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Rector's Letter: Our Mission, Our Stewardship
News from the Full Ladle Soup Kitchen
Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi
Rummage Sale and Chicken Barbecue
Our Mission, Our Stewardship
Writing at the end of an age, as God was about to create
a new heaven and a new earth, Isaiah asked God to be patient
with the people whom he called long ago to be a light
to the nations. They had failed to live into their calling;
they had turned inward, thinking only of themselves. Isaiah begged, “Do
not be exceeding angry with us. We are but clay needing to be
shaped. You are the potter. With your strong hands mold us into
something better.” When the new age did begin, in the
mission and ministry of Jesus Christ, God the potter began
to mold and fashion a new people. Starting with soft clay
like Peter and the uncertain Thomas, Jesus called women and
men from all corners of the world and began shaping them
into a new community of faith. Then the fire of the Holy Spirit
made them a durable vessel.
The community of faith struggled
to understand what God was doing. Why had God called them, of
all people out of the world? Why had God entrusted to them spiritual
gifts and the power to heal? Why had God given to them, sinners
as they were, the power to forgive, the power to baptize?
Why had God made them hosts at the Holy Table?
Paul knew that God had no other clay to use. If God wanted
to transform a dying world, then he would have to do it
through the soft clay like Paul, Peter, Mary, and you and me.
If God wanted to bring peace to a strife-torn world, then he would
need to call men and women out of that world. They would have
to be shaped into a community founded in love.
It was central to this new age that
the church not be founded on the wisdom of men and women, but instead
on the power of God. The power of God is servanthood. Paul
pleaded, “Do
not conform yourselves to this world. Do not imitate the
rulers of this passing age; imitate Jesus Christ. Don’t
fight each other; work together as parts of a single body
that has Christ as its head. Don’t proclaim yourselves,” said
Paul. “Proclaim
Christ crucified.” That is the calling of the church. We
are missionaries of this message.
Some years ago, I sat in the Annual
Parish Meeting of the Parish I served in the diocese of Washington.
It was a friendly event, but it seemed to me that we were all just
going through the motions. There didn’t seem to be any passion
or freshness—only
a fear. There was lots of fear.Tthe first item on the agenda
was the budget: Money. Of course. The sacrament of choice in this dying age. We looked at last year’s figures
and went through the new budget line by line as people asked questions
and picked at it. The phone bill was too high, education wanted
too much of an increase, the rectory cost too much to operate,
the Diocesan Assessment was way too high.
The whole thing seemed oddly detached,
as if the speakers hoped their arguments would communicate
what they were afraid to utter directly. I was feeling confused.
If we could just find a manager like the one in today’s gospel,
I thought, we would be just fine. We were not shrewd enough
to figure it all out.
Then a newer member of the Parish
stood up to speak. Something was troubling her, she said. “We
are like a family that is talking about everything except what
it need to talk about. Money isn’t the issue. I don’t
know what the issue is,” she said, “but we will never
come together as a Parish until we get below the surface.” Her
words struck me deeply. Why did the discussion over money
draw so much heat but not lead anywhere? How could faithful people
spend do much time together and experience so little joy?
What was missing at that parish
meeting was a sense of mission. We had forgotten why we were in
business. We had become a pastoral care society, devoting enormous
amounts of time and energy to taking care of our own (continued
inside) (continued from page 1) needs. Our vision was too small.
Called by God to transform a dying world, we have become one more
expression of that world. Called to submit ourselves to the mind
of Christ, we pursue something called realism. When we gather,
it is not with the aim of allowing God to mold us, fashion
us, but instead our aim is to survive. Like a family on a
limited income, we hope to make it through the year barely solvent.
A balanced budget and no-growth budget become our icons.
Hear the word of our Parish Mission Statement:
We, the members of Christ Church Montpelier,
are a community brought together by God’s everlasting love. Our
purpose is to provide a compassionate environment where, empowered
by God’s Spirit, we are both comfortable and challenged
to discover Christ in ourselves so that we can share Christ with
others and make Christ known to the world. In furtherance of this
purpose, our mission of living out our baptismal vows and being
followers and worshipers of Jesus Christ is:
• To provide meaningful opportunities to worship together
as a congregation with prayer, music, and celebration of
the sacraments.
• To nurture and support each member’s call to ministry so
that we can maximize our ability to be a resource to people in
need and a role model within the community.
• To provide a Christian education program for adults, youth
and children, which enables all participants to more fully
understand the power of Christ’s love.
• To worship, learn, sing, and work together in a building,
which is well maintained, and accessible to all.
• To communicate effectively with each other through a variety
of means so that we can improve our understanding and respect
for each other and for the ways in which God’s love manifests
itself in each one of us.
• To achieve one hundred percent participation in the joyful
giving of our time, money, and talents so that we can fulfill
our mission and ministry in the parish, diocese and community.
As St. Paul begged the Corinthians to understand long ago,
we are not called to reflect the world, to be a mirror
of its trouble; we are called to transform the world. We
are called to be set apart, to be a place where brokenness
gives way to healing; where the world’s obsession with
money is overwhelmed by a concern for people.
Pray for the mission of this
parish. Remember that our stewardship is a reflection of
our mission and our budget is a tool to fulfill the mission
that God has called us to fulfill.
Peace,
David +
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News From The Full Ladle Soup Kitchen
The Full Ladle Soup Kitchen continues to be a vigorous
life-serving ministry of Christ Church. Through the
first six months of this year, the hot midday meal
offered each Wednesday in the parish hall, has been
served to 1,117 people at a cost of 66 cents a meal.
We are able to offer a
meal at such a low cost because of the generosity of the
many restaurants and bakeries in our community who have
faithfully donated soup, bread, bagels and dessert items
for many years.
Please show our gratitude
by frequenting the following businesses: Capitol Plaza,
Coffee Corner, Hunger Mountain Food Coop, Julio’s,
La Brioche, Manghi’s,
NECI, Sammy’s Bagels, Sarducci’s, Shaw’s
(Berlin), Susan’s Kitchen, Thrush Tavern, and The
Wayside. Green Mountain Coffee Roasters is now donating
coffee for the meal.
Each week we have expenses
for fresh fruit and vegetables, milk, juice, butter and
crackers. Almost half of the expense is met by donations
given at the time of the meal. Close to half of the expense
is donated by volunteers who prepare and serve the meal.
The Full Ladle has not needed any funds from the church
budget for several years largely because of the generous
giving in memory of the Rev. Joe Harrison. We are at a
point that we need to build our fund with more giving
or request money from the church budget.
The soup kitchen
volunteers would all agree that they come and work because
they find joy and life and good fellowship in this ministry.
Though sometimes small in number, they are huge in heart.
Special mention needs to
go to Ginny Bunning and Ruth Pray, two of our most faithful
and energetic volunteers who celebrated their ninetieth
birthdays with us this year.
We currently need volunteers
to make a meat soup on the fifth Wednesday of the month
(four times a year), and we always need volunteers for
clean-up from 12:30 to 1:30. Just show up or contact any
of the leaders: Elaine McIntyre (week 1), Beth Ann Maier
(week 2), Sarah Horton (week 3), Mary Williams (week 4).
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Prayer of St. Francis Assisi
Lord,
Make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me bring love.
Where there is injury, pardon.
Where there is doubt, faith.
Where there is despair, hope.
Where there is darkness, light.
Where there is sadness, joy.
Where there is discord, harmony.
Where there is error, truth.
Where there is wrong, the spirit of forgiveness.
O Divine Master,
Grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console.
To be understood as to understand.
To be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive.
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned.
It is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
October 4th is the commemoration of Saint Francis of Assisi,
Friar.
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Rummage Sale & Chicken Barbecue
Mark your calendars for the October 9th Rummage Sale and
Chicken Barbecue. We need your help with set up, clean
up and pricing.
And bring rummage!
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