"ONWARD CHRISTIAN SOLDIERS, MARCHING AS TO WAR”—STATE OF THE PARISH ADDRESS

"ONWARD CHRISTIAN SOLDIERS, MARCHING AS TO WAR”—STATE OF THE PARISH ADDRESS  (abridged)

             By the Rev. John Donnelly, Rector, Christ Church Quaker Farms, Feb. 12, 2017

Throughout the Bible, God’s word uses the symbols of “warfare” to describe the conflict between good vs. evil.  Indeed, Jesus , Himself, said, “I came not to bring peace, but a sword.”

So, with this as the background, I can now deliver my annual State of the Parish Address for CCQF.  The State of the Parish is that CCQF won the Battle of 2016. WE WON THE BATTLE!!!! How so?

1.      Sunday attendance was up some in 2016 over 2015, as we joyfully worshiped our Savior and King.

2.      The Good News of Christ’s amazing love was preached from this pulpit, every Sunday & studied in our Sunday School, Youth Group, & Small Groups, thereby equipping us to fight the good fight through the love of Christ.

3.      Over the past year we have lost some good friends who moved away and left us; but we gained some new friends, too. Indeed, 6 newcomer families made pledges of close to $10,000 to our annual ministry in 2017.

4.      Indeed, the total # of pledges, to date, rose from 55 in 2016 to 60 in 2017.

5.      We have a wonderful # of soldiers in the army of God’s love, who cheerfully serve the people of this congregation. We reach out to parishioners in need through our healing ministry, prayer chain, home communion visitations, repast ministry, and short term counseling through your rector.

·        Many of you serve on Sunday mornings on our Altar Guild, Ushers, Choir , and the like.

·        Fellowship activities are hosted by the ECW & Kid and Family Friendly Ministries; along with all of you who host coffee hour.

·        During the past year, our Building & Grounds Committee served us by upgrading our water system & overseeing the renovation of the floor in our Parish Hall.

6.      But, our cheerful service is not limited just to our own church—but we have taken God’s love into the world to help the needy. Your support of Spooner House Dinners, the foodbank, ECW outreach, the Youth Mission trip, the Chapel on the Green, the Kenyan orphanage, Shady Knowles’ worship, ETO, and much much more shows that Christ Church is shining the Light of Christ’s love into the world.

So, we had some major victories for the Lord in 2016; but in addition to thanking all of you, we need to thank the one who deserves thanks and praise, our Mighty Warrior, Geenral Jesus Christ, our Lord. He won the victory over death & the grave, and enables us to share in his victory here on earth.

So, as we look ahead to the Battle of 2017, we are in good shape. However, we do face some challenges in 2017 and beyond.

1.      Since we ban the process of congregation renewal & revitalization back in 2011, we have seen substantial growth in all program areas, including Stewardship.  Indeed, annual giving was around $95,000/year in 2011; now it is $135,000 in 2017.  That is incredible growth, of which any church would be proud.  However, Stewardship continues to be challenge because yearly, we spend more than we take in.  Thankfully, we do have some reserve funding. Such stewardship growth is a multi-year process, requiring patience, work, and a growing commitment by all.

2.      Another challenge that we face is the rapid rate of change within our culture and society.  This “Future Shock” results in a “psychological sense of insecurity, fear, and resistance, when people perceive that there is just too much change in too short a time.”  This rate of change has overwhelmed people and institutions, leaving many dazed and confused. As our world changes, we of the church need to discern how God is leading us to serve Him in this ‘brave new world.’  This is the purpose of the Vestry’s Long Range Planning Committee, which is asking for our input. As a part of this long range planning, the Vestry is seeking your input so that we can best assess how we are doing now, so that we can make plans for the future.