Blog - World Impact

2/22/12 8:00 AM

The Lenten season is that forty-day period of the Church year which starts on Ash Wednesday and ends on Saturday of Holy Week. It calls the faithful community to reflect on Jesus’ suffering, crucifixion, and death. Following our Lord in his preparation for his Passion, we prepare ourselves on the way of the Cross for full obedience to God. The season of Lent is, therefore, as one commentator put it, a season of “preparation, accompaniment, and journey.” As followers of Jesus of Nazareth, the church finds its life in his sacrifice on the Cross, his victory over evil, chaos, sin, and death, and his restoration of all things through his resurrection, his ascension, and soon return. – Rev. Dr. Don Davis

As followers of our Lord and Savior, it is natural that we would take seriously His path to the cross. Observing Him as He works His way toward Jerusalem, listening to the conversations He has along the way with hurting people, watching as He ministers and serves others and empowers His disciples to do the same.

In the rich history of the church, many have chosen to draw near to Christ in His lonely walk to the cross by giving up something. What a true privilege it is for us to think about what we can remove from our lives for the forty days of lent so that we might be ready to encounter Holy Week in all its tragedies, sorrows, and ultimate joy.

Might you consider what the Lord would have you fast from? If so, tell your pastor or a trusted friend what you wish to fast from to help keep you accountable. What an opportunity for us to join together with believers and churches around the world in this Lenten journey!

By Daren Busenitz

The Potluck Church

1/18/12 2:36 PM

The Potluck Church

I have yet to hear of a church with this catchy name. Maybe it is not the most eye-popping church name to ever hit the trendy church name market, but there is something very interesting about it.

I grew up in a Mennonite farming community where potlucks meant good fellowship and even better food. Can you actually have a better meal than Mennonite ladies bringing their all-star meal to a picnic?! I doubt it. This was food heaven and though gluttony was probably a slight temptation on these days of feasting, we certainly used one or more of our five senses to prove the reality of our church cook book name - "Taste and See That The Lord is Good!" I was always intrigued that there was always enough food and there was always the right amount of variety (salad, fruits and vegetables, meat, casserole, dessert, etc.). The amazing part of this is that a good potluck is never planned out, but always comes together looking like it was.

Ok, so what of the Potluck Church? As we plant small urban churches among the poor in Wichita, we find that it is a blessing to be a potluck church. The most basic element of a potluck is that you only have what you bring. If you don't bring it, you ain't got it. Simple as that. One of the favorite things (and best decisions we made early on) about our first Christ the Victor church plant was that we started our church fellowship with a potluck meal. It is easy to plan every week, it divides up the work nicely and allows everyone to contribute something. We soon realized that this mirrored our philosophy of church as well.

So what does this kind of church look like? If you don't have a guitar player, you teach someone to play a cd for worship. If you have someone who can't yet preach a sermon, you teach him to share a short devo based on the lectionary passage for that week. You have kids read Scripture and you have people pray for each other. And maybe at times you have kool-aid instead of grape juice for communion. In short, you go with what you got and you don't bemoan what you don't!

Typically, a church lives and dies on what the pastor makes it. But I believe a more accurate view of what church is (and therefore what a pastor's job is) is what the people make it (Eph. 4:11-12). I am going to continue to work hard to train our church planters and pastors to plant churches that though they may not have much, they use and enjoy to the full what God as given.

I like a good potluck and I like even better a potluck church.

By Daren Busenitz

Who Sleeps On This Couch?

12/8/11 12:16 PM

This was the question of one of my neighborhood kids asked me when they came over to visit the other day. It caught me off-guard and at first I was not even sure how to respond. But then the harsh truth slowly dawned on me. But first, let me back up a bit.

The kids that come over stay at a house two doors down from us to the North. While most of us would use the term "live in a house", it is interesting that among the poor in our neighborhood, the phrase "stay at a house " is more often the description which indicates the temporary nature of even the most stable things in their lives. The house itself is a typical inner-city house. Run down and barely able to keep up with the demands of all the people who stay inside its few walls. Bare dirt on the front lawn from constant activity of kids, teens, adults coming and going. I think the grandmother technically owns the house, but you would never be able to guess who lived there due to the large amount of people who randomly come and go . An old large car that somehow continues to run despite its obvious neglect in routine maintenance and upkeep. The harshest fact may be there there are two bedrooms in the house with two beds and LOTS of people. As you can imagine, the kids are lucky to even get a spot on the couch and even more likely to get a spot on the hardwood floor.

The question slowly made sense, "so who sleeps on the couch?" Equal to the surprise for us that someone would not have a bed to sleep in, is the surprise for my neighborhood kids who can't even envision a couch that is not used at night for comfortable sleeping. This certainly puts things in perspective in a hurry.

The thing that I want to change about my life from this "learning point" is the concern and action that I myself have and demonstrate for my neighbors. I am not Ty Pennignton and I cannot come in and build them a lavish new house (that would quickly fall into disrepair anyway once the media leaves). However, I can seek to alleviate the suffering of the poor. Specifically by building meaningful relationships with my neighbors, learning of their need, trying to help meet those needs as I share of my resources and demonstrate (not just tell) how God wants to provide for them and become the one that they can fully trust in for all their needs.

By Daren Busenitz

wichita ministry housing inner city children relationship

The Consequence of a Good Idea

10/19/11 2:18 PM

I must start off by being honest. I find the adventure of writing out my contemplations a bit intimidating. The Rev. Terry Cornett, a former teacher at TUMI (The Urban Ministry Institute), once said in a class that ideas have consequences. I think this is true and I am very challenged by this notion. Some of us find ideas as plentiful as the sand on the seashore and we have so many of them that very few ever make it anywhere. Others of us have so few ideas, that if we have one we are scared out of our minds (literally!). Either way, often times ideas stay as ideas and never get any further.

To me, a blog is a way to become responsible for the ideas that float around in my head and perhaps even a way for me to discern which ideas are actually of the Lord and backed with Scriptural support. To be frank, don’t come to my blog looking for a lot of ideas to come spewing forth! I am probably in the camp of fewer rather than plentiful ideas. However, knowing myself, if I write about something, it is probably going to be something I have thought about a good bit and feel the Lord prompting my Spirit to do something about the idea – or to bring the title of this first blog home – to become responsible for the idea.

I appreciate you for taking time to read my thoughts and may we all be responsible for the ideas that God plants in our brain that are intended to change the world for His glory!

By Daren Busenitz

wichita ministry ideas responsibility

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