Our Canoes

This is the last year in our forties, church! Sierra Bible Church will be celebrating FIFTY years next summer. Can you believe it? In many ways our church remains the same. The heart of who we are continues steadfast, aimed and centered on the Lord. And yet, in many other ways, we are new. Through retirements, staff changes, world and local shifts, we have stretched and grown and you have been here with us, stretching alongside. You are largely what make this church who we are, to which we are and will continue to be so, so grateful.

A couple of weeks ago, about half of our staff team was able to attend a leadership conference in Rocklin at William Jessup University. 

Tod Bolsinger, Vice President and Chief of Leadership Formation at Fuller Theological Seminary, was the main speaker. With him, he brought and spoke through his book, Canoeing The Mountains. Have you read it? I hadn't either. I hadn't heard of this book or him (don't tell him I said that) until we were there. But the concepts through this book have now stuck with me and I find myself referencing the text as we consider more of who we are as a church- specifically in this time and in this community. As a history buff, Bolsinger references explorers, Lewis and Clark. They fiercely journeyed by canoe to find a waterway that connected the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean and became stuck at the Rocky Mountains. What Bolsinger takes from the journey of Lewis and Clark is that at some point, they couldn't just continue to canoe. We know they were professional explorers. We know that they had funding backing them and promised ahead for them. We know that they fought and rowed rigorously. And yet, they had to dock those canoes when the landscape changed. The knowledge they had only got them so far. They were now dependent on others who had different knowledge for the new landscape. Their strengths and inadequacies had to be considered in new ways, lending them to new methods of exploration.

Similar to the shift for Lewis and Clark, our world has changed. The landscape of friendships, relationships, how we work, where we work, what we prioritize, healthcare ... on and on and on ... has changed in so many ways, including how we do church. I remember a time when going to church was going to church. That sounds funny, but hear me out. YouTube did not yet exist. Facebook Live certainly didn't exist. There were no cell phones, no internet access that didn't also include a loud dial up ring. Church was a building and we went there. Today, what is church? What does it mean to be a part of a church? How are churches now engaging and spreading their reach globally? Locally? It's different. It just is. We can fight against it, but the landscape of this current age has changed. Going to church is, in many ways still, going to church. But for many on our Caregiving list, going to church is having their caregiver up the speakers on their tablet or television so they can tune in. Are they not just as vital to the whole of our congregation? What about those who are serving in global missions yet call Sierra Bible Church their home and urgently prioritize watching 8@8 weekly through Facebook Live? How are we canoeing to get to them? What canoes are we dropping because they just won't get us over those mountains? With change can come both celebration and grief. That, we understand well, dear friends. A million emotions co-exist somehow when we are faced with change. As we've taken a deeper look into the strengths and inadequacies of Sierra Bible Church, we have learned so much. We continue to learn from you- the congregants who so faithfully serve and worship alongside us, who proudly give and love so generously.

So church, as you walk with us in the changes, in the attempts of new and different methods- as we drop certain canoes, please know that the heart and mission of who we are remains. Sierra Bible Church is first and foremost centered on Christ. Jesus first. All the time. Through knowing Christ, we aim to serve our local and global community with acts of love, service, generosity and kindness. It's why events like Fall Family Fun Night matters- inviting and welcoming hundreds of families to our campus in the name of Jesus. It's why you'll see camera people on Sundays- to connect with those locally and globally who cannot be with us but call us their own. Thank you for your patience with us as we continue to learn. Thank you for allowing us to be your church.