Thursday, May 26, 2011

An Introduction

Greetings!

Many of you may have seen my face smile down at you before worship from the two screens. Others may have heard my name mentioned here or there. ... If not, that's o.k., too.

I began serving as Bethel's new associate pastor on May 8. One of my biggest challenges, at this point, is to meet people and get to know them....learn not just your name, but find out "what makes them tick," who you are, what excites you, what concerns you, and how together we can serve as partners in God's Kingdom.

I am planning to keep adding to this blog on a regular basis. Some of the comments may have to do with faith and theology, some with spiritual practices, others with current events at Bethel and (far) beyond.

At this point, it is still very much in flux what precisely I will be doing at Bethel. Some of my areas of responsibility will include: worship (duh, of course!), outreach & mission, young adult ministry, and multi-ethnic ministry. I will cover none of these areas alone, of course, but work alongside all of you who have been here much longer and know Bethel and the area much better than I.

As time will go by, I will introduce myself and my family a bit more. For now, I just hope to share with you some ideas that I have (shamelessly) stolen from Shane Claiborne, whom I heard speak in Sacramento this Spring. In his book The Irresistable Revolution, Shane writes of of 4 R's that are important to him in his ministry and that I hope to practice, too:
  • REAL. In a day when superficiality is the norm, I promise to be authentic and genuine.

  • RELEVANT. I will strive to provide resources that contribute to personal and spiritual growth in everyday life.

  • RELATIONAL. Through authentic love and unconditional acceptance, I will help people develop deep relationships.

  • REVOLUTIONARY. I promise to do whatever it takes to reach people with the gospel, no matter how revolutionary I must be.
Please stop by after worship, in my office at Bethel, or on my FB page and introduce yourself to me. Sometime soon, I plan to have a regular "coffee hour" at a local coffee shop and'll let you know.

Peace and grace to you,
Pr. Gabi

2 comments:

  1. Keep it going, I will follow....making sure u r on course. Of course.lol.

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  2. I think it's cool that you are doing a blog. I am having trouble reading the font because of the color -- maybe make it a darker font? Thanks :)

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