A Wild Time Together

I took the youth group to Wild Mountain today down in Taylor's Falls and a great time was had by all. I so thankful for such a great group to students, with a few guests along for the day! We had perfect weather and a fun group.

I have to say that Wild Mountain is excellent at handling groups. We had about the best experience working with them that I've ever had. Kudos to them.

Here are a few pictures and videos highlighting our day together. (I wasn't able to get any of the water rides for obvious reasons.)

 

Breezy Baptism Sunday

We had our annual church potluck picnic worship and baptism service today. It was a breezy day, but we had record turnout, great worship food and fellowship. 

One of my greatest privileges as a pastor is being able to baptize members of our church who decide to take this public step of faith and proclaim their love for Jesus. I was able to do that today, baptizing three of my amazing youth group students, Dakota, Madison, and Kierra. I love these guys!

 

 

 

Bowling with the Youth Group

There was no school today, so we took the youth group bowling this afternoon and then back to church for pizza and games (mostly 9-Square in the Air). We went to a small, local bowling alley over in Braham and we had the place to ourselves which was fun.

One of the things I really appreciate about our youth group right now is how encouraging they are to each other (usually!). It was fun to hear everyone laughing and cheering one another on. It's also great to see junior and senior highers hanging out and enjoying playing together.

Don't Travel Alone

We started a new series last Sunday (just a short 2-parter) called Road Trip and I talked about some rules for the road (riffing off a message Andy Stanley did a while back). 

One of the rules we talked about is this: Don't travel alone. You were made for community, but too often because of pain in our lives or just our personalities we tend to isolate ourselves from others. We tell ourselves, "I don't really need anyone else. I'm okay on my own."

But God created us for community. Once in a while I'll hear someone say something like, "I can be a Christian without going to church." Well, of course you can. But why would you want to? And while you may be able to "be" a "Christian", I would suggest that it is much more difficult to be a disciple, which is what we are all called to be. When you surrender your life to God and accept the forgiveness made possible by Jesus' death and resurrection, Scripture says you become a child of God - you are "adopted" in the family of God. You were never meant to do life alone.

I know people sometimes struggle to find a community of believers that is a good "fit" for them. But it's worth it to keep trying. Your traveling companions on the road of life really do determine the direction and quality of the trip (ie. of your life!) 

Who are the people that you are doing life with? Who could you invite to join you on your trip?

If you'd like to hear Sunday's complete message, check out our podcast: anchor.fm/rob-spahr or on Spotify, Apple/iTunes, and Google Podcasts.

When Love Speaks

I'm starting a new 5-part message series next Sunday called "When Love Speaks". This is kind of inspired by Dr. Gary Chapman's book, The 5 Love Languages. The five he identifies are: Words of affirmation, Quality time, Physical touch, Acts of service, Receiving gifts. 

We all give and receive love in each of these "languages", but typically there are a couple that we respond to more than others. 

Looking forward to exploring this more in the weeks to come, especially because it's hard to me to identify which ones are my primary languages.

What are yours?

Nine Years and Counting

It was nine years ago today that I preached my first sermon at First Presbyterian Pine City as the official pastor. I had been providing pulpit supply for a few years prior, but had finally decided to leave Walmart and move back into full-time vocational ministry following a prompting from God and repeated promptings from several at the church!

Hard to believe it's been nine years already. Especially for someone who never really aspired to becoming a senior pastor.

The church celebrated it's 150th Anniversary last year and as a part of that we put together a heritage book of reflections. Here's what I wrote about my experience at FPPC.

150^th Anniversary Reflections

Rob Spahr

“I heard that First Presbyterian Church is looking for pulpit supply. You should check that out.”

So said the pastor from Evergreen Community Church back in 2009. Our family had been attending there and I served as a volunteer youth leader and elder at the time. I had preached at Evergreen a couple of times and the pastor there suggested contacting the Presbyterian church about the opportunity to preach more frequently.

I didn’t know anything about First Presbyterian Pine City, other than that it was in the big white building next to the Mainstreet Milkhouse gas station. I was very familiar with Presbyterian churches, having attended a Presbyterian college, King College in Bristol, Tennessee. In fact, I regularly preached at a small Presbyterian church in Churchill, Tennessee, my junior and senior years in college, and while at Bethel Seminary I had served as a youth intern at Hope Presbyterian in Richfield, Minnesota. But it had been many years since I had any contact with any of the Presbyterian denominations or churches.

At the time, I was employed at Walmart, having taken a break from full-time ministry after 15 years as a youth pastor. Vocational ministry is challenging, and I had been involved in a few difficult church situations, so I was enjoying the change of pace that serving in the marketplace offered. Nevertheless, I decided to inquire about the opportunity to preach at First Presbyterian. I contacted Bob Werner and eventually interim pastor Harry Lichy. I began subbing for Harry on occasion in late 2009 and continued to do so over the next few years.

Just about every time I filled the pulpit at First Presbyterian, Bob Werner would remind me, “Hey, you know we’re looking for a senior pastor!”

“I’m not a senior pastor,” I would respond. “I’m a youth guy!”

“We don’t care,” he would reply. “We still want you.”

“I’m not even Presbyterian.” I reminded him. I had grown up in a Baptist General Conference (Converge) church, attended a BGC seminary and then was ordained in the Evangelical Free Church.

“We don’t care.” Bob insisted. “We still want you.”

“I already have a job.” I told him. I had started as an hourly associate at Walmart after having left my last youth pastor position and had moved steadily up the ranks, eventually becoming a salaried member of management.

But no matter how much I protested, invariably Bob would remind me each time, “We’re still looking for a senior pastor, you know.”

I continued to preach once or twice every month or two. Every time I would hear from Bob, “We’re still looking for a pastor…” This went on for a couple of years. Eventually God began to nudge both Rosalie and me, giving us an inkling that we might not yet be done with vocational ministry. I had spent three and a half years at Walmart and enjoyed my job there. My prospects for the future with the company were good, but I was becoming increasingly aware of a sense of holy discontent. As successful as I was in the marketplace, I knew God was calling me back to service in the church.

But I was very wary of pursuing the opportunity at First Presbyterian for a couple of reasons. First, the church had declining attendance and participation with an aging congregation. It was still locked into a very liturgical style that would have been familiar to previous generations but was increasingly unfamiliar an inaccessible to newcomers. However I was encouraged by the fact that Jen Hansmann was the pianist and had introduced more contemporary songs at the beginning of the services. I was confident that with her help we could begin to develop a thriving worship ministry that blended both the traditional favorites with more modern songs. Having Jen as the pianist was a big factor in my decision to pursue the opportunity to serve FPPC as pastor.

The other reason for my caution about the position was that my protests to Bob were not simple excuses. I had never aspired to become a senior pastor and had only desired to serve in student ministry. I had my Master of Divinity degree, so education wasn’t an issue. But I still felt apprehensive about stepping into a lead pastor role with no previous experience. Fortunately my time at Walmart taught me a lot more about working with people of all ages and gave me to confidence I needed to take the leap.

We decided to, in a way, lay out a fleece: if Bob asked again and indicated that the church seriously wanted to pursue having me as pastor, we would take that as a sign to investigate the possibility of serving full-time. Sure enough, the next time I preached at FPPC, Bob said, “You know…” and this time I replied, “Let’s talk about it.”

I had some doubts that it would even be possible for me to serve as pastor, not having credentials in the PCUSA. But after meeting with several people from the Presbytery, we were given the go-ahead to continue. The Manse was sold to help fund the housing part of my salary (three-quarter time at first) and I began serving as pastor on January 13, 2013.

I went in with fear and trepidation. Would I be a good fit? How would I do at preparing a message most every week of the year? Would I be able to navigate the challenges of serving a church as the lead pastor? Would the church be able to continue to support my family financially after the proceeds from the sale of the Manse were depleted? Would I even be able to remember everyone’s names (a superpower some pastors seem to have but which I seriously lack)? There was a lot of uncertainty. This move was a huge step of faith for our family, but I trusted in God’s leading.

It turns out that trusting God was a good idea. (Who knew?!) I was surprised at how open the church was to change and growth, and the lack of conflict and infighting was a wonderful change from some of my more recent church experiences. It turned out that God had been preparing me for exactly this position. I have been able to utilize my teaching and leadership gifts to serve the older members of the congregation while also continuing to minister to teenagers through our youth ministry.

I’m so grateful to the people at First Presbyterian for bearing with me through the years as I have grown in my role. You have suffered through some pretty mediocre sermons at times, and I’ve made plenty of mistakes in leadership, but have always received a lot of grace, for which I am thankful.

As with any church, it is the people that make it special. I am indebted to so many for their support and encouragement. They have welcomed both my family and me and truly made this our church home. It has been a pleasure and a privilege to help shepherd this congregation over the past decade and we look forward to seeing what God will continue to do through this gathering in the years to come!

New Weekly Message Podcast from FPPC

Trying something new this year (appropriate for the beginning of a year, right?) We're distributing our weekly church messages via podcast. We've had them available for some time on our web site, but this might simplify access for some people. So far it should be available on Anchor, Spotify, Google Podcast, and Apple/iTunes.

Instead of posting a link here, if you are interested in checking it out, see if you can find it quickly on Google or whatever podcast source you usually use. You should be able to search for "First Presbyterian Pine City." Let me know how you found it or if you had any trouble. The first message from this past Sunday is up there. We started a series called "New Beginnings" and part one is titled, "The First Step's a Doozy." Let me know what you think.

Easter 2020

A brief Easter message and a word of encouragement on this Easter to remember!

Good Friday 2020

Here's a Good Friday devotional I recorded for our church family to reflect on as we head into a very unique Easter weekend.

Worship Online this Sunday

Since our church is unable to meet in person for corporate worship during the COVID-19 lock-down, I want to suggest some ways to connect with the Body of Christ in worship online.

Our church will not be hosting our own live online service, but there are years of messages archived on our website: First Presbyterian Pine City. Pick your favorite message from the past to refresh your memory or catch up on a series you may have missed! You can stream from the web site or download to listen to at your convenience.

If you'd like to experience live worship online, many churches are hosting services. Some of my favorite are North Point Church in Atlanta (Andy Stanley's church), Menlo Church in California (John Ortberg's church), and Eagle Brook Church here in Minnesota.

Tomorrow, March 22, 2020, at 5:00 p.m. Central our family will be enjoying Michael Jr.'s live comedy watch party on Facebook. This is an 80-minute comedy special, previously released in theaters for one day only and not available in any other format at this time. It will be both hilarious and inspirational. Go to Michael Jr.'s Facebook page to join the fun.

If you'd like to worship through giving you can still do that at home, as well. Just click here or click on the Give page on our church website. You can specify the general fund or our Faith Promise giving toward missions. If you'd like to give to our 150th Anniversary Reaching for the Future fund you can still do so online, but please contact the church so we can make sure it is deposited in the correct account.

Ministry in a Changing World

First Presbyterian Pine City members and friends will be hearing a lot more over the next year about Ministry In A Changing World - an exciting initiative from our Presbytery that we will be taking part in. Its purpose is to assist churches in developing a focused vision and specific strategic steps to accomplish our mission. Our church will go through an individual assessment, visioning, and implementation process with the assistance of a trained coach and alongside three other churches in our Cohort group. 

In addition to those attending the Cohort retreats, we will be inviting all members and friends of FPPC to become a part of the process of looking at how God has equipped us uniquely as a church and charting the course for our future. Watch for more news and information about how you can be involved and be praying for our leadership as we continually seek God’s leading for our church.

(reprint from May newsletter - First Presbyterian Pine City)

Spahr Family Christmas Letter 2012

Merry Christmas from the Spahrs

It's been a tumultuous, exciting, stressful, patience-building, faith-testing year for the Spahr family. Through it all, God guided and provided in amazing and unexpected ways.

We began the year still dealing with Jordan's ongoing headaches from a football injury in 2010. He was only able to attend school for an hour or two each day. He was able to stay current and pull great grades through homebound instruction and tutoring from several teachers at the school. Finally in May, after consulting two neurologists and having a number of MRIs and CTs, a physical therapist diagnosed the problem as not being a result of the concussion he received but rather related to irritated nerve endings in his neck and base of his skull from the whiplash-like effect of the collision. Several exercises were prescribed to strengthen the muscles protecting those nerves and allowing them to heal. When done consistently, this has provided almost total relief from the chronic migraine-level headaches he had. He was able to resume full-day attendance at school in the Fall! He also resumed playing football - one of his great passions in life - and was awarded his first varsity letter and the "Work Horse Award" for hard work throughout the year. He will head into his senior year next fall as one of the captains of the varsity Dragon football team. He hopes to play football in college and pursue a career as a football coach. 

Jonah, also, pursued his passion which is running. He enjoyed a good season running track in the spring and made great strides in the fall as a cross country runner, achieving several personal bests and receiving the "Most Improved Runner" award. He is continuing to train this winter in preparation for track next spring to finish his sophomore year. He is also a voracious reader and has a keen intellect which is serving him well in high school. After he graduates in 2015, Jonah would like to major in Criminology at Northwestern College in the Twin Cities and enjoy a career in law enforcement. 

Rosalie has been continuing to build Purple Pants Creations, her home-based sewing/embroidery business. She branched out from her focus on "American Girl"-style dolls clothes to make some "Bitty Baby" style clothes and pillow monsters. Many of her creations are available through her Facebook page. She is also continuing to display at local craft shows with the most effective one being the Hinckley craft show held at the beginning of November each year (opening deer hunting weekend). She's had many special orders for blankets and quilts, as well.

Much of Rosalie's time, as well as Rob's, was spent in a house hunt that encompassed over half of the year. In April the landlords at the house we had been renting for the last three years suddenly decided they wanted to sell the house. We began a search for a new house as well as pursuing financing for a purchase, which made more sense than continuing to rent as the current interest rates meant that a purchase would result in much less payment than rent. After looking at options and even making an offer, nothing worked out. We finally were able - with some creative financing, help from family, and persistence by our realtor - to make an offer on the house we had been renting. It took more than five months to close and many times we thought the deal was dead, but the Monday after Thanksgiving we were able to sign the paperwork to be able to own our home. The best part was that we didn't have to move all our stuff! Rosalie is excited to tackle some renovations which you can drop by and see (or help with!) 

During this time I (Rob) was enjoying my first full year as an Assistant Manager at Walmart. I spent days off substitute teaching at the high school and providing occasional pulpit supply at First Presbyterian Church in Pine City. During this time both Rosalie and I began to sense that God may have something else in mind for the family beyond my new career in retail. 

First Pres had been asking for some time if I was interested in taking over when their pastor retired, but I had repeatedly declined. After some difficult youth ministry tenures, I was enjoying being a volunteer leader at another local church, subbing, and working at Walmart. But God independently drew both Rosalie and me to the conclusion that the position at First Pres was something worth exploring. I never aspired to be a senior pastor, but the wonderful, special people in this church broke down my resistance to that role. The church is small and traditional but wants to redevelop a vibrant ministry for all ages. They are excited about changing and growing again. After a lot of back and forth with the denomination, it looks like I will be taking over as senior pastor on January 13th. 

My last day at Walmart will be January 18th and I'll miss all of the great people I got to know and work with there over the last four years. Our family is excited as we plunge back into the world of vocational ministry. The last four years have been a great opportunity to grow and develop my leadership skills in the corporate workplace and I look forward to leveraging my learnings and gifts in the local church again.

So we close out a crazy year of transition poised to take on the challenges of a new year and a new ministry, confident that God will continue to lead and guide us. We look forward to keeping in touch with you all throughout the year via Facebook, blog posts, email, etc. Or give us a call or stop by!

Have a great Christmas! From the family that is proof that God has a sense of humor...

Rejoicing in Him!

Rob, Rosalie, Jordan and Jonah

December 2012