a quick look at things that have happened recently ...

adjuncts and consulting

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 17:34:56 -0500

We are entering an interesting phase of ministry. It might be called the “overwhelmed phase.” We have learned an incredible amount through our work as missionaries in the context of our particular small city downtown and our work equipping and empowering a church to become better missionaries to the world directly around them. Although surprising to us, but perhaps not to God, the hard lessons we’ve learned have been very valuable to many churches and individuals seeking to develop ministries or better engage downtowns throughout the country. This has led to many requests for workshops, books, speaking engagements, etc. that makes life very exciting. One of the opportunities that we are really excited about is teaching an experiential cross-cultural class and intensive through Asbury Theological Seminary. We are prayerfully approaching each of these requests to make sure it is something that we can truly commit to without losing our focus on our particular neighborhood and church. Please keep us in prayer as we need discernment to know which of many “good ideas” are really good ideas for us at this time in life.

Liaisons needed

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 12:28:39 -0500

The Downtown Christian Unity Task Force is looking for a few good men and women to serve as liaisons for their church. We are working toward having two liaisons from every downtown Lexington church involved.

Here’s some info:

The Downtown Christian Unity Task Force (DCUTF) is an association of churches that seek to serve the downtown area of Lexington and enhance existing ministries of member churches by facilitating and promoting inter-congregational collaborations in the areas of education, reconciliation, fellowship, worship, community service, and assistance with unmet needs in the downtown area. Its mission is to foster unity in reconciled diversity among churches in order to be a common witness to Christ in the downtown area of Lexington. Our desire is to promote and assist partnerships between two or more churches across the boundaries of denomination, social class, ethnicity and race, for the sake of meeting common goals in our city.

In order to accomplish this mission, the DCUTF is seeking to enlist two liaisons from every downtown church to serve as the primary conduits of communication between the churches and the primary catalysts of inter-church partnerships.

Liaison Job Description:
Purpose: to serve as the communication link between the Downtown Christian Unity Task Force and the liaison’s respective church and church leadership, to represent his or her congregation as a voting member at the annual meeting, and to help generate ideas for inter-congregational collaboration and promote those collaborations within his or her congregation.

Qualifications: An understanding of the inner workings of his or her church along with it's passions and ministries, a heart for God's mission in our city, and a desire to work toward unity in Christ's body.

Expectations:
• Attend two meetings a year: an annual celebration and a liaison gathering.
• Maintain contact with the Communication and Coordinating Committee (CCC) of the DCUTF throughout the year, keeping the CCC abreast of new things happening at his or her church and/or exciting ideas for inter-congregational projects.
• Subscribe to an online website to receive email updates from the of the DCUTF and other liaisons concerning downtown church news and/or upcoming projects.
• Communicate with his or her church leadership about potential opportunities for inter-church collaborations and help to mobilize volunteers to form partnerships to accomplish common goals.
• Vote on issues, actions, and officer/committee nominations during the annual meeting.
• Mentor a second liaison and when needed find and mentor a replacement.
• Commit to at least a two-year term.

If you or your church are interested, let us know.

Snowed-in in winterville

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 23:30:46 -0500

Sometimes, God just seems to know exactly what we need. Who would have thought it would be ice and snow in North Carolina? Katheryn and I were invited to come and share about our ministry to Covenant United Methodist Church in Winterville, just outside of Greenville, North Carolina. We were planning for a packed weekend for the Heinz family 3, a long drive, a day visiting ministry sites in a neighborhood the church has adopted, several speaking engagements and an interview. But as our first night rolled in, down came the snow, then ice, then rain, then snow, then ice. . . . By morning, the world looked like an ice skating rink. We were basically snowed in with our host we had just met. But as I said, God knows what’s up. We got to know this couple and several other folks from the church really well over those few days and it was such a blessing. I was just blown away by the way God is working in their church and their city. It was a fresh wind of the Spirit for us. Thank you Covenant.

Bootcamp round 2

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 14:26:53 -0500

In September we began our second Mission Bootcamp. We have a fantastic group and have really enjoyed getting to know each of them. We’ve spent some time exploring urban issues, and healthy missional practice. We’ve dived into the scripture to shape us as we interact with the world around us. We’ve met a number of people and visited many places within our downtown community. We took an exciting journey to Cincinnati (check out Winter 10 Newsletter). We have quite a bit of ground to cover and can’t wait to see what God has in store.

Parenthood

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Countless people told us that life will never be the same, but we had no idea that someone so tiny would become such huge part of our lives. It’s difficult now to imagine what life was like before Luke was born. We are three and a half months (Katheryn would say it’s more like a year) into this thing called parenthood and every day is a new adventure. Luke has learned how to smile and laugh and uses these new skills to melt the hearts of anyone around him. The more we get to know our son, the more we know that God has truly blessed us in ways that we can’t even fathom. We are so grateful for all those who have helped us get ready for parenthood through baby gear, advise, and prayers. It truly takes a village to raise a child and we are so glad to be a part of such a loving village.

“Ordination” and other church words

Wed, 2 Dec 2009 11:55:41 -0500

Katheryn and I are both exploring ordination through the United Methodist Church. It has been quite a journey as we ponder the gravity of this ancient rite and it’s meaning us. Ordination is the process of being set apart as clergy of the church. It is the church’s response and vigorous testing of God’s calling on an individual into ministry. To be ordained is to submit both to God’s calling and to the authority of the church institution or denomination. In world in which the authority of the church is rapidly diminishing and the language that we Christians use to talk about our faith and the church often seems like a foreign dialect, I have to ask myself, “What does “ordination” mean to those outside the walls of the church?” What does it mean for the church? What does it mean for us?

Luke Oliver Heinz

Mon, 2 Nov 2009 20:59:15 -0500

Welcome to the world son...

Release to prisoners

Thu, 1 Oct 2009 22:45:12 -0400

Over the past year, we have had the privilege of getting to know a fellow who had spent 27 nonconsecutive years of his life in the state prison. I (John) first met him during a dominos game outside of a boarding house. He had just been paroled from his last sentence and was basically homeless and trying to find his way. As I got to know this new friend better, I came to discover that he was a quite smart cookie. He spent a lot of time in the prison library studying the law books in order to reduce his sentence or do legal work for other prisoners. He was able to chop several years off one of his prison terms. In the process, the case went all the way to the state supreme court and became a landmark “search and seizure” decision.

One day, this friend and I were sitting on the porch and talking. He was obviously struggling. He knew all about the prison. He was an expert at prison, but out here it is different. The rules are different. There is no structure forced upon you. Although he was great at job rehabilitation programs and great at finding jobs, he couldn’t keep them. He was getting back into drugs. He was scared. I told him the story of Jesus. I told him that everything is new because of Jesus’ death and resurrection. I told him that he didn’t need to get his act together to accept Jesus, but Jesus accepts him just as he is. He came over that same night, and handed Katheryn a small stack of papers, "give this to John. If he can read this and still tell me what he told me earlier today, I need to talk with him." It was his criminal record. He simply did not believe that Christ would want anything to do with someone with that stack of papers. Several days later, I handed the papers back and said, “these are yours.” My friend replied, “no. It’s theirs. Thanks to God, it’s not me anymore.”

Farewell to Pepe

Sun, 27 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0400

Several years ago a local real estate magazine came out with an issue showcasing high-end downtown real estate. On the front cover was a picture of a very demure looking gentleman strolling down Broadway. He was vibrantly adorned with beads, a Panama hat, and walking cane. Perhaps a poet or artist, the image captured the eclectic lifestyle that epitomizes the downtown mystic. This man was Pepe.

Pepe, pronounced “peppy”, lived without a home for over three decades. He was a fixture in Lexington’s downtown. I have known him longer than I’ve known Katheryn. Pepe was a man who lived by a code. He was homeless, but by choice. I would say he was professionally homeless and took his career seriously. He was college educated, a musician, and well read (he particularly loved western novels). Pepe lived with only what he could carry on his back (and a suitcase of out of season clothes stored at a friend’s house). He only took what was freely given to him and only what he needed. He would often winter in Florida, but prided himself on surviving not too few Kentucky winters outside. One year, he spent a few freezing weeks sleeping on a couch at a ministry house where I used to live. He refused to sleep in the main part of the house, even though a bed was available, but preferred the back addition that stayed slightly above forty degrees in the winter. Pepe didn’t make it to this winter. He passed away from a heart attack a few days ago. He was 60 or 61 or 63. I know his real name, but he would never use it, so I won’t. I hope you found what you were looking for Pepe. Farewell.

Texas Churches

Sun, 23 Aug 2009 13:09:25 -0400

In August, we spent a week in Texas to raise support for the ministry and to make connections with other churches interested in combining discipleship and missions. In a matter of a week, we visited Austin, San Antonio, and Houston. We met with pastors/leaders of six churches, and gave a presentation to a group of business people at Teacher Retirement Retirement System of Texas (TRS) . Out of this trip, a colleague at one of the churches is starting a Mission Bootcamp at her church. We are excited to see what God has in store through future collaborations with these fantastic churches.