Keeping up with the Jones's

The parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30)has been used every time a church needs more volunteers.
Some people find this annoying, or boring. They just switch off and hope that someone else will do it.
The point of the parable is that the church ALWAYS needs more volunteers! People, faithful people, do grow old or tired. They may move out of the parish or they may want a change.
The problem is that we want our church to run and to provide good services and to be available when ever we need it.
A bit like public transport, really.
But, like public transport, the church needs paying passengers.
The public transport needs people to buy tickets and to actually travel on their trains, trams, ferries and buses.
The church needs people to give money and to actually take part in the life and work of the church.
The church is different from the public transport because when you buy a bus ticket you expect the STA to employ drivers, conductors, administrators and mechanics; whereas the church needs you to do the work!
The difference is that the church is not a service provider, it is a living community.
A bus driver steers the bus to take the seated passengers where they want to go; a parish priest needs at least some people to be more than passengers. The church hasn't got a 11.43 litre 6 cylinder diesel engine under the floor somewhere. It relies on people power - people like you and me.
The Diocesan Synod has decided that its target will be 2050. At St Luke's our target is not just tomorrow but all our tomorrows. We are a church that looks to the future.
Over the next few months, we at St Luke's will be looking forward. The Op Shop, Evangelism, paid Ministry, Parish Council, Education and Building Maintenance will all come up for review so that when we hold our Annual General Meeting in February, we can say, "Here is what we will be doing!"
So I guess this little blog is to ask you what you will be doing for God and God's church in 2012.