Douglass Blvd Christian Church

an open and affirming community of faith

2005 Douglass Blvd

(502) 452-2629

n open and affirming community where faith is questioned and formed, as relationships are made and upheld. 

If You Want to Give Online, Now You Can!

December 03, 2014  /  DBCC

We've recently started something new at Douglass Blvd. Christian Church when it comes to stewardship: We've made it as painless as possible to give online. Now you can sign up for automatic payments to come from your bank account, your credit card, or your hopelessly rich aunt Carol (well, ok, you can't really sign up for aunt Carol without her knowing it, because that would be wrong—but the other two options are still good).

Here are some Frequently Asked Questions:

Why might I want to sign up for automatic payments to Douglass Blvd. Christian Church?

  • It saves the aggravation of having to remember to keep your check book handy
  • It saves you needless expense on (environmentally unfriendly) paper checks and messy ink pen refills
  • It helps DBCC better track our finances, making Joanna's life easier
  • It totally gives you street cred with the kids.

Does that mean you only want digital money now?

No. We still value cash, checks, and gifts of stock (see, aunt Carol). We're only trying to offer additional ways to open up the possibility of supporting the work and ministry of DBCC. Many of us pay our bills and do our shopping almost exclusively online, which makes this an attractive option. If that doesn't describe you, however, no need to worry. We're not trying to force you into doing something you aren't comfortable with.

I've heard a lot about online scams—identity theft, stolen credit card numbers, deposed Nigerian dictators—do I have to worry about the privacy and security of my financial information?

Great question! Faithstreet is a highly respected online presence, dedicated to helping congregations with stewardship and with making connections with people who are searching for a church. Here's the CBS News report on Faithstreet. And the Washington Post thought enough of Faithstreet to partner with them.

As far as privacy and security go, here's their statement on just how vigilantly they'll be watching your personal and financial information.

Can I pay on my phone?

You sure can! You can follow this link.

Or, you can use this handy dandy QR code.

Are there other ways to sign up?

Of course, if you feel more comfortable filling out a form by hand, and turning in a physical artifact, you can print this form off and send it in. We're fine however you want to do it.

Are there any other benefits to online giving?

Yes. There are people all over the world who regularly interact with DBCC online, reading the blog, listening to podcasts, appreciating our marvelous staff. Online giving provides them an easier alternative to support the work and ministry we're engaged in.

So, if you're up for it, try something new. Give online. It's fast, reliable, and simpler than a pack mule.

 
categories / Douglass Boulevard Christian Church
tags / Stewardship, Web Site, online giving, Faithstreet

I Will (Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24)

November 23, 2014  /  DBCC

Because in a world that’s heard it all before, in a world where people are dying for someone just to say what they mean, in a world in which sometimes even the most important people in our lives can’t be trusted, when God asks, 'Who will be for my people both the shepherd and the lamb slain on their behalf?' and we hear Jesus call out from the cross at the place of skull, 'I will,' we know that God’s serious about keeping promises.

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A Reminder about Office Closing

November 17, 2014  /  DBCC

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Just a reminder: Because all of our staff live more than 10 miles from church, when the weather is bad enough for Jefferson County Public schools to close school, the church offices will also be closed.

The Audacity of Trust (Matthew 25:14-30)

November 16, 2014  /  DBCC

Why not be audaciously trusting with the gifts we've been given, and just give them away—without the expectation that in so doing we will increase the membership rolls or the budget? Why not just do what we do because we've been blessed with so much, and because it's the right thing to do?

During stewardship emphasis month, all over the world congregations are telling individuals to do just that. Why don't we ask congregations to do the same kind of radical thing . . . and let God worry about how much is left over?

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You Had One Job! (Matthew 25:1-13)

November 09, 2014  /  DBCC

The hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the sick, the imprisoned—Jesus is all around us. Our job isn't to figure out how to impress Jesus when he comes. According to St. Benedict, according to our Gospel lesson, our job is to wait at the door and welcome Jesus.

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Transgender Day of Remembrance Service

November 06, 2014  /  DBCC

Thursday, November 20th is Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR). This year we are excited to announce that DBCC will be hosting a TDOR service.  The service will be held in the sanctuary on Thursday, November 20th at 7 p.m. Come join us in a meaningful service of remembrance. For more information on TDOR and why TDOR is important please check out the TDOR website. Also, here are the ten things everyone should know about TDOR.

categories / Worship
tags / worship, TDOR, lgbtq

Give Yourself a Bre

November 05, 2014  /  DBCC

By Derek Penwell

I played baseball in college. The first half of my freshman year went fairly well. At least I didn’t embarrass myself too much.

The second half, though, was a nightmare. I got into a terrible slump that I couldn’t get out of. I changed my batting grip. I changed my batting stance. I changed my batting gloves. Nothing worked.

After some weeks, I’d completely lost patience with myself. I was pressing … hard.

One of my coaches, who hadn’t said much to me throughout my struggles, finally took me aside and said, “It looks like you’re trying to hit two home runs in one at-bat. You’re thinking too much. Let your body do what it knows how to do. You’ve practiced and practiced. Now let your body do the work.”

And I said, “Yeah, but what if that doesn’t work? What if I don’t ever get another hit?”

Coach said, “You can’t control what happens to the ball after you do what you’ve trained to do. Muscle memory. You can only control the swing you’ve practiced. And if you’ve done it correctly—and you have, because I’ve made sure of that—it’ll eventually work itself out. You’ve got to quit thinking so much. What? Do you think you're Ty Cobb?  Give yourself a break.”

I over-think just about everything, and I’m not good at giving myself a break.

Writing is the same way. You do something you really like, and some other folks seem to like it too. Then, the next thing you do (which you also like) barely raises a yawn. Then, you produce several yawners in a row, and you start to think that maybe you’ve managed a couple of flukes, but now everybody has wised up and can see what a fraud you are. And you’re convinced that they’ll never read anything you’ve written again. (I’ve been assured by other writers that this is a thing—that it’s not just me.)

The temptation when you hit a dry patch in writing is to try to think, think, think of something new and important to say—something that will drive page views or book sales (or whatever measuring stick for success you happen to be employing).

You start pressing, start trying to hit two home runs in every at-bat. So, you write stuff like “Fourteen Reasons the Church Needs to Be More Like Lady Gaga.”

But writing also has its own version of muscle memory. Writers write because they can’t not write, which means that they write for the love of the act writing and not for the results writing produces.

Why?

Because you can’t control what happens after you push “submit,” after you send your work out into the ether. You trust that your writing muscles will remember what to do, and do it. And you trust that what comes from that will be a good representation of all the time and energy you’ve sunk into throwing words up on a screen. What people do or don’t do with it, you can’t control.

Struggling congregations often look like slumping hitters who can’t catch a break or writers who believe their best words have already found their way onto the paper. They press. They catastrophize. You can smell the fear of failure, the neediness for approval all over them.

Congregations in decline start thinking how they might change their luck (“because, you know, we’ve got to do something or we’re going to die”). Rather than trust themselves, they start thinking about gimmicks that will break the slump.

“I heard about a church out in Kansas that did this thing on Tuesday nights with a calliope, a tattoo artist, and bears on unicycles. Maybe we should check into that.”

But, assuming you’ve thought and prayed about the ministries you engage, and that you have something to offer, what you need to focus on is remaining faithful to your best lights.

When it comes to congregations, what do I mean by “remaining faithful to your best lights?”

Here’s what I mean: congregations should spend time discerning where God is leading, and then head in that direction. If the community is convinced that it’s the right way to go, then go and quit worrying that somebody else knows a shortcut that you don’t know.

You have to get over the mistaken notion that you can engineer the results you want. Muscle memory. You do what you do the best you know how to do it, and then you let God take responsibility for the results.

Does that mean if something’s obviously not working you shouldn’t change?

Let me take a different tack for a moment. Don’t confuse tactics with strategy. Strategy is a direction. Tactics are a path. If you’re headed east, several paths may take you there. If you find that one path doesn’t work, don’t feel guilty about stopping and heading down another one. But you need to remain convinced that east is where you need to go.

That’s a lot of metaphors for one post. The point is, congregations need to look to God for the kind of work they need to be doing. Then, they need to do that work as often and as well as possible. Finally, they need to let God worry about results.

Give yourself a break.

categories / Christianity, Leadership
tags / Congregational Transformation, christianity, leadership, ministry