Author Archive for Nate Hulfish

Welcome to Circle of Hope Camden

Published
by
Nate Hulfish
on October 6, 2008
in Community, Dialogue and Planning
. 4 Comments

When we walked into our new worship space in the basement of Bridge of Peace Community Church in Camden, we were greeted by a rather large and quite dead mouse right in the middle of the floor. It was apparently headed somewhere, and it didn’t quite make it.

Now I have a completely rational and incredible fear of mice (for real, so don’t mess). It doesn’t matter to me if they are living or dead…I get quite panicky inside (looking at this picture even makes me anxious). But, as no one else seemed willing to take care of it, I did what was necessary and cleaned up the mess. I choked down my fear and removed our deceased friend…the space instantly felt more welcoming. (By the way, CJ Reynolds suggested, tongue in cheek, that we leave the mouse there and attempt to raise it from the dead as a part of our worship time…ta-da!)

I’ve been working with a lot of what was wrapped up in the imagery of that mouse. Ideas of heading from one place (like congregations in Philadelphia) to another (like Camden). Ideas of maybe not quite making it (do we really have what it takes?) and dying on the floor (will we grow from the 40 people that were there last night to the 140+ we hope to be?). Ideas about overcoming fear, about doing what needs to be done, about messiness, and about being welcoming. There’s a lot to think about.

What’s really great is that we all exist in a place of grace where we have time to work through the questions that plague us. We have a loving God who fills us with joy and peace and gives us hope.

Paul writes in Romans 15:13, Oh! May the God of great hope fill you up with joy, fill you up with peace, so that your believing lives, filled with the life-giving energy of the Holy Spirit, will brim over with hope!

Last night’s Camden (Tuckahoe and Yorkship) “soft-launch” was great. We had so much fun…there was so much love present. Above all, we were filled with joy and peace and we are brimming with hope for what’s next.

There are three more “soft” public meetings until our official launch on November 2nd. I’m hoping that I don’t have to clean up a mouse every week…more than that, I’m hoping Circle of Hope in Camden makes it where we’re headed as we follow the resurrected Jesus into what’s next.

Why Plant Circle of Hope in Camden?

Published
by
Nate Hulfish
on May 6, 2008
in Action, Community, Dialogue and Planning
. 7 Comments

It is the poorest city in America. In 2007, it was the 5th most dangerous city in the country (it was the most dangerous in 2004 and 2005). It is home to less than 80,000 people. It has 3 college campuses downtown and a bevy of developing local attractions. It is ethnically and culturally diverse. It is growing. It has unimaginable needs. It has untapped resources. It is passed by and passed through on a regular basis by people with no consciousness of the needs or the potential. It is made up of and surrounded by an ever growing population of people who simply need hope. Some of them have already entered our circle. They are in our cells, they frequent our public meetings. You probably know them.

One of our friends called it, “just like Philly without any of the good stuff.”

We are the good stuff, Circle of Hope. We have good stuff to offer. Let’s bring the good stuff. Because people need Jesus. Our God is saving the world and there are thousands of people who might partner with him to embrace hope and bring hope if they were just asked the simple question…“do you want to help God save the world with Jesus?”

We are a circle of hope in Jesus Christ called to be a safe place to explore and express God’s love. We build the church for the next generation by the power of the Holy Spirit, multiplying cells that are authentic expressions of life in Christ, forming congregations as diverse as the kingdom of God, and constructing a reconciling network to bring hope to the challenges of 21st century urban life.

Wow!

That’s who we are and what we do. Are you ready to be who we are and do what we do in Camden? It’s a good mission to have. Camden is a good place to have that mission.

Perhaps you’ll pray with us…perhaps you’ll plant with us…we’re doing it together. I can’t wait to see where God takes us!

Going and Being

Published
by
Nate Hulfish
on December 31, 2007
in Action, Community and Dialogue
. 2 Comments

Over the past thirty years of so, one of America’s largest “mega-churches”, Willow Creek, (based outside of Chicago) pioneered ways of giving a high priority to reaching people for Christ, based on high quality musical and dramatic productions. With tens of thousands of people associated with their church and its satellites, they have put in place a dazzling program of activities for those who become Christians. Recently they published a very telling report that contained a very telling admission. Their research shows that their program and meeting-based approach to discipling people in the way of Jesus hasn’t worked. Putting people through church activities and programs hasn’t made them more Christ-like.

I think most ordinary churches operate similar to Willow Creek. You are supposed to develop a life of personal prayer and Bible study for yourself, you are supposed to join a fellowship group of some sort, you are supposed to attend a mid-week meeting, and you are supposed to come to a worship service on Sunday. That’s what being a disciple is all about. Well, you know what? It doesn’t work. It doesn’t work for Willow Creek and it doesn’t work for an ordinary church.

I’m pretty glad that Circle of Hope is anything but ordinary.

Jesus did his discipling largely out there in the world. John 1 tells us that he “lived among us”. His disciples apprenticed under him. They watched him live. They watched him do Kingdom things. They watched him be practical and draw lessons from their everyday life that was lived in community with each other.

Discipleship must be practical. It has to be out there, on the road with Jesus – not in a classroom or a sanctuary. Simply learning something in our heads is not transformational – knowledge has to travel from our heads to our hands and our feet.

That’s what I love about cells. They are not Bible studies. They are not classroom exercises.

They are life lived in community with each other – that’s discipleship that works. Sure, my cell wants to know about Jesus, they want to get a feel for the Bible, they want to wrestle with theology, but the most important question we deal with is, “what should be our active response to this?” We want to work out our faith with concrete action.

It’s a culture shift for many people (it was for me). We aren’t really a “come to us” type of church. We’re a “going and being” church (the word you might hear batted around is “missional”). Living out the Kingdom in and “going and being” sort of way is pretty difficult. It’s not ordinary, but it’s the way of Jesus – it discipleship – it’s taking up your cross and following. I will say, I sure am thankful that my cell is right there by my side living it with me.