State of the Parish

Sixth Anniversary of Rev. Freeman as Pastor

Mark 4:26-34                                                         Rev. Todd B. Freeman

Bethany Presbyterian Church, Dallas                                               July 20, 2003

Each month at our Session Meeting there is an item on the agenda called “State of the Parish.” It’s a time for the elders and myself to reflect upon how things are going here at Bethany - usually we use that time to share pastoral concern issues about church members in need. Starting next month, however, I’m moving it up from one of the last items on the agenda – when everyone is tired and wants to go home – to near the beginning of our monthly meetings.

For I can’t express profoundly enough how crucial it is that we hear and know about how things are really going, whether it be about issues concerning worship, congregational care, fellowship, finance and stewardship, Christian education, evangelism and church growth, building and grounds, social action items, or whatever.

So, taking this as a cue, and on the occasion of my 6th Anniversary as your pastor, I thought I would spend a bit of time this morning reflecting upon where we’ve been, what we’re doing now, and where we may be headed. (Being perhaps a bit leery of a State of the Parish address, however, I can assure you that I have not included any unconfirmed British intelligence information!)

It was on this date six years ago that I intentionally selected the two parables in this morning’s Gospel Lesson as the biblical text for my first sermon as your pastor. That sermon was entitled “Hope for Growing Branches,” and it focused on our hope for spiritual, as well as numerical, and financial growth as a congregation. For just in case anyone here this morning is unaware, I was called to this church as its first full-time pastor in 5 years – and with only enough finances in the savings account to pay my salary for one year if there was no growth! Though I always thought it was a long shot, there was a very real possibility that within that year we would be closing these church doors for good. So in actuality, today is more about the celebration of this congregation’s 6th Birthday!

Needless to say, that reality provided an atmosphere of needed flexibility to do what together we felt needed to be done in order to grow. Some of the first things were cosmetic, like new carpeting here in the sanctuary and Parish House. Soon after, and to this day, came repainting (inside and out), and new tile flooring. One’s home is indeed a reflection of its occupants.

While remaining open to change, as difficult as change always is, we were very careful to remain connected to this congregation’s heritage and traditions. They include, for instance, special Services of Worship like the Seder Meal during Holy Week and the Love Feast Agape Meal in November. Book study groups, with open and frank discussions, also remained a priority, as did social action projects.

Of the original 30 active members that were here when I came, only 15 remain today. Yet they are among the most dedicated 15 members any congregation could wish to have. The longest term member is Charles Scurry, who at 34 years here at Bethany provides an invaluable connection and bridge between our past, present, and our future. He has also served as Church Treasurer for a majority of that time, in addition to being an elder on the session numerous times, including now. Frank Jordan joined in 1970, just a year after Charles. He has also served as Treasurer and as an elder.

Ann Jacob and John & Susan Hepola joined in the late 70’s; Peggy Osborne, Elly Lindsay, Jane Manley, Bruce & Mary Alice Wittrig, and Dana Curtis in the 80’s; and Randy Bonifay, Mary Clare Edwards, Peter Dickson and Todd Brawner in the 90’s, all before I arrived in 1997.

At this time I would like all of those 15 folks to stand so that we may share our appreciation of the time, talents, and resources you have so faithfully dedicated to the life and ministry of this congregation.

Since my arrival, which by God’s grace did indeed last longer than that first scary year, we have received 119 new members, not counting children, of which there are around 30. That 119 includes 50 Anglos and 69 Hispanics. Needless to say, those 69 Hispanic members and their children are the result of the arrival of Rev. Daniel Alatorre 4 1/2 years ago, and this congregation’s brave decision to expand it’s ministry of inclusiveness to embrace the Hispanic community, primarily to recent immigrants. Along these lines, I encourage all of you to carefully read the Annual Progress Report, which summarizes our ministry efforts, in this month’s church newsletter.

In the past 6 years, then, we have witnessed a 400% increase membership! Of those 119 new members, however, 50 have become inactive or moved away, leaving a net of 69 new active members. Adding that figure to the original 15 currently active members, that gives a very realistic active adult membership count of 84 people – 38 Anglo members and 46 Hispanic members.

The not-so-good news involves the statistics of our Anglo membership. Of the 50 who have joined in the past 6 years, only 7 have joined in the past 2 years. And of those 50, 27 have become inactive or moved away. That’s a 54% decline. My honest assessment of the situation is that we’re suffering from a bit of RDD. That’s kind of like ADD, but stands for Retention Deficit Disorder. One of our greatest challenges in the year ahead, then, is how not only to attract new members but how to retain active members.

It’s not that other churches don’t have this same problem, it’s just a bit more obvious in a congregation our size. This does raise financial concerns for us, however, because we receive significantly less funds each year from our General Assembly Grant, which will end completely in three years. But we’ve been there before.

There’s one other bit of statistical information I’ve worked on this past week that I want to share with you. Since World War II, this congregation has had 8 pastors, not counting interim pastors. The longest pastorate was that of Howard Tyas, who was the pastor for just over 8 1/2 years, during most of the 1980’s and into the early 1990’s. The average length of a pastorate here, since 1946, has been 6 1/4 years.

You don’t even have to be very good at math to know, then, that I will reach that average length of stay in 3 months. Don’t worry, however, for as Cindy Buehrle reminded me when I quoted her this statistic, I’m far from the “average” pastor. Thanks Cindy!

In so many ways I still feel new here, probably because of the amount of change this congregation has undergone, and the continually new ministry opportunities and challenges we face. And there just so much more ministry to do! With all its many challenges, I can honestly tell you how exciting it is for me to be a pastor at this place and at this time.

And I continually find reassurance, both from you and in the Scriptures, like the parables in today’s Gospel Lesson. Through them, Jesus reminds us that growth is not by our efforts alone, but by the grace of God working in and through those efforts.

In that first sermon six years ago I mentioned, “We must sow the seeds and then trust in the promise of growth.” We have planted many seeds in the past several years, and we have many more seeds to plant.

A favorite quote of mine in this regard is, “God’s business is quite unlike human business! Quality is preferred over quantity, faithfulness is preferred over success, and patience is preferred over gimmicks.” I think Bethany continues to persevere because of its patience and faithfulness, and especially because of its reliance on genuineness instead of gimmickry. In fact, the quality of our community life together is one of the strongest draws we have as a congregation. How we extend hospitality to each other and to visitors is perhaps the most crucial element of sharing the grace of God with others.

Another major reason this is such a remarkable place is its openness to diversity in all its many forms. Theological diversity is at or near the top of the list.

Chris Bartley sent me a digital photo in an email this week that he took on his way to work. I think it will help put in perspective what I mean by our theological diversity. This picture shows the outdoor yard sign at a church up in Richardson. In huge, bold, capital letters is the statement: TRUTH IS BOTH DOGMATIC AND INTOLERANT.

Well, it’s my understanding that the gospels declare that the “truth shall set you free.” So which is it? Does truth equal dogmatic intolerance or freedom. I certainly don’t think they are the same thing.

Remember, however, as I mentioned in my 4th of July Weekend sermon, that Christian freedom is not so much freedom from something as it is freedom to do something – and not to do whatever you want, but rather in the form of sharing your time, talents, and resources with the church and others.

That’s not to say, on one other hand, that this congregation would be very open to have a radical, judgmental fundamentalist join this church. On the other hand, questioning the faith in which you were raised is not only welcome here at Bethany, it’s encouraged.

We, too, however, must not fall into the trap of becoming dogmatically intolerant with those at the other end of the theological spectrum, who are dogmatically intolerant.

So needless to say, we, individually and as a congregation, are a work in progress. That’s perhaps why the term “progressive” so suitably fits us. We are like that growing mustard plant. God is working in and through us, even when we can’t see or feel it.

Theologian Emil Brunner wrote, “Hope…is one of the ways in which what is merely future and potential is made vividly present and actual in us. Hope is the positive, as anxiety is the negative, mode of awaiting the future.”

How will you await the future – how will we? With anxiety or hope? Though I all too often get anxious over the little things, I’m very hopeful about the big picture of where we’re headed!

As a congregation we have much to be thankful for. We have much to celebrate. We have done a lot of hard work, and we have a lot of hard work yet ahead in getting out the message of God’s grace, forgiveness and acceptance.

The state of our parish is indeed good. And with a spirit of hope it will only get better as we do ministry together as a family of faith – a family where all are welcome.

Amen.