St. Augustine Speaks to us

"O Lord our God, under the shadow of your wings let us hope, and do you protect us, and carry us. You will carry us, as little ones you will carry us, and even up to our gray hairs will you carry us. For since you are our strength, then it is strength indeed; but when it is our own, then it is but weakness." from The Confessions of St. Augustine

Many of you haven't heard from me for the past several weeks because I've been caring for my Mother -- a woman, who at nearly 75 years young, has aged tremendously in the past 4 years. Afraid of losing her independence, she won't tell me the real reason why she hasn't driven her car in 6 weeks (and really has only driven it once or twice in the last 2 years). Her eyesight and her reflexes aren't what they used to be, and she has lost confidence in her ability to drive. But she is insisting that I take her to get her drivers license renewed in November!

Her handwriting is so shaky that she has difficulty writing checks -- she hasn't admitted that this is the reason she almost exclusively uses her credit cards at the checkout -- she says its the Skymiles! Her mind is still very sharp, but she no longer reads stacks of historical novels and she can't see the fine stitches of her beloved needlepoint.

On top of it all, she had a fall almost three weeks ago. She lives in a wonderful ground-floor condo about seven blocks from my house, but she didn't want to worry me on that Friday. So she picked herself up, decided she hadn't broken anything, and didn't tell anyone about it for two days. When she finally told me, I rushed over with groceries and begged her to let me take her to the ER. "What can they do? I'm fine," she said. And so it went for two weeks. Mother limping around -- me making daily trips to the grocery and the pharmacy.

Now, some of you might not know this about me: I am an only child of an only child of an only child. Me, my Mother, and my Grandmother -- three generations of women with no sisters, brothers, or cousins. We're pretty independent. Now the Lord knows I like to fix things, but this I could not fix. My Mother refused to go to the doctor as long as she could hobble around. If you can walk, it must not be broken -- right?

I knew her leg was hurting more and more, and by last Saturday, she was in a tremendous amount of pain, and ready to see the doctor. We went to the ER, and the x-rays showed that she had broken her pelvis in two places, and had broken a bone in her hand. So Mother came home with me for a few days, and she allowed my family to help her heal. After a visit to the orthopedist, she's back at home and is getting around with a walker. In about six weeks, she should be mended, and we'll be going to renew that drivers license. (We'll be stopping by the optometrist for a new prescription on her glasses.)

I love my Mother, and I know that I am very blessed to have her. And this latest chapter in our lives has reminded me that we all have to remember to ask for help -- no matter how well we think we can do it on our own. Even leaders need help, and St. Augustine reminds us that the source of our strength is the Lord.

Lord, may I remember that alone I am weak, but You are my strength.
Let me trust in You alone.

Following Him as you lead

God promises that He will equip us to do His work. "I will lead them in paths they have not known. I will make darkness light before them, and crooked places straight. These things I will do for them, and not forsake them." Isaiah 42:16

One of the times when we need God's guidance is in dealing with a person who is not fulfilling their commitment to the organization. John Maxwell, in his book Developing the Leaders Around You, says, "Some of the toughest decisions a leader faces concern poor performers. A leader who does not effectively handle them will hurt:

1. the organization's ability to achieve its purpose
2. the morale of top performers
3. the leader's own credibility
4. the low performer's self-image and potential effectiveness

He goes on to say that we should ask ourselves if the poor performer should be trained, transferred, or terminated. The answer to this question determines how you handle the situation.

If, for example, the person's low performance is because they are not sure of how to accomplish the task, maybe they need training -- a parakletos, someone to come alongside them and help equip them for the job.

Sometimes, they may not have the particular gift required for the job they have been given. If they are committed to the organization and truly want to serve, they deserve an opportunity to use their giftedness -- in other words, be transferred to another position.

The most difficult decision concerns termination, but when this is the only option, it will ultimately benefit the organization and everyone in it. Sometimes, it is a blessing to be relieved of a task that has become a burden. We often have trouble saying "no" and may take on a commitment that we cannot fulfill. At these times, we may welcome the opportunity to pass our job on to someone else.

When you are faced with a decision like this, ask the Lord to equip you with wisdom. May you follow Him as you lead.

Jesus and The Church

“As Jesus was one human person among many, the Church is one organization among many. And just as there may have been people with more attractive appearances than Jesus, there may be many organizations that are a lot better run than the Church. But Jesus is the Christ appearing among us to reveal God’s love, and the Church is His people called together to make His presence visible in today’s world.

Would we have recognized Jesus as the Christ if we had met Him many years ago? Are we able to recognize Him today in His body, the Church? We are asked to make a leap of faith. If we dare to do it our eyes will be opened and we will see the glory of God.”

From Bread for the Journey by Henri Nouwen, 1997, HarperCollins.

Growth: Seven Signs of Leadership (Acts 5: 1-42)

"The leadership of the early church produced growth naturally. The leaders didn't pursue growth, but practiced obedience, commitment, healthy relationships, and faith. Growth was the natural result.

"This is a sign of healthy leadership. In Acts 5 we see the leadership ingredients that enable the church to grow:

Purity (vv. 1-11)
The leaders didn't settle for anything less than integrity.
Power (vv. 12-16)
The leaders modeled an attractive, supernatural power that met human needs.
Persecution (vv. 17,18)
Opposition served to strengthen the leaders and their convictions.
Proclamation (vv. 19-28)
The leaders eagerly communicated their message.
Priorities (vv. 29-32)
The leaders clearly laid out their top priority, which made decisions easier.
Praise (v. 41)
In the midst of adversity, leaders maintained an attitude of gratitude and praised God for everything.
Perseverance (v. 42)
The leaders kept right on influencing others, living a life of conviction, not caution."

Taken from The Maxwell Leadership Bible, with notes and articles by John C. Maxwell, 0-7852-5688-1, Nelson Publishers.

What's New?

On September 17th, my little group, affectionately known as, "the bible study," will begin meeting once again. We meet at Harriett's house, and we're all women of a certain age (ranging from 42 to 60), who once had toddlers in the church nursery. About half of us go to St. Philip's and half go to St. Michael's, but a few are from Grace Church, and we even have a few from the Presbyterian Church! These women are my best friends, and I'm sure each of you has a similar group . . .

This fall, we're going to study I Believe: Exploring the Apostles' Creed by Alister McGrath (ISBN 0-8308-1946-0, InterVarsity Press, $10.) We chose this study of the creed because we wanted to revisit the foundations of Christian belief. Credo, the Latin for creed, literally means, "I believe." Alister McGrath is a theologian at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford, and he's put together a great study of our basic Confession of Faith -- divided in six sections, discussion questions and further reading can be found at the end of each chapter. We're including an introduction and doing it in seven weeks.

A group of ladies at St. John's Church on Johns Island are beginning a new study this year of Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World by Joanna Weaver (ISBN 1-57856-258-9, Waterbrook Press, $13.95). Complete with a wonderful study guide, this book shows how all of us -- Marys and Marthas alike -- can draw closer to our Lord, deepening our devotion, strengthening our service, and doing both with less stress and greater joy. Many of our parishes have studied Rick Warren's The Purpose-Driven Life (ISBN 0-310-20571-9, Zondervan, $19.99). This book is a great Lenten discipline (with 40 chapters!), and includes life-application discussion questions.

St. Michael's has a group working on Network: Understanding God's Design for You in the Church from WillowCreek (ISBN 0-310-41231-5, Zondervan, $10.99). Bill Hybels, co-author of the book, has this to say: "We discovered years ago that believers flourish in their service to Christ when they are serving in the area of their giftedness and in conjunction with their God-given uniqueness. The Network materials grew out of our desire to help them discover their spiritual gifts, and then determine where to use them in our church body. Imagine having fresh servants entering the work force of the church every year, confident of their giftedness and eager to invest them in service for God's glory."

Personally, I think that this is one of the most awesome approaches to spiritual gift assessment. There are three steps: identifying your passion (just because you have a gift for teaching doesn't mean that you want to teach Junior High Sunday School), determining your spiritual gifts (everybody has at least a few), and assessing your personal style (are you task-oriented, or are you a people person? do you like structured situations, or are you more laid-back?).

A number of parishes just love Beth Moore -- she has workbooks and videotapes that make leading your bible study a breeze! Beth is from Houston, and she has an energetic and authentic Southern teaching style. If you have a Christian Education resource lending library in your diocese, ask the Christian Ed Chairman to buy a few of the videotape studies -- this allows a wider audience to enjoy them and gives smaller parishes the opportunity to borrow the tapes without a substantial investment. Beth Moore's studies include Breaking Free, A Heart Like His, and Beloved Disciple -- they are only available from Lifeway stores. Each participant needs a workbook (approximately $12.95). Set aside at least 45 minutes a day for homework -- Beth will have you flipping back and forth in your bible, but it's well worth the effort! Check out her website at Living Proof.

Enough about us! Please let us know what you're doing so that we can share our great resources in Province IV . . . e-mail me . . . Lydia Evans

Province IV Diocesan Annual Meetings

Thanks to so many of you who have sent in updates on your diocesan annual meetings!
Here are the dates for 2003-2004 ECW Annual Meetings in our province. If you don't see your diocese listed, please send event details to Margie Williams at margiew@lowcountry.com.

East Tennessee ECW - Ascension, Knoxville - September 9, 2003
Tennessee ECW - St. Bartholomew's, Nashville - Saturday, September 13, 2003
Western North Carolina ECW - Ascension, Hickory - October 2, 2003
Lexington ECW - Christ Church Cathedral - Saturday, October 18, 2003
Atlanta ECW - Christ Church, Macon - Saturday, October 25, 2003
West Tennessee ECW - Grace Church, Paris - Saturday, October 25, 2003
Mississippi ECW - Trinity, Pass Christian - November 7-8, 2003
North Carolina ECW - St. Timothy's, Winston-Salem - November 7-8, 2003
Central Florida ECW - St. Luke's Cathedral, Orlando - November 15, 2003
Upper South Carolina ECW - Church of the Advent, Spartanburg - January 24, 2004
South Carolina ECW - St. Philip's, Charleston - Saturday, April 24, 2004
Georgia ECW - Christ Church, St. Simon's Island - April 30 to May 1, 2004
Louisiana ECW - Baton Rouge - Saturday, May 1, 2004
East Carolina ECW - St. Mary's, Kinston - May 4, 2004