The Security of Stained Glass—Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929 – 1968)

From a Birmingham jail in 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr.penned his now famous response to the liberal clergymen who opposed his methods for fighting racial discrimination.¹Among his many disappointments, one stood out above all others. In the face of manifest ungodliness, the Church had been silent. King was painfully aware that when the Church is silent about sin, evil will follow. As a minister of the gospel, he was equally convinced that the Church could speak prophetically to the culture and transform it. But unless her voice was faithful and clear, she would become irrelevant. He was right.

Let me take note of my other major disappointment. I have been so greatly disappointed with the white church and its leadership . . . I do not say this as one of those negative critics who can always find something wrong with the church. I say this as a minister of the gospel, who loves the church; who was nurtured in its bosom; who has been sustained by its spiritual blessings and who will remain true to it as long as the cord of life shall lengthen.

When I was suddenly catapulted into the leadership of the bus protest in Montgomery, Alabama, a few years ago, I felt we would be supported by the white church, felt that the white ministers, priests and rabbis of the South would be among our strongest allies. Instead, some have been outright opponents, refusing to understand the freedom movement and misrepresenting its leaders; and too many others have been more cautious than courageous and have remained silent behind the anesthetizing security of stained-glass windows . . .

In the midst of blatant injustices inflicted upon the Negro, I have watched white churchmen stand on the sideline and mouth pious irrelevancies and sanctimonious trivialities. In the midst of a mighty struggle to rid our nation of racial and economic injustice, I have heard many ministers say: “Those are social issues, with which the gospel has no real concern.” And I have watched many churches commit themselves to a completely other-worldly religion which makes a strange, un-Biblical distinction between body and soul, between the sacred and the secular . . .

Yes, these questions are still in my mind. In deep disappointment I have wept over the laxity of the church. But be assured that my tears have been tears of love. There can be no deep disappointment where there is not deep love. Yes, I love the church. How could I do otherwise? I am in the rather unique position of being the son, the grandson and the great-grandson of preachers. Yes, I see the church as the body of Christ. But, oh! How we have blemished and scarred that body through social neglect and through fear of being nonconformists.

There was a time when the church was very powerful—in the time when the early Christians rejoiced at being deemed worthy to suffer for what they believed. In those days the church was not merely a thermometer that recorded the ideas and principles of popular opinion; it was a thermostat that transformed the mores of society. Whenever the early Christians entered a town, the people in power became disturbed and immediately sought to convict the Christians for being “disturbers of the peace” and “outside agitators.” But the Christians pressed on in the conviction that they were “a colony of heaven,” called to obey God rather than man . . .

Things are different now. So often the contemporary church is a weak, ineffectual voice with an uncertain sound. So often it is an arch-defender of the status quo. Far from being disturbed by the presence of the church, the power structure of the average community is consoled by the church’s silent—and often even vocal—sanction of things as they are.

But the judgment of God is upon the church as never before. If today’s church does not recapture the sacrificial spirit of the early church, it will lose its authenticity, forfeit the loyalty of millions, and be dismissed as an irrelevant social club with no meaning for the twentieth century.²

Footnotes:

These are the prayer points our prayer ministry outlined for the 10 days of Prayer and Fasting:

January 8th to 17th

1. Pray for the Lord’s protection for the Pastors, Extended Staff and their families in the New Year.
2. Pray for the Lord’s protection and provision for our KPIC Family according to 3 John 1:2. Specifically for health and provision of jobs. “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers.” ( 3 John 1:2)
3. Miracles: Pray that the Lord would visit us in a miraculous way and the people of KPIC would have the faith for miracles.
4. Spiritual Family, as evidenced by members of the Body helping, standing with, and encouraging one another.
5. Kingdom, Pray that the people of KPIC would have an ever increasing understanding that we are citizens of the Kingdom of God and that the Kingdom of God is here “NOW”.
6. Faith, Pray that our faith would be built up to exercise our “Kingdom, God given authority” in our lives and the lives of others.
7. Increase and Overflow, Pray that we would be so filled with the Holy Spirit that there would be an overflow into the community.
8. Pray that as a result of that overflow, every person would move in the gift of the Evangelist.
9. Pray that there would be new believers added from all demographics of society. Young and old, rich and poor will be swept into the Kingdom.
10. Holiness, Pray that we would be a “Holy people”. That “the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts” would be acceptable and pleasing to the Lord.

In a community where unemployment is 50% higher than the national average, approximately 15% have not received a high school diploma, and where drugs, crime, and violence are major problems; the Life Center is a beckon of hope.

Over the years the Youth Life Foundation, affectionately known as the King’s Park Life Center, has committed to and left an impact on the Cornwallis Public Housing Community. The center aims to fill the education gap for students in low income housing communities through daily academic enrichment, teen leadership, juvenile crime prevention, and parental empowerment programs. The center’s ability to function and its scope of impact is heavily contingent upon the combined diligence and faithfulness of donors and volunteers.

In October the Life Center recognized their volunteers and their achievements at their annual Volunteer Luncheon. Currently the Life Center has about 60 volunteers who are commitment to serve the community through the Life Center.  Although the number of volunteers has grown in recent years, the Life Center needs more volunteers to adequately address the needs of the Cornwallis Community.

Would you consider helping this Christmas? You can share the gift of joy with an under-privileged child by picking up an angel off of the angel tree from now until December 14^th in the South Lobby at KPIC.

Please visit www.kpic.org/newsandevents/angeltree.html for more information on our Life Center Angel Tree, or visit www.youthlifefoundation.org/getinvolved to learn more about volunteer opportunities. Contact Executive Director Marcella Sweeney at msweeney@youthlifefoundation.org with questions or to sign up to volunteer.

This article, written by King’s Park member Deanna Falchook, is a portion of a full article at www.incultureparent.com. Mark & Deanna Jones are parents and adoptive parents of seven children, representing 4 nations. She is author of Mother the World, writes for InCultureParent online magazine and video blogs at www.mothertheworld.org.

Letters from Orphans

November is National Adoption Month and this past Sunday was Orphan Sunday. We dedicated our children at our church in Durham, North Carolina with about 10 other children who had been adopted in the past year within our congregation. Typically in our inter-denominational Christian church, babies are “dedicated” as a way for parents to commit to raising their children with an understanding that they are children of God and to declare a promise to teach them about Jesus. Baptism is something that the children can decide to do as they get older and grow in their faith. I was asked to speak for a few minutes and when contemplating what to discuss, I immediately knew I wanted to talk about the numerous letters given to me by orphans in Ethiopia. They were beautifully decorated and folded up in bulky triangles that bulged from my Levi’s pockets.

When we went to Addis Ababa in 2008 to Layla House, an orphanage that houses about 300 children, most of whom are between the ages of three and 16, our newly adopted children were five, six and nine. The letters were mostly written in Amharic and I had to take them to friends to be translated. In some ways, the letters were like little love letters of gratitude for adopting our three children, but mainly, they were pleas and requests to find them families.

These children saw me as their only hope for delivering a message to my friends to come and adopt them. For my husband and I, this was overwhelming. If not adopted soon, some young teens would be on the streets and never have an opportunity for a family again. Some were sick and knew that they needed a family who could help nurse them back to health. One letter was given to me by two sisters who were nine and 13. Once translated, I would find out that this is what the letter said:

Dear Ejigayehu Mama,

We are so happy that our friend has you as a mother. We think of you as our mother even though we don’t have one yet. Please tell your friends that we are good children and will promise to be wonderful daughters…. continued at InCultureParent.com >

Orphan support and a new Adoption Fund are a part of the 2012 Commission Missions Campaign. Please see the full list of King’s Park 2012 missions support on the missions page.

Have you ever wondered how you could reach leaders of nations and obey the Great Commission, without a plane ticket?

Reaching future world leaders at our doorstep takes on new realities, with the recent appointment of the new Prime Minister of Libya, a graduate from NC State!  We have a very special opportunity surrounded by universities in the Triangle area.  We have the chance to befriend future world leaders show them the love of Christ. Our prayer is that they will go back to their home country, as Christian leaders and leave a mark on their nations for the Jesus Christ.

The harvest is ready… We now have over 50 internationals who are interested in bible studies to know more about Jesus, and thousands others in the Triangle area, who are separated from their families, fighting loneliness, isolation, and culture shock; and they long to have an American friend!

This year for Thanksgiving, we are asking families to invite International Students to their homes for a Thanksgiving meal. Just as our pilgrim forefathers celebrated the first Thanksgiving by inviting native Indians (who were culturally different), so also, we are praying that our KPIC families will open their homes to our international friends sometime before or during the Thanksgiving holidays.  The pilgrims gave thanks to God before experiencing a “breakthrough” harvest. We believe the Lord is pouring out His abundance on KPIC in 2012, as we embrace these future world leaders into our homes with our Father’s love.

Theresa and her husband David are co-directors of iMix, International Ministry and Interest eXchange. This ministry is also a part of the 2012 Commission Campaign. Theresa and David can be reached at imix@kpic.org.

Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter- when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
Isaiah 58:6-9

Dear Church Family,

Many of our members and leaders have faced severe challenges during the last several months, so we feel it is appropriate to call on God with fasting as well as prayer as we wrap up “The Fight” series.

Though we will continue to fight the good fight of faith, the team is asking the Lord to bring an end to this particular time of struggle. Please pray that this “chosen fast” will help bring breakthrough, closure and victory.

Beginning Monday, November 14, we will fast for three days. The fasting and prayer will culminate Wednesday the 16th at 7pm at the church prayer meeting.

Please make an effort to join us for this special Wednesday night prayer meeting. All leaders and members are invited.

During this meeting, there will be a basket in the front of the sanctuary for any individual prayer requests that you may have. The pastors and KPIC prayer team will pray over them.

Blessings,

The KPIC Pastoral Team

*Reposted from Vantage Point Prayer Watch

I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.
Ephesians 1:16

President Woodrow Wilson first proclaimed Armistice Day for November 11, 1919, saying, “To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service.”  In 1954 “Armistice” was replaced with “Veterans.”

The First World War saw more than 53,000 deaths in combat; World War II, 291,000; The Korean conflict, 36,000; and Vietnam, 47,000. More recent conflicts have added 113 in the Gulf War, over 3,500 in Iraq, and more than 1,400 in Afghanistan.

In President Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, he spoke of war claiming the “last full measure of devotion” of the honored dead. He also declared that they, and all before and following them, “shall not have died in vain – that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom – and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the Earth.”

As you give solemn remembrance, pray for today’s men and women in conflict and for those who have come home wounded and traumatized. Pray for His peace for the families left behind by ones who did not return. And thank God Almighty for the freedom this nation still enjoys.

Recommended Reading: Ephesians 2:14-21

This year’s ENCM Southeast Regional Fall Retreat was a huge success! Held in Fayetteville, NC, the new venue brought fresh life to the weekend. The theme of this year’s retreat was “Look for It,” based on Jesus’ command in Matthew 6:33 to seek God’s Kingdom above all else.

There were over 180 students in attendance and at least 12 students indicated a decision to follow Christ over the course of the weekend. Also, during the Saturday evening session, many students were baptized in the Holy Spirit. For the majority of students present, this session was their initial introduction to the Holy Spirit.

A major prayer that was answered during the weekend was for students to establish authentic relationships with one another. Not only did students do so within their own campus community but friendships were formed across the many campuses present.

Fall Retreat serves as a catalyst for students to join leadership in their campus ministry. In the week and a half since the retreat, a number of students have made the leap from attendee to leader in their campus ministry.

by Michael Cook (friend of Pastor Jon & Kelley Owens)

God’s heart conceived and sang into being
Psalm 139:13-16; Zephaniah 3:17

A vibrant note, embodied by a child;
Job 38:7: Isaiah 8:18; Isaiah 49:1-2

Thrust forth with joy, His purpose foreseeing.
Psalm 139:17-18; Jeremiah 29:11

This dulcet melody, resounding, wild,
Isaiah 40:3-5; Isaiah 41:15-20

And strong enough to set the worlds ablaze,
Isaiah 49:5-9; Isaiah 58:12; Isaiah 61:1-4; 10

Both those perceived and others imminent,
II Corinthians 4:7-18; Hebrews 11:13-16

Secures her portion for eternal days:
Psalm 144:12; Isaiah 60:17-18; Zechariah 3:6-10

The song rejoins the singer. Resonant,
Matthew 11:28-30; Luke 23:43; Hebrews 11:5

She echoes in our longing hearts, arms, tears,
Isaiah 25:6-9; I Thessalonians 4:13-18

Like ripples on a pond from skipping stones.
Psalm 40:7-10; Malachi 3:16; Mark 14:9

Myriad songs in harmony she hears,
Psalm 100:1-5; Revelation 5:11-13

With countless voices she includes her own.
Psalm 40:1-3; Daniel 7:9-10

Come! That day we, united in presence,
John 14:1-3; Revelation 22:20

Join her in the light of Christ’s countenance.
Psalm 27:4; I Corinthians 13:12