Silver Anniversary

 

According to several historians, the tradition associating silver with the 25th wedding anniversary dates back to the area where Germany resides in the Middle Ages. It was customary for husbands to present their wives of 25 years with a silver wreath crown (and yes, a gold one at 50). The silver was said to symbolize the harmony that must be present to make a marriage successful after so many years. Even into the early third of the 20th century, it was only a few of the milestone anniversary years that were celebrated at all. Today, various lists give traditional gift ideas for every anniversary one to one hundred (it’s all about diamonds after 75, if you are wondering).

 

So the bride of Christ, Westkirk, is celebrating her silver anniversary! What shall we get her to celebrate? The traditional gift? Silver. The contemporary gift? Silver. The gemstone? Silver. The silver anniversary color? Silver. The 25th anniversary flower? Iris. Iris? Really? Well, fear not. If you want to donate flowers for the communion table some Sunday this year, there are several silver rose varieties you could choose from: the Silver Jubilee, Silver Star rose, Stainless Steel, Sterling Silver, and the aptly named ‘Happy Anniversary’ rose. Even famous Iowa horticulturalist, Griffith Buck has a hybrid tea rose bush called, Silver Shadows that should be good and hardy for around the Westkirk campus. Given a little time, I’m sure Audrene Hansen could find those. She can do anything.
 

While giving flowers for Sunday worship is always a welcomed gift to adorn our sanctuary for worship, and we are looking into creating a memorial scattering garden on the grounds, I think that the 25th anniversary of Westkirk should to inspire us to more than this. At twenty-five years we ought to expect some things out of a church family. And we can say, that for most of those years, there has been a harmony present that has encouraged our church to grow.

And so grow we shall. But not in the way you might expect. Last year, we recognized that Westkirk had grown to about 250 in average attendance but as our numbers grew, our programs grew also and we began to burn out our leadership core. Numerical growth stopped. We plateaued. This is known in church demographic studies as the ‘200 Barrier.’ Here at Westkirk, numerical growth does not motivate us in and of itself. Spiritual growth does. So in 2011, the Elders and Deacons began to look at this issue to discover if stagnant numerical growth and spiritual growth were related. Through prayer and study, we recognized that the 130+ different programs we were leading and enjoying was distracting us from accomplishing our vision – TO KNOW CHRIST AND MAKE HIM KNOWN. And this was a stumbling block to both numerical and spiritual growth.

So now that 2012 is here and we are celebrating the silver anniversary of Westkirk, I’m reminded of what the writer of Hebrews said to his readers as he warned them against falling away from the faith. He said:

^ESV Hebrews 5:13  for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.
6:1 Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, 2 and of instruction about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3 And this we will do if God permits.

If we are to reflect a church of 25 years, we ought to expect of one another, the same things we would expect out of any 25 year old adult children – some growth and maturity. We need to move beyond milk and begin to eat solid food. The Session will be finalizing some simplification of our ministry at their Session Advance in February. And an ‘All Leader Advance’ will take place in April when we put into place some of the things we have been praying and thinking about over the last 6-9 months. And I think what we will find by the end of this year is a Westkirk that is: 1) simplified in our structures, 2) focused in our commitment to knowing God’s Word, 3) with high expectations in our attitude and commitment to church, and 4) outward in our response to God’s work in our lives. Our prayer is that Westkirk become essential to not just the core few, but to every member.

It’s a tall order, but it’s time. Westkirk is celebrating her silver anniversary and I pray that each of us, myself included, will put our relationships with Christ and one another at the forefront of our lives by becoming involved less in programs and more in reading the Bible, sharing life together, and serving others. “this we will do if God permits…” Congratulations, Westkirk. You’re all grown up now. Let’s celebrate by glorifying God with our all in 2012.

Pastor Michael