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June 2009 Pastoral Letter

 
Dear Members and Friends of First Church,

This is my monthly greeting to you from Bonita Springs, coming to you electronically along with my prayers that your summer is off to a wonderful start, wherever you are spending it. All is well here in your Florida home. The summer rains have begun (we get good soakings most afternoons, which are helping us recover from the dry winter and replenish our streams and lakes). At First Church the biggest change is the closure of McClure Hall for renovations. The programming slows down considerably at this time of year. We are down to just one worship service on Sundays, and church staff members are rotating taking time off for travel, renewal and planning for next fall and winter. The Session held their final meeting in late May until they reconvene for the August meeting after a two-month summer break.

Last month I had the wonderful privilege of participating in the Baccalaureate and Commencement activities at Grove City College, a Christian liberal arts school in Pennsylvania. It was a pleasure to be on the campus, and to speak on a beautiful Friday night outdoors on the “quadrangle” of the college to about 2500 graduates, faculty and parents. It was an added bonus for me to be given an honorary doctorate from that school at the Saturday Commencement.

I have come to respect Grove City College not only for its consistent commitment and demonstration of Christian values, but also for its public stance for free-market economics and freedom from government interference. Grove City is one of a handful of Christian colleges (Hillsdale College in Michigan is another notable example) who refuse to accept any government aid—and thus are free from government controls. This freedom was ensured by a landmark Supreme Court case involving Grove City several decades ago.

One of the greatest concerns I have for our nation is the creeping growth of government control over so many areas of our lives. I believe this has dramatically increased in the past eight years. Some of it was a reaction to the threat to our security from terrorist attacks (the annoying intrusions by the TSA at airport security checkpoints, as an example). Much more dramatic government encroachment has come in the past year—including recent near-takeovers of the banking and auto industries, and probable state-controlled health care on the near horizon. While the general public tends to support anything in a crisis that offers short-term help, the long-term consequences are frightening. This is not a partisan issue, as both Republican and Democratic politicians have been supporting the growth of government control. My great hope for our nation is that we will wake up and slow the expansion of the bureaucracy and the reach of centralized power before it robs us of what has made American great: our freedoms.

I am so thankful that the churches of our country have resisted the temptation that the “state churches” of Europe gave into, surrendering control in return for tax revenues. It may be that the churches and other private and Christian institutions will become the last holdouts for personal conscience and freedom.

As our local economy (and the national and world economic systems as well) continue to limp along through a difficult stretch, we find that people in our church and in Southwest Florida are doing their best to “tighten their belts” and hang on through the downturn. We are witnessing the closing of some stores and restaurants in our area; local golf course communities are making dramatic changes in their ownership; and some local churches are cutting their budgets and staff.

How has First Church fared through the first five months of 2009? I will be writing in more detail about our mid-year financial condition in the July issue of our newsletter, The Epistle. The short answer about our finances: We are holding up pretty well. We ended the winter season with approximately the same “cushion” of revenues over expenditures as we had last year. This reserve is absolutely necessary to us, since our attendance and giving drop off significantly in the summer months. We are holding off on any non-essential purchases (such as new equipment or facility improvements), but we believe that we will not have to make any cuts in payroll through the rest of the year. Though some of our members have told me that they have had to cut back on their giving to the church (due to declines in their investments or decreases in their salaries), the large number of new members we have received so far this year (over 100 to date) has compensated for that shortfall.

Most of the funding for the McClure Hall renovations is in place. If those who have pledged to our Capital Campaign (now in its third and final year) fulfill their pledges, we should be able to pay for the project entirely from cash on hand by the end of 2009, and also hope to continue paying down our remaining mortgage balance (now $980,000). As a gentle reminder, let me encourage you to maintain your gifts to our church throughout the summertime—whether to the operating budget or the building program. They are always appreciated, but especially so at this slow season!

I would love to hear from you during the summer months—especially if there is any special need for yourself or someone you love that you would like us to pray for. As a reminder to those of you who spend the summer in northern Michigan: I will be preaching at Bay Harbor Church, on the southern shore of Little Traverse Bay, on Sunday, June 21, 10:30 a.m. It would be a treat to see you there!

Yours in Christ,

Pastor Doug Pratt