​Bombs were falling all across Baghdad. The green glowing phosphorus streams of anti-aircraft bullets punctured the black night sky. We sat and watched the news coverage from a recliner and couch with the Christmas tree still looming in the corner of the living room. Somewhere across the world others were huddled in hallways. The deafening thud of carpet bombing beat louder than their heartbeats. And yet for many their hearts were still beating. People still fell in love, got married, had children and went on to live their lives.
 
People keep on keeping on even in the midst of wars, raging fires, earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, floods, economic downturns, and global political crisis. Winston Churchill famously said once, “If you are going through hell; keep going!”  Isn’t that some of the best advice ever? Why would you stop?  
 
For me, this perseverance to march on in the midst of the darkest days is exactly what the Christmas story has become about. On one of the longest, coldest nights of the year, the world was given a new life. The parents had submitted to the government’s tyranny. They had walked
nine days for a census. They had no place to stay. Yet, they
had each other and the everlasting gift of life. They had to flee from Herod, who ordered every child under the age of two destroyed. They still persisted. Their story is part of our story.
 
We are made to persevere. That is part of what it means to be made in God’s image. Many of you have made it through your own dark nights of the soul.  You have come over the mountains or through a valley. Some of you may still be looking for the light. Others may just be beginning a journey with a destination unknown. Wherever you are, remember as the Christmas season approaches and the daylight lessens; there is a light that has come into this world and the darkness of war, natural disaster, economic upheaval or political turnover has never been able to extinguish it. That light is in you! May you continue to share God’s love, shine God’s light, shape God’s people! If you need hope, may you find strength in the story of a family and a child who came to save the world.   

​Rev. Trey Hegar

So I did a little experiment. I recorded myself scrolling through my Facebook page to see how long it would take before I found some type of hot button topic that could send even the mildest mannered, gentle soul into a tizzy. (I am not saying I am that person.) It didn’t take long. We are surrounded by negativity.
 
You can’t go five minutes on any public forum, news channel, radio station or social network without finding someone or something to raise your blood pressure.
 
It is especially difficult now when we live in a time where it seems every hero and role model has fallen from grace. For some of you, it may have started with presidents like Richard Nixon. His Watergate scandal shook the foundations of trust for our country. For others, it may have solidified around Bill Clinton and all the word salads he used dancing around accountability with lawyer speak. Well it just keeps getting worse.
 
Now there is this ever growing roll call of celebrity men brought to public justice by the #me too movement. The list of the fallen is astonishing: news anchors, politicians, business leaders, and more. Bill Cosby is grotesque. Garrison Keilor, one of my favorite story tellers, is guilty. It seems we don’t have anyone to trust or follow. We don’t know whose opinion to believe or what facts are real. Scientists have to protest, teachers have different beliefs about what to teach, moral leaders lead amoral lives, yet still produce what some consider good fruits. With few leaders to follow, we are still called to be light in the darkness. We are to live peaceably with all as much as it is up to us. Where in the world can we get direction? To whom can we turn?  
 
To sound cliche it may be that these things are truly impossible for us. Jesus said in Mark 10, “What is impossible for humanity is made possible with God.”  As much as I know about the world and the people in it, I still believe Jesus is one who shows us the Way, the Truth and the Life. Who else can we listen to? Who else should we follow?  In this day and age Jesus is my hero. May we all grow to be more like him.                      Rev. Trey Hegar

​I am often asked about the future of the church. People reference the declining numbers of attendees in the United States in the vast majority of churches since the 1960s. One essay I read even refuted the few growing mega churches saying, “there is a direct correlation from small community churches shrinking and a very few mega churches growing.”  They aren’t making Christians. They are taking Christians.  Even with the trend of some churches growing the numbers, it doesn’t look well for the future.  
 
So then what is the future of the church? What’s next? Two things 1) The future of the universal church has never looked good. 2)  There is no future of the church. There is only now.  
 
The future of the universal church has never looked good. The temptations of the world for power and money against the message of peace and inclusion for all never looks successful. The church has a backwards message. Die to yourself, so you can truly live. Give to others, rather than keep all you have. Don’t banish the weak and the stranger or the poor and the orphans. Invite them in. Show them the same hospitality meant for kings. The church doesn’t have a viable business model. It isn’t economically sound. It especially isn’t culturally attractive. Who wants to eat with lepers and homeless? Only those in the church. Yet, even the members within the church debate.
 
That is the other side of why the future of the church has never looked good. The universal church has internal struggles. Oh, we fight within ourselves. The battles still rage over what a true sin is, how salvation works, who is saved, how we know someone is saved, who has the true message of Jesus and what that message actually is. That’s just the big stuff. It’s the little stuff that actually hurts. What kind of music will sing to God? Does God care as long as our hearts are in it? What color should the carpet be? Does God care as long as people walk on it? Or my favorite, how come there is a mess in the kitchen and why don’t people clean up after themselves? God cares about messes! With all the natural infighting, the future of the church has never looked good.  
 
Yet, here is a truism. There is no future of the church. There is only now. How is this true? Well, of course there is a future of the church. The church is eternal and everlasting.  Yet, you are the church. There is no future without you and you are here now. So what’s next for the church? What is church 3.1? You! Church 3.1 is connecting you with the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Church 3.1 is finding ways to get you more deeply involved with our Creator God, Redeemer Christ, and Sustainer by the Holy Spirit.  
 
Now to be sure, this is going to look like trying a few new things. We will work to create deeper relationships, grow in faith and wisdom, and serve, serve, serve. Here is why:  The church even now is the only institution that does not exist for itself. We exist for others. We have to find other ways to get you outside the walls of the church. Church 3.1 is now. You are the church. This is our future. May our Triune God bless our work, worship, and winsome community.  

Rev. Trey Hegar

     There was this very rich man who lived in the United States, who had heard of a man that lived in France that was very famous for walking the tightrope. According to what he had heard, the Frenchman had the reputation of walking the tightrope at high altitudes, while blindfolded and pushing a wheelbarrow; however, this was something that the American couldn’t believe.
     The American then wrote to the Frenchman and said, “I don’t believe that what I’ve heard about you is true; I don’t believe that there is a person who can do what you're credited with. However, I offer you a million dollars to come to the United States, and perform your act over Niagara Falls and walk the tightrope from Canada to New York. 
     The Frenchman immediately replied and said that he would do it. The day of performance finally came, and many gathered to see this dangerous act. The Frenchman climbed up to the tightrope, someone blindfolded him, and then he started to walk across it pushing the wheelbarrow, while the American looked on and waited for him at the other end of the rope. Everyone was fascinated to see the agility that this man demonstrated while walking, and he soon crossed from one side to another without any problems. 
     Upon reaching the other side, the Frenchman approached the American and said: “Do you believe that I can do this?”’
      To which the American responded, “I just finished seeing you with my own eyes. This was something impressive.”
      And the Frenchman answered, “No, no, do you believe that I can do this?”
     To which the American answered; “We all saw what you did. It was something genuinely worthy of appreciation.”
     And the Frenchman replied, “But do you believe that I can do this?”
    And the American answered, “I just finished witnessing it with my eyes, of course I believe.”
     To which the Frenchman answered, “Then get in the wheelbarrow, we are going back.” James 2:14-26 says, "What does it profit, my brothers and sisters, if someone says he has faith but does not have works?”

Starting on September 9, we will begin a four-week series on the Book of James called, “Wearing our Faith INSIDE OUT!”  James is all about not just talking about faith in our hearts, but demonstrating our faith outside of ourselves.  

 On September 9, we will explore James 1:17-27. This is where he teaches us, “Don’t Talk! Do!” He says, “Be doers, not just hearers of God’s commands.” We don’t say we love our neighbors. We show them.  

On September 17, we will see that “Faith is Physical” based on James 2:1-17. We will understand that our bodies matter. We will then be encouraged to use our physical means to meet physical needs.

On September 23, we will hear James’ famous line in chapter 3 to, “Tame the Tongue.” The tongue is one of smallest parts on our body that can do great damage. It can steer a ship, but can we steer it?

Then on September 30, we will hear about “The Good Life” according to James in 3:13-4:8a. He says that gentleness and wisdom are the keys to contentment. These things manifest themselves in our lives with others.
 When we learn to practice these disciplines of faith, we will be wearing our faith, “INSIDE OUT for all to see!”              
                                                                                                Rev. Trey Hegar 

Several weeks ago, I was shopping during “normal” Sunday church hours.  I had been to worship on Saturday in St. Louis, so I took Sunday morning to do what many do on Sunday mornings: whatever I wanted! I was surprised at just how busy the stores were. Why weren’t these people in church? Why were all these other people working? Do they ever go to church? Where? When?  

Here are two dates that changed the world which you will probably never see on a calendar. The first is August 28, 1921. That is the day the first movie theaters were open for business on a Sunday. The second date is August 6, 1991.  That is the day the World Wide Web became publicly available. 

Why do those dates matter? The first changed the shape of the work week from six days to seven days. The other changed normal business hours to a market place open twenty-four hours a day.  

Think of the implications of the first movies being open.  People “had” to work on Sundays. Sure, the movies created a novelty for people off of work, but it created a whole new class of workers. Suddenly, restaurants, stores, gas stations and more were open for business. This expanded the market place, but restructured society, especially concerning the normal times of church and family functions. When would these new working families gather, eat, and rest?

If movies changed the market place and community flow of life, the internet rewrote what the market place is and redefined community, especially concerning when it could meet. 

Here is an example, I have a friend who does an online ministry. He posts a worship, music and message update once a week with a weekly service project to do in your own city or town. You can “log in” at 10 PM on a Monday night, center yourself for worship, hear a really good worship song, read along with the scriptures, receive a positive/uplifting message about the Good News of Jesus, and then receive a ministry challenge for the week, such as volunteering at the food pantry or giving away a coat. Many groups formed in regional locations where they would do their ministry challenges together. One message read, “Hey Columbia, SC people! We are meeting at the Salvation Army Tuesday evening to organize the bells and signs for Christmas. Meet us there at 6 PM.” They would worship together online anytime and meet at their own convenience. Also, your prayers could be sent by email and you would receive a confirmation that, yes, indeed someone else had prayed for your specific request. They had a bookstore and children’s video messages with special links to other kid friendly church videos. It was a virtual church. There was no building, no sanctuary and no fellowship hall. Some would say this isn’t a real church. However, for the hundreds of thousands who attend a “virtual church,” it is very real. It also meets a real need. Many of the people who attend virtual churches are working professionals and trade specialists, as well as artists, wait staff, and musicians. These people work those off hours created by our 24-hour, 7 day a week culture.     
    
It is easy to judge how strange this sounds. The Holy Spirit teaches us through 1 Corinthians 13:5-6 that "love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful.” 

Another friend of mine started a theology on tap ministry. She hired a guitar singer to play sing-a-long hymns at a local pub on the square. Then those who want to gather in the back area of the bar are given a brief scripture and hot topic to discuss based on a lesson from Jesus. They have another sing-a-long hymn; then they close with prayers for each other and a local offering to be given away to a need in the community while singing their last hymn. Many hang out for a couple of hours chatting in a bar about God and life.  
    
​Sometimes I dream about doing church in a whole other way at a whole other time in Mount Pleasant. Does anyone else? What would you do? Want to try something crazy to meet people where they are? Or maybe we could just do something different in our own space? Maybe we will!
                                                    Rev. Trey Hegar

​In the movie, “The Intern” with Robert De Niro and Ann Hathaway, De Niro has the title role. His character’s name is Ben Whittaker, and he’s a retired, well-off widower in Brooklyn who’s bored with the relative inactivity of his current, pleasant mode of living. So he applies for a position in an “Intern Program” at a start-up e-commerce, mail order, clothing business called “About the Fit.” His role calls for him to interact with colleagues 40 years his junior. He is 65. They are 22. He learns about the “Weird Things These Kids Do Today.” He is thrown into culture shock. He questions the way they work, live and socialize - most it online and all of it for everyone to see. As the young interns gather for their work most are wearing very casual clothes like t-shirts and jeans. Whittaker rants, “Does no one know how to tuck in a shirt anymore?” The young company founder played by Hathaway laments in one scene how there are no good men anymore. She says, “They are boys. Wearing boys clothes, but with adult jobs. What happened to gentlemen and handsome stars like a young Paul Newman, a classy Carry Grant or a Robert Redford lead?” As I approach my mid 40s I notice that we have grown boys, who don’t know what it means to be a gentleman? We have girls who still think it is cute to be clueless, when they are closer to menopause than college. I think you can agree with me, when I say that we have lost a little polish and refinement in our daily lives. In Colossians 1:28-29, Paul shares the purpose for which he worked hard, namely, to present every person “complete/ mature/developed/recreated” in Christ. We all should aim at becoming mature in Christ and we should help others grow to spiritual maturity also. What does that look like? Maturity in Christ means developing Christ-like character and conduct. To describe this, we could go through the entire Bible cataloging all the character traits and behaviors that are commanded and exemplified in the lives of godly saints. But the supreme example is Jesus. He said that the two greatest commandments are to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. These are relationship commands. You can measure how mature in Christ you are by assessing your relationships with God and with others. Are you growing with God intellectually? Emotionally? Physically? Many of our mainline Christians today would shrug at this question. They don’t know how to answer it. Most haven’t taken a Christian discipleship class since their confirmation. How long ago was that? To help others mature in Christ, you’ve got to be growing in maturity, too. Seminary professor, Dr. Howard Hendricks, used to say, “You cannot impart what you do not possess!” If you’re not making a concerted effort to become more than a couch potato Christian in Christ, then you won’t mature past an adolescent faith and then you can’t help someone else in that process. One of the last things Jesus says to us is to “go and make disciples of all the nations.” Paul says, “Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.” (See, also, 1 Corinthians 4:16; Philippians 3:17; 1 Thessalonians 1:6; 2 and 3:9.) You may be thinking, “That’s kind of intimidating! I don’t feel adequate to help others grow in Christ. I don’t think I’ll ever be at the point where I could tell others to be imitators of me as I am of Christ.” Well, I’ve got news for you: If you’ve got kids, or grandkids, or neighbors or go to work or church or the gym, if people see you period: they are learning from your example! You may be a good example to them of someone who is growing in Christ, or you may be a poor example. But you are an example! We want to help you! I want you to join me on my growth journey. You may be a gift to me. Join us for Wednesday studies, “Good and Beautiful God” at 6 PM or Bible study at 10 AM. Look for our soon to be announced fall offerings, too. Or better yet start your own group! I would love to see people maturing into the image of Jesus by loving God and neighbors. May you be inspired to become more of who you are meant to be. Rev. Trey Hegar 

Hi! This is your Director of Congregational Ministries speaking. I’ve hijacked Pastor Trey’s column for this month. Partly because he’s got a lot on his plate right now. But also because I wanted to tell you something. I wanted to tell you how amazing you are and how appreciative we are to be a part of this loving and welcoming community. 
 
Our church has been quite the hub of activity for the last two weeks. I have welcomed the increase in activity and I feel like this is exactly how the church should be used.
 
The other week I posted something about the immigration raid on my Facebook page. One old friend from a previous congregation asked, “Why can’t they come here legally?” To which I answered, “Perhaps some of them have and perhaps some of them are in the process which can take years. But my first response is to help when help is needed. We’ll ask questions later.”  
 
Immigration can be such a touchy subject with so many different thoughts and opinions surrounding this topic. I urge us all to respect each other’s opinions but I also urge us to be open to changing our own opinions. Trey and I have learned so much about the immigration process over the past two weeks. We’ve also learned so much about the families affected by the raid. And what I’m most thankful for is that our church - the Session, our elected leaders - decided years ago that this place was going to be a safe place, a place of refuge. 
 
One of my favorite stories from the Bible is that of Esther. Her journey came down to a single moment that could have changed the course of her story forever. Esther had the opportunity to save her people, and she could have easily walked away, scared of the risk she would need to take. Esther 4:14 says, “And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”  For such a time as this!  We have been called to this place and to this time for such a time as this. And maybe we are like Esther, still trying to make sense of all of this. Still trying to make sense of God’s calling on our lives and in this church. And that’s okay. But, for such a time as this, we are helping where help is needed. We are being a beacon of hope.
 
When I was a senior at Iowa State University I student taught for eight weeks in the Czech Republic. This was a foreign land in every sense of the word. The language was difficult. The food was different. And there were a couple of times when hatred was spewed in my direction simply because I was American. But what I remember even more were the people that loved me and welcomed me into their community. 
 
We are called for such a time as this!
 
Rev. Sarah F. Hegar
​

My father-in-law bought each member of the family the same book this past Christmas. He mentioned how he read the book and found it inspiring. He asked if we would be willing to read the book together as a family over the course of the year and share our insights each week through email. The name of the book is “My Grandfather’s Blessings: Stories of Strength, Refuge, and Belonging.”  The author, Rachel Naomi Remen, is a medical doctor, professor, and author of another best-selling book called “Kitchen Table Wisdom.”  One quote says, “Where most doctors treat symptoms, Dr. Remen heals souls.”  
 
From the back cover it says, In “My Grandfather’s Blessings, Rachel Naomi Remen, cancer physician and master storyteller, uses her luminous stories to remind us of the power of our kindness and the joy of being alive. Dr. Remen's grandfather, an Orthodox rabbi and scholar of the Kabbalah, saw life as a web of connections and knew that everyone belonged to him, and that he belonged to everyone. He taught her that blessing one another is what fills our emptiness, heals our loneliness, and connects us more deeply to life.
 
Life has given us many more blessings than we have allowed ourselves to receive. “My Grandfather’s Blessings” is about how we can recognize and receive our blessings and bless the life in others. Serving others heals us. Through our service we will discover our own wholeness— and the way to restore hidden wholeness in the world.
 
 
 
I would like to share with you a passage from the book that is shaping my life personally. It begins, “Most of us have been given many more blessings than we have received. We do not take time to be blessed or make the space for it. We may have filled our lives so full of other things that we have no room to receive our blessings. One of my patients once told me that she has an image of us all being circled by our blessings, sometimes for years, like airplanes in the holding pattern at an airport, stacked up with no place to land. They are there waiting for a moment of our time, our attention.
 
People with serious illness have often let go of a great deal; their illness has created an opening in their lives for the first time. They may discover ways to receive all the blessings they are given, even those that we were given long ago. Such people have shown me how to receive many blessings.
 
Many years ago the doctor cared for a woman called Mae Thomas. Mae had grown up in Georgia. She had worked hard all her life, cleaning houses in order to raise seven children and more than a few grandchildren. By the time the doctor met her she was old and riddled with cancer. Yet, Mae celebrated her life. Her laugh was pure joy. It made you remember how to laugh yourself. Just thinking of her made the Dr. smile. As Mae became sicker the Dr. began to call her every few days to check on her. She would always answer the phone the same way. The Dr. would ask, “Mae, how you doing?" And Mae would chuckle in reply, "I'm blessed sister I'm blessed.” On the day Mae died her last words to the Dr. were, “I am blessed.” Mae was one of those kinds of people.  And perhaps so are we all.”
 
I was blessed reading that excerpt from the book. I have known many dear friends in the church who count their blessings and bless others. I hope you will know that you are blessed and that you will find ways to receive your many blessings and to bless others, too. May you enjoy the beauty of the earth, the laughter of life, the sacredness of tears, and the deep joy of hope in Jesus whose will is making the world a blessing for all.  Amen.                       Rev. Trey Hegar
​

We live in an age of increasing doubt and skepticism. Our fellow Americans boast about how much they distrust the United States government. Our brothers and sisters in Christ brag about not believing many of the teachings of the church. Have you discussed the virgin birth lately? Our Catholic friends struggle with faith in their long trusted institution because of priestly scandals. We doubt science and put religion at a distance. There is no authority for the right belief. 
 
We also live in an age of increasing unexamined belief in the absurd. Conspiracy theories comfort our political views. We don’t care if they aren’t proven. They just have to make sense to our minds. “Well, that sounds right.” We accept pseudo-science over long evidence based research using the scientific method. As one author put it "aliens are real, ghosts exist, and the earth was made in six days, but climate change and GMOs and vaccines are made up by the government deep state to control the masses." The age of complete relativism is upon us.  
 
With all of this I find myself at a crossroad about how to articulate my hope in Christ and the doctrines of the church.  1 Peter 3:15 says, “but in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you.” Hebrews 11:11 says, "Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.”  
         
At my last church I did 20 funerals. In each we talked about the “Witness to the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.”  We did not talk about what to believe about Easter. We did not talk about how chocolate and bunnies got involved. We talked about hope.  
 
I remember holding the hand of one friend who was dying.  She had said in Bible study that she had doubts about the resurrection and heaven, etc. Later she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. We talked in her hospital room. She shared how she was moved to tears with hope and comfort about who Jesus was. In a way, her doubt still lingered. She knew it was absurd. But to her the hope was beautiful and
a comfort. In her reality of living and dying the hope of the resurrection was real. Nothing else mattered about skepticism or belief for that matter. What mattered was comfort and peace.  
 
That is what the resurrection means to me. It is a gift from Jesus and our tradition of faith. It gives hope. Romans 8:24 says, "For in this hope we were saved; but hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he can already see?” And from 2 Corinthians 4:18, "So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." 
May you have hope in Christ.  Happy Easter!  
                        Rev. Trey Hegar