It’s very important for you to read this article through to the end.

I’ve been following the Red Sox pretty closely, this season. Boy, for the first couple of months they seemed better than I’ve ever known them to play. They seemed invincible! Then they started on that long road trip out West. Things changed. The players started making more errors, hitting fewer home runs, and their pitching, well, let’s just say that it became less impressive than it was.

Every time the TV cameras panned over to the dugout, I studied the faces of the coaches – concerned, intense, knowledgeable and seasoned with decades of experience. Those coaches know what needs to be done. They know when it needs to be done. They know how it needs to be done. So I say to myself, “Why don’t those coaches just get out there on the field when the players don’t seem up to it?” Put the head coach in the infield, the assistant coach in the outfield, the pitching coach on the mound and the batting coach at the plate. They have the experience and the greater knowledge; they’re the real pros!

Wouldn’t that be something to see! One middle-age guy running his heart out to shag all those high fly balls to the outfield. Another one diving to snag all those grounders to the infield, then jumping up to run to the base, ball in hand, to tag the runner. Another throwing his arm out of its socket, and another, time after time, trying to get a piece of those fastballs. I wonder how many innings they’d last before they fell on their faces or needed to be carried off the field. Absurd, right? Of course it is.

And yet, that’s exactly the way many people seem to think a church ought to operate. Many people seem to think of church the way they think of a spectator sport – that church is about being inspired, comforted, supported, nurtured, guided, and when crises hit being taken care of. And many people seem to think that it’s the pastor or the staff who are supposed to be the ones doing it all. Leave it to the pastor. He’s or she’s the one with the experience, with all the knowledge. He’s the pro. And so if the “people in the pews” feel inspired, comforted, nurtured and taken care of, they feel good and positive about the church, and if they don’t, well, they may not exactly boo, but they sure wouldn’t like it much. Why isn’t this way of thinking about church just as ludicrous as the notion that the coach(es) could play all the positions on the baseball field? It is just as absurd.

I suspect it’s the Church’s fault that people seem to think of church as a spectator sport. I suspect the Church has left the indelible impression on people that they’re supposed to sit back and leave the entire ministry to the pros. I suspect that the Church has left most people with the impression that it’s the pros’ job to do ministry and it’s the parishioners’ job to believe and be good. I suspect that the Church has left people with the impression that a church exists to do ministry to them and their job is to receive ministry – to receive help, forgiveness, salvation, inspiration, nurture, pastoral care and comfort.

Actually, though, that’s not what Jesus had in mind when He started the Church. I don’t mean to say that Jesus didn’t spend much of His time meeting people where they were – to heal, forgive, teach and inspire. He did. After all, He did say, “Come unto me all you, who travail and are heavy laden, and I will refresh you.” But who was He talking to? He was talking to outsiders – to people outside the circle of His disciples, not to the community of His followers. He said that when He was doing outreach and evangelism. He spent the rest of His time encouraging His followers – His disciples – to take on the work of ministry that He was doing so that they could continue it after He was gone. That’s what you and I are – the community of those who are meant to do the work of ministry that Jesus did. He calls us to be doers of ministry and not simply recipients of ministry or, worse, spectators.

Alan’s departure has created something of a crisis for St. Paul’s– a vacuum of leadership for ministry. The Wardens, Vestry and I saw this crisis coming, when it became clear that Alan might decide to accept the call to Tiverton. We’ve had a plan in mind for the crisis – to use it for the greater long-term good of the parish. You may already know that the ancient Chinese character for the word “crisis” has always had two meanings – crisis and opportunity. The crisis of the vacuum that Alan’s departure creates for us is also an opportunity, and that’s exactly how we intended to use it. It forces upon us all – each and every one of us – a personal decision about whether we’re going to step up and roll up our sleeves to help shoulder the load of shared ministry at St. Paul’s or will, instead, sit back and watch programs fade away because one priest can’t do it all.

We’re hoping, praying and betting that the mettle of the people at St. Paul’s is strong enough to rise to the occasion – to be stirred to action and to more widespread personal engagement in the ministries of this parish. About half of the active members of the parish are shouldering that load, right now. It’s the other half that we need to become more engaged, specifically by increasing your level of volunteerism and financial contributions. We know that you can do it, and we’re hoping that the current crisis will motivate you to shake off any shyness, complacency or anxiety that would hold you back from rising to the occasion to do it. Do what?

I’m going to be blunt, bold and practical. I’m asking parishioners to double their personal involvement in practical help given and in financial contributions. I’m asking those not involved in any ministry of the church to take one on – one that occupies at least four hours per month, and that doesn’t include the Christmas Basket program. I’m asking you to pledge to the financial support of the church, and if you’re giving less than $15 per week to stretch yourself by doubling it. These steps, though still less than the national average, would be a strong start in putting faith into action. That’s the plan to offer you an opportunity in this crisis. The decision is yours. All of us need to pitch in and take on our fair share of the ministries of the church – to try our hands at volunteering to help in ways that we’d like to try or feel we might be able to do.

Recently a number of people have already stepped forward to help out in BIG ways – Dick Reid for preaching and worship, Trish Nugent-Miller in youth ministries, Jane Tiernan-Reilly in kitchen remodeling, Legacy Campaign, Newsletter devotions and Women’s spirituality, and Thomasine Manickas in pastoral visiting to hospitals and nursing homes. But other vacancies have come up just as Alan has left us. Here are just a few opportunities. We need ushers for each of the services. We need someone to coordinate ushers at the 10:30 service. We need people to take over hospitality – to manage the food and refreshments for special fellowship events (not Sunday mornings). We need someone to coordinate Wednesday Night Live meals if that program is to continue. We need five assistant Sunday School teachers for next year (contact Lori Lamb). We need people to help out with the counting of contributions on Sunday mornings (contact David Lamb). We need people to help out with this year’s pledge campaign (contact Marsha Welch). We need people to help the sexton with outdoor services – landscaping and repairs (contact Bill Healey). We need people to help out with the Healing and Prayer Ministry (contact James Jacob). We need people to lead next year’s Confirmation class (contact Lori or Trish). We need all sorts of help. If you want to help, but don’t know how or what to do, you may want to contact Ted Seymour or Emily McKenney to schedule an appointment with the Ministry Discernment Team.

Being part of a church, as Jesus intended it, means being an active part of a team, not spectators in the bleachers. And I have every confidence in you to be able to do it.

Affectionately in Christ,

Phil +