Transformation Update - October, 2008

What does "transformation" mean?  Is the church "broken"?  Why are we going through this process?  Do we have to change?  Will it affect me personally?  Can someone just tell us what we need to do so we can do it?  These are some of the questions that we have been grappling with over the last year.  And during the last several months, "grappling" is a pretty appropriate word since our transformation project has brought a bit of conflict, frustration and heightened emotional levels to discussions of this topic within our congregation.  But, more and more, our congregation is engaging on this topic and there are signs that some aspects of transformation are beginning to take hold.

The word "transformation" seems to have the capacity to unsettle us.  There has been discussion in several forums about possibly changing this word to something more palatable.  I would like to make a case for staying the course with transformation at Ashland - both what we call it and what we are doing about it.

When thinking about transformation, several biblical stories may come to mind.  One of the most significant and amazing appears in Acts 9, the story of Saul traveling on the road to Damascus, encountering a bright light and falling to his knees at the voice of Jesus commanding him to change his persecuting ways.  (Saul had been waging war on the early Christians.)  Saul was blinded and had to be led to Damascus where his personal transformation could take root.  After three days in prayer, Saul was healed by God's servant Ananias and he regained his sight.  Saul stopped his persecution of Christians.  Not only did he stop persecuting, but after taking some time to regain his strength, Saul began to minister in the name of Jesus and later took on his new name "Paul".  Paul began to preach the gospel and all who heard him were amazed. Later in his letter to the Romans, he writes this request for their transformation:

So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life--your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life--and place it before God as an offering.  Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him.  Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking.  Instead, fix your attention on God.  You'll be changed from the inside out.  Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it.  Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.  (The Message translation of Romans 12, verses 1 and 2).

And verse 2 from the New Revised Standard Version: Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God; what is good and acceptable and perfect.

While likening Saul / Paul's experience to Ashland or to ourselves may be dramatic, I believe that God is calling our community and each of us individually to a new, transformed life.  The Session remains committed to the journey that we started over a year ago and we want to invite the entire congregation to join with us on this journey.

On Saturday, October 18, a transformation workshop was held in the Ashland Fellowship Hall. The Session, Deacons and the Healthy Church Team came together with Denise Van Eck, our transformation coach, to pray, enjoy fellowship, break bread, share our progress and to continue defining what the transformation journey has meant and should mean to Ashland.  Denise led us through discussions and we selected a list of values that we believe are important at Ashland (Community, Faith, Love, Commitment, Mission and Celebration).  Several individuals shared their personal journeys and the effect that our year long explorations have had on them.  Many of us are seeing transformation take hold in our pastor, members of the boards and other congregation members.  I believe that the participants in this Saturday workshop came away from the day with a renewed optimism about what is going on in our congregation and a renewed commitment to the transformation journey.

The Elders have been working on word definitions so that when we use those words we are in agreement on what we are referring to.  When this list of definitions has been finalized, they will be shared with the entire congregation.

During the last several months, a small group has been meeting in Brett's office on Wednesday evenings to discuss transformation at Ashland, to pray for our members and friends and to ask God to continue His work with the Ashland community.  During the last couple of meetings, we have all become convinced that God is at work at Ashland.  Through our conversations and prayer, each of us has been touched and feels that God is working in and on each of us.  If you would like to participate in this prayer group, please stop by Brett's office at 7:00 pm on any Wednesday.

Now that we have some tangible progress to report, we would like to invite each of you to ask questions, share concerns and to participate in several "town hall" meetings.  At these meetings, we will share some success stories, receive and answer questions and pray for discernment of God's will for our congregation.  The first two "town hall" meetings have been scheduled for Sunday, November 16 from 10:00 am to 10:45 am and from 12:15 pm to 1:00 pm.  Please let one of the Elders know if you would like to meet at other times.  We will do our best to accommodate your request.