A sermon by Scott Berry of Crisis Ministries, April 25, 2010
James 2:14-17
James 1:22
James 2:14-17(the Good News Bible)
My brothers (and sisters), what good is it for someone to say that he has faith if his actions do not prove it? Can that faith save him? Suppose there are brothers or sisters who need clothes and don’t have enough to eat. What good is there in your saying to them, “God bless you! Keep warm and eat well!” – if you don’t give them the necessities of life? So it is with faith: if it is alone and includes no actions, then it is dead.
James 1:22
Do not deceive yourselves by just listening to his word; instead put it into practice.
Scott Berry
Good morning! Today’s message will reflect on the past, present, and future of Community Crisis Ministries. There will be three of us presenting; I will begin, followed by Kathy Sahrbeck, then Gretchen Reynolds, and I will wrap things up.
As we celebrate 10 years of a very special mission that is near and dear to me, Community Crisis Ministries, I would like to share with you a few verses from the Book of James, brother of Jesus and a leader in the early Jerusalem church. They were written about A.D. 49 to first-century Christians residing in Gentile communities outside Palestine, and all Christians everywhere. This letter expresses James’ concern for persecuted Christians who were once part of the Jerusalem church.
With energetic style and crisp, well chosen words, James confronts Christians head-on. For James, it is not enough to talk the Christian faith, he says; we must walk the walk. James asserts that genuine faith will inevitably produce good deeds. This is the central theme of James’ letter, around which he supplies practical advice on living the Christian life. His words are powerful even in today’s world in which we find ourselves.
Genuine faith will inevitably produce good deeds. This is the central theme of James’ letter, around which he also supplies practical advice on living the Christian life. We all profess to be Christians. We all have beliefs that constitute faith. This morning we would like to acknowledge this congregations’ actions over the past decade that we believe live up to James’ call to us, to show faith through good deeds. And to thank you all sincerely for your generosity that has enabled Community Crisis Ministries to work so well in our community to help those in need who have nowhere else to turn.
Kathy Sahrbeck (Outreach Coordinator):
We’re here this morning to celebrate and reflect upon the last 10 years of Community Crisis Ministries which many of us fondly refer to as CCM. A program that began with a generous gift from one church family has developed into a blessing for many, many individuals and families in need. Looking back at the passage from James, through CCM we created a system of action to go along with our faith, to help the people in our communities.
The program of Communities Crisis Ministries that we know today was originally called Outreach Ministries or Gift Ministries. It started with a gift of one million dollars. This came to us from a church family who was aware of many people “falling through the cracks”. Often people in need may not meet the stringent guidelines needed for assistance through other agencies. The family who donated wanted an immediate, large impact in the communities of South Portland and Cape Elizabeth. So with a big task ahead, the congregation held a meeting and brainstormed specific areas as to where to allocate the funds. The decision was not taken lightly, and with the main objective of helping those in need, we gathered to fill in the blanks. This impact was most definitely going to be swift as we had a timeline of three years to inject the money into the community, with no investment of the funds allowed.
The congregation collectively decided to use the funds in three areas; for children, seniors and people in crisis.
For children, we purchased the Discovery Center Pre-school program from the late Barb Adams. Discovery Center is housed downstairs in the Undercroft with 3 classrooms. Children from 3-5 years attend a half day program. Many church members have had the wonderful opportunity to send their pre-schoolers there, as well as others outside our church community who have attended this Christian pre-school.
To help toward our other goals, we hired Delcia Hutchinson, a social worker whom many of us knew and loved. Part of her job was to work with seniors from our church. The seniors formed their own committee, proudly known as SAGE, Senior Advisory Group Extraordinaire. This wonderful and close knit group welcomes all seniors to an atmosphere of companionship, fun and educational programming. Rev. Nancy Foran also helps with this program by visiting seniors.
The third area, the Community Crisis Ministries program, was formed to help church members and residents in South Portland and Cape Elizabeth. A CCM Review committee made decisions about how to best help the various individuals and families, under the leadership of Delcia. So the wheels were spinning and we had all of our programs in place. But, as time went on and the three year mark was fast approaching, we knew we had to make another big decision. Do we stop here? Are we done with the impact? How do we move forward? Working through Community Crisis Ministries had allowed us to give to many needy families. An overwhelming majority of the congregation wanted to continue this program, and that’s when I began to work in my present position, not knowing how many more years we would be able to continue.
Today, everything is in place just as it was back then. CCM is entirely supported by church members and friends. Our annual giving and spending average a hundred thousand dollars per year. Everyone asking for help is screened by a social service agency to verify their need and situation. The CCM review committee meets weekly to make decisions about how we might help each individual or family. Committee members are privy only to the situation and never a name. The majority of CCM funds each year go for housing and utilities. You may want to refer to a leaflet in your church bulletin for more details.
We have heard from many, many families through tears of gratitude that we have made it better for them. CCM often is a bridge in the rocky road that they are on.
I think I may speak for anybody on the CCM committee and say that we all firmly believe in our gospel lesson today which says that we cannot just have faith but also need to help our brothers and sisters in need. We celebrate our first 10 years and sincerely thank all of you for helping us to continue this program through your donations to CCM. I know that before I started in this position I would not have believed all the people in need, every day in our communities. It is easy to judge, make our own assumptions as to how an individual or family came to be in their situation. We see it every day. We hear the desperation in their voices and later the assurance that with a little help everything can get better. On Thursday, a woman we helped with oil last Winter called to say she was bringing in food for the Food Pantry. I always tell people to pay-it-forward but they often times insist on paying it back. She firmly stated that she HAD to do this simply because she could! She said I thank God every day for your church and your program….. Community Crisis Ministries is a wonderful gift from God. I am very blessed to have never needed a program like CCM. Have you ever needed this kind of help?
Gretchen Reynolds
I had only been a member of this church for a short while when our family experienced a financial shift in our life. I lost my job and now was home taking care of our daughter. It was only temporary, or so we thought.
As the months went by we quickly realized that looking for another job could take longer than we thought. This wasn’t what we anticipated or had even considered would happen to us. I approached Elsa with my worries to gain a better perspective and peace of mind. What she offered, little did I know, would lead to my involvement with CCMF.
She put life into perspective and offered me assistance. I was a bit taken back. We were paying for all of our essentials, barely but nonetheless getting by. “If you ever need some extra food or help in any way we have resources here at the church,’ she said.
Later on I shared my conversation with my husband. He had an equally odd look on his face. “Like if we need a few extra essentials with gas, food-like a tube of toothpaste or even help with housing we could look into assistance at our church,” I said.
You see, we never thought we would or could ever get to that point when we wondered where our food would come from or if we can afford the mortgage. I have to say I was a little embarrassed. But more so relieved at the fact that this church has so many people who give and care. I had never thought to give to CCMF. Heck, I didn’t even know what it was for and had my own ideas of who used these resources. That day when Elsa reached out to me it changed my way of thinking.
We never had to use CCMF. We adjusted and rode out the bad times. But I do think a little more about the “what if.” Now on one income what would happen if my husband got hurt? Sure, I can work I am educated, but I could not in my career support our family. “What if” turned into what if I pledge a few bucks each month to a resource that I might have had to use myself. Plus, I don’t need any extra treats or Girl Scout cookies each and every month. So I started to give. I do what I can but I know it makes a difference to someone like me who may someday need that tube of toothpaste.
Scott Berry
Over the years, CCM has become one of the central core missions of our church, from our ongoing assistance in the communities around us, to right here in our church congregation. Our angels program, which is a connected part of CCM, functions through the gracious and loving support of congregation members, who have volunteered their time and talents to others in our church. Whether it is a ride to church…a visit from a pastor…a driveway shoveled…a lawn mowed…a basement emptied…you get the picture. Through contact with Kathy or one of our pastors, we have an assured level of confidentiality if the need arises with anyone. There is no cost associated, no questions asked. Equally available is assistance with rent, a hand with a mortgage payment or utilities; confidential, private, speedy, and effective.
Through your generosity and kindness over the years we continue to be the bridge in a crisis for our members, as well as those in the communities of South Portland and Cape Elizabeth. Your faith in this program, coupled with your actions to bring this ministry to life and sustain it with your regular donations are the very essence of what James asserted to the early Christians so many years ago. For faith, without action is dead. This is why I believe we are here to do what we do. It is our faith, reaching out to those in need that demonstrates our love for one another.
CCM is action. CCM is a gift from you and me to those in our congregation and the community and we thank you. Amen.