2008 Pastor’s Report

Every year the hardest part of writing a semi-annual business report is knowing just how to get it started and then determining just what kind of a tone it should take once I’ve started it. This year I contemplated beginning boldly with a shocking question: “Is our church at the beginning of a major crisis?” with thoughts of commenting afterwards on the shrinking trend in our annual budget, the difficulties we have experienced in finding a new associate pastor, and our first non-seasonal decline in over-all attendance since I began my ministry here, to this could be added the seeming flood of spiritual, physical, and personal hardships that have fallen upon so many within our church. Instead, I think I will begin this way…

I am thankful to report that it has been an exceptionally good year of ministry at Manchester Community Church. I know this, not just because I see it (see below), but also because God’s word says it is true: “We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28); “…for we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10); “…for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13). Every year that I have been your pastor I have found it necessary to grow in different ways. This year the Lord has been teaching me that the level of effectiveness in ministry and the easiness of ministry are often in direct opposition to one another. There is a reason why Paul called himself a “slave of Christ,” and those who worked with him “fellow-laborers of the gospel of Christ.” Doing God’s will in this world (and even among God’s people in this world) is often really, really hard: but it is when we do the difficult things that God gives us His strength.

Recognizing that we are experiencing a time when it would be easy to become discouraged, I want to list some highlights from the past year that have been God’s messengers of grace and encouragement to me in the midst of dealing with some of the harder things in ministry:

1) I have seen marked spiritual growth in myself and in many others around me because of the hard things we have gone through.

2) After about 20 years on the “to do” list, our parking lot is paved.

3) I was able to go the Shepherds Conference this year, also something that has been in the planning for a long time.

4) MCA appears to be out of the woods financially.

5) Donn Jackson is on the Elder Board again.

6) A functioning website (www.manchesterministries.org) has been (more-or-less) finished off, complete with a pastor’s blog and a picture of Bill Rowe opening the front door of our church on the home page.

7) I got to perform Joe and Kelly’s wedding ceremony, and I look forward to performing Shawn and Rachel’s

8) We were able to welcome my daughter Sarah Elizabeth into church membership.

9) Baptizing Raven, Ruth, and Kailee Mahan on the same evening was a beautiful reminder to me of the wonder of our adoption in Christ and our placement into His world-wide family.

10) I have so much enjoyed having Richard, Christy, Oliver, and Colin Olson home (at the parsonage) on furlough.

11) William Isaiah has been the easiest most delightful baby we have experienced to date (which is saying something).

So where is this report headed? It is a call to keep perspective. Remember God’s blessing in the midst of adversity. Remember that God is good and He does good. He knows what we need. He knows what we can handle and what we can’t handle. He knows where He wants us to be heading and how He wants us to get there.

Is our church at the beginning of a major crisis? The crisis we face is the crisis that always confronts the church: Will we live by faith or by sight? Will we worship God with all our hearts or just with our mouths? Will we obey what we know from studying God’s word or will we forsake God’s word so that we can do whatever we want and hope that God will bless the outcome?

Does that mean that we can’t do better? We not only can do better, we must do better. Lower tithe and fewer people Sunday morning (although neither of these are of crisis proportion) are indications that something needs to be said and done. This is what I want to address with the remainder of my report. If just the people in this room committed to do what follows, the ability of our church to meet the spiritual needs of those within and without our walls would be expanded greatly. These are not new, but perhaps now there is a greater urgency.

1) Pray for our church. Really. Just do it…if God is not at work, there is no point for us to be.

2) Tithe. (yes, that means 10%)

3) Show up. Not just Sunday morning. Try at least twice a week, three times if you have time.

4) Get involved. Many hands make light work. Become a servant, not a spectator.

5) Invite other people. If you don’t think our church is worth bringing your friends to, find one that is. If you don’t have any unchurched friends, find some.

6) Love one another (Look up 1 Corinthians 13 if you are unsure what this means).

7) To the best of your ability, come Sunday morning ready to worship.

For my part I promise to do all of the above myself. I also promise (as much as lies within me) to come prepared to any church service that I am preaching or teaching at with teaching that adequately balances sound theology, solid biblical exegesis, and relevant application in an interesting manner (which is not easy by the way) so that you can attend or invite with confidence. I will also, when possible, take as much time as necessary to help those who are going through times where spiritual shepherding is needed (but if you don’t let me know, I can’t read your mind). I also promise to keep my own spiritual house in order lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become shipwrecked and in doing so bring reproach on our Lord and on this church. Biblically, it is my job as a pastor-teacher (along with others) to equip you so that you can do the work of the ministry on order to edify the body of Christ (“And Jesus Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.” Ephesians 4:11-12). To make this happen we need to labor together, and yes, that means work – sometimes through difficult circumstances, but hopefully by God’s power and for His glory.

Respectfully Submitted,

David G. Eddy

Soli Deo Gloria