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Dear Friends,

It was a very moving moment and a signature weekend for Christ Church. In one weekend we saw three amazing things. First, Michael Boone was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Lebhar. Second, we had a great group of new members join the church at the 11 a.m. service. Third, we saw the finished product of what our Children’s Ministry has been up to for the last few months. I’ll explain.

Michael Boone’s ordination signaled the answer to a prayer that so many of us have been praying. During the Renew campaign last year, we prayed and searched for the right team to lead our student ministries. I first connected with Eric Willits, our Middle School minister, about this time last year. Then in April, I interviewed Michael. And as we got to know these two, we saw that God was calling them one-by-one into the ministry here. First Michael, and then, when we had a vacancy in Middle School, we welcomed Eric to the staff.

To me, these two men joining our staff and Michael’s ordination are a symbol of the strength behind this church. We are committed to focus on our youth. Many people contributed with their campaign pledges, and the Lord has been faithful. We have two great leaders, one of whom was just ordained to the priesthood.

Second, we had a great Gateway class. This is also a symbol to me of the faithfulness of God. We are seeing more and more visitors each week. Our visitors are from all over. Some are new believers; others are seasoned followers of Christ. Most are young (younger than me anyway!) and looking for a parish family to grow deep in their faith.

Third, the Children’s Ministry has changed in the last year also. There are great things going on. The new space and worship environment for the kids is terrific. Again, this is the result of our congregation-wide effort to eliminate our debt and raise the profile of our student and family ministries.

 

What a joy! By the way, our debt has gone from $5.2M to $1.9M in just over a year! We have a ways to go, but you and I know that this is the right and wise thing to do. We are nearly free to pursue more of the ministry efforts that God wants from us.

Here are some other things that I want to share:

Vestry Election

Our vestry election will take place at all four of our services this weekend. In addition, the Annual Report is available for you to review. Copies are available in the Narthex or you can download it now.

A word about our election; it is obvious that with five candidates running for four positions, there will be one person not elected. Many people have come to me with a pastoral concern. Wouldn’t that one lone person feel bad? My reaction is to say no. This election process is not about winners and losers. It is about completing the process of a call. Trust me, there are many members who have served with distinction who knew that they hadn’t won anything in their election. But when we place ourselves before God for his service, He will always say, “Yes.” But He might say, “Yes, but not in this area.”

Holy Land Trip

Please pray for Fran and me beginning next week. We will lead a tour of the Holy Land from January 30 to February 8. This will be our 8th tour, and we are as excited about this trip as any previous trips. Why? Because we get to make a house call to the land of the Bible. We see the things that God did in history. And we experience afresh the way he does things today. We have about 30 people going. If you want to follow our trip, please follow me on Twitter.

Follow @dhroseberry

Update from Addison, TX

According to my son, Jed, his church in Addison is blowing and going. Jed and Stacy planted the church 2 years ago, and now they have a new facility, a new sense of mission and a growing group of young families and new members.

If you know anyone in the Addison area, have them to check out Restoration Anglican Church.

Dilemma of Life

And finally…

Do you believe in unconditional love? Inquiring minds want to know.

See you Sunday.
In Christ,

David+

Dear Friends,

I was ordained to the priesthood on February 4, 1983. It was literally a dark and stormy night in Tucson, Arizona. My father-in-law took pictures of a young man who was ready to commit himself to the service of God through the Church. I can remember the evening, the moment, the friends and family who were there. I will never forget it.

We have a chance to have a moment like that this week. Deacon Michael Boone will be ordained to the Sacred Order of Priests on Sunday at the 11 a.m. service. This is an incredibly special moment for Mike and his wife, Katie; and especially for our youth. It signifies many things that we should all be aware of and give thanks to God for.

1. It says that the Anglican Church in North America has some great young leaders who are emerging. Mike is 27 years old and is among the finest young leaders I have seen come through the ordination process. He has a full life of ministry and service to the Lord ahead. The church will be stronger because of what God will do through him.
    
2. It says that God has blessed the Renew efforts of Christ Church. You will remember that we began to focus our prayers and ministry on the youth and children of our parish. The Lord connected this young man to our church. He has come to us and begun building a Senior High fellowship. A lot of our youth will be there on Sunday to celebrate with Mike and Katie.
    
3. It says that Anglicanism is a method of being a Christian that is still very appealing to the emerging generations. Mike, and there are many more like him, love being Anglican Christians. In fact, I am meeting with a group of about 14 young men and women who are praying about their vocation as ordained leaders in the Anglican Church in North America. It is growing.

I will preach the same message at all the services over the weekend, but I especially hope that you can make it for the Ordination Service at 11 a.m. Also, we welcome Bishop Neil Lebhar from the Gulf Atlantic Diocese in Jacksonville, Florida to officiate the proceedings.

Until then, here are the things you need to know.

The Numbers Are In

The Lord was moving mightily in December in terms of our financial stewardship. We ended the year in the black, but inquiring minds want to know how in the black? God be praised, it was just under $110,000 in the black! But here are some more interesting highlights:

• On a year-to-year comparison, 2011 was extremely similar to 2010 for the operating fund.
• Giving came from across the congregation, not from one or two large, lump-sum donations. It was definitely a church-wide effort in December to end the year in the black.
• Total giving for 2011 exceeded 2010 by $1.2 million.
• The current debt balance (as of 1/17/12) is $1,955,000.

Did you take note of the last number? The total indebtedness is under the $2,000,000 mark! Press On!

Gateway Recap

Besides this great finish (Praise God!), January is off to a great start with a packed house last Sunday night for the Gateway class. I don’t know how many of those in attendance will become members, but there was a great sense of joy in the room. One man had been visiting for six years; another family had been visiting for 3 weeks.

In the Twittersphere

I have joined the Twitter world, if you’d like to follow me. Every day I have an interesting life, and I have tried to tweet what I see God doing. Click the button below to follow me:

Follow @dhroseberry

Anglican 1000 Summit

Finally, our church is hosting the Anglican 1000 Summit again. Last year we had over 325 church planters join us for the three-day conference on church planting. We just crossed the 100 mark in terms of registration. I think it will be a great group of leaders. Go here to find our more about Anglican 1000.

That’s about it. I’ll see you all this week. And I thank God for all my remembrance of you. (Phil 1:3)

In Christ,

Fr. David+

I don’t think you can send this to friends too many times.

Dear Friends,

I always love to look ahead at what’s to come, but before I do that… This past weekend was too amazing to forget so soon.

Newly Ordained

On Saturday morning, Jason Bowman and Daniel Adkinson were ordained to the sacred order of priests by our Archbishop of the ACNA, the Most Rev. Robert Duncan. It was a beautiful service, and these two men celebrated their first Eucharist as priests at all the weekend services.

Tea Time

On Saturday afternoon, Fran and I did a teaching on the book of Ruth at the women’s ministry tea and we felt warmly received. Over 250 attended, including about 20 men. (The men stayed until the faux fashion show featuring hats, and then most of them left quickly. I was alone…in a room filled with a few hundred women. It was a privilege.)

Sermon Summary/Guide Available for Small Groups

Sunday morning was great. I began a new sermon series called Grace Under Pressure, on 2 Corinthians. Then, on Sunday afternoon, we began a new practice of sending a summary of the message and some intriguing questions for discussion out to our Small Groups. We are hearing very positive feedback about this method of “going deeper” into the Sunday message.

Here is where these study guides will be posted each week: Sermon Series: Grace Under Pressure

I urge all people to connect with their small group or start a new one. Susan Freeman can get you started. Just contact her at 214-291-5055.

80 in Attendance at the Welcome Class

On Sunday evening, in a newly designed Welcome Class, we greeted a group of about 80 or so of people who are considering joining the church. We will welcome our new members in the worship services this weekend. Some of these new members will go a step further by attending the upcoming Worship-Grow-Serve classes. You are invited, too.

Video: Meet Jon Parker

On Monday, Jon and Amelia Parker and their boys departed for England where Jon will pursue a Ph.D in Old Testament. Please join me in praying for their ministry as they take this exciting step. Meet Jon in this video that we recorded last week.

Upcoming Men’s Conference

Finally, on Tuesday, I realized that we are less than weeks away from Men’s Conference. This will be a great weekend out at Pine Cove. I plan to be there, and I hope you will be there, too. Check it out here.

This Weekend: What Forgiveness Does

This weekend, I will continue the Grace Under Pressure series with a sermon entitled “What Forgiveness Does.” Paul gives us a truly impactful understanding of the central act of one of the most difficult of human interactions. I hope you will be here.

In Christ,
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 in Christ,

Subsequent to the recent announcement of the upcoming ordination of a woman to the priesthood at Christ Church, I received a variety of thoughtful responses from about 20 men and women of our church family. Some voiced their concerns; others indicated their support. I am deeply appreciative for the comments, and I have read them all. Since the concerns and questions followed a few common themes, it is my hope that this letter will serve to answer those who contacted me, as well as the rest of our church family.

We would all agree that men and women are co-equal and blessed children of God. But any student of the Bible knows that the roles and functions of men and women outlined in the Bible are different. Men and women occupy the exact same positions in the culture.  Pilots, doctors, teacher, nurses, contractors, lawyers and every other role or job you can think of is being done by either men or women. The issues of inequality between men and women in our culture are nearly gone.

The Bible, however, holds out a higher vision for male/female roles in two areas of life: the family and the church. Indeed, the Scriptures uphold and affirm the “headship” of a man in the family and in the spiritual life of the Body of Christ.

Both in the family and in the church, headship is not to be domineering or oppressive at all. Headship is to be life giving. See Eph 5:21 for a detailed description of this vision for the family and Christ’s headship over the church. (I addressed this issue at length in a recent seminar entitled “The Biblical Vision for Marriage.” DVDs are available in our bookstore.)

The Bible has this vision of headship for the early church as well: The spiritual head of a church body should be a male. Again, this is not a slight on women at all. But as Paul explains it, this is the order of creation: Christ as head of the man, the man as head for the woman. Paul’s instructions for the early church sometimes include warnings, injunctions, and commands about the roles of men and women.  Some of these commands are obviously culturally conditioned. For example, he forbids women to wear jewelry and makeup and to speak (except to their husbands at home.) There are obviously rules that he is enforcing on a different kind of society and within a very different set of circumstances. Wearing jewelry and makeup was (in the time of the New Testament) done by women of loose morals. We would all agree that his injunction would no longer apply in this culture.

Nevertheless, what seems to be constant through the New Testament is a vision of a church as a spiritual family of faith under the headship of a male leader. (See I Cor 14; 1 Timothy 2. ) I must tell you that I have been very sympathetic to this viewpoint. I remain convinced that God intends His church to function in this way.

How then can a woman be ordained in the church? Consider these points:

1) In the Anglican Communion, the concept of “church”, the Body of Christ, is much wider than a local congregation. The critical unit of organization is not the pastor, or the vestry, or the congregation. We are all under the authority and ministry of a bishop in the Church. In our case, the Rt. Rev. Philip Jones is our bishop and his office within the AMiA is the “organizing unit” under whose authority I (we) must abide. In other words, he is the “head” of Christ Church. The Constitution and Canons of the AMiA and its new federation, the ACNA, provide for the office of bishop to be selected from among male priests only. At Christ Church, all clergy, male or female, deacon or priest, are under the headship of a bishop in the AMiA.

2)  I cannot ordain anyone. It is not up to me but to the bishops of the AMiA. While the long and strenuous path of discernment, education, testing, prayer, and deliberation is done at the local parish level, that path is set forth by the bishops of the church, not by the local rector. When a woman is ordained in the Anglican Church she is ordained by a bishop of the Anglican Church for the Anglican Church. She is fully under the “headship” of a bishop.

3)  The ordination of women to the priesthood is not new. The Anglican Church (of which we are a part) is a worldwide communion. There are 38 Provinces around the globe comprising some 70+ million members. In some places, women are not allowed to be ordained at all. In other places, they can be ordained to the diaconate only. And in many other places, they are ordained to the priesthood. Christ Church is a member of the AMiA and attached to the Province of Rwanda. We are required to follow their rules, canons, and practices. Archbishop Kolini of Rwanda supports the ordination of women and has asked that the missionary outreach of his province (AMiA) provide for the ordination of women.

Finally, allow me to bring up a subject that might be on the minds of some. I have heard this from some in our church. It is usually expressed in terms of a “slippery slope” into the ordination of practicing homosexuals.

Women are regarded in the Bible with increasing favor. By the time the New Testament closes, the role of women is rather exalted. For instance, Jesus appeared first to women.  (Did you know that in Luke’s Gospel the first Easter appearance and announcement was given to a woman? Luke 24:1ff) Also, several women within the New Testament church show uncanny and thoughtful leadership. Indeed, the arc of the biblical narrative finds women in increasing favor, liberation, and in important critical roles. Frankly, the same can be said of slaves. By the time the New Testament closes, the seeds are there to call for the equal regard and freedom for all men and women. But the view of the Bible on active homosexuality never changes. The whole biblical story consistently calls upon active homosexual people to repent of their sins.

Therefore, there is no slippery slope at all. These are two very, very different subjects and should be viewed differently.

Finally, I want to say a pastoral word to all of you. The Body of Christ in its local expression (the congregation) and in its wider expression (in our case, the AMiA) is called routinely to strive for unity and grace with each other. Please pray with me that, even though this is an issue on which there is a range of belief, it would be a spiritual growth opportunity for us as a church family.

Yours in Christ,
The Rev. Canon David H. Roseberry
Rector

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