Wasted Hill Blog

CPC in The Hill 2020 "In His Midst" Summer Park BBQ Video

9/17/2020

Got 6 minutes and ten seconds?

Finally . . . our 2020 CPC in The Hill Park BBQ video . . . we are so thankful for all who made this ministry possible this summer . . .

➥ CPC New Haven Life Groups
➥Our Volunteers from our Lutheran church family sisters and brothers
➥Our many supporters who gave out of their own resources to help with the costs
➥Our own CPC in The Hill church family, the Life Groups
➥Our sister church, CPC Milford
➥And . . . so many others and especially our Trowbridge Square Park friends and neighbors.

0 Comments

New England Urban Church Planting: Experiencing COVID-19 as a Poor Community with Chip Anderson (Podcast #4)

6/28/2020

0 Comments

Early on, as we began this COVID-19 journey, I was asked to be interviewed (again) by Tim at NEU (New England Urban) Church Planting (formerly known as The Philip Center). I was grateful for the chance to share my thoughts and, of course, to talk about CPC in The Hill and our Hill community.

In this interview I also spend time talking about "Strong Ties" and "Weak Ties" and how these ties are important during non-crises times and crises times (like COVID-19)––and why it is important to have Weak Ties in place before a crisis happens upon us, especially for urban/inner-city churches and churches existing in resource-lacking communities.

This podcast interview is about 35 minutes long, but recaps well the issues facing Hill-like communities in the face of COVID-19.

The first interview can be found here >> Church Planting among the Poor and Empowering the Poor

If these blogs and teachings benefit you in some way, please consider supporting the ministry of Christ Presbyterian Church in The Hill. Our church plant and ministry in the Hill is dependent on the kind and generous financial support from outside the Hill. The Hill is one of Connecticut's poorest and under-resourced, self-sustaining neighborhoods; we will be dependent on outside support for some time. Please consider supporting us with a one time donation or join us as a financial partner in ministry.

You may donate online through our website or send a donation to our anchor church marked for CPC in The Hill @ 135 Whitney Ave, New Haven, CT 06510 (checks are to be made out to Christ Presbyterian Church or simply CPC; and in the memo please indicate Hill/CA). For more information or to receive our Hill News Updates, please contact me, Pastor Chip, through this email address: ChipCPCtheHill@gmail.com.

0 Comments

Romans 3:23 is Good News–updated from last year (2019)

5/7/2020

0 Comments

This past Wednesday (8/14/2019), CPC in The Hill had the privilege of bringing its 7th 2019 Summer Park BBQ to the Trowbridge Square Park here in the Hill. I do a little park preaching before we eat. And, the people in the park come and listen: parents, adults, children, and even teenagers. They hear a gospel message that is relevant to who they are as residents of the Hill: Adults just hanging, dads making good by spending some time with their kids, moms trying to let their kids run off some energy, gang members, some homeless, addicts (maybe some selling, too), and too many unparented (wandering) teenagers. They all come and listen.

This, in part, was my park sermon thas evening:

Romans 3:23
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

This is not a verse of condemnation. Although many, of course, read or take it this way. The verse is the way home. Yet, we can’t get there by ourselves. God is the one who gets us home. This is why the Apostle Paul continues in verses 24-25:

“and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.”

First, we hear in Romans 3:23 that “all” have sinned. This is good news (well, sort of). Really, though, isn’t it good to know that we all, every single individual—rich or poor, suburban or urban, suburban or . . . Hill [they laugh], politician or CEO or regular people like us—each carry the label “sinner.” And, as such, each have fallen short of God’s glory. No special people. All have sinned. All fall short of God’s glory. All, everyone needs a way home. And, so, again, this verse is our way home.

How many here have had the thought that I’m not all I was created to be? [Hand up all over.] Anyone here messed up so much you believe there is no way out? It’s ruined; life is ruined; seems like there is no exit. No hope. [Hands up.] Who here has tried to fix their life and you know it’s impossible? [Many admitted to this. Hands.] Any here actually fix it? [No hands.] Well, again, this is why this seemingly rather condemning verse is good news. We know what we have fallen short of. This tells us what needs to be fixed. What needs to be restored.

We are unable to fix this (as some of you have already admitted). We are incapable of restoring ourselves. So, God must do it. God has provided a substitute for us. Jesus is God’s propitiation (yes, that’s a big word, put simply, it means Jesus is) our substitute. He took our place and paid in full our sinful debt to God. And, God wants to restore us to His glory, that is, the image he originally created us for. He has provided a way home, back to that glory.

Back to what we were created for.

It is important to know what we will be restored to. We can’t just be restored to a better version of ourselves. Heavens, no! Because, everything about us is tainted by our sinful nature–not just the mistakes we make, but the actual, very core of our being is corrupted. A better version of ourselves isn’t what we want (really, it isn’t). This isn’t what God had in mind.

Our sinful nature. This is why we fall short, for all–I say it again, for all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God. This is good news to us. None of us needs to question who we are: we are all sinners. None of us need question what it is we have fallen short of: all fall short of God's glory.

This is our way home.

So, knowing what we are restored to is very important. We are to be restored to the glory that is found in Jesus Christ. He has restored what Adam broke. What our forefathers and parents keep breaking. What we keep breaking. We need Him, first, as our substitute and, then, we begin to be conformed (restored) to the image of Christ. That is what it means to be transformed from glory to glory.

But, you see, here’s our problem: Everything else about our world (all around us—the people, the systems, the government, business, advertising, the news, everything) pushes us to be conformed to this world (conformed the way they want us to be, the way it makes it all work for them, the way that keeps us all unequal) or to simply just be a better version of ourselves (that is, that version of course, that the world thinks is best) or, more likely, a better version of somebody else’s idea of glory. That is why Jesus is not only our substitute, paying for our sin, but also who we are to be like (that’s the glory we want, the glory we need restored). We are now to be conformed to the image of Jesus.

This verse is good news.

This verse is our way home.

Please consider giving to our 2020 BBQ Park Ministry GoFundMe campaign. Please help us out for this summer's ministry. Despite the gathering bans (which will most likely be lifted by July 1, our first park BBQ), we plan on providing a food related ministry to our Hill park neighbors. Please consider helping us for Summer 2020.

*The GoFundMe campaign link >> here.

0 Comments

Christ Presbyterian Church in The Hill––Our Sunday Worship Service in a Time of Crisis

3/20/2020

0 Comments

No American church in modern times has experienced a crisis such as COVID-19. Church services throughout our country have been and are canceling as a precaution to help alleviate the spread of this virus. Big congregations. Small congregations. All alike are canceling their weekly gatherings and Sunday services. There was almost no warning. There was certainly no training (i.e., no preparation) to move from a regular Sunday gathering to home and individual “virtual” gatherings for Sunday worship. (And, I don’t just mean how to go “virtual,” but training our people to change this habit and discipline for Sunday.) This has been a hard call, a difficult decision, for church leadership to make, including our own elders at CPC New Haven (aka 135).

So, as of this Sunday, March 22, 2020, Christ Presbyterian Church in The Hill will not be holding Sunday services until the COVID-19 threat has passed.

Our church, however, isn’t closed because our church is not a location. Yes, of course, we have a special place where we gather each week on Davenport Ave. Yet, we understand church is the Christians that gather. The church, our church, CPC in The Hill, is a people. In fact, this crisis shows us how important gathering together is for us as Christians—to grow in the Lord, to build each other up, to learn from the word, to develop faithfulness for times of crisis, and, of course, to give thanks and praise to “our Father who art in heaven.”

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, our governing officials have requested (and in some places, mandated) that the American people shut down as much as possible, at a minimum, for a two week period to prevent a spike in the spread of COVID-19, which would overwhelm our medical system. The City of New Haven has banned gatherings of 10 or more at this time; and our CPC leadership has made the decision to do just that.

This is a reasonable request. Having to worship as the scattered church rather than the gathered church for a couple of weeks, in light of these extraordinary circumstances, is not an assault on the church. And, again, this shows us why it is so important to meet together before crises arise! Now, it is an opportunity for us to show solidarity with our neighbors and exhibit concern, not only for those most vulnerable to COVID-19, but those with other medical conditions whose care would be compromised if the medical system is overwhelmed.

This is also a good time to identify with brothers and sisters in the Lord around the world, who, because of persecution, have never experienced (or rarely experience) the freedom to gather openly in large groups. This week (and perhaps for weeks to come), as we gather in our own homes, knowing that brothers and sisters around the country are doing the same, we can remember, also, those who are persecuted as though we, too, are persecuted with them. Perhaps we can get a small glimpse of their difficult experience of corporate worship—where they don’t have a five-day work week, weekends off, or the freedom to gather together at all.

Important Note: I will be posting on Facebook, emailing, texting a link or a PDF (and a word document) to our church family a one page order of service that CPC in The Hill may use for family worship at home.

Thank you all for your patience. If you need anything (we will try to help) or even for prayer, please contact me via email @ ChipCPCtheHill@gmail.com or IM me anytime.

Sincerely, in Christ,
Pastor Chip

PS Please utilize this Bulletin for family or individual worship this Sunday

1._20.03.22_cpcthehill_bulletin.pdf
File Size:	188 kb
File Type:	pdf

Download File

Sermon for March 22, 2020 John 13
File Size:	32412 kb
File Type:	mp4

Download File

0 Comments

MNA "Multiply" – Fall 2019: Mission Anabaino & CPC in The Hill

10/13/2019

0 Comments

Last spring the PCA's MNA (that's Presbyterian Church in America's Mission to North American division & ministry) interviewed us CPC folks up here in SoCT. CPC in The Hill was privileged to get a nice full piece in their Fall issue of "Multiply." Read about Mission Anabaino (our church planting collaborative) and about CPC in The Hill (on page 3) . . . and some great pictures, too.

Fall issue of MNA's "Multiply" >> Click here

0 Comments

A podcast: My interview by The Philip Center on church planting in an urban context

9/28/2019

0 Comments

I had the privilege to be interviewed by The Philip Center for one of their podcasts. The kind host let me muse and ramble on about the Hill, our CPC in The Hill church plant and ministry, and my philosophy of ministry among the poor. The interview is about 53 minutes in length (good for running, walking, driving, or the gym!).

0 Comments

<<Previous

CPC in The Hill 2020 "In His Midst" Summer Park BBQ Video

New England Urban Church Planting: Experiencing COVID-19 as a Poor Community with Chip Anderson (Podcast #4)

Romans 3:23 is Good News–updated from last year (2019)

Romans 3:23
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

Christ Presbyterian Church in The Hill––Our Sunday Worship Service in a Time of Crisis

MNA "Multiply" – Fall 2019: Mission Anabaino & CPC in The Hill

A podcast: My interview by The Philip Center on church planting in an urban context

Wasted Blogger, Chip M. Anderson

Archives

Categories

Pages

More Pages

Even More Pages

CPC in The Hill 2020 "In His Midst" Summer Park BBQ Video

New England Urban Church Planting: Experiencing COVID-19 as a Poor Community with Chip Anderson (Podcast #4)

Romans 3:23 is Good News–updated from last year (2019)

Romans 3:23“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

Christ Presbyterian Church in The Hill––Our Sunday Worship Service in a Time of Crisis

MNA "Multiply" – Fall 2019: Mission Anabaino & CPC in The Hill

A podcast: My interview by The Philip Center on church planting in an urban context

Wasted Blogger, Chip M. Anderson

Archives

Categories

Pages

More Pages

Even More Pages

Romans 3:23
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”