As I was walking home from the church last Sunday, when the cleaning up after the anniversary celebration was completed, I was nearly overwhelmed with gratitude. So many people had volunteered to help with the setting up of the facilities, which included the tent, tables, and chairs, while many more had prepared food, poured drinks, ensuring that all in attendance had more than enough to eat, and then cleaned up the mess afterwards. It was a phenomenal day, but only because so many had happily pitched in to make it a success. But the anniversary capped off an incredibly busy week for the church, as our annual Vacation Bible School had about 60% more kids attending than we have had in at least the last 25 years, and pulling that off required more dedicated volunteers who showed up every day to ensure that the children had a truly memorable week of fun.
Our church has experienced steady growth over the past decade, as more folks have experienced our beautiful sense of Christ-centered fellowship and worship, and more have chosen to become members or regular attendees. I am grateful that so many have felt led to support the ministry efforts of our church financially. Certainly, the growth in the budget has allowed for the funding of particular line items such as our children’s ministry with Vacation Bible School, and church celebrations such as our anniversary. Yet having the funds for something, and actually executing something are two different things, because without the people showing up to do the work, the money doesn’t matter. Hence my overwhelming gratitude – the busiest week on our church calendar was a tremendous success, but only because people were willing to give of their time and their talent.
We live in a capitalistic society, where there are costs associated with simply existing on a daily basis. We pay for food and drink, for shelter, for clothing, for transportation, for health care, and a litany of other things, and that all requires money. Various ministry efforts are not immune to the same capitalistic realities, so funding is critical. We should always be grateful to those who help to meet the funding needs and we should never minimize the significance of someone deciding that their funds should be deployed for some charitable use. I have seen the good that can be done with targeted financial giving, providing relief to people who were otherwise drowning in their circumstances, so I will never downplay the importance of financial giving. But at the same time, I don’t know that we have placed enough value on the importance of giving your own time, so that you can personally and physically be involved with various ministry efforts.
The fulfilling of the Great Commission requires people who will invest their own time to go share the Gospel message with those who haven’t yet heard it. The social works of the church such as feeding and caring for the widows and the orphans requires people who will handle the physical acts of feeding and caring. Our modern concept of worship requires people to help lead music, teach lessons, handle audio/visual needs, and maintain a physical place of worship in an orderly condition. And great events like Vacation Bible School and the church anniversary take lots of people doing key tasks. Yes, the funding is critical, and if the only thing that you can do is write a check, then praise God that you have the ability to do that. But God’s church requires hands and feet that can actively carry the works of the church to people who desperately need to experience love as only the church can provide it.
This past week, our little church demonstrated a willingness to show their faithfulness not simply with their wallets, but with their time and efforts, and the result was something beautiful and impactful. What more could a pastor possibly ask for?
Peace and blessings – Pastor Aaron