Message from Pastor Jim

“Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple . . . with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number . . .” Acts 2:46-47

May was an amazing month. The Holy Spirit is definitely on the move at St. Mark. On May 1, we officially welcomed 10 new members to our congregation. And we ended the month with a Pentecost celebration that included welcoming the 8 members of our confirmation class into our church family as full members.

The Holy Spirit is also at work through our Mission Study Team as they continue to gather information that will shape the next season of ministry at St. Mark. I have not been involved in any of the writing of the Mission Study Report, which will be presented to the session and then the entire congregation sometime this summer. But I have been aware of some of the feedback the Mission Study Team is receiving; it seems there is quite a bit of concern about attracting “younger families” to St. Mark.

Just like St. Mark, almost every church wants to attract young families. The (unstated) rationale behind this usually includes the following:

• “We are getting older. Without younger people, the church will eventually die.”
• “It’s energizing to have young people around.”
• “Younger members can do the work that older members can’t/won’t do anymore.”
• “Older members are on fixed incomes. Younger, working families are needed for their pledges.”
• “Young families remind us of church when were part of a young family.”

But let’s be real. Are churches saying they want young families for what they can give to us? Instead, what if churches sought out young families to nurture their faith journey and share with them in authentic community?

How can St. Mark be the kind of congregation that welcomes young families for more than their energy and wallets? How can St. Mark shift its perspective and create a rationale that includes the following:

• Asking young families how we can pray for them, and then actually pray for them.
• Be genuinely welcoming, even accepting the running and squirming, noise and messiness that comes with kids.
• Not expecting everyone to be “the church” like we have always been “the church.”
• Inviting younger people to serve by actually asking them how they want to serve, and then making serving easy.
• Giving them real input into the direction the church is going, and give them a real opportunity to make a difference.

I’m looking forward to the results Mission Study Report. I’m looking forward to how the session will respond to these and other questions the MSR will raise. I’m looking forward to the Holy Spirit continuing its good work among us, and how we will live it out.

Grace and peace, Pastor Jim