Tag Archive - Bel Air Presbyterian Church

Thanks Bel Air for a Great 7 Years…

June 13, 2008 in Ministry-Theology with 8 Comments

It was about six months ago when I announced my resignation to the staff and students at Bel Air Presbyterian Church and The Quest, and now the day has finally arrived. I’m sitting at my desk for the last time as the college director and it’s a bittersweet feeling. I’m super excited about the next step in the journey for my family and I, but I am also leaving behind a lot of great friendships, and a work place that was as much family as it was co-workers.

So I just want to thank all the students and staff who have really made an impact on my life the last seven years. The students I came across where as much an influence in my life as I was in theirs, and I’m thankful for that.

My family and I are preparing for a move to Dallas, TX (hopefully by mid-summer; I know, bad time to leave the beaches and head to TX), and we are excited about the new opportunities that await us. It’s definitely a new adventure for us, and we are particularly happy about moving closer to family, as well as living in a more affordable city that will helpfully allow us to keep our priorities organized, work schedules, etc. in a manner that keeps family first.

As some of you know I will be working full-time at the Pastoral Counseling Education Center in Dallas, pursuing my state licensure for Marriage and Family Therapy, which is something I have been wanting to do for a while. I love the intersection of marriage, family, theology, pastoral counseling, etc, and this should be a good place to do that.

I will also be working at a church part-time in Dallas, working in the area of social media and ministry, which is something I am super, super excited about. I will fill you in on more details about this later as my job description gets cemented.

And last, I hope to continue to connect with a lot of ministry tech people out there which I have already been doing, because I’m passionate about the blend of new social technology in the Church. And Dallas seems to be a great place to do this.

Please keep us in your prayers during this time. And I hope that before we leave town we can get together and hang out.

Lost a Great Servant Leader

April 15, 2008 in Ministry-Theology with 1 Comment

Bel Air Presbyterian Church lost a great Executive Administrator today in Matt Singley.

Matt was a great boss/co-worker.

Matt was a tangible example of what it meant to be a servant leader and to lead within a church and organization.

Matt challenged the status quo and asked tough questions.

Matt represented a new and innovative way of doing leadership and I was on board.

So Matt….you know there is more that I could say, but we will talk more soon over a beer.

You were missed today.

Anybody Want My Job?

February 9, 2008 in Ministry-Theology with 1 Comment

So I will go into more detail later, but I officially resigned from my position after 7 years as the college director at my church back on January 11th. I am staying on through June 13 and the end of the college school year for my students.

It’s been an amazing time, and I will share more about that later, why I resigned, and what’s next. It’s an exciting time. But for now I want you to either apply for my job or pass the word on. Because I love it. And because if you love college ministry, then it’s a great position and a great opportunity to work with students from UCLA, USC, LMU, CSUN, Santa Monica college, musicians, actors, etc.

If you have any questions feel free to email me at rhett@belairpres.org, but for now. Here is the official information.

Bel-Air Presbyterian
Seeking a full-time Director of University Discipleship to lead a worshipping community of university and college students at BAPC and a dynamic ministry to students across the many campuses of LA. The ideal candidate will have a healthy relationship with Jesus Christ, a passion for sharing His word, a desire to make disciples for him, administrative gifts, and an infectious enthusiasm to mobilize students to make Christ known in LA and around the world. Send resumes to: kelley.dundon@belairpres.org. For more info, check out www.thequestbelair.org.

You can also find our Facebook page at Bel Air Quest

Formal charges against another church over same-sex blessing…

January 13, 2008 in Ministry-Theology with 4 Comments

Bel Air Presbyterian Church files a formal complaint over same-sex blessing ceremony

I’m very curious what you think about this issue. I think how this issue is talked about or addressed within the church (Bel Air Presbyterian Church), is very different than how it is perceived outside of it.

I have been in constant conversations recently with those involved in young adult ministry and under (i.e., college, high school, jr. high, etc.) And for those we minister to this issue seems to garner several responses.

Here is what I/we hear:

  • People have an opinion about it, and they may be for or against same-sex blessings/marriages, etc. But they don’t feel it is worth fighting.
  • Or, they may not agree with same-sex blessings/marriages, but they don’t believe bringing up formal charges is a good pastoral response. Or not the Biblical thing to do.
  • Then there are those who think this is a non-issue. “Why are we talking about this?” type response.
  • Then there are those who say, draw the line in the sand and fight this. They see this as the slippery slope and it’s time to take a stand.
  • And everything in between.

I don’t know if this issue would play out differently in another part of the country than Los Angeles. It’s too early to say.

Where do you stand on this very heated issue?

(Full Disclosure: I’m not ordained PCUSA, and just this week withdrew my name from the ordination process after being in it for several years. So there are issues that I don’t completely understand, that those of you ordained PCUSA would understand as far as the ordination vows and bringing up formal charges against another church, etc. And most of you know, but Bel Air Presbyterian Church is the church where I work).

I will keep you updated on how this all plays out…

Here is the full LA Times article:

Same Sex Blessing

In an unusual action, one Los Angeles-area Presbyterian church has filed a formal complaint against another, trying to stop a same-sex blessing ceremony scheduled for Sunday.

The “stay of action” requested by Bel Air Presbyterian against Brentwood Presbyterian was denied by a church judicial commission, and the blessing will proceed, leaders of both said.

“We’re not trying to make an ecclesiastical statement,” the Rev. Charles Svendsen, interim pastor of Brentwood Presbyterian, said of the planned ceremony for the Rev. Lisa Bove and Renna Killen. “We’re doing this to extend pastoral care to two people who have been part of our faith community for many years.”

Bove, an ordained Presbyterian pastor now employed as a medical social worker, and Killen, a bone marrow transplant nurse, have been attending Brentwood Presbyterian almost eight years, Svendsen said. They asked the church to hold the ceremony to celebrate their 10-year relationship and their family, which includes 9- and 6-year-old daughters who take part in the church’s programs.

The service for more than 200 guests was planned partly with the girls in mind, Bove said. “To them, it’s an important symbol of the church blessing our relationship and our family,” she said.

Presbyterians, along with members of other denominations including Episcopalians and Lutherans, are deeply divided over issues related to homosexuality and biblical authority, including same-sex blessings and the role of gay clergy. Under current Presbyterian guidelines, same-sex weddings are prohibited, but blessings are permitted in certain circumstances.

The Rev. Mark Brewer, pastor of Bel Air Presbyterian, said that despite a long friendship with Svendsen, he and other leaders of his congregation felt obliged to file the complaint, even though the ceremony is not a wedding. “Our feeling was that the service was so close to a wedding that not to file would be compromising our understanding of Scripture,” Brewer said.

“It’s like calling a cop on a neighbor you’re good friends with,” Brewer conceded. “But because of our friendship, we also felt we could do this without a lot of acrimony. It’s not personal. It’s a theological thing.”

Brewer, who said there were no plans to disrupt the ceremony, added that a decision had not yet been made about whether to appeal the judicial commission’s ruling.

Bove said she and Killen were happy the ceremony could proceed, but saddened by Bel Air Presbyterian’s action. “It’s devastating to think that someone wanted to stop us from having this in our own church,” she said.