When some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to
God, he said, “As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon
another; all will be thrown down. They asked him, “Teacher, when will this
be, and what will be the sign that this is about to take place?” And he said,
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“Beware that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name and
say, ‘I am he!’ and, ‘The time is near!’ Do not go after them. When you hear
of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for these things must take
place first, but the end will not follow immediately.” Then he said to them,
Reaching Out –
“nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be
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great earthquakes, and in various places famines and plagues; and there
will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven. “But before all this
occurs, they will arrest you and persecute you; they will hand you over to synagogues and prisons, and you
will be brought before kings and governors because of my name. This will give you an opportunity to testify.
SO make up your minds not to prepare your defense in advance, for I will give you words and a wisdom that
none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict. You will be betrayed even by parents and
brothers, by relatives and friends; they will put some of you to death. You will be hated by all because of my
name. But not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your souls. “
I have this image in my mind of walking through the church with Jesus. I want to give him a tour. And I
would say, (even though I know he already knows) “Isn’t our sanctuary beautiful? Look at these glorious
stained glass windows. And the hand-carved woodwork and this amazing pipe organ. And look at the piano
(because Jesus knows the piano is my FAVORITE musical instrument, only because I can play it! HA!) And
look at the pews—and I might even show Jesus where you all sit in the pews. I’ve figured out our regular
seats. And I can only imagine how the people who were talking to Jesus about the temple felt when he said,
“Yes this is all really nice. But its going to fall down and turn to dust.” Because I don’t want our beautiful
church here—First UMC, JC—to turn to dust.
The conference has instituted a new reporting process called Vital Signs—we have to report all that is going
on in the church—names and numbers. And the purpose of that is because the church universal is
deteriorating. And maybe, just maybe, if we can figure out where we are deteriorating we can turn it around.
So I have been studying the numbers for this church. I am HAPPY to tell you that at worship – Sunday
worship average, the church hit a low right before Easter of 144 average attendance. But as of right now our
average attendance in worship is up to 190. Year end last year average attendance was 183. And sometimes
I say to myself, ‘Why does it matter?’ It matters because those numbers represent people. And people are
what matter to God. Remember the old song that says, “The church is not a building. The church is not a
steeple. The church is not a resting place, the church is the people.” We are just blessed that we have the
PEOPLE and the beautiful church. And I want to share that with as many people as possible.
Church experts say that the decreasing numbers in churches are attributed to three phenomena: Free-Riders,
Nominals, and Nones.
Nones—Nones are the people who have left some churches that conflicted with their personal theology and
political leanings. Churches are too liberal, or too conservative. Too politically leaning in one direction or
another over the issues that are dividing us as Americans. Nones are the people who gave up and walked
away from church. When someone asks them what their religious affiliation is, they say, ‘None.” This is the
fastest growing group in the US today, and includes about 25% of all young adults. They aren’t hostile. They
just think the church is not relevant.
The second group are the people called “nominal.” They have left the church but not the name. They like to
say they are “Christians” but are not a part of the body of Christ in the world that is the church. These are the
folks who think the church is too exclusive. They want to keep that title that honors their heritage with being
tied down to any specifics in belief or church participation. Nominals are most prevalent among persons
under the age of 30—72% call themselves “more spiritual than religious.” They are not hostile toward the
church, they are indifferent about organized religion.
The third group has been titled “free-riders.” These are Christians who have left Christianity but not the
church. They go to church out of habit, because they like the music, love the fellowship but have no
commitment to the body of Christ. They believe the right things—intellectually. They do not contribute
financially, do not participate in the life of the church beyond occasional attendance. They are religious but
not spiritual.
All this to say maybe what Jesus was talking about after all was not the temple or the church building, but the
church itself. Its much easier to fix a roof leak, or plumbing problem, or paint something than it is to change
people’s hearts.
My passion is for the gospel and the people of God. I hope to find ways to reach out to nones, nominal, and
free-riders. I can’t do it alone—(or even with just the wonderful staff we have) Want to help? :)
Prayer Concerns:
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The family of Mary Helen Shearin, who died early yesterday morning. Visitation 11-1, followed by service at
1 pm Friday Nov 15 at the church.
Prayer requested via our website for the family of Kim Eaker--(requested by Kim Eaker) Todd, Jessica,
Brandon, Chloe and Kim.
For our soldiers and all military personnel overseas and at home.
For the situation in Philippines after the devastating storm.
On the Calendar:
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Charge conference will be Sunday Nov 17, 12 pm (or so) in the Fellowship Hall.
Thanksgiving Meal Wednesday night November 20, 2013.
Young adult gathering at the parsonage November 22 6 pm.
Blessings!
Rev. Jane Taylor
1stChurchJC, TN
“Preach the gospel at all times and when necessary use words.”
St Francis of Assisi