Pastor’s Corner October 2013

The following was published in our monthly newsletter, the Redeemer Report.

What to do about the post Missions Conference “after glow”?

Redeemer enjoyed another missions-focused weekend with five of our regularly supported missionaries personally reporting on their respective works.  Phil, long time missionary to Asia, preached an inspiring sermon based on Colossians 1:25-29.

We are blessed to partner with effective, Christ-proclaiming, Church-building, community-impacting, cross-cultural, ministries here and abroad.  Giving from Redeemer’s general budget to support missionaries has been a solid commitment for the entirety of our existence.  Even during tight financial times when almost every line item in our budget was slashed, RPC has raised missions giving.  The gospel is so precious and so glorious, we really do want everyone on earth to know it.  The church in the United States is blessed and has resources to share for the furtherance of Christ’s Kingdom.  We should always be looking to increase our involvement in gospel missions and outreach.

Not only should our gospel-preaching, church-planting efforts be done in distant lands, there is continually the need for new works in our own country, even our own city.  Redeemer is starting to become more involved with MOSAIKON, an attempted church plant in Olathe targeting the huge Spanish-speaking population in Johnson County. It continues to be the desire of RPC leadership to plant a daughter church in the Lee’s Summit are some day.

On the Sunday night of the Missions Conference, I tossed out a vision for what RPC could do if we paid off the remaining debt on our property.  We owe around $2.15 million dollars on this expansive, beautiful, useful property God has blessed us with.  Our current giving levels sustain the ministry well enough, but too much money services debt.  As homeowners, most of us know how interest works and how long it takes to pay off a house if we stay on the bank’s schedule.  What if Redeemer paid off the remaining debt in the next 3-5 years? Do you think it’s possible?  I have a sense it is possible.  Obviously, to pay off $2.15 million that soon, it would take a church of 500-600 giving very generously, but I think it can be done.  I pray God blesses our members greatly so we can contribute generously.  The recent three-year Embrace the Vision capital/stewardship campaign made a good dent in our debt and helped stabilize the immediate financial condition of RPC. The campaign ends this Spring and we still have debt to retire.  As God has blessed you, please pray and consider how you might give at a level that allows us to be debt-free very soon.

Your leadership is committed to accelerating the mortgage pay-off in relationship to increased giving.  There are no immediate building plans or other expansive ideas that would require lots of money.  Stewarding our current ministry and improving our involvement in existing endeavors is our goal.  If we paid off the remaining $2.15 million, there would immediately be $200,000 more annually for Kingdom expansion!
In the Lamb,
Pastor Tony Felich