Pelle's Thoughts

As you can see on the picture above I recently spent some time in Arizona. I know what this looks like, but no: I was not there for vacation! (At least not entirely.) Pr. Pamela went to Tempe / Arizona, for a “Churches Starting Churches” conference. And as a very mission driven teddy bear I felt the need to accompany her . (Although, most of the time I let Pr. Pamela do the work)

The conference was held at Desert Cross Lutheran Church in Tempe. Desert Cross is a congregation with two sites, and the example of this congregation really impressed me. In one of the conference sessions the senior pastor of Desert Cross told the story of how the congregation ended up starting an additional campus:

Desert Cross had spent a lot of money for some nice buildings. If I recall it correctly they were a few million dollars in debt. But the pastor told us that this didn’t seem to worry the members of the congregation. It was not that they didn’t care but they just didn’t worry. At some point the congregation had outgrown the sanctuary. The debt was down to about one million dollars, and the decision was made to build a new and bigger sanctuary. Desert Cross took on some more debt – again –, and an architect was hired and plans were made. But when they were ready to actually build the new building the pastor sensed that something wasn’t right. He started talking to the congregational council and to the members of the church, and found out that a new sanctuary wasn’t really what the congregation wanted. What they felt called to do was to share God’s love by helping people in need in the community of Gilbert. This was when the idea of an additional campus was born. The money that was supposed to be spent for a new sanctuary should be used for reaching out into the community. But that money wasn’t enough. Desert Cross – again – took on some more debt, and started the additional campus. If my information is correct they are with two million dollars in debt right now but the congregation still doesn’t seem to be worried.

And they did not only invest a lot of money in the community outreach. They also sent their best leaders over to the new campus in Gilbert to start a successful ministry. And you know what: The result was not that the ministries at the Tempe Campus suffered because of the lack of qualified leaders. What happened was, that the leaders who left, made room for new very gifted and very qualified people. Others stepped up and brought some fresh ideas with them.

When I heard this story I remembered one of Jesus’ parables. (Yes, teddy bears do read the bible! At least I do – once in a while...)

It’s the parable about the talents in Matthew 25:

14“For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; 15to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. 16The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. 17In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. 18But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. 19After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. 20Then the one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me five talents; see, I have made five more talents.’ 21His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ 22And the one with the two talents also came forward, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me two talents; see, I have made two more talents.’ 23His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ 24Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; 25so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ 26But his master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy slave! You knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter? 27Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received what was my own with interest. 28So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents. 29For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. 30As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

I think Desert Cross Lutheran Church is a great example of trusting in God and of trusting in doing the right thing. It is a great example of using the gifts God has given us – time, talent, and treasure - to invest them in the kingdom of God! Desert Cross is a great example of a congregation which knows that church is mainly about the people out there who are in need. It is about the people out there who are in need of help and who are in need of hearing the Gospel about God’s unconditional love!

I wanted to share this example with you because I see that we – like Desert Cross Lutheran Church - are doing good in what God is calling us to do. But although we are doing good, I think we can do better. We can do better in investing our time, talents, and treasures. We only have to use our gifts wisely. And we have to use them not for our own sake but for the sake of the people out there. It’s for the people who otherwise may not hear the story about this awesome God!

Yours Pelle