Servants of God,
What’s next? That question has been asserting itself in my mind the last few months as I’ve reflected on the mission we share. Since embracing an ambitious Vision and Mission Plan in 2007 we have taken significant strides toward significant goals, including:- Becoming core supporters and hosts of Family Promise ministry.
- Hosting neighborhood events that affirm our stance as a congregation that engages the community around us.
- Revitalizing our ministry to young people and families under the leadership of Nicole Klinemeier.
- Becoming an Reconciling in Christ congregation.
- Formulating policies to ensure Peace is a safe haven for children and vulnerable adults.
- Updating and expanding our presence on the World Wide Web, our 21st century “welcome mat.”
- Incorporating new talents and resources, both musical and visual, into our worship life.
- Becoming more intentional about how we greet, welcome, and follow-up with guests.
- Growing in number and in generational diversity.
When Abraham and Sarah set out toward a new and unknown destination, their faith in God’s promises undergirded them along the way. Not that they didn’t question what God was up to from time to time—they did! (They even tried to substitute their own solutions, which proved , at times, disastrous.) But through it all, God’s promises held fast, and God’s faithfulness proved a rock solid foundation.
We, too, are on a journey together. But I like to imagine our journey in a little different way. Instead of a physical pilgrimage, ours is a journey toward fully inhabiting the vision God has called us to make our own. We are, it seems to me, not unlike homesteaders who have staked their claim on a new dwelling place and, bit by bit, acre by acre, board by board, have labored to make the new habitation their home. Not every acre is cleared; not every structure is up; not every room in the main house is fully furnished; not every space is fully realized. But the vision is crystallizing and the new habitat is gradually becoming our own. Fully inhabiting this vision is a process that takes time and prioritizing and experimenting and ongoing investment. And at key junctures it requires a purposeful and focused gathering of all our forces to reach a new level of habitation.
As the church council begins developing a mission budget for 2010 it is clear that we are approaching such a juncture. Our vision is robust—and our financial support and ongoing investment in that vision must continue to be equally robust in order for us to fully inhabit the vision. I anticipate that the proposals we will see in coming months will challenge and stretch us, requiring bold and faithful—even sacrificial giving—in a manner that may be new territory for some. There will be plenty of opportunity for conversation, and I hope you will plan now to participate.
While this challenge may feel daunting, it need not frighten us. After all, we worship a God who risked it all by emptying himself, fully inhabiting human flesh, and who gave himself completely for the sake of the world he so loved. When we keep our eyes focused on what God in Christ has first given us, then it becomes clear that this challenge is part and parcel of the call we have received to fully inhabit the vision God has given us: to be a community grounded in God’s grace, and called to venture beyond ourselves, so all people will experience God’s love.
Living in God’s hope, I am your servant in Christ,
Pastor Erik
What does this mean?