Two weeks ago, Truman Moore spoke movingly about the roots of our tree, how we are Grounded. Last week, Alisha Waller spoke quite beautifully about the trunk of our tree, which portrays how Generous we are in sharing our faith.  I have been tasked to talk about Growing our ministries, shown as the leaves on our wondrous tree.

I am not ashamed to admit that I am quite daunted to be following two such eloquent and knowledgeable speakers. But the beauty of our church community is that truly ALL are welcome. I am honored and I am grateful to have been asked to share my thoughts with you.

I had the good fortune to spend my childhood in the loving community of a small Congregational church in Dearborn, MI. I was a member of the youth choir, and participated in quite a number of church pageants. I attended Sunday school and even helped out in the nursery.

Being a child, I did not wonder how the church offices were run. I never once gave a thought to how things were funded. I was completely unaware of any activities of the church, beyond those in which I was directly involved. It never occurred to me to give any of these things any thought whatsoever. Being part of the church community was simply something we did as a family.

In contrast, in my adult life, I have not been involved with any organized religion until I came to Central a couple of years ago. For a variety of reasons, my faith journey took me in different directions.

About 6 years ago, my mother moved to Decatur because she had reached the stage in her life where living close to one of her children was the practical choice. She had 4 children, scattered all across the country.  However, as I was her only daughter, it only made sense that she move close to me.  She had emphysema and knew the time would all too soon come when she would need my help.

Throughout my life, my mother had always been an involved member of a Congregational church, so it took no time for her to find Central. She spoke warmly of the Women's Circle and Table Talk and was thrilled with the UCC Coffee Project. It sometimes frustrated her that she did not have the energy she once had because she wanted to be more actively involved in Central's many ministries.

I was grateful that she had found a church home she enjoyed. I came with her for Christmas Eve services, but still wasn't interested in attending as part of my own faith journey. She never tried to push the issue with me, trusting that I was on my own path.

I began going with her to Table Talk to help carry her dishes, and, like Alisha, found a warmly welcoming group of people. I was deeply touched by the love and concern they expressed for her.

Two years ago, my mother entered hospice care. I am so grateful that we were able to move her into our home. I did not fully comprehend, when I undertook the task, just how radically it would change my life.

I chose to give up my job so that my mother need never be alone. By so doing, I also gave up my primary community, one that I had been part of for over 15 years. I worked for a credit union and the members I served were a treasured part of my community. I kept in touch with some of my co-workers, but I was no longer part of that community.

Most of the people I knew worked full time or were otherwise occupied and not available to visit much. Also, I found that my more casual friends really did not know how to address the fact that my mother was in hospice care, so I heard from them less and less.

It was during this lonely adjustment period that I received a call from Joan Harrison inviting me to come to Table Talk. She knew my mother would not be able to come, but wanted me to know that I was still very welcome. It did not seem to matter to her that I was not a member of the church nor had I ever really attended services!

This simple, loving act somehow opened a door in my heart, making it possible for me to reach out to the loving community that is Central.

Becoming a member has so enriched my life. The Sunday school classes help me fill in the many gaps of my knowledge of biblical teachings and inform me of modern thoughts regarding those teachings. The sermons challenge me to ask deeper questions of myself. The beauty of our sanctuary provides me with a unique sense of serenity. The music of the choir lifts my spirits to even greater heights.

And, when my mother passed from this life on to her next adventure, this loving community was here to help me both grieve and celebrate her life.

My reason for sharing this little bit of history of my personal faith journey is to give you a sense of just how new I am to adult church membership and the responsibilities that come with it.

It was during Lent last year that I received my first ever Stewardship brochure. I didn't know it was called that. I did not know that part of its purpose was to raise money. I only knew that I was deeply moved by its content.

It was filled with a great deal of information about what Central does in our local area to improve the lives of those less fortunate. I had known about some of our ministries, but was impressed by both the number and variety. I was excited to realize that I could now be a part of these efforts and could, with my time and money, help make a positive difference in our area.

There are so many wonderful opportunities to help by giving just a bit of my time or money, or both. I have so enjoyed participating in the Alternative Gift Market and hope to help, in some small way, with our Nature Preserve. I want to learn more about the Open Door Community, the Decatur Cooperative Ministry, as well as other ministries that Central supports.

I had always understood that it was important to give when the plate was passed, but I'd never really given much thought about how much I should give. Remember, church attendance as an adult was (and still is) very new to me. But, having been so moved by the information in the brochure, I felt I needed to give it considered thought.

I decided that since so much more was going on than I had known, I wanted to give more than I had been giving. I chose to set up an online payment so that I would contribute 100% of the time even if my attendance wasn't quite at 100%. I chose an amount that felt like it would be a bit of a stretch for me because I am so very aware of how fortunate I truly am.  That felt like the right thing for me to do.

One reason I had avoided involvement in organized religion was that it had seemed to me so many churches were too focused on the growth of their membership. What delights me about Central is our focus on the growth of our ministries, that we actively look for more ways to serve the needs of those less fortunate. To me, this was the message Jesus brought, in its simplest form. For me, this was His most important message.

What I hope for each of you is that you will feel the delight I still feel  when I read about all that Central does in our community. I hope that you will choose a leaf, and jump in with your time and talents. I hope you will give considered thought, with gratitude, about what will be the right thing for you when you receive your pledge card. And I hope that you too will feel very fortunate and wish to do all you can to help those who are less so.