leave the catch

Bill preached this morning from Luke 5, where Peter and his buddies bring in a huge, miraculous catch of fish, thanks to this guy Jesus (side comment: Bill mentioned that Jesus' fishing clothes were the same as his preaching clothes...was this an indirect comment on those crazy robes? He and Stu don't wear them to the contemporary service anyway, but I wonder if he made the same comment to the traditional services?). The boats nearly sink because there is such an insane haul. And what happens next? Jesus suggests that they leave the catch behind and join in with him, becoming fishers of men. And they do. They pull the boats up on shore, leave everything, and follow Jesus.

Can you see where this is going? See, all along Presbytery has been reminding us that although we pay the bills for our property, they actually have the right to make decisions about it (sorry I can't point you to the specific point in the Book of Order but it's in there). We're not contesting that. We're not fighting for the property. My personal opinion (disclaimer) is that the presbytery has been laboring under the assumption that Covenant is so strongly associated with the property in our minds that many of us who might otherwise vote to leave, would choose not to if it meant leaving the property as well. And what Bill pointed out today is that it's not just the property, it's everything. The desks. The computers. The choir robes. The hymnals. The chairs. The decision that we are currently being asked to make, the decision to leave this property and Covenant PC(USA), is a decision to join a church with nothing, not even pencils or paper to write on. Is it possible that we'll be able to negotiate with the administrative commission to buy some of the equipment? It's possible, but how likely you think it is depends on how cynical you are (personally I am a very cynical person, take it with a grain of salt).

The presbytery has their regular monthly meeting this Thursday, at which point our list of names will be presented--the list of those of us who are requesting dismissal. We'll be dismissed as a body (after last week's signups we numbered 720 members out of 1300; more signed up this week but I do not know how many).

Bill also listed what ministries would be going with the new church, and the list was considerable. Actually, I'm not sure what ministries were not listed. Even Presbyterian Women are going to the EPC (although there will be women remaining at Covenant and I assume they will want to continue Presbyterian Women together as well!), which is a little ironic because that was one of the ministries we were assured that we would lose in leaving the PC(USA). We may be starting a new church here but we're sure hitting the ground running.

For those who have asked about their giving, we were given that information this week as well. Although our leadership is still in the process of setting up the paperwork behind the church, there is an account available where we can go ahead and make donations. The mailing address for the church is:

Gulf Coast Evangelical Presbyterian Church (this is only a temporary name)
PO Box 60155
Fort Myers, FL 33906-0155

We are voting on the church name next week (yippee, another vote). As of Easter, we'll be meeting at the old Gulf Coast Church of Christ, renting space from the new owner, a small Brazilian Assemblies of God congregation which meets on Sunday nights. So, the details are coming together.

It is comforting to know that so many are willing to leave all this behind--the trappings we've associated with Covenant for years. But really, if the things that we own, even as a church, can come between us and Jesus, then we are in serious danger. Maybe we are recognizing that and are excited about the possibility of starting over with just Jesus.