Saturday, July 21, 2007

Vacation Time

The blog will be quiet for a few weeks as I rest and enjoy time with my extended in-law clan. Nancy's folks will celebrate 50 years of marriage next week. Eighteen of us will be on a family trip together. If something is striking, I may blog about it. But this is my blog as pastor of Northminster Presbyterian Church. While I am on vacation, the blog will be too.

Great worship is planned for Northminster on July 29 and August 5. There will not be communion August 5, rather the August communion will be on August 26. Please join us at 8:30 and 11:00am each Sunday at 1100 E. Nine Mile Road. A map to the church is here, on the church's main web page.

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Mission Trip Reflections

Click on the words "Energetic, Traditional Creative Church" above to go to the blog's main (home) page.


PICTURE: mixing concrete for the roof of a CE Building in Uman, Mexico at the Disciples of Jesus Presbyterian Church.

A web log (blog) like this offers a person the opportunity to record thoughts and impressions as they happen, with few edits, changes, or a long time to reflect. Blogs are also a way to use links to other web sites. (Links are another color and are underlined.) I have done both in this post.

This post is redacted from notes made on the flight home from Houston following a mission trip to the Yucatan in Mexico.

On this mission trip, I realized again how each of us in the church around the world need each other.

Our host was Pastor Joel Canche. He and his wife Rosario (whose nickname is Chary), and their seven children were a big part of our trip. Their eldest four are working or in college. Their youngest two, Romanti and Gidalti were often with us. Through constant contact with these folks I feel like we got to know a Mexican family.

On Sunday we worshiped in a big Presbyterian Church in Merida. Jean Legters, a missionary, translated the service for us. On Monday we were in her home at the beach east of Progresso. Her husband, David Legters founded the San Palo Seminary in Merida in the early '70s. It is now a significant center of learning for Spanish-Speaking Presbyterians across Central and South America. This seminary has stimulated the Presbyterian Church in Mexico by training two generations of evangelical leaders.

We spent time with the Legters in their home on Tuesday. They are profoundly Christian people who became Missionaries exactly 40 years ago and having been living in Merida and among Mayan Presbyterians these many years. Here is a link to give to the seminary.

Our youth enjoyed their hospitality and the beach and do not know they were in the home of a seminary president.

When we arrived at the city of Progresso for a late lunch a cruise ship was at the end of the city's long pier. It was fun to see the vendors and cruise-tourists, but the city calmed down when the ship left port.

Tuesday evening, the last of the trip, we gathered for ice cream in the hotel restaurant. We shared stories of the week. Anne Louise said she liked being with the Mexican Christians, especially the children. I said it was the variety of experiences on the trip: 1) building a roof, 2) repairing a water system, 3) the new internet cafes the provided links to the USA and 4) the old ruins at Uxmal. Jack mentioned the religious aspect of the trip as being the most meaningful for him.

Have I mentioned in previous posts that our group consisted of ten adults and six youth? Two adults and one youth were the Northminster participants. Four adults were from Enterprise, Alabama. Two were from Dothan and six from Mobile. They all go to various churches within the bounds of South Alabama Presbytery. I enjoyed becoming friends with them and with many Mexican Presbyterians.

Nancy and I led a mission trip 19 years ago to build roofs on churches in Merida. This week we did the same construction. The economy in Merida is much improved and the church is alive and well! Their churches are alive with the Holy Spirit and they can expand buildings because North American Presbyterians help them with money and labor. It is like the way the presbytery and General Assembly helped Northminster buy land and build our first phase about sixteen years ago. We are good partners in the Service of Jesus Christ and His church around the world. I am pleased to be a tiny part of it.

We are home from the Mission Trip

We are home after a wonderful week of mission and ministry in the Yucatan in Mexico. Here is a picture of the Presbyterian church in Maxcanou, where we worshiped Sunday evening. The church is very much under construcation. We worshiped in the room that will eventually be the kitchen. I shot the first picture from the doorway looking into the worship space; that doorway is in the center of the building in the 2nd picture. Those Christians have such heart and spirit. Praise God.

I have a lot of pics, but don't want to clog the blog with all of them.




Here are a few more pictures from Maxcanou.



Monday, July 16, 2007



Here are Anne Louise and two of her new friends from Mobile (Kyle Grace and Jesica) with one of the Maya children at the church in Uman. It continues to be a good and safe trip.

Live from Tixcocob Mexico

This is the 5th post from the misstion trip in the Yucatan of Mexico. Three of us from Northminster are here working with Presbyterian Churches.

I am typing from an internet cafe in the town of Tixcocob (pronounced Tish-ka-kab).

Sunday we worshiped with two different congregations and with another on Saturday night. After worship on Saturday night we had a fiesta for the children of the church at Uman. We had a piƱata that looked like Donkey from Shrek. We gave out candy and mardi gras beads.

Sunday afternoon we went to the ruins at Uxmal. The pyramids and city were built between 500 and 1200 AD and abandoned before the Spanish came in about 1500. The Yucatan is flat, but these pyramids sit on little hills and command the surrounding countryside. I wish I knew more about the sociological history of Mexico from about 500AD to the present. We work with Mayan Presbyterians, descendents of the native Indians.

Last night we worshiped in an incomplete church (1/4 built) in Maxcanu (pronounced mash-canoe). David Jameson preached, JAck McNulty gave an elder´s prayer and i gave the benediction. WE all sang 3 songs and Valerie translated. The people there are so friendly. After diner we had mayan food at a member´s home. Wonderful.

We woke at 6 this morning to catch the presbytery bus to Tixcacab. Everyone´s attitude is super. The teenagers are trooprs, getting up early to come to the country to watch the men fix a water purification system. (see earlier posts)

The colonial architectur in Yucatan reminds us of the French Quarter in New Orleans (pre katrina). It was built by some of the same people at the same time. JAck M noted two differences between Merida and the French Quarter: the small sidewalks in Merida are much cleaner and the traffic is MUCH faster.

The Living Waters for the World water system is really cool. Today they are upgrading the system in the Bethel Presbyterian Church here in Tixcocob. Jack fits right in with the other engineers. I may be able to add photos this afternoon, if not this is probably my last post from Mexico.

God is blessing Anne Louise, Jack, me and all of us so much on this trip!

Saturday, July 14, 2007

Great Trip, poor hotel computer

This is my 4th entry from the mission trip. They flow in reverse-chronological order.

Three of us from Northminster are in Merida, Mexico helping sister-Presbyterians put a roof on their church. It is a great trip, but I am having trouble with the hotel computer. I will try to post from the internet cafe tomorrow or Monday.

Friday, July 13, 2007

Assuming a picture is worth a thousand words, I will let these photos from the first day be my post number 3. We were welcomed by the church in Uman with songs and worship, then we set to work installing the roof beams. Today, Friday, we put the blocks on the roof. Tomorrow is the hardest day, as we mix concrete and carry it to the roof to complete the process. I may not blog Saturday or Sunday, we´´ll see. All is going well.






This last photo is from the cathedral downtown. We had great cultural experiences yesterday, ending with a concert of local music and dancers at Plaza Santa Lucia.

Thursday, July 12, 2007

Tourists and Water Purification


This blog is written in reverse chronological order. This is the 2nd post. The picture above is a typical street scene. I found the pic on yahoo. I hope i´m not breaking copyright law or blogger manners by linking to someone else´s pictures.

The trip continues to be good. The weather is pleasant. I am sure no one will believe me, but the weather is cooler than pensacola and mobile. There is a nice breeze.

The teens, Betty and I took a bus tour of the city this morning, saw the Govornor´s palace museum, the Cathedral, and main plaza. All of those are together. We ate a good lunch of authentic food. The girls have bought a few pieces of jewelry or dresses. Anne Louise has a black and white one she will use as a cover-up to go to the beach. Otherwise it is probably too short. All the kids are doing well and contributing to the trip.

Most of the adults are in a town south of here repairing a water system. I think I gave a link for the Living Waters project yesterday.

Last night we ate at the hotel and enjoyed lime soup, a speciality of the Yucatan. It is chicken soup with lime juice and other local spices.

Tomorrow and Saturday we will work on the roof of the Disciples of Jesus Church in Uman. I hope to be able to upload some pictures Saturday or Monday.

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

first day in Uman

So far, this is a great mission trip. We arrived on time at 9 30 last night. It is about the same weather as Pensacola, we may have an afternoon shower soon. There is a bit of a breeze.

The Presbyterians here are wonderful. They fed us a small breakfast and wonderful, big lunch at their church, the Disiciples of Jesus Presbyterian Church. Lunch was a squash soup that even Anne Louise liked. Meals at the church are served in paper bowls with plastic spoons and forks fresh from the package. The soup boiled all morning, so the germs were killed. They seem to have learned a lot about hosting mision trips since my last one here in 1988.

We were greeted by the pastor and members of this church. they sang to us and with us and had a morning devotional. This is a special ministry.

Today we placed roof support beams made of concreat on a roof. the roof covers 4 Sunday school rooms. Tomorrow a few of our number will go to sites south of here to install water filtration systems. You may read all about this part of the project at http://www.livingwatersfortheworld.org/

Friday and Saturday we will finish the roofing project in Uman.

Tuesday, July 10, 2007




We leave Tuesday for Merida, Mexico. I think this picture (lifted from the web page of a church in California) may be the last one on this series from the mission trip. But I love pictures! They are worth a thousand words.

Pray for the sixteen Presbyterians from Mobile and Pensacola who will help Presbyterians in Uman, Mexico (south of Merida) build an addition to their church.

Monday, July 9, 2007

My Favorite Blog Enteries

Over the past several months I've posted a number of thoughts to this "pastor's blog" for Northminster Church. Since they 'disappear' off the bottom and one really has to look (following the 'older posts' link), you may click on these to see my favorite posts so far.

I hope to blog from Mexico later this week. Scroll down for the map of the Yucatan. UPDATE: the post is here.

Here are my thoughts on Memorial Day and Pentecost.

Click here to read my newsletter article about the surprise visitor in church.

This is a link to my article on Men's Breakfasts (the next one is this Sat. July 14)

Finally, I share my piece about Heifer International. We are still collecting money for to give a sheep and a goat to two poor families. Designate your gift to Northminster for this project.

Carol's Pics of Fun and Faith Days

Many thanks to Carol O. for sharing her pictures of Fun and Faith Days. Here you see some of our children, the Red Sea, and the tribes.



Photograph of the Whole Congregation in costume



On the Sunday of Fun and Faith Days a photograph of the whole congregation was taken in front of the church. It is available for purchase in 5x7 (very small) for $10, 8x1 for $15 and 11x14 for $25. A print of the 8x1 and 11x17 are on the information desk in the narthex. We did not put one on this blog at the photographer's request. Take a look at it next time you are at church. He would like orders in by Sunday, July 22. Make checks out to Ferbee Photo/Graphic; there is an envelope for them on the information table.

Friday, July 6, 2007

Mission Trip background information


Several members have asked me about Merida, Mexico and the mission trip Northminster is participating in. Merida is the capital of Yucatan State in Mexico (highlighted on the map).

We're going with Presbyterians from Mobile and South Alabama Presbytery. Here is a link to the presbytery's mission trips web site.

Here is a link to a tourist web site for Merida.

It is a 3-hour flight from Houston to Merida on Continental Airlines; the price was reasonable. I will try to post information about the hotel, our Presbyterian hosts in Mexico, and the church in Uman that we work with. I hope I can post to this blog during the trip, but we'll see.

Tuesday, July 3, 2007

Happy Independence Day



We Americans are indebted to the Great Men of 1776, the Founding Fathers in the 2nd Continental Congress who dared revolt against the unjust King.

During this week of Independence Day it is worth remembering the words of Jefferson's great Declaration. You may click here to see them; read them slowly, it is worth the time.

Sunday, July 1, 2007

Rachel's pictures of fun and faith days




Thank you, Rachel M. for these fantastic pics (and more).