We humans are easily entrapped in this world’s grip. For many, life is good. We do have a nice home, a good car, pleasant friends, an enjoyable career, a healthy church. We love our family, we enjoy our lives, we appreciate what we have. We hate to leave it.

I loved being in Scotland these past several days. Being able to see the highlands, to eat Haggis, to tour castles…all fascinating. Being with two of our children and their husbands–even better–would have been good anywhere.  But, as much as I like what we did–including going to Ps and Gs to church (St. Paul’s and St. George’s)–I was really excited to be home. I wanted to see the roses, sleep in my own bed, feed my fish (believe it or not).  The desire to be home overrides all the other “goods” in being away.

Getting home is a powerful urge–strong enough to make me sacrifice time with my daughters, enjoy more Scottish shortbread, spend more time sightseeing. Because I don’t see life with God (after death) as more compelling, more desirable, more pleasurable, than this world, I find it “hard to die.” Only when my relationship with God is the most compelling part of my life will I view death as anything other than a bitter enemy.  I’m trying to get there…

The rector made an amazing appeal for funds at the end. I’ve heard several appeals, but few as effective as this one. Direct, clear, not harsh…made me feel like I should give.  I hope it motivated the folks to get on board.  His message was simple: “If you find Ps and Gs to be your spiritual home, don’t merely continue to receive, be sure you give back.”  Solid.

But, I confess, I wouldn’t trade. I’ll take Madison Park any day.  Can’t wait to see the future unfold as God continues to move us forward.  We are blessed…we are responsible for the blessing…and I believe we are up to it.

I’m confident in God’s faithfulness. That’s what I’ve learned over the past 40+ years. He has never let me down. The more I’ve trusted Him the more He’s proven Himself.  Please don’t hear that to mean He’s always given me money. Sometimes He’s changed my wants. Somtimes He’s changed my circumstances. Sometimes He’s provided a means to save or earn more money. Once in a while, He’s simply dropped the supply into my lap. But always, He’s met my needs.

Our campaign will provide a challenge to give beyond our imagination. The people of Quincy are responding to the gospel. I wish you could hear the stories I hear of what God is doing through the ministry of the people of Madison Park. I can only believe that it’s going to continue and improve as we go to two sites.  Please, believe me when I say this isn’t about being big.  It’s about people. In fact, one reason to have two sites is so we don’t get big. Instead, we spread the relationships around the community so each location is a reasonable size.

I’m praying that God will lead Gail and I to a significant gift. I’m praying that God will lead you to make a significant gift. But more than that, I’m praying for the lost and broken of our area. And I’m praying this campaign is an opportunity for people to experience the same faithfulness we’ve experienced.

Sunday we launch RELENTLESS–our vision campaign. We’re not setting any dollar amounts. We have made no decisions which require us to raise a certain amount of money. We’ve listened to God and to godly counsel and determined our direction. Now, we’re asking God to use His people at Madison Park to affirm that direction. What we commit on April 22nd will set the boundaries around what we can do in the foreseeable future.

We’ve never had huge donors who carried the congregation. While we’ve been blessed by some solid gifts in the past (for which we are grateful), our giving has always been spread across the generous shoulders of lots of people. I beleive that’s what will happen now.  Hundreds of poeple will pray, they will trust God, and they will make substantial commitments over a three year period.  And that money will become God’s tool to expand our capacity to reach people.

I’m nervous about Sunday, I admit that.  Nervous because I know my weakness as a communicator. Nervous, because I don’t want anything I say or do to hinder what God is up to. Nervous, because I know how weak my faith can sometimes be. But I’m not anxious. I’m fully confident in God and in His people. I’m absolutely sure that what we receive will be what God deigns that we should have. It will be the right amount because it will be the amount He leads others to give.

I invite you to spend the next 21 days praying about what God will lead you to commit on April 21st. And I invite you to share the stories of how God moves you to reach the decision you reach.  I’m looking forward to our future with a confidence I’ve never felt before. I hope you will join me in that anticipation.

The power of the Christian life is to offer hope in an otherwise hopeless world. Peter recognizes that and says that hope will produce questions from the hopeless. Hope will arrest attention and create opportunities.  Hope outshines darkness and brings purpose to life. Hope gives us a reason to move forward.

The Hunger Games paints a frightening picture of a world gone mad. You leave hoping a world like that could not exist…yet somehow believing humans may have already been there (The gladiator “games” in ancient Rome). Sin is ugly. It makes us ugly. It causes us to lose our sensibility and our humaneness. Only hope can keep us from become so utterly inhumane. Only hope can keep us believing there is a better side to humankind.

The Hunger Gamesis filled with Biblical images which will turn into sermon illustrations. Whether it’s the love of a sister that leads Katniss to be a substitute for Prim; or the kindness of Cinna; possibly the mediation of Haymitch; or …  For me, today, at least, it’s the presence and power of hope!

The team I’m on comes tonight (Wednesday). By the end of the week, this place will be really different. Exciting. You may want to stick your head in the old choir room area just to see. Or, go to the Annex and check it out.

But that’s not all that’s going on. We’re heading into the most significant time of the church year. Passion Week activities begins soon. We’ll start with Starting Point–our opportunity to help you get acquainted with Madison Park. April 1st, right after 2nd service. Lunch and child care provided.  We’ll have you done by 2.  Come and see what we believe and how things work. 

Then, April 5th is Maundy Thursday. We’ll have guides available for anyone who wants to host a group in their home. The idea is to meet, eat a meal together, and share in the Lord’s Supper. Then, Good Friday, April 6th, we’ll meet at 5:30 and 7:00 to reflect on the crucifixion and what God has done for us.  Finally, we’ll celebrate Easter.  Three services, 8:00, 9:30 and 11:00.  We’re planning on a packed house celebrating Jesus’ resurrection and our hope.

But that’s not the end.  April is the RELENTLESS campaign. So, April 18th we’ll have a special prayer and worship time. We’ll be coming together to pray about what God is doing at Madison Park. We’ll be praying about what God wants to do in each one of us to bring to fruition the vision of Relentlessly pursuing God and His will.

Things are happening…and all I’ve talked about is events.  But, much more importantly, things are happening. God is moving. Lives are changing. People are coming to know Christ, better and deeper. Things are happening, and we’re celebrating the joy of seeing that occur in our lives.

Earlier today I was in a conversation about a number of our people who are serving at Teen Reach. I know (since I’ve talked with the specific individuals) that none of them think they are doing “all that much.”  They volunteer some time one day a week.  And yet, to hear from Teen Reach, they are making a huge difference in the lives of people.  Amazing how something so “small” has gone such a long way.

For the past few months we’ve been trying to feed people over the weekends through our Kidzpacks. It’s not a very big backpack. It’s only a few hours each week, collecting and packing food. Yet this simple act has led to some of our folks contacting their employers who have now funded some programming at the school (they can’t give to us, it has to go to the school itself). This morning I learned that they may have decided to fund a couple of other schools’ programs as well. It’s amazing how far a simple act of kindness can go.

It often isn’t much. Just a simple invitation to lunch. Or, a request to “join me at church.” Maybe it’s a small donation to a charity. Or it’s a salad taken to a neighbor.  Sometimes it’s a couple of hours serving a funeral meal, or a morning cleaning gutters, or spending a Sunday a month working in the nursery.  It isn’t much…but it doesn’t have to be.

Unfortunately, the sound system didn’t allow for the announcement to be made in a fashion that all could hear and understand. The only ones that really caught the whole message were in the Meadows. So, we’ll be posting the message on our website and I’m summarizing the main idea here.

Our campaign theme is RELENTLESS. It’s driven by the idea that some things just have to be done. There is a divine compulsion that places a demand on us to pursue a vision with a no-matter-what attitude. And that’s what we will do. We will RELENTLESSly pursue what we believe God is up to in our midst.  He’s blessing beyond measure and yet there are still thousands in this area who don’t yet have a spiritual home–they don’t yet follow Jesus nor experience a changed life. We will RELENTLESSly pursue those people.

In April we will be involved in a vision campaign to prepare our hearts and provide the funds for launching a second site. Where that will be has yet to be decided…when it will be launched will be determined by four simple factors: out of parking, out of space, finding the right location and the amount of funding we receive.  When we near full in our worship space and parking lots, when we have the location that will accommodate our second site, and when we have the funds, we will move forward.

Our campaign will take place in April. Those 5 Sundays we be devoted to the following themes and activities.

• The Relentless Pursuit of God’s Will (Acts 13:1-3; 16:6-10) (campaign video)
• God’s Relentless Pursuit of Us (Acts 13:16f) (Easter–3 services)
• The Relentless Pursuit of God’s People (Acts 1:6-8)
• The Relentless Pursuit of God’s Passion (Acts 4:32-37) (campaign commitments)
• The Relentless Pursuit of God’s Pleasure (Acts 5:41-42) (celebration offering)

We’re inviting you to join us in pursuing God’s heart for your life. We’re inviting you to help us pursue those in this community who don’t yet know God personally. We’re inviting you to experience with us God’s absolute faithfulness.

Even before launching a new site we are doing some work here at 4700 Broadway. You can join a work-team and help us as we do some remodeling of our space here.  Fill out the form and come serve with us as we RELENTLESSly seek God’s direction and blessing. Looking forward to the next phase in our life together.

If you take the population of the city proper (40,000), that’s 3 out of 10. I could be considered way off base, missing by 4,000 people.  But, even so, we shouldn’t be satisfied.  That still means that 7 out of 10, or 28,000 people don’t attend. And, not assuming that all that attend are without Jesus in their lives, that’s still too many people who don’t know Jesus. Our work is still clearly before us and challenges us.

But if you take the Quincy Economic Development numbers seriously, Adams County has 67,000 people, and within 25 miles (not an unreasonable distance to consider, given our attendance base), there are 112,000 people. That also means a lot of churches that we haven’t accounted for.  But even allowing for a 3 out of 10 ratio (however unrealistic), that still means 78,000 don’t attend.

I know numbers are just numbers. But when I think of Janet, Chuck,  James, Chuck, Michelle…I don’t think of numbers, I see people.  And the thought overwhelms me.  Suddenly, 12,000 doesn’t seem like very many…

It’s bad enough that we feel free to kill babies at all…but to kill them because they might be a burden?  Only a new parent doesn’t know that at some point their child will be a “burden.” Parents will change their plans because of their child, the cost of medical care, clothing, education…all a “burden.”

When will we realize how far we’ve devolved? At what point will we wake up and realize that we’ve asked the world to revolve around us and we’re going to pay for it, socially, culturally, and spiritually? God created all in the image of Himself and that by itself means we have signficance.

All I can think is… UGH!!!