The Capital Campaign logo includes the word "Next" with the letter "X" actually being a cross. A cross called "St. Andrews Cross" was in the shape of an "X" and may be the form of cross upon which Peter was hung upside down. The campaign theme that goes with the word "Next" is "Renewing the Sacrifice."
Along with our logo and theme comes this poignant scripture: Psalm 78:6-7: " . . . that the next generation might know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children, then they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds, but would keep his commands."
D. W. Barnhill, in the history of the church he published in 1951, spoke about the sacrifice that early congregants made, especially to build the sanctuary in 1908. At a cost of $30,000 (including the furnishings), they sacrificed to build a sanctuary that has now housed worshipers for one hundred years. I wish we had a count of the number of people who were baptized, married, buried, or who made professions of faith in this very place. Now, we must "renew the sacrifice" in order that we might reach future generations.
Another way of saying it is that we might "renew the sacrifice" for the next series of generations who will be the church of the future. Like D. W. Barnhill and early Uvalde residents, we must sacrifice for those who will come after us, those we don’t even know, so that in one hundred years United Methodists are still worshiping here.
Of course, we must return to the discussion of the "X" shaped "cross." This reminds us of the ultimate sacrifice that has been made that we might live. Jesus Christ sacrificed for us and paid the price for our sins. We "renew the sacrifice" by taking up the cross and paying the price with our own sacrifice to be the church.
We "renew the sacrifice" that he made for us by paying the price with our own sacrifice of time, money and talent to help maintain the sanctuary in which we worship God. Our logo then sums up the heart of this campaign: "that we renew the sacrifice for the next generation so that they would put their trust in God."
During the campaign, you will also hear the phrase, "not equal gifts, but equal sacrifice." With this, we understand that we cannot each give the same gift. There may be someone in our congregation whose total gift over the three-year period may only be several hundred dollars, but their sacrifice of a few dollars a week will be equal to the sacrifice of that person who is giving thousands of dollars. The gift won’t be equal. However, the sacrifice will be. Please don’t make a hasty decision, but prayerfully consider your gift that includes "equal sacrifice" for the next generation.
Our consultant, Jim Sanderson, told a story of a senior in high school who told her father at breakfast one morning she wanted to give the $750 she was saving for her class trip to their church’s building program. Her father said to her, "You give your $750 to the building program and I’ll pay the $750 for your senior trip." The daughter quickly replied, "But then I wouldn’t be sacrificing anything." She insisted, "I want to give my $750 to the campaign and my sacrifice will be to miss going on the senior trip." Her father told the minister that morning, and he asked the girl for permission to tell her story from the pulpit. She agreed and he shared her story about her "sacrifice." After one of the services, a man approached the pastor and stated, "I had decided to give $10,000 to the campaign. However, after hearing this young girl’s story, I realized that I wasn’t sacrificing. I have now been led to increase my gift to $100,000." Before it was over, the pastor was aware that approximately $500,00 had been raised by this young girl’s example. It was not an equal gift. It did encourage an equal sacrifice.
We each are being asked in this campaign to prayerfully consider how we will "renew the sacrifice" and make our own sacrifice that will be "so that the next generations may know him."
In Christ,
Scott
