Sermon: 2010 State of the Bainbridge Island Churches Address
Text: 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a
Date: January 24, 2010
Rev. Dee Eisenhauer, Eagle Harbor Congregational Church
A riddle: what has 11,820 eyes, 15 arms, and one heart? Answer: The Christian Church on Bainbridge Island. The 11,820 eyes is actually a number I sort of made up, trying to calculate the number of people who are affiliated with churches on our island (based on internet statistics) and giving each of the theoretical adherents two eyes. The “arms” are the churches I know of on the island who claim Trinitarian faith. The heart: Jesus Christ. We are united in Christ—whether we look like we are or not.
Our unity in Christ is so well disguised that it’s practically invisible to the naked eye. We are so diverse as a community of Christians that you would hardly know we are part of the same Body of Christ. Our buildings are varied, our worship hours and styles differ, our ways of thinking and speaking about Christian faith diverge. We read the same Bible, more or less, but different parts of scripture resonate with different communities of faith so our emphases and interpretations are dissimilar. Our unity is disguised, all right. But underneath all our difference is union through and in Christ.
You know how Clark Kent wears his Superman uniform under his business suit or sweatshirt and jeans, which he peels off when his superpowers are needed. The churches are like a bunch of Clark Kents out there, but each looking distinctive, wearing different outfits. Beneath our outward appearance we have the secret identity of the Body of Christ, a uniform heart beating at the center of our diverse groupings. Unlike Clark Kent we hope that our disguise is not completely impenetrable; we all would like to be recognized as Jesus’ agents in our community. If our secret identity as a member of the Body of Christ is too secret we are in trouble.
During the annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which is observed at the behest of the World Council of Churches and the Pontifical Council Promoting Christian Unity, Christians are urged to remember and celebrate their essential unity in Christ, disguised as that unity may be. I like to observe the week by trying to telephone as many leaders of other churches on Bainbridge as I can to get a little news from them and inquire about prayer requests. This morning I want to share what I learned with you about some of the other members of Christ’s Body, our near neighbors. It’s my “State of the Churches” report for 2010.
St. Cecelia’s Catholic church has one of the most visible signs of change going at the corner of Madison and High School Road—I’m sure you’ve seen it. They have scraped their old school and office building and are constructing a brand new facility for their parish offices, parochial school and catechetical center for children and youth. Their students are temporarily housed at Commodore. They plan a grand opening of the building on June 27. When I asked Father Emmet Carroll about other good news he told me about a wonderful procession they had at Christmas time. They borrowed a real life donkey, and had people dressed as Mary and Joseph journey with the donkey from Waterfront Park to the church and arrive in time for the Vigil of Christmas and the children’s Mass. I forgot to ask if they let the donkey come in the sanctuary.
When I asked about prayers, the earthquake in Haiti was much on Father Carroll’s mind. The Catholic archbishop was crushed to death in the cathedral there. Someone in the church is also connected with the Port Orchard woman who was killed while serving as a missionary in Haiti. He asked us to join their community in prayer and aid for the Haitian people.
First Church of Christ Scientist, kitty-corner from St. Cecelia’s, sends their greetings. I spoke with a practitioner name Gigi who warmly welcomed the idea of participating in prayer for Christian unity. Their fellowship is very prayer oriented; individuals are expected to pray daily, and they share a strong belief that prayer is effective. Gigi mused on the story of Jesus and the woman at the well in the gospel of John. Her takeaway from that story is that although the woman thought Jesus couldn’t get any water from the well because he didn’t have a bucket, Jesus revealed that none of us are bucketless. We can all access the Living Water through Christ, and prayer is like the bucket God provides for us. The Christian Scientists on Bainbridge maintain and staff the Reading Room on Winslow Way. It’s their way of contributing to the thoughtfulness of the community; through this resource they hope to lift the thoughts of the people living here to higher things than our mundane existence. The theme in the reading room currently is “Cherishing true humanhood.”
Gigi said that although their church is not as evident in action as some other churches—they don’t participate in Super Suppers, for example—they want us to know that they pray constantly for the community. The church’s beliefs are grounded in the principle of the universal brotherhood of man, and when they pray “Our father…” the emphasis is on the our. Their prayer request is that everyone would come to know that prayer is effective; that it’s not just shooting nice thoughts out in odd directions. They also ask that we join in prayer for less divisiveness in our island community.
Rolling Bay Presbyterian Church is enjoying a period of renaissance after a long time of transition. They have two new people on staff in addition to their newish minister, Marty Shelton-Jenck. Cathleen Builivant has taken on the children’s ministry and Jim Wellman is working now with their youth group. Among Jim’s initiatives with their youth is a monthly meeting of youth reading serious theology and discussing what they find. The church recently engaged in a six month study of where see themselves going in the future. They have been talking seriously about whether they will develop multiple styles of worship in their congregation. They are talking in terms of having three styles, which they are calling “Classical, Contemporary, and Contemplative.” They are not sure what shape this might take, or how they might develop alternatives to their current “classical” worship service; their Session still has to do the hard work of making decisions and finding resources. They are facing challenges with finances, budgets, and so forth (sound familiar?). Pastor Marty asks us to pray for Rolling Bay church that as the church thinks about plans for the future it will discover the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and will follow the Spirit’s promptings with gusto, putting fear aside and putting vision into practice. We are asked to pray for clear vision, and enthusiasm to match.
The Island Church, a branch of the Christian Missionary Alliance, is doing well, according to Pastor Grant Brewster. They had a tough year last year; they had to make a difficult decision to let a member of the staff go, and it caused a rift in the congregation. They lost nearly 100 members, which was very painful for everyone. I share this not as a kind of gossip but because we are called to bear one another’s burdens and share one another’s sorrows as well as joys. This year has been better. They have had some great heart-felt worship services lately. Healing is a central part of their theology, and the church is overjoyed that a couple of people have been healed during prayer times in the worship services. They are starting to find ways to share their beautiful new facility for events that fit with their mission statement. “Sing Out” with the Total Experience Gospel Choir will be held there Jan. 30, and Island Church is delighted to have them. They will be hosting a concert there as part of a Young Life event soon. In October they are planning a marriage seminar.
Pastor Grant asks that we pray for vibrant young families to find their way to Island Church as they continue to rebuild.
Seabold United Methodist Church is feeling very positive about a large group of new members—30 people joined their fellowship last year. They have 12 young people engaged in their youth group which will double as a Confirmation class this spring, alternating between confirmation instruction and fellowship activities. The church took a very bold step in stewardship of their parsonage last year. Since Pastor Cheryl Wuench didn’t need to live in it, the church decided to use it as affordable housing as part of their outreach ministry. A number of families covenanted to supplement the tenant’s rent in order to pay the mortgage. It has not been without its challenges, and the members have been called upon to assist and guide the renters more than they might have imagined they would at the outset. I admire their commitment to this very tangible ministry. Another spirited action may unfold in the coming year as Seabold begins considering becoming a Reconciling Congregation (the United Methodist equivalent of Open and Affirming).
Pastor Cheryl asks that we pray for courage for Seabold church. Pray that God will continue to give guidance and courage to the congregation as they make the decisions required of them to be good stewards of their property and congregation.
Bishop Brad Hepworth at the Bainbridge Ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints reports that the church is doing fine. One project they are involved in at present is helping plan what they call “Trek,” a program for 14-18 year olds. The young people go with their adult counselors on a camping and hiking outing in which they re-enact the Mormon pioneer’s migration, pushing their belongings in hand-carts along mountain trails. They are gathering with the other 10 wards in the state for a three-day trek near Mount Rainier soon, and between 30 and 40 Bainbridge youth are expected to participate.
In terms of prayer, Bishop Hepworth asks us to join their congregation in praying for the earthquake victims in Haiti. The LDS is always on the frontlines of relief efforts, and we can pray for their aid workers as well as for the world’s response to this disaster.
Bethany Lutheran Church has been through several years of transition, as you may know. They are settling in with a good fresh spirit with their new pastor, Paul Stumme-Diers. While they are facing some budgetary concerns, so far they are striving to maintain a spirit of generosity, embracing the notion of abundance rather than being “cowed by the heresy of scarcity.” Their gatherings for worship build a sense of joyful abundance: Attendance is up significantly and there is a surge of energy. The music program is going particularly well; they have a choir of 25 or 30 members with lots of men. Outside worship, the preschool is thriving, and through it the church has a good connection with the community. They also have a steady stream of community groups and activities in the building, and are grateful to have a facility that lends itself to sharing so beautifully. One new thing they are doing at Bethany is changing their Council to make room for two youth to serve; they want to keep youth passion and ideas in the mainstream of the church, not on the sidelines.
Pastor Paul asks that we pray that the Bethany congregation will continue to have supple and compassionate hearts for local and global needs. He asks us to think of Haiti as a sister island, and asks us to pray for all of us that we will not suffer from “compassion fatigue.”
St. Barnabas Episcopal church has enjoyed the leadership of Rector Dennis Tierney for 2.5 years now. They are feeling good about their life together, with lots of signs of health: attendance is up 8%, they have a balanced budget, and have completed a $200,000 renovation project on the building. They have recently launched a middle school fellowship program, seeking to re-build their youth program after a bunch of their young people graduated from high school. Several of the young people are preparing for confirmation; the Bishop is coming to celebrate confirmation on Feb. 14. The St. Barnabas Day School, the oldest pre-school on the island, is going strong. Father Dennis pointed out that the ministry of St. Barnabas is not particularly flashy; they are going along just under the radar of the community, for the most part. However, many of the community’s leaders are associated with their congregation—they are building up our life together without many people noticing.
Haiti was also on Father Dennis’ mind as I asked about prayer. The Episcopal Diocese in Haiti lost virtually everything in the earthquake. Every building they owned there has collapsed—the cathedral, the Bishop’s offices, several schools that they operated—all gone. Local Episcopalians will be meeting soon with their Christian Action Commission to figure out how to support them both in the immediate emergency need and for long-term rebuilding.
Cross Sound Church, a congregation of the Presbyterian Church in America, has had a good year. They moved to the Bainbridge High School commons from the theater a few months ago, and the environmental change has had a positive impact on the church. They appreciate the sense of partnership and connection with the public school. The most notable change in the congregation is that rather than having two services, they have one service and an all-ages education hour. They have more space for education, and have been doing a series of 3-week classes for adults in their “school of discipleship.” These classes have been taught by a mix of their staff and lay leaders with particular interests and skills. They have offered classes in the Heidleberg Catechism, church history, prayer, depression, and conflict resolution, to name a few. They also offered a class in adoption, and they have had a number of people in their church adopting children recently. They are doing what they can to support families involved in foreign and local foster adoptions; it feels to them like a stirring of the Spirit to welcome more children in their lives. In terms of missions, they are wrapping up a 6-year relationship with a Mexican village through the Agros program. They are supporting a Mexican pastor who is living here while he gets his doctorate, and anticipate a longer relationship with him when he returns to Mexico City to plant a new congregation. They are also making mission connections in Cuba through a member who grew up there, supporting pastoral education there.
2010 has been named by Cross Sound as a year of prayer. They hope prayer will become more woven into the fabric of the church and the lives of its members. Pastor Paul asks us to pray for them as they strive to become people of less talk and more prayer. They also ask us to pray for their efforts to resist the cultural tendency to divide people into market segments as Cross Sound intentionally builds a multigenerational congregation in which the generations mutually honor each other.
Bainbridge First Baptist church is encouraged by a resurgence in their congregation’s children’s ministry. They have had a fresh batch of volunteers take on this ministry, and the kids are learning scripture and Christian living. Pastor Weimer says he has made the adjustment from living in small town Eastern Washington back to island living—it’s a bit of a different atmosphere—and he is enjoying his ministry here. They had record attendance last week with no special effort put into it, and they are feeling good about the state of the church. I was curious about the car shows they have their regularly in the summer, and learned that it is not a ministry of the church, but they are happy to share their space there, and Pastor Weimar invites passers-by to stop in and see the cars and get to know the owners. You might even get a hamburger there if your body can absorb the fat!
Pastor Weimer asks that we pray that those of us whose life is relatively easy not become too satisfied with our lives or with ourselves. He sees a good opportunity in Haiti and other mission fields (First Baptist has connections with ministries in Alaska) to share some of our satisfaction and blessings with others.
Port Madison Lutheran church’s Pastor Lori Hoyum asks us to pray for her church that they would continue to be what she called the “niche ministry” they are and have been—a traditional mainline church with traditional worship. Several members have lost jobs and moved away, so they have had a financially challenging year. Pastor Lori has started serving ¾ time in response to their finances and her desire to spend more time with her family as her children are close to being grown up. Port Madison church has been rocked a bit by a decision by the national ELCA to allow non-celibate gay and lesbian pastors to serve local congregations. The debate and decision was conflicted at the national level, and the tension has washed into Port Madison’s historically traditional congregation. The church has been striving to celebrate differences and the variety of gifts people bring to the congregation, fighting against the culture’s penchant for polarization. Speaking of a variety of gifts, the church was pretty worried when their long time organist retired, but they have been blessed by a new musician who is a music teacher. She has done a great job of encouraging young musicians who are taking lessons in variety of instruments to offer their music in the worship services. Pastor Lori is very fond of the super, talented members of her congregation, and hopes they can continue to enjoy each other for a long time to come.
Grace Episcopal Church’s Vicar Bill Harper and I spoke briefly in the few moments he had before his son’s carpool—so don’t take the brevity of this last report as indicative that there’s not much going on at Grace. He says that his congregation has been having some great Sunday mornings together lately. There is something beautiful about a group getting together, singing the same songs and hoping for the same things. Worship binds the congregation together as they try to figure some things out which aren’t necessarily easy to figure out—like how to make ends meet, and how to reach out with a graceful response to Haiti’s need. One challenge that is before the congregation is how they might grow the staff in these tough times. They have been in conversation about the possibility of bringing another clergy person to the church in a creative partnership with the diocese.
[Father] Bill asks that we pray for Grace Church that they will live fully into the next stage of their life together. He says they are moving from adolescence as a congregation to young adulthood. Pray that they will deepen their leadership, deepen their spirit, be less reactive, more pro-active, and think more in the long term as they come of age as a church.
I was unsuccessful at reaching the leaders of the Bainbridge Bible Chapel, H.O.P.E. church, and the newest of our siblings, New Life Church (meeting in the movie theater). We will want to keep them in our prayers as well. And let’s pray for all the unchurched Christians who may have been disappointed or wounded by a faith community and are leery of re-joining a congregation.
The text from 1 Corinthians today compared the church to the Body, with many members. I think the metaphor can be extended to the larger Body, the community of churches in a particular locale. I played around a bit with naming the body parts I might associate with each of the churches, but it was a dead end, metaphorically speaking. Not enough hands and hearts to go around for one body, and too wickedly tempting to speculate about who might be the derrière. I did mull over whether we might think of ourselves as the “smile.” I believe our history, location, denomination, and mission uniquely prepare us to be gracious to our neighbors: friendly, respectful, honoring each faith community’s gifts. The UCC’s extravagant welcome means, among other things, that we don’t have to mentally dispatch anyone to Hell for wrong doctrine. We have the capacity to imagine that every one of these churches is playing a vital role in God’s unfolding mission.
Bethany Lutheran’s Pastor Paul gets the last word. He suggests that we might think of the religious community on Bainbridge as the arteries of the body. Collectively, we may be the means of energy and life flowing through our neighborhood. Using his analogy, let’s pray that the arteries don’t become blocked by suspicion, hostility, or disrespect between us; that we avoid hardening of the arteries by all our faith communities remaining supple and flexible in the midst of changing ways; that God circulates the life-giving blood of the good news of Jesus Christ between us; and that we play a critical role in nurturing the heart of our community.