by Rev. Evan Young
Here we are, flush with excitement after an inspiring annual meeting at which we celebrated our achievements, appreciated our leaders, selected our representatives, and adopted an ambitious budget for the coming fiscal year.
So what are you going to do about it? It’s time to think about this now, because sometime in the not-too-distant future you’re going to be asked to express in concrete, dollar-and-cents terms how you value this community — you’ll be asked to make a pledge.
The question that’s coming is not about keeping the lights and the heat on here. It’s not about paying the bills or the pastor or the costs of maintaining and improving our building. It’s about who you want to become.Because what our faith community is for is to transform the individual and society — to move us all in the direction of a vision we hold sacred. And for all our fits and starts and missteps in living into this purpose, we are committed to articulating that vision together, and moving toward it with passion, courage, determination, and compassion.
The question that’s coming, then, is about how you’re going to conform your life, including your financial life, to express in real terms how important this vision is to you. And how much you love this community that works to make it real. And I’m bringing it up now because I want you to have had time to think hard about how boldly you can act. Will your answer be a resolute step toward our shared vision, and toward the person you yearn to become? Only you can say.
Thank you, Evan, for leading us to think beyond the ‘bricks & mortar’. The present Fellowship meets in this beautiful building created by members out of a vision for community, inspiration, and beauty. As we reap the benefits of their commitment, foresight and hard work, we must come together in fellowship to move the vision forward for our time. Thank you for helping me see that taking care of the ‘bricks & mortar’ is a result of our commitment to each other and our vision for the future.