Reverend Thomas Webster

Senior Minister @ FCC

Who is Tom Webster?

Tom came to Loveland from Kentucky in August 2003.

Besides being our Senior Pastor, Tom serves on the Central Rocky Mountain Regional Board, he is the Chairperson of the Regional Committee on the Order of Ministry, he serves on the Regional Committee of Ministry for Congregational Transformation, and our Region has trained him to be a Certified Coach for congregations and individuals.  He currently serves as Community Spiritual Director for the Lookout Mountain Great Banquet Community and Past Commander of the Loveland Police Chaplains.  He also serves on the Colorado Housing Justice Task Force, an Advisory Board for Group Publishing’s Rev. Magazine, the Institutional Review Board for Banner Health, and the Executive Board of the Loveland Berthoud Salvation Army.  This summer he will be Chaplain and Co-Director at our high school camp.

Tom's District, Regional, and General Church leadership in the past included:

His past Professional Leadership Honors include:

Tom lives with his wife of 35 years, Christy.  He has three grown children, Andy married to Jennifer, Jennifer married to David Gray, and Matt engaged to Jennifer.  He has three grandsons, Daniel, Simon, and Xavier.

His hobbies are golfing, hiking, reading, racquetball, photography, fishing and horseshoes.

Tom's Toolbox For Christians At Work

“Unbinding Our Hearts”

 As a youth I often walked the two miles to a small lagoon near the Des Moines River with my trusty rod, reel and tackle box in hand, ready to catch a big fish.  I had entered a fishing derby there one spring and won second place for the biggest fish in my age bracket and since then I expected another big fish every time I went.  I watched other fishermen and tried to copy their techniques and I envied their fancy equipment.

Many of the others fishing there used an open faced bait casting reel that looked much better than my little Zebco 202.  One day I decided to “borrow” one of my parent’s bait casting reels and set off to the lagoon convinced that I would bring home the “big” one that day.  I found the perfect place, baited my hook with a large nightcrawler I caught the night before, cast out toward the deep water, and suddenly a bird’s nest of line exploded out of the reel.

To make a long story a little shorter, I didn’t catch any fish that day.  I spent all my time unbinding my line, casting out, and unbinding my line yet again.  It took several trips to the lagoon to learn how to use that reel, and even today I create bird’s nests every once in a while.

We can easily get tangled and knotted up in life.  Broken dreams, bitter disappointments, damaging relationships, discouraging job situations, destructive habits, and unresolved guilt and anger bind our hearts and prevent us from experiencing and sharing the fullness of God’s grace.  When our hearts get bound up it is very difficult to fulfill our calling as fishers of people for Christ.

Next month we will begin our preparation for Easter with the theme of “Unbinding Our Hearts” based on a book of that name by Martha Grace Reese.  We will spend the 40 days of Lent in prayer, study and faith sharing groups with the intent of unbinding our hearts to deepen our relationship with God and one another.  We can only share what we have nurtured and experienced in our own lives, and many have allowed themselves to stay knotted for years.

We will share more later, but plan to join a group and get your heart unbound for Christ.  See you in church and remember.  God loves you and so do I!

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Tom's Toolbox FOR cHRISTIANS

“Trash or Treasure”

Many people take time at the beginning of the year to look seriously at their life and consider their future.  We often make resolutions to change habits and activities to reach our goals.  I hope we all set self improvement goals this year, but how do we judge what needs to be changed?  What should we keep in our life and what should we hold on to?

Last month I was looking for a letter we had received while we were on vacation.  I searched through the stacks of mail on our table and kitchen counter yet I could not find that letter!  I was getting frustrated and then I thought, “Did I throw it away in the trash?” 

Perhaps I threw it away with some the stacks of junk mail we received while we were gone.  I looked in the wastebasket under the sink, but I found nothing.  Finally I was about search through our garbage can outside when I found the letter!

Have you ever checked the trash for something you might have thrown away?  One time after youth group I got a call from a parent that their child had lost their retainer and we searched through the garbage cans and dumpster at the church but did not find it.  I imagine everyone has thrown something away and later realized its worth.

It is said that we are a “throw away” society, and nothing today is made to last.  We use things and discard them, but unfortunately we discard a lot of important items with the trash.  We are too quick to dump and too late to discern value and worth.

We throw away principles and priorities, good manners and generosity, compassion and kindness, reasonable ethics and attitudes of grace.  We even throw away people and children before they have a chance to succeed or fail.  Yet our greatest loss has been when we throw away our faith to make our fortune.

What do we keep that we should throw away and what have we thrown away that we should have kept?  Have we kept the commitment we made when we became a Christian?  Have we kept our willingness to love, serve and share what God has given us in our time, talent and treasure?

I think it is time to make every effort to recover our faith and relationship with God.  Take a moment right now to prayerfully discern what we need to rescue or recover in our walk with God.  God gives us grace and strength every day to reclaim what we have lost. 

God loved us enough to send us Jesus to pull us out of the trash and help us become a treasure.  Let us consider how we will share our treasure in our church and community.  I have some suggestions: join the High Five Club, help out with Fundango or Inner-faith Hospitality Network, volunteer to be a youth sponsor or Sunday school teacher, sign up for a class, volunteer to help fund or work in our new Transportation ministry, visit a shut-in, begin to tithe 10%, attend church every Sunday, join a fellowship group, help with the remodeling of Minnerly Hall, sign up to help when the General Assembly is held in our church, or join the choir or praise team.  The list is endless but the difference we will make is priceless!

As we dedicate ourselves to God, our life gains infinite value and worth.  See you in church and remember.  God loves you and so do I!

“Adjusting Our Sails”

Last week when I went to visit Delmer in the hospital I saw a family nervously waiting to visit a patient.  Their anxiety reminded me of a time when I sat with a family during a surgery talking about their difficult struggles.  Suddenly the uncle of the patient shared this insight: “I have learned in my life that you can’t stop the wind, but you can adjust your sails.”

I understood him saying that the force and direction of the challenges and circumstances of our life are often beyond our control, but we can control our actions and attitudes in the midst of them.  I know the truth of that saying, but I don’t find it easy to live by.  I would rather ask God to stop the wind, or ask someone else to change than to adjust my own sails.

We want our circumstances and other people to change.  We don’t want to have to adjust or adapt.  We want everyone and everything else to change except ourselves.

We spend a lot of time and energy trying to stop the wind or trying to get other people to adjust their sails.  We change jobs, husbands, wives, friends, and even churches to avoid changing ourselves.  We even try to change God.

We must begin change within ourselves and the way that we handle our circumstances.  The winds of life can blow mightily, but we do not have to let them drive us off course from God or stop us completely.  Instead of cursing the wind, we need to learn to use it!

If we adjust our sails we can let the force of the wind give us power to move closer to God and God’s purposes.  We can grow through our struggles like Paul talked about in Romans 5: “knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.”  If we invite God to sail with us nothing is impossible.

Think for a moment on how we need to adjust the sails of our life.  Adjusting our sails could be a change of attitude toward someone that irritates or annoys us.  Adjusting our sails could be a change of priorities in how we spend our time and money.  Adjusting our sails could be a willingness to stand up, step down, or begin a new direction in our life.  Adjusting our sails could mean a whole new beginning in our life and relationship with God.

Right now is the perfect time to adjust our sails and let the force of our challenges bring us closer together as a church.  We need to begin with each of us prioritizing our relationship and walk with God.  What do we need to do to better know, grow and show the love of God to the world?

This time of year can be a struggle for all of us, but remember there are others struggling with problems even more difficult than ours.  Let us adjust our sails and stay on course with God.  Let the wind of God’s spirit drive us forward into a brighter future.

Invite your friends to join us at church each Sunday as celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior.  See you in church and remember.  God loves you and so do I!

“Survivor First Christian Church”

I don’t know if you have ever watched any of the “Survivor” television shows, but watching these people scheme and plot to get rid of one another has always bothered me.  The only reason they form alliances are to destroy one another, and eventually they betray even their own team.  I don’t think I could play that game very well.

These shows sparked my imagination for another new series.  I would like to see a show with a more realistic setting.  What if instead of castaways on a tropical island or remote part of the world the show would focus on a diverse group of people joined together somewhere in Colorado.

They could enlist volunteers of every age, sex, race and cultural background.  Their common bond would be their mutual desire for continued existence.  People would tune in each week to watch them struggle to survive against the stresses of economic hardships, relational dysfunctions and deteriorating emotional and physical health.

New challenges would confront the group each week testing their creativity, strength and endurance.  Their hardships would force them to combine their resources and skills to work together as a team.  Open communication and cooperation would be essential for health and success.

The need for bonding and the forming new relationships would grow daily.  The challenges would require as much faith and trust in each other, as in themselves.  Alliances would then be formed providing encouragement and support to achieve goals and survive the trials and tribulations.

Strong leadership would be a key element of survival.  They would need leaders to inspire and guide them through the obstacles to success.  Leaders would provide a vision of goals and purposes, and coordinate the resources available to achieve them.

Instead of trying to get rid of members of the group, the group would focus on expansion and growth.  Openness and inclusion would replace elimination and exclusion.  Then instead of “Survivor” we could name the new series “First Christian Church of Loveland.”

Jesus brings us together and challenges us to help everyone survive.  Christ calls us to love and care for each other, to lift up those who fall and support those who are weak.  We find our own salvation only as we dedicate ourselves to working together to save others.

Right now we face a great challenge for our congregation.  When the budget was proposed and voted down it created tension and strong feelings between the leadership, the congregation and the staff.  We cannot let these differences divide or distract us from our mission and ministry.  We have to love and forgive one another, and find a way to come together as a church. 

We have to each dedicate ourselves to the common goal of our mission of knowing, growing and showing the love of God.  We must each give of our time, talent and treasure or we will lose members, leaders and staff and not achieve this mission.  I want you to take a moment right now and pray, asking God to show you what you can do. 

For us to move forward as a church some people will need to ask forgiveness for their words, actions or attitudes.  Some people will have to stop holding back and give more.  All of us must commit ourselves to be Disciples of Christ and reach out to the world inviting them to join us on “Survivor First Christian Church.”  We must not let this series end.

I pray that we would see a vision for this congregation that would be inclusive, tolerant and loving.  I pray that we will be able to set aside our differences and work together to reach this community for Christ.  I pray that we will each commit ourselves to do our part to make this vision happen.  Imagine the difference we will make together. 

“Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful.  And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Hebrews10:23-25)

Come join us for worship Sunday and bring others with you.  I will see you in church and remember; God loves you and so do I!

“Serving Leftovers”

Our grown children and their friends often stop by so we never know who will show up at our house at dinnertime.  We have learned to be prepared to serve anywhere from two to twelve at a moment’s notice.  Our dinners may not be fancy, but we always have plenty of food and it’s good to eat.

We also maintain a steady supply of leftovers in our refrigerator.  We eat lunches from our leftovers for days.  Then every so often we put it all together like a potluck dinner.

Don’t get me wrong; unlike many people I enjoy eating leftovers.  I wouldn’t scrounge through our neighbor’s refrigerator, but I don’t mind eating them from our own.  I enjoy eating our leftovers because I ate from them the first time around.

I doubt if any of us would consider serving leftovers to guests, especially if they were special guests we care about.  We probably also would not like being served leftovers at a restaurant.  Leftovers are only acceptable to us when they are our own, and I know some people won’t even eat their own leftovers.

Why then do we expect God to be happy with the leftovers of our life?  God is often the last we serve with our time, our talent and our treasure.  We owe everything we are and everything we have to God yet how often do we serve or put God first in our life?

First we usually serve ourselves, then our family, then our friends and somewhere mixed in with community and the people we don’t know, we might serve God.  When nothing is leftover, guess whom we leave out completely?  No matter how much we have, we will never have enough until we learn to serve God first.

If we serve and put God first, then there is always enough for what we need and more.  God wants to be first in our life.  If you are ever tired of leftovers, then think about how God feels. 

I want to challenge you right now to join in a great adventure of faith.  Together we will put God first and trust God for our future.  We begin Sunday, November 18^th by committing our time, talent and treasure to God. 

I invite you to reflect on how you serve God and imagine how it would be different if you really put God first.  Our commitment to God translates into ministry to members and our entire community.  Our offering outflows to the world sharing God’s love.

In January we will begin classes from Crown Financial that will teach practical principles on how to manage our resources from God’s perspective.  We will have room for 8 couples or individuals in the 10 week class.  Watch for more information.

I challenge us to begin serving God less leftovers.  I will see you in church and remember; God loves you and so do I!

“Under New Ownership”

 Almost every day I drive past a former restaurant north of the church.  It has been empty for years and may stay that way if no one sees value and purpose in the property.  I often look at it and dream of what it could be if someone cared to help it become.

It reminds me of a property I saw years ago that had a “For Sale” sign on it for a long time.  Someone had planted beautiful roses on the outside of the building, but the inside was cold and empty.  The building looked very attractive on the outside, but it needed an owner with vision and hope to give it purpose and meaning inside.

Sometimes we have the same problem as those properties.  We may look good on the outside with all the possessions and positions that the world offers.  But truthfully without God as our owner, we are empty inside and we find ourselves struggling without intent or direction.

Sometimes we give temporary ownership of our life to other things, and for a while our life has purpose.  We focus all our life and energy on our career, education or a relationship.  We may even feel fulfilled and satisfied, but in a very short time these owners abuse and abandon us leaving us cold and empty.

Our career, education and relationships are important, but they should never own us.  The only owner that can bring joy and fulfillment to our life is God.  The question is, “How do we give ownership of our life to God?”

Transferring ownership to God is not about giving up things, because Jesus paid the price with his love and life.  We just allow God to move in and redecorate our hearts and minds.  Then God gives shape to our future by guiding and empowering our daily life.

A good test to see who or what owns us is to look at how we spend our time, talent and treasure.  Whatever we prioritize first and give our most to is what owns us.  If we put God first in our life, it changes everything.