Grace United Methodist Church Topeka Kansas

	Grace United Methodist Church
	2627 SW Western
	Topeka, Kansas 66611
	(785) 232-3333
	e-mail: gumctop@sbcglobal.net

(the following is a loose transcript of the sermon that introduced the congregation to our new purpose statement)

You know, every Sunday our building, rooms, and pews are filled with people from different generations, different income levels, and different commitment levels. We gather in this place to worship and to renew our commitment and reaffirm our faith in God. We come to this building for fellowship, to see a familiar smile or receive a heartfelt handshake. And these are all wonderful things about our church and our faith. We are anxious to see our friends and catch up on the weeks events. And once a month or so, we shuffle off to our committee meetings and team gatherings and we work to meet goals and gather new ideas. But why are we doing all of this? Is it because the nomination committee called you and asked? Is it because the Pastor paid you a visit in regard to service? Is there a central idea or theology that drives us to spend half of our Sunday afternoons in meetings? Is there a purpose behind all of this? Think about it, of all the goals and achievements that your committees and teams strived to reach, what purpose was it for? Why did you do it?

Several members of this congregation, recently attended the Leadership Institute in Leawood at the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection. We spent two days in workshops and meetings with leaders of various churches of various faiths. We walked away from that conference with great ideas about how to help our church grow and reach the neighborhood around us. But, at the end of that conference new ideas are not what the buzz was about between us. Not that we did not gain some valuable insights. Instead, each of us at that conference realized that Grace did not have a purpose. We have a mission statement, which is wonderful by the way. But we didn't have any central purpose that was motivating and guiding us. So we sat around the lunch table and brainstormed about it. And some good statements were put out there, but there was one that really struck us.

"We will work to build deeply committed Christians."

Now perhaps this statement seems too simplistic to you, or is not encompassing enough. But think about that statement. "We will work to build deeply committed Christians." I mean, think about what those words truly mean. Let's break it down into two sections.

"We will work to build". Us. We. You. Me. Folks we put the responsibility squarely on our shoulders. We will work, is a powerful statement of unity and oneness. It leaves no room to assume that the person next to you will greet a new visitor. It does not mean that you take a turn doing something and then that is it. It does not allow you to think that you can sit back and watch while the rest of the congregation goes to great lengths to open our hearts, our minds, and our doors. Instead it requires you to see that it is your heart, your mind, and your doors. You and I must make that commitment to do whatever it takes under any circumstances as we work to build. If we stop working, we stop growing.

The second part is "deeply committed Christians". Commitment is a touchy word. My commitment is not the same as yours. We have different priorities, and have different backgrounds. Little story, the Sunday following the institute, I came to church by myself. My wife and son were both running fevers so they decided to stay home. I could have easily stayed home that day. My house was a wreck, I had branches in my backyard that I needed to load on to the truck and get rid of. But at that institute, my commitment to Christ deepened. I left there so excited that my skin could barely contain myself. And that Sunday I did something that I have not done before. I sang. I sang, "One Bread, One Body" like no one was listening. I made a small change in my commitment level. Now, obviously I am not done in my journey. And some of you might be saying "So what?". But for me to do that, was to make a deeper commitment. Although a small change, a change nonetheless.

That is what our purpose statement is about. We will work to build deeply committed Christians. Baby steps, toward a goal that we cannot measure, but that we always strive for. And it must be that statement that everything in the church revolves around. From the cleanliness of the building to the sermons that are preached each Sunday. We must be constantly reminded of our purpose. Each of our acts makes a statement as to our purpose. Grace Church has called upon it's members to lead by example. Take our purpose statement to heart and begin leading this church with that simple statement in mind. At meetings question everything against the purpose, and then have the gut to say, "NO, that does not meet our purpose". And know that you are right and have the support of this congregation behind you. Because that is what leadership is about. Making decisions not based on your unwillingness to question, but instead making decisions that meets the purpose of this church.

Great, now what?
So if our purpose is to build deeply committed Christians, how do we work to perfect that? For it has been said: The purpose in life is to collaborate for a common cause; the problem is nobody seems to know what it is." Now I know that we have all heard this before, but the church is the only organization that exists for the benefit of its non-members. There are no benefits to joining the church. You don't get corporate discounts, you are never handed a pair of Chiefs tickets by the pastor for going the extra mile. Instead we make that commitment to our purpose statement by example. We accept the responsibilities of being a member at this church by looking at the oath of Prayers, Presence, Gifts, and Service that we took when we joined the church. But how do we define that? If you are ready to deepen your commitment to Christ and this church, how do you measure your efforts? We have come up with a list of suggestions for you.
1. Attend worship every week unless you are sick or out of town. That is how you fulfill your obligation to presence at Grace United Methodist Church. We need you here filling these pews, singing the hymns and joining with others in prayer. You make this church more cheerful and make our fellowship more meaningful. Believe it or not, someone looks forward to seeing you each week.
2. Be involved in at least one event, aside from worship, that deepens your faith Doing this strengthens your commitment to this church through your prayers. When you move to deepen your commitment to Christ, your commitment to this church will also deepen.
3. Serve in one area of the church every year. Simple enough. Give a gift of service by helping the other staff and volunteers. Join a committee, volunteer. Or just be supportive in an initiative. There are lots of ways to participate around here. Even if you did not make it on to a committee, come help out on Wednesday nights, sign up for the block party. Don't let us pass you by.
4. Work toward the tithe, giving in proportion to your income. Offering your monetary gifts goes a long way in helping us achieve our purpose. Because whether we like it or not, money plays a large role in how well a church fulfills its obligations to community and mission. It is that simple.

We felt that it was time that this church focused its energies into missions and support that worked toward a purpose. Work on us, and people who have never stepped foot inside those doors into our church. We cannot worry about the clothes that they wear. Or whether they will "act right" in church. Jesus didn't care about proper behavior when he was around! He did not care that he sat with tax collectors and prostitutes. He had a purpose. He was out to save souls in his Holy name. He did not concern himself with how many there were. What a tragedy it would have been if Jesus Christ had decided that about 300 to 500 people were all that he wanted to follow him. You know, he didn't want his following to grow too large. What if he had decided that he only wanted about 300 people in it, and decided to leave you and I out?

We should not strive for mediocrity. We should not want to grow to about 500 members or so and then call it quits. Our purpose of building deeply committed persons to Christ is not measured in membership. We probably won't reach every person on this planet to help him or her grow. But if we stick to our purpose, we can never say that we are giving up. Grace church must not ever become satisfied with our growth. We must not ever give up on the lost. God won't. And neither should we. Because our purpose statement is about building deeply committed persons to Christ, even if they decide to worship Jesus Christ somewhere else. You have that opportunity to help bring a total stranger to Christ. It might be indirect, such as saying good morning and shaking someone's hand. It might be more direct, such as leading a Bible study or driving someone to church.

It is about helping others gain salvation through Jesus Christ. It is the most important work you and I will ever do. Isn't it exciting to think that someday we can point to this church and say "I helped these people learn of God's unending love and grace." I helped them find Him. Isn't that exciting, to know that you made a difference for the most noble of cause?

We must be in this together. I can't do it without you, nor you without me. You can either make that commitment or not. It is entirely up to you. The difference between success and failure is that one often comes from a strong will, and the other from a strong won't. Let's join together and say, "Yes we will".

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