Our Day of Christian Responsibility

November 30, 2010

Dear St. Paul’s Family,

In May 1961, the people of St. Paul’s embarked on a capital campaign called “We Build – to Mould Character.” After nearly three years of planning, leadership proposed a three-story addition to the eastern part of the church campus that would serve as a new Christian education facility. The pastor at the time was J.E. Feller, who wrote the following introduction to the campaign’s information booklet:


We of St. Paul’s Methodist Church are entering upon the first stage of a program whose ultimate goal is the realization of an educational building. Our expanding Sunday School and Church program of activities make this a crucial year in the life of our Church. Through this program we are merely seeking to measure up to the needs of the present and the hopes of the future as our forebears did in 1914. May we be worthy of their vision and their dedication.

This, then, is our challenge, and to meet it we must pool our resources of time, talent and substance. I know this is a busy season, but I also know that this is the time to go ahead. I ask each of you to make the sacrifices, of time and substances, which the accomplishment of this important program requires. Going forward with such dedication, we believe that God will not only crown our material efforts with complete success, but out of his boundless love he will “pour down for us an overflowing blessing.

This is OUR DAY of Christian Responsibility.


The campaign went very well. The new wing encompassed 13,000 square feet of space, including 8 classrooms, a youth center, a chapel, and offices. The total cost of the project was $130,000, with an additional $13,000 to retire parsonage debts, and $10,000 for new furnishings. The church completed the building in 1962, and retired the mortgage a mere six years later.

As I have read through the historical documents to learn about this period of our church’s history, I have come to learn something about how this church defines success and faithfulness. It would be natural to assume that effectively raising $153,000 would best characterize the congregation’s discipleship. But that is not the case. Consider all that has happened in the last fifty years:

Since 1961:

• 1,593 have joined the church. (In fact, 91% of our current membership has joined since then.)
• 915 children and adults have been baptized.
• 527 couples have been married.
  

Those are the numbers that really matter.

As I have said often over the past four weeks, our current capital campaign is not just about bricks and mortar. It is not just about dead boilers and single-pane windows, and it is not just about raising $1 million dollars to renovate the education wing. What matters most are the people in the future whose lives will be directly impacted by our actions in the present. We must respond to the same challenge that marked the people of 1961, and “pool our resources of time, talent, and substance.”

Rev. Feller reminded the people of their spiritual ancestry, and his words ring just as true for us today: “May we be worthy of their vision and their dedication.”

If you were not in church last Sunday to pick up your commitment card, you will be receiving one in the mail in the next few days. We invite you to prayerfully consider how you will respond, and bring that card with you this Sunday. I would also encourage you to heed the guidance offered in 1961 by the campaign leadership team to people as they considered their own personal commitments:

“My pledge should be…
… one determined after prayer for God’s guidance.
… one that brings an inner conviction of satisfaction.
… one about which I can talk to others without apology.”

We would all do well to follow all three pieces of guidance in preparation for this Sunday.

And, if you have not yet had a chance to attend a home group gathering, plan on coming to one of the three remaining opportunities over the next two nights:

• Tonight: Dick and Betty Point’s house, 7:00.
• Wednesday: Here at the Church at 6:30 (hosted by Jeff and Korrie Waldner).
• Wednesday: Marlin and Sherri Lode’s house, 7:00.
  

Nearly fifty years after St. Paul’s took a great step of faith and built the education wing, we have a chance to continue that same legacy of faithful diligence and “measure up to the needs of the present and the hopes of the future.” Together in faith, let us build a better future, knowing that countless numbers of people – most of whom we will never know – will be impacted by the decisions we make today.

Indeed, “this is OUR DAY of Christian Responsibility.”

Grace and Peace,

Magrey

The Rev. Magrey R. deVega
St. Paul's United Methodist Church
531 W. Main St.
Cherokee, IA 51012
Ph: 712-225-3955
http://www.cherokeespumc.org



YOUTH SERVICE PROJECT
The youth will be traveling to the Midwest Christian Children’s Home near Peterson, Iowa, to deliver donated items and interact with the residents. Items will be purchased using funds raised from their November cinnamon roll sale. Youth grades 7-12 are invited to meet at the church at 1:30 and will return by 4:30.

CHILDREN’S CHRISTMAS PROGRAM DECEMBER 12
Rehearsals for this year’s Children’s Christmas Program take place during the Sunday school hour on December 5 and 12, as well as the next two Wednesdays, from 3:45-4:45pm. PreK and K children are not required to attend the Wednesday practices. For more information, contact Korrie Waldner.