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The previous year has been a
considerable one for St. George’s. When
I announced my departure from Houston, I
told the parish there that all ministry
is seasonal. My season in Houston came
to an end and a new season in Dayton was
about to begin. Likewise for St.
George’s 2010 marked a number of
changing ministry seasons.
While a season of searching for the new
Rector was brought to a conclusion, a
season of Interim ministry of the Rev.
Jim Larsen also came to a close, as did
the season of ministry for Organist &
Choirmaster Michael Brittenback. But for
every season that ends, another begins,
and in September St. George’s welcomed
the new Director of Music, Linda Mench.
In the few months I have been here,
already I have seen a strong base of lay
leadership in our parish. I am extremely
grateful and blessed to have a team of
lay Eucharistic Visitors and Stephen
Ministers who assist me in the pastoral
care of the parish with weekly
visitations. I am grateful for our
Vergers and their visible presence in
preparing our personnel for worship; I
am grateful for our Altar Guild and
their invisible (i.e. behind the scenes)
dedication to preparing our sanctuary
for worship. I am grateful and indeed
bless our Sunday school teachers, who
week after week take up the mantle of
instructing, teaching, and shaping the
lives of our children with the
essentials of our Christian Faith. I am
also very grateful to our parish staff
that has, perhaps, had the most to deal
with over these recent seasons of
change, but have begun a new season of
working for me with flying colors.
And now, 2011 stretches before us all
and, in the terms of our recent
Stewardship Season, it is a time of new
beginnings. Financially, St. George’s
finished 2010 in the black, a goal
achieved by careful and faithful
management by the Finance Commission and
Vestry, which I applaud and desire to
continue. The economy is still, in my
humble opinion, far from ‘better’, and
even if it were, times of plenty do not
justify wasteful spending. Sound
financial management as well as a clear
set of financial goals is simply not
optional anymore.
While finances are important, they are
not the only thing, nor are they the
most important thing. I believe that
money should follow ministry – in other
words the proper way for churches to
move forward is to have a clear sense of
what God is calling them to do and be,
formulate a strategy for getting there,
and trust that the Lord will provide for
what He has directed His people to do.
To this end my ministry goals for us are
very clear. 1) Rebuilding our youth
ministry, 2) expanding our existing
children’s ministry, 3) increasing new
membership in the young family
demographic, and 4) establishing a
strong, comprehensive Adult Education
ministry.
Accomplishing these goals will require
building up of new lay leadership in our
parish family, and possibly adding new
staff. However, neither of those will
happen if new families and new members
are not sought out, brought in, and
discipled. I am fully committed to this,
but truthfully I can’t do it alone. Thus
it is of paramount importance for each
and every member of this parish to take
up the mantle to, what Jesus called,
fish for people. This year is two
thousand and eleven. Eleven: one and a
one. I am going to challenge this parish
over the coming year that each and every
member, each “one” be committed to
inviting, welcoming, and integrating one
new person. One and One!
Accomplishing our goals will take time,
wide commitment, sacrifice, and probably
some degree of change. An old saying
goes, “If you always do what you’ve
always done, you’ll always get what
you’ve always got.”
Yours in Christ,
Ben
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