The Church of the Holy Spirit, Charlestown,
in the Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island
The Rt. Rev. Geralyn Wolf, Bishop
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Annual Report on the State of the Parish for 2009
The Rev. Dr. Michael Tessman, Pastor & Priest-in-Charge
Let us pray: [BCP p. 840, rev.]
O God of Love, you created all peoples in your image: we give you thanks for the wonderful diversity of races and cultures in this world. Enrich our lives by ever widening circles of fellowship and especially show us your presence in those who differ most from us, until our knowledge of your love is made perfect in our love for all peoples, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who forgives us all our sins and bids us forgive one another as we have been forgiven. Amen.
Amateurs for Christ!
Jeremiah tells us, like all reluctant prophets, that the Lord God touched his mouth and appointed him to speak “whatever I command you.” And Jeremiah’s reluctance to do so was not easily assuaged by God’s reassurances that, “before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you!” Hmm. Jeremiah protests about being “only a boy” are more than declarations on humility! They are the cries of one who doesn’t feel up to the task, yet for the sheer love of God, wants to do it.
We are probably not far off message by saying that all of us, like the prophets before us, are at best amateurs! Even that greatest of Apostles, St. Paul, said, “we see only through a glass darkly; we know only in part, we see only in part! The word amateur may say more than we understand about being Disciples of Christ. In it’s pure sense, an amateur does something for “the love of it” and more often than not, finds the greatest reward simply in the doing of it. (No self-congratulation or seeking thanks from others is necessary!)
Most of us are old enough to remember Ted Mack’s “Amateur Hour” in the early days of TV? Today’s versions seem pre-occupied with celebrity and stardom – yet very few contestants end up being Susan Boyle! She just sang for the love of it - a real amatuer – until she was discovered! Like Jeremiah, it is in being discovered that the real challenges begin.
Our willingness to be discovered together for prayer and worship wherever and whenever we can is the way we become Disciples of Christ. While we are looking into a mirror, dimly, God is fashioning us into those who “will see face to face” eventually. What is most important and essential for our growth as disciples is that we learn to “discern God’s will and do it in God’s way.” Wherever we are, and whatever we do, we do it together as members of the body of Christ; at work or play. All of this is “church”
whether we’re paid or not, whether clergy or laity. There are no professional Christians and there are no volunteer Christians! As true disciples, we’re all amateurs, in it for love’s sake!
Leadership as Stewardship of Time, Talent, Treasure
Paul is quick to tell us that LOVE is the hardest work we will ever do! Love is not for romantics or the faint of heart. Jesus would find that out in his hometown, where one minute they spoke well of him and the next they wanted to hurl him off the cliff! Disciples beware!Last year at this time when I made my first report to you after a few months in your midst, I challenged us to begin to think about church no longer in terms of volunteerism but in terms of discipleship. I said that “in keeping with the decision of your leadership, before my appointment as your priest-in-charge, to pursue a future based upon the tenets of Total Ministry, it was my hope that Church of the Holy Spirit will move from a surviving “just getting by” congregation to a thriving Christian community. In 2009 some significant strides were made in that direction.
TOTAL MINISTRY happens when every Baptized person – lay or clergy, salaried or unsalaried – agrees and commits to being held to the same standard of discipleship and accountability for personal and interpersonal behavior.
This fundamental tenet of Total Ministry, then, asks each of us to think of ourselves as a vital and essential organ in Christ’s body. Paul’s 1st Letter to the Corinthians, reminds us that “the eye cannot say to the hand, I do not need you,” etc. However, while we are all necessary, we do not all perform the same tasks, nor do we prize “conformity” above “unity of Spirit.” Accountability to one another is primary if we are to “do Christ’s work in Christ’s way.” Otherwise, the body is “dis-membered” and suffers. Many congregations, especially small ones like ours, suffer from the idea that “unless everybody is doing this-or-that with the same fervor, they aren’t real members.” What is essential, however, is that all see their ministry as an extension of their disciple-ship, rather than a competition with one another in “volunteer” time.
It is especially exciting to report that in 2009, your Bishop’s Committee moved into a new mode of leading the way – as distinct from micro-managing. They are delegating more as “overseers” rather than “doing it themselves, or it won’t get done!” This requires patience, and represents a shift from emphasis on what a “few do” to what “we all can do, as one body” whether we’re actually present (physically) or not. Since our congregation has many “seasonal” members, it is more challenging to be accountable on the same level. Communication is vital, and while it cannot be exhaustive (“you had to be there”) it can engage everyone more collectively. In this regard, the Bishop’s Committee has initiated a number of new emphases:
Online website and newsletter, with weekly updates;
Policies and procedures for giving gifts (material and financial) to the church;
Protocols for the handling of money to avoid any appearance of impropriety;
A resolution about “working toward tithing” as a basic Stewardship commitment.
These are not simply “black & white” documents to be filed away and never seen again, but “living testimony” of the kind of “mutual accountability” on which Total Ministry depends.
Despite dire predictions about the economy, the Bishop’s Committee rose to their own challenge, pledging over $35,000, nearly 43% of the total pledged. Their Steward-ship Giving represents an average pledge of $2917, and a median of $2600. And 25 households within the congregation raised their pledges by an average of $250 to help bring the congregational average to over $1725.00 or $33.25 weekly. Although not meeting the $100,000 pledge goal, you came over $2,000 closer than last year, for a total of $86,445 pledged so far.
Spiritual Growth precedes Numerical/Financial Growth
Christian spirituality is very practical! In fact the “practice of Christian spirituality” is what the church is supposed to be doing, first and foremost.
Christian spiritual formation is not the same as “feeling good” – yet, when embraced as a discipline (what “disciples” do), it will definitely result in feeling better, regardless of one’s situation in life!
Christian education is not limited to “things about spirituality” as if “body, mind and spirit” are separable. Addressing spiritual matters means addressing every-thing that has “meaning” in life – sacred, profane, financial, material, emotional, sexual, etc., and yes, all very practical.
How we are “doing” is best measured by the level of dedication and discipleship the membership exhibits to, however imperfectly, “living in Christ-like ways” – sacramentally. Done well, this results in commitment to building a community life that is fundamentally healthy [root word – heal], with such “health” spilling over into the lives of the membership: in their workplaces, families, circles of friends, recreation, sexuality, financial dealings, and the list goes on. Nothing could be more practical, than living sacramentally!
Money (and how we use, or abuse, it) is our common cultural sacrament because, as we know, “money speaks volumes about people’s values” and no amount of pious talk, Biblical precedent, or marketing pitch will convince us otherwise. If faith in Jesus Christ and the mission of the church are to have any practical integrity, it will be shown in the level of “sacrificial giving” to the church by the membership.
Outreach
Outreach is to everyone we meet, everywhere we go in the course of a day – as disciples of Jesus Christ! Many churches are concerned that they do not do enough outreach. In large part, that is because we do not think of our daily lives as Christ’s disciples – instead, we think of “outreach” as limited to the “charitable” works we do “under the auspices of” the church. That limits “church” to “charity” missing the meaning of being “a community of disciples – members of Christ’s body!” We end up being more concerned for our “survival” than for our mission to “thrive” in the mission and ministry we’ve been given by God!
Doing God’s work in God’s way is the most difficult challenge of discipleship. It is so challenging because we all have our own ideas about what God’s work is, and how it “should” be done! Getting beyond that “hit or miss” approach is the prayerful work of discernment and it requires more energy and discipline than most church goers have time for. In fact, just church-going may be part of the problem! The old Sunday school jingle says it best:
The church is not a building, the church is not a steeple,
The church is not a hiding place, the church is people!
2009 was a year of transition in leadership style and a step toward becoming a more mutually accountable community of disciples. 2010 presents us with the challenges of sustainability – and potential growth. It will not be easy – LOVE never is - but as members of Christ’s body, we can do all things through Him who loves us, and gave His life for us, a Perfect offering and Sacrifice to God.
