Last week on Wednesday night, after our ministry team meetings, our group had a great discussion about our discernment process. I wanted to find out how people are feeling about things at Parkway, and what we need to do to move forward.   One of the comments was that we like what we're doing, we feel we're doing ministry pretty well, and that maybe we just need to do what we're doing, only different/ better/ enhanced.  There's always room for growth, right?  So we went from there into talking about ways or areas in which we need to grow-- mission (doing for/with others with no expectation of return), outreach (doing for/with others, hoping for a relationship to grow), spirituality (nurturing our relationship with God), and stewardship  (using our gifts to serve God as fully as possible.)  One person spoke eloquently about her need to be "inspired", and that led us to each take a turn at filling in the blank in the sentence, "I love coming to Parkway because_____________." 

In light of this, our discussion turned to what we value about being a part of Parkway.  Our list looked like this:

1. We value all people just the way they are.

2. We value knowing that God is present among us when we gather here.

3. We value tradition while embracing the new.

4.  We value that we feel empowered to make a difference.

5. We value the loving relationships and nurturing environment.

6. We value that each of us is allowed-- and encouraged-- to pursue the use of our Spiritual Gifts regardless of our status (gender, race, marital status, etc.)

These are great things about being a part of the Parkway family.  But these are just words if we don't live them out and actively work to bring our values to the community. 

This Sunday is on the PCUSA church calendar the special emphasis is the small church.  Being a part of a small church is a wonderful, joyful, frustrating, exasperating experience, no matter if it's in a rural or suburban or urban setting.  I heard a wonderful metaphor for small church ministry while I was at GA, at the small church ministry lunch, in fact.  The speaker likened large churches to ocean liners-- lots of people on board, lots of programs and things to do; but an ocean liner is more difficult to change course and manouever with. A small church, on the other hand, is more like a speed boat:  there might not be as many people on board, and not as much to do-- but when a change of direction is needed, a speedboat can do it quickly and easily. Life changes faster in a small church than it does in a large church; worship can be more spontaneous; relationships can develop more quickly.  There is a lot to be joyful about in a small church!

Our scriptures for the week are appropriate for small church Sunday.  Beginning with the Isaiah 55:1-13 (the alternate OT selection), which invites all who are thirsty to come to the waters and all who are poor to come and buy and eat-- to buy that which is without price.  We in the small church are forced to be dependent on the movement of the Holy Spirit-- especially in a small church with no endowment!  Our very survival depends on God;  we have to be constantly open to and on the lookout for new ministries that we can handle, new ways of worshiping that honor the past but embrace the future (usually without a four-piece combo.)  A small church has nothing to be ashamed of-- but we, like larger churches, must constantly be evaluating ourselves and our ministries to ensure that we are doing God's work--- and not just working for our own benefit.  God calls us to partake in that which has no price-- waters of life, bread of heaven-- and to share our spiritual food with those around us.  Being small doesn't get us out of following the Great Commission, or the commandments to love God and neighbor, to live as Jesus lived every day, helping and healing and loving all who would listen.  

Today is the first day of July-- a new month, the beginning of the second half of the year (wow...).  Remember how as kids we used to try to remember to say, "Rabbit, rabbit" on the first day of the month, for good luck?   I first read about this practice in a Trixie Belden detective novel as a kid.  Trixie was the kind of girl I wanted to be-- brave, outgoing, ready for anything.  Intelligent, in a street-wise (even if it was a suburban street!) way. 

We may be tempted as adults in the church today to say "Rabbit, rabbit" as we begin to sort through the aftermath of GA.  Rabbit, rabbit, wishing ourselves good luck as those whose ideals prevailed rejoice and those whose didn't make plans to regroup and react.  Many of us on both sides or in the middle as well (where I place myself) are now wondering how many churches will pull out before even allowing the process to continue through the voting of the Presbyteries.  I hope none; I hope folks will let the process work itself through before reacting in any extreme way.  But I have a feeling that there are some who were already on the fence that will decide to leave and join another denomination-- where there perhaps won't be a problem with G-6.0106b, but there will be other issues.  If anyone is looking for a perfect denomination, they won't find it because it doesn't exist.  Perhaps they'll be more comfortable, but is that really why we belong to church, is that why we really follow Christ, to be comfortable?

 In his article for the PET newsletter, our interim exec Carl Schlich wrote that perhaps we need to not focus only on the controversial things that happened at GA, but to remember also the things that we can celebrate-- such as the new Mission Initiative: Joining Hearts and Hands.  Apparently donations have jumped by $8 million dollars since May 31, bringing the total to $33 million, which is only $7 million short of the goal of $40 million.  It's a great sign and well worth celebrating that regardless of our differences we can still come together in mission.   (Read all of Carl's article on the "Newsletters" page.)

To me, if we are seeking renewal in our denomination, this is where we need to focus:  mission.  We need to remember why we are a church, why we come together as the Body of Christ; it isn't just about "my own personal salvation" but about feeding Christ's sheep the way he instructed us to. It's about bringing healing where there is brokeness, friendship where there is lonliness, food and drink where there is hunger, hope where there is hopelessness.  I fear we are in danger of having a "survivor" mentality in our denomination-- not in the reality show way, but in the way many small dying churches become "survival focused" churches.  Our goal becomes keeping the doors open at any cost, so that no pledges and no effort goes into reaching out into the community.  We become focused on our internal struggles, so that in a small church, the focus is on pastoral care of existing members, keeping the property maintained, and so forth, rather than new initiatives for mission.  At the presbytery level I see us afraid to use our New Church Development funds or our Church Transformation funds, and we are all aware that pledging from congregations is down, so our mission team budgets are cut.  At the national level it has seemed that we are being held hostage by our internal struggles; so afraid that if we change-- or if we don't change-- we're going to die out. 

Sometimes you just have to reach out in faith and let what happens happen. We need to remember that it is God whose church this is, not ours, and that God knows what is going to happen and in fact is the driving force behind the Body of Christ.  We are representatives of God in this world, we are the face of God, the Body of Christ, but it is God who makes things happen.  Sometimes our desire to exercise our free will gets in the way of that.  But if we trust in God, then even the decisions that are made that we don't agree with will work together for good; even the issues that we're uncomfortable with will ultimately fulfill God's purpose.  That is and has been my faith all along.