Pastor's Corner
Matthew 22:15-22
15 Then the Pharisees went and plotted to entrap him in what he said. 16 So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, ‘Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality. 17 Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?’ 18 But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, ‘Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites? 19 Show me the coin used for the tax.’ And they brought him a denarius. 20 Then he said to them, ‘Whose head is this, and whose title?’ 21 They answered, ‘The emperor’s.’ Then he said to them, ‘Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.’ 22 When they heard this, they were amazed; and they left him and went away.
So … what’s in your wallet? What does your money say to you? I fly? Mind your business? E Pluribus Unum? In God We Trust? What the coin said to Jesus was: “Give to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” There’s a lot of meaning to be found in money.
Good stewards are people who use the resources that they have been given to advance the interests of their master in the world. That’s precisely what we’re supposed to be doing in the work of Christian stewards. Everything we possess has been given to us by our loving Lord in a wild gesture of generosity. We don’t really own anything ourselves, but instead we care for the things that belong to God for as long as we are allowed to walk this earth. We relish them, we delight in them, we manage them … but then we let go of them. So why not let go in a way that advances God’s interests?
It’s true that we have to give some coins to the emperor — death and taxes have been two of life’s certainties, at least since the time of Jesus. But beyond this we have a great deal of freedom to exercise in the use of our assets, and it is good for us to learn how to be generous with the money we have. “Giving is the way we can feel abundant,” says writer Anne Lamott. “Giving is the way that we fill ourselves up.”
So … what’s in your wallet? What’s it saying to you? And how are you going to use it?
One of the hardest things for a Pastor to talk about and for a congregation to hear is a message about money. Some responses are “all the church wants is money”, or “the Pastor must want a raise”. This is not the message at all I want to convey.
For the past several years the church has been operating at a deficit, some years less than others, but a deficit nonetheless. Lucky me that now in the past few years this has become a major concern. So what do we do?
Here are our options in no particular order. The first is we could just continue the way we are going and see how things work out. This would be the easiest in the short term, but I fear that it won’t work out well for our future. In the past few years we have seen the result of this practice in the increased number of bankrupt and closed businesses and the current recession we are in. Not good!
Second option is we could just cut expenses until we are more in line with the giving. Balanced budget is always a good start and is sometimes a good thing to do. However in a church atmosphere this means cutting things like youth programs, music programs, office workers, and yes the Pastor. We could look at less intrusive cut backs such as travel, heat, lights and things like that. We have and we see some improvement, but the big money is in the ministries and personnel. Big changes and these may or may not right the ship.
Third option is we bring more people into the church. This is a good plan, but bringing people into the church shouldn’t just be about increasing the money, I doubt God will bless this approach. However, I am in favor of getting more folks in here so start inviting friends and family and even strangers to worship with us, but not for money.
Fourth option is to increase the giving of the church members. OUCH! “Pastor, are you seriously thinking that we have anything more to give?” Well, let me ask myself this question, and if I’m honest I have to say, yes I do. I know as a new homeowner and a dad that money is tight in our household. I also know that our giving has gone down in the last year not because of anything in the church but unforeseen expenses in everyday living. However, I still have my soda pop, my McDonald breakfast, and other non-essential expenses in my everyday life. There are also the expenses that I cannot do anything about, and I have to give to Cesar, but Jesus never included McDonalds in that. So Harmony and I will go back and eliminate some of these non-essentials. I don’t tell you this to impress you or make you feel guilty, but I tell you this to let you know that I struggle with this also. But as a member, not Pastor, of this church if I want to see ministries continue to grow and new ones start, then I have to put my money where my mouth is.
Final option is to get mad about the church needing more money and leave to go to another church, maybe a bigger church with no money problems. Well, as I talk with colleagues around the area, some of which are in larger churches, they are having similar problems and finding themselves communicating to their congregation that things have to change. Same message different church. So I would guess I wouldn’t get too far into worship at their churches before I would have to face this again.
I really didn’t like writing this article this month, but I feel that it is needed and sometimes what is needed is not what I like the most. God has a way of putting us in uncomfortable positions in order to force us to grow. Maybe, just maybe that is what is happening at our church.
So for me and my house we will choose this day to serve the Lord where we are at Brook Park Community Church of the Brethren, and just suck it up and dig deeper. I hope that you will join me in trying harder and giving better.
See you in church,
Pastor Dan
Stewards
The sanctuary is just about done. There needs to be some final touches done and some more dusting/cleaning to remove the fine powder dust from drywall sanding, but for the most part it is complete. A big thank you to all who helped sand and paint and all the other jobs needed to complete this huge undertaking. This comes with more information. The building fund is set and we would like to see the thermometer rise as repaying funds come in. We allowed ourselves ten years to repay the loan, but we hope it won’t take that long. We ware thinking of doing some fundraiser dinners to help pay off the loan in a fun way.
Another thing on the list is fixing the front door of the church. Until it is fixed, we will be using the left side of the two doors to enter.
Another item that needs to be taken care of is the flat roof which continues to leak. The basic reason behind this problem is snow gets built up on the roof and it turns to ice. Then this melts and gets into the cracks and the leaks begin. We are going to put the electric ice melting wire system on this section to keep the ice from building up to that degree.
Witness
The next clothing giveaway is going to be at the end of April. We also want to have one again in August. This will coincide with the hoped-for harvest of our community garden. This harvest will be shared by the congregation, and we will offer it at the clothing giveaway.
We had a meeting with the outside groups in February. We have new ideas in place. The church doors will be locked after their meetings begin to eliminate the possibilities of people coming in for the wrong reasons. They are also to do a walk through when leaving to make sure all lights and water are off. We have problems with things disappearing and the building being defaced inside, so these are a few ideas to try to put a stop to this. However, we are all responsible for our church and its contents, so we all need to be aware and diligent.
We are hoping to have a Camp Scholarship Fundraiser dinner around the end of April. We will announce it soon.
Nurture
Please keep in mind Holy Week Services.
Love Feast, Maundy Thursday, April 1, 7pm
Good Friday, April 2, 7pm
SonRise Service, April 4, 8am
Youth Easter Breakfast, April 4, 8:45am
Easter Worship, April 4, 10:20 am
Come and Worship
Cookie Hours continue. April will be on the 11th as the first Sunday is Easter. See Pat if you are able to share baked goods then.
Christian Education
We are concerned about Sunday School. The attendance is low and has been all year. We appreciate the ones who come and love to see them. However, we would love to have more come and learn with us. We have a great group of teachers who are going, for the most part, unused each Sunday. Please come and join us and see what you have been missing. Also if you have some suggestions of what you would like to see in Sunday School, let us know.
Don’t forget that during regular Sunday School Hours on Easter we will be having an EGG hunt for the little ones second grade and under. Lots of fun for them and for the older kids who help.
VBS is coming! The dates are August 8-12, from 6-8:30pm. Our theme is SUPERHEROES!
Senior High & Junior High
Well, we are almost to our NYC goal. We have paid our registration, booked our flights, and are ready to order our NYC t-shirts. Then we have only to register our shuttle bus trip to and from the airport. The trip is in sight. We will be serving breakfast Easter morning between services for our last fundraiser meal. We may have a bake sale at the end of April just so that the account is not starting off with a $0.00 balance for the next group. We have been asked by the Painesville COB to get together with them sometime in the next month. We’d like to make our seat pillows together (there aren’t enough seats in the arena for all of NYC attendees, so we will need a pillow to sit on the floor). They would like for their 4 girls to meet our 6 girls so they all know more than their own youth group. Sounds like a good plan.
From My Desk to You-Karen
I’m really excited about NYC. I did not go as a youth, something about being too shy and being a homebody; there was no way I was going that far away. But I’m ready now. Some things just take longer to be ready for. You have to grow towards them, and that may take longer for some. But NYC is still four months away; what I am going to do until then to pass the time? Oh, right, something about another of my children who did not get the memo about not growing up on me. I have a senior about to graduate. I’m not ready for this, again. But, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven” so I guess we will be OK. My senior will graduate, the family will vacation and enjoy summer, and I guess I can wait for NYC (I’ve waited this long, another 4 months won’t hurt me). Thanks for being patient with our group and seeing us get there.
Deacons
The Deacons will be providing the service of Love Feast on Maundy Thursday. It will be a Tradition of Brethren Love Feast. We will learn and experience why we do Love Feast the way we do it. Harmony will be providing child care that evening.
The community cupboard is in need of some staples. The cupboard has been utilized quite a bit this winter and is in need of staple foods such as beans, rice, canned fruits, canned meats, and healthy cereal. Gift cards and money are also helpful. Please refrain from pie fillings and luxuries.
