Every seat had a box with a label
reading "Please do not open until instructed to do so." During the
sermon, Pastor David told us to open our boxes. He asked us what we found. Most
people called out "a paratrooper" but I said, "Pooper
Trooper" because that's what we always called the toy when we were kids.
Mindy and I had arrived for the fifth (and last) Sunday of a sermon series entitled "Elements," which explored what we
need to be a follower of Christ. We missed "Earth" for Christian
Character, "Fire" for Communion, "Wood" for Connection, and
"Water" for Community, but we were there for "Wind" for
Commission. Acts 2 and John 3 were used for texts, both of which describe the
Holy Spirit with the image of the wind. The toy was a reminder that just as the
wind directs the plastic parachute, we must rely on God for direction.
Pastor David McPherson followed
God's direction to come to Santa Fe to plant a church fourteen years ago. He
had been attracted to the area for many years. As a young man, he had served at
Glorieta Camps, just a few miles from the city. He and his wife, Melanie, had
often vacationed in the area and had thought of retiring there. But they
finally thought, why wait?
With some support from the Southern
Baptist Church they came to the community of Eldorado, about about eleven miles
from the Santa Fe plaza. There was not an evangelical church in a ten mile
radius from the Eldorado Community Center, and a decade and a half later there
still is only one other church in the area, Saint Elias the Prophet Greek Orthodox
Church.
David spent the first year talking
to people and listening to what they were looking for in a church. And that
first Sunday, there were sixty people; very encouraging. And the next week
there were twenty people, and in upcoming weeks there were less. But the church
persevered.
Santa Fe is not exactly the Bible
Belt. The area attracts a unique demographic which partially explains why the
church strives to be a "community of grace and hope for searchers,
dreamers, rebels, artists, losers and adventurers." David described the
congregation as having a variety of backgrounds, "Muslims, Buddhists -- we
recently baptized a young woman who was raised as a Pagan." Most of the
people we met seemed to have a Christian background, but David admitted that in
the recent past the church has become a bit more "churchy."
We were introduced to the church by
our friend, Mary Southall, who we knew from the Healdsburg Community Church. For
much of her life she had been repelled by the church, having grown up with a
father who said she should go, but didn't live up to it himself. About ten
years ago she happened upon Healdsburg Community Church, and when she moved to
New Mexico she hoped she would like this Community Church as well. She soon
integrated herself into the church. That morning, she made and brought the
snacks; she also leads a weekly Life Group in her home.
Pastor Dave wouldn't call her a
member of the church, though. The church doesn't have members. Once people have
attended for a while and decide to step up their commitment, they can become volunteer
staff. And volunteer staff vote on important issues in the life of the church.
A group of interns from Glorieta also
help out. We met Jake, who leads the music. He works part time at the church
and part time at the coffee shop that shares the building with the church. (Other
storefront neighbors include a fitness center and a Bernie Sanders volunteer
office.) Another intern co-ordinates volunteers, while another leads the
children's ministry (KidZone); ECC provides housing, utilities, and a small
stipend; all interns must find other part time work.
Pastor Dave does other work himself.
He is a professional potter, specializing in Raku, selling his work in the
area. His wife, Melanie, just recently took over a different business. Last
December they bought a bakery in downtown Santa Fe called Sweet Lily. It was a
dream come true for Melanie, who has worked a baker for years. Last Friday, we met Dave at the bakery, and
he was manning the cash register. I asked how they handled balancing the church
and the bakery, and he said they were still figuring it out.
David seems quite willing to admit
that they haven't figured out how church in general should be done. He says the
way they do things is continually changing, and if you like how they do things
now; realize it might all be different next year. In Sunday's sermons, he
challenged the congregation, if they were Christ followers, to not think of
church as a place for their comfort and entertainment, but instead as God's
instrument for caring for a hurting world.
I trust God will continue to direct
and use ECC to care for the needs of hurting folks in Santa Fe, as their Sunday
morning handout says, "We welcome those who are single, married,
divorced...filthy rich, dirt poor...You're welcome if you're 'just browsing,'
just woke up, or just out of jail." In short, they aim to welcome
everyone; as God is directing them to do.
Statistics:
Service Length: 50 minutes
Sermon Length: 32 minutes
Visitor Treatment: Our friend
Mary introduced us to a number of people, and several others introduced
themselves. The handout contained a tear-off sheet for visitor information (as
well as space for prayer requests and updates of regular attenders' information).
As instructed on the sheet, I placed ours in the offering box on a table to one
side of the room.
Followup by Tuesday Morning:
none
Our Rough Count: 45
Probable Ushers' Count: 55
Snacks: coffee, tea, decaf,
water bottles, cookies, frosted muffins, brownies
Musicians: 2 men on guitar
and vocals, one man on percussion, 1 woman vocals
Songs: "We are Here for
You"
"How
Deep the Father's Love"
"Revelation
Song"
"Nothing
but the Blood"
Miles to church: 5 miles
Miles from start: 1,379
Total 2016 Miles (to New
Mexico/Texas border): 3,127
Church website: http://www.eldoradochurch.org
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