John's Epistle            
 
On the Verge
 
Verge: something that borders, limits, or bounds: as (1) : an outer margin of an object or structural part (2) : the edge of roof covering (as tiling) projecting over the gable of a roof (3) British : a paved or planted strip of land at the edge of a road : shoulder
 
There is a memory I hold, distant and vague, of a song or poem. It speaks of a hedge that borders the yard around a home, the way most of us have fences that border our properties. The image that accompanies this memory comes from a book or a film-I can't remember which-and pictures a row of bushes that the British call a "hedgerow," so thick that they make a wall keeping things both in and out of the yard. This memory speaks to me about where we are as a church, we who are the Family of Buckingham.
 
We are on the verge of change, poised to break down the hedge that holds us in our place.
 
I've spoken in several places over my three years as your pastor about the marketing slogan that the UMC created several years ago to help "brand" the denomination in the minds of the public: Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors. It is a good slogan, catchy and potentially as challenging for us as it is inviting to the public. Do we really have hearts that are open to new people? At Buckingham, the answer seems to be a resounding "Yes!" Do we really have minds that are willing to hear what others have to say and respect them when their points of view differ from our own? For the most part, I believe we do, and as I like to say, if you can say "most" about something like that you're doing pretty good.
 
But do we have our doors open? We certainly have opened our doors to the community around us. Not only do we regularly host events designed to welcome our neighbors-VBS, the Lord's Acre Fall Festival, the Pumpkin Patch, Christian concerts, the Cantata, and numerous others-we also actively recruit community groups to use our facilities. The program known as YMCA "Green Team" that BUMC hosted this summer is a prime example: a cadre of young adult leaders teaching almost 50 teens from Foster Homes about what it means to care for the earth over 8 weeks. Wow.
 
We truly have reached the place where our doors are open because we are going out into the world to find people who need what we have to offer: our hearts and our minds that are set upon Jesus Christ.
 
Now is the time for us to invest all of our resources in the future, to put our money where our mouth is. It is time for us to dig deep and commit our finances to revitalize our facilities so that they will serve us better and, more importantly, offer ministries of hope to those who are not yet part of our church.
 
On Sunday, September 26, we will officially launch our "On the Verge" campaign to raise capital funds for renovation of our facilities. We have engaged architects, considered plans, set our priorities, and identified our goal.
 
Now it is your turn. If we all work together, we will reach our goal. The Lord has blessed us mightily, even in these days of worry and concern for the future. Please make plans to be present in worship on September 26 and be ready to open your hearts and minds so that we may open our doors even wider than before.
 
Grace and peace,
Pastor John