Commitment

September 24, 2018

A few weeks ago, Pastor Joe asked if I would be a part of the special building campaign kickoff service today, and I told him I would. Some weeks earlier, Big Bob, our campaign consultant, had mentioned that one of the possibilities for the campaign would be for someone to write a theme song for it. I must confess that having said that, the entire rest of the time he was preaching, I was writing. Before the service was over, most of it was written. Pastor Joe wanted me to be able to teach the song to the congregation.

So this morning, having arranged for someone to handle the service in Dunkirk, for the first time in over a year I found myself up on stage with the worship team, looking out upon the congregation gathered in Sinclairville in the name of Christ. The sanctuary was filled to overflowing, children were running around, people were cheering as we lifted our voices in song and listened to the testimonies of some who have already committed themselves to sacrificial giving. 

Twenty years ago, I led the congregation in a similar campaign to raise money for the building we now occupy. I remember the work, the overwhelming sense of responsibility, and even the fear, wondering if we could actually accomplish our dream. “Once was enough,” was echoing through my mind as we prayed for the people this morning. Apparently, I was wrong. 

Being the former pastor of this congregation, I’ve deliberately stepped into the shadows, taking on no formal responsibilities. I’ve seen too many times when former pastors try to run things from the sidelines, and it never turns out well. Stepping aside has its own challenges however, some of which I knew would come, and others that surprised me. The one that surprised me most has to do with this building project. Before, I was right in the thick of planning, and the involvement fed my enthusiasm. This time around, I’ve had mixed emotions about it. I wasn’t sure if it was because I didn’t really believe in it or if it was because I wasn’t really involved in it. Today I realized it was the latter. 

I listened as the campaign leaders said some of the same things we had said twenty years ago. “This isn’t for us; it’s for our kids and grandkids, and people we don’t even know.” I remember saying those exact words, and now I heard them from the mouths of young adults who back then were part of “the people we didn’t even know.”

Pastor Joe and Leslie shared about the process of deciding how much to give. “We don’t have any extra cash, so we are giving our raises for the next three years.” Exactly the same as Linda and I did twenty years ago when we had nothing to sell, and no margin from which to draw. It was a deja vu moment.

Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Part of our treasure is the treasure of time. Because of my commitments to the Dunkirk congregation, I haven’t had the time to commit to what is happening in Sinclairville. But hearing the stories and seeing the people gathered is fanning that spark into flame. There is nothing quite so powerful as the witness of a life that is “all in,” especially when followed by a word that points to Jesus as the source of the commitment to serve the community. I am thankful for this witness today, and how it has touched my heart. Twenty years from now, I don’t want to look back on what is happening here and say, “I had the opportunity to be a part of it, but stood on the sidelines.” I see before me the results of the vision and sacrifice from years back, and want to do so once more before I die. All hail the power of Jesus’ Name!