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Pastor's Corner
Reverend Jackie Ann Rose Kraft
Ever been away from home for an extended time? How do you begin again? The story in the Gospel of Luke known as the prodigal son asked the same thing. The lost son’s way of life without his family wasn’t very honorable. In fact his life was meaningless. He was hungry physically and spiritually for comfort food for his soul and belly. The life he was leading didn’t have a future. He was centering his life on prizes of this world that would be here today and gone tomorrow. There was really no one he could reply on. The Bible says, “When he came to his senses,” he rehearsed what he would say to his father when he returned home. He was dissolute, and he didn’t want to be turned away. He didn’t have to worry long. When he returned home, his father was there to welcome him home with open arms and celebration. The son learned that his own way of life was empty and meaningless without his father being part of it.
The season of Autumn is our “welcome home” time here at Asbury. Here at Asbury, we welcome home each other and new people alike. Similar to the lost son, we know that our life is without purpose unless God is in our lives, and we are actively part of God’s family. We’ll begin again our Sunday School time and our Fall events. We’ll gather in our Father’s House. We’ll sing. We’ll pray. We’ll “dine” at the Lord’s Table and in the Fellowship Hall. We’ll hear God’s Word proclaimed. We’ll visit with “family members” and continue to extend the family as we welcome home new and old alike. We’ll plan for a meaningful future with our God.
Life is full of new beginnings. I look forward to being “home” with you welcoming those in the family who have been away for the summer, or welcoming the stranger in our midst. In some ways it may feel awkward or create apprehension. How will we be greeted, will we be welcomed, what changes have been made? But I am sure, just like the prodigal son and his Father, as soon as we are together, it will be as if we were never apart. That’s what coming home is all about. May we continue to spread God’s love together as the family of God. There’s no place like “home.” Welcome Home!
Your Sister in Christ,
"Talking Turkey": Pastor's Report and Challenge for 2012
It’s the beginning of the second year in our new church. “How are we doing,” I’ve been asked. That’s a fair question. As I write with just about a couple of weeks before the end of 2011, I pray about and I see the following:
We had 12 new members join us in 2011. We also lost 1 member—Dick Hadsell died, and we all miss him dearly. Two out-of-state members, the Kings, transferred to their new church home. The end of 2011 leaves us with a net increase in membership of 10% over our 2011 count of 95 members. Our Worship attendance has also increased by about 9%. Our pledged giving has increased from last year from $91,460 to $99,664 which is just over a 9% increase. We have other pledges of $1,500 towards our outreach budget and money specifically allocated to purchase mulch next year.
Our finance secretary has estimated that the families who do not pledge, but give on a regular basis, continue to give at the same rate. That giving provides an additional $10,500, and brings us to approximately $110,164 towards our 2012 giving. This is great news of increases and great giving!
However, our finance team said we need a pledges of $120,000 to meet all the expenses for our ministry next year. The total budget to do ministry from our church has been estimated to be $172,770. Our finance team has used money from the Church Extension Grant, our Health Insurance Grant, potential building usage, fund raiser events, and special offerings from Christmas and Easter to help balance the budget. But, the truth is, we are still behind what is needed. After a couple of years, our grant money will no longer be there for us to augment our budget.
God presented us with a wonderful opportunity with our new church facility. Talking turkey…the truth is, it costs more money to maintain this facility. We haven’t grown into it yet. We have more maintenance, larger utilities, and more muscle work needed to keep everything up. We have a mortgage of approximately $330,000 for a church building and property that is worth approximately $2,500,000. We aren’t being frivolous with our building or with our budget. The finance team and I are looking at ways we can cut back; while at the same time, maintaining the level of ministry in which we have been privileged to be involved.
Talking turkey…we need to keep growing. I say this, not for us to reach our budget, but to continue our ministries—our responsibility—to invite people to know Jesus Christ as their own Lord and Savior. When we, as God’s blessed children, do this fully, all else will fall into place. I believe that for us to find out God’s will for our church, we need to start by listening to God. We need to “talk turkey” with God and listen fully for His response. I ask our Church to participate in a 24 Hour prayer vigil on Friday, January 6, starting at 8:00pm and going through Saturday, January 7at 8:00pm. January 6is the Epiphany of the Lord. Let’s start the New Year out praying for God’s understanding of how God wants each of us to respond to our personal and church’s faith journeys. There will be a sign-up chart available in the Fellowship Hall for you to volunteer to pray for an hour. Bibles and devotionals will be available for you to read as you listen for God’s voice through your prayer time. Yes, the church will be securely open throughout the night. If you need a key for the church, let me know. You may also pray from home. (Snow birds included!) However, there is something special about being in a quiet sanctuary of the Lord and away from your home surroundings.
Why support Asbury? What difference do we make? Talking turkey again….here are some of the outreach ministries Asbury is involved in (you may have your own favorite): The New Beginnings Food Pantry, Central City Café, Seneca Street UMC, St. Vincent DePaul, Gateway Longview Children’s Home, Asbury Angels for the Heritage Educational Program and Dodge Elementary Children in need, Asbury Pointe and Peppertree Towers, and the Erie County Home. We give to World Wide Ministries through our connectional shared giving (apportionments) to organizations like UMCOR, the United Methodist Committee on Relief. We also go on mission with the Appalachian Service Project (ASP). One of the leading questions that our District Superintendent, Reverend Wayne Butler asked us to think about is “If your church closed tomorrow—other than your members—who would miss it?” When you support Asbury, you support all these missions. If our church were closed, these ministries and the lives they touch could fall by the way side.
Yes, folks, I’m talking turkey. You asked for it. Listen to God and ask how God is asking you and our church to respond in 2012. As your pastor, I believe together we are going to do well in 2012. Keep talking and listening to the Lord. In addition to me, the following are a few leaders in the church you can also “talk turkey” with: our new lay leader, Chris Holoman; Stan Polaske, our finance chair; Charles Syms and Dick Casseri from our trustees; John Havrilla, our SPPRC chair; Betsy Arthur and Shelly Lewke from outreach; Laurie Syms and Merrill Arthur, our youth group leaders; Vergie Oettinger, our church council and United Methodist women chair; Barbara Hadsell, our worship chair; Karen Kirwan our church school elementary superintendent or Nancy Moore, our church school superintendent for adult Christian education; and Kaye Lynn Gresham and Cheryl Glose, who are also there to help “crunch numbers” for us.
We must be wise stewards. Talk to the leadership. Ask the hard questions out loud and in person, so we can organize and plan for our church’s future as the mature Christian caretakers we are called to be.
Our mission: Everyone praying, asking, seeking, finding, and together knocking.
Pastor Jackie
One day he was walking along the shore.
As he looked down the beach, he saw a human figure moving like a dancer.
He smiled to himself to think of someone who would dance to the day.
So he began to walk faster to catch up.
As he got closer, he saw that it was a young man and the young man wasn't dancing,
but instead he was reaching down to the shore, picking up something and very gently throwing it into the ocean.
As he got closer he called out, "Good morning! What are you doing?"
The young man paused, looked up and replied, "Throwing starfish in the ocean."
"I guess I should have asked, why are you throwing starfish in the ocean?"
"The sun is up and the tide is going out. And if I don't throw them in they'll die."
"But, young man, don't you realize that there are miles and miles of beach and starfish all along it.
You can't possibly make a difference!"
The young man listened politely. Then bent down, picked up another starfish
and threw it into the sea, past the breaking waves and said-
"It made a difference for that one."
Wonder if, each one of us made it our New Year’s goal to tell one other person about how God is present in our lives through our church? Wonder if you told a friend, a neighbor or a stranger how our church is a church that cares; that we are a church that reaches out and has fun together while we are engaging in service? Wonder if you invited someone to be with us in a church activity? Could that make a difference for one person’s life?
This past year, our resident Bishop Marcus Matthew gave all of our Churches in Upper New York a challenge for 2011. He asked that we “Win a soul for Jesus Christ.” We have 12 districts in our new Conference. We cover 48,000 square miles. We have 940 United Methodist Churches, and we have 185,599 United Methodist members. If we all invited 1 other person to join the church in 2011, we would have 371,198 United Methodist members. Through prayer, being devoted to Christ and through sharing, we can make a difference.
I pray that as people around us, see and experience us, they will see us all dancing…making a difference one person at a time.
A Blessed New Year!
Pastor Jackie
Wonder if, each one of us made it our New Year’s goal to tell one other person about how God is present in our lives through our church? Wonder if you told a friend, a neighbor or a stranger how our church is a church that cares; that we are a church that reaches out and has fun together while we are engaging in service? Wonder if you invited someone to be with us in a church activity? Could that make a difference for one person’s life?
This past year, our resident Bishop Marcus Matthew gave all of our Churches in Upper New York a challenge for 2011. He asked that we “Win a soul for Jesus Christ.” We have 12 districts in our new Conference. We cover 48,000 square miles. We have 940 United Methodist Churches, and we have 185,599 United Methodist members. If we all invited 1 other person to join the church in 2011, we would have 371,198 United Methodist members. Through prayer, being devoted to Christ and through sharing, we can make a difference.
I pray that as people around us, see and experience us, they will see us all dancing…making a difference one person at a time.
A Blessed New Year!
Pastor Jackie
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