Rector’s Pastoral Address to Parish Meeting

by The Rev. David Harper

The Fifth Sunday in Lent, March 13, 2005

I am pleased to report that the state of our church is sound. To our two weekly services, we have now added a third: Altared, our new youth service. We feared that we might have ended last year in deficit—yet the sacrificial giving of our congregation, and the vigilance of vestry and staff in moderating expenses, allowed us to complete the year in the black. The value of our property on Braddock Road has greatly appreciated, allowing us to develop new plans for how we will manage our expansion to this new site. Our vestry is strong and unified, and tonight we will report the results of a closely contested election of outstanding candidates. The recent meeting of the Primates in Ireland gives us the best hope in years that our faithful stand for orthodoxy and fidelity to scripture has resonance around the world, and that we have the support of the key leadership of the Anglican Communion.

God has much more in store for us, and we should never be complacent. But his light is shining brightly to illuminate our path

This is very different from how things looked even a few months ago. Last fall, the daily office lectionary took us into the Book of Acts. Luke devotes an entire chapter to recounting the story of the violent storm that shipwrecked the vessel that was taking Paul to Rome. In his eye-witness account, Luke graphically describes the desperation they felt: “When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved.”

In 2003 and the first part of 2004, this ship of ours was severely battered by powerful winds and unrelenting waves. People we loved and trusted left, deeply impacting all of us. Even if we didn’t know them personally, we felt a profound sense of loss.

Sometimes we knew why they decided to go, sometimes not. Either way, many of you felt conflicted and confused. You wondered: “Is there some terrible darkness in the leadership here? Can I really trust in the way I felt I could before? Can I risk getting close to others in the church—and make myself vulnerable to the pain of loss if they were to leave?”

Although we have made progress in recovering from those storms, there still remains some pain. I have directed my preaching in Advent and Lent towards reminding us of the hope we have in Christ; and how embracing and taking up his cross will lead us to victory over all of life’s struggles and trials, and into a greater realization of the glory of God.

As I look forward to the year ahead, I want to lead us into the new opportunities God has in store for us. The way won’t always be easy, but I am confident that He will get us there, using each one of you who have discovered that we are “better together.”

As we travel past the storm towards God’s intended destination, let’s bear with one another, encourage one another to hold fast to the Lord and to the hope we have in him.

In that spirit, let’s look a bit more closely at where we now stand.

Many of you have testified to a new awareness of God’s presence in worship, and a more profound level of unity in the congregation. That is especially evident within the vestry. We spend considerable time in the prayer chapel before our meetings, listening to the Lord and praying. We are finding that even though we get to our business later, we are consistently ending earlier than we used to!

The Healing Center is now a reality, and blessing many lives. Small groups are proliferating in the church, connecting us with one another. The Bible studies are well attended. Visitors are joining us in worship, and becoming involved. We are about to launch a new Alpha. The new-look Youth ministry, Altar-ed, has begun strongly. Our numerical decline seems to have steadied, and this year’s income is very close to budget. We’ve had a better start than in the last few years. And there is a growing sense that God is moving, that he is wanting us to prepare for a fresh outpouring and visitation of the Holy Spirit.

What lies ahead for us?

The Primates’ communiqué could hardly have given us more. As I indicated in my pastoral letter, they have put Episcopal Church on notice, and delivered a stunning rebuke by requesting it to withdraw from the Anglican Consultative Council. It is difficult to overstate the significance of the panel of reference that Archbishop Rowan Williams has been asked to set up to supervise the adequacy of pastoral provision for beleaguered churches and dioceses.

But it’s not only the Primates who have encouraged us. When we consider resolution R-22, adopted by our Diocesan Council several weeks ago, there is good reason to believe that the ground we are standing on is firmer and more solid than before. The growing sense of urgency that some churches in this Diocese had been experiencing to realign with the wider Communion has eased significantly. We can consider ourselves fortunate to be in a Diocese where joining the ACN, redirecting our diocesan giving, and requesting the visitation of a bishop other than our own, does not invite a retributive response, as is common elsewhere. We are also fortunate to have a bishop who refuses either to ordain an actively gay person, or to bless the union of a same-sex couple. My clergy colleagues and I intend keeping open lines of communication with Bishop Lee in an attempt to consolidate the gains we have won—but the reduced pressure on orthodox churches has given us welcome breathing space.

These developments seem to confirm the strong sense that the vestry and I have consistently maintained that we are to move ahead with building a new campus on Braddock Road. Nothing is certain in this world, including the future of the Episcopal Church and our place within it. Yet we maintain that Christ, who is the Head of the Church, sees further down the path than we can. He has called us to move forward in faith to build “for the harvest,” to create a facility where the life and ministry of this church can deepen and grow. Not only has God not revoked that call: he continues to confirm it. In a word to the vestry on August 24, 2004, during our time in the prayer chapel, he told us that he is a generous God, who pours out his blessings on those who serve him. Referring to Ezekiel 37, he told us that Church of the Apostles has often been proud, imagining that we have it all—and the dry period we were walking through was intended to purify us. But he gave us a promise: “You will move to the new property, but not in your own strength. I will take you there; I am the One who will do it.”

Be assured that the vestry and I are also faithfully exercising due diligence in exploring all means to safeguard our property.

We must remain faithful to seeking God’s vision, not following our own! I was in a meeting recently with a well-known English evangelist. He had just preached in a large and growing area church, and was troubled by what he saw there. He described it as “a sleeping giant.” Although their ministries are flourishing, they are directed inwardly towards themselves. The evangelist challenged their lack of passion for the lost, and the absence of evangelistic zeal.

I found myself thinking: “Might he have said the same thing about us if he had come here?”

The Lord loves this church, and he wants us to grow. To Jesus, numbers are not statistics; they represent people he loves with intense desire. Their eternal destiny matters to him so much that he sent his one and only Son to save them. If we’re not reaching out and finding them, if we’re not drawing them in and turning them into fully-devoted disciples of the Lord Jesus, we are not only guilty of negligence: we’re being disobedient.

We need to face the question: Do we really want this church to grow? Are we willing to make the investments and take the risks so that growth will result?

In all honesty, I am not sure we are quite there yet. Although many are passionate about bringing in the harvest, I still see evidence of uncertainty, of a certain diffidence in being willing to step out boldly. Most of us are clear that we want to grow, and we are sincere; but our accustomed ways of doing things can make us hesitant about trying new and innovative ways.

I sometimes notice a wait-and-see attitude within the church regarding growth; we are waiting to see whether the clergy and program staff will make it happen. The “wait and see” attitude says, “If we’re not growing, it’s because of them.”

I say to you tonight, our future will never be found in an “us and them” mentality. Your leadership is committed to growing this place. We have a longing and passion to see the lost found and the poor hearing the Good News. We are determined to finding all means possible to “make visible the power of God’s love so all will come to know Christ.” But you all must be committed to it too. We will move where God wants us to be when we are completely unified as one body in Christ around our one central purpose: mission.

Let me highlight one fundamental aspect of mission to which we must all turn our attention. We have a yawning demographic hole in our congregation: the 20/30 generation. Some of us have been exploring ways and means to build a ministry to draw them in, though at this point the way to set about it is still being discussed.

Eighteen percent—almost one fifth—of the population of Fairfax County is between the ages of 20 and 34. If our church membership reflected that representation, we would have 177 young adults on our rolls. Our actual number is a fraction of that. There is no higher priority for this congregation than addressing that challenge and taking the bold steps to make it happen. I am calling you to share our longing to bring these ones in.

We are “a Purpose-driven, Prayer-empowered Church.” What should that mean for you, personally? I call you to fervent and effectual prayer. Consider attending the monthly Sunday night Concerts of Prayer. Consider spending regular time in the prayer chapel. Consider ways to strengthen the prayer life of your small group.

God hears and answers prayer. Some of the greatest breakthroughs in history have come about because people were on their knees. I call on you to pray to the Lord of the harvest to bring in the people he is calling us to disciple, to find out the part he is giving you, and to embrace it.

In closing I want to say again that our church is sound, and our future looks bright. We have been through many changes—and there will be more to come. Although changes can be difficult, they always bring opportunity. And so I will end tonight by paying a tribute to Hayes Perdue. He joined our staff exactly three years ago—in March 2002—after a search that extended over a two-year period. He and Melody have endeared themselves to us. Hayes has built an effective pastoral care system, enhancing its capability and reach. He has extended the scope and increased participation in our small groups’ ministry. For a time, he helped maintain and nurture our 20/30 ministry, before other pressures required him reluctantly to step away. He has supported many through counseling and pastoral visitation, and blessed us by his preaching. Now he has experienced a call to a very different kind of ministry. Not all of you heard the announcement he and Melody made a few weeks ago, so I have asked him to speak to us tonight. Hayes, we will sorely miss you among us, but we send you to your new calling with our hearty blessings and knowledge that there you will still be aiding in our common mission of making God’s love known in a dark and needy world.