Stephen Becker Letter

Our 150^th anniversary was a marvelous celebration. The church grounds were in pristine shape, the music was outstanding, the costumes festive and the puppets were fun for everyone. One of the highlights for me as a relative newcomer was the testimonies of so many of you who took the time to write and tell us what this church has meant to you over the years. As I read your stories, one of the reoccurring themes that kept shining through the pages was the sense of love and family that many of you have experienced in our life together. Some of you spoke of remembering special times such as mission trips or doing yard work for elderly parishioners. Others spoke of fun occasions like picnics, fall hay rides and holiday parties; but the one thing that made those occasions such special memories was the love that went into planning and implementing those events. Jackie Wright did a wonderful job of depicting some of these activities in her detailed history of our church for the past 25 years in a booklet she has made available to us with the title: “Emmanuel Through Time.” One of my favorite quotes in it came from the Reverend van Dyke who said at the 125^th anniversary celebration:

“But what is it that really makes a church great? Not venerable family names woven on kneeling cushions, but a family unhindered by names, woven together in love. Not the rich tones of the organ, but the rich personalities that reflect Jesus Christ… Not an overwhelming membership but an overwhelming sense of God’s presence. Not what it has done in the past, but what it is doing now and dreams of doing in the future.”

And this is where I come in as I dream with you about the future of this parish. I have a vision of our future that encompasses more than just “…preaching the good news to all creation” (Mark 16:15) or thinking about the church in terms of its social concerns such as feeding the hungry and giving drink to the thirsty, welcoming the stranger and clothing the naked (Matt. 25:31-46). That we will do, but even more than this I want to “…prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (Eph. 4:11-13). When Paul speaks of the church’s maturity, as he does in these verses, he does so in terms of bodily growth. Growth is a process. Growth takes time. And that growth has a purpose, and that purpose is growth in Christ-like character expressed in all of the fruits of the Spirit; namely, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, meekness, self-control and faith (Gal. 5:22-23). Such growth does not happen overnight any more than we as individuals become mature overnight. Nor does it happen easily or by chance. We must aim for this high calling and pursue it with all of our might. I cannot make this growth happen, but I must do all that I can to nurture it and foster it by every possible means, which includes not only informing the mind but also appealing to the heart. Unity in the faith and knowledge of the Son of God are worthy goals that not only demand our best efforts, they are our destiny. It is my hope and prayer that the love we have experienced in this church will grow and grow until we “all attain the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”

Faithfully yours,

Stephen Becker