Threefold Fullness of Health

Remember

Last week I wrote:  “Next week I will address the threefold fullness of health:  grandparent, parent, and child.”

Before I do that, I want to re-refocus briefly on our why. 

This Sunday is Transfiguration Sunday.  It is in part a remembrance of Jesus taking on his purpose with a clear focus.  Transfiguration is a positive, beautiful transformation.  Our own church purpose is transformation.  Our vision to be co-creators of new church life is bold, and it is about transformation.  As I indicated last week:  “Transformation is an intense process and it requires us to stretch. But, a critical element of that transformation, that stretching, has already occurred here:  Hilltop is reaching, stretching, beyond itself.  That is transformation.  Let’s continue that change.  Change like that requires rare people.” 

Health at every level matters

We are not alone in this adventure.  The “conference” is with us.  The conference is no longer a disembodied entity in Denver, if it ever was.  Too often, churches view the conference as where the Bishop is located and the place where we send money.  It is too often viewed as a one way street with everything going to Denver, and nothing coming back.  That is not accurate.  

I am personally here because Bishop Elaine listened to Hilltop.  The same can be said of Pastor Emily:  the conference listened.  But in ways other than pastoral leadership, the conference is sharing in this adventure.  All but $20,000 of the annual costs of this adventure are being paid by the conference.  The ability to do this is made possible by the 250+ churches of the conference, located in Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado.  In effect, a sliver of that $65,000+ to be sent to us in 2017 by the Rocky Mountain Conference is from Arvada (Colorado) UMC, LaJunta (Colorado) UMC, Laramie (Wyoming) First UMC, and Park City (Utah) Community Church just to name four.  Cantaloupe farmers from Rocky Ford, Colorado are invested in Hilltop and our bold ministry vision. 

Last year about half of all the churches in the conference met their financial obligation to the conference.  We were not one of them.  Our proposed budget for 2017 gets us incrementally closer to that goal, but still falls short.  The conference is in the resourcing business.  That is what it does:  equips people, both laity and clergy, as well as local churches for their transformation missions.  It can only do this if the local churches support the conference in its own financial health. 

Great gifts, great responsibilities; greater gifts, greater responsibilities

Health of the parent – Hilltop – and our intentionally planned child matter.  In fact, only $21,200 of our 2017 planned spending is about the child, creating her in good health.  That is a little under 6% of expenses supported by current congregational giving. 

Threefold Fullness of Health

Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase of the Bible, The Message offers this glimpse at Luke 12:48b: "Great gifts mean great responsibilities; greater gifts, greater responsibilities!"  We need to respond in a responsible way to the gifts we have been given. 

To repeat a mantra we have been offering since January:  “We are under-incomed, not over-expensed.”  I offer we are not under-led.  Your lay leadership at Hilltop is bold, leading to a vision that is bold. 

Roberta quoted an unnamed black preacher in the February Newsletter:  “God is not a monument, but a movement.”  Methodism was called a movement in our early days.

We can recapture the movement spirit by focusing on our transformation purpose.  Health beyond Hilltop, at Hilltop and the new life springing from Hilltop must all be factors.  Not simply the health of Hilltop as parent. You are at the center of this threefold fullness of health.  

Selah, Pastor Dennis

Pack Fast, Travel Light

Remember

Last week I wrote:  “Next Wednesday, this blog will focus on how we can all participate in realizing Hilltop’s vision. We will lay out a plan to make up our budget deficit.”

Before I do that, I want to re-refocus briefly on our why. 

Our very purpose is transformation.  Over the past two years the Hilltop self-identity has been radically restored.  That self-identity restoration of the vision to be a church parent is a transformation.  Our vision is bold, and it is about transformation:  to be co-creators with God of new faith communities in Utah.  We understand:  transformation is an intense process and it requires us to stretch. But, a critical element of that transformation, that stretching, has already occurred here:  Hilltop is reaching, stretching, beyond itself.  That is transformation.  Let’s continue that change.  Change like that requires rare people. 

It is a rare person that is moved by numbers but Hilltop is filled with rare – and transformed -- people. 

Nuts and Bolts

About 185 households worship at Hilltop once a month.  While we want to reach every household with our invitation, if 165 respond with an increase of $6.98 a week (every week, not just the weeks people are here), we could get to the lower range of that “need” of $60,000.  We would exceed it if all 185 households are inspired to join us on this journey.  It is important that we understand we are being invited to respond every week (back to January 1, 2017).  If that average goes up by $2.35 (to $9.33/weekly) per household, then we are at $80,000 which allows us to pay our own tithe to the United Methodist Church, and another $2.32 (to $11.65/weekly) per household gets us to $100,000 more and we can bring planned building and program expenses back up to where they need to be.  We have suggested that is one Domino’s Cheese Pizza or a Quesadilla meal at the Red Iguana, and some have said ‘those examples don’t work for me.’  I smile and then say pick something that is in one of those ranges and works for you! 

I confess when I say $100,000 it seems gigantic.  When I say everyone signs on for $11.65 a week (or $6.98 or $9.33 but back to January 1, 2017), it seems doable.  We have already had some impressive responses here. 

Our vision is bold. 

We are under-incomed, not over-expensed

We need to fight that first thought to pare down expenses.  Your leaders offer:  “We are under-incomed, not over-expensed.”

Our vision is bold. 

Roberta quoted an unnamed black preacher in the February Newsletter:  “God is not a monument, but a movement. And if you want to walk with God you’ve got to pack fast and travel light.”

Next week I will address the threefold fullness of health:  grandparent, parent, and child. 

Until then, keep in mind that we are inviting you to pack fast, and travel light on this bold adventure we are on. 

Selah, Pastor Dennis

What is Hilltop About?

Hilltop’s very purpose is to be in the transformation business

We have transformed ourselves in the last few years, and your church leaders believe that Hilltop has been called to provide a way for everyone to find Jesus. We believe that the world needs his presence, grace, and transformative power.

We have heard many stories recently of how Hilltop is transforming lives, specifically the single mother from Family Promise who spoke to us about Hilltop’s participation in changing her family’s life. A new member has shared with me how much Hilltop has been a place of grace and affirmation for her and her children.

We must look out beyond ourselves and be a bold reflection of Grace and love in the world so that the world can be transformed, our very purpose. That vision and our anticipated congregational giving are out of sync. We have a financial shortfall of at least $60,000. To fully fund our programs and meet our conference obligations, we need $100,000.

Hilltop is Under-Incomed, Not Over-Expensed

We need to strongly resist the reflex to pull-back, to think that Hilltop is over-expensed. It is not. We are under-incomed.

Would it surprise you if I told you our per-attendee giving level is the lowest of the predominately Anglo United Methodist Churches in Utah with a full time pastor?  I will come back to that in a different blog in a few weeks. 

Listen and Learn

Over the next four weeks, I encourage you to read, listen, and understand. We will be explaining our bold purpose and vision, which we see as fulfilling God’s call to bring about transformation in the World. As you hear presentations or read thoughts, you are encouraged, in Grace, to ask questions.

Our first thought is “We are under-incomed, not over-expensed.”

Next Wednesday, this blog will focus on how we can all participate in realizing Hilltop’s vision. We will lay out a plan to make up our budget deficit.

Our vision is bold. It will require stretching. Transformation is an intense process. Let’s all work together toward that vision. 

Selah, Pastor Dennis

Write the vision ... make it plain ... so we may run

And the Lord answered me: “Write the vision; make it plain on tablets,

 so he may run who reads it.”

                                                            Habakkuk 2: 2 (ESV)

Inspiration is a wonderful word.  Inspiration is something that causes someone to do something they might not normally have done. 

          That something is often an idea.  

                    Often, an idea that is greater than us. 

In the last several years Hilltop has been called to an inspiring vision.  

          The fact it is inspiring doesn’t make it less scary.  

                    But it is clearly inspiring. 

Your leadership has developed a vision for Hilltop to be an incubator of new church life.  The imagery of Hilltop giving birth often comes into our discussions.  Our language has led to practices that have been prayerful, scriptural and, we hope and pray, leading all of us here to do something we might not normally have done.  What we are doing in our conscious decision to give birth to a new church is refreshing and bold.  And after we are refreshed from that first birth, we plan to do it again and again.  We hope to be an incubator of new church life in this fastest growing state in the United States. 

What has happened here is nothing short of a call.  God has called our name in the night, and we have responded with “Here we are, send us.”

It is biblical and it is also literary.  In the Lord of the Rings, the Wizard Gandalf says to the hero Frodo, "you have been chosen, and you must therefore use such strength and hearts and wits as you have."  

Hilltop must use all of that – wits and heart to be sure we have the strength. 

Our vision of seeing Hilltop as an incubator of future church life also calls Hilltop to focus on our own health.  The health of the church and the health of the church child must be factors in our vision.  Health here cannot be either/or.  Health must be both/and.  Hilltop Home as mother and our refreshing child must both be healthy, as well as Hilltop’s loving mother, the Rocky Mountain Conference. 

Where we are in 2017 is exactly where Hilltop was called to be. 

Last year, your leadership urged our mother, United Methodist leaders in Denver, to see the urgency of now rather than the tyranny of later.  Mother listened and prayed, and was compelled to act by the inspiring and inspired leadership in Sandy, Utah. 

We have spoken of this call in words that we hoped would compel you to follow your leaders in this call. We have some work to do to bring that call into line with insuring grandmother, mother and child are healthy.  We are going to spend some time in February coming back to you and inspiring you with the call we are on – an incubator of new church life while keeping Hilltop the mother healthy for future births. 

The road we are about to trod is not going to be easy. In fact it will be scary. We must reject the negativity in our history and continue to talk, inspire, and lean in because we are called to do so.  I confess we are now at a place where we could exercise caution when the situation calls for us to be bold and brave, when the situation calls for us to be inspired. We must choose bold, brave and inspired.

Let me ask:  Does the world now need our witness and call less … or more?

It is my fervent belief and hope that we can exercise a theology and practice of passionate biblical Christianity that will continue to push fervently ahead where the rest of the world would issue a call to pull back.

We can do this inspired, compelling church birthing work, and keep Hilltop a healthy parent, while continuing to keep our mother in Wyoming, Utah and Colorado strong.  

          All must be in our focus.  

                    All of those must be in our vision. 

I encourage us to now be worthy daughters and sons of Hilltop, of Methodism,  and of the Lord.

I commented earlier that your leaders urged our mother, that is key United Methodist leaders in Denver, to see the urgency of now rather than be satisfied with the tyranny of waiting for later.

I pray we are inspired – now – by the example of your leaders to go preach love, stand fast against traditional wisdom, and renew the face of the earth.  I invite you in February to listen to your leaders, and answer their call with a faithful, inspired response. 

Selah, Pastor Dennis