Monday Morning Musings | November 25, 2019
It’s been a couple of weeks since I wrote because those couple of weeks have been a whirlwind! So I thought I would take a moment today to catch up on a few things.
On November 16, we held a Local Board of Administration meeting. In our denomination, the LBA is akin to the elder board in many other traditions. These leaders gather on a monthly basis to discuss where the church is, where we are headed, and what needs to be done to get us there. This month, we covered several different things of import. First, we are working on a written security policy that will help us protect the people and property of the church. Also, should anything terrible happen, the policy will guide our response. Second, we are working on revising our benevolence policy. This policy guides how we help people who come to us in times of need, and we are updating the policy because we have seen an increase in the number of families coming to us and the buying power of limits previously established has changed. Third, we began thinking about strategic goals for the next year. This process will continue through December and into January as we set our priorities and objectives in order to ensure that we are accomplishing the ministry that God has set before us.
On November 17, DHWC hosted its annual Harvest Dinner. This year, we were so glad to be joined by our friends from First Church of the Nazarene. This congregation has been meeting in our fellowship hall while they are between facilities. The joint service was an opportunity for us to hear the word of the Lord from Pastor Matt Polluck. It was also a fantastic chance for us to celebrate what God has been doing in and through both of our churches. Nearly 70 people were in attendance for the Harvest Dinner, and there was more than enough food for everyone!
Then, on November 23, we partnered with First Church of the Nazarene and Des Moines Refugee Support to host a Free Stuff Store. Donations were collected Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, and the church was absolutely inundated with stuff! On Saturday, though, people were lining up at 7:30 am even though the doors did not open until 9:00 am! In fact, there were so many people that we had a line out the basement door…
Once outside the door, the line continued up the handicap ramp, all the way to the street, where it turned south and continued to the stoplight!
A conservative estimate places the number of people that we helped on through this Free Stuff Store somewhere north of 700 people. And the ridiculous thing was that, even after all of that, we still had stuff left over that went to Encore Thrift Store, Goodwill, and other places for giveaways.
Sadly, there were people who left emptyhanded because of the very long lines. In fact, the wait was so long that we had to scramble and open the main level so that people could get inside out of the cold. Before our next Free Stuff Store, we will need to consider how we can mitigate the wait time and parking situation.
The unprecedented crowd was the result of a logistical snafu. Our contacts at Des Moines Public Schools were supposed to send the flyers to all of the ELL families in the district, but instead, they went to all of the families in the district. As a result, children from 37 Des Moines schools and 12 suburban schools came to shop! We were simply not prepared for that level of response!
Yet, I was reminded of the time when Elisha told the widow to ask her neighbors for jars, and the small jar of olive oil never ran out until all of the jars were filled. I was also reminded of St. Paul’s description of God in Ephesians 3:20 as “him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.”
As if all of that was not enough for two weeks of ministry, we also delivered some more coats to the kids at Samuelson Elementary. So far, we have delivered a total of 21 coats, and another 9 are slated for delivery today. This represents an absurd increase over last year! Last year, we spent an average of more than $50 per coat, but this year, we are getting coats of similar or better quality for between $10 and $15. This, coupled with increased giving, has enabled us to increase the number of coats we have provided by a factor of 5 year over year!
God is good!
With Thanksgiving, this week is short. Over the last couple of weeks, I have started working ahead on sermons, and this week, I hope to be at least a full week ahead for the first time since before I started seminary classes. I am excited to be working ahead!
Speaking of sermons, sadly, we did not get yesterday’s message video because I forgot to bring the memory card. But starting this coming Sunday, we should be more regular with video uploads and such. I keep saying that to myself. Hopefully, by making a public commitment, it will begin to happen!
This coming Sunday, Pastor Tami will be sharing with us for the second installment of our Advent series about the unlikely people who were included in Matthew’s record of Jesus’ family tree. More specifically, she will be sharing about Rahab, the prostitute who sheltered the Israelites who spied out Jericho. She has been working on the message for a few weeks now, and I have seen her notes! It is going to be good! Please do not miss it! the following week, I’ll be talking about Bathsheba. Then, on December 14, Pastor Sharon will talk about Ruth. And on December 22, I will finish the series by looking at Mary, the mother of Jesus.
Also this next Sunday, December 1, is our annual Hanging of the Greens and Soup Cook-off. We will start decorating the church for Christmas at 4:00 pm, and we will eat whenever that is done! It does not cost anything to enter the Soup Cook-off. Just bring your favorite soup to share!