In a seminary mission class, Tom Mason told how, as a new missionary, he was assigned a care that would not start without a push. After pondering his problem, he devised a plan. He went to the school near his home, got permission to take some children out of class, and had them push his car off. As he made his rounds, he would either park on a hill or leave the engine running. He used thi ingenious procedure for two years. Poor health forced the Mason family to leave, and a new missionary came to that station. When Brown proudly began to explain his arrangement for getting the car started, the new missionary began looking under the hood. Before the explanation was complete, the new missionary interrupted, “Why, Dr. Mason, I believe the only trouble is this loose cable.” He gave the cable a twist, stepped into the car, pushed the switch, and to Mason’s astonishment, the engine roared to life.
For nearly two years needless trouble had become routine. The power was there all the time. Only a loose connection kept Mason from putting that power to work.
At Redeemer we are celebrating our hundred year anniversary with an exciting shared capital campaign, along with our non-profit Redeemer Center for Life (RCFL). God has blessed us with a wonderful vision that will impact not only the church building but the entire city block. God has brought to Redeemer the resource of Kairos Development Consultants, Plymouth church Neighborhood Foundation, Urban Works Architects, Faith in the City, Augsburg College and the commitment of mission partners.
God has put into our hands the opportunity to build a new future, a future that will transform our congregation, neighborhood and the lies of many people with disconnected cables. This is an exciting opportunity for the church to connect our cable with people seeking affordable and supportive housing, an accessible church building, kitchen that facilitates community and creative stimulating space where children and families are mentored to learn and grow.
These are just a few of the possibilities that are within Redeemer’s reach. The question each of us will need to answer is, “is our cable connected to God?”
How will Redeemer’s campaign reflect God’s campaign of justice and compassion witnessing to the church in the world? Thanks be to God for this amazing opportunity to build an exciting and promising future. Let’s make sure that our cables are connected to God!