1-27-2012

Dear Friends,

Below is an excerpt from an email I sent last night to our Session. It is important to note that in all communication here, and on Facebook, Google+ and Twitter – the opinions and suggestions are mine. I accept full responsibility for them, and their tone and intent. If there are any factual errors I will be happy to correct them.

I sincerely believe this is an opportunity for us to come together as a congregation and fix this mess. I, and others, are deeply disappointed in the process by which this has happened, and the fact that after many, many people stood and voiced their support on Sunday, and pledged to help, the vote was still carried out, in haste, and in relative secret, disregarding them completely.

I have had a petition running on my website for a little less than 48 hours, and thus far have collected dozens of letters of support, but more importantly, informally received commitments of more than $1500 $2000 per month. Let’s call it a “grass-roots” stewardship straw poll, if you will. Some have pledged a widow’s mite of $5 per month, and some as much as $400 per month. All of them are verifiable – you need only ask for the information.

I realize this isn’t binding, and moreover, I realize that if we don’t fix our larger stewardship problem, propping up the Youth Department is futile. I am not ignorant of the issue, nor do I wish to save Youth at the risk of another program. We are all in this together.

But I believe that it IS indicative of the kind of support that you would receive IF YOU ONLY HAD ASKED FOR SPECIFIC ASSISTANCE and if you had led our congregation specifically, as you are charged to do by the Book of Order.

So, this begs the question, “What would happen if you did it now?”

What would happen if you, Our Session, in your own prudent reflection, filed a stay of enforcement yourselves. You need only 3 Session Members to do it. And what if you announced that fact on Sunday, and asked, with a pledge card for our members to transform their indignation into faith and action.

My dear friends, I ask you this: What do you have to LOSE by doing that? Time? 

I am attaching comments from members, like myself, that love our church and would welcome the opportunity to be part of the solution. There are many more comments in existence, including a letter from the Kiwanis Board of Directors. That is gratifying, but again, it still requires we work as a congregation to solve this issue. No outside group can solve it for us.

Our church is aging. That is a fact. In fact, by baptism we have received two members (that I am aware of) in the last 3 years – {NAME REDACTED} and Tanner Olsen. Which translates to 50% as a result of our youth program.

Our nurseries are empty. We have received one family by transfer of membership. Mine. That translates to 100% as a result of the youth program. The youth program could, and should be expanded. We are just now starting to gain outreach traction through the drive-in movies, the family events, and the relationships that are starting to form after graduating a large group of kids. Youth = life.

Please tell me HOW we intend to solve this problem -  DON’T TELL ME WE CAN’T. Why can’t we pay the salary from the Youth Fund so we can fundraise to support it? Why can’t we have a pledge card on Sunday?

Why can’t we add a credit card payment form on our website to allow members to sign up for monthly stewardship payments? We have the technology in place NOW. It’s the same technology I setup 3 years ago for wreaths and for Sandstock. I can have that added to the website is less than 5 minutes, and Kim Fon is the only one that can access the funds, and then only for the purposes of transferring the cash into our bank account. I would much rather use Facebook to communicate this kind of opportunity and solution, rather than railing at the problem.

I need only the word “GO” from my Session to do that. What does it hurt? What does it cost?

Far less than the anger of a congregation that feels they are ripping apart. Please let us stand together and fix this. These are easy solutions and I believe God will honor our unity, and our effort.

I have heard over and over, “We had no other options.”

If you, as a Session Member, have given up and truly see no other options, then please STEP DOWN TODAY and let someone with ideas, enthusiasm and tenacity STEP UP. We are out here, I promise you. You need only listen and have the courage to let us help. We elected you, and thus far we have failed you. But you have failed to lead us, too.

Let’s work together to be what God has intended – unified.

Grace and Peace,
Chelle