Posted by rrindfuss    0 Comment(s)    Add a Comment 
Sep 14 2017

Our church's photography team snapped this photo on November 2, 2014. That Sunday we held an Access worship service in a tent on an empty, grassy field where our Worship and Arts Center is today. We imagined the transformation of that empty space into worship space.

This fall will mark the conclusion of the 3-year "Imagine" capital campaign to fund that transformation. The scripture from which we took the "Imagine" name, the prayerful process that led to our church expanding its facilities, and the unforeseen changes in Richardson since that time all testify to a God that imagines far more than we can.

Before building plans or the Imagine capital campaign came into being, our church had spent months praying, "God how do you want us to grow in our ministry to our community?" We felt God affirming what was happening with Access and other ministries in the church and leading us to expand the facilities that facilitated those ministries.

When we began formalizing those feelings into building plans I recall thinking, "Wow! This is far more than I would have imagined on my own." I think others felt similarly, because when we moved to begin the capital campaign we drew the Imagine name from a prayer in Ephesians 3 that refers to God as the one "who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine."

After the building process began and years after the prayers that initiated it, Richardson began a period of explosive growth that continues to bring new people to our community. Back before we could imagine the changes in Richardson, I believe God knew the people that were coming and imagined our church helping them grow in their faith and service to others and used the opportunity of our prayers to set us on a path to have expanded facilities with which to do that.

As we conclude our Imagine capital campaign this fall, I hope you will continue to imagine how God can use you and our church in service to our community. I hope that you will pray that God will lead you toward positive impacts that you can't yet even imagine. I hope that you'll invite new people to become part of our church and all it's doing in our community and world. And as you've done in such a faithful way through the capital campaign I hope that you will continue to give of yourself through finances, time, energy, study, worship and service so that the things only God can imagine will come into being through us.

I'm looking forward to worshipping with you at Access on Sunday! Shandon and her team will welcome us with smiles and hugs, we'll celebrate our 3^rd graders with a gift of a Bible, Julie will preach on being rooted in scripture, and Eric and the Access band will bring us into the presence of God through music. I can't wait to experience it with you!

In Christ,
Rich

Rich Rindfuss
Access Pastor
First United Methodist Church Richardson

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Sep 7 2017

In the aftermath of Harvey and with Irma bearing down, I've had some conversations about how God is involved with hurricanes. A couple people shared that they've been told God is using hurricanes to punish people. But that explanation contradicts what Jesus said and ignores clear guidance he gave to his followers in the aftermath of tragic death.

Matthew 5:43-45 relates the following:

43 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous."

Jesus says that God sends both the sun and the rain equally on good people and bad people. God doesn’t separate out good weather for good people and bad weather for bad people. Jesus' point is even bigger, though. He’s saying that God shows love both to people that are good and to people that are bad, and that’s how we should live too.

In Luke 13:1-5 Jesus refers to two episodes of tragic death and counters the common explanation for why they occurred:

1 At that very time there were some present who told [Jesus] about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.  2 He asked them, "Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans?  3 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did.  4 Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them-- do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem?  5 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did."

In one case the Roman governor, Pilate, had apparently killed Jews while they were offering sacrifices as part of their worship of God. In the other case a building had collapsed killing 18 people.

The common wisdom of the day said that good people don’t suffer; therefore, these people that died must have been worse people than those that survived. Jesus didn’t say why these people died beyond the fact that someone chose to be a murderer and a tower fell down. What Jesus did say clearly is that these people didn’t die because they were worse people than any others, and they didn’t die because God was punishing them. Instead Jesus told his listeners to shift their focus away from judging other people as being good or bad, deserving of suffering or not. Instead Jesus told them it's far more important to focus on their own actions and being the people God wants them to be.

I hope you'll join Eric and the Access band, Shandon, pastor Julie, and me on Sunday as we continue recalling who God wants us to be in our "Rooted" sermon series. This week we'll read a story Jesus told comparing faith to seeds planted in different soils. I grew up on a farm surrounded by corn, so Jesus' story brings some particular images to mind, and I'll share those. We'll also celebrate the Lord's Supper. It's going to be great!

See you Sunday!
Rich

Rich Rindfuss
Access Pastor
First United Methodist Church Richardson

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Sep 1 2017

The band "The Roots" that is featured on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon wrote a song in 2008 called Lovely, Love My Family. Here are few words to that tune: “Those quiet moments when not with no one else. I’m mesmerized by all the many good things in my life. I think about the time when I was younger. And the older that I get the more that I feel wiser. With the love of friends and family I get stronger and it carries me on through.”

I was reminded this week how the love of family and friends can carry us through the most difficult times. Like a large tree, those types of relationships have deep roots that make the tree unwaveringly strong. I want love like that. I want relationships like that. I want that kind of family tree. It seems fitting that as we talk on Sunday about being rooted in love that we share with you a special announcement from our Assistant Welcoming Director, Shandon Collins.

Here’s the good news she wants to share with you:

Over the past 4 years, Access has been like a second family to me.  You guys have been there for me in the ups and downs and I'm so happy to have you all as part of my life. On Sunday, September 24th, I will be starting a new chapter and I hope you will be there to be a part of it. My fiancee Shane and I will be getting married and we would love to open the ceremony to the entire congregation! The ceremony will happen right after Access. You can feel free to come as you are! Your presence is the greatest gift you can give us. To learn more details about our wedding and our story, you can go to www.theknot.com/us/shandon-and-shane. You can feel free to RSVP to let us know you will be there or just show up and support. Whether I know you or if I haven't met you yet, all of you are part of my family and you are all welcome :-) Hope to see you there!  
Love, Shandon 

Pretty great, right!? The best kinds of relationships I have seen form in the church are ones where the church becomes a second family. Where people are willing and able to be vulnerable, honest, and real with their questions, struggles, and life circumstances. I’m proud to be part of a community that strives to be rooted in love; a community that “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” 1 Corinthians 13.

We are so excited to be part of your special day, Shane and Shandon!

Sunday we’ll continue our series “Rooted” talking about how deep the roots of love can go in our lives.

See you Sunday!

-Julie