The Mission and Ministry of First Presbyterian Church

[Comments made to the John Calvin Presbytery Meeting in Fort Scott]

We have much for which to be thankful.

• God is sustaining and nourishing us, even in challenging times.
• We have a caring, gifted congregation and a committed group of leaders. 
• We have a beautiful building in which to gather and worship and fellowship. 
• Two weeks ago we purchased the lot across the street with plans to tear down the abandoned grocery store (more on that in a minute).
• And tomorrow, we will receive nine new members.

We are sharing in God’s work of renewal in many ways.  But most importantly, we’re finding great joy in doing so.

·      We’re glad to be a part of the PCUSA, and we share gladly in the mission work supported at the wider levels of our denomination.

·      Both our Deacons and our Presbyterian Women direct financial resources to those struggling with unemployment and poverty: housing, utility bills, eyeglass prescriptions, and health care.

·      We share materially and financially in the food and hunger ministry through our local agency called The Beacon, directed by our own Bob Eckles.

·      We provide both youth and adult volunteers, as well as finances, for a city-wide project called the Good Neighbor Action Team.  This is an ongoing, shared effort to repair, clean up, paint, and beautify houses for those who need help.

·      Our Deacons are leading a team of people who are making phone calls and visits to the elderly, those in the hospital or recovering, and people in treatment for cancer.

·      Our Session is engaged in an ongoing conversation about the connections between spirituality and emotional health.  I’m not sure they’re enjoying that.  But we’re trying to make sure that all we do grows out of a rich and deep spiritual life organized around Jesus Christ.

But even with these various parts of our mission, it feels like it will take some time, prayer, and energy for us to get more clarity about the areas of ministry and service that are absolutely essential for our congregation.

And we know that this discernment process is taking place in the context of some real challenges:

Within our congregation, there are continuing issues related to leadership and trust.  And there is an urgent need for new generation of leaders.

Our city is changing: population is declining, economic opportunities are declining.  There are real problems with drugs and despair.

Our neighborhood is changing: 30 years ago, across the street stood a thriving neighborhood grocery store, an important community anchor in this residential area of town.  It sat just two blocks from a fully functional downtown, and an insurance company that employed 800 people with good jobs.  None of that is true any longer.  

But there are broader challenges at play of course.  We’re part of a denomination that’s trying to find its footing.  Whatever “Presbyterian” as a brand or label means now to our neighbors, it doesn’t mean what it did 50 years ago. 

The U.S. is undergoing massive changes in religious affiliation and outlook.  Pew polls show that the fastest growing religious demographic by far is those who check the “unaffiliated” box.  For the most part, the younger generation is spiritual but not interested in institutional, traditional-looking, church-oriented kinds of spirituality.

So for us, all the familiar milestones are gone.  This is a new world, uncharted territory.

By God’s grace, this congregation has been around for 153 years.  Over that time, there have been many periods of adjustment and renewal.  And I think it’s safe to say we’re in the middle of another one of those transition periods.

Perhaps some of you here can identify with us when I say this about our mission: we know that God has called us to be faithful servants, but we’re not completely sure what that faithfulness should look like.  

The only thing we know for sure is that God loves us, and that God loves this overlooked, insignificant little city we inhabit.  And so we’re praying for the courage and imagination to let that love shape everything we do.