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As part of our stewardship campaign, I have been highlighting the difference between the Church and any other non-profit organization that serves our local community. In many respects, we are like any other: we do not generate income for "shareholders" but rather aim to serve the public with compassion and generosity. We run on a "people-over-profit" model that insists we spend all our money on program and mission each year as opposed to giving a bonus to the CEO.
However, there is one thing that sets the Church apart: the direction of the Holy Spirit.
The Church is always involved in social justice issues because that's the work that Jesus was involved in. However, our primary focus aligns with Christ's ministry also: we proclaim the Gospel truth and show forth the Love of God through everything we do. This work is necessarily directed by the Spirit's pushing and pulling; She invites us to join the work that God is already doing in our community and offer our gifts to that work. That means the Spirit is nudging our hearts and directing our eyes toward the needs of our community as She directs our discernment of how we may best Love and serve.
So, while the Church looks like a non-profit in many ways, it is what we cannot see that determines how we function in the non-profit world. Much like our beautiful organ, the Wind of the Holy Spirit blows through the hearts of our members and inspires us to glorify God and touch the hearts of our community as one. Our organ has thousands of pipes that each produce a unique sound representing a range of instruments, but they are all powered by the same source of wind and they unite to create one harmonious sound!
Speaking of the organ, you might think that maintaining this instrument is a detriment to our mission and ministry. After all, though we cannot see it behind the walls of the sanctuary, it is a HUGE instrument that requires diligent care and attention. But if we are so concerned with this, how can we possibly devote our time, talent, and treasure to the needs of our community? Doesn't that fly in the face of Christ's ministry?
Well, for one, donating to the organ makes it easier for the Session to allocate funds to caring for our neighbors and supporting our mission partners. But the organ is also a unique tool for sharing the Gospel by exposing our community to sacred music! More than that, it is one way that we at First Pres are committed to supporting the arts in Jamestown, a rather underrated mission that benefits people of all ages and backgrounds.
Exposure to the arts is essential for the education of our children and the expression of all our community members. The arts readily and most profoundly expose people to beauty, truth, love, peace, and joy, as well as the reality of suffering and the avenues to find meaning through it. As much as Jesus fed the poor and healed the sick, he also pointed to these elements of human existence. Sacred music is a primary way that we join Christ's work of revealing what a gift it is to exist, to be truly alive, and to express ourselves in ways that go beyond language and form.
This year, we have begun taking the next step in supporting the arts by welcoming students from SUNY Fredonia who seek to dedicate their lives to music. Your pledge dollars support the fullness of their education, their exposure to sacred music of all kinds, and even their ability to maintain a diet that does not have ramen noodles as its cornerstone! This is just a small offering we can give that makes a huge impact, for sacred music speaks to the soul; and its blessings, though often intangible, are deeper than money and more profound than mere entertainment.
So, the next time you hear the organ play a tune you love or the angelic voices of our choir touch your heart in a way you cannot explain, remember that this too is a way we fulfill the call of the Spirit and join in Her work of Love, joy, peace, and reconciliation with all of creation.
~ Rev. J. Davis Creach
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