At some point, the charisma of Jesus would have to be, at least, equaled by the power of the message and mission of Jesus and his little band. At some point, these four bought into the message, the Good News that Jesus had come to end the Israelite exile and usher in the kingdom of God, with the promise of eternal life. Sure, Peter got it wrong at first, but he came around. John and James got a little ahead of themselves with dreams of power, but they worked that out.

And, they changed the world for ever.

Jonah, on the other hand, never quite bought into the mission God gave him. He prejudged the folks of Nineveh and wanted nothing to do with them. When he did go, he told everyone that God was going to destroy them. They repented and God changed his mind. And that really angered Jonah. Who cares about a change of heart? Jonah saw his message as a prediction of the future. God meant for him to be a teller of truth to warn the people of God's displeasure. Two different concepts of what it means to be a prophet. A future teller or a teller of truth. Both traditions have their place in history. Jonah never got it. He never forgave the Ninevehites for repenting, and he never forgave God for being merciful.

There certainly are a lot of Jonah's in the world today. Even among themselves that would claim to be followers like Andrew and the others. God is vengeful. Justice is devoid of mercy. Hurricanes come as punishment of God. People die or have strokes because of God's wrath. Remember Jonah? He sat under a bush and waited to die. Compare that to the Apostles, who all died for their faith, but lived in joy and peace, embedded in their ministry of truth telling.

Truth telling. Not the safest career to be in. Not a job for those that want to be liked, loved, respected, accepted. But I am convinced that following the ministry of the Apostles is a part of the mission of the church. In our charge to reconcile the world to God in Christ, we must tell the truth and call for repentance, all the while showing the compelling charisma of Jesus Christ.

It is the church's job to bring people to Jesus Christ. Seems simple, but it is not. It is not just about getting people who do not know Jesus to develop a personal relationship with him, although that is vitally important. It is not just about helping those who do know Jesus to know him better, although that is important. It's not just about promoting an ethic and morality in its members, although, again, that is important.

If the church is to be the church, it must provide a culture of "kingdom life". The church must reflect the mission and ministry of Jesus. It must reach out to the poor and oppressed. It must help people deepen their relationship with Christ. It must welcome in the stranger and the unbeliever. It must reach the unchurched and bring them into the community of faith.

The church cannot be Jonah, running from God or sitting under a castor tree complaining about how perverse the church has become. The church is called to be Peter, the risk taker. Andrew the magnet, pulling people in. John, the thoughtful and contemplative. James out in the world proclaiming Christ in his work.

Truth teller. Prophet. Teacher. All a part of Christ's being and his mission and now, as Christ's Body on Earth, our identity as well.

Today is the 49th Annual Meeting of St. Hilary's Episcopal Church. We have been a community of faith witnessing to the people of Lee County for 48 years. It is a good time to look at ourselves and see if we are being true to the mission of Christ.

About a year after I arrived here, 8 years ago this week, I presented a vision statement that describes how we do ministry here. There are 4 points:

1. To be a place of welcome respecting the vast diversity of Anglican worship and practice.
2. To engage in Incarnational ministries in the parish, the community, the diocese, the nation and the world.

3. To empower each person to find their particular ministry in which to live out their Baptismal Covenant.

4. To assume an active leadership role in the community and the diocese.

How're we doing? Overall, I think were doing very well. We are a pretty welcoming place. We certainly give a home to diverse views and a wide range of Anglican worship and practice. We have made great inroads in welcoming newcomers. We seem to attract young families as well as newly retired folk.
We have some more work to do. We live in an area that is growing like wildfire, yet we are not. It's as much a factor of established people leaving at a rate equal to or higher than the new members we welcome. We've lost 4 families this year because of interpersonal conflict with other parishioners. How did Christ handle conflict? He was open about it. He always offered forgiveness. His relationship with us outweighed his need for redress.

I want to be very clear. It is not my job, Fr. Grady's job, nor anyone else's job to settle disagreements. We are diverse. We all come from someplace else with different styles of worship and leadership. That makes coexistence a challenge. But, reconciliation in Christ is what we are all about.

If we can close the back door, we will be able to judge our true growth. I have heard it said that we shouldn't be too concerned with numbers. I disagree. We are called to bring people to Christ. If our numbers are falling, we're not doing it. It is true that at some point, this physical campus will not be able to contain everyone. Such a problem to have. We are far away from that point. We can handle an average attendance of about 700 before we have to talk about either starting a mission or relocating. We're at about 370 average attendance now, so we have a lot of time.

But, we do have a challenge facing us right now. Our church building has become unhealthy. As with a lot of Southwest Florida, we have a mold problem. Take a deep whiff. It smells like my Aunt Aleta's attic. Notice the water stains on the inside walls. Not a good sign.

This building is a complex organism. Air conditioning, the carpet, the roof and the exterior brick all interlock. We have mold in the carpet because we have water leaks and the air conditioning is not doing its job at removing humidity. The sound system is unreliable at best. The lighting is difficult to maintain and creates blind spots throughout the nave, sanctuary and choir loft.

Fixing the mold problem is much more extensive than simply pulling up the carpet or changing air handlers. This isn't a good time, but we must renovate the interior of the church building now.

To this end, we have consulted an architect, an air conditioning expert and a mold expert. They will be working together to suggest options. I have asked Kevin Winter to be the contact point for communication between a building committee and the architect. I had hoped to have a building committee chair to announce today, but I don't. I am hopeful that we can be in our healthy, visible and audible nave and sanctuary by the end of July.

This is not going to be an inexpensive fix. I am forming a capital funds committee to coordinate the financing of the project. I don't have any real numbers yet, but I think we're talking in the $750,000 range or more.

I want to assure everyone, that your opinions mater and will be heard. Not everyone will be happy with all aspects of the repair and renovation. But it is important that we all feel a part of the design. It is my promise to you that the congregation will be involved in all stages of the design.

The second point in our vision statement has to do with outreach. I think our hearts are in the right place. As an old joke says, I have good news and bad news. The good news is that we have enough money to fund all the outreach projects we want. The bad news is that it is in your bank accounts. Given the budget that will be presented at the meeting, we will not have as much to give out as we'd like.

We are committed to a habitat for humanity project in February. We do want to send a team to the areas hit by Katrina. I still would like to send a team to the Dominican Republic.

And, there is a new and exciting opportunity. The bishop and the diocesan convention have promised to work with the church in Uganda to call attention to and force intervention in a genocide taking place in the north of that country. Our bishop is in the forefront of Americans to establish a center for reconciliation and peace in Uganda. I am a part of that process. Also, Bishop Achola of Uganda will be here for three months this summer finishing his sabbatical writing. We have been asked to host him as a bishop in residence this summer. There will be more on this later, but I am really excited about it.

The third point of our vision has to do with spiritual formation and ministry development. Debby Tripp, Deacon Cindy and so many others have worked diligently on programs to educate, inspire and motivate us to deepen our relationship with Jesus. Of all the areas of our church, I am most proud of what has been happening in terms of deepening commitment to the Lord.

We have an active Mom's group that blends fellowship, study and personal growth. It is great to see this group grow. Many women of all ages are attending an evangelism workshop later this spring. The men's ministry has grown as well. About 15 men meet at 6:30 every Wednesday to pray with and for each other and to study together. Many men are participating in the diocesan evangelism program.

As part of the grant we received for my sabbatical, we will be meeting with a specialist in ministry development and purpose in a week or so and later in May. As we sit on the verge of the 400 average attendance, he will help us define our purpose and how to develop to attract and keep members. There is also a seminar this week called the magnetic church to teach exactly that. I hope you will all participate in the listening process this review will engender.

We never know enough about God. We never fully understand his purpose for us. I truly believe that as long as we try to deepen our relationship with God in Christ, we will grow. When we stop trying, we slip into mediocrity. We are all called to a life of study and devotion.

The last point in our vision has to do with leadership in the community, diocese, nation and world. We are a congregation filled with extremely talented people. Many of us have become leaders in various aspects of our lives. I'm proud of the witness we make. I know the bishop considers this a leadership congregation. We're out in the world and the world is noticing.

We have some true challenges this coming year. It looks as though we're going to be tight on income. We've asked a lot of you, and most of you have responded in a tremendous way. Most of us have increased our pledges over last year. Nearly half of those have increased by 20% or more. We're going to be asking for even more as we start the renovation fund. Our future is in our hands. We either fund the mission and capital needs of the church, or we wither.

Those same challenges offer some tremendous opportunities. We have the chance to create an even more welcoming nave and sanctuary. The excitement that comes with a building program could be the community boost we need.

We face another challenge and opportunity. We are growing younger every day. The sad reality of life is that the leadership roles filled so long and so well by our now senior members are being vacated and fulfilled by younger folk who are much newer to this congregation. Whenever leadership evolves, it can cause tension. It can also cause excitement and a new vitality. It is my hope that we will never ignore the history and experience of our longer tenured members while at the same time encourage newer members to step up to the plate in terms of ministry and leadership.

Somewhat related to this, we are coming up on our 50th anniversary in January of '08. That means it's time for a party. I have asked Kari Hennagin to head up a committee to plan events surrounding our anniversary. She has already asked some of our more seasoned members as well as newer members to help with this big, important event.

Overall, 2005 has been a good year. Personally, I am so thankful to have been able to take a sabbatical of a lifetime. Hopefully I have returned renewed and revitalized to serve you better. I'm really excited about the future, this year and beyond. We are a vibrant congregation with an incredible group of leaders and volunteer ministers. We can be proud to be in such a diverse place.

As we enter a new year, let us remember the lesson of the apostles who put the message of Christ ahead of themselves and rededicate our selves to reconciling the world to God in Christ. It'll be tough at times. However, as the old hymn says,

The Peace of God it is no peace but strife closed in the sod, yet let us pray for but one thing, the marvelous peace of God.