11/06/2023
175 years in Numbers, and in Lives Touched
Here are the numbers—a conservative guesstimate—of what 175 years of ministry might look like.
● Sermons = 12,780 sermons, lasting 281,000 minutes (at a laughable 22 minutes per sermon), which translates to 4,686 hours, or 28 ½ straight days of preaching!
● Holy Communion = 1172 celebrations, with who knows how many people partaking.
● I’m guessing at something like 5780 Baptisms
● Weddings = 1750
● Funerals = 7000
● Youth Confirmations = 4375
When you stop and try to track all of that, you realize the immense number of people and families whose lives have been touched and changed through the ministry of just one congregation…ours.
But it’s not about the numbers. There is only one number that matters—and that’s you--or the endless number of ‘you’s that have found what they are looking for in this place, through the kindness and willingness of this church to serve God and others.
Consider all the lives touched by:
● Hosting the Agape Immigrant Chinese Congregation
● Participants in our ESL ministry
● The Angel’s Attic Thrift Store
● 50 years of shaping young minds and hearts through our Preschool
● All the Youth group retreats, trips to the Appalachian trail, mission trips, bible studies, and pizza parties.
● All the Children’s sermons and Sunday school classes, and Vacation
Bible Schools.
● Hours and hours of Pastoral counseling
● Hospital or bedside visits
● The TLC that goes with the direct aid from the food pantry
● A set of coats for your kids
● Christmas when there wouldn’t have been Christmas through Angel Tree
● So many Foster children with their very own duffle bag, blanket, book and toy
● A fully certified and credentialed professor in the seminary dreamed of by Bishop Yamasu in Sierra Leone by the name of Daisy Gbloh.
● How many homes are air and watertight—so much more livable than they were before our 20 plus years of repairs and renovations took place in and near Frakes, Kentucky (Henderson Settlement).
I could go on, but maybe you’re beginning to get my drift. We are part of a legacy of faith for the faithless, hope for the hopeless and love for the lonely and loveless. We are heirs of God’s Kingdom: brothers and sisters in a revolutionary movement of life which does not revolve around us, but around our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And as far as I can tell—so far so good. It is a joy to celebrate 175 years in the ministry of the Master. As we move throughout this year, we will be taking time to look back so that we might look forward in creating our own legacy of doing great things for God.
Archived Posts
Matthew 24: One More Thing...
I sometimes stumble on old documents I’ve created but have completely forgotten about. I cannot remember why I created them or what purpose they were originally supposed to serve....
Keeping the Church Doors Unencumbered
Sunday, we considered Jesus’ disruptive actions in the Temple in light of his frustration with keeping gentiles from worshipping in their designated courtyard. We then reflected on how we still tend to throw up roadblocks to those who don’t normally attend church. I found the following, but didn’t have space for it in the sermon. It’s provocative and worth chewing on for a while.
What Was the Crowd Celebrating on Palm Sunday?
I came across this list which feels a little like a "Greatest Hits of Jesus' Ministry". I share it with you today for your inspiration and edification. Enjoy!
The Best Kind of Trouble-maker
While working on this last week’s sermon I was looking through Phillip Yancey’s excellent book—The Jesus I Never Knew—when I came across a section that I found profound. It didn’t quite fit my sermon, but it caught my eye enough that I copied it down.
Practical Tips To Avoid Judging Others
When I research a sermon, such as Sunday’s message on judgmentalism, I always try to think through some practical steps or tips in how to implement God’s desire for our lives. I rustled together a herd of ideas this week and I offer them to you.
The Shepherd, the King, and the Rescuer
God has got a long list of names, but some of those names are better than others. There is a small child who thought God’s name was Harold since the Lord’s Prayer includes the phrase “Hallowed be thy name.” When you think of all the scriptures that are most likely to be memorized you would have to include Psalm 23, The Lord’s Prayer, and John 3:16. The danger for us is our tendency to focus on the wrong thing.
Old Jokes Are The Best Jokes
Sunday morning, we took a look at Jesus’ command to make our enemies into neighbors and loving our neighbors as ourselves. One of the obstacles to doing this is our growing sense of tribalism—whether it’s a political, socio-economic, or even theological tribe.