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Dear
Saints:
This
past month we celebrated a milestone in the life of our
congregation. Fifty years ago on June 10, 1956, St. Matthew
Evangelical Lutheran Church was born. I wish to extend a general
"thank you" to all of you who made this wonderful event
possible. Nothing that was done (no matter how small or insignificant
it may have seemed to you) was unimportant to the success of that
weekend. I am especially grateful for those who came to the various
events. The anniversary organizers did a great job, yet, all the
planning in the world would have gone for naught if it hadn't been
for those who used their personal time and money to show up and
participate—some of them traveling long distances to get here.
How
pleasing it was to relive years past with former pastors and church
members! How refreshing to renew old friendships, and make new ones!
How joyful to gather for fellowship and worship in this same location
set apart by God a half-a-century ago for the sake of Jesus Christ
and the proclamation of his good news! It was indeed a fun and
meaningful occasion for us all. We have relished in the past—and
rightfully so. But we can't afford to live there.
I
am, for the most part, a tactful individual; yet, I have been known
on occasion to be quite forthright—even blatantly
honest—concerning my thoughts and feelings about certain
matters. It seems to me, now, that I must be again. I know some of
you who read the following remarks may be offended by them and—if
that be the case—that's just how it will have to be. Because,
what I have to say is more important than how any one person (or
group of people) may react.
St.
Matthew has reached an impasse—a critical juncture on it's
journey of faith. Over the years our attendance (and, therefore,
giving) has steadily declined. We have a rapidly aging congregation
with many people in their 70s and 80s. We have a core of group of
men, women, and young people who are highly committed to our
congregation but, honestly, many are not looking beyond our immediate needs.
As
important as paying off the mortgage and keeping up the property
are, for instance, the focus is not on mission and outreach. Even our
current drive for a Youth building is shortsighted. Do we really want
to spend $30,000 or $40,000 to add a new building to an already
outdated and inadequate campus? Is this good stewardship? Would we
not use that money more faithfully by investing it until we have a
better long-range plan for our facilities?
We
certainly need to take care of these things, but we must be people
of vision who look beyond our current needs and wants to ministering
to our community and beyond in the name of Jesus. We DO NOT
exist for ourselves. We DO exist for others. We need to begin to
think evangelistically.
We
who are baptized and confirmed members of this church have what we
need. God's grace and forgiveness are extended to us; and we gain
nourishment and healing through the Living Word who comes to us in
our worship, sacraments, preaching, Bible study, and fellowship. Yet,
there are vast numbers of people "out there" who do not.
2006
will be the year we decide to carry on as usual (which in times past
worked just fine, but which has outlived its usefulness), or risk
doing ministry differently realizing that the future will not wait
for us to catch up. We must act NOW! Now is the time (or, I fear, it
will be too late for us to recover).
Our
synod, which plans to develop a new mission start on the north side
of Columbus in 2007, isn't going to wait for us to get on the
bandwagon. They want us to play a significant role in this new
venture; yet, they will not sit around waiting for us to decide how
we'll be involved.
The
time has come for us (energized, in part, by those wonderful
memories of the past) to focus on the FUTURE—to prayerfully
discern what our mission will be over the next fifty years—and,
then, do it. We can no longer afford to have the attitude that says
(and this is true; I heard it with my own ears!) we shouldn't have a
playground for children because it will make us look like a
McDonald's. Do we need to be reminded how successful McDonald's is as
a business?
The
bottom line is this: God wills for us to be a church-on-the-edge
that is stretched to the limit financially (and otherwise) in service
to others with needs-based outreach and evangelism. We can't look to
Ft. Benning for "our" salvation. We can't target only
imported Lutherans to bolster our numbers. To think this way is to
sound our death knell. Psalm 115:17 says, "The dead cannot sing
praises to the LORD, for they have gone into the silence of the
grave" (New Living Translation).
The
time has come for us to take the focus off ourselves and direct it
to others who haven't experienced the grace of God in Christ to save,
restore, and empower—and to re-orient nearly everything we do to
as a congregation to that purpose. Then, instead, maybe Psalm 115:18
will hold true for us, which proclaims, "But we can praise the
LORD both now and forever!" (New Living Translation).
Please
keep this in mind, as we will be soon getting the results from our
Church and Community project and starting a new year-round
stewardship campaign called Consecration Sunday.
The
future has arrived. How will we decide?
Grace
and peace,
Pastor
Larry |
