Dear sisters and brothers in Christ,
Wow! I’m breathless after an exciting weekend at Immanuel, when leaders gathered on Saturday for time with our church consultant, Pastor Rick Rouse. Early on in the conversation, he described the church as a bus rather than a ship, and he proclaimed that God’s Spirit should be driving us. The conversations were stimulating, and survey results indicate that the congregation is ready to create a plan for God’s mission at Immanuel and beyond for the next few years. We have amazing resources that include but are not limited to the members, the staff, the ministry, and the building.
Commitment Sunday was also a huge success thanks to our stewardship leaders, council and staff, and especially to you, the saints who support the ministry through your generous gifts of time, talent, and money. In a temple talk a few weeks ago, Jim Martin encouraged us to consider what portion of what we have we will keep for our own use and what will we give to God’s mission. And then Pastor Rouse reminded us of the beauty and faith inherent in first fruit giving like the little boy who gave the first fish he caught knowing that he could go back to the river to catch the other nine. That is how good God is!
Pastor Rouse also referred to Mark Allen Powell’s best-selling book“Giving to God” in his sermon. I’ve read it, and the most important shift in his theological understanding for the church is that stewardship isn’t about the percent that we give to church. Stewardship is about how we use all that we have – ourselves, our time, and our possessions whether it’s at church, in the community, in our home, at work, with friends, or even how we spend our leisure time.
Of course, the danger of looking at stewardship from a 100 percent perspective is that we could become law-oriented. But that isn’t who we are as Lutherans. As Lutherans, grace is foremost in our minds. And because of God’s grace, love, and steadfast mercy and justice, we respond with gratitude and generosity.
I’m grateful for the high percentage of members who participated in the survey process. I hope you’ve read the summary of the survey results. We have some growing edges and opportunities. I want you to know, I’m taking the feedback from the survey seriously, and I recognize that perceptions and expectations are different across generational lines. Our consultant, Pastor Rouse, recommends a book that helps congregations much like ours to bridge generation gaps and to be intergenerational. The book is “Reaching People under 40 while Keeping People over 60” by Edward H. Hammett and James R. Pierce.
Let me be clear. Every generation matters. Every person is unique. Each has gifts and growing edges. And, God has called us together, here. God has called us together, at this time. We are Immanuel, and we are an ELCA word and sacrament ministry. And, like our consultant asked us at the beginning of the process on Saturday, “Are you on the bus?” God is on the bus. God deeply desires to be in relationship with you. God desires to knit us into one fabric, one body, marked with the cross of Christ forever and sent for the sake of the world. We have a strong and beautiful legacy of being a church whose mission has always been timely for its time. I hope you’ll participate in the conversation about where God’s bus is headed at this particular time.
