We have all been there. Standing in the grocery aisle with a shopping list in one hand staring at an empty shelf. The product that we intended to purchase isn’t there. We may choose something else that is the equivalent. We may seek out a store employee to double check it hasn’t been moved or is “in the back”. We may walk away and to try find the product in another store. We may forgo the search all together.
Supply chain shortages are not uncommon this season. Planning for everything from school lunch programs to purchasing a new refrigerator is difficult. There are many opinions as to why these shortages have happened. The feeling of frustration and disappointment when we don’t get what we want is the result of the lack of supply regardless of the reason.
This experience is not limited to retail. The church is also struggling. For a great while many congregations have had faithful members whose work and witness sustained them well enough to cover up for those who only showed up for what met their needs. We have long joked about “Easter” and “Christmas” congregants. We have lamented families who brought children to Sunday school for the fall whose attendance dropped off dramatically after the Christmas Program. We have mourned that families bring children to Sunday school and not to worship. Congregations feel frustrated when members hold onto ties so they have place to be buried when the time comes. This phenomenon is called “Consumer Christianity”. It means that some treat the church as a commodity that serves them.
I don’t believe the Covid-19 Pandemic created new problems for this place. For nearly two years we have experienced the unmasking of many challenges in our Parish. Faithful lay leaders have begun to recognize their solitude in ensuring programs continue in the way their neighbors have come to expect. They aren’t able to give as much, they are tired and feeling burn out. They don’t have much spare. They don’t have a super secret tool hidden away, “in the back” that can revitalize them. We have seen many step back and a few stop engaging all together.
We know that March of 2020 changed us. When the pandemic ushered us out of our buildings and into the world there was a vibrancy I had not felt about my work as a pastor before. It was exciting to try new things. Some succeeded. Others did not. We knew we couldn’t fall into old habits and patterns because everything was different. Yet that tenacity for the unknown quickly subsided as we went back into our buildings and old expectations emerged. However, the environment is dramatically different. We aren’t the same. We aren’t going to be the same as we were before. I believe we are being called to look to the future with eyes open to the challenges and opportunities before us and ask, “Where is God leading us?”
The consumer model of christianity expects that the church will be here to provide what you want when you want it. As leaders tire and retire, without your input in shaping and engaging in ministry, it may not be here when you need it. More than ever, the church needs you to be active and engaged. The Mission of the Goodridge Parish calls us to let our lights shine before others that they might see our good works and give glory to God. If we are not worshipping together, working together and striving together, how can our lights shine? The faithful and dedicated leaders in the congregations of the Parish need you. They cannot continue to provide opportunities for their neighbors to check in when there is something to consume.
The congregations of the Goodridge Parish have long membership lists but they don’t offer a healthy picture of who is involved in our ministries. As we have worked to update our Parish database, members have been divided in to active and inactive categories based on participation in worship and giving. I go a step further here and invite you to consider whether you are active in the work of this Parish based on the following criteria: Are you worshipping regularly? Are you serving God and the community faithfully? Are you giving your time, talent and treasure to further the church’s mission to the community and the world? If you are not participating in all three categories, you are missing out on how we are called to be the church.
Discipleship has a cost. Without faithful engagement and active participation, are the ministries in our parish sustainable? The book of James the First Chapter calls God’s people to be “do-ers” of the Word. Taking the words of our Savior to heart, there is always a call beyond ourselves. We don’t have the luxury of taking only what we want from the church. The Body of Christ bleeds when we are more concerned with how our needs are being met than meeting the needs of our neighbors. Christ Jesus calls us to look at the other. How are we being challenged to rise up together and embrace our mandate to go into all the world Baptizing and teaching in the name of Jesus Christ trusting that God is with us? Is there something the community wants and needs that the church can provide? Does doing something because it was important at one time still make sense? What new ministries are possible?
This year we will take time to discern the ministry of the Parish. On the next pages of this report is a brief vitality survey. It states, “All congregations want to thrive. A congregation (or any organization) is thriving when it achieves missional goals (vitality) and is likely to continue doing so into the future (sustainability).” You will be invited to complete this survey during the annual meeting and it will be available at other times in early February. The Congregation Councils will receive a report of the survey at their meeting in late February which will shape our goals for 2022. Throughout the year, we will ask thoughtful questions about our vitality and sustainability.
The parting of the Red Sea was not the only miracle when the people of God made their exodus: they left everything they knew and followed a promise. Psalm 77:19 reflects on this moment with the words, “Your way was through the sea, your path through the mighty waters, yet your footsteps were unseen.” We follow the same unseen footsteps trusting that our feet are guided by the one who calls us into the future. Inch by inch, step by step, we move in faith and hope with the promise of God before us.
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