I  really think that the Church at large is  beginning to think about Multi-Culturalism in our churches.  I really think that the consistent passionate appeal about the church of today mirroring the world that we live in,  is beginning to spring forth and flourish.  I think that the efforts of so many have taken deep root and a harvest is on the horizon.

Why do I think this?….  more and more people are talking about it.  More and more churches are focusing upon it and more and more people are beginning to write about it.  For instance this past week I was interviewed by a researcher and author from Marymount University in Virginia.  This gal is a professor in the Theology and Religious studies dept. and is working on a book about the rise of intentional Multi-Ethnic  churches.  This is so wonderful if you ask me….  for we are a diverse nation.  In fact as I write this post I am sitting at a McDonald’s waiting  for Griffin to finish at a birthday party.  Talk about diverse:  There are three white people in the store- me and two other employees.  A nice Latino family just left and the last eight people who walked in were either Indian or African - American.  Diversity happens at Walmart, it happens at McDonald’s.  It should happen every Sunday in God’s house.

So we have this awesome young Youth Pastor at Westbrook. His name is Rick Marcum and he has just begun his sixth year of ministry with our students. We are so blessed to share ministry with he and Mindy and Mylan. While we love them beyond words… we’re gearing up to lose them one of these days to church planting. When that happens our loss will be the kingdom’s gain.

While Rick and Mindy are at CIY this week with our students, Rick’s Mother ~ Chelle is here hanging out with Mylan. Rochelle May Gonzalez Pe Benito Marcum is her full name. She came to America from Iloilo City, Philippines in 1968. She gained her US Citizenship in 1996. Christie and I were able to have her over for dinner tonight and now see why Rick is so awesome. And yes, Rick has a great father… but his nanay, (mother)~ she’s awesome!

A great friend of mine named Joe Putting just listed a cool list on his blog. I need to see and hear this kind of stuff all of the time. Thanks Joe.

11 Observations of Bold, Godly Leadership for 21st Century Churches

1. They seek God’s will through His Word, prayer, and the Holy Spirit.
2. They have a spirit of fearlessness/boldness.
3. They have a desire to build the Kingdom, not please people.
4. They have a powerful sense of destiny, mixed with humility.
5. They have a personal commitment to observable ministry, missions, stewardship, and servitude.
6. Their leaders work together in unity.
7. They make bold decisions based on vision of God and need of culture.
8. Their decisions always involve faith, not sight; even more so when there is no money.
9. There is trust between elders and pastoral staff.
10. There is no micro-management at any level.
11. They dare to do the impossible daily, as the church did in the first

Today is Father’s Day and I’m writing this post as our first service is taking place.  (Pastor Rob is preaching.) It’s great to be able to honor our earthly fathers and we Praise our Heavenly Father.  You might say that you have a wonderful father…  but I’m sorry to “one up you”,  My Dad is the GREATEST.  I am so Thankful for him.  My Dad taught me how to love Jesus.  He modeled patience and mercy.  He taught me a healthy and strong work ethic.  I could fill up this entire post with all of the amazing things that he taught me and did for me and for my family.

I was able to spend this past week with my dad.  Last Monday he had his left knee replaced and I took a week of vacation time to go spend it downstate.  I was able to help my mother and visit my dad each night at the hospital.  During the day I stayed around the greenhouse ( a business that he has owned and operated for nearly 60 years).  I think I worked harder this week than I have in 20 years.  You know preachers only work one day a week!  I planted flowers, put in their garden, cut grass, helped with some tree work and made some floral deliveries.  It was challenging (using muscles that haven’t been flexed like that in years) but enjoyable.  In the evenings I drove to the hospital and hung out.  It was weird seeing my dad sitting there.  I’ve never even seen him sick let alone in the hospital.  In fact it was his first hospital stay ever.  He turns 80 in August.  Even still dad was his jovial, loving self.   He’s home now and doing super.  Please keep praying for him.  Thank you Jesus for allowing me to have the greatest dad ever!

All Americans have woken up this morning to literal history.  For the first time in the history of our nation, we have a black Presidential candidate.  Frankly, I’m glad this part of the election process is nearly over but it certainly has been interesting and quite entertaining.  Whatever your political persuasion…  whoever you plan to vote to for in November…  This is a big day for Barack Obama.  I think it is a big day in America.

Speaking of hero’s (see post below)… One of my ministry hero’s is a friend named Brian Jones.  Brian is the Pastor of Christ’s Church of the Valley outside of Philadelphia.  Our connection is years old as we met over a decade ago.  I can’t tell you how many church planting things we have been at together over the years.  Brian is not only a great Pastor and leader but he is also a gifted writer.  His most recent book captured my eye and before I could pick one up he sent me an early copy to read.

The book is called Getting Rid  of the Gorilla and it is one of the best books I have read in the last year.  It really was one of those “can’t put it down” books.  I think all of us struggle with the issue of forgiving those who have hurt us and Brian has woven not only the reasons why forgiveness is a challenge but also the way through it.  If  forgiving someone in your world seems out of reach or out of the question it would do your spirit good to pick up this book.  Visit any Christian bookstore or Amazon.  it’s worth it!

Sometimes I feel like having a blog is like having a dog.  You have to feed it to keep it alive.  Same with a blog I guess.  There never seems to be enough time to post all that is on your mind or what you’d like to write about therefore I find myself paralyzed to the point of doing nothing.  But since I enjoy this kind of communication I will prevail.  Actually the last couple of days has been a bit challenging for me as I was transitioning to a new laptop.  So don’t think I’m a total blog loser.  I’ve got some friends that post almost every day.  You’re my hero’s!

I’ve been remiss to write any words about the GUM sponsored Cinco De Mayo celebration in Bolingbrook. Though the clouds were thick, the wind cold, and the drizzle a little bothersome it was still a great day. The attendance was affected quite a bit but God was there and it was a lot of fun. One of my favorite parts… Elotes: sweet corn dipped in butter, coated with mayo, parmesan cheese chili powder and a spray of lime. O my! I took a lot of great pictures if you want to see any of them. Just let me know.

I’ve been out of town for a couple of days, but I have been watching with sadness and prayer the horrifying problems that the people in Myanmar (Burma) are facing. On May the 3rd, the country suffered devastating losses when Cyclone Nargis came ashore along the densely populated, rice farming delta of the Irrawaddy Delta. News reports state that there are over 23,000 deaths, over 60,000 people still missing and that the death toll could reach as high as 100,000. How horrible! Just recently, the country is allowing Aid planes and supplies to land- yet they are refusing assistance from the US. I feel a sense of connection to this land as my family have deep friendships with many many missionaries in this part of the world. The Morse family who have faithfully served in SE Asia for decades spent a great amount of time and ministry in Burma. In fact the Morses are still very much a part of the Jesus work in that region. Please join me in praying for the them and for the people in Myanmar. May Christ bring peace and blessing to those who are in great distress right now!

One of the sessions that I led (with a little help from some Westbrook staff) at the Exponential National New Church Conference late last month was entitled Unique Challenges in Pursuit of the Dream.  My task was to share some of the interesting, challenging and sometimes frustrating challenges that seem to be inherent  with planting and building a Multi-ethnic church.  See below for just a birds eye look at some of the most common ones we at Westbrook have faced.

1.  Societal Stigma~  Planting and developing a multi-ethnic church intentionally is not going to come without it’s fair share of people who think it’s just plan wrong.  When you do this long enough there will be a stigma that comes with it.  Some will think that you are just trying to please others, that you are attempting to be politically correct and even prejudice.

2.  Dealing With Critics and Those Who Misunderstand~ What critics and those who misunderstand the multi-racial church must do is be challenged to consider the words of the late Benjamin Mays, president of Morehouse College quoted in the book, “United by Faith” who stated,

A true Christian who believes in the fatherhood of God, the lordship of Jesus Christ, the brotherhood of man, and the dignity of every person and who believes that the church is God’s house cannot deny membership to Christian nor deny membership to one of the same faith. If Islam can admit all races to the mosque and if atheistic communism can embrace all races in its fellowship without segregation, certainly the Christian can do the same in his(or her) church, and it is wholly within his power to do so.

3.  Communicating Passion and Value to the Body~  We certainly applaud those who seek to revitalize churches around this paradigm, those who seek to transform their churches to model and especially to those who intentionally plant church to be multi-ethnic.  The bottom line however is that no matter where you are in the continuum you still have to be faithful to communicate the value that you hold to this work.  In other words… you have to continually prime the well of the “get it factor.”

4.  Dealing With the Hard Work to Make it Appealing to All~  Not everyone will like what you do, they may or may not share your vision.  And even if they seem to be OK with the vision they may or may not like your approach in fulfilling your vision.  They may not like the music you select, the illustrations you use or the videos you select.  It’s a constant challenge to think through the appeal issue.

5.  Finding the Right Personnel~ Recruiting and setting into place the right people is a challenge for any church staff, but especially so in the Multi-ethnic arena.  While you need to process the big 3… competency, character and chemistry… you also have to find a person who shares your vision for multi-ethnic ministry.

Now we know that there are surely many more, this is just a list of some that we are chewing through.  If you are reading this and you’d like to comment or even add some of your unique challenges please let us know.