By the Rev. Jon Rieley-Goddard

Dear friends,

    Last month, I wrote to you about the state of things at Pierce Avenue church. If you have been within the sound of my voice on Sundays, you know that the situation here continues to be alarming. If you are further away, and mainly stay connected through these Letters, my message is this: If you are not yet alarmed, it's time to begin.

    A letter from the Session, mailed during April, states that it seems likely that our reserves will be gone within nine months and that our weekly shortfall is in the range of $850. If giving continues to slide, the timetable moves up; if giving rises, and new revenue sources appear, the timetable moves in a better direction.

    The question, simply put, is this: Do you believe in the mission of this church, or not?

    If you believe in the mission of this church, you are invited, encouraged, and indeed expected to be in attendance for:

    * The final meeting of the Mission Study Task Force at 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 6.

    * A mission study questionnaire to be handed out and collected after worship on Sunday, May 16.

    * A Town Hall-style meeting of members and friends after worship on Sunday, May 23.

    Note: If you are shut in or are far away (though this church is near to your heart), you can pray for the church, and donations are always gratefully accepted and acknowledged.

    At the Town Hall-style meeting set for May 23, our consultant, the Rev. Jerry Paul, will lead us in a final discussion of the results of the mission study process. The aim is to share, and offer for comment and agreement, the mission goals and financial goals from the mission study process.

    Jerry has met with us weekly, for six times so far. We have examined the history of the church, demographic data, financial data, mission ideas, the hopes and fears of those who have been part of the study, and biblical reflection, and we have brain-stormed about ways to cut costs, address short-term crises, and plan for a future in the present location that all who have
participated in the process have affirmed, both by their presence and by their stated preferences.

    The average attendance at each meeting has been 12 persons, with a total of 20 persons taking part in some or all of the meetings. There has been enough fear and sorrow to go around, with plenty left over; still, these brothers and sisters of yours have persevered and have seen where hope exists and are beginning to understand how to reach that region where God's vision for us lives. By the way, this has not been just a Session study. Slightly more than half of the participants have been members but not elders.

    Because of the size of our core group, and the number and affiliations of those in attendance, there is a fairly high expectation that the study task force and the congregation will be able to reach broad agreement about the goals that arise from the study.

    The questionnaire to be handed out after worship on Sunday, May 16, will seek to gather information from those present concerning mission goals and financial goals, and we expect to secure the ideas and preferences of many of you who have not participated directly in the study process to this point.

    In a preliminary questionnaire marked at last week's mission study meeting, two goals emerged, concerning mission and finances. The top mission goal was a community-based mission program, and the favorite program option was a fee-based after-school program with college-age tutors for kids. The top financial goal was to secure a revenue stream by renting church space to another congregation and/or office space to such persons as a nonprofit agency.

    One job in the remaining time we have with our consultant is to discern whether these can also be the goals of the congregation and its friends, in general, or if modifications or additions are called for.

    There is a consensus of study participants that the pastor is to pursue grant sources and work to get the word out that we are seeking tenants, at least until August 1, at the present rate of compensation.

    The Presbytery's Committee on Ministry last month sent two members of its committee to visit with the pastor. The committee's portfolio is the welfare of both ministers and congregations. The committee will monitor our situation and can become a powerful ally in our process of working through this crisis to a new focus on mission and a new way of funding the work. The committee can be a strong ally in longer-term options such as promoting a cooperative parish in this city where ministry costs, ministers, and ministry are shared, with member churches continuing to worship and gather in their own spaces.

    Last month, I assured you that no matter what happens here, there will be losses and sacrifices. I assume that some of the things I have been telling you have created discomfort. This is part of your sacrifice, and only part of it.
    It has taken four years of strategic work, plus a steep and acute crisis in finances brought on by gradual losses and the sudden expiration of the heating boiler last spring, to bring us to this teachable and even exciting moment. We have the opportunity to know God's will for us and to hear God's plan for our compliance.

    Our church sits in the center of the city. Just look at a map. Our consultant did; he brought a map to the first study session, and it was an eye-opener for me to see it. I believe that ministry must continue at this central location, and I believe that members, friends, and colleagues, and members of other Presbyterian churches, have a sacred responsibility to fight for this ministry.

    Not just support this ministry.

    Fight for this ministry.

    Sacrifice for this ministry.

    Work for and with this ministry.

    It is not enough to wish us well. The apostle Paul said that "gold or silver have I none, but what I have I will give." You have something to give, and if you are withholding what is God's in you to give, it is time to let go of God's gift and let that gift flourish in you, with you, and from you. At a minimum, you are to participate in the three events mentioned above. And pray.

    This is not a pitch for money; this is a pitch for you!

    Only you know what you have from God that God bids you share and develop. Twenty of your brothers and sisters have set the bar high, by willingly submitting themselves to a study process that has had times of gut-wrenching fear, flashes of hope, and truckloads of God's grace, peace, and challenge.

    What will you do?

Blessings and peace

Pastor Jon