An Essential Reminder

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart.”

–Proverbs 3:5

15 years ago, the Session of the congregation I served at the time gathered for a historic decision. Not every matter a church governing body considers rises to that level, of course. This one did as the group pondered next steps in a major renovation effort.

In the preceding years, those officers had created a Facilities Task Force, selected an architect, and after 16 months of congregational input presented a master plan to the membership that was endorsed overwhelmingly. The Session formed a Renovation and Construction Committee, approved a bridge design to connect our two buildings, and identified the contractor. At another congregational meeting, the members authorized a capital campaign and soon thereafter the Session approved four mission projects to be funded alongside the construction effort. Then in the midst of the worst recession in a generation, the membership made pledges of $3.6 million toward a project estimated to cost two-and-one-half times that amount.

Thus, when the Session gathered on that night in January of 2010, the congregation was on the cusp of moving ahead. After quickly settling the other items on that meeting’s agenda, the officers focused on two big questions: “Where should we start the renovation effort?” and “How much should we borrow?” That second step was something that for all practical purposes, the congregation had never done before and certainly never to the scale being considered. 

As the officers talked about that latter subject, an unsettled spirit filled the room. Some expressed concern over increased operating costs with a larger building. Others thought we should scale back our project since we hadn’t received construction bids yet. One officer expressed concern about whether there would be sustained enthusiasm by the members for multiple campaigns. Still another elder worried that the project would hurt current ministries. All of those questions were important to raise, yet as they were named one-by-one, anxiety in the room rose.

It was then that an elder who had rarely spoken in a meeting prior to that night raised her hand. When I called on her, she said: “God has brought us to this point. We are ready. With God’s help we can do it. It’s time to begin.” With her gentle, but clear words of faith the tension in the room completely disappeared. The Session quickly proposed the portions of the project where work would begin and recommended authority to borrow up to $5.2 million. A few weeks later, the congregation endorsed both proposals by a three-to-one margin.  

Trust. It is such an essential component in life. If a child trust his parents then there is the freedom to grow and risk. If a staff member trusts a supervisor has her back, then there is strength to face the angry customer and a willingness to put in long hours. If a soldier trusts his commanding officer and fellow soldiers, he is ready to move ahead in times of war or peace. By the same token, when trust is absent, all kinds of doubt can settle in.

Several millennia ago, Solomon spoke to that reality with these words: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” That king of the past was not suggesting we should disregard what the mind and heart tells us. He was not implying that the wisdom of experience should be ignored or that we should move ahead in big ventures without examining the facts. But he was clearly affirming that what we can see in this moment is not all that there is to be known.  Thus, an abiding trust in God is essential.  

The other 24 elders in a Session meeting ten years ago knew that. Each of them had stories to tell of how their reliance upon the Almighty in the past had been rewarded. All of them had agreed to serve as an officer because they trusted in the strength to be found in seeking God’s will together.  Yet on that night as the significance of that decision weighed upon them, it took the words of a fellow elder to remind them of what they already knew. 

The result of their courageous vote is a vastly enhanced church campus today that continues to bless the body of faith and community. The debt? It stands at zero.

Abiding One, I know that you can be relied upon as steadfast. Help me claim that truth again and act upon it as I look at whatever options for moving forward confront me this day. Amen.