The Vision

of Saint Stephen’s

“Look, I see heaven open

and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”

—Saint Stephen

Acts of the Apostles 7:56

Thoughts From Your Senior Warden—Part VI

The fifth and final point of the statement of our Vision of St. Stephen’s Church may seem to many of us to be outlandish in the extreme: [We will] be compelled to begin a new mission here in the Uncompahgre Valley. After all, as we are currently constituted, St. Stephen’s Reformed Episcopal Church in Montrose, Colorado, is a relatively small congregation in a relatively moderate-sized community out of the main stream of helter-skelter America. (Many of us like it that way, thank you very much! But is it what God likes or wants?)

Yes, in our current time and place in God’s grand scheme, our little congregation in Montrose is not garnering many headlines. And although God has been faithful in providing us with new members, we continually hope and pray for more families to join us. We’re still a small church yearning to grow.

So are we overreaching ourselves by envisioning our congregation reaching the stage of critical mass at which it should be spinning off a new mission within the Uncompahgre Valley? In a word—no.

Anyone who has studied the early growth of Christianity is amazed at how improbably and explosively the Good News spread. Congregations of believers appeared as quickly and tenaciously as weeds in a well-watered summer lawn. Despite martyrdom and persecution, Christians spread the story of Jesus to a world hungry for redemption. Could this have happened if God hadn’t wanted it to happen? Or, more importantly, could this not have happened if God intended it to come to pass?

Fast forward 2,000 years. Has anything really changed? The arrival on our driveways of each new edition of our local newspaper makes it abundantly clear: our times are just as troubled and godless as during the decadent, declining years of the Roman Empire. We are surrounded by families huddled in their homes that have been betrayed by broken promises. Political leaders have taxed them, lied to them, and led them into deadly alliances. Entertainers have deluded them and distracted them from what is true and moral. Advertisers have created insatiable itches to own ever-more-dazzling worldly goods, as if buying more stuff could ever fill the gaping hole in our souls!

As Christians, we know we have something many other people are seeking yet may not even know they’re looking for it! How can we find these lonely souls? Just go out into the world everyday prepared in the knowledge that the Holy Spirit will place someone in your path that needs your guidance. Something about you will draw them to you. They will seek you, and when they do, invite them to join you in worship this Sunday. Most likely, they won’t even be able to remember when anyone ever cared enough about them to invite them to church! If you like someone well enough to ask them to join you for a burger and fries, how much more caring it is to invite them to pray beside you.

The Bible urges us to spread the Word. People need what we have. If we share it, they will come. And eventually, with our sanctuary walls bulging, our congregation of St. Stephen’s will begin a new mission—just as the early Christians did, and just as God will empower us to do. Amen!