Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

As did many parents, I recently received a correspondence from my daughter’s school itemizing the supplies that she will need for the upcoming school year. After reviewing this multi-page missive and picking my jaw up from the floor, I began to think about how important it is for our children to be equipped with what they need to get a good start on the year. Without the necessary items, they enter the classroom at a distinct disadvantage. Children with access to the proper tools can focus on learning, rather than spending precious time scrambling and trying to find what they need. Of course, the weight on parents in providing such items can be tremendous; for many parents it’s a sacrifice to give their children what they need to compete.

Children however are not the only ones needing school supplies. As God’s children, we all must be equipped to receive the learning that life provides. Regardless of whether we are enrolled in an academic institution, we are always in the classroom, complete with assignments, quizzes, tests, and grades that will test our knowledge, wisdom, and self-discipline. Our experiences in life (relationship dynamics, health situations, financial challenges, etc.) are classes that are designed to teach us. Some of us are in “Something Out of Nothing 101,” trying to figure out how to make money for “one thing” stretch to last for “ten things.” Others of us are in “Family Drama 202,” trying to navigate relationships with difficult people. There is an entire syllabus of classes we find ourselves “enrolled in” that we need to find a way to pass. The question for us is whether we have acquired the proper tools with which to process those experiences, or if we are wasting precious time scrambling trying to merely survive through the exams of life without really learning the lessons that they teach. We need to be properly equipped in order to learn effectively.

To be successful in the classroom of life, we first need to know that God has made the ultimate sacrifice to equip us to compete. At the cross, Jesus provided the tools required to pass the tests of life. We also have been given the ultimate tutor, the Holy Spirit, who by indwelling and infilling us can teach us to apply the principles that God has laid out in God’s Word when we are tested on them. Finally, God has placed us in the fellowship of believers, a learning community in which we can put lessons into practice in a supportive environment. (At times, the fellowship serves as a “test laboratory” in which “pop quizzes” are given to test a person’s maturity at applying the principles before they are used elsewhere in a person’s life.) All of these – salvation, the infilling of The Holy Spirit, a knowledge of God’s Word, and a church family, are needed in order for a person thrive in life’s classroom, and not merely make it through to the end. God is patient enough to allow lessons to be re-taught that we fail to learn the first time, until such time we finally “get it.”

I continue to be concerned when God’s people go out into life’s classroom ill-equipped, either not having or not utilizing the tools for success that God has provided. When we don’t pick up these tools, we end up “copying off of the world’s exam paper,” using our own wits or our own strength, or compromising our ideals in order to manage what comes at us. God will not bless these efforts. God wants us to learn His lessons, not our own. God wants us to learn to see things His way, not the world’s way. God’s principles applied can help us to get an “A” in classes such as “Forgiving the Offender”, or “Traveling Stormy Waters.” God will help us, but we need to be equipped!

One thing that I notice about school supplies is that there is a big push to sell them from about the middle of the summer through mid-September, when things are offered at discounted prices. As soon as the push is over, things go back to their regular price. In life’s classroom, however, it is never too late to stock up. God has a never-ending supply, and it can be accessed even in the middle of a test. The Spirit of God will step in to help us figure things out, and even turn a definite “F” around at the end of the semester! God’s supplies can fix any seemingly impossible situation, and help us to learn lessons that we can use to encourage others. So get equipped, and be encouraged!

Keep Living and Learning!
Pastor Jay

Greetings my Beloved!

August is typically a month that churches wind down and take a break from the normal hectic pace of the year.  Although we all need a pause in the action sometimes so that we can “do US”, we should also keep in mind that some of our greatest opportunities for ministry occur when people have a little more time at their disposal.  While we at various times head for the shore or to other destinations, the city remains brimming with people in need of the hope and support that the Word of God and the holistic ministry of the church provides.  There are too many community issues, too many desperate people, too many stressed out parents, and too many young people with too much time on their hands for the doors of the church to not be open!

I do believe that there is much value in the relaxation of our pace, and of certain formalities such as our dress code.   However if we really believe that what we do as the church saves people’s lives, then we will remember that Jesus didn’t take the summer off, nor does the enemy, so neither should the church.  I think it makes sense for us to not all be “away from the plow” at the same time.  If we plan and coordinate well it’s possible for everyone to get a break and be refreshed without breaking the flow.  (We should also remember that our stewardship must remain consistent through the summer as well!) We are well served if we keep in mind the notion of “staggering our stops” so that the ministry can carry on.

Here at Mt. Pisgah, August will be an active and exciting month!   We will continue our “Come as You Are” Sundays on second through the fifth Sunday, to give people an opportunity to just concentrate on giving God the praise without having to be concerned about appearances.  On Second Sunday, August 8th, we will feature one of the great preachers of our AME Connection: The Reverend Dr. Samuel Boyd, from Pearl Street AME Church in Jackson MS (the 8th Episcopal District).  From Saturday August 14th through Sunday August 15th we are excited to present our annual Women’s Conference, themed She Shall Be Called Woman.  This will include a concert of prayer, workshops and a consecration service, all focused on helping women to walk in their callings.  On August 22 will be the second of two “Family and Friends Day”, to which members will be encouraged extend an invitations to neighbors and family members.  Finally, on August 27th and 28th our adult dance ministry Divine Movement will host its second annual City Wide Dance Revival and Prophetic Arts Conference.  Dance and Mime ministries from throughout the region and beyond have been invited to minister, and to sharpen and hone their gifts as they give God the praise.  So I am excited to report that even though most of us will pause at points during August to get some much needed rest, August will still be a kingdom building, God glorifying, people edifying, and devil horrifying month at Mount Pisgah! 

Let me close by adding that even when we step back from our activity at the church, we should never step back from God.  When you leave for the beach, or when you leave your ten month of the year routine for a different pace, don’t leave your spiritual disciplines behind.  Stay in the WORD!  Stay connected to the body through worship (that means GO TO CHURCH, even if it’s not your HOME church)!  Above all, STAY ON YOUR KNEES!  We simply cannot afford to relax our focus on God, or ignore our spiritual growth and development, just because we’re physically on vacation.  (Even during the summer, the devil is STILL on the prowl, looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8)).   If we stay focused on God, the refreshing of a vacation can be a REAL refreshing, a refreshing for our whole being.


Relax, Rejoice, and Enjoy!!
Pastor Jay

We find ourselves in the midst of one of the hottest summers in recent history, and I for one cannot help but consider the notion that some of the weather extremes and climate changes are being impacted by what human beings have done to the earth and its atmosphere. Greenhouse gases (that are spewed into the air by engines), oil spills (like the one in the Gulf of Mexico) and other hazardous waste are interrupting the natural course of things and causing nature to react. It breaks my heart when I see images of oil soaked sea creatures and wildlife, hear stories of the endangerment of polar bears because of melting glaciers, and learn of the depletion, extinction and disease of species caused by things like deforestation. We must become better stewards of God’s earth!

Stewardship has been the topic for our Vacation Bible School for 2010, themed “Lets Go Green for Jesus.” How we care for the environment and participate as stewards of God’s creation is an indicator of our level of respect for the grandeur and wisdom of The Creator. In Genesis, at the end of each day of Creation, God saw that what God had created was good. God then placed God’s crowning creation, human kind (made in God’s image), in the midst of it to manage it for God. I believe that God is pleased when we take more thought toward preserving the resources that God has provided, and grieved when we in our self-interest thoughtlessly allow it to be destroyed. Most of us often allow the pressures of every day life make us so intent on getting things done that we don’t make it a priority to practice behaviors that are ecofriendly.

Similarly, in our spiritual lives, there is an environment that we have to steward. What we “emit” spiritually does not just affect us, but also the spiritual climate in which we participate. We are the Body of Christ, the House of God, and what we allow to be released into the atmosphere can either sustain it or poison it. Things like negativity, gossip, unnecessary conflict, impatience and intolerance create an unhealthy environment that inhibits growth and causes spiritual disease, while things like encouragement, honesty, dialogue and openness are spiritually eco-friendly. Clean energy comes from a solid prayer life and the Holy Spirit’s application and “combustion” of God’s Word in our personal lives. Let’s each take personally the responsibility to output healthiness and not pollution into our spiritual climate, so that new life can be fostered and brokenness can be healed.

As we watch the BP crisis, the cleanup seems almost like an impossible task, and some damage may be irrevocable. However, this does not have to be the case in our spiritual lives, even if we have had some spillage or have done some damage. Many of us have aspects of our lives that are saturated by drama and negative influences, to the extent that they have become unmanageable and unable to support or sustain health and wellness. Be encouraged! God is an expert recycler, and through Christ is able to skim and redeem every drop that flows from our mistakes before it becomes a problem, so that it can then work for our good! Many of us know this from experience, because we ourselves have been recycled from the enemy’s “refuse heap” of spiritual uselessness, to a condition of restoration, and even those things which
seemed like “environmental disasters” are now being utilized productively to give life to others. We may rejoice in the notion that God is in charge of our cleanup. God wants to plant us and position us, individually and collectively, to promote sustainability in God’s creation.

We are in a season of celebration of graduations and elevations! During June we typically pay tribute to children and adults who have successfully completed their courses of study for the year, and will be either elevated to the next grade level, or have completed their programs and are now parading in graduation processions. To those who have worked hard, run well,
and reached their finish line, congratulations! (We include in this category the newly ordained Reverend Donna M. Minor, who was elevated to the office of Local Deacon at the 194th Session of the Philadelphia Annual Conference on May 29th, 2010.) We must all keep in mind that learning is a life-long process, so continue to learn and grow as you approach this new season in your lives.

While we celebrate with those who are successfully pressing toward the mark in their academics, I have become increasingly aware and concerned about too many of our children who are promoted, and even graduate, without having mastered the skills that are prerequisites for the next levels of learning and life. Too many of our children are pushed along through school systems that seem more concerned about Annual Yearly Progress (AYP) statistics than equipping people for the demands that lie ahead. Young people are often set up for frustration and failure. While graduation is a worthy goal and we need to encourage our young people to stick it out, we also need to make sure that staying there means that they are equipped to make the grade in life.

This concern raises for us a warning for our spiritual lives as well. Today there is much talk among the saints about “going to the next level” and “expanding our territories”. While everyone should aspire to “graduate” in our spiritual lives to the next “grade” (i.e., new levels of spiritual insight and application), and we should want ALL the territory that God intends for us to have, we must be sure that we are not seeking it at the expense of something that God wants us to “get” at the level that we’re on right now, before we’re promoted. Often we wonder why our change doesn’t come as quickly as we would prefer. However, if we rise to the next level too quickly (perhaps because of our aspirations and not the Holy Spirit’s leading), we risk missing out on the blessings that God has for us in the current context, and possibly not receiving valuable equipping for the future. God loves us too much to want us to flounder at some higher level (even if it means more “status”) that we’re not prepared for. GOD will decide when God has developed us to a point where we’re ready to the next rung on Jacob’s ladder, or to manage expanded territory. So even if you feel like you’re not being promoted forward as fast as you’d like, be encouraged! God is sovereign! God knows what battles that we will encounter in the future and how best to equip us for them!

We also honor Fathers during the month of June. We honor those men who have accepted the mantle of fatherly responsibility, and have humbly yet deliberately assumed the role of being an example for our children. Let us teach them by example the value of discipline, persistence, and hard work in attempting to reach goals, rather than that of “short cutting” and “taking paths of least resistance.” They will be much better prepared for the future, and God will reward us richly as we do so.

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.” (1 Peter 5:6)

Beloved of God,

We at Mt. Pisgah received a much needed boost during the month of April during our Annual Spring Revival. Our speakers encouraged us in the fact that when life has us “Almost Crazy,” God will step in and show us that God is still on the throne, and that if we would just “Get out of the Boat”, we can be assured that “The Best Is Yet to Come”. My prayer is that we will carry these thoughts through the remainder of the year so that we can continue to THINK BIG, and face the challenges and opportunities before us with the boldness and confidence befitting a child of “The God of Greater Glory.”

A Time to Pause

Looking forward into the month of May, the thoughts of all good Philadelphia Conference AMEs begin to turn toward our Annual Conference, which will take place from May 24-30 in Lancaster PA. Annual Conferences are a lot of work to prepare for, but when we reach them they do force us to stop and reflect on the journey that we have made through the past year. (This year’s conference being in Lancaster forces those of us from Philadelphia to stop and break from our normal routines and be “fully present” at the conference without distraction.) I have often shared my belief with the congregation about the importance of reflection, i.e., taking a break (forced or otherwise) at key points to consider one’s traveled path and possible future directions. As we prepare for the conference, we are thinking (as a church) about what the Lord has done for us in the past conference year: the good that we’ve accomplished (by God’s grace), the mistakes that we’ve made, the difficulties we’ve faced, the things that we have learned, and the opportunities that lie before us. At the conference, when we listen to the pastoral reports (which are pastors’ annual “reflections” on their congregation’s work in the vineyard) we can be tremendously inspired (assuming one resists the temptation to compare the work of one church versus that of another), especially when we realize that the God who is “no respecter of persons” can and will do for us what God has done them. Thus, stopping and reflecting gives us a cause to be amazed at how far God has brought us, and to be inspired by God’s work in the lives of others. We are motivated to press on as a church to make an even greater impact for Christ.

There is a personal lesson to be learned here as well. Many of us stay so engrossed in the day to day struggles and problems that we have to deal with (trying to earn money, deal with our family, pay bills, manage relationships, etc.) that we don’t intentionally stop and consider the distance that we’ve travelled, or meditate on God’s involvement in our lives. (Some of us will only stop if we’re forced to through injury, illness, or crisis.) When you take the time to stop and reflect (on what came your way today, on your response to situations, on where God was in your encounters, on what scripture has to say about things you dealt with, etc.), you find that God’s hand becomes more clearly seen in our “replay screen.” This is a critical means by which we learn God’s nature. When we learn more about God’s nature, we begin to be able to see God’s hand more clearly in the present, and build our capacity to trust God for things for the future. All of this comes from regular and consistent pauses from the daily grind to reflect on our lives in Christ.

The Psalmists in the Bible have a particular way of forcing a pause for reflection in their poetic passages. They insert the word “Selah” at certain points in the text, probably as an indicator to the reader to stop and reflect on what has been said, and on the goodness of the Lord. God’s design is that we grab intentional “Selah moments” in our lives to absorb the richness of God’s presence operating in our lives. Enjoy a Selah moment today!

During May, we also pause to show our appreciation to MOTHERS, whose love and nurturing has provided the foundation and strength for many of us to be who we are and do what we do. Let us keep in mind that biological mothers are not the only mothers. There are many “mother figures” without whose nurture and training many of us may not have survived. Let us stop, reflect, and honor those women in our lives that have given so sacrificially for us. May God bless and keep you as you consider God’s goodness to you!

Revival Lessons and Sermons accessible at:
http://www.mtpisgahamec.org/revival_2010__audio_video_

- Hebrews 12:1-3

Beloved of God,

This season Philadelphia has seen some of the heaviest snow in the history of the region. Through all of the digging out and the inconvenience, God has provided for our needs and kept us by his grace. The storms this winter have been severe, yet we have persevered!! I thank the members of Mt. Pisgah for their flexibility in making necessary adjustments. I expect that spring, which is just around the corner, will be greeted with a mighty shout of praise this year!

We have entered the season of Lent, a season during which we focus on prayer, self examination, repentance, and sacrifice as we make the forty-day journey with our Savior to Calvary. Many Christians observe Lent merely by deciding to “give up something” during this period that they enjoy. While this sort of sacrifice can be an aspect of one’s seasonal spiritual commitment, it cannot be the entire thrust, especially if one defeats the purpose by overdosing on that very thing before Ash Wednesday and after Resurrection Sunday! The most important thing that we can do during this season is to spend time reflecting, correcting and redirecting:

• We reflect by setting aside additional time to pray, study the Bible and meditate on what God has done for us through Jesus.
• We correct by reassessing our thoughts, attitudes, words, behaviors, and life situations in light of God’s principles and, where necessary, asking the Holy Spirit to help us to make adjustments that will put is more in line with God’s plan for us.
• We redirect by giving more of our time and energy to God-focused and other-focused activities than to self-benefiting behaviors.
  

Additionally we need to remember, as is the case with all seasons of the Christian year, that our Lenten priorities simply highlight attitudes and behaviors that we should be attempting to incorporate into our lives all year-round. We should not only think about hope during Advent, or giving at Christmas, or sacrifice during Lent. These are things that we should be striving to do all the time! Special seasons simply remind us of the things that we should be working on.

During February we kicked off our 2010 Capital Campaign, with the theme “Thinking BIG” (Believing in God’s Greater Glory), and we are off to a good start. Many have made faith commitments, and the income for our capital fund increased significantly. We are well on our way, but we still need more to embrace and invest in the vision. In the next month a page on our web site will be dedicated to the campaign, and we are working on developing the
capacity to receive online payments. We praise God for your dedication to seeing Mt. Pisgah become what God has intended it to be!

March also marks Women’s History Month, during which we commemorate the advancement and contributions of women throughout history. Remember that even though men have received greater recognition, strong and courageous women were often the “wind beneath the wings” that enabled organizations, movements, ministries, families, and communities to rise. Where would the Civil Rights movement have been without the likes of Fannie Lou Hamer and Rosa Parks? Let’s continue to work diligently to ensure the equal standing, recognition, and compensation of women in every place in society.

Finally, the week of March 7-13 is the Black Church Week of Prayer for the Healing of HIV/AIDS. Let us continue to pray diligently for new treatments and a cure, and let us have ever increasing compassion for those infected and affected with this dreaded virus. God is able! Especially during Lent, let us be reminded that:

“if my people, who are called by my name, shall humble themselves and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and forgive their sins, and HEAL their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14)

Continue to walk in the favor that is yours through the grace and glory that belong to God!
Pastor Jay

We have so much to share with you in this new year of 2010! For one thing, we are excited to have just completed our 21 Day Corporate Consecration, which focused on spiritual preparation for the New Year through the vehicles of fasting, praying, and giving. For a lot of us, the fasting was a new experience, and the “Daniel Fast” provided us a wholesome entrée into a discipline that will bless our lives. Periodic fasting will give us the spiritual strength to break through strongholds that restrict us, and will also increase our sensitivity to new vision and direction that God wants to give us. I am blessed to report that during the period our Prayer Meeting and Bible Study participation increased, and that there were also increases in our levels of giving during the period. Truly we have come out on the other side having risen to a new level.

With the fresh wind of God’s Spirit beneath our wings, we now enter into a new season of expectation! Even in these harsh economic times, we have the unmitigated audacity to believe that God is going to do something major in our midst. Therefore we are introducing a major capital campaign this month, calling it, “We’re Thinking BIG”, which stands for Believing In God’s Greater Glory. In Haggai 2:9, God speaks to those charged with rebuilding the temple of Israel, and declares that “The glory of this latter house will be greater than the former, and in this place I will bring peace.” God has declared that as we raise the capital do to critical renovations to our church, that God will fill our sanctuary with greater glory than we have ever experienced. Peace will reign within us, among us, and around us, and the atmosphere will be charged with God’s presence and power. We are trusting God to help us to raise $225,000 over and above our operating budget, so we will be asking each of you to give sacrificially over and above your regular tithes. We pray that you will consider being covenant partners with us in this endeavor.

February is Black History month, a time in which we appreciate (and hopefully try to emulate) the contributions of people of African descent throughout history. I am excited that we will also be celebrating the 250th birthday of our beloved Founder, Bishop Richard Allen. We must keep alive the memory of the hard fought struggles and blood-bought achievements of those who have gone before us. Remember that it was BIG thinking that kept hope alive for those in our history who made their stand against adversity and oppression, and imagined a day when people of color would stand on equal footing with all others. We are the realization of their BIG thoughts, and we owe them no less than to think BIG and believe BIG for our children and grand children.

“…bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave, I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise. I rise. I rise.”

BIG thinking brought us from a gloomy but proud past to blessed present, and will bring us to a promising future. Trust God for BIG things for God’s glory in 2010!