New Monmouth Musings: The Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Growth Opportunities for the Body 

Dear Friends,

The Fellowship of Christian Athletes is one of our para church ministries that is closest to my heart.  It was back in the Spring of 1962 that a college football teammate encouraged me to attend a weeklong summer F.C.A. Conference in Lake Geneva, Wisc.  It was during that weekend that I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior.  Since that time, I have lost track of the exact number of summer conferences I have attended (probably eight or nine).  My F.C.A. experience has resulted in my chairing the South Florida F.C.A. Board, as well as serving on the New York / New Jersey Board under the direction of our own Harry Flaherty, who with his family is a part of our New Monmouth fellowship.  I am indebted to the F.C.A, for it has played a significant part in my spiritual inheritance, and because of this I am always eager to promote the ministry in any way possible.  Which leads me to draw your attention to the first announcement below.

F.C.A. 5K RUN/WALK ON SUNDAY

The 7th Annual F.C.A. 5K Run/Walk will be held this Sunday, October 28, at Thompson Park in Lincroft.  The entry fee is $25.00 and check in for the race begins at 1:30 PM, with the race to follow at 2:30 PM.  Awards will be given at 3:15 PM. Those interested in participating can register online at https://fca.regfox.com/2018fcanjrunwalk

Even if you choose not to run or walk like me, you can participate by just showing up and cheering on those involved.  During the awards ceremonies you will hear some wonderful testimonies from both high school and college participants, as well as brief messages by some of those adults whose lives have been impacted by the ministry.

MEN'S BREAKFAST, NOVEMBER 3RD WITH NEW YORK GIANTS' LEE ROUSAN

Also, all men are invited to join us on Saturday, November 3rd at 8:00 AM in the Church basement for our monthly Men's Fellowship Breakfast.  Lee Rousan, a former New York Giant running back who played 7 seasons with both the Giants and the Browns, will be our guest speaker.  Lee is a member of the New Jersey F.C.A. staff as well. You won't want to miss his inspiring message, so please join us and be sure and bring a friend.  Teenagers are welcome to join us.  A free will offering will be taken to cover the cost of breakfast. 

MEN'S CONFERENCE THIS WEEKEND WITH KEN GRAVES

Let me encourage all men to consider attending Calvary Chapel Old Bridge Men's Conference featuring Pastor Ken Graves.  Having previously served for five years at Calvary Chapel Old Bridge and having heard Ken speak on a number of occasions, I can attest to his ability to powerfully deliver the Word of God.  The Conference will be held at Calvary Chapel, Old Bridge, 123 White Oak Lane on Friday, October 26th from 7:30 PM to 9:30 PM & Saturday, October 27th at 8:00 AM and wrapping up at 1:00 PM. Ken, who is the founding pastor of Calvary Chapel Bangor, Maine has been a frequent speaker all over the country. Pastor Ken is known as a dynamic speaker who combines his rugged masculine style with a vast knowledge of Scripture.  Cost at the door will be $ 25.00. 

I hope many of you will take advantage of any of the above ministry events.

PASTOR ARMANDO’S NEW ADDRESS

Pastor Armando is now settled in Florida and has begun his new ministry.

He appreciates your prayers and the many expressions of love he has already received from so many of you in the New Monmouth family.

His new address is:

      Pastor Armando Quatela 

      4235 US Route 1, 

      Rockledge, FL 32955

Yours in faith and friendship,

Pastor Tom

New Monmouth Musings: Are You An Active Member? You Might Be Surprised When You Read This List

Dear Friends,

What makes an active church member? There are a number of criteria one might offer beginning with one of the most predicable means of measuring church activity, and that is worship attendance. It used to be that an active member was considered to be one who attended church three times a week. They might attend Sunday morning, a mid week service and maybe a Bible study. Today we have lowered the bar, and many consider worshipping three times a month qualifies you to be called active member. That is a difference of 75 percent. What if you were to reduce the time you spent with your spouse by 75 percent? The marriage counselor might be just around the corner. Hebrews 10:24-25 exhorts us "to consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another-and all the more as you see the Day approaching". 

But there are other means of measuring active membership, and let me share some of them with you to see how we stack up? 

Secondly an active member will pursue meaningful relationships with others in the family. One of the best ways to do that is through small group involvement. A member who is involved in a small group will be five times less likely to drop out from the church over a five-year period than one who is not involved in a small group. Relationships are the glue that holds the church together.

Thirdly, you are giving regularly and systematically to the church. You are investing in kingdom purposes through the stewardship of your resources. The bible is clear that "where your treasure is there will your heart be also" (Matthew 6:21). Your heart will follow your money which seems counter intuitive, but it is true. If you invest in the stock market you will be anxious to regularly check the stock prices because you are interested in your investment. If you give to the church, you become more interested and more involved as you want to know how your giving is being used for kingdom causes.

Fourth, you will be involved in some form of ministry: serving on a cleaning crew, setting up tables for fellowship, ushering, greeting, teaching, welcoming new visitors, serving in youth ministry, teaching Sunday School. There are plenty of opportunities to become involved, and if you are not sure where you might fit in, let us know and we’ll find an area of service that fits your interest. 

Fifth, you are inviting others to church because you want others to experience what you have experienced. If you are excited about something, you will encourage others to become involved. When we find a good restaurant, one of the first things we will do is to tell others about our experience, and the same is true for the church.

Sixth You are reading your bible daily, involved in some form of spiritual discipline like prayer, bible study or fasting, using a daily devotional or watching a podcast.

Seventh you are able to share the vision and purpose of the church. Your elders have been prayerfully working to identify our church's core values, those qualities that identify us and guide us in developing our mission and ministry. It is important for each member to be able to identify our values and our distinctives and to be able to communicate those values to others. Hopefully, within the next couple of months, these values will be shared with the congregation through a series of messages from the pulpit. 

I write this not to foster guilt or heap judgment on anyone who doesn't subscribe or measure up to these above qualities of active membership. I fully realize that none of us will probably ever fulfill all of them. But the more qualities we do identify as part of our church's DNA, the more likely we would be considered active members. The church needs active members, each one bearing and sharing part of the ministry load. May God help us develop these kinds of members, who can help us storm the gates of hell and pull down Satan's kingdom. Will you join us?

Yours in faith and friendship,

Pastor Tom

New Monmouth Musings: Do you watch Fox News or MSNBC?

Are you a contentious Christian?  In today’s political world it is easy to become one.  This past week I have witnessed such contention exhibited by both sides of the political spectrum.  Each one of us may possess strong feelings about our political positions and persuasions, and I confess it is easy to draw our line in the sand, to become overly emotional about our views, and yes, to even become angry and belligerent over the causes we espouse.  Like many of us who have watched television the past few weeks.

I have witnessed these kind of reactions as we have followed the Kavanagh confirmation process.  Many of us have sadly witnessed relationships severed because of unkind words that were spoken or positions that were defended because of strong positions that were held.  It is not wrong to feel strongly about the positions we hold, but let’s be careful in doing so to remember our witness for Christ is more important than the candidate we support or the cause we champion.

As Christians there are times to be both peaceable (Romans 12:18) and contentious (Jude 3).  We are to be “both kinds of people depending on the issue and concerns we address” For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven . . . a time for war, and a time for peace (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 8).

Yes, I watch Fox News, but I also will often turn to MSNBC because I want to know what is being said from another perspective.

Whatever our reaction and response to the particular issue being addressed, our ultimate concern must always be my witness for Christ.  All of us need to remember that “the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome, but kind to everyone” (2 Timothy 2:24).  Yes, there is a time to fight for our faith, but let’s be sure the underlying cause is our love for Jesus and our desire to see others come to know Him as we do.

Philip Yancey in his book “The Jesus I Never Knew” offers thoughts that provide a much-needed boundary for our conversations and relationships with others.  Yancy writes “I feel convicted by this quality of Jesus every time I get involved in a cause I strongly believe in.  How easy it is to join the politics of polarization, to find myself shouting across the picket lines at the “enemy” on the other side.  How hard it is to remember that the kingdom of God calls me to love the woman who has just emerged from the abortion clinic (and yes, even her doctor), the promiscuous person who is dying of AIDS, the wealthy landowner who is exploiting God’s creation.  If I cannot show love to such people, then I must question whether I have truly understood Jesus’ gospel.”  Quoted from “I Can”, Art Lindsay, p 251.

So maybe the best thing we can do is to turn off our television sets for a while and ask God to show us if our contention is “godly, loving and kind.”

Yours in faith and friendship,

Pastor Tom