Episodes
Sunday Oct 18, 2015
Loving, Serving, Giving
Sunday Oct 18, 2015
Sunday Oct 18, 2015
A “State of the Church” sermon preached by Rev. Ginger E. Gaines-Cirelli at Foundry UMC as part of the Financial Stewardship campaign, October 18, 2015.
Texts: 1 Peter 2:4-5, Mark 10:35-45
“What is it you want me to do for you?” What a question from Jesus! If Jesus asked you that question today, what would you say? What do you want me to do for you? James and John responded with a request for positions of power and prestige in Jesus’ administration. You’d think they would have known better, having been with Jesus almost from the very beginning. But over and again, the disciples don’t get it. They argue over rank, they try to deny children and the vulnerable access to Jesus, they aren’t able or willing to comprehend that the last will be first, that children will inherit the Kin-dom, that the greatest people will be those who serve, that true life is received not by what you get but rather by what you give. What might have been a wiser response to Jesus’s question?
Today is the day when, by tradition here at Foundry, we set aside some time to reflect upon the “state of the church.” And I found myself thinking about what we as a congregation might say to Jesus in response to his most generous question. What is it you want me to do for you? Before considering our response, however, I want to take a moment to reflect upon the cultural context in which we find ourselves today. The landscape has changed and is changing with regard to the ways that people both think about and engage their spiritual practices. The pace of life in our day, the rise of social media, the oversaturation of “information,” the religious climate in the media, the shrinking of workforces and consequent increase of work pressures and demands for those lucky enough to have a job, the competitive nature of American life from childhood on, and many other factors affect religious participation at many levels. For an increasingly mobile population, attending worship every week is difficult to achieve. We also know that weekly worship isn’t the primary way many folks engage—many prefer instead to participate in spiritual community through a small group or hands-on mission group. Others may connect primarily through online resources. And of course there are a growing number of folks who don’t engage the church at all. One colleague in New York City—a pastor who, through his wise leadership, has brought renewal and strength to his current congregation over more than twenty years—has said on more than one occasion that he finds doing congregational work in the current climate more challenging than ever before.
But challenging as it is, I have some pretty strong convictions about why it is so important for us to continue to hang in there and to be the church in the world. First, I believe that the church at its best can offer people things we are all hungry for: community, friendship, meaning, purpose, beauty, a sense of wonder, mystery, and transcendence. I believe that even though so many people are disconnected from church and say they don’t want anything to do with it, sometimes those same people discover at some point in their life that they desperately need the church; and when those folks stumble across our threshold, we need to show them an authentic, healthy community of care, conviction, commitment, and integrity. I believe that we are responsible to try to mend the broken hearts and the wounds of persons hurt by the church—even as we seek mending of our own brokenness—and that can happen as we call upon the amazing grace of God to heal us and help us. I believe that the church is absolutely necessary to help each one of us be become our truest, most whole selves. I believe that it is crucial that the church teach our children that they are part of God’s love story in the world and that they don’t have to compete for God’s love. And I believe that the church is God’s instrument of peace, mercy, justice, and saving love in the world—that we are called to show that there is an alternative to violence, prejudice, and polarization and to stand in solidarity with the poor and the oppressed. It may be challenging to be engaged in congregational work these days, but it is just as critical as ever.
In light of all of this, I come back to the question posed by Jesus in our text today: “What is it you want me to do for you?” The words of the hymn come to mind: “Grant us wisdom, grant us courage, for the facing of this hour, for the living of these days, lest we miss thy Kin-dom’s goal.”[i]
The very good news is that, in so many ways, Foundry is positioned from a place of strength as we lean into the third century of ministry in our nation’s capital. Over the course of this past year, we have welcomed a number of inspiring guest preachers. Every one of them made a point of saying how extraordinary Foundry is. Several favorite comments include the “very Episcopalian” Dr. Peter Hawkins saying that he felt the urge to stand up and clap along during 9:30 worship, Rev. Cynthia Moore-Koikoi telling me that her preconceptions about what kind of church Foundry is were shattered—and then her standing up during 9:30 service and giving thanks to God that the daughter of slaves and the daughter of slave owners were sharing a pulpit and singing together the songs of her people from the African American Heritage Hymnal. And then there was Bishop Talbert’s telling us during his sermon to look around and see the Kin-dom of God and not to take what we share for granted. I also think of the woman with whom I had conversation who said, “I am not really sure why I am here or what I believe…but I just feel drawn to Foundry on Sunday morning.” I think of our friend and brother, Brian Nowlin, saying to me as he lay dying, “Thank God for Foundry.” And I couldn’t even begin to name all the times I have heard some version of “I never thought I would find a church where I could feel so fully embraced, supported, and loved.” “We never dreamed that we would be able to get married in church.” “I didn’t know church could be like this.” There are people you have never met who regularly tune in to share our worship through the live streaming we provide—after the funeral of my great-aunt Lola, I learned that my mom’s cousin has started watching our 9:30 service weekly! Who knew?!
Foundry is also a church that is serving well beyond the walls both through paying 100 % of our church apportionments that support mission and ministry through the United Methodist connection and through our mission outreach right here in DC. Just this past year our English as a Second Language classes have been filled—70 students at each of three semesters—and classes have been free for those who need it most. Our social justice ministries have cooked lunches for un-housed neighbors recovering from injury, illness, surgery, and addiction at Christ House. We have helped feed hundreds at So Others Might Eat and through Sandwich One Thousand as well as our Saturday Morning Cooking Mission. This Spring's Great Day of Service, where we packed 30,000 meals with Mount Vernon Place and Asbury UMC, helped respond to disasters in Eastern Ukraine and The Philippines. We sponsored 4 children living in homeless shelters to attend summer camp at Brighter Day United Methodist Church's Enrichment Academy. You also sponsored an apartment for Bernadette and her two children Gabby and Todd who moved from shelter to Permanent Supportive Housing. In a thank you note from Bernadette she says, “Everything is so beautiful…my kids love their new room and my daughter can’t believe this is ours…We are so thankful. We won’t take this for granted.” In addition, we worked to provide canned goods and badly needed supplies to neighbors in and around Baltimore's Sandtown neighborhood through outreach with Ames, John Wesley, and Metropolitan UMCs following demonstrations related to the death of Freddie Gray—a connection that will continue this next year through Volunteer in Mission work with those congregations. Foundry was instrumental in getting a DC 2016 budget passed that includes more support for ending chronic homelessness. And our ID Ministry was expanded to meet the needs of the population needing this vital service.
We are coming off a truly extraordinary Bicentennial year, marked with transcendent worship and powerful preaching, soul-stirring music and warm fellowship, a “family reunion” with our sister congregation, Asbury UMC and so much more. Family Camp and Sunday School continue to bless our children and families. Our children’s choir is stronger than it’s been in years and our adult choirs are excellent as always. We continue big improvements to our building through our Mission Possible Capital Campaign. There is a spirit of excitement and growing engagement among us. God is truly at work in our midst.
But even still, there are places where we know we need to become stronger, more organized, more faithful. What is it that you must do over the next two to three years? That is the question posed to the Foundry Management Board by Rev. Jim Harnish toward the end of the visioning retreat held in late February of this year. The retreat was, in many ways, the culmination of the house meeting and holy conversation cycle that commenced as I arrived as your Senior Pastor and began to very intentionally listen and observe. The Board had the benefit of all the data collected throughout that process in addition to their own experience as key servant leaders as they sought to answer Jim’s clarifying question. What is it that you must do over the next two to three years? What emerged from that retreat—and from the process as a whole—is what I call a “Developmental Vision” for Foundry. That is to say, the vision for the next 2-3 years provides clarity about the areas that need to be strengthened and developed in order for Foundry to grow as a community and as a force for transformation in the world. That vision is:
To be an intentional covenant community that
· helps people of all ages connect with God & each other
· calls, equips, sends, and supports spiritual leaders to serve the church and world
· practices radical hospitality & inclusion
· builds partnerships in mission locally & globally to create beloved communities of economic, racial, and social justice
Some of the concrete ways we will be living into the vision are spelled out in the stewardship campaign booklet. I encourage you to review that piece. We are seeking to be and to become a beloved community here at Foundry—and the work we do both internally and externally to proclaim black lives matter and to advocate for full inclusion of LGBTQ people in our church is work that is critically important at this moment in our history as a nation and as a church. The investment we are making in staffing for Family Ministries and adult Connecting Ministries is critical in helping us finally address the gaps in our congregational ministries that have created challenges and obstacles to greater growth and flourishing. We are putting programs and personnel into place strategically and with great hope in the fruits that will be borne over the next several years. The one primary challenge we face in moving forward with full confidence is financial.
Let me begin by saying that we have so many people in this church whose generosity is breathtaking—both in their financial giving and their humble service. Last year, we began to see a very healthy trend of folks moving from giving to actually making a financial pledge for the year. Even in the wake of a strong and dynamic campaign last fall, we still faced a significant shortfall in the proposed operating budget for this year. The Leadership Challenge commenced in January, generating over $215,000 in extra giving. Some of our strongest givers gave even more and many folks from across the congregation stepped up to help close the gap. I want to thank all who so generously give to support God’s work in and through Foundry.
Projections for next year’s budget show that we will once again be facing a shortfall unless we work together to increase our collective giving. I want to encourage us to do that work now instead of waiting until January! We need at least a 10% increase overall—in order to get close to a balanced budget. I can assure you that the projected spending is not extravagant. Increases are primarily in staffing and support and for other areas vital to fulfillment of our vision and mission. Our proposed draft budget is available for your review on our website and staff are happy to respond to questions. If you haven’t already, take a look at the “Revealing Breakdown of Foundry’s Giving Patterns” found on page 21 of the stewardship booklet. You will see that in 2014 there were 738 active Foundry folks for whom we have no record of any financial gift. If all those folks pledge something—anything!—and if others who give and pledge increase as much as possible, we will be able to enter into 2016 from a place not only of spiritual strength, but financial strength as well. We will have more than enough!
Here’s what we’re asking of you. If you haven’t pledged in the past, please do that. Pray and discern what you can give to the work of God in and through Foundry Church. If you have pledged in the past, consider whether you can increase by 10% this year—and if not that much, at least as much as possible. If you made a donation toward our Leadership Challenge for 2015, please prayerfully consider whether you can make that same gift for 2016. Today, Jesus asks us, “What do you want me to do for you?” Perhaps the best response would be to echo that question right back: “What is it, Jesus, you want me to do for you?”
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