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Words from our Pastor
Kathi and I bought our first (and only) home in 1992 as we moved to Jackson Tennessee. It was a small, well-built brick house constructed in 1954. We were excited to be homeowners after many years of renting. We soon discovered the amount of work that went with being homeowners. Some of the work we expected. The garden/yard was not in great shape, so we spent many a Saturday upgrading the look of the grounds. We did have many wonderful, large trees, which looked spectacular in the autumn as the leaves turned red, yellow and orange. Naturally, soon after the leaves changed colors, they fell to the ground. I cannot tell you how many bags of leaves we raked each year!!
Those were some of the expected tasks of homeownership. What we didn’t expect was that the furnace, the washing machine, and the water heater all broke down in our first year. Over our time in Jackson we discovered that the need for some unexpected repair could almost be expected from time to time. Home ownership includes the inevitable repairs and needed upgrades to be done.
We at Santiago Community Church have our own “home and grounds” to maintain and improve. With “homeownership” come the inevitable repairs and the important improvements to be made. In the last year there have been the usual unplanned projects such as leaks to repair, wiring to sort out and plumbing to fix. There have also been those “normal” but expensive replacement/repair work to be done. We did some major work on the organ at the end of last year with some of the bills coming in this year. After who knows how many years, we have also decided to repaint the Sunday School classrooms and replace the worn out carpet.
As “homeowners” of Santiago Community Church we know that we also have a mission, which includes being an inclusive community that reaches out in love to all. Last year at this time we added a hearing assistance system that has been a great success; many are able to more clearly hear our worship services. Now we have added a ramp that should aid those in wheel chairs, as well as the large number of families who come with strollers and bicycles.
Being homeowners involves ongoing expenses. We as a church family are the ones responsible for the maintenance and improvement of our facilities in order that we may better serve God as we seek to grow in faith and witness. Yes, this is a stewardship message. We need your contributions to help maintain and grow the work of the church in this place. We will be passing out our stewardship pledge forms this month for you to make your financial pledges.
However, this analogy of homeownership is not just about money. You see, the Bible talks about us collectively being the house of God. “You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 1:5) Peter uses this analogy of a house to describe who we are both individually as Christians and as a Christian community.
If we are houses of God, we too need to be aware of the regular maintenance and the important improvements that need to be made. As Christians we need to keep track of those areas of our lives that need fixing and improving. Stewardship is also about how we maintain, use and improve the gifts that we have been given. Part of our stewardship form indicates where you will commit yourself this year to maintain and grow in your faith. I hope you will recommit yourself to regular worship and prayer. I also hope you will consider joining in one of our many Bible study, fellowship or service opportunities. Each of these are ways to “maintain,” “repair” or ‘improve” your spiritual house.
As the children’s song declares, “I am the church. You are the church. We are the church together.” We also need people who will offer themselves in various kinds of leadership and service; this kind of stewardship also helps our “living church building” continue to be strong and effective in reaching out in service to the world as well as reaching inward to help us all grow in love and faith together. Please prayerfully consider how you will help SCC be a strong, faithful spiritual house for God.
David Bubb