Capturing A Vision We Can Believe In

This is our time of opportunity here at Christ Presbyterian Church.

This month we celebrate 84 years of Christ’s ministry in Drexel Hill.

In 1927, 47 people petitioned the Presbytery to charter a new church in the new community of Drexel Hill.

Those “pioneers” were enthusiastic.
They exhibited a strong faith.
They were hope-full.
They were optimistic, to be sure.
But, perhaps even more importantly, they had a strong sense that a church should be here in the heart of their community.

And, they dedicated themselves to the cause.

Who among them could have foreseen the deep depression that struck the country within months?

In the past few months, I have thought often of the folks that were trying to build a church here – only to find the bottom fall out of the whole economy.

For them, priorities changed rapidly.

Certainly, monetary resources dried up.

But, somehow, in some way, their faith, their hope, their dream did not.
In fact, in many ways, the church thrived.

Within ten years talk turned to expansion.

A new building was deemed necessary – and while the economy was still depressed, plans were made to start construction.

These folks believed in the future.
These folks believed they needed a church in their community.

And then, a world war broke out.
Even in the midst of a war those people financed and built a facility dedicated to “the worship and service of Almighty God”.

The past 84 years have seen wars and rumors of wars, faltering economies, uncertain times, and changing populations – and through it all, the community of Christ continued and witnessed and worked and worshiped.

There is no way those 47 folks in 1927 could have foreseen all that was to befall them and their neighbors.

But, they had a vision.
They had a belief.
A church was needed.

And what about us?

84 years from now what will be said about us?

I know, there are some among us who say, “Who cares?”
Then, I think:
84 years ago, there were people who cared.

Time was, folks here had a vision.
Time was, folks here had a belief.
Time was, folks here were convinced that a church was needed in their neighborhood.
But, what about now?

The opportunity is for us to capture a vision that we can believe in:
a vision that projects out into the days and years ahead.

Oh, the church of tomorrow may not look like the church of yesterday.
The church of tomorrow may include shared ministerial leadership.
The church of tomorrow may use different space to worship in and to conduct ministry out of.
The church of tomorrow may include younger and younger people as well as older and older people.
The church of tomorrow will certainly rely on the internet more and more.

I invite you to join me in conjuring a vision of Christ Church for tomorrow:
a vision that we can believe in,
a vision that will inform our work and witness here in the days ahead.

Last month I wrote of Vision 2012
With the new year and the culmination of the sale of our building, it is time to think seriously about the future ministry of Christ Presbyterian Church:
what might it look like?
where might it be?
what might it mean (for you and me and whoever else we might be serving)?

My hope is that by the time the next new year rolls around, we would have a pretty clear vision of what this ministry (or ministries) might look like, and even be on our way implementing the new vision.

I firmly believe that our faith has a message for all of the folks around us.
People need what we have to give. People need to hear what we have to say.

Not only do people need what we have to offer, but we have a stake in offering.
We have an obligation to enable all people to be more fully who God intends for them to be.
It’s a Christ-like thing to do.

I am reminded that when Norman Vincent Peale first went to the Marble Collegiate Church in New York City, he preached to 40 or 50 people each Sunday morning.
After about six months, he told his wife that people needed to hear what the faith has to say,
if they won’t come to hear it, he would have to get it to them in other ways.
And so he wrote, and published, and spoke in public forums at every opportunity.
Of course, a by-product of getting the word out to everyone is that more people will come.

Norman Vincent Peale realized that Marble Collegiate Church had to reinvent itself in order to continue to be in ministry.
And they did.
And the rest is history as countless millions of people all over the world have been influenced by their work.

This is our time of opportunity here at Christ Presbyterian Church.
We need everyone praying for this church and the vision that might revealed to us about what our ministry may look like in the years ahead.

Please commit yourself to take time to pray.
And as ideas come to you, share them here.