~ by the Pastor and guest writers ~
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Thanksgiving and Beyond (November 26, 2003) What a great day it was in the life of our congregation this past Sunday! If you were not here you missed a wonderful celebration of thanksgiving for all the good gifts our gracious God provides for us. I want to take time to count many of the blessings we enjoyed. On this day in worship we heard beautiful sounds from the Lynn Flowers Handbell Choir with its music that reminded us to “Be Joyful.” The Youth Choir led us in an uplifting prayer that thanked God for all good gifts, “A Thanksgiving Prayer.” And there’s more. What a fitting anthem the adult choir sang of “Consecration” to remind us of this season of stewardship. But more on that later. We had many of our youth leading us in worship as greeters, acolytes, and liturgists. If you looked below the communion table you saw stacks of food items that were a cornucopia of gifts for Su Casa de Esperanza. Our youth have been collecting these items for several weeks and God has now blessed these gifts to be shared with others. Two of our youth recognized Ann Williams who has been a mentor and guide for the youth of our church. It was their way of expressing how important shepherds are in leading and developing our younger church. No one was more surprised than Ann! We are blessed in ways we can’t imagine by the youth of this church. John Topp, our guest preacher for New Consecration Sunday, challenged us to move up in our stewardship to practice proportional giving. John reminded us that what we have belongs to God. He then led us in a time of prayerful thought and reflection as we completed our Estimate of Giving Cards. Each of us then came forward and placed our cards before God as our financial pledges for 2004. The focus was on how we are called to support the work of ministry in Christ’s church. Remember what John said, “No price too high!” And then it was on to the fellowship hall for a tasty Thanksgiving meal. It was so wonderful to hear the laugher, chatter, and sounds of a good time as members sat together. We packed the hall with more than 200 people as the culmination of Consecration Sunday. Thanks be to God! And now we move to the beginning of a new church year with the first Sunday of Advent. Today we have had members in and out of the building getting ready to “hang the greens.” Here is where you can help. Our official Hanging of the Greens will be this Saturday, November 29 at 3:00 PM in the sanctuary. Move away from the TV, turkey and dressing, and come downtown to decorate our sanctuary. We always have a great time and share a meal together. Turkey will not be served! We need as many as possible to help, so please be here this Saturday. My Thanksgiving Prayer to all of you is to give thanks to God for each of you. As I try to say each Sunday, “It is my privilege to be the pastor of this wonderful congregation.”
 It’s Coming…November 23, 2003! (November 12, 2003) I know that by now you have seen all the posted signs inside our building, scattered here and there. If you have scanned your worship bulletins the past few Sundays you have also seen these words: It’s Coming…November 23, 2003! I hope you are anticipating this Sunday in the life of our congregation as much as I am. This is a day we will come to consecrate our gifts to God as our act of worship and share a catered meal together following our service. Over the past few weeks the Stewardship Committee has been working diligently to bring us to November 23 and what we are calling Consecration Sunday. Several weeks ago John Graham, the treasurer for our church and one of our elders, visited with me about our annual stewardship campaign. John had been doing some thinking and research and shared with me a different approach to stewardship. I could see the enthusiasm in John’s eyes as he talked. My first thought was, “I wonder if this is just one more way to collect cash from contributors?” As John spoke I quickly began to understand this was not just one more gimmick. What I learned was that our emphasis needed to shift. Rather than requesting financial contributions to “pay the bills” or “support the budget” our emphasis needed to be asking our people to grow spiritually by giving a percentage of their income to the Lord’s work through our congregation. That’s what we are about on November 23. We are NOT a secular organization. The goal of secular fund-raising is dollars for a worthy cause. You and I get dozens of calls and mail from these important causes. There is only one “goal” of Christian stewardship: the faithful management of all that God gives so that God can use our gifts to transform us spiritually and to extend Christ’s transforming love to others. That is what we will do on November 23. Here is what you need to do. Be present for worship on November 23. We have a special guest preacher that morning. John Topp, an active lay member of First United Methodist Church in Harlingen will be our guest. John has more than 15 years of experience with the New Consecration Stewardship program. I am looking forward to his being here. After worship, we will gather for our catered meal. IF YOU HAVE NOT DONE SO PLEASE FEEL OUT A RESERVATION CARD LETTING THE CHURCH KNOW HOW MANY FROM YOUR HOUSEHOLD WILL BE PRESENT FOR THE MEAL ON NOVEMBER 23. When you come to worship on November 23 I hope there is one question you will have considered during the last several weeks. “What percentage of my income do I feel God is calling me to give?” You will have the opportunity that morning to translate your answer into dollar amounts and place that card before God as your answer. What a great day this will be in the life of our church. It’s Coming…November 23, 2003!
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