Pastor’s Message October
30, 2011
“For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor
rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor
depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the
love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 8: 38-39
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
In
September the Bishop asked at a meeting what it means for us to be a
congregation of life and hope. We were reminded that we follow God by following
life and hope and if we follow life and hope we can trust that we are following
God.
Today
we begin a conversation that can no longer be avoided. We walk into this
conversation with faith that God is leading this process. We begin the process
in prayer and ask that the Holy Spirit intercede when we can’t find the words
we want to say. We have faith that this process will be centered in Christ and
life. We have this conversation not in despair, but in life and hope of the
future.
The
conversation we begin today is centered on hope in the resurrection.
Resurrection has to happen, no matter where this conversation leads us.
Resurrection is not only the hope of a final resurrection; it is also the new
life that comes to us in the little deaths we face over and over. If the
outcome of these conversations lead us toward closing the congregation - there
is resurrection and there is hope in the
resurrection of what can be out of the death of this congregation through new
ministries, freeing ourselves to new ways of living out ministry and sharing
our assets to start new congregations. But, if these conversations lead us in
another direction we also need to see the new direction as a resurrection as
well. This is not the time to continue with business as usual. If these
conversations, lead by the Holy Spirit and focused on the mission of Christ and
centered in prayer, tell us that there is still ministry that we, the people of Our Congregation, can do here, with this ministry, then we have to do something
radical to turn around. In order to do that we need new ideas. We need to be
willing to let much of what we know as Our Congregation die and allow new
ministry to be resurrected in it’s place.
The Bishop challenged the council recently by telling us that we simply can’t vote
no to closing, or no to an idea that will be brought up today. Instead, we have
to vote yes to something radical and life giving - even if that is closing the
congregation. Please keep that in mind as we have these conversations. Ask yourself,
with my vote - what am I saying yes to?
Say
yes to life, say yes to resurrection life. If we go through life without a
resurrection life then the object of life is simply to live, but to live life
with a resurrection life - the object is then life. We cannot simply vote no to
something to simply stay open to stay alive - we have to vote for life and hope
of the future.
Two
years ago Our Congregation took a chance. You sold your parsonage, you called a
full time pastor. Over the past two years we commissioned a Turn Around Team,
we had conversations about what resurrection really looks like - what it really
means to turn a congregation around. Recently, we had conversations about
becoming a redevelopment congregation. Over the past two years we tried to
place the center of our ministry in Christ by starting up Bible studies, a
Sunday School, and a Lenten Devotional. However, over the past two years only 3
people joined the Turn Around Team, turn out to Bible Study was low, the Sunday
School did not have the energy to begin again this fall even after a successful
first year, the idea of going through redevelopment made people nervous and
eventually the synod took the option off the table. Over the past 10 years
church attendance and stewardship has been in steady decline. There is no youth
in our sanctuary on Sunday mornings. Turn out for fellowship dinners is higher
than attendance for Sunday morning worship. The neighborhood has changed and we
don’t have the energy to look for ways to create new ways to reach out to the
community. The building is starting to show its age and we don’t have the money
or the time to keep up with the building any longer. These are the realities that we can no longer
avoid and we have to look at honestly and ask ourselves who we are keeping the
ministry open for and challenge the kind of ministry we are willing to
continue.
Today, Our Congregation is going to take another chance. We are going to look at the
situation honestly and mission minded. We are going to look at each option
presented as a viable option and look for the resurrection and hope in new life
in each option. Today we start a new journey and the outcome of these
conversations will be a new future for Our Congregation - one that leads us to
new life.
My
prayer is that we, the disciples of Our Congregation, be courageous,
faithful people who chose to take seriously what it means to deny ourselves, to
take up our cross, and to lose our lives for the sake of Jesus and the gospel.
I pray that we know and trust the proclamation of Christ crucified as the power
and wisdom of God that brings life out of death.
In Christ,
Pastor
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