior Bible knowledge to come and get started.

Men, I hope you will make plans to be here next Tuesday at 7 a.m. We are studying the Book of 2 Samuel. You will be welcomed with fresh hot coffee, and we end promptly at 8 a.m.

On Point - Tuesdays 7 a.m....You're Invited!

Finally, I would want you to know that our church offers Christian support for many important areas of life: finances, grief, divorce, marriage, illness, etc. If you are seeking to not just “get through” some issues in your life but also to grow through them, you may want to contact our clergy staff. Don’t be shy. Fr. Clint Kerley can be reached at 214-291-5056.

‘See you soon,
David+

Dear Friends,

I want you to know the prayer that I am praying over our congregation these days:

Father, you have unified this church under the name of your Son Jesus.  You have brought into this church many people from diverse backgrounds.  You have given us young and old, strong and weak, seasoned believers and seekers, leaders and servants, families and singles, and people who live both near and far. I thank you for the growing diversity of people from many nations and many races. You are making a world church here, and I thank you for that.

I lift up the people who attend our church casually or routinely, who feel far away from you for whatever reason.  I pray Father that you would throw a lifeline of hope to them through those who preach and teach your Word.  Quicken their hearts to faith.

I lift up the families in our church, especially those with children. Place your hand on them and keep them safe in these days of your judgment on our nation. I pray that our children would grow to be effective and righteous leaders to return our country to its values of faith, freedom, morality and the protection of human life.

I pray for any of our members or their children who are in our armed forces and in foreign lands. Provide for their families, protect their lives, and use them to extend the goodness and beauty of freedom to all people.

I pray especially for those who are unemployed. Please, Father, by a sovereign act of grace, supply their need and bring them to a deepening dependence upon you for daily hope and encouragement. And Father, please, find them a job.

I pray for our staff and vestry, that we might be effective stewards and leaders of the time and season of our church. Give them both the confidence and the humility to continue the mission of our church with strength and courage.

I pray also, Father, that you would give me the grace to see all that I must do as I lead, preach, teach, and build your church.  Make me so sensitive to the leading of your Holy Spirit in these matters that I know, deep within my own spirit, what your will is for this church.

In humility and by your Grace, I pray.  Amen.

Now, some things you need to know:

1. Sunny (Cold) Florida
   I am in Florida right now attending my annual Covenant Group meeting with about 16 other rectors from the Anglican Tradition. This is a joy for me. These are old friends…and I have been meeting with this group each year for over 15 years. It has been a true blessing and joy to me.
   

   Florida Covenant Group

2. Welcome 5^th Grandbaby
   Many of you have asked and I am proud to present my fifth grandbaby, Finley Joanna Morgan, born on December 21. We had a great Christmas with this little girl. Fran and I are humbled and thankful beyond belief.
   

   Finley Joanna Morgan

   

   Fran and me with the three Morgan grandchildren

3. Black
   We ended the year in the black! We are still tallying expenses and we will have the final numbers soon (check the website for the budget update), but meanwhile I thank God for the generosity of this congregation and for keeping our ministries strong.
4. On Point
   This Tuesday, I am privileged to meet just with our Men’s On Point table leaders. I will outline the teaching terms that we have and encourage them in their leadership and ministry to their table.  Meanwhile, I am putting out a call to men who have been or would like to attend On Point. We will start up again on Tuesday, January 19 with a fresh look at Abraham, the towering giant in the Old Testament. It will be a great year at On Point. And remember that co-ed OnPoint is on Wednesday nights at 6:45 beginning January 20. Same curriculum as the men’s study. Don’t miss it.
5. Blessing Our Troops
   Before Christmas, some of our 3^rd grade Sunday Schoolers made cards for Col. Rob Woodmansee (a member of Christ Church) and his comrades who are stationed in Iraq. Rob sent back some great photos of the guys with their cards. Click here to view the photos.
6. American Teen
   Our youth leaders are busy preparing for an upcoming teaching series called American Teen which will begin this Sunday. Parents, you will want to click here to see Pam Coghlan and Fr. Daniel Adkinson introduce the series, and then make sure your students get here to participate.

‘See you this Sunday,
David+

Dear Friends,

Can you envision something with me for a moment? Envision a church filled with people who were serious about three things in connection to their Christian faith.

First, they were committed to weekly worship where they could hear the Gospel preached and receive the sacraments of New Life. Second, they were committed to taking the Bible “home” with them in their hearts so that they could, as the old prayer says, “…continue to read, mark, and inwardly digest.” In other words, they were committed to growing. Third, they were willing and able to be involved together on many levels to serve the community and the people God placed in their care.

That is the vision of Christ Church. That you probably know. But you may not know that on the weekend of September 12/13 we will begin to offer a new teaching opportunity. On that weekend, I will launch an 11-week sermon series called “Grace Under Pressure” and will follow the teaching and thoughts of the Apostle Paul in his second letter to the Corinthians. His teaching is among the most impactful I can imagine, especially at this time in the life of our country and community.

After each sermon, an email will be sent out to all of our Small Group leaders and members, and to anyone else who may want to be part of a continuing study group. The email will have a summary statement of the message, some deeper texts for reading, and some life application discussion questions.

Do you see this vision? It would mean that well over 1,000 adults each week, in homes and offices, in small group moments and private moments, would be able to take the Scriptures and go deeper in understanding and application.

If you’re in a Small Group, I encourage you to complete your current study and get ready for this new study to begin. If you are not in a Small Group, you can certainly join one…or connect to others who are not in a small group and start one of your own. Our small group director, Susan Freeman, can help you get started.

Here are a few things you need to know:

1. Next week I am going to publish a lengthy paper on the issue of women’s ordination. I hope that it will help people answer their questions. But it needs to be said that the Anglican Communion is a branch of the Christian family that will ordain women into orders.

2. On Point Bible Study starts next week on September 1 and 2. I want to be sure everyone understands the offering that is available to you: On Tuesday mornings we will continue with the usual On Point format: 7 a.m., just for the men. On Wednesday nights, however, the study is open to both men and women, couples and singles…really everyone. Jason Bowman and I will teach from Genesis. He is the primary teacher for Wednesday nights and I am the primary teacher for Tuesday mornings.

3. Above, I mentioned the value of serving… You should know that our choir is beginning their new season this Wednesday evening after On Point. If you have a gift for singing, take a look at the specifics (click here) and see if this might be a place where you could serve.

4. If you were in church over this past weekend, you sensed the joy, I am sure. We had record attendance in nearly all Sunday School classes.  Thank you, parents, for bringing your children, and let’s continue the momentum of worshiping and teaching.

‘See you this Sunday.

David+

Dear Friends,

This weekend will be a turning point in the life of our church. I have invited the Rev. Dr. Todd Hunter to come speak to us at several different venues. Todd is a recent convert to Anglicanism and will be made a missionary bishop in the AMiA in September. His background and church planting initiative are outlined on the website for his ministry, Churches for the Sake of Others. I am proud and honored to have him join us this weekend.

He will speak to our Small Group leadership on Saturday night, preach at our Sanctuary services on Sunday, and also spend some time with our church planters (there are a growing number here.) But I also want to be sure that you know you are invited to hear Todd speak this Sunday night in the Fellowship Hall at 6 p.m. Click here for all the info. He is an outstanding and inspirational speaker. I invited him to come to Christ Church because I want our whole church to hear his important message. Our church is growing in the midst of an incredible mission field. The ethnic populations, the un-churched, those with a heart for God but no church, and the families in our community who need Christ…these are the people whom our church can reach for the sake of the Gospel.

Do you remember when you first came to that awareness of a living God? It undoubtedly shook your world. Or perhaps you never knew a time when you did not know of Christ and His love for you. Either way, you know the great joy in knowing God…and serving Him.

Let’s remember our mission, especially this fall, as we come back together from a great summer of ministry.

Here are a few things you should know:

1) On Point Bible Study is expanding to co-ed! What does that mean? It means that the same lesson on Tuesday morning (at 7 a.m.) will be offered on Wednesday evenings for men and women. Couples are invited. Singles, too. This season, On Point will focus on the seminal chapters in Genesis (1-11.) Jason Bowman and I will team teach throughout the year. My main focus will be Tuesday mornings and his will be on Wednesday evenings. Plan to join a session.

2) It should be noted that our Small Group Ministry is undergoing a quiet renewal. Christ Church began as a small group that met in people’s homes 25 years ago. It is in our DNA. It is a feature of who we are. Beginning with the weekend of September 12/13, the sermon from Sunday morning will be condensed, outlined, and emailed to all small group members early in the week. Small Group discussion questions will be included as well. My hope is that the subject and content of the sermon will be discussed and applied in the lives of the hundreds of people who are in any and all of our small groups.

Some may choose to receive the curriculum at home for individual study, but my hope is that everyone in our church would have the opportunity to join an existing or new small group. You can email Susan Freeman for more information.

3) The congregation generously received the announcement of the delay to Susan Freeman’s ordination. I did hear from a number of people about it and, as I mentioned last week, I will take the time in the weeks to come to educate and help people understand the role of the priest in the Anglican Communion.

4) On a personal note, my mom turned 81 last week. I was able to make a quick trip to see her. I appreciate the time afforded me by our vestry and staff. She is in great health and she is in a great marriage. It was wonderful to see!

I will see you this weekend.

In Christ,
David+

Dear Friends,

Fran and I are certainly glad to be back from vacation. I had a few days in the office this week to catch up on some emails and visit with staff. I am so blessed to serve here and I fully commend our staff. They are incredible.

Here are a few things you should know.

Ordinations

Coming up soon, Christ Church will support the ordination to the priesthood of Daniel Adkinson, Jason Bowman and Susan Freeman.  These three have been through a lengthy process in the AMiA and have all received the necessary approvals to be ordained a priest in the church. (May I say that all were stellar students!) Daniel and Jason are scheduled to be ordained on Saturday, September 12.

The date for Susan’s ordination has not yet been set, as I wanted to take time for this pastoral word beforehand: Christ Church is a magnetic church for many people from many different backgrounds. We have new converts to the faith of Christ, and also new converts to Anglicanism. For many, the ordination of a woman to a church office is not an issue at all, reflective of those who affirm God’s call on the lives of women to ordained ministry. But we have others who come from traditions in which women cannot be ordained.

For this reason, I have asked Susan to “stand down” (step back briefly and wait) for the next few months so that I can take time in appropriate ways to help all in our congregation see that this is a call from God that can be affirmed. Susan has been through the discernment process at Christ Church and continues to have my full support as well as that of our bishops in the AMiA and the Province of Rwanda.  Nevertheless, I think there is a golden opportunity here to outline the nature of Anglicanism, what we think and believe about ordination and church polity, and how we see the role of the Bible in shaping our church life.

Susan has fully agreed with this request and is thankful that her ordination can be an occasion whereby the church can grow in the faith and confidence of God’s Word and the Holy Spirit to lead us to all truth. I have known Susan and her family for almost 20 years, and I know that she has felt a deep call to ordained ministry for well over 10 years. It is a call that I recognize and support. I look forward to addressing this topic in the months to come, and to celebrating Susan’s ordination. Stay tuned for the announcement of that date. In the meantime, Susan will continue her normal service on the staff as the director of our Small Group Ministry and as a transitional deacon. Please send me your thoughts as the Lord leads you. You can email me at David@ChristChurchPlano.org.

500 Backpacks Collected

In other news… I am going to sound like a broken record here, but I continue to be amazed at the generosity of this church family. You should be proud to know that we collected 500 backpacks filled with school supplies for local children through our Kids in Need drive that ended last weekend. This is a wonderful testimony to your love for others, as Jesus Christ so perfectly demonstrated. Thanks for sharing your blessings with so many kids!

Co-ed Bible Study

Finally, you will read in this weekend’s bulletin that our men’s and women’s ministries have teamed up to offer a Wednesday evening, co-ed version of On Point Bible Study starting September 2. On Point grew out of our men’s ministry and has become a major source of spiritual growth for many men in our church. I hope you will consider attending. Couples, groups, individuals are all welcome.

In Christ,
David+

The Rev. Canon David H. Roseberry

Dear Friends,

I had lunch with a leader in the broker/banker industry today. He shared with me that the last few months have been the most stress-filled and heart wrenching period in his entire career. Everyone he knows has been affected in serious ways. He mentioned that it was good to hear that I “got it”; that is, I was aware of the financial stresses and worries that are on our minds. But Christ Church is not (he was glad to know) just about helping people through one of the most difficult chapters in American history.  Instead, our message is a message of hope; it is an appeal to the truth of the Gospel. And that’s a truth that never changes; it’s solid in the good times as well as in the bad.

This weekend will be no different. While our nation’s capitol is spending massive amounts of money, our message is not tied to fortunes or trends or even national prosperity. We preach Christ and Him crucified. (I Cor 1:21)  There is nothing more relevant and hopeful than that. Please join me this weekend as we look once again to the greatest story and the greatest news of all time.

Speaking of Good News, today our “Easter Services” sign went up on Legacy Dr. It is an annual ritual for me to see the service times posted on our busy street. I ask you though to be sure to “be your own sign” to the many people you know. Easter is one of those Sundays when your friends and family are most likely to respond positively to an invitation from you. The invitation is simple: Come. Celebrate.

1. Fr. Ron McCrary’s teaching on the spiritual disciplines has touched off a lot of discussion and practice of these ancient practices. In fact, all the Christ Church clergy are studying the ancient patterns of the spiritual life using Dallas Willard’s book, Renovation of the Heart.  Some of our staff plan to attend this conference on “The Jesus Way” in San Antonio this June.
2. I was with our High School Youth Group last weekend at 9:15. I have to tell you how impressed I was. The band was great. I had some great one-on-one conversations with some of the youth before and after the class time. After I left I had a chance to reflect on their heart and spirit…and their growing faith and love of Jesus. I ran across this video at YouTube. It reminded me of who these kids are and what they can be in the world.
3. I am going to take a brief side road at On Point Bible Study for the next two or three weeks and focus our study on the Passion of Jesus Christ in Mark’s Gospel. If you (men) have an opportunity to try On Point, the next three weeks would be a great ‘sampler.’ No experience or previous Bible knowledge is needed. Just show up and you will be welcomed.
4. Finally, here is a resource for many of you who are too busy to read all the great Christian books that are being published. Check out Solomon Summaries.

I’ll see you this weekend.
David+