"Wow! Y'all are a starting new church?! Where are you located?" This is one side of a conversation that my team and I have had with numerous people who are interested in what we're doing as Peace Tree. We tell them that we felt called to start a new church to reach people who've been burned out on church, or people who were hurt by a congregation and left that group, or even those who've never entered a church building or attended a worship service before. They appreciate the mission that we have as a new faith community, but many people have trouble understanding our vision: Church Can Happen Anywhere. It's difficult to answer the question, "Where are you located?" since we've primarily existed as a network of House Groups for our first 18 months of ministry. We've tried to shift the focus of "going to church" as simply showing up at a location on Sunday morning to gathering as the Body of Christ wherever and whenever we can meet. This flexibility in how we come together for worship & study has helped accommodate friends with ever-changing work schedules, those who have plans on the weekends, and families who have other commitments on Sunday mornings. This model of "house churches" has allowed us to go deeper in our discipleship and our walk with Christ. Friendships have formed to the point that each House Group feels more like a family, and each group's attendees can't imagine missing one of the mid-week gatherings. Still, with House Groups stretching from East Memphis to Collierville, it's hard to answer the question, "Where are you located?" since our church doesn't have just one location. "Oh, so you have small groups that meet throughout the week? Great! But where is your main church building?" This is another question that we often get asked as we talk about Peace Tree. We re-emphasize how each House Group has its own identity and missional emphasis. Each House Group is self-sustainable, but all are connected to the larger Peace Tree community. As we've grown and added more House Groups, we saw a need to gather together as one Large Group in order see one another face-to-face and to worship God together as a family. So, we launched a weekly worship service at the Malco Towne Cinema in Collierville where we've gathered our different groups into one Large Group while also welcoming our friends from town. But the movie theater is a rented space; we set up our worship area, nursery, children's area, and hospitality tables early Sunday morning and then we pack it all up before the first films start showing at Noon. We don't have a church building and we actually prefer it this way. Not having a main church building or one primary location has allowed us to focus more on the people that we're reaching. We've been able to see God at work in businesses, parks, and neighborhoods in a pretty magnificent way. God is Everywhere, which means Church Can Happen Anywhere! All of the financial support and contributions we receive help drive this vision. Instead of asking people to come to us, we'll go to them! Jesus' final words to his disciples were this: "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." By not having one location, we feel as though we're living out Jesus' last words. We're witnessing in Collierville, and in Germantown and Memphis, and God-willing to the ends of the earth! We're not staying put. We're on the move, and we're spreading God's love to everyone we meet practically every day of the week. Exciting things are happening at Peace Tree, and we'd love for you to come and see for yourself. Click on the tabs marked Sundays and House Groups to learn about our multiple locations, and click on the tab marked Connect if you have a prayer request or a question that you'd like to ask us. We'll see you soon! +Peace and Love from Pastor Kris In a few short days, Peace Tree will be launching our first public Sunday morning worship service. Up until now, every Sunday morning gathering we've held has been a "Preview Service." These previews were invaluable since each week we learned something new, gained another skill, recruited more volunteers, and witnessed how God was working through our team. Now we're finally ready to open up our Sunday morning worship celebrations to the larger public! Since we're a new faith community that does things differently, we planned our Launch Day Celebration to be a little different than a typical Sunday morning at church. First off, we realize that this Sunday is Super Bowl Sunday, which is why we're encouraging everyone to come to worship decked out in their Super Bowl gear. If you have a favorite team or player, then wear their jersey! Wanna let others know who you're pulling for in the Super Bowl? Sport that team's colors. And if any of your kids wanna dress up in rec league jerseys or cheer uniforms, then let them! Americans will be watching the big game later that day, so why not come to church in your football attire and redefine what it looks like to wear your "Sunday Best?" Second, we want our Launch Day to be more than just about Peace Tree starting a new worship service. Much of our ministry and work these past 18 months has been focused on real people that we meet out in our neighborhoods. For this reason, our Launch Day Celebration at the Malco Towne Cinema will serve as a collection site for the Souper Bowl of Caring canned food drive. The Souper Bowl of Caring is a nationwide movement which helps young people learn what it’s like to make a positive difference in the world as they collect food, raise money, and volunteer to work in local charities while showing compassion to those in need. Canned food and cash donations may be dropped off in the lobby of the Malco Collierville Towne Cinema from 9:30-11:30 a.m. on February 5th. Every food item and dollar donated will stay in our town and go directly to the Collierville Food Pantry supporting our neighbors. Launch Day is the perfect opportunity to check out Peace Tree as we live out our vision, "Church Can Happen Anywhere," so come and see what God is doing this Sunday at the Malco Collierville. Doors open at 9:30 a.m. and worship begins at 10:00. You're also welcome to watch the big game with us on Sunday night as we gather with friends at Miller Creek at Germantown apartments. We hope that Peace Tree's Launch Day Celebration will bring our community together in a festive way as we serve our neighbors and worship God together. See y'all this Sunday! +Peace and Love from Pastor Kris When we began planting Peace Tree in the Collierville/Memphis area in 2015, we knew that we needed to offer something different. There are over 50 houses of worship in Collierville alone, so we believed many would ask, “Does Collierville really need another church?” Our answer is YES, Collierville needs new churches to reach new people. While a majority living here would say they have a church home, there are literally thousands of Collierville residents who have marked “No Religious Preference” on their census forms. We imagined the number of people we walked by every day who weren’t part of a church family, the number of people who’ve experienced a life crisis with nowhere to turn, with nobody to talk to. We knew that thousands of our neighbors were spiritually homeless and we needed to do something now. As we dreamt of a new church for Collierville, we were sure of two things: 1) we wanted to do Church differently and 2) we didn’t want to put all of our efforts into a Sunday morning worship experience (remember there are over 50 churches in this town with Sunday morning gatherings). So how could we flip the “church planting script” and build up a congregation without first launching a weekly Sunday morning worship service? This is how the idea of House Groups was born. If we truly wanted to reach our neighbors, then we needed to go into our neighborhoods. Neighborhoods are made up of people who live in homes, and play in parks, and eat in restaurants down the street from where they live. This was where our church would start; these were the places where we’d plant Peace Tree. Seventeen months after we began this work, we can say that God has blessed us with six House Groups spreading across East Memphis, Germantown, and Collierville. We meet in homes, restaurants, and apartment complexes and our community events often take place in our town’s parks. We’ve welcomed over 180 people who have visited one of our House Groups in 2016, and many have made Peace Tree their church home. There’s a difference between a church which offers Small Groups as a program opportunity and a church that is entirely made up of small groups. We’ve aimed to be the latter. And since we didn’t pour all of our efforts into a Sunday morning celebration, we now have a solid foundation of House Group participants who want to see members of the other groups more regularly as well as serve alongside one another in Kingdom-building work. After a season of monthly Preview Services, and after much prayer and discussion with our Launch Team and volunteers, we are happy to announce that one month from today Peace Tree will be launching weekly Sunday morning worship services at the Malco Collierville Towne Cinema starting January 8, 2017. These Sunday morning large group celebrations will simply be one way that we worship God together. Our main opportunities for learning, service, and fellowship will still be found in the House Group setting. Think of Sunday morning worship services as a “family reunion.” It’s a chance to see friends from other House Groups that we haven’t seen in a while. Sundays will give us a moment to say hello to fellow volunteers from various service projects while together we seize the opportunity to rest in God. These large group gatherings will allow us the space and time to celebrate God together, to lift up our praises, and to be inspired by God’s Word. For some of you reading this, your first encounter with Peace Tree will be on a Sunday morning when you walk into the theater to check us out and see what we’re all about. We think that’s great! But as we’ve already mentioned, the true heart of Peace Tree is in our House Groups. We hope that everyone who visits us in January will take the next step and find a House Group that they can attend during the week. We currently have House Groups that meet on Sundays, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, and we have plans to launch new groups in the new year. You’ve read the blog post this far and you may be wondering, “Am I a good fit for Peace Tree? Is Peace Tree a good fit for me?” Well, you should know that our goal is to reach individuals who have left the Church, those who have turned their backs on God or have given up on religion altogether. We also hope to reach people who are spiritual and religious but haven’t found a safe place to explore their spirituality and to ask the big questions about God and our place in the universe. There are also individuals who didn’t grow up attending church services, going on youth retreats, and participating in Vacation Bible School over their childhood summers. Maybe their families didn’t believe in “going to church,” or maybe they were raised in a different country with different belief systems. We feel called to reach these neighbors as they take their first steps into Christianity. So, if you fall into any of these categories please believe me when I say that our hearts go out to you. We’ve already connected with some of you, but to the rest: we’re so anxious to meet you! We hope you’ll consider joining us for our outdoor Christmas service, Carols and Candlelight, on the Collierville Town Square. It’ll be Friday, December 16th with hot cocoa being served at 6:00 pm and our program beginning at 6:30. House Groups are continuing to meet throughout December with a few taking one week off for a seasonal break. And be sure to mark your calendars for January 8th when we begin hosting weekly worship services at Malco Collierville Towne Cinema. Doors will open at 9:30 am for coffee & donuts. Worship will start at 10:00 and Peace Tree Kids is open to children at 10:30. We also provide a nursery with Safe Sancutaries-trained workers to care for your little ones. As always, please contact us if you have any questions about Peace Tree. My personal email is kris@peacetreeumc.org and our office phone number is (901) 286-5532. We’re so excited to see what God has in store for 2017, and we hope you’ll be part of this new thing that God is doing. Happy Advent, Merry Christmas, and remember: Church Can Happen Anywhere. +Peace and Love from Pastor Kris Pastor Kris preached "Live Together / Follow Christ" on the Sunday following the 2016 presidential election. Below is his sermon manuscript, and you can watch the full sermon in the video below. The Scriptural focus for this sermon is Luke 5:1-11. Please share your thoughts and reflections in the Comments section. Here we are for the fourth time in this place to worship God, but what marks this Sunday as different from earlier Preview Services is that the presidential election has taken place in our country merely 5 days ago. And I'd be a horrible preacher if I didn't address this moment in our country's history. So on this day, as I address two of Peace Tree's core values (Live Together and Follow Christ), I do so knowing that some people sitting in this movie theater voted for Trump and others voted for Clinton. Some voted for a 3rd party candidate and some wrote in Mickey Mouse or wrote in Harambe. But here we are...together, singing our praises to God, hearing the story of Jesus calling his first disciples to follow him, and we are all members of the same human family. It's probably safe to say that there are as many different opinions about this country and its priorities and the steps we need to take as there are people sitting in this room. So we have one of two choices to make today and everyday, and here they are: do we choose to turn our backs on our neighbors who are different than us? Do we hate those who disagree with us? Do we say, "I'll go it alone?" OR do we say that we choose to live together, that we embrace each other as brother and sister, and that we claim one another as family. Jesus never held public office as an elected official, but he was called the King of the Jews. And as the King of the Jews (a.k.a the Son of God and the Son of Man), he addressed economic disparity, accepted people from other cultures, disrupted the establishment, was branded a radical and a religious zealot, and he taught a new way. But by doing all of this, he put a target on his back. Ultimately, the people of Israel were given a chance to vote on Jesus. They could vote to free Christ during the Jewish feast of Passover, but instead they chose to free another prisoner, and thus, the Son of God was crucified. But in Jesus' sacrifice, in taking on our sin, and in demonstrating God's great love for humanity, Christ gave us all a path to citizenship in God's Kingdom. So when we say that at Peace Tree we Live Together and Follow Christ, we do so claiming our shared inheritance in Christ. We don't focus on the things the world focuses on: the spectrum of ages, the differences in income, the number of cultures represented here today. Instead we rally around Christ and his mission in saving this world and pointing people to God. When we look at this morning's passage from the Gospel of Luke, we see Peter putting into practice the core value of Live Together. Peter does not work alone; he has fishing partners that we find out are the brothers James and John. Not only that, but when the fish that Jesus instructs them to catch becomes too great to haul in, they're able to signal another boat for help. In their day and time, you needed a community to get by, to live and to eat. Friends and neighbors looked out for each other, and here we see them working alongside one another. But what amazes me most about this invitation to follow Christ, is that Peter, James, and John drop everything (and I mean everything!) in order to follow Jesus. They leave behind their livelihoods, their families, and now this insurmountable catch of fish that may have possibly met their quota for the rest of the year, all in order to follow Christ! How many of us would walk away from our careers, and our families, and from financial stability to follow a divisive figure who was performing miracles and claimed that he spoke directly to God? Some of you are thinking, "This is nice and all, learning about Peter and James and John from 2000 years ago, but we're scared right now, today on Nov 13, 2016. And I get it; some people are fearful for their community, others are scared that the country will not come together - that we won't be the UNITED States, and for others there is uncertainty about the future when it comes to wars being fought, and when it boils down to the stock market, or healthcare and national security." So let me offer a word from Ricky James, a friend and pastor in Mississippi, who shared this post on his Facebook page Wednesday morning: "At around 3:00 a.m. this morning my five year old climbed in our bed. He said he was afraid of the dark. This is a common occurrence these days as he wakes up in the middle of the night, alone in a dark room, and seeks the solace of his parent’s bed. Normally I’m annoyed at this because he wakes me up. This morning I was already awake. I had just watched the acceptance speech of President-Elect Trump. On social media I saw the full spectrum of emotions: joy, astonishment, anger, and fear. It was that last emotion that had kept me up. I thought of all the people I knew who were afraid because of what had just occurred. I was pondering fear and it was keeping me awake. I know many people who voted for Secretary Clinton and were now afraid at what this election means. They are afraid for what this means for people in vulnerable situations because of their race, gender, status, and a myriad of other identifiers. They are afraid that many of their rights are now in jeopardy. Some are afraid for their lives. This fear is real. I know many people who voted for President-Elect Trump who were afraid. They were afraid of rising healthcare costs, of the loss of jobs in their community, of a deep belief that their own sense of self-worth was slipping away. They were afraid that the country they saw around them was fundamentally different than the world they grew up in. They were afraid of what the world would look like tomorrow. This fear is real. I can’t pretend that fear isn’t real. And I don’t presume to tell anyone today that they shouldn’t be afraid. As a pastor I’ve sat with many people who were experiencing moments of great fear. I often see two responses to such fear. Option one: find someone to blame and lash out. Option two: surround yourself with people you love and trust to hold you in the dark. I try my best to steer people to the second option. All I can offer is the good advice that came to me this morning at 3:00 a.m. from my five year old: it’s ok to be afraid of the dark; and you don’t have to face it alone." Friends, we have two options, and I hope we all choose to seek the embrace of our Heavenly Father and to surround ourselves with people we love and trust. The first disciples chose this; they chose to live together. They needed each other as they followed Christ and learned from him, they needed each other during the dark days of the crucifixion, and they needed each other still as they formed a beloved community and planted the first Christian church in Jerusalem. They lived together as they followed Christ. Look again to today's passage; Jesus says to you and to his first disciples the same thing that the angels spoke to the shepherds in the fields at Christmas, "Do not be afraid." These are actually the first words that Jesus speaks to them after performing his fishing miracle. So pause for a moment and consider the power in that statement: Do - not - be - afraid! Do not fear. The first disciples cast aside anxiety, and worry, and the stability of a steady job, and they all followed Christ. They chose not to fear when they chose to follow Jesus, and they made this choice together as one group who cared for others. Friends, we are not alone. We have each other. And even if the person you're sitting next to is of a different gender or a different age, whether they are single or married, with children or without, voted for the same candidate as you did or for a different person, they are still your sister and brother in Christ, and they are made in the Image of God. Living together doesn't mean we pretend we're all the same and that we'll never disagree on issues. It means that we must recognize how we are all wonderfully made by a good, good Father, and that many different people with different gifts make up the Body of Christ just as different disciples from various backgrounds and professions and education levels with varying levels of faith made up Jesus' original Twelve. 'Different' is beautiful in the Family of God. The great author, Harper Lee, said it best in her famous work, To Kill a Mockingbird, "You can choose your friends but you sho' can't choose your family, an' they're still kin to you no matter whether you acknowledge 'em or not, and it makes you look right silly when you don't." Today, I pray that we acknowledge our great human family. I pray that we choose to Live Together just as the first disciples chose to live together. And I pray that we won't be afraid to leave everything behind in order to Follow Christ. Amen. Every year, the Guatemalan Consulate in Atlanta sends a mobile unit to Memphis to assist Guatemalans living and working in the United States with updates to their documents as well as applications for birth certificates, wedding licenses, and other important papers. 1,665 people from across Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Missouri were assisted this year, but more than 500 people were not seen due to time constraints. Peace Tree’s Susan Lawhon and Jennie Dickerson organized and led the many volunteers needed to make this event possible. In our latest blog post, Jennie shares what this event means to her and why she signs up every year to volunteer.
One of the things I love about Peace Tree is that we are a “doing” church. We meet people where they are, whether it's the Blessing of the Animals at Suggs Park, a neighborhood event on the Collierville Town Square, or the annual Guatemalan Consulate Visit to Memphis. Last weekend, Peace Tree joined our United Methodist family at Asbury UMC and Iglesia Metodista Unida El Redentor to assist the local Guatemalan population file some tedious government paperwork. More than 1,600 people stood in line for hours to get updated government identification cards, birth certificates, passports and more. Volunteers (Spanish-speaking or not) helped make the process as smooth as possible by directing traffic, making copies of documents, answering questions, and keeping children entertained while parents spoke to consulate officials. The Guatemalan Consulate Visit is my favorite volunteer event of the year. To me, it epitomizes how we ought to live as Christians. We don't have to speak the same language or be from the same place to walk alongside each other and make this life a little easier. It’s faith in action and an opportunity to show grace and love to each other. This is what it means to “love thy neighbor,” and every year I'm grateful for this opportunity to do so. +Jennie Dickerson Jesus and Star Trek. One said, “Therefore, go…” and the other, “Boldly go…” Peace Tree has been on God’s mission since 2015. We’ve left the comfort of stained glass sanctuaries & worship halls and followed the call of Jesus’ Great Commission: “Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…” (Matthew 28:19). At the same time, we feel like spiritual pioneers exploring new frontiers, worshiping God in new places, and gathering on different days of the week. On August 21, 2016, we held our first-ever Sunday morning worship service at the Malco Collierville Towne Cinema. I admit that I felt a bit like Captain Kirk leading his crew into the great unknown. None of us had set up a church service in a movie theater before, let alone worship God with any congregation at the cinema! Still, our teams pulled up to the Malco at 7:30 a.m. and started hauling gear into the building, and it felt as though we were living out the USS Enterprise’s mission in some small way: “to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no one has gone before.” The weight of a universe-sized challenge was certainly upon us: Could we envision a new heaven and a new earth in a multiplex? Could we breathe new life into Christians who had worshiped in traditional settings since birth? Could we reach new people with the Gospel for the very first time? Will friends and families step out in faith and form a new community with us, one that lives together and follows Christ? We can’t answer many of those questions at the moment, not even 10 days later as we look back on the 21st of August. The reason we can’t answer those questions is because we aren’t building this church; Christ is the one who builds his Church. Christ is the one who will usher in the new heaven and the new earth. The Holy Spirit is the one who breathes new life into followers. God the Father is the one who touches the hearts of those who hear the Gospel for the first time. What we feel we can say is that God was with us on August 21st, and the potential to grow into a beloved community was certainly felt by all who gathered with us that day. Even though the challenge was extremely high, the invitation to our neighbors was even greater! All of our volunteers circled up at 8:55 a.m. to say a prayer, and as soon as we said “Amen” the first family was walking through the door. Children began grabbing juice boxes and bags of Cheerios, adults filled up cups of coffee and reached for donuts, and newcomers started signing up for our newsletter while flipping through our new brochure. Everyone was greeted at least 5 times before they took their seat in the theater, and you could definitely feel the love in the room. Hannah led us in singing, Tyler greeted the congregation, Susan read our Scripture passage, and I preached a sermon that reflected Peace Tree’s vision: “Church Can Happen Anywhere.” And while the message was taking place inside Auditorium 7, there were children who were playing, learning, and discussing the same passage (Acts 2:42-47) with Ms. Connie and Ms. Chris during Peace Tree Kids. There are many things we learned at our first preview worship service and there are many things we’ll be tweaking and improving along the way. But all in all, many of our volunteers and team members felt we could say that our first worship service was a success! We set up and cleaned up in the timeframe we allotted ourselves. There weren’t any major technical issues with video or sound. Infants were cared for by professionals in the nursery. And there was enough food and drink for a small army! But most importantly, 81 people gathered together to worship God in a new place & in a new way, and we did Church in a movie theater. Every time I teach or preach, I hope that the congregation can walk away learning two things: 1) How the early Christians would’ve originally heard and interpreted the passage we studied, and 2) How we can apply that original teaching to 21st century life in America. From our first worship service, I hope everyone will remember that Jesus worshiped God anywhere, because God exists everywhere! Jesus preached in fields, from boats, and on mountainsides. The first Christians met in people’s homes so that they could eat meals together, celebrate Communion, and discuss Jesus’ teachings. So what does this mean for us today? It means Church Can Happen Anywhere! Church can happen in our homes, in public parks, in local restaurants; Church can even happen in a Malco theater. Peace Tree will be worshiping at the Malco Collierville Towne Cinema three more times in 2016. The upcoming dates are September 18, October 16, and November 13. We hope you, the reader, will join us! Each time we meet, the doors will open at 9:00 a.m. for coffee & donuts. The worship service will begin at 9:30, and children are welcome to attend Peace Tree Kids at 10:00. During this season of preview services, we aim to learn as a team and to grow as Jesus’ disciples. We’ll also be praying and asking God if the Malco Collierville should be our first home as we launch a Sunday morning service. So stay tuned for news about possible weekly services in 2017. Thanks to all of our friends, families, House Group attendees, volunteers, and newcomers for making our first preview service such a success. It was an honor to share God’s Word with you that day and to worship God with you as a family. We’d love for you to join us on September 18th, and we hope we see some new faces as well! To all who have been supporting us since Day One, who have checked in on our progress, and who have prayed for our ministry: thank you, thank you, thank you. Your thoughts and prayers mean so much to us, and we definitely see God working through this faith community. God bless y’all, and remember: “Church Can Happen Anywhere.” +Peace and Love from Pastor Kris Sometimes we get frustrated, tired, and don’t want to talk or hear anymore about the issues going on around us in today’s world. While recently preparing a devotional, God helped me to face the issues I was avoiding in our country and around the world. Shootings, demonstrations - both violent and peaceful, elections, coups, religious freedom, discrimination, etc… How was I going to respond?
I have been presenting a book over the past 2 years entitled “Praying the Names of God” by Ann Spangler. The one chapter that I kept being led back in my preparation was “MIQWEH YISRAEL” , one of God’s titles/names, which means the HOPE OF ISRAEL. When you look up HOPE in the dictionary, you see that it can be a NOUN or a VERB. As a noun the definitions are 1) the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best - and - 2) a person or thing in which expectations are centered. As a verb the definitions are 1) to look forward to with desire and reasonable confidence, 2) to believe, desire or trust, and 3) to feel that something desired may happen. HOPE is what I need right now. I would like to pose a few questions. Take a moment to think about each of these questions: -What does it mean to place your HOPE in people? -What does it mean to place your HOPE in the LORD? -Do we HOPE (a verb) or have HOPE ( a noun) on other things than GOD? -Do Christians and Non-Christians have the same kind of HOPE? We may try to define HOPE, but do these definitions explain the HOPE of Israel - “MIQWEH YISRAEL”? Author Ann Spangler refers to HOPE as the great stabilizer. She writes it steadies us in times of fear and difficulty, not because we know that everything will turn out as we want, but because we know that God is trustworthy. Does that sound like HOPE to you? She states that HOPE is what helps us stay on course regardless of our circumstances. In the Bible we find that HOPE finds its roots in God - in His goodness, His mercy and His power. We can EXERCISE our HOPE in God by enduring patiently. We can NURTURE our HOPE in God by reading His Word. Although we do HOPE for earthly blessings, do we truly realize that our Greatest HOPE should be aimed at our life to come, when God will not only wipe away our tears but invite us to shares His joy forever? In Jeremiah 17:7-5, 13 it reads “But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in Him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit. … LORD, your are the HOPE of Israel; all who forsake you will be put to shame. Those who run away from you will be written in the dust because they have forsaken the LORD, the spring of living water.” Does “lack” of HOPE in God damage our souls? HOPE in God is not just a matter of emotions. It is not wishful thinking. It does not depend on our circumstances. HOPE in God is rooted in our relationship with God. HOPE in God gives us the confidence that God is working for our good in all things. We may at times feel disappointed, depressed, afraid, sad, or confused, but with HOPE in God we will never give way to despair. HOPE gives us the power to endure until the day God fulfills the greatest of all His promises - spending the rest of our lives forever in His presence. In Hebrew Scriptures, HOPE is connected to the expectation that God is a deliverer who will save those who trust in Him. It urged Israel then - and - us now to wait confidently for Him to act. Jeremiah 29:11 states “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you HOPE and a future.” In the New Testament, HOPE is rooted firmly in Jesus, - in His life, His death, His resurrections and in His coming again in glory. We also have HOPE for this life because the Holy Spirit indwells in us. This HOPE the Bible shows is a type of strength that enables us to be “patient” and “enduring” regardless of what we face. But how do we build or grow our HOPE? HOPE grows best in the soil of faithfulness. We need to live our lives for God, loving His law, doing His will, immersing ourselves in His Words, believing that He is who He says He is, and worshipping Him together with His People. My prayer for each of us as we head out to our homes, neighborhoods, jobs and in whatever situation God places us every day is found in Isaiah 40:31 which reads: “those who HOPE in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint.” My HOPE in the LORD is exactly what I need. +Connie Jackson
In the business world, there are some companies that tell you WHAT they do, and there are others that tell you WHY they do it. Author Simon Sinek breaks down these concepts in his book, Start With Why. (And you can see his TED talk in the video following the post).
The same can be said of churches. Some churches tell you what they do. When you drive by their building, you'll see a sign that says they meet every Sunday. Their church website tells you that they have several campuses throughout the city. Church staff and leaders are happy to boast of a sizable membership roll. Church members are delighted to tell you that they worship in your favorite musical style, and so on and so forth. But how many churches tell you WHY they do WHAT they do? Isn't that what you really want to hear? Don't you want to know why this particular church exists in the first place? So, in the hopes of being transparent, we want to practice what we preach and tell you why Peace Tree exists. By the end of this blog post, we hope you'll know WHY we do what we do. First, we love God because God first loved us. We believe that God sent Christ to model birth, life, death, and resurrection for us. We also believe that God is a God of love. If you know what it means to love and to be loved, then ultimately it means that you have experienced God and can know God. This why our community exists: to Love God. We've done nothing to earn God's love, and we honestly don't deserve God's love. But it's been freely given, fully and unconditionally. So we thank God everyday and we love God in return. So, how do we do 'Love God' exactly? We love God by loving others. It means loving our neighbors as ourselves. It means treating someone the way we want to be treated. It means serving others with kindness, and generosity, and decency. Jesus spoke about the two greatest commandments: first, Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and strength; second, love your neighbor as yourself. We've adopted this as our mission statement: Love God by Loving Others. It's WHY we do WHAT we do, and loving our neighbors is HOW we do it. So, WHAT is it that we do? We do Church. We live together and share our lives with one another. We eat meals together, tell stories from our past, work together to serve our neighbors, and we worship God by studying the Bible and challenging one another to apply its lessons to our everyday lives. Notice I said that we DO church, not that we 'Go To Church.' There's a big difference. Church is not a building; Church is people! Yes, we meet together, but the location, day of the week, and time of day can differ, and that's okay. In fact, that's what makes Church exciting for us. Church happens whenever people gather together in any location to love God and follow Christ together. In short, Church Can Happen Anywhere. Right now we gather as the Church in people's homes and in local restaurants. We 'Do Church' every time we hold a community event in a public park, or volunteer at a local fundraiser, or sign kids up for summer camp. At Peace Tree, we love God by loving others, so we decided that the best way to live out this mission was by planting a new faith community, a new church, and to start this adventure in Collierville, TN. During our House Group gatherings, we go deep with our faith and ask tough questions in regards to our spiritual walks with Christ, whether we're taking the first steps or have been on the path for most of our lives. We've been going deep and God is building a sure foundation for Peace Tree, and now we feel like God is calling us to go wide with our faith, to reach the curious, those who are looking for something meaningful, and those who've decided to give Church a second-chance. We think we can accomplish this by bringing our House Groups together to be the Church in a rented space where we can meet on a monthly basis and hopefully welcome some newcomers. This is a tall task, so we're asking for help. We most certainly are praying for God's help in everything we do. But we also are praying for God to send us workers who will go out into the harvest with us. We believe that the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. If we can add a few good women and men to our team, then we'll be in a more secure position as we launch a Large Group worship celebration to complement our weekly House Group gatherings. In addition to praying for God's help, we're also asking for your help. We know that God is nudging some of you in Peace Tree's direction, and we want to encourage you to explore God's calling. You know WHY we're planting Peace Tree (we love God and we love our neighbors), and you know HOW and WHAT we are working towards (we host community events and gather in homes & restaurants as a new Church trying to reach new people in our community). So, if you feel like you're being called to work alongside us, to love and serve everyone you meet, to build community and friendships while we all seek to be more like Christ, then contact us today. Seriously, stop what you're doing and email me, text me, or Facebook message me. No one belongs here more than you, and we're excited to see how God is gonna use you and us to offer Christ to a hurting world. +Peace and Love from Pastor Kris Summer is quickly approaching! With so many great camps, parks, and attractions in Collierville, you don't have to travel far to enjoy a fun family event. Check out Peace Tree's list of 30 things to do in Collierville this summer. 1. Walk the many trails found throughout Collierville's parks and explore the Peterson Lake Nature Center Arboretum (colliervilleparks.org/trails-arboretum). 2. Catch a free outdoor movie during Movie Mania at Carriage Crossing. Click HERE for the full schedule of family-friendly movies playing every other Friday night. 3. Discover what everyone's talking about and enjoy a sweet treat at the new Miccos Snocones on Houston Levee (www.miccossnocones.com). 4. Sign up your child for a fun week at VBS. Go back in time and visit Egypt at Collierville United Methodist Church, June 13-17 (www.colliervilleumc.org/vbs). 5. Enjoy a Friday night on the Collierville Town Square and listen to the music during the Bluegrass & Old-Time Music Jam starting around 6:30 p.m. (www.memphis-bluegrass.org). 6. Get involved with one of the many summer reading programs at the Collierville Burch Library (colliervillelibrary.org). 7. Sign up your young performer for one of this summer's Drama Kids summer camps. Click HERE to learn more about the different productions and camps being offered. 8. Learn to paint with Glenda Brown at the Morton Museum. This 4-week class teaches students the fundamentals of basic drawing skills, color principles, composition, materials & tools. (colliervillemuseum.org). 9. Stay up late for Glo Bowling at FunQuest every Friday and Saturday night starting at 9:30 p.m. (funquestbowl.com). 10. Grab a bite to eat for only $5 at the Wigfall Grey's Pancake Breakfast on Saturday, June 4th. Click HERE for more info including where to purchase tickets in advance. 11. Catch the premiere of Disney-Pixar's Finding Dory at the Malco Collierville Towne Cinema & Grill on Friday, June 17 (www.malco.com). 12. Sign up your child for the 'Summer of a Lifetime' during Chick-fil-A's WinShape Camp, June 27th through July 1st (www.winshapecamps.org). 13. Grab your fishing pole and head out to Herb Parsons Lake. The lake is open one half hour before sunrise and closes one half hour after sunset. Click HERE for more info. 14. Enjoy a delicious milkshake from Mensi's Dairy Bar near the Collierville Town Square. Check out their menu HERE. 15. Help someone in need by donating canned goods at the Collierville Food Pantry (collierville.com/residents/organizations). Call ahead for drop-off information: 901-853-3235. 16. Fly a kite and play some disc golf at the new Hinton Park off of E. Holmes Rd. Click HERE for directions and information. 17. Bring the whole family to the 2nd Annual Suggs Park Field Day. Stay cool with free ice-pop and play awhile on the splash pad. Click HERE for more info. 18. Sign up your child for an enriching and inspiring week of Art Camp with Creative Minds Art Studios. 19. Help animals in need by volunteering with the Collierville Animal Shelter. Click HERE to contact them today. 20. Enjoy a fun evening of music on the Collierville Town Square during the 25th Annual Sunset on the Square, every Thursday in June and July starting at 7:00 p.m. (www.mainstreetcollierville.org). 21. Register and start training for this September's Tour de Collierville. Click HERE to see last year's route. 22. Catch the premiere of Universal Studios' The Secret Life of Pets at the Malco Collierville Towne Cinema & Grill on Friday, July 8 (www.malco.com). 23. Grab a burger and a milkshake at Dyer's Café on the Collierville Town Square (dyerscollierville.com). 24. Watch the fireworks show with your neighbors on July 4th during the Independence Day Celebration at H. W. Cox Jr. Park. Click HERE for more details. 25. Sign up your child for a fun week of summer camp at the YMCA at Schilling Farms including a number of specialty camps (www.ymcamemphis.org). 26. Support local farmers and eat fresh after visiting the Collierville Farmers Market which takes place every Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in the parking lot at Collierville United Methodist Church (www.colliervillefarmersmarket.org).
27. Cool down with an iced coffee from Square Beans on the Collierville Town Square (www.squarebeans.com). 28. Take your bicycle for a ride on miles and miles of trails that make up the Collierville Greenbelt System. Click HERE for more information. 29. Sign up your child for a fun, hands-on experience at Archaeology Camp being offered by the Museum of Biblical History (www.biblical-museum.org). 30. Help the Collierville Victory Garden with an upcoming Harvest Donation. Learn how you can volunteer today (www.colliervillevictorygarden.org). Is anything missing from our list? Anything that you plan to do this summer that you'd recommend to others? Let us know in the comments section below. The following press release was written by WinShape Camps, an organization which provides a quality camp experience that enables students to sharpen their character, deepen their Christian faith and grow in their relationships with others. Collierville's WinShape Camp is being hosted at Collierville UMC, and the Peace Tree community is helping out by providing meals, volunteering hours, and registering young people. WinShape Camps, the summer camp program started by Chick-fil-A founder, S. Truett Cathy, is coming to Collierville with a one-week day camp experience for children that have completed grades 1st through 9th. This year's camp will be held June 27 through July 1 at Collierville United Methodist Church. Chick-fil-A, Inc. president and CEO, Dan T. Cathy said, “I love WinShape Camps, and I have seen first-hand the immeasurable impact these programs can have on children and their families. It’s an experience that will stay with them long after they return to their homes, churches, schools and communities.” WinShape Camps for Communities boasts 21 different camp skills, including: sports, dance, cooking, gymnastics, leaders in training, painting, arts and crafts, wacky science and much more. Campers enjoy 4 full days (7:45 am – 4:55 PM) of worship, team building, skills training, Bible study and more, and then participate in Chick-fil-A Family Fun Day with their entire family (featuring lunch provided by Chick-fil-A) on Friday! “No matter what the campers like to do,” says Day Camps Director, Gabe Norris, “they’ll be amazed at the fun they will have at WinShape Camps for Communities. There really is something for everyone, and we can’t wait to share ‘the summer of a lifetime’ with your community.” ABOUT WINSHAPE CAMPS: S. Truett Cathy, founder of Chick-fil-A, Inc., started WinShape Camps in 1985 with the hopes of creating a camp experience that would offer kids fun, adventure, lasting friendships and a closer relationship with God. Since then, thousands of WinShape campers have enjoyed the amazing programs at WinShape Camps. Today, WinShape Camps offers a variety of camp experiences for boys and girls of all ages, including one-week and two-week overnight camp programs for boys and girls as well as 95 day camps throughout the nation called WinShape Camps for Communities. WinShape Camps for Boys is located in beautiful Mt. Berry, Georgia, with one-week overnight opportunities in Cleveland, Georgia. WinShape Camps for Girls offers one-week overnight camps in Young Harris and Cohutta Springs, Georgia and a two-week overnight experience in Mt. Berry. Visit: www.winshapecamps.org Follow: @winshapecamps Like: www.facebook.com/winshapecamps |
Peace Tree
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