Sermon for November 20, 2016 (Last Sunday after Pentecost – Christ the King)
Mr. Jay Anthony
Good morning my St. John’s family.
This is the time of year when either I or the clergy or some other lucky duck gets to come up here and with golden words attempt to get you to open your hearts and your wallets to pledge even more money to St. John’s for the next year. More money to keep us warm in the winter, well lit, plowed out, free flowing water, insured, clergy to keep us spiritually fulfilled, staff to give us clean spaces and office staff to keep us administratively sound! More of your hard earned cash to give us music and voices and someone to lead it all. This is the time when we get up before you to beg and wheedle.
Do these words sound vaguely familiar?
This was the opening paragraph to the Stewardship sermon I delivered last year on November 15th. The same sermon when I stated we should leave this facility and carry on elsewhere.
What a difference a year makes.
Since that time, many things have transpired. For one, we have Fr. Mike & Fr. Armando. We have St. John’s Wings. We might be sharing space with Community Tabernacle Outreach Center. We reconfigured and tightened up our cash assets and are making a little money on them (keyword here is “little”). We restored our second furnace for the coming winter, and we will be doing a much need tune up and minor repair to the McManis organ. Soon, after a long awaited sewer repair for which we received a grant, we can all use the restrooms as many times as we want with no repercussions. We have a new roof over our heads that no one in this sanctuary will have to worry about for a very, very long time. No longer are we actively looking to sell the parish house, but rather looking to market it for rental opportunities. We even received a very appreciated gift from an angel in the amount of $250,000 which is now earning interest. What we are no longer doing, is taking money from our endowment.
But there is still much left to be done. We are not out of the woods and it’s a very wide forest we’re in. Clergy continually need to get paid and will one sad day need to be replaced. St. John’s Wings will always need your physical help. The Community Tabernacle Outreach Center relationship is not yet solidified, nor is it guaranteed. Our cash assets could easily be depleted in a heartbeat if we don’t continually keep it replenished. Our furnaces will always need fuel. The McManis will need another tuning and repair, we may still need to sell the parish house. With any luck we won’t have to worry about the bathrooms for awhile. I and the Vestry would dearly love to not ever have to take operating money out of the Endowment ever again. However, that is not yet guaranteed.
Last year I also spoke the following: “Like the church, we all have financial issues. I get that. So the Vestry decided to take it easy on you all this year. We do not want to lose any more members over the begging and cajoling. Too many members have quietly slipped away because of it or over personality issues. That’s life. It happens. But like family, they will always be welcomed back when we have made the right decisions and have righted the ship to their comfort and satisfaction.”
Well, that was then and this is now. Oh, we still would welcome back any sheep that have strayed. But that part about taking it easy on you all is a bit different this year. We are starting to see the mountain top!
I wasn’t able to be here last week due to needs at my real job. I would like to thank Linda Pomeroy and Karen Minkler for stepping up for me and speaking on Stewardship. Your church leaders worry every year about coming before you to ask you to give more. Sadly it’s a necessary evil to ask.
I’m now going to try and speak only to those of you who do not see the reason to pledge. I used to be one of you. I didn’t get the point and thought it was just one of those churchy things. Heck, they knew I’d give something every week. Someone, I won’t say who, smacked me upside the head one day.
“Do you get a paycheck every week?” he asked?
I said, “No, every other week.” (You do know I’m a smart alec.)
After smacking my head one more time he continued, “You rely on that paycheck. You know it’s coming so you know what you will be able to afford. Pledging works the same way. If the church knows what you and all the other members will be giving in advance, it’s comfortable knowing what it can afford.”
So, I’m up here as your Senior Warden. Your employee with my hat in hand asking you for a raise. I don’t care if it’s a $5.00 or a $20.00 raise, as long as I know it’s something we can use to know if we can see our way to stay living in our house.
Stewardship can also encompass membership. We need more people in the pews. Theoretically, the more we have, the less we ask from you. OK, not really, but you get my point. So bring us your family, bring us your friends anyone whom you want to share the greatness YOU find in St. John’s.
It’s a never ending battle my friends. Your Vestry is doing its best and your St. John’s Wings are flapping like crazy. We still need you and anyone else you can bring to get us off the ground and soar. Let’s fill this place like it’s Christmas and Easter every Sunday.
Last year, we asked you to pray for a miracle. Some happened. More may come our way. Your Prayers helped. Imagine how well they’d help with a filled sanctuary.
May the church say Amen.