When the decision was made to return to a single service format, there were many reasons to do so. One of the biggest reasons was to provide the ability to return to having a Sunday school hour. With our two service format, we were limited in terms of classroom space for adult classes. Since returning to a single service, we have re-launched a full hour of Sunday school called "Deeper Look".
We have seen the number of people coming to Sunday school grow each week. We have three (3) adult classes along with classes for high school, middle school and younger. The women's class is already filling the classroom where it meets. My class has already been discussing some very interesting topics as we study Romans. Mike Dunn and Jerry Mathews are continuing their class on the minor prophets of the Old Testament.
Something else NEW at Crossroads is our congregational forum coming up March 6th at 7pm. This is the first of, what we hope to be many, such forums where members can discuss concerns and questions with the leadership team. We will also use this time to communicate with our plans for the future as well as the current condition of the church. Please make an effort to attend the forum.
Here are the guidelines for the forum:
1. Those who have questions for the leadership should provide those questions prior to the meeting so that we can have an opportunity to provide full and accurate answers.
2. Those who wish to speak at the meeting will need to let the leadership team know in advance so that we can keep the meeting to a reasonable length of time.
3. Those who speak need to talk about positive solutions as well as problems and concerns.
4. Comments and discussion must be focused on the topic, and should not be personal in nature, but respectful of others and their views as well.
5. The meeting will be limited to discuss only. There will be no debating, negotiating, problem-solving, or decisions made.
6. The moderator will control the length of discussion on any single topic, and will change the subject when all points of view have been heard.
7. The meeting will begin on time and will end on time. We will have other such meetings and other opportunities for congregational input. The meeting will be limited to ninety (90) minutes so that members can arrange for appropriate childcare and return home at a reasonable hour.
You might be asking, "Why have guidelines?" The answer is that we want the forum to be both positive and productive. As a Leadership team, we want to give members the opportunity to provide input and feedback to us on the church and future plans.
Finally, I am going to be writing a new blog post every week from now on and I would like to invite you to send me your questions or subject you would like me to address. In this way, we can continue the discussion and communication within our congregation.
In Christ,
Mike
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
A Question of Stewardship
Several years ago, I served a congregation in the south western corner of Pennsylvania. The church had a number of unique problems, which mostly revolved around money and stewardship. This was caused by a couple of circumstances, one of them was that a member had died and left them nearly a half a million dollars in her will.
Early on in my ministry there, I was speaking with one of the elders. He informed me that he was not giving to the church at all. While he believed in tithing, he had stopped giving because the church did not "tithe to missions". He was convinced that what he was doing by "voting his pocket book" was totally correct. He reasoned that since the church was not doing what he thought they should do, he was justified in withholding his tithe and offerings.
To be honest, I was a bit taken back by what he told me, and I did not know exactly how to respond. After some thought, I sat down with him and lovingly confronted what he was doing. I explained to him that there is no such a concept in Scripture as "voting your pocket book". In my opinion, if you don't financially support the church of which you are a member, especially an elder, then you ought to go to a church that you can support.
What he was doing clearly demonstrated that he had no concept of Christian stewardship. In his mind, he could use HIS money to manipulate the church into doing what he thought they should do. The problem is, of course, it was not HIS money, but GOD's. God blesses you with material wealth so that you can GIVE to support His church, not attempt to influence HER leadership.
In my message on vision, I said that we needed to equally value and honor every single member of this congregation as Paul wrote in Corinthians, "so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other" (1 Corinthians 12:25). This principle especially applies in the area of stewardship and giving. No one should use their tithes and offerings as a means of controlling the church. Doing so is dangerous both to the spiritual life of the member and to the future of the congregation.
This is why I never want to know how much a member or family gives to our congregation. How much you give is between you and God, who blesses you with ability to give. You will always get the "equal concern" from me regardless of your giving. To do anything else is nothing more than favoritism which the Scriptures condemn.
Withholding one's tithe and offerings is extremely harmful to the member as well. You rob yourself of the blessing that comes from giving as well as turning your heart away from the Lord. Remember what Jesus said, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:21). When you don't give, you don't care, and when you don't care, you can do a great deal of harm.
The fact is that every one of us could find some excuse not to give or not to give as much as we know we should. If we must agree with everything in church and in the budget before we can support it financially, then Crossroads is doomed. I have given faithful to Crossroads even though I had serious disagreements with some things. I did this because I am giving to God in support of HIS Church.
Leaderships change. Budgets change. However my obligation to the Lord does not. As long as I am a member of THIS congregation, I must support THIS congregation with my tithe and offerings. If, for some reason, I cannot, then I need to find a congregation that I can support.
This is not to say that the leadership of a congregation should ignore the membership. We need to be open to suggestions and willing to listen to your concerns. Everyone, regardless of how much they give, should be heard and treated with respect. As John Maxwell once said, "A leader with no followers is just man out for walk".
I would be the first to confess that, as a leadership team, we have not always done our best in listening to your input as a congregation. That is changing though. We are committed to pursuing the mission and vision of Crossroads Christian Church. We want and need for you to come along side us on this adventure.
In Christ,
Mike
Early on in my ministry there, I was speaking with one of the elders. He informed me that he was not giving to the church at all. While he believed in tithing, he had stopped giving because the church did not "tithe to missions". He was convinced that what he was doing by "voting his pocket book" was totally correct. He reasoned that since the church was not doing what he thought they should do, he was justified in withholding his tithe and offerings.
To be honest, I was a bit taken back by what he told me, and I did not know exactly how to respond. After some thought, I sat down with him and lovingly confronted what he was doing. I explained to him that there is no such a concept in Scripture as "voting your pocket book". In my opinion, if you don't financially support the church of which you are a member, especially an elder, then you ought to go to a church that you can support.
What he was doing clearly demonstrated that he had no concept of Christian stewardship. In his mind, he could use HIS money to manipulate the church into doing what he thought they should do. The problem is, of course, it was not HIS money, but GOD's. God blesses you with material wealth so that you can GIVE to support His church, not attempt to influence HER leadership.
In my message on vision, I said that we needed to equally value and honor every single member of this congregation as Paul wrote in Corinthians, "so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other" (1 Corinthians 12:25). This principle especially applies in the area of stewardship and giving. No one should use their tithes and offerings as a means of controlling the church. Doing so is dangerous both to the spiritual life of the member and to the future of the congregation.
This is why I never want to know how much a member or family gives to our congregation. How much you give is between you and God, who blesses you with ability to give. You will always get the "equal concern" from me regardless of your giving. To do anything else is nothing more than favoritism which the Scriptures condemn.
Withholding one's tithe and offerings is extremely harmful to the member as well. You rob yourself of the blessing that comes from giving as well as turning your heart away from the Lord. Remember what Jesus said, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:21). When you don't give, you don't care, and when you don't care, you can do a great deal of harm.
The fact is that every one of us could find some excuse not to give or not to give as much as we know we should. If we must agree with everything in church and in the budget before we can support it financially, then Crossroads is doomed. I have given faithful to Crossroads even though I had serious disagreements with some things. I did this because I am giving to God in support of HIS Church.
Leaderships change. Budgets change. However my obligation to the Lord does not. As long as I am a member of THIS congregation, I must support THIS congregation with my tithe and offerings. If, for some reason, I cannot, then I need to find a congregation that I can support.
This is not to say that the leadership of a congregation should ignore the membership. We need to be open to suggestions and willing to listen to your concerns. Everyone, regardless of how much they give, should be heard and treated with respect. As John Maxwell once said, "A leader with no followers is just man out for walk".
I would be the first to confess that, as a leadership team, we have not always done our best in listening to your input as a congregation. That is changing though. We are committed to pursuing the mission and vision of Crossroads Christian Church. We want and need for you to come along side us on this adventure.
In Christ,
Mike
Friday, January 23, 2009
Congregational Meeting Sunday
This Sunday, we will have a short congregational meeting to vote on a proposal to refinance our two existing mortgages into one single one. You might asking, "How did the church end up with two mortgages?" The answer is that when we built the addition onto our existing building, we took out what is called a "construction loan". This loan gradually releases funds to the contractor as the structure is being built. Ordinarily, this mortgage would have been combined with our existing mortgage when the building was completed.
What happened was that when the time came to combine the construction loan with our existing mortgage, the interest rates had climbed to 8.75%. If we had combined them, we would have increased the interest on our existing mortgage by 1.25% (7.5% to 8.75). Obviously, it was better to leave the existing mortgage alone, and simply take on a second mortgage for cost of the construction. The downside was that it more than doubled our monthly payment for our debt to nearly $6,000.00 per month.
Now that rates have come down, we can refinance both mortgages into a single mortgage and lower BOTH rates to 6.75%. This will mean that less money will be spent on interest, and allow us to put more money on the principle of the loan when we can.
Since we have paid tens of thousands of dollars on the principle of our first mortgage, some people have expressed a concern about increasing the length (term) of the mortgage. The proposed mortgage is for twenty (20) years, and the interest rate is fixed for five years. Lengthening the term to twenty years DOES NOT increase our debt at all. As with all mortgages, you pay interest on the unpaid balance every month regardless of the term.
The length or term of a mortgage is determined by how much of the principle you pay every month, not interest. You never prepay interest, only principle. For example, if you have thirty (30) year mortgage, and you pay twice as much as on the principle each month, you will pay it off in fifteen years. Regardless, you still paid the interest on the remaining principle balance every month.
This is an opportunity for the church to greatly improve our finances and our cash-flow. There is no practical reason not to approve this proposal. Without this refinance, it will be more difficult for us to weather the challenging financial times ahead. By paying less interest, we will have more funds to invest in the ministry and growth of our congregation.
That is good the church and for the Kingdom of God.
What happened was that when the time came to combine the construction loan with our existing mortgage, the interest rates had climbed to 8.75%. If we had combined them, we would have increased the interest on our existing mortgage by 1.25% (7.5% to 8.75). Obviously, it was better to leave the existing mortgage alone, and simply take on a second mortgage for cost of the construction. The downside was that it more than doubled our monthly payment for our debt to nearly $6,000.00 per month.
Now that rates have come down, we can refinance both mortgages into a single mortgage and lower BOTH rates to 6.75%. This will mean that less money will be spent on interest, and allow us to put more money on the principle of the loan when we can.
Since we have paid tens of thousands of dollars on the principle of our first mortgage, some people have expressed a concern about increasing the length (term) of the mortgage. The proposed mortgage is for twenty (20) years, and the interest rate is fixed for five years. Lengthening the term to twenty years DOES NOT increase our debt at all. As with all mortgages, you pay interest on the unpaid balance every month regardless of the term.
The length or term of a mortgage is determined by how much of the principle you pay every month, not interest. You never prepay interest, only principle. For example, if you have thirty (30) year mortgage, and you pay twice as much as on the principle each month, you will pay it off in fifteen years. Regardless, you still paid the interest on the remaining principle balance every month.
This is an opportunity for the church to greatly improve our finances and our cash-flow. There is no practical reason not to approve this proposal. Without this refinance, it will be more difficult for us to weather the challenging financial times ahead. By paying less interest, we will have more funds to invest in the ministry and growth of our congregation.
That is good the church and for the Kingdom of God.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Our Vision for the Future
First, I want to begin by thanking all of you for your words of encouragement and support for my recent message on my vision for Crossroads Christian Church. It was a difficult message to preach given our challenging circumstances, but one I felt was desperately needed. When times a hard, it is really easy to become negative and pessimistic. This is why I believe we need to focus on a positive vision for the future.
I know it may not have seemed to be a positive message in the beginning, but I wanted everyone to know that I am not in denial about our current difficulties. Yes, our congregation faces some financial challenges. Members have lost their jobs and have had difficulty in finding employment. Yes, our offerings have dropped in recent months and it is reeking havoc with funding our ministries. These and other challenges make being a leader in this congregation tough.
However, I have been through such situations before. I am supremely confident that God is greater and more powerful than all these circumstances. It is times like these where true leaders rise the occasion. Our current leadership team is meeting these issues head on. We have made some tough decisions that will help us, not only to survive these things, but thrive in them as well. But it takes more than a few strong leaders.
We, as a congregation, can no longer rely on just a few dedicated folks to make this church work. Each and every member needs to take a good hard look at where they are and what they are doing in regards to this church. It is in times like these where every hour of service and every dollar given is critical. We cannot achieve our mission or fulfill our vision without the full support of everyone who is a member of this church.
For example, I said in my message that I believe we can have over 200 in worship every Sunday by the end of 2009. This is a very real possibility, but it would require all of us to genuinely commit to being in church every Lord's day. We have 113 actual members of Crossroads with 27 children. Add to that the 60 regular attenders with 12 children, and you have 210 people. This does not even account for the number guests and new members we will add in coming year.
This year will be a great year of opportunity for our church. As life itself gets more difficult, people will begin to question their priorities, and values. They will look around for answers. Just as the economy may cause us to lose some folks as they move to find work, it will also bring new folks to our community as well. We need to be ready to respond to these people when they come to us.
As long as we stand united as a church and work together to build God's Kingdom, we will grow under these present conditions. We have all the elements necessary for that to happen. We have the right staff and proper facilities. We have strong and visionary leadership. We have a good group of dedicated volunteers. But most of all we have God who specializes in making the impossible, POSSIBLE!
In Christ,
Mike
I know it may not have seemed to be a positive message in the beginning, but I wanted everyone to know that I am not in denial about our current difficulties. Yes, our congregation faces some financial challenges. Members have lost their jobs and have had difficulty in finding employment. Yes, our offerings have dropped in recent months and it is reeking havoc with funding our ministries. These and other challenges make being a leader in this congregation tough.
However, I have been through such situations before. I am supremely confident that God is greater and more powerful than all these circumstances. It is times like these where true leaders rise the occasion. Our current leadership team is meeting these issues head on. We have made some tough decisions that will help us, not only to survive these things, but thrive in them as well. But it takes more than a few strong leaders.
We, as a congregation, can no longer rely on just a few dedicated folks to make this church work. Each and every member needs to take a good hard look at where they are and what they are doing in regards to this church. It is in times like these where every hour of service and every dollar given is critical. We cannot achieve our mission or fulfill our vision without the full support of everyone who is a member of this church.
For example, I said in my message that I believe we can have over 200 in worship every Sunday by the end of 2009. This is a very real possibility, but it would require all of us to genuinely commit to being in church every Lord's day. We have 113 actual members of Crossroads with 27 children. Add to that the 60 regular attenders with 12 children, and you have 210 people. This does not even account for the number guests and new members we will add in coming year.
This year will be a great year of opportunity for our church. As life itself gets more difficult, people will begin to question their priorities, and values. They will look around for answers. Just as the economy may cause us to lose some folks as they move to find work, it will also bring new folks to our community as well. We need to be ready to respond to these people when they come to us.
As long as we stand united as a church and work together to build God's Kingdom, we will grow under these present conditions. We have all the elements necessary for that to happen. We have the right staff and proper facilities. We have strong and visionary leadership. We have a good group of dedicated volunteers. But most of all we have God who specializes in making the impossible, POSSIBLE!
In Christ,
Mike
Sunday, December 28, 2008
What a Wonderful Christmas!
I hope that you enjoyed your Christmas holidays. I know I did. So many good things have happened. Our Christmas Eve service was the best ever, and we owe a great thank you to Becky Dunn for coordinating that for us. We also need to thank Becky and my wife, MaryAnne, and Sara Foster for putting up our Christmas decorations as well.
Today, I combine two of our texts from Acts into one sermon. I did this because I really wanted to do a New Year's sermon this coming Sunday. It will be an important message on the future of Crossroads Christian Church. We will talk about the challenges and the opportunities that face us as a congregation in 2009.
My wife and I want to thank all of you for the gifts, the bonus, the cards, and for your presence at our Christmas open house. We love all of you very much and feel honored and blessed to serve this congregation. Even with the recent "rough patch", we are more convinced than ever both that God has us where HE wants us and we are doing his Will serving at Crossroads.
I want to extend a invitation to all of you who do not have plans for New Year's eve to come to the party at the church. It is tremendous fun and we enjoy good Christian fellowship. We share in a variety of activities and well as in snacks. You would not believe how much fun a group of believers can have. Not only that, it is a great time to invite your friends and family. They will be amazed that Christians can have such a good time.
Mike
Today, I combine two of our texts from Acts into one sermon. I did this because I really wanted to do a New Year's sermon this coming Sunday. It will be an important message on the future of Crossroads Christian Church. We will talk about the challenges and the opportunities that face us as a congregation in 2009.
My wife and I want to thank all of you for the gifts, the bonus, the cards, and for your presence at our Christmas open house. We love all of you very much and feel honored and blessed to serve this congregation. Even with the recent "rough patch", we are more convinced than ever both that God has us where HE wants us and we are doing his Will serving at Crossroads.
I want to extend a invitation to all of you who do not have plans for New Year's eve to come to the party at the church. It is tremendous fun and we enjoy good Christian fellowship. We share in a variety of activities and well as in snacks. You would not believe how much fun a group of believers can have. Not only that, it is a great time to invite your friends and family. They will be amazed that Christians can have such a good time.
Mike
Friday, December 12, 2008
Christmas Time!
I love the holidays for many reasons. The opportunity to get together with friends and family is always welcome. As Christian, I especially appreciate the body of Christ at this time of year. The open house we have is just one small way of showing that appreciation. I want to thank everyone who came to our home to celebrate with us. My wife and I want you to know how much you are loved.
Being over fifty (50) years old, I have seen a lot of Christmas seasons come and go. Growing up in home with five other kids, Christmas time was a great deal different than it is today. As a child, we did not get lots of presents because my father was not a wealthy man. He was, for most of his life, a laborer. He would work as much overtime as was available, and even work second jobs to pay the regular monthly bills. But at Christmas time, we got to pick one toy we wanted Santa to bring us for Christmas.
Yes, I must confess, I was one of the children who were so deceived by my parents. I believed that there really was a Santa Claus. I also believed that he sent my mother and father a catalog of the toys his elves were making this year. This is probably why I love that movie, "A Christmas Story" so much. It reminds me in many ways of what Christmas was like growing up. I also wanted a "BB gun" for Christmas (which I did, in fact, get).
This Christmas season is different in many ways. With the economy in serious trouble, some families are facing difficult times. Everyone is concerned that things may get worse before they get better. In many ways, it is comparable to the very first Christmas, when Christ was born. The Jewish community, under the Romans, was facing difficult times as well. They were ready for the Messiah to come and deliver them from their oppressors.
Ironically, the Gift that God gave them; Jesus, was not really the gift they were seeking after. Then, as now, people were wrapped up in the materialism of this life. While we all need money to provide for ourselves and our families, money does not really meet our deepest needs. Without a personal daily relationship with Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, no amount of money, no job or career, and no single possession, regardless how costly can obtain salvation for us. Our security, as Christians, rests solely on the sovereignty of God, not the next paycheck or government bailout.
I think that going through a Christmas season with a limited ability to give material gifts might help each us to really focus on the kind of Christmas gifts people really need, the kind money cannot buy. Things like grace, peace, and love cannot be bought. They are given when we willing try to be "like Jesus" our Lord, and forgive others. They are given when we are humble enough to accept others as Christ accepted us, unconditionally. They are given when we are open to being connected to God and to others in the body of Christ in genuine relationships.
My prayer for you and your family is that God blesses you in ways that are lasting this Christmas. That after the wrapping paper is in the trash, and the batteries are all installed, you will discover that God has given you a greater faith in His control over your life and your family. I hope the greatest gift you receive is far more than the one you want, but is really the one that meets your needs.
Merry Christmas!
Mike
Being over fifty (50) years old, I have seen a lot of Christmas seasons come and go. Growing up in home with five other kids, Christmas time was a great deal different than it is today. As a child, we did not get lots of presents because my father was not a wealthy man. He was, for most of his life, a laborer. He would work as much overtime as was available, and even work second jobs to pay the regular monthly bills. But at Christmas time, we got to pick one toy we wanted Santa to bring us for Christmas.
Yes, I must confess, I was one of the children who were so deceived by my parents. I believed that there really was a Santa Claus. I also believed that he sent my mother and father a catalog of the toys his elves were making this year. This is probably why I love that movie, "A Christmas Story" so much. It reminds me in many ways of what Christmas was like growing up. I also wanted a "BB gun" for Christmas (which I did, in fact, get).
This Christmas season is different in many ways. With the economy in serious trouble, some families are facing difficult times. Everyone is concerned that things may get worse before they get better. In many ways, it is comparable to the very first Christmas, when Christ was born. The Jewish community, under the Romans, was facing difficult times as well. They were ready for the Messiah to come and deliver them from their oppressors.
Ironically, the Gift that God gave them; Jesus, was not really the gift they were seeking after. Then, as now, people were wrapped up in the materialism of this life. While we all need money to provide for ourselves and our families, money does not really meet our deepest needs. Without a personal daily relationship with Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, no amount of money, no job or career, and no single possession, regardless how costly can obtain salvation for us. Our security, as Christians, rests solely on the sovereignty of God, not the next paycheck or government bailout.
I think that going through a Christmas season with a limited ability to give material gifts might help each us to really focus on the kind of Christmas gifts people really need, the kind money cannot buy. Things like grace, peace, and love cannot be bought. They are given when we willing try to be "like Jesus" our Lord, and forgive others. They are given when we are humble enough to accept others as Christ accepted us, unconditionally. They are given when we are open to being connected to God and to others in the body of Christ in genuine relationships.
My prayer for you and your family is that God blesses you in ways that are lasting this Christmas. That after the wrapping paper is in the trash, and the batteries are all installed, you will discover that God has given you a greater faith in His control over your life and your family. I hope the greatest gift you receive is far more than the one you want, but is really the one that meets your needs.
Merry Christmas!
Mike
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Fulfilling Our Vision
The vision of Crossroads Christian Church is to become a place where people experience transforming grace in genuine community. That is a tremendous, God-honoring, and Christ exalting vision. It is a vision that I hope we ALL are committed to fulfilling.
Since we cast that new vision at our ReUnited service, some people have come forward to express concerns about our current situation as a congregation. A few have decided to seek fellowship and worship else where, even one from our own leadership team. While this saddens me, what grieves me the most is that sometimes there is a sense of gladness with some people about some of those that have chosen to leave.
Let me make myself perfectly clear on this matter. We should NEVER take pleasure in the loss of a single individual from our church for less than positive reasons. When people leave our congregation for such reasons, we need to see it as our failure to fulfill our vision. You and I failed to motivate them to be "transformed" by God's grace and grow as disciples of Jesus Christ. We must work even harder to become that place of transforming grace.
I will grant you that they also bear responsibility for their failure to be transformed. Some people are unwilling to accept the accountability and authenticity that comes from living in genuine community with other believers. This does not make their leaving a good thing however, because we lose the opportunity to minister to them and for them to be used of God here. We need to pray earnestly that God directs them to another congregation that will help them to grow in Christ.
The challenge that remains for us is that we need to be focused on the mission and vision that God has given us as a congregation. God is blessing our church! Each and every week we are seeing new faces in the congregation. While I know that our single worship service is not meeting everyone's needs perfectly, I can clearly see a commitment to work together to make it better and better every week. If you are not experiencing God in the worship service, you are simply not looking for HIM.
In closing, I need to mention our financial situation. Since the beginning of the fiscal year (September), our offerings have been running at only 75% of the budget. With over 80% of our budget being made up by fixed expenses (mortgage, salaries, insurance, etc), that does not leave any funds for actual ministry programing. This trend cannot continue without serious consequences. The leadership team is already considering options to deal with this situation, but the fact remains we need everyone's consistent financial support.
I know some of you have lost your jobs and others are still looking for jobs. Others are being squeezed financially, and most of us are concerned about the economy. We cannot forget however that GOD IS STILL IN CONTROL. He has promised to bless us in proportion to how much we are willing to give. We need to understand that our tithe is anchor of financial strength. When we are faithful to God, HE is faithful to us.
God Bless!
Mike
Since we cast that new vision at our ReUnited service, some people have come forward to express concerns about our current situation as a congregation. A few have decided to seek fellowship and worship else where, even one from our own leadership team. While this saddens me, what grieves me the most is that sometimes there is a sense of gladness with some people about some of those that have chosen to leave.
Let me make myself perfectly clear on this matter. We should NEVER take pleasure in the loss of a single individual from our church for less than positive reasons. When people leave our congregation for such reasons, we need to see it as our failure to fulfill our vision. You and I failed to motivate them to be "transformed" by God's grace and grow as disciples of Jesus Christ. We must work even harder to become that place of transforming grace.
I will grant you that they also bear responsibility for their failure to be transformed. Some people are unwilling to accept the accountability and authenticity that comes from living in genuine community with other believers. This does not make their leaving a good thing however, because we lose the opportunity to minister to them and for them to be used of God here. We need to pray earnestly that God directs them to another congregation that will help them to grow in Christ.
The challenge that remains for us is that we need to be focused on the mission and vision that God has given us as a congregation. God is blessing our church! Each and every week we are seeing new faces in the congregation. While I know that our single worship service is not meeting everyone's needs perfectly, I can clearly see a commitment to work together to make it better and better every week. If you are not experiencing God in the worship service, you are simply not looking for HIM.
In closing, I need to mention our financial situation. Since the beginning of the fiscal year (September), our offerings have been running at only 75% of the budget. With over 80% of our budget being made up by fixed expenses (mortgage, salaries, insurance, etc), that does not leave any funds for actual ministry programing. This trend cannot continue without serious consequences. The leadership team is already considering options to deal with this situation, but the fact remains we need everyone's consistent financial support.
I know some of you have lost your jobs and others are still looking for jobs. Others are being squeezed financially, and most of us are concerned about the economy. We cannot forget however that GOD IS STILL IN CONTROL. He has promised to bless us in proportion to how much we are willing to give. We need to understand that our tithe is anchor of financial strength. When we are faithful to God, HE is faithful to us.
God Bless!
Mike
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