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In January, the president gives a State of the Union address to bring folks up to date as to how things are going in the country as a whole. With the reintroduction of our newsletter this month, the timing seemed right for me to offer something similar – call it a State of the Congregation message.
I know a fair number of our folks work in the health care industry. Any attempt I make to use health care terms to describe our situation is sure to be viewed with raised eyebrows. But, I will plunge ahead and ask those of you who really do know about such things to give me some latitude and grace.
When we first met about eighteen months ago, Mountain of Faith seemed to me to be a congregation on “life-support.” There were some Sundays when I’d show up to preach where it would be just Bonnie, Betty and I and perhaps one or two others with only five minutes to go before worship started.
The weeks and months went by, and slowly, our condition improved. By fall, when folks were home from vacations and Sunday School started back up, we were out of ICU, but our condition was still critical. We were still trying to get used to our new home at Tooele United Methodist. We worked to re-establish the ranks our Church Council and congregational officers which had become sorely depleted. We put together a Vision Team whose job it was to dream about the future of the church. They worked hard, attending all-day workshops studying what it takes to be a healthy church.
By fall of 2009, our condition was upgraded to “stable.” Our vital signs of attendance and giving were much stronger than just a year before. By the end of the year, we saw clear signs of strength and new life in the baptisms of Brianne Mahoney, and Hannah and Cameron Barrett. We received twelve new members into the congregation.
Finally, the congregation approved a budget increase of twenty percent – a huge increase given the state of the economy. I was very pleased that the budget featured a significant increase in benevolence. We showed we are at a point where we can begin to live for others, and not just worry about our own survival. That is good news, indeed.
Our prognosis for 2010 is good. We’re no longer in the hospital but we’re still under the care of the Great Physician. Our goal this year is to get our strength back – especially the strength that comes from our spiritual growth as a congregation. I am very pleased to offer an adult education opportunity starting January 28th.
We will begin a fifteen-week study of the Gospel of Mark. We will read it as a “story,” from beginning to end, not in bits and pieces. We’ll read it from a manuscript without the distractions that come from chapter headings and verse numbers. It will be a unique way to get to know Jesus and the whole Gospel story better. This kind of small group opportunity is a way for us to live into our congregational value of Spiritual Growth and I hope you will join us for it. I am looking forward to the next twelve months and can say with confidence that God intends to use Mountain of Faith for good in the year ahead. May he give us strength and grace for the journey!
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