We had a great experience in worship yesterday made perfect by the blessing of Zayden Angelo-Hart Blankenship with his parents, Alexa Snodgrass and Cody Blankenship. We had 88 folks in worship which included a lot of relatives of Zayden's. Our offering just over $2000 with additional gifts for Crosslines purchases and KSMU sponsorships.
FRIDAY, CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICE IS AT 7 P.M.
We knew we were really lucky when we first met Jim and Debby Baugh who are relocating to Springfield in April from their current home in Texas. They've been with us at least once a month since they first bought their retirement home in Springfield back in the summer. What we did not know until recently is that Debby is bringing a tremendous amount of piano skills with her! Barry has to be out of town on Christmas but Debby will step up and surprise you with just how good she really is!
Please bring canned goods or donations for Crosslines as an offering at this service..... gold, frankincense and myrrh also accepted.
THE CHURCH DOOR
As 2010 comes to a close I look back on this past year with some mixed feelings. When we gathered for Christmas Eve last year it was right after making the decision to purchase our church property. We entered 2010 with the remarkable challenge and opportunity to raise the money to buy and then restore this facility. We were blessed with remarkable generosity and Herculean volunteerism in getting the remodeling done. The move has been a fabulous boost to our stability and longevity.
I have been, however, frequently disappointed in seeing how many people we did lose due to either distance or simple disagreement over the move. A recurring nightmare in this pastor's life has been the discovery of just how disposable church affiliation can be in a new congregation. On the other hand, I am tremendously encouraged by how important and vital the church is to many other people.
We were first visited by Dan and Mary McKenzie after we had moved out to our Cherry St. property. They were eager volunteers in the care of our property prior to their annual fishing trip in Alaska which had them away at the time we opened our charter in August for members to sign the membership book. Sadly, on their way home Dan discovered that he had cancer and since they have been back in Springfield Dan has not been well enough to come back to church.
In a recent conversation, I asked them if there was anything we could do to help support them. Mary's answer was that she wanted me to bring their membership book to their home so that Dan could sign it, literally, from his bed. They became members this morning and made a substantial gift to the church. I'm always sorry to see the people leave who decide that this prophetic little church is not for them but I choose to dwell on those for whom it is already a vital part of their sense of personal faith and corporate witness.
In a recent e-mail exchange with the director of the Center for Progressive Christianity, Fred Plummer, he pointed out that more than 80% of the congregations in the United States have fewer than 60 people in worship every week. It is a strange thing to celebrate but we were in the top 20% of American churches in our first year of existence!
Still, we have yet to tap into what I believe is the huge reserve of people who would be a part of this congregation if they only knew about us and understood our mission. Our KSMU adds and the web site management of one of our new members, Rob Martin, will help us to get the word out and yet most people first visit the church they join because they were invited to visit by a family member or a friend.
The best hope we have for growing our congregation is for our current members to invite your unchurched friends who would be open to a progressive community of faith. We don't want to convert anyone or drag anyone away from another congregation. We're just looking for those like minded people who would benefit from being a part of our faith community. I am convinced that there are thousands of progressive thinkers in our area who simply do not believe that there is a church around here which would not offend their sense of justice while insulting their intelligence. We don't need to find all of them but a couple of hundred of them sure would help us to expand the work for social justice we are doing here in Jesus' name.
I am glad to be among you as your pastor. I am grateful that you have given me this opportunity to be in ministry. I look forward to 2011 and the promises it holds for growth and good works.
