State of the Parish Address
St. Mark’s Episcopal Church – Evanston, IL
Rather than looking back at the
year behind us, I would like to use this year’s State of the Parish Address to
look to the year ahead. When, during the
Annual Meeting, you receive copies of the Annual Report, you’ll have a chance
to read from your wardens, from staff members, and from other leaders of St.
Mark’s about things that have taken place – fabulous things that have taken
place – at St. Mark’s in 2014. There is
much to celebrate and remember in our past year. In fact, there is much to celebrate in our
past 150 years. But today, I would like to
take an opportunity to look forward; to explore with you what lies ahead.
Earlier this month, I was listening
to a podcast of NPR’s Ted Radio Hour. Host Guy Raz was interviewing Edith Widder who, in 2005, founded the
Ocean Research & Conservation Association and a year later was awarded a
MacArthur “genius grant”. Dr. Widder is
a marine biologist who specializes in bioluminescence and was describing her
experience of being the first person to photograph the elusive giant squid.
When the host asked Dr. Widder why she chooses to explore - what keeps her
motivated - Dr. Widder replied:
“Exploring is an innate part of being
human. We're all explorers when we're born. Unfortunately, it seems to get
drummed out of many of us as we get older, but it's there, I think, in all of
us. And for me that moment of discovery is just so thrilling, on any level,
that I think anybody that's experienced it is pretty quickly addicted to it.”[1]
I gave that some thought – “exploring is an innate part of
being human”; we are born that way – created as explorers. That seems
right. We learn by exploring, by taking
risks. Some of our earliest explorations don’t turn out so well – the toddler
who sticks a slightly damp finger into an electrical outlet. Not a great experience – but, a learning
opportunity to be sure! But, on the
other hand, our earliest efforts at exploration lead to our first scooting,
then crawling and then walking. Without such
exploration our development stops. Each
venture, each risk taken, an opportunity to explore, to learn and to grow.
In today’s gospel reading, Jesus
calls out to Simon and Andrew, “Follow Me.”
He calls out to James and John, “Follow Me.” And, he calls out to each of us – and to the Church
– “Follow me.” This is a calling, an invitation to explore, to take a risk with
life; to do something completely new and potentially dangerous. It is no mistake
that today’s reading begins with the announcement that John the Baptist has
been imprisoned for his preaching about Jesus; indeed, following Jesus can be
very risky. Elsewhere in Scripture – in
Matthew’s Gospel – Jesus says, “unless you change and become like children, you
will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:3). What if part of that invitation is daring to
reclaim that innate part of us – the child-like explorer within?
Jesus calls out, “Follow me” – take
a risk with your life. He doesn’t promise
there will be no pain. Again, remember John the Baptist. But he does promise a life of fulfillment as
we come and take part in the work that God is graciously doing in the world
around us.
In 2015, St. Mark’s wardens, vestry
and clergy have decided to embrace a period of intentional exploration and
risk-taking. We have done this by
expanding our budget so that the Community Engagement Coordinator position,
currently held by Jacqui Zeng, can be extended for another year. We feel confident that the work that is
being done through this role is faithful work - work that is resulting in a
greater presence for St. Mark’s in our community as more and more outside
organizations utilize our facilities during the week. On Tuesdays, InterPlay classes are offered in
Cunningham Hall. On any given Wednesday night, you will find not only Music
Night taking place in the choir room but Evanston English Country Dancers in
Cunningham Hall, and a Creative Writing Group sharing our space in the library. Adding to this important weekday building use
in 2015, will be a Wednesday sack lunch program to feed some of our homeless
neighbors. Being done in partnership
with St. Matthew’s, this program will be overseen by our Community Engagement
Coordinator. And this will be possible because we are willing to take a risk
with our budget, because we are able to step out in faith.
In 2015, we have dared to expand
our budget to include funds for a seminarian from Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary here
in Evanston. St. Mark’s has been a
seminary field site in the past and it is exciting to become one again. Welcoming a seminarian, appreciating their
individual gifts for ministry and celebrating their growth as partners with us
in ministry are rich opportunities for St. Mark’s. This will be possible because we are willing
to take a risk with our budget, able to step out in faith.
In 2015, St. Mark’s has dared to
expand our budget to enrich our music ministries. In 2014, we already expanded the
Associate for Music Ministries position from 15 hours to 20 hours per
week. But, at that time, we provided no
additional funds for program expansion.
Despite the lack of additional funds, David Plank has launched a weekly
music night that provides opportunity for children and adults to learn more
about music, to practice singing together, and to gather as community. In order for this to continue and grow, the
budget needed to grow. And so we took a
risk with our budget and stepped out in faith.
In 2015, your leadership – wardens,
vestry, and clergy – have dared to take a risk with the budget; but, in
response, we are also taking a bold step with our giving because we believe the
risks we are taking – these explorations – are good and faithful responses to
Jesus’ call to “follow me.” Despite our
increased giving, you will see a gap between income and expenses in the budget
that the vestry has passed. Yes, we dared to pass a budget that is not
balanced. You might look at this gap as
a deficit with no concrete plan for closing the gap. But I choose to see it as our opportunity for faithful
response – a faith line in the budget.
And, in faith, I and the rest of St. Mark’s leadership have increased our
pledges by an average of 20% in 2015 and we invite you to increase your pledge
as well or, if you’ve never pledged before, to take a step out in faith and
complete a pledge card for the first time.
Why? Because we have faith in
God’s call to us to be a people who take risks. We have faith in God’s call to
us to be like Simon and Andrew who immediately left their nets and followed
Jesus, to be like James and John who left their father and their boat to follow
Jesus. We have faith in God’s invitation
to us to set aside security, self-interest and approval as our primary values
and instead to enter a life that places our value in faithful living with its
inherent call to risk, insecurity, and self-denial; to place value on God’s
promise rooted in the good news of Jesus Christ.
We have faith that this is what it
means to be followers of the way of Jesus, a people who not only talk the talk
but walk the walk. Might there be
setbacks? Absolutely. What child has
ever learned to walk who hasn’t fallen down once or twice along the way? But
what child has ever learned to walk who didn’t first muster up the courage to
try – to take that first step of faith.
“Follow me” – two of the most challenging and
life affirming words that Jesus speaks in the Gospels. And with these words Jesus began calling the
first disciples into community and continues with those same two words to call
us into that beloved community today. A
community that is invited to boldly explore what it means to be a part of God’s
work in the world, a community that is invited to take risks, to explore, to
discover the power of God working in and among us. That is what we will be about in 2015 at St.
Mark’s. That is what I invite you to be about
in 2015 at St. Mark’s.
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