Peace Sunday

by Rev. Eric Folkerth

For some of us Christians, Christmas is a hard season because of the juxtaposition of our faith with the Power of Empire. This coming Sunday is “Peace Sunday,” and at Kessler Park we’ll light the second Advent candle, the “Candle of Peace.” So, let me talk about this juxtaposition a bit.

All through our lives as Christians, but poignantly during Advent, our faith reminds us of how: “they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks.”

Our Advent Hope calls us to trust in a world of Peace, beyond the event-horizon of our ability to see. We trust in God for the coming of that Peace. A world where:

"The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them.”

The problem of course is that the world continually gives us messages of war and worldly power. Advent Peace crashes headlong into the Power of Empire.

And, although it is uncomfortable to hear, there is no nation that more represents Empire in our world today than America. Sure, a few others rival us, but far too often America plays the part of Rome in the Christmas story, exerting power and control over other nations and peoples as Rome once did.

Yes, we try to be a good people individually. But man, we sure do get into a lot of wars, don’t we?

Some years back, I created this video that tries to illustrate this, by juxtaposing a classic Christmas song of peace with the words of sitting US Presidents-- the most outward and visible sign of Empire in our time.

Take a look at it HERE.

Whether you like or loathe some of the presidents in this video, they all represent American Imperial Power.

To me, juxtaposing their words —expressions such as “fighting for peace,” “a full generation of peace”— with the words of the hymn, helps us see the challenging differences in the messages and the starkly different ways that an Empire speaks of peace, as opposed to how Jesus does.

For two thousand years, Christians have been struck by these juxtapositions: This hoped-for peace of our faith….the heartbreaking warring of human beings.

There is actually a verse of the hymn we don’t generally sing that I think helps us see this juxtaposition. (I sing it in the video…)

"Yet with the woes of sin and strife
The world has suffered long;
Beneath the angel-strain have rolled
Two thousand years of wrong;
And man, at war with man, hears not
The love-song which they bring;
O hush the noise, ye men of strife,
And hear the angels sing."

See?

That’s it, right there.

Our *faith* speaks of deep faith.

Our *world* speaks of “man at war with man.”

But this coming Sunday, we’ll light that Candle of Peace anyway. We’ll hear the Christmas message….the message that Linus recites from Luke Chapter two about peace coming to all people.

We’ll hear the final words of the hymn that speaks to us of the hope of our faith, beyond the event-horizon of our world:

"For lo!, the days are hastening on,
By prophet bards foretold,
When with the ever-circling years
Comes round the age of gold
When peace shall over all the earth
Its ancient splendors fling,
And the whole world give back the song
Which now the angels sing.”

See you Sunday,

Eric

Stewardship 2022

by Rev. Eric Folkerth

“Sowing Seeds….we’re sowing seeds…”

I think Pastor Kay and I have said this to each other perhaps a dozen times this past month. If there is a single metaphor that describes where our church is, right now —and where we will be into the year 2023— it’s “Sowing Seeds of Hope.”

That is why this is our Stewardship theme for the 2023 budget.

And during this campaign, we will try to speak plain truth to you about where Kessler Park UMC is right now and where we hope to go.

Where we are now:
Continuing to move past the pandemic…
Starting new programs, some for the first time in two years…
Dreaming about the future of KPUMC…

The realities are that the pandemic years have likely forever changed our church (and all churches…). Worship attendance has recovered somewhat, but is below where it has been. Committees continue to tentatively meet in-person.

But there are true bright spots:
— Joe Jencks Concert in Roberts Forest.
— Trunk or Treat and Halloween Movie Night.
— Prism Sunday School class.
— Book Study on “Do I Stay Christian?”
— Seminar on “Confronting Christian Nationalism.”

Some of these events went very well, in terms of attendance. Others, not as much. But all are “seeds” of the future church. And what it means to “sow seeds” is to try things that work, try things that fail, and trust in the God that will grow and guide our future church.

But perhaps above all these in terms of our hope and joy is “Wednesday Night Live.” Our weekly gathering of neighborhood children has been a huge success this Fall, as kids play in Roberts Forest, eat a meal together, and hear a story from Pastor Kay. This was a major outreach of our church before the pandemic, and it’s a blessing to see how it’s returned this Fall.

Two BIG seeds we are sowing are connected to our building and grounds.
Our new roof “Protects the House,” ensuring the security of our building.
Our upcoming playground renovation “Builds the Foundation,” of our future, paving the way for the expansion of our KPUMC Day School, once the Kessler School(TKS) has left.

Speaking of the impending departure of TKS, our Finance Chair Robert Rodgers offers these words about the urgency of giving to our 2023 Annual Budget:

“Church and Parents Day Out net operating expenses are approximately $900,000 per year. The Church is typically funded through three sources; contributions, the Parents Day Out program(PDO) and rent from TKS. Contributions typically account for 50% of operating expenses, the PDO 35%, and TKS 15%.

“In 2023 this will change. The Kessler School is moving to their own campus. This will reduce our annual operating funds by approximately $140,000.

“The church is planning on using a portion of the school’s vacated space to expand our PDO program. Hopefully, this expanded PDO will make up for the loss of TKS revenue; however, this will not occur fast enough to cover the entire loss in 2023.

“The Church has been able to set aside excess operating funds from the last couple of years to provide some coverage on the TKS revenue loss, but we will likely need additional funding to cover the difference.

“Your stewardship generosity has provided us the financial resources to initially address the loss of TKS revenue in the first part of 2023. Hopefully, your continued stewardship will carry us through the 2023 transition to an expanded PDO mission.”

So, these are the challenges before us:

1. Continue to “sow seeds” of hopeful new and renewed activities in our neighborhood and church.

2. Plan for a financially challenging transition in the 2023 budget year as TKS leaves and our own school expands.

We will try many new things in 2023 and some will meet great success. Others will likely fail. That is the way of all seed scattering.

Our future then includes an expanded day school, a renovation of our “middle” and “upper” floors, and a continued “sowing of seeds” of new and renewed ministries in North Oak Cliff.

I hope you all hear some of the things *I* routinely hear: That our church matters to our neighborhood and that they would miss us if we were gone.

Wednesday Night Live parents are so grateful to us.
Parents Day Out parents are so grateful to us.
Methodist Hospital is so grateful to us.
Our LGBTQ neighbors and and friends are so grateful to us.

(More about all of these next week…)

Almost every week, some non-church neighbor in North Oak Cliff tells me about the difference KPUMC makes to them or their families.

I know that the economy and your personal finances are perhaps challenging right now and that the request to consider additional 2023 funds to help “bridge us” through next year could be a big ask.

Please prayerfully consider this request. Our Pledge Sunday will be November 20th. Help us continue the “seed sowing” ministry of Kessler Park UMC into 2023.

Time to Vote

by Rev. Eric Folkerth

One of the things that makes me proud about Kessler Park is that it is obvious to me that our congregation votes. You all are highly engaged, as church members and citizens. It’s very likely that a very high percentage of you plan to vote or already have.

Early voting is open now. I urge you in the strongest ways to vote. And I’ll say more about this in a moment.

But first, let us all send best wishes to Kessler Park’s own, Judge Mary Brown. Mary —as many of you know— was born and raised at KPUMC, and despite the fact that she lives in a different neighborhood, is still connected with us to this day.*

This is not an endorsement, but I should remind you that due to errors in her signature collection, I now share the following information…

Mary Brown’s name doesn’t appear on the printed ballot. But it is possible to “write in” her name under the “301st District Court” section of the ballot.

Again, this is not an endorsement. But I know that many of you have known Mary and her family personally for decades, and I’m sure some of you will be grateful to understand that specific ballot issue and perhaps were not aware of this issue.

—————

More broadly, I continue to be troubled by low voter turnout. We are hearing that these first few days of turnout have been significantly lower than the previous election cycles.

As a Christian Minister, my hope is not only for the health and safety of those inside our walls, but also for the health, safety, security, and justice that should be given to all God’s children who live in North Oak Cliff and Dallas.

I have a sense that a complicated combination of factors —voter suppression laws, post-pandemic trauma, and cynicism due to continuing political gridlock— are convincing many people that their vote doesn’t matter.

I hope this is not so. I fear that perhaps it is.

Of course this is, itself, a self-fulfilling prophecy. If we act and believe that our votes don’t matter, then our votes *won’t* matter. And whether we like it or not, voting in America is almost always a “forced choice.”

Time and again I hear friends and church members say, “I just don’t like either candidate.” And I get that. Being forced into a forced-choice choice when voting often feels wrong.

But it is the system we have. And it will very likely be the system we have, so long as we have this system.

Choosing to not participate has grave consequences to our society.

I think here of South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who once said: “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.”

Tutu was not directly addressing the concept of voting when he said this. But he *was* addressing the concept of non-engagement in civic life…which is a result of non-voting.

So, please, go and vote. And encourage all of your friends to as well.

I would never presume to tell church members whom to vote for. But I will suggest the following metric for Christians:

Vote for candidates whom you feel most live out Jesus’ Great Commandment….love of God, love of neighbor, love of self. And remember that Jesus defines our “neighbor” as “the one you think is your enemy.” (Parable of the Good Samaritan.)

I urge you to not only vote for your own self-interests, but to consider a more complicated metric of voting for candidates you best feel serve all God’s children, and who stand for values that love and serve all God’s children. This is a “hands and feet” embodiment of what it means to “love your neighbor.”

Of course, no earthy politician can *ever* do this fully. They are all deeply flawed, as is our system itself.

But as you make your forced-choices, prayerfully consider both your neighbor *and* yourself in your decision-making.

Whomever you vote for, I really hope you do.

Grace and Peace,

Eric Folkerth

*I always make a point of wishing “best wishes” to any candidate associated with our church.