It is no secret to those who know me that my best friend and mentor in ministry is Mark Cummins. For 20 years, he has been part of my life. For seven of those years he served as my pastor/shepherd/leader. When I came to work for him in 1998 I was an eager young pastor that was hungry to grow and learn what it means to be a servant leader. Mark was, and continues to be, committed to helping me grow as a leader. When we were together here in Clarion there were many times that he would challenge me in my growth and development as a leader. I welcomed it, because 1) I needed it. 2) I knew that he had my best interest in mind. I have said more than once, that I am who I am today first and foremost because of the grace of God but also because of Mark’s mentoring in my life.

In the wake of the recent events at First Baptist Church of Ocala my heart has been saddened. For Mark and his family, for the church, and for the entire community that now is aware of what has happened in recent weeks. Since that time, the blogosphere has been filled with all kinds of comments, conspiracy theories, and “corrupt talk” about the situation. This is unfortunate! As a local church, it would have been best to handle the conflict inside the walls, following through with the processes and procedures laid out in the Scriptures and in accordance with the by laws of FBC Ocala. This would have been all that was needed to handle the situation that arose when the six pastors decided to form a mutiny and share with staff and key leaders of the church their accusations and complaints against Mark. In fact, that is exactly what did happen and thanks should be extended to FBC Ocala’s Deacons and Personnel Committee for handling the situation, though difficult as it was, in accordance with the church by laws. I know that it was an excruciating decision for them but one that they had to make. It took courage to do what was right in the midst of the firestorm they knew would ensue. God bless you all!

As for the internet buzz that has circulated about the situation, let me say that it is a black eye to the Body of Christ. To use a public forum from a local newspaper as well as other blogs to spew hatred and venom against anyone completely violates anything the Scriptures has to say about conflict management, love for the Body, and being a witness to a watching world. If you were unwilling to address your concerns privately, with someone who could listen and have authority to act, then you should have chosen silence. If you are not part of this local church then you should have heeded the words of the Proverbs writer who said in Proverbs 26:17 “Like one who seizes a dog by the ears is a passer-by who meddles in a quarrel not his own.” Instead, thousands of people are laughing at the bride of Christ today because of the decisions of a few.

One of the problems with the blogosphere is that anybody can say anything about anybody else any time they want without any accountability, no fact checking, and no repercussions. To say that this has happened in regards to FBC Ocala would be an understatement. Some of the things that have been posted for anybody in the world to see are on par with something that you could read in a magazine at your local check out counter.

I got to spend a couple of days in Ocala this week. Pam and I were glad to be able to support Mark and Linda and let them know that we care. As well, I know that there are hundreds of people who love and appreciate them here in Pennsylvania and in Florida. They just don’t use the internet to say so! While we were there we got to meet some great people who are part of the leadership of FBC Ocala. Though they are saddened by the events that have taken place, I got the genuine sense that they are resolved and determined to watch and see what God does to bring glory to Himself. To those I say, keep doing right! God sees what you are doing and He will reward you openly.

Lastly, let me remind those who are following the situation at FBC Ocala of two important details that seem to have gotten lost: 1) The events of October 31^st when the six pastors took matters into their own hands instead of doing what the Bible says to do and 2) the fact that Mark didn’t fire anyone. He doesn’t have the authority according to the by laws. The Personnel Committee, who were voted on by the church family and were in place before Mark arrived, made the decision, in spite of the 86 years of experience of the six pastors.

Now, I know that many will want to comment to this blog. Sorry, not going to happen! You have plenty of forums to share your comments, conspiracies and “corrupt talk.” It won’t happen here. In fact, once I post this blog, I will not address it again. There are more important things to do in the Kingdom, like pointing people to Jesus. That is exactly what happened on Sunday, November 16, 2008.  In the middle of all the mess and all the evil that has been said about Mark Cummins and what is happening at FBC Ocala, 18 people came to know Jesus Christ as Savior…now that is something to BLOG about!

Tonight was the last Saturday evening service at Zion of Petroleum Valley. It has been an exciting 7 months of watching a group of mostly strangers transformed into a community of Christ followers committed to the mission of reaching Petroleum Valley with the gospel of Jesus Christ. We baptized three people tonight which was awesome! On Sunday, November 30th ZPV moves to a Sunday schedule. This is an important strategic move for us, but a bittersweet because I won’t be with the great and growing group of people on a weekly basis. Pastor Joe is ready to assume more of the speaking responsibilities and I am excited to see what God will continue to do in the Petroleum Valley.

ZPV…I love you and look forward to watching God use you all to minister to the needs of people who are hurting!

Next weekend as part of our Celebration Sunday we will receive our Celebration Offering. This once a year special offering has been used by God to stretch the faith of our church family in huge ways. In the 3 years that we have been doing a Celebration Offering, (2005, 2006, and 2007) Zion has given over $300,000.00. This is nothing short of a miracle and a testimony of our church family’s desire to grow in faith and to be used to impact God’s Kingdom for His Glory. Once again this year we have set a goal of $100,000.00. I know that we are in difficult times economically, but the last time I checked God’s Economy operates much differently then the US Economy… praise God for that!

This weekend I will be handing out a document, Growing Our Generosity, a message that I preached in 2005 before our first celebration offering. If you are new to Zion or would like to be reminded of what God’s word says about generosity, feel free to open the document and use it as a Bible study through 2 Corinthians 8-9.

I am expecting another God sized miracle on November 23rd and can’t wait to see how He shows up once again! Zion, please continue to pray about your part in the Celebration Offering!

This weekend is the last Saturday night service at Zion of Petroleum Valley. Beginning on Sunday, November 30th we will be moving to a Sunday morning at 10am worship schedule. I am excited to see what God is going to do when we make this move. This Saturday we will be baptizing two people at ZPV. Awesome!

In other multi site news…On Sunday, November 23rd at 6pm I will be having pie and coffee with everyone who worships at Zion from Jefferson County. We have been dreaming for a long time about having a spiritual presence in Jefferson County. Right now, close to 30 families make the drive every Sunday from Jefferson County to Clarion to be part of the Zion church family. How cool will it be to have a place closer to home where those families can invite their friends to join them for worship. I am not sure of when/where Zion of Jefferson County will become a reality, but I get a sense that it is time to start talking and dreaming about it with others. If you live in Jeff Co. but have not signed up to attend the meeting on November 23rd comment me and let me know that you are planning to attend.

God continues to write His vision on our hearts to impact the entire Western Pa region with the gospel of Jesus Christ. We want to be a church that is marked by GOING not one that thinks it has ARRIVED! Our mission and vision will continually call us out of our comfort zone and I am excited to lead a body of Christ followers who are ready and willing make the adjustments and sacrifices needed to reach more people! Zion…I love you!

Things are winding down here…one more session then we will hit the road. Got to hear from three more speakers this morning, Tim Stevens from Granger Church (www.gccwired.com), Shannon O’Dell from Brand New Church (www.brandnewchurch.com) and Dwight Mason from New Pointe Community Church (www.newpointe.org). They each did a great job and I learned something from all of them. Here are some thoughts from this morning:

Things that contribute to ongoing church growth:

1. Keep changing things up.- “something needs to change every 6 to 12 months.”
2. Tackle alignment issues- “a few degrees away from the direction you are going makes a big difference.”
3. Make it easy for people to serve- “serving leads to relationships which lead to life transformation.”
4. Say thanks as often as possible.
5. STICK WITH IT!!!

6 Difficult Decisions for a rural pastor… (plus my reaction to each)

1. Church Structure -(we need to work on this)
2. Removing people who don’t fit.- (easy to talk about, difficult to do)
3. Protecting the family.-(I try my best to do this)
4. Knowing that you are called to rural ministry.- (I KNOW that I am)
5. Keep your marriage red hot (I like that!!!)
6. Being willing to be hated. (don’t like that one…but am coming to grips with it)

…if you understand how funny this video really is! Enjoy!

If you would like to get some more insight from others who are attending The Sticks Conference, CLICK HERE.

Here are some random thoughts from the notes I took today…

• Mark Batterson’s ministry philisophy is rooted in Matthew 5:16, “be wise as a serpent, and innocent as a dove.”… speaks to our motives for and our strategy in ministry.
• “What small thing can we do as a church that will make a big difference?”
• “There are ways of doing church that nobody has thought of yet.”
• Small town difficulties include…finding funds, finding facilities, and finding friends.
• “Do I love what I am saying more than the one(s) I am saying it to?”
• “A subtle shift can make a substantial change in a leaders soul.”

I am thankful for the chance to bring the whole team to this conference and pray that God continues to write His vision for Western Pa on our hearts…

We are taking a lunch break right now after a full morning here at The Sticks Conference (www.thesticks.tv). I am super impressed with New Hope Community Church (www.newhopewired.tv). They ARE in the sticks, but don’t act like it. It’s been good to hear from Mark Batterson (www.theaterchurch.com) one of my favorite pastors, Barry Worcester (www.h2ochurch.tv) and host pastor Charles Hill (www.newhopewired.tv). This afternoon we will be doing two breakout sessions. Very cool to see what God is doing here…It makes think that our vision is too small….hmmmmmm….??????? More later!

Each month we invite people from our region who need help with food for their family to come to what we call our Jesus Pantry Ministry. Guests who come for physical help also have the opportunity to receive spiritual help through Bible teaching and prayer time with our volunteer team. Guests leave with a banana box filled with food items that help them make it through difficult times. Today our Jesus Pantry Team was super excited because they were able to provide food for 171 families. Way to go guys!! Your faithfulness to mee the needs of people isn’t unnoticed and will not go unrewarded!

Tomorrow morning at 5am the pastoral TEAM, along with our Director of Media, Josh Pie’, will be heading to Loudonville, Ohio for The Sticks Conference (www.thesticks.tv). It is a conference specifically designed for churches that are doing ministry in towns of 20,000 or less (I think we qualify…grin). There are going to be some great speakers there but what I am most excited about is the opportunty to meet and network with “like-minded” and “like-located” pastors. If you think about it, pray that God would use this conference to encourage and inspire our team to continue to dream about God doing BIG THINGS in SMALL PLACES!