WORKING TOGETHER

Yesterday, the Drawdown Committee and I made the difficult decision to postpone our Annual Drawdown.  Originally scheduled for this Saturday, the drawdown has been rescheduled for the Saturday before Mardi Gras, February 6. Our decision was difficult because of the work put in, the potential momentum lost from postponing the event, and the difficulty of knowing the future viability of the event itself. Drawdown is not unique in facing these challenges. I'd say they speak to larger challenges facing the church more broadly in our day.

For me, there's more to Drawdown than just making money, although it is a fundraiser. Equally important is the opportunity it gives us to be St. Columb's, to be the church. This event calls us to be a community of God's people providing hospitality, entertainment, and fellowship to anyone who accepts our invitation. It give us the essential opportunity we need to work together as a church.

For what thriving church has anyone ever heard of that did not possess the ability of its people to work together? Where would the church be if it's members decided each could do it on their own, or if the work was the sole responsibility of a few? Drawdown, as our premier annual fundraiser, has been that essential opportunity we need to come together as a people and make God's love known through our welcome, our generosity, and our work. 

That work, of course, is manifest in the varieties of gifts we posses and the energy we have to share them. Sometimes it's just the work of showing up, of making it to church on Sunday and tossing two coins in the plate. Sometimes its the work of getting through awkward conversations just to let people know you really care. And sometimes its the work/work ofscrubbing dishes, rolling tables, and making texts and phone calls to invite people to our door. 

So, I agreed to postpone Drawdown mainly because it was no longer an opportunity for us to work together. The truth is that the majority of people in our congregation were unable to attend, and you can't work together if your not... together. Listen, fall is busy and football is football. Such is life. God's still good. 

My hope is that our Drawdown in February will bring that opportunity back for us. My prayer is that this new date will be an opportunity for us to be St. Columb's, a community of God's people working together to walk in love. 

CJ+