Dear Friends,

What a great time we had last weekend with two busloads of church friends and family partying our way into Manhattan to see one of our own in The Little Mermaid on Broadway. The show was terrific, and we all had a blast (great job, Merwin!). Just for fun, I had preached on the Gospel According to Ariel that morning, and my point was that just as the little mermaid yearns to find her true self (that’s what this is really about, kids, not some cute royal hunk), we all are aching to reach up and out, and follow our bliss, even when it seems that our dreams are unattainable. What I love about Ariel is that she knows with absolute certainty that she can and will find what she’s seeking. I had also preached that we all have little crabs scuttling around us telling us we should stay where we are, but instead we should listen to the voice within that is bliss, that is God, and ignore the hand-wringers. As if the Broadway cast had heard my sermon, there was a wonderful moment in the play when a loving, caring woman tells Ariel as she kisses her goodnight, “Just remember, dear, the secret to happiness is not to believe in the impossible.” See, that’s what happens! It isn’t villains and witches who hold us down, it’s kind, well-intentioned people who simply don’t believe in the impossible. And that’s the dangerous part. We believe them because they really want what’s best for us, and their advice makes perfect sense.

But let me tell you something. You have in you something that is unique and beautiful, and no one, no matter how kind or wise, knows the gift God has given you to express, and therefore, they do not know what is possible for you. Even we don’t always know the what or why of ourselves. Life is about discovery and unfolding. But I do believe in the impossible. I believe a man was resurrected from the dead. I believe God came into the world to save each one of us, and to offer us new life through repentance from the darkness. That repentance is the act of turning away from what is sin and towards the light of Christ, and when we stop listening to the naysayers and instead follow the bliss of what we know is right, there is nothing we can’t do. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us!

This is the time of year we look back at the previous year to offer thanks to God and each other for the blessings we’ve been given or accomplished, and also to look ahead to the year ahead and see where we need to go. Our biggest challenge in 2008 will be Growth, both spiritually and physically. In 2007 I saw our church making good decisions, working hard, reaching out, praying, singing, praising, and teaching; in short, being good disciples of Christ. Where were we hit the hardest? The same place as everyone else in the country–the pocketbook. Expenses have skyrocketed faster than our paychecks, plain and simple. Our attendance has held steady, and our pledges even rose slightly for the coming year. But they didn’t rise as high as the oil. And now we have a choice to make. Are we going to cut back? Cut programs, cut staff? Are we going into crisis mode, and hunker down because the harsh reality of a tough economy is slapping us in the face? Or are we going to stand as people of faith and say, “Now is not the time to go back, but forward!” Now is when we need to grow, in our hearts and in our membership. Now is the time to listen to the bliss of Christ and follow him out the door into the streets to invite in the hungry and oppressed, to spread the Good News of his salvation to more and more!

Gilead is a special family, and we have more to offer than we even realize. We need to be bringing more people in the door, and in these hard times, planning for expansion. Can we do it? Without the Holy Spirit of Christ nothing can succeed, but with him everything can succeed. In the next few months you will hear the Session and me talking a lot about our Building Program for 2008 – and I don’t mean carpentry, I mean building the church of Christ’s love that has little to do with brick and mortar. And to realize our vision, we need you—your bliss, your best, the Spirit that God has put into you. We will ask more and more of you, and I promise you will receive more and more from Him as you step up and out in faith. That’s my promise, and the abundant promise of God. And remember, my dear friends, the secret to happiness is to have faith in the impossible love of Jesus Christ.

In His name,

Pastor Martin

To read Martin's letters from past months, please click here.