SERMON
Thank
you for coming this morning to hear about the power of commitment.I
expect a few stayed away because they didn't want to hear my yearly canvass
sermon.Perhaps they mistakenly believedthe
annual dinner skit satisfies their need for inspirational giving.As
much as I enjoy the annual dinner skit, especially since Bob Franklin lets
me be in it rather than just lampooned by it, our members and friends need
a larger framework in which to understand pledging.This
will indeed be a canvass sermon but its message is much larger than the
canvass itself.The commitment we
express in our pledge is just one aspect of what I'll be discussing this
morning.
Having
served as the Finance Chair for the First Unitarian Church of Oakland,
California, and serving as a minister, I've seen a number of pledge drives.Our
canvass committee runs one of the best I've seen, taking their responsibility
very seriously.Every year though,
I hear angst and fear expressed about canvassing and being canvassed.People
don't seem to like asking for pledges from others nor do they like making
them.
I
think this is partly because they are only looking at the negative side
of the canvass visit.Asking someone
to increase their giving to the congregation is inherently uncomfortable.What
the canvasser is really asking the canvassee is to increase their
commitment to our congregation.The
canvasser is asking the canvassee to reorder their monetary priorities.This
means experiencing how attached we may feel to our income and wealth or
lack of wealth.This means feeling
the discomfort of being asked to part with something we want to hold onto.Few
if any of us think they have too much money and don't know what to do with
it.
What
the new canvasser doesn't see during the canvass visit is the positive
result for the canvassee of an agonized increase in financial commitment
that comes over time.Experienced
canvassers who've participated in our canvass for a number of years have
seen that result and it energizes them.For
some on our Canvass Committee, it becomes its own ministry of generosity.
This
morning I'd like to explore with you the power and transformation that
can happen through making a pledge which is really making a commitment.Commitment
is the currency of communal existence.To
begin to better understand that power we need to recognize the two dimensions
of commitment.
The
first dimension is a promise.Any
commitment is a promise of relationship.A
commitment to a job is a promise to internalize the vision and goals of
the employer or the customer as personal visions and goals.A
commitment to a contract is a promise to abide by its language.A
promise is a willingness to limit one's freedom in pursuit of mutual ends.
The
second dimension extends the promise over time.I
will not just promise to honor my commitment today.I
will continue to follow through on my commitment.I
will do what I say I will do.As
long as I am employed, I will maintain my loyalty to my employer.I
will continue to abide by the language of the contract for the term of
the contract.I will limit my freedom
not just once or twice but for an extended period of time.
Commitment
is tremendously important in any kind of social life.To
make a promise and follow through means to defer gratification.Paying
my pledge will limit what Philomena and I do with our money.The
promise of marriage I made to Philomena means I will not share my bed with
another.The level of commitment
required to raise a child often startles the parents of a newborn baby.Parenting
is a huge commitment that extends for the rest of one's life.
The
commitments we make shape our identity.A
good way to get to know someone is to ask what her or his commitments are.Are
you in a committed partnership?Do
you have children?Are you a member
of a religious organization?A civic
organization?What do you do for
a living?Are you a Democrat or Republican?How
about the Greens or the Working Family party?What
sports teams do you follow?What
are you investing in?What are you
planning for the future?All these
questions reveal people's commitments.
Let's
pause here for a quick thought experiment.Think
about the people in your life who would be non-committal in answering these
questions.Then think about the people
in your life who have made many promises that they sustain over time.You
don't need to answer this question out loud but to yourself.Who
would you rather spend time with?My
answer is always the people who are willing to make commitments.Not
just a few but lots of them.These
are the kinds of people who are members of our congregation.These
are the public-spirited people who work selflessly to build the infrastructure
of our community.They vote.They
care.
After
all, what is this congregation but a web of commitments we make to each
other.No one is compelled to be
a member of our congregation or to give money to support it.There
is no threat of hell fire and damnation to drive us in these doors.We
have something like sixty two committees that form our infrastructure.A
tremendous amount of energy is expended to keep this place going.How
can it grow in service to its membership and the community?Only
through an increase in the number of promises people are willing to make
and follow through on.
There
is more than a little mystery in trying to understand what gets people
to make commitments.We ministers
are always trying to find clues to help those on the commitment fence get
over it and toward increasing their promises.We
look around us at other organizations to see who is successful at this
task hoping perhaps to find an idea or technique we can borrow.
I've
always been fascinated by the Christian conversion experience.A
conversion experience can take someone who is drifting through life making
few commitments and turn them into a dynamo of public-spirited energy.I
remember a born again pot head I used to work with at NorthStar Computers.His
conversion to Christianity and the vigor with which he tried to bring me
and others to his faith always impressed me.By
nature, he was a pretty laid back fellow, more of what one might expect
from a beach bum rather than an evangelist.Being
born again seemed to transform his personality.
We
Unitarian Universalists don't really have an equivalent experience.The
closest we have is the spontaneous experience people sometimes have when
they walk through our doors and immediately feel at home.It
is as if they have been Unitarian Universalists without knowing it.When
people join, there is no testimonial, no evidence of election, no proof
of conversion required.All that
is required is simply a decision, and a base level of commitment to the
community.
It
wasn't until I attended a week long training for ARISE with the Gamaliel
Foundation, the organizing institute ARISE works with, that I started figuring
out why conversion experiences work. All
week we were challenged to confront our willingness to be leaders and encouraged
to reflect on what held us back.We
were challenged to look at our commitments and our willingness to make
them and keep them.What became
very clear during the training was the tremendous power released by making
commitments and acting on them.I
realized in essence the conversion experience is an emotionally charged
commitment. There may or may not be some electric jolt one gets from God
or Jesus or both.Whether or not
there is any divine intervention in our consciousness, there is tremendous
power released by making strong personal commitments.
Suddenly
I realized what was missing from many Unitarian Universalist congregations.Too
often we ask very little in the way of commitment as part of membership.About
the only time many congregationsask
for anything from all their members is at pledge time.Rather
than seeing the canvass as a time of institutional renewal, too often people
just hold their nose and suffer through the experience.They
miss this wonderful opportunity to renew and deepen their commitment to
their congregation.
This
is one of the explanations for the renewal and enthusiasm found in congregations
after constructing a new building.Rather
than exhausted and drained, congregations that expand often have a spurt
of growth in membership.And pledging
often increases significantly after a building campaign.
The
canvass is a great time to reflect on our values and how we are living
them out.Our checkbook is an excellent
record of how we live our values.Looking
it over, much can be learned.I know
as I do my taxes each year about this time, I'm amazed at the different
places my money disappears.We use
Quicken and categorize all our transactions.Sometimes
I'm a little ashamed that too much money can be found in some categories
and not enough in others.Little
amounts spent each month mushroom into large sums.It
also helps me see that adding a little to my pledge from each paycheck
allows me to make a substantial pledge each year.
This
can also be a good time to reflect on where the most meaning has come from
during the past year.If you're like
me, you'll be shocked at how much you spend on dinners out and entertainment.The
pursuit of pleasure can eat up a lot of money and time.Yet
how much satisfaction has that really brought you?For
me the best part about a dinner out isn't the elegance of the dining establishment
or the excellence of the wine selected but rather the warmth of the companionship.
The
greatest satisfaction I've received in the past year has come from the
successes our congregation has had on some of its initiatives.ARISE
continues to strengthen as an organization and is attracting new members
and energy.Our public meeting
in November was definitely a highlight for the year.That
success has set in motion a number of other initiatives and projects.In
ARISE's leadership, I'm working with a group of dedicated people who are
willing to make significant commitments for the common good.
These
expanding public relationships are a wonderful source of satisfaction.Participating
in public life and action is highly rewarding.ARISE
opens up the public arena to those in our congregation who wouldn't normally
have the courage to venture into it.ARISE
creates paths for people to public power and shows them how to have a public
voice and how to begin to make a positive difference.
Right
now, we are developing what is called a "core team" in our congregation.A
core team is a regular FUUSAn committee that will be our congregation's
connection with ARISE, its task forces and governance.It
will also be charged to work in our neighborhood helping with the problems
right on our doorstep.Please let
me know if this is a commitment that you'd like to make today as we are
in the formation stage of this committee.
The
relationships we develop in our congregation in committees, joint projects
and social events are also public relationships.As
we work together for the common good of this religious community we also
build a web of relationships that can be very satisfying.This
happens through our Social Responsibility Projects of which ARISE is a
part.Building our Habitat for Humanity
house, working with our Transylvanian Partner Church, helping with the
Food Pantry, reaching out to the Gay and Lesbian community through our
Welcoming Committee and assisting refugee families resettle, all these
are ways we serve the community while at the same time building our community
with each other.And there are many
opportunities for public relationships within our congregation.Ushering,
hosting the coffee hour, greeting people and welcoming guests, teaching
in an RE class, serving on the RE council or the Board and the ever popular
Social Events Committee, all these are also ways to serve others and serve
ourselves.
These
opportunities for service and meaning are what I hope you will discuss
with your canvasser as well as what you can offer for a pledge.We
have giving guidelines that the leadership of our congregation proposes
and follows that your canvasser can explain to you.Philomena
and I follow these guidelines and are giving at the level of 4% of our
pre-tax income.For us that multiplies
out to a pledge that is almost $4000.That
level of giving makes us top pledgers.I
know there are others who could join us at that level who make far more
than we do.
That
level of financial commitment has changed how I feel about this congregation.I
feel much less like an employee and more like a member.Philomena's
and my money is going to the salaries of the other staff members.Our
money is going to support our Social Responsibilities budget that contributes
to ARISE.Our money is helping
to run our RE program for our son Andy.I
own this place along with the rest of you.
From
my personal experience I know this to be true.Increasing
your commitment increases the meaning and value you will get from our congregation.This
may sound like a leap of faith for some … and perhaps it is.All
I ask is for you to take your canvasser's challenge to stretch to meet
our giving guidelines as an experiment and see if indeed it changes how
you feel about this congregation.As
with any leap into the unknown, I can't promise a soft landing.I
can promise you won't find what you are looking for in life without making
commitments.
And
this is a great place to make them.
Copyright
© 2002 by Rev. Samuel A. Trumbore
.All rights reserved.