Church, Why Bother? sermon 2

What a great adventure we have had in beginning this journey to build Burlington Community Church! Our second week was awesome. We had a great attendance for a church that had started only the week before. Outside of Labor Day Weekend, we have had visitors to every service. Praise the Lord for that! Keep us in your prayers and below is my sermon from Aug. 29th...

Right Relationships/Right Direction

In continuing our series on "Church, Why Bother?," it is important to understand and have the right relationships. Many get frustrated in church because the relationships built are not with direction or purpose. Friendships may be built on interests and opinions but close relationships have deeper foundations. In his book, DNA of Relationships, Gary Smalley builds his case of the importance of relationships and how interaction is vital to humanity. He simply begins by saying, "Life is relationships; the rest is just details." He points out that there is no way to avoid relationships completely and we need them! John 15 is an excellent passage for understanding the right relationships one can build.

1. A Growing and Personal relationship with Christ.

John 15 starts by showing that we are to have a relationship with Christ and His Father. He shows how he is the vine and we are the branches. We cannot do anything of spiritual significance and growth outside of this relationship with Christ. As a matter of fact, God is the one who prunes and shapes us for his glory and production. It is all a matter of glorifying God that we are drawn into the continue in our relationship with Christ. God will accomplish His work through us as we stay connected to Him and doing His Will.

A great and interesting promise in this passage is that verses 14 and 15 point out that Christ no longer calls us servants but friends. This is an incredible concept because a servant only does what he is told where a friend will know and understand everything the friend wants and asks. Very simply, we are His friend and He will show us exactly what He wills, and as his friends, we understand and are excited to be a part of it.

2. A loving relationship with each other.

It is interesting that we are commanded here to love one another. Why is that? Is it because we do not have the capacity to love another Christian? I believe it is because the closer we get to one another and the more we "experience" of each other, the easier it is to become comfortable and predictable. Just like a marriage can "cool down" in passion because of familiarity, any intimate relationship can be taken for granted. It is also much easier to criticize and condemn a person the more you know what they think, say or do. That is why our first relationship in a growing and personal one with Christ is so important. He will sort out our thoughts and help us to truly love each other because we are growing and sustaining in Him as our vine.

Loving one another is also a commitment and choice. There is no way Burlington Community Church will continue without those of us who have come together to stand up and say we are one. We will find out more about the mission and passions of our pastor and this church so we can make a difference! What kind of difference are we talking about? Here it is in our third point...

3. A compassionate relationship with the world.

At the end of John 15, we are given the sobering state of our relationship with the world. We will not be loved but persecuted. This means there is opposition to our efforts as His kingdom people. Opposition in also motivation. If there were no opposition, what a wimpy, lame cause we would have a Christians!

Now, that means our efforts are about loving and reaching the world with the Gospel. Here in Toronto, a pastor and his congregation picketed a gay man's home. The reporters asked what they were doing and why. This pastor's response was, "We have freedom in this country to preach the gospel!" I agree with the pastor's statement but his actions do NOT match his words. Picketing a gay man's home is NOT preaching the gospel. The gospel is the life, death, burial, and (very importantly) resurrection of Christ! If we are persecuted for this, we are on the right path and doing the Will of God. Cases like this pastor in Toronto leave a community and world wondering why they would bother with church.

So what is our response to the world...?

A. Be in it but not of it (Romans 12:2)
B. Do not love the world or practice its lusts and pride (1 John 2:15-17)
C. Love the world and endure its persecution (John 15:18-19)

Church, Why Bother? sermon 1

Beginning BCC has been one of the most difficult things I've done but picking out the first sermons series was not. I knew from day one that I would want to deal with the subject, Church, Why Bother?. This has been an incredible journey and the question is something many are asking. We have had more than one encounter with Canadians who have simply given up on church. BCC is shedding the weight of "church and religion" to take on the life Christ meant us to have. You see, when most in the world see the church in light of their perception or stereotype, it is important that we present a church that is about life and abundant life in Christ. This is something the world does not see and we, the church, are to blame. We can become so rigid, set in our ways and filled with rules that we do not present a living church. So with this in mind, my very first sermon on August 22nd was about what a person should expect from a church. Here are my thoughts:

Act 2:42-47 tells of of a very real and very alive church. When the church was doing all it was supposed to do, people were saved, baptized and added to the church. This is the goal, what every church wants to be. This is the church Christ is the foundation of and power for.

Sadly, the church is not seen as a place of life change and growth. As a matter of fact, many in Canada do not go to church at all. “It is no longer 1955, when 68% of Canadians attended a place of worship on a weekly basis. Now, church attendance in Canada is more like 13%. In some urban settings, it is even lower.” Borderland Churches - Nelson (2008) We can argue over the reasons behind this but the truth is that most Canadians will not be in church this Sunday.

What can a person expect from Burlington Community Church? Are we going to have life, growth and change or are we going to be another presence in the community with no power to change anything? Because of Christ, there are 3 things we can promise a person will experience when they walk through our doors.

1. Love – I Corinthians 13.

We want anyone who comes to our church to experience love. This love is patient, gentle, kind but also casting out of fear and willing to be open and honest. It is the kind of love that will be greater than the imperfections we may encounter in each other.

2. Forgiveness – Ephesians 4:32.

Forgiveness is not condoning what someone has done but choosing not to dwell on their failures or sin. It is knowing what is wrong and extending grace to the repentant soul.

3. Hospitality – Romans 12:13

Hospitality is more than "throwing a good party." It is about being willing to give of ourselves. It is about giving up our own comforts for the sake of others. “The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not-knowing, not curing, not healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is the friend who cares.” Out of Solitude - Henri Nouwen (1974) There are so many ways that we can show hospitality but we get stuck in our own selfishness most of the time.

Perfection and ultimate example found in Christ! Here is how we know…

1. Love – John 3:16 & 1 John 4:10

Christ loved us so much that He came to die on the cross for our sins. His expression of love is our salvation. His example of love is our witness to the world. Because he loved us that much, we can love each other.

2. Forgiveness – Ephesians 4:32

Because Christ forgave us, we can forgive others. This is more than a suggestion, it is a command. Christ forgave ALL of our sin, we are to do the same for others.

3. Hospitality – Philippians 2:6-11

Christ took on the form of man and humbled Himself by taking on our sins and dying on the cross. He left his throne in heaven to be our savior. The least we can do is leave the comforts of our own homes to reach out to someone who needs Christ.

Church, Why Bother?

This is the current sermon series we are in at Burlington Community Church. The special interest article, radio ads, newspaper, mailer and flyer distribution brought in an interested bunch of people. What is interesting to me is that this topic has attracted a younger, 20 something group to our first services. It is a group who have watched the previous generation of church goers in Canada fail in some key areas in life. There is also an underlying sense that the church is completely boring and impractical for life. Just this week I had a pretty deep discussion with a lawyer who occasionally goes to church and his wife does not. He said his friends tease him for the few times that he does go which he said is only about 4 times a year. He said he knows there must be more to it and he wants his kids to experience church though he does not know why he is doing any of it.

When I have a conversation like this, it fires me up a little because I know that this lawyer and others like him feel this way because they have not experienced a life giving church. They do not know true salvation and God has not been a part of their lives. It is doubtful that they see church as anything but a place to sit for an hour and feel they have "done their duty" for God this week. They have not seen the body of Christ in action because everyone in the congregation has become self absorbed and selfish about life, friends, and time. Getting to know people and investing in their lives is work and giving of yourself. It is MUCH easier to keep the few great friends and cruse through life.

Meeting people is hard for me because I would rather sit in the background and let others interact. I do not usually feel it is necessary to meet others or insert myself in new situations. I have to force myself to meet people and find out more about them. It really is an act of giving of myself to show interest in people and let them talk. I would much rather tell them about our church then they visit, accept Christ, and commit to ministry. Unfortunately, that is not how it works and it can take months and years for some I meet today to even consider church or spiritual things. Bill Hybles calls this "just walking across the room." We need to be willing to do that and let God lead those interactions.

I have had a steady diet of meeting new people ever since I arrived in Burlington. Our family came up here without knowing a single soul but we know quite a few now. My prayer is that God gives us many more opportunities to meet people and share our faith. It has been an experience and I am praying for God to work through me for His Kingdom.

Ready or not, here we go!

We are finishing up the details for a week in Burlington we have marketed at Vision TO. It is set for August 16 - 22. This week is all about getting the word out about Burlington Community Church. We will have several guests from churches come to be a part of this week, get flyers around, talk to people on the streets, dive into community events, run a 3 day Bible Camp for kids and bring one or two people to church with them on the 22nd of August. We are very excited to have over 40 people joining us!

So what will Sunday the 22nd look like?

+ The church service begins at 10:30 a.m. at the Tansley Woods Community Center. Come a little early and join us for coffee and conversation. You may catch the band rehearsing, a few greeters in the parking lot and foyer and nursery and childcare areas ready for you. We take the responsibility of your children very seriously and will have safety measures in place if you chose to leave them in our care. All the volunteers have been background checked and cleared for volunteering with us.
+ The service will have some great music, media presentation and message from the Bible. Church: Why Bother? is the topic. This is a question a lot of people are asking and we hope to answer it in a series of messages.
+ You can stay for a free dinner prepared in your honor. Dinner includes turkey, roast beef, mashed potatoes, corn, salad, variety of desserts and drinks.
+ A 20 min. conversation with Pastor Roy during the dinner will give you a full scope of who we are are what our church is about.

This entire day is designed to show you what we pray Burlington Community Church will be and what it will take to build it. This is what we are calling a "display service" to set the goal of what we hope to become with God's blessing and power in this ministry.

You can read more about the Dowdy family at our website at Burlington Community Church. We are also affiliated with Fair Oaks Church in Fairfax, VA and Pastor David R. Stokes. This is our home church and support of this ministry. We thank them for their vision of this and the many friends who will be here to help us in ministry.

Hope to see you at 10:30 a.m. on the 22nd of August at the Tansley Woods Community Center!

A Sarah Story

Last week Sarah and I went on an adventure to find a keyboard for Burlington Community Church. Sarah is very energized about leading worship and will be coordinating our efforts, selecting songs and allowing daddy to guide her. For all intent and purpose, she will be the worship leader and has been prepared as such through her youth group efforts at Fair Oaks Church and Velocity Student Ministries. We decided that we needed a keyboard since that is the only instrument any of us can play and there is no piano in the Tansley Woods Community Centre. We found what we were looking for and getting ready to buy it when we needed to leave for a weekend to get Sarah and Ceilidh to camp.

As the girls were off to Virginia to go to camp with Velocity, Tracey and I were to visit a friend in Michigan and help in their church on Sunday. This is a church plant about 10 years old. They have not had a keyboard player and asked if I would jump in the band for them. I was happy to do that and after the service was over, they gave us the keyboard! Isn't that cool?! They said they had if all this time and it just sat in the closet for 3 years. What a nice gift. Sarah and I are done shopping and we have a keyboard that God supplied! This is great because we can use money in other ways now.

In my conversation with this friend, he talked of a mutual friend because his teens were going to the camps he runs called LIFT. Back in 1999, this man let Sarah sing at a teens camp in Gettysburg, PA with attendance of around 800. Sarah was only 3 at the time and was determined to sing on stage. On 4 occasions, I told her she would not be able to but she insisted. Finally I said, "honey, daddy is not is charge of this camp and if you really want to sing, you will have to ask Dan Brown." I thought for sure this would be the end of it but she said, "where is he?" I pointed him out on stage and she walked straight up to him and asked. She got to sing and was not afraid! As a matter of fact, all the teens sang the song with her and did so a few other times that week. She became a favorite for the week and it was not uncommon to watch her being body surfed through the crowd during the music. She was having a blast.

When I heard my friend would see this guy at camp, I asked him to let Dan know that a little 3 year old girl he let sing at camp is now a 15 year old worship leader for her father and their new church plant. Pretty cool, right?!! You never know what kind of impact it will have when you let someone take a first step in service for Christ.

I am grateful for others in her life who encouraged her and gave her opportunities to grow and become the leader she is and will be. Her youth pastor, Christian Gaffney, gave her the latest opportunities and I am a thankful father and pastor.

Just over a month in Canada

I just wanted to give you an update on our work and life in Burlington along with a huge thank you for your support in prayers and finances. Above all, Tracey and I would like to thank you for sending encouraging words. Every so often drop us a line in email, Facebook, or call…something because it is always encouraging. We came up here without knowing anyone and it can get lonely.

My daughters have downloaded Skype - we are dowdys4. We were also introduced to Oovoo which allows multiple people to talk to each online other at the same time. It’s like Skype only better! The girls have enjoyed spending time in the evenings talking to friends from Velocity. And as you probably assume, Kowdy, Taylor and Jenny are the ones they Oovoo the most.

We have been actively working toward Vision TO Week. There is a lot to do but we a checking things off the list. We have 25 or so who said they are coming up from Fair Oaks Church. We are thrilled. Eric and Jill Bisignano are coming up from OH as well. My sister, brother-in-law and their kids are also joining us from PA, a friend from MI, and my parents (of course).

We plan to get into the community and meet people so we can get them into the service on the 22nd of August. We are going to spend some time in the Tansley Woods Community Center meeting people and engaging in activities. We will task individuals with Facebook and Evites, rehearsals for music and children ministry, and training for 1st Impressions and nursery. Thursday through Saturday will be targeted toward kids in our community. Of course, there will also be a few days to enjoy the sights and activities of Toronto. We’re aiming for flexibility to allow families to choose when and what they would want to do for fun through the week.

We have been pretty aggressively meeting everyone we can in our neighborhood and have had a few very good connections and informal house church meetings. One lady is very interested and asked me a few deeper questions about what we believe. She comes from a Catholic background and is really searching. I would not be surprised to be leading her to Christ very soon. Her name is Laura if you will pray for her with us.

Speaking of prayer….here is the list of people we have currently connected with and would like you to pray for their salvation:

 Scott, Meghan and daughter, Ryan
 Dragon (no kidding…a guy from Serbia!)
 Paul and Jesse
 Don, Laura and daughters, Eva and Claire
 Darla
 Mansoor

We had a pretty successful event on July 1st with 11 of us on Canada Day for dinner. We were pleased because we have only really gotten to know people in the 2 weeks we’ve all been here plus the week Tracey was here on her own. We were able to share what we are doing in Burlington and we are still interacting with these families.

We were able to share our testimony and the story of Pastor Stokes’ vision in starting this church with my brother-in-law’s church in PA and will share at a friend’s church in MI on July 18th. We are going down to Virginia for a wedding the last weekend in July and as a bonus we’ll see you that Sunday. We look forward to catching up with friends. Ceilidh & Sarah will be down early to go to camp with Velocity and visit friends until Tracey and I arrive.

To say the least, we are having a busy summer and loving it! We are anxious to see what God will do in forming Burlington Community Church and thankful we will be His instruments.

See you on August 1st!

Canada Day Event

Well, we did it! Our first outreach event was a success! We had invited several neighbors to come and spend Canada Day with us and had a total of 11 of us there. We decided to "play our strong suit" which is that of hospitality. Tracey and I did a cookout. The weather could not have been better and the guests any nicer. We were able to enjoy the company and talk about what we will be doing in August. The guests stayed for 4 1/2 hours so we were certainly pleased with the fact that they were comfortable around us. I pray they will come to Christ and to Burlington Community Church.

When we were inviting neighbors to the cookout, I asked one lady if they wanted to come over and grill with us on Canada Day. She said, "Eeewww...what's that?!" Pretty funny, right? As I was explaining she said, "Oh, you mean BBQ" and laughed at me! :-) I'm still being reeducated to Canadian ways, but she came with her husband and 2 young kids.

We are grateful for a good turn out though Satan was at work even that day. My daughters stayed a few days with their cousins in PA so I left that morning to go get them. It was a simple enough task but when I go to the border, I sat for 4 hours! My sister was kind and loving enough to keep coming my direction rather than the half way point we designated. She ended up coming all the way to the border with the girls. I left the house at 9:30a.m. and returned with Ceilidh and Sarah at 4:40p.m. with guest due to arrive at 5:00p.m. NOT what we had planned and potentially very defeating. Thankfully Tracey was home to keep moving on things and the girls and I were home just in time to help clean a few things, put sodas on ice, pull out little kids' toys and fire up the grill. Incredible obstacles but we got through it and Tracey was the key player in that first outreach event.

We look forward to seeing what God will do with us in the future and can't wait to have our friends and family come to help us get the word out during Vision TO Week!