Why does the church exist? Why are we a part one? Why are we starting another? These are questions that should be on our mind as we keep each other accountable. Christ came with a mission: serving others to bring the kingdom of God to Earth. I came across the following parable in a homework assignment for my pastoral care class and I think it is especially important to remember its message at this time.

A Crude Lifesaving Station by Theodore Wedel

On a dangerous seacoast where shipwrecks often occur there was once a crude lifesaving station. The building was just a hut, and there was only one boat, but the few devoted members kept a constant watch over the sea, and with no thought for themselves went out day and night tirelessly searching for the lost. Many lives were saved by this wonderful little station, so that it became famous. Some of those who were saved, and various others in the surrounding area, wanted to become associated with the station and give of their time and their money and their effort for the support of its work. New boats were bought and new crews were trained. The little lifesaving station grew.

Now some of the members of the lifesaving station became unhappy, in time, however, because the building was so crude and so poorly equipped. They felt that a more comfortable, suitable place should be provided as the first refuge of those saved from the sea. And so they replaced the emergency cots with beds, and they put better furniture in the now enlarged building, so that now the lifesaving station actually became a popular gathering place for its members. They took great care in decorating it beautifully and furnishing it exquisitely, for they found new uses for it in the context of a sort of club. But fewer members were now interested in going to sea on lifesaving missions, and so they hired lifesaving crews to do this work on their behalf, and in their stead. Now, don’t misunderstand, the lifesaving motif still prevailed in the club’s decoration and symbols – there was a liturgical lifeboat (symbolic rather than fully functional) in the room where the club initiations were held, for example – so the changes did not necessarily mean that the original purposes were totally lost.

About this time a large ship was wrecked off the coast, and the hired crews brought in boatloads of cold and wet, half-drowned people. They were dirty people and they were sick people, some of them with black skin, some with yellow skin. The beautiful new club, as you might imagine, was thrown into chaos, so that the property committee immediately had a shower house built outside the club where these recent victims of shipwreck could be cleaned up before coming inside the main clubhouse.

At the very next meeting, there was a split in the club membership. Most of the members wanted to stop the club’s lifesaving activities for being so unpleasant, as well as for being a hindrance to the normal social life of the club. Some members insisted upon lifesaving as their primary purpose, pointing out that, indeed, they were still called a lifesaving station. But these few were finally voted down and told that if they wanted to save the lives of all the various kinds of people who were shipwrecked in those waters, they could begin their own lifesaving station down the coast. And so, they did just that.

Now as the years passed, the new station down the coast came to experience the very same changes that had occurred in the older, initial station. It evolved into a club, and yet another lifesaving station had to be founded to restore the original purpose.

Well, history continued to repeat itself, so that if you visit that seacoast today, you will find a great number of exclusive clubs along that shore. Shipwrecks are frequent in those waters, but most of the people drown!”

Yesterday James and I went to visit the Fire Department (our second location) when we knew no one would be there (they have seniors and bingo players there regularly).  This was important to really look at the space we are about to inhabit, to sit in the chairs as we believe they will be set up, and to get comfortable there.  I love the bingo board and the fire department displays.  I love that we can portion of the room initially, but that we have plenty of room to grow.  I love being in that space.  Pictures are up on our website, http://saintjames.shutterfly.com.

Last night the leadership team met and we discussed where we were in terms of the teams we believe we need to have there.  We have so many people who are willing to be at both churches for a time or who feel called to be at a church in that area.  It’s so wonderful to see how God has called these people and that He is going to use us as a team to welcome others.

We talked about advertising and equipment, times and details.  At everypoint in this process, when push comes to shove, God has brought the details together in His perfect timing.  We have a week to finalize our mailer and we just have to have faith that we chose the right theme to draw people out in that area (will be posted on the website soon) and that He will give us the words to share with people about who we are.

Every time I see him, James gives an update on how many days to seconds we have until we open.  I tell him to stop because it is like Christmas to us.  I am so excited and nervous all at once to see what God has in store for us.  It certainly has been an interesting ride and I know it will continue to be so.

Last night Lisa and I met again about Advertising for Saint James Kingstowne and there are a few things that I absolutely loved about our meeting:

1. It wasn’t all business  2. A couple people came over at various points to see what we were talking about and to give input 3. We both had done our research since we last met and that made it go faster 4. We were able to decide a few key themes and looks 5. We both have different insights and experiences to bring to the table 6. We both left with homework and felt comfortable assigning each other with stuff and 7. Before we ended it and although we each had a place to be, we took the time to listen to what was on the others heart and to encourage each other.

It’s not that it was a long meeting, maybe even less that 45 minutes, but God really used that time and I am so grateful for that.  It was a reminder that God can accomplish a lot in a brief time.  I will admit that I was a little nervous we wouldn’t be able to figure out all the things that need to be figured out and set in motion by the district’s approval next Wednesday, but He more than accomplished that.  Today I got to the office and had an e-mail in my box from Lisa with an update on something we had talked about last night.  What a blessing to have such a strong team here and to be a family for each other.

I am continually amazed by the blessings God has rained down upon me since coming here and I have faith that He will rain those blessings upon those who come to our second location as well.

I find it a peaceful place to go, to the worship center before anyone else is there. I like to look at the seats and imagine the faces of those who’ll gather there. I like to get myself centered before everyone else fills the space. While I am a strong extrovert, I cherish those moments alone simply to begin to prepare for what is to come.

It is a chance to re-visit the message and try to imagine how the pieces of it might speak to the congregation and me. Those moments are precious. I know I need the quiet to allow my soul to be opened and to listen for God’s words.

Now people have begun to filter in for worship rehearsal. The quiet has gone but something different has come- God’s presence in those made in his image… I’ll miss the quiet but I’ll enjoy the presence in other ways.

James and I are tag teaming in the series on how Saint James Kingstowne came into being.  I was brought on in May with one primary mission: finding a location for our second site.  We all felt very strongly that God had called us to plant another site and that He would have a place for us.  In some ways knowing that, the pressure was off me, in other ways I felt this was my first task at a new church and I did not want to fail at it by coming up short.

I began brainstorming places and had a list of about 15 places to start: movie theaters, restaurants, government centers, and neighborhood clubhouses.  Other ideas came from leaders at Saint James and people who live in that area.  It wasn’t long before the Franconia Volunteer Fire Department made it onto the list of places to visit, but for some reason, it became one of the last places I went.

As soon as we received approval from the district to begin our search, I began spending my days on the road.  I drove around Kingstowne and Springfield, walking around shopping centers and industrial parks, going in to every place that had an open door (and some that didn’t).  Some of the most memorable were: the lazyboy store where I sat in comfy chairs trying to imagine an appropriate configuration of chairs and sofas, the churches that wouldn’t return James or my calls, the sports bar where the manager said, “You would want to hold church here?” as he looked over at the rack of alcohol on the bar and laughed, the bar that I walked out of when I couldn’t breath because of the smoke, the manager of another faith who suggested I consider the church on the corner (which happens to be a Mormon temple), the manager who said I wasn’t worth her time if I wasn’t talking four figures or more, the customer who was from a local church and asked me why I didn’t just join his church, and in general, the looks of surprise, confusion, and terror as I approached managers and employees alike.

The great thing about this journey was that I was able to take that time to walk all over the area that we knew we were called to.  I was able to meet people and let them know that there are churches out there that are willing to get creative to reach people.  People shared stuff with me in the process of leading me on or trying to say no thank you.  I learned about them and they learned about us.  That wasn’t futile in any sense.  In some cases I revisited people and had long conversations with them about their life or what we were about.  I can tell they still recognize me when our paths cross and I can only hope that they might come check us out.

Not only that, but I was able to pray over these areas and pray about this venture while walking and driving.  It is rare that we take that kind of time and this was a way that God provided it for me.  It was so encouraging to be reminded that this was His venture, not ours.

Then I went to the Franconia Volunteer Fire Department (FVFD).  There are a lot of entrances, but I picked one and found myself in the entry way to their Bingo Hall.  I couldn’t find anyone so I walked in and just looked around.  I liked the fire hall display cases, the stage, even the bingo board added something.  It had great features like being handicap accessible, a big entry way, plenty of space to grow, nice bathrooms, lots of parking, it was in walking distance to several neighborhoods, and something just felt right.  I eventually found someone who gave me a number to call.

I left a message for a lady who I have since come to love, but didn’t know what to expect.  The next night I was asked to give an update at our leadership meeting and I shared that I had not had any real leads and was going to keep trying.  We talked about the possibility of postponing, as we were getting close (this was July 17 and we had originally planned to kick off in September).

The next day I was headed down to my other church job in Richmond.  I left early as I was going to try to spend some extra time with one of my youth, but we came to a sudden stop on 95 just a half hour South.  I soon learned from a truck driver that there was a Hazmat accident 1 mile ahead (just 1 mile!) and that we would not be going anywhere for a while (3 and a half hours later they turned us around and had us take a detour on 95 N to US-1 S).  Fortunately I had just eaten lunch, I had a full tank, and I was in no real rush, so I set out to chat with people who were getting out of their cars too.

As I was walking on the side of 95 on a hot summers day, trying to calm down some frustrated people and stay hydrated, I got a call from a lady named Susanne at the fire house.  She asked why we were interested in the Bingo Hall and what we were about.  She loved the description of our church and she loved the idea of our coming to the FVFD.  She said that she was the hall manager and pretty much had the ability to say yes or no at will and she gave a tentative yes right then.  From the moment she called, I got chills and they took a while to go away.  I felt like right there, on the side of 95 in scorching heat and under the oddest of circumstances, I was standing on holy ground.  God had given us the place He had promised us when He called the leaders of Saint James to this vision.

I just knew it was the right place and Susanne and I instantly hit off and put our heads together about a possible schedule, proper financial arrangement, and even the idea of forming a stronger bond between the FVFD and Saint James.  She seemed really excited that we weren’t just interested in using a space, but getting involved in a community.  How wonderful that anything we give them for using their space goes to helping a fire department and that they might be more inclined to talk to us or maybe even go to church because we are there.

When James, Tony, and I walked into the FVFD to meet with Susanne for the first time she recognized me from the picture on our website.  She cared enough to look us up and find out more about us.  We all hit it off and it seemed like everything we asked for, she was willing to work with us on.  We all left that night knowing without a doubt that this was going to be one great adventure for God.  God taught me a lot about trust and His care through bringing us to the location of our second site.  It took two months for me to really get that lesson, but I wouldn’t have traded that time for anything.

I’ve shared any number of times my questions about whether we (USAmericans) can categorize ourselves as Christian at least from my perspective. Jesus loved and reached out to ALL people and that was religious folks and irreligious folks of all shapes and sizes. Jesus was most condemning of judgmental people, confronting them regularly for their exclusive practices. I am not sure how much of the former (loving everybody in the Jesus model) I see in everyday life; I know I see plenty of the latter.

Also, Jesus’ topic of choice: wealth and its dangers for each of us, the “love of money” being the root of all evil. I see a lot of money-loving including in my own life. Jesus-following is more than saying “I believe”- it has got to be practical and everyday. So if it is saying I believe, then maybe this is a Christian nation but if it is practice, not so sure we’re cutting it. What sparked my writing was an article I came across USAmerica’s view of itself as Christian in an online magazine I read sometimes called relevantmagazine. Here is the article about USAmericans view on us as a Christian nation. If nothing else, it is an interesting read…

As we began to think and pray about a second site for Saint James, it was also becoming clear to Michael (our assistant pastor until June 2007) that he needed to move on to full time work and serving Jesus as the pastor of a congregation. As that became clearer to him and to us, it was also clear that we needed to make a transition and bring a new staff member on board. Some of us on the leadership team began to pray about it and gradually some things began to be clear about what we were looking for. Where Michael and I shared so many gifts and abilities in common, we needed someone with complementary gifts. I am often visionary but not so good with details; we needed someone who would be good with details. I am bereft of the gift of administration; we needed someone with that gift. We obviously needed someone who had a passion for Jesus and fit with the DNA of Saint James.

God opened a door and in walked Erika. Of course that is a poetic way of saying that as we began to discern what God wanted for Saint James and began to pray more, we discovered that there may be a person who could be interested in working at SJ. Now Erika wasn’t looking for work- she had a job. She was and is in seminary in Richmond and mostly lives there. Nothing would make Erika an obvious candidate since she wasn’t really available from any outward view. However, she was the godparent of a child at Saint James and had been at the baby’s baptism and “felt something.” We had heard about her in several settings and even my wife, Linda, had worked with her in a non-profit setting and was talking about her to me for “God knows what reason.” From any observations, Erika was not even potentially available for several years down the road. Still I emailed her and asked her to pray about a future at Saint James. There were email communication snafus and yet finally it became clear to us and her that we were meant to team up in Jesus-kingdom work.

Erika took the lead in the second site location search from the time she came to Saint James in mid-May 2007. She was undaunted by people’s questions or uncertainty or even by the manager that laughed when she said we wanted to possibly meet in his sports bar! She was and is a key piece of the puzzle God had/has for us in launching a second site.

In my next SJ-Kingstowne article, I’ll talk a bit about how the doors opened for our location at the Franconia Volunteer Fire Department.