Opening worship of this year’s assembly gave us the gift of the Cape Breton Orchestra. They played an arrangement of Simple Gifts as an offertory. I was moved by such a beautiful and yet simple piece of music and thought how the gifts we bring to God as a church are simple and sure. Would the business of the assembly be so simple and sure?
Perhaps the richest gifts, the most moving gifts, are those that come to us through the tangible mission of the church. I was so moved that tears escaped as I watched the wonderful and diverse faces that appeared on the screen thanks to a PWS&D video highlighting the work that is carried out in our name and on our behalf all over the world. Those images serve to ground me and remind me of our connectedness. Those images are simple and sure.
The fact that PWS&D managed to appeal to the wider church this year and cover their shortfall and then some, is an uplifting and inspiring statement of faith from the wider church and of its tremendous support.
I wonder then, why it is we find ourselves in such a bind when it comes to funding regional staff? The shortfall is a mere $190,000. This seems like such a small amount when compared to the $1.5 million raised as people stepped up to the plate to ensure that the work of PWS&D would not falter. Where is the same generosity for such an important part of our church’s structure? Our regional staff are an integral part of the PCC. It was very clear from the number of overtures submitted and the lengthy debate on the floor of assembly that we want to find a solution to this latest funding shortfall. Is there more to this debate than what we were presented with at assembly? What are our priorities as a national church?
Our moderator led us into a theme of generosity and giving. His focus this year will be on exactly that, and how we can grow our generosity and sail forward into the future by practicing that generosity. I am wondering how that will surface as this need for additional funding will be an ongoing issue before the church.
Both the passion and the frustration of the church was evident throughout the debate around this issue as well as several others. At times bogged down in the finite, at times bogged down in the trivial, we get caught almost to the point of being unable to act.
As a church we are caught in an unknown and undiscovered time in our history where we all struggle to find our way forward — to grow the church forward. What this looks like is often unclear and so we struggle and that can show in loss and frustration which were evident throughout some of the debates.
The issue about lay missionaries being able to administer the sacrament of Communion has been before the court in various forms for many years and yet we still debate its merit and whether or not it’s “Presbyterian.” We claim that our strength is in not making hasty decisions but are there consequences to delaying decisions that might move the church forward in ways perhaps not yet imagined? We are a church in decline, of that there is no doubt. We are searching for a way forward and yet we seem so reluctant to take any great leaps of faith without analysis and study and process that might just kill the initiative.
Is our vision so limited? Are we so fraught with worry and control that we are unable to act? What are we trying to preserve? When do we let the Holy Spirit set a new course? Do we allow the movement of the Spirit among us at assembly? Everything is so scripted and processed. Is this stifling the Spirit under our layers and layers of control and process? We might just discover new things if we allow for that movement. As the young adult representatives reminded us — we have rules for everything!
When will we allow the wind to change our direction and sail this ship on a new course? As one of our worship leaders stated, “Are we in God’s way as barriers or with God waiting to be guided and make the changes necessary?” There were moments during the debate and subsequent process that I was not always certain.
I know our strength lies in our polity and we have good and orderly debate and we follow due process, but there is also frustration which can turn to complacency when nothing seems to move forward and it will take yet another year before there is any movement on a given issue.
I, like so many others, love this church in which I was born and raised, and I really don’t want to see it wither and fade away. Being Presbyterian is in my blood but so is a passion and desire to see radical new ways of being church and for a radical new vision for ministry. I’m not sure what that looks like. I don’t think I saw it at assembly.
I felt it now and then trying to gurgle up in some ways on the floor of assembly. Motions to be bold and plant 10 new churches in the next five years. What have we got to lose? Maybe we’ll only plant seven or eight, but maybe it will spring to life and we might just plant more! And yet there was great hesitation in committing — yes the word here is committing — the church to this action. The motions get watered down with words like encourage, suggest and invite and the frustration level rises.
If we’re on a boat called Generosity this year, we’d better know that we need a big tugboat full of faith! I don’t think God cares so much about how “Presbyterian” we are, but God does care about our faithfulness.
