SERMON ON THE DUGOUT

SERMON ON THE DUGOUT: LIFE CHURCH HOLDING SERVICE AT DOW DIAMOND

Sunday morning's event is free and open to public
by Jon Becker, for the Midland Daily News | May 19, 2022

MIDLAND — Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and … church? Yes, you read that right. America’s pastime is not normally associated with passionate preaching, live bands and a worship service, but that’s exactly what’s going on Sunday, May 22 at Dow Diamond.

Life Church, a Great Lakes Loons 2022 partner, is holding its weekly church service at the Loons' home stadium beginning at 11 a.m. The event is free and open to the public.

The nondenominational church likes to get creative in its approach to inspiring people to become engaged in their faith.

“We believe that faith is a journey, not a guilt trip,” said Jonathan Herron, founding pastor of the nine-year-old church. “We take our faith seriously but don’t take ourselves too seriously.”

Since Life Church is sponsoring Faith & Family Nights throughout the Loons’ 2022 season, “We thought it would be fun to actually hold a church service along the first base line,” Herron said. “We’re always brainstorming for new ideas for engaging our community at Life Church. We love bringing families together.”

Minor League Baseball is noted for its family-friendly game experiences. The Loons, who hosted their second School Kids Day of the year on Tuesday, are all in for a Sunday sermon at the ballpark.

“Faith and Fellowship Nights has been a staple at the ballpark for well over 10 years,” said Tyler Kring, the Loons’ assistant general manager of business development. “Faith is part of the journey for many of our players. We’re excited to be partnering with Life Church this season.”

The church’s house band, Kingdom Sound, will lead modern worship songs outdoors, followed by Pastor Herron sharing scripture from atop the first base dugout. The pastor also plans to interview some current Loons players about their faith journeys.

“Through this event, we hope to engage more Midland and Sanford area households as we gather a core group to launch our Midland campus this September,” Herron explained. “The plan is to become one church in two locations. We’ll have worship Sundays at 9:30 a.m. via Northwood University’s Griswold Theater, followed by worship at our Saginaw campus at 11:15 a.m.”

Michaela Yenior, of Midland, attended her first Life Church service about a year and a half ago and was quickly captivated.

“They’re on to something here,” Yenior remembers thinking. She added of Sunday's plans, “This event is really exciting and works within the scope of Life Church’s mission: reach the lost at any cost. The church is willing to think outside of the box.”

“We’re kind of known for doing things big,” said Herron, noting the church’s annual Easter Egg Helicopter Drop as proof positive that Life Church will pull out any and all stops to advance its mission.

“Pastor Herron is an incredible guy,” said Life Church parishioner Arnel Hipolito. “He’s selfless. The church has been through some ups and downs, but he’s kept going forward. He’s done a lot of outreach in the community. It’ll be interesting to hear him preach gospel from the dugout. He’s a passionate, fired-up guy, but it’s his leadership acumen that really stands out.”

Hipolito, also of Midland, plays drums and guitar in Kingdom Sounds. He played at Dow Diamond a couple of times last year and really enjoyed the experience.

“It was hot and a lot of work, but fun,” he said. “You’re outside and you’re watching baseball. Who doesn’t enjoy watching baseball?”

On another occasion, the Greater Midland Tennis Center (where Hipolito works) treated a group of its employees to a Loons game.

“It’s great family entertainment,” Hipolito said.

Sunday will mark Life Church’s first foray into serving the Lord at Dow Diamond, so Herron is unsure how many people will show. However, “According to our Facebook Page, over 300 people have indicated that they are planning on coming.”

“Hopefully, we’ll get enough people to reopen our Midland location,” Yenior said.

Life Church in Midland closed during the pandemic. This Sunday’s morning event is part of the plan to relaunch Life Church’s Midland campus this fall, Herron said.

Herron encourages people to invite neighbors and friends for church at the ballpark and to then to stick around and purchase tickets for the ballgame that follows. At 1:05 p.m. Sunday, the Loons will conclude a six-game home series against the Lansing Lugnuts.

NO RESERVES, NO RETREATS, NO REGRETS

One of my heroes of the faith is the little-known missionary William Borden.

William Borden’s funeral took place at The Moody Church in Chicago.

During my college years, I discovered the beauty of the gospel while attending The Moody Church.

Here's something my team filmed a few years back on location.

RUNNING A RESCUE SHOP WITHIN A YARD OF HELL

"Some want to live within the sound of church or chapel bell

I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of hell." (C. T. Studd)

To live within the sound of church or chapel bell was not enough for Charles Thomas (C.T.)
Studd, (1860-1931), an English missionary to China, India, and Africa. C. T. Studd was born into privilege and wealth, but God had other plans for his life. His father, Edward, was converted after hearing the famous American evangelist Dwight L. Moody speak. Then subsequently, C. T. and his brothers were also converted.
But, 6 years after C. T.’s conversion, he realized that his commitment to the Lord was lacking and he decided to give everything up, and seek God’s will. He wisely said, "I know that cricket would not last, and honour would not last, and nothing in this world would last, but it was worthwhile living for the world to come."

How many people are content to live within the sound of church or chapel bell, but never step foot inside of a church to hear the Gospel message?

Or, how many are content to live within the sound of church bells and attend, but never take the Gospel to heart or share Jesus Christ with others?

They haven’t counted the cost of discipleship, but C. T. Studd did and he chose a life of hardship and sacrifice, because of His commitment to Jesus Christ.

And when others questioned him about the decisions he was making for the sake of the Gospel, he could only reply with these words:

"If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him.” –C. T. Studd

Although salvation through Jesus Christ is a free gift from God given to us by grace (Ephesians 2:8-9), it was not without cost to Him.

To be a disciple of Jesus Christ, one must realize the cost of His sacrifice and respond with a commitment to follow Him wholeheartedly; without reservation and whatever the cost.

Additionally, we should want more than to live within the sound of church bells, and be actively involved in helping to fulfill Jesus’ Great Commission.

To do so we have to daily surrender ourselves to Him. As a result, we give up our own way of living and submit to His will and rule in our lives:

• Romans 12:1 says, “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice--the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.”
  

• Mark 8:34-37 says, “Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, 'If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?'”

Great missionaries like C. T. Studd, Hudson Taylor, Jim Elliot and so many more were not content to merely live within the sound of church bells. They gave their lives, and left their homes and families, to be used by the Lord to spread the Gospel.

We also shouldn’t be content to just live within the sound of church bells. We like them, should be passionate about spreading the Gospel; and endure hardship and danger if necessary, so people would be rescued from going to hell. If we can’t, then we should at least support the work of missionaries prayerfully and financially.

As Christians, we can follow in the steps of these great men of faith, by surrendering our lives to the Lord Jesus Christ, seeking His will, and living by faith and trusting in Him.

John 12:24-26 says, “I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels—a plentiful harvest of new lives. Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity. Anyone who wants to serve me must follow me, because my servants must be where I am. And the Father will honor anyone who serves me.”

This famous quote from the poem, “Only One Life, Twill Soon Be Past” by C.T Studd, is a sober reminder of the brevity of life and that only what’s done for Christ has eternal value:

"Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last." – C. T. Studd

REORGANIZED RELIGION: THE RESHAPING OF THE AMERICAN CHURCH AND WHY IT MATTERS

Award-winning reporter and Pulitzer grantee Bob Smietana has a new book coming out that all church leaders need to get their hands on.  Reorganized Religion: The Reshaping of the American Church and Why It Matters is the rare book that I simply could not put down.  

Using his deft writing skills combined with the most recent statistical findings and anecdotes makes for a compelling book that will help church leaders make better decisions and experience fewer regrets.

Divided into three sections, Reorganized Religion opens by reorienting our post-pandemic church reality with Part One: Where We Stand.  These opening chapters are chock full of startling statistics:

• According to Pew Research in late 2021, 3 out of every 10 Americans (29 percent) is a so-called None, someone who claims no religious identity, up from only 16 percent in 2017. (p. XV)
  

• The percentage of Christians in America has dropped from 78 percent to 63 percent. (p. XV)
  

• Less than half of Americans say they belong to a church, down from 70 percent of Americans in the 1990's, according to the Gallup polling organization. (p. 6)
  

• Less than one-third of Americans, when asked, say they have gone to a worship service within the past week. (p. 6)
  

• Where congregations still persist despite enormous challenges and an uncertain future is where they offer two key benefits: a sense of community and a sense of mission to rally around. (p. 9)
  

• We are living in the early days of what Pew Research has labeled "the Next America" - a new nation that differs substantially from its past in profound ways.

Part Two: Why People Are Leaving shares rich, in-depth stories of real Americans who have survived the tumultuous years of the pandemic only to emerge into a post-Christian America where churches and pastors are viewed through a lens of distrust.

Author Smietana writes, "Many church leaders find themselves in a position of authority, with the ability to make decisions that can change the course of institutions, at exactly the time when titles no longer matter -- and where relationships and influence mean more than authority" (p. 91).  

In my own experience, I can echo this observation and verily testify to the power of influence over title.  After years of evangelical scandals (i.e. Willow Creek, Mars Hill), the 'trust revolution' has touched us all (p.94).  Smietana dives deeper into the troubled waters and the inherent fragility of church leadership models by saying, "A fallen small-church pastor is a problem.  A fallen megachurch pastor is a disaster" (p. 101).

Part Three bravely asks the question, Where Do We Go From Here?  This is where I found the book weaker in prescriptive advice.  While I appreciated the stories of churches merging together and tackling social ills without including political power, I was disappointed that evangelism and church planting were not addressed as part of the American Church's solution for the future.  

One area I did agree with is Smietana's assertion that the future belongs to multiethnic churches, defining as a multiracial congregation as one that includes 20% or more of participants not being part of the dominant racial group in that religious community (p. 197).  America's racial demographics are continuing to thrust us all into the future and the American Church has a lot of ground to make up for (or else fall by the wayside as irrelevant).

In summary, I highly recommend this book.  Reorganized Religion: The Reshaping of the American Church and Why It Matters will challenge your understandings of today's religious landscape while informing you on pathways forward in the age of the Nones.