This month’s article is a lot longer than I like, but it’s important so I pray that you will take time to read it.

Many years ago, God planted in the hearts of the people of Aldersgate a vision to expand our existing church facility to be better equipped to serve God in our community.  With God’s help, that vision was realized when we moved into our new space in November 2006.  It has been an incredible journey and we have had many opportunities to see God work miracles to accomplish His purpose.

• God blessed us with a hugely successful first capital campaign.
• God blessed us with a significantly lower bid than we anticipated.
• God blessed us with an incredibly mild winter during the construction phase.
• God blessed us with a large financial gift at just the right time.

It is clear in the way that God worked things out that we were working according to God’s plan.

Two years ago, we held our second 3-year capital campaign.  Over the past two years, people have been faithful in paying their pledges.  Many have given sacrificially and have been blessed by God for their efforts.  I am grateful for whatever you have contributed to this effort.  We continue to pay our mortgage payment each month; however, lately funds have been tighter.  This is not unexpected because pledges to our second campaign were about $100,000 short of our minimum goal to cover three years of mortgage payments.  In fact, God has already blessed us with additional gifts that have reduced the shortfall to about $70,000 more needed between now and the time we begin giving to our third capital campaign in June 2010.

With all God had done in the past, I wondered why God might be putting us through this.  In prayerfully considering it, I have come to understand there are a couple reasons.  I remembered God’s provision of manna for the Israelites in the wilderness.  God told the Israelites to gather only enough for one day.  When they saw the food that first morning many wanted to take more than they needed for a day to be sure they had enough for the next day.  Those who did were sorely disappointed when the manna became worm infested.  God was teaching the Israelites to trust in him to provide day by day.  Since we don’t have a lot in the bank, we need to trust God more and more.

The other thing I realized is that with a shortfall of some $70,000 we have another opportunity to see God work in a big way again.  God has done what we needed in the past and will do it again because God is faithful.  Every time we experience God doing something we can’t do on our own is an opportunity to grow in faith.

St. Teresa of Avila wrote, “Does it cost us anything to ask for a great deal, since we are asking One who is powerful?”  Our plan to approach the shortfall begins with prayer.  We are going to gather in small prayer teams of two to four people and ask God to meet our need.  Each team will be asked to meet to pray at least three times during June.  A prayer guide will be developed to help the teams focus their prayers.  We will be giving thanks for what God has done in the past and asking for help now.  Part of what we will be asking God to do is to show each of us how we might respond to the need with our own 3rd mile giving (The 1st mile is our tithes and offerings, the second is our pledged giving to the capital campaign.)  We believe God will inspire individuals and families to give additional gifts that will make up the rest of the shortfall.  One possible way that might work out is if for example God inspires 25 to give an additional $1000 ($25,000), 30 to give an additional $500 ($15,000), 30 to give an additional $250 or about $5 per week ($7,500), and 5 to give an additional $5000 ($25,000) over the next twelve months.

I pray you’ll give prayerful consideration to being a part of one of these prayer teams.  Whether or not God inspires you to make a 3rd mile gift, I am confident that participating on one of the prayer teams will help you to grow more in love with God and with others.  They are being designed in a way that will bring us together as a church and strengthen us in our ministry in the world.  We hope to have more than 25 teams with over 100 people lifting our church and community to God.  If God inspires you to make an additional gift, God will help you to do it.  The Apostle Paul reminds us, “God is able to give you more than you need, so that you will always have all you need for yourselves and more than enough for every good cause.” (2 Cor. 9:8)  I know it’s true because I have experienced God doing just that in my life.

During worship on the last Sunday in June, we will have an opportunity to lay our 3rd mile gift intentions on the altar table or place them in the offering plate.  No one will be looking at these commitments.  The commitment is between you and God.  This prayer campaign is about trusting God and that’s what we’ll be doing.  We know God will provide as God has done in the past.  And we get the joy of investing our resources to extend Aldersgate’s witness to Christ’s enduring love.  What a wonderful opportunity!

May God bless you abundantly,