THE NEHEMIAH PROJECT
“CATCHING THE SPIRIT…TOGETHER”
This Sunday morning, we concluded our eight-part series “Lessons from the Bible’s Best Builder.” If you were there for any of it, you caught the story of an unlikely advisor to a foreign monarch who led the people of Israel to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Those walls had been in disrepair for generations, yet he called the people together and in fifty-two days got the project done. People united. City protected. Enemies flummoxed. Self-esteem restored. And most importantly, God glorified. And tucked inside often forgotten memoir is a masterclass on leading people from a current condition to a preferred reality. It has long been one of my favorite Biblical stories and it was my joy to spend longer than Nehemiah did in unpacking it with you.
As we drew near the end, in the spirit of Nehemiah, I told you I would make two specific requests of our people. One has to do with our beloved historic building, the other with the noble task of building community within our congregation. So, here we go.
First, I am challenging us to take notice and take care to make the exterior of our church shine once again. It’s easy to stop noticing when things don’t look as tended to as they should be. Our exterior has accumulated some mold and mildew that just doesn’t look good and can project an image of a congregation that has grown old and lost vibrance. We don’t want to do that. Like Nehemiah did, I appealed to our sense of pride – surely we can do this – and our desire to glorify God. Nehemiah 10:39 says “We will not neglect the house of our God.” As the people of God who gather here, I’m sure we will not either. I am confident of that.
The second part of the challenge is between now and the beginning of Advent, to provide for and participate in a process that will lead us to be “Better Together.” It involves the biblical concept of covenant, particularly as it relates to our congregational health and sense of community. This will involve being collectively taught and led through conversations that will give rise to a statement of what we promise and commit to one another. No doctrinal positions, ethical declarations, affirmation of affiliations, or changes to our structure and governance. We will talk about being as healthy a church as we can be, what that involves, and what it calls for. This process and product marks the interior work that will strengthen and beautify the soul of our congregation, making it even more attractive, resilient, and moldable for the sake of the kingdom work we are called to.
So, what does this cost? And what specifically is your pastor, after consulting many of our lay leaders, asking of you? Two things.
First, your enthusiastic commitment to positively participate in this initiative. Trust that this is a good thing with no agenda beyond what is put forth and joyfully get on board.
And number two, it will take roughly $25,000 in designated gifts to fund these initiatives. That’s about equivalent to one week’s regular offering. I’m asking each of us to give a tithe of one week’s family income over and above regular giving. For those who have greater capacity or compulsion, I’m asking you to do more. Just designate your check or use the digital dropdown to choose “Nehemiah Project” on Realm's online giving function. The button below will take you right to it. Lisa and I have already done that and anticipate doing even more. Please join us in quickly and boldly meeting this goal.
Between now and Advent we will be talking consistently about “Catching the Spirit…Together.” How do want to define the culture of our church in light of the spirit that fills us and carries us forward? We have some good ideas, and I promise it will be hard to argue the virtue of anything that is put forth. And harder still to overstate the benefits of these commitments to our church building and to building up our church community. The Good Lord and Nehemiah would be so proud.
And so will your pastor.