This morning concludes our three part sermon series that has had us exploring why we need Jesus, why we need the church, and today why we need the United Methodist Church of Red Bank. To talk about any particular congregation is a vivid reminder that we encounter God, that we follow Jesus Christ, not in generalities, but in very specific places, in very concrete ways. We need specific places to come to in order to encounter God, places where we can work out our faith journeys, places from which we can go into the world to be the presence of Christ. The United Methodist Church of Red Bank is that place for those of us who gather here this morning. I have often thought of what the walls of this sanctuary have witnessed … what stories they could tell us … of weddings and baptisms and great celebrations, and of times of pain and grief as funerals are celebrated. There are times when we're not so happy with this church or with one another, but like family we stick through those times and somehow make it to the other side of our discontent.

If ever there was a question as to why we need this church in was in part answered last Sunday. We celebrated the work of our Sunday School and witnessed the dedication of our Sunday School teachers and found delight in the number of children present. In that celebration we also knew that the foundations of our faith are being handed down, relationships are being forged, and people are being called to serve God. Later in the service we celebrated the Scholastic Assistance program of this congregation. As we listened to the stories of the nineteen people who received scholarships this year we witnessed some of the results of the foundations of faith that have been experienced by our young people here. Even the ice cream social held later that afternoon is an answer to why we need this church. First of all, it was just plain fun, much needed after a very long day. Beyond that, this congregation is a safe place to try our God given talents. My sister in law, Bonnie still talks of growing up performing here and says: "I liked performing, because it gave me great opportunities and experiences and because it was 'safe', you knew that no matter what you did or how well you did it, you were going to be congratulated and supported. People reacted to everything like you had done beautifully and given them a treat and inspired them. That felt incredible. It was later that I realized that perhaps some of it was just being supportive, but at the time, they loved you and loved what you did and thought you were special and gifted, it was pretty cool."

On a very different matter this congregation provides a safe place for persons journeying towards recovery. We have about eleven different recovery groups that call this place home, and also provide space for an individual counseling service for those dealing with recovery issues. We sometimes gripe a bit about the scheduling conflicts, and other realities of sharing our building. Our neighbors aren't always happy with us, but the "why" is summed up by this story: A woman who facilitates one of our recovery groups came to me a few years ago, with profuse thanks for our letting her group use a room in the building. She went on to say that we have no idea the miracles that happen here every day through all of the recovery groups that find shelter here. That story keeps me going whenever the headaches of building use come my way!

This congregation that nurtures us, cares for us, gives us safety … and is also the place that sends us out into the world. Sometimes we are sent out to care for the world, and other times we are called to be the presence of Christ in ways that the world does not want to hear. Some of you will remember the conflict that arose when the church offered housing to a group of men at risk of homelessness. Our surrounding neighborhood took offense at that outreach and we found ourselves at many difficult meetings with our neighbors including a few court hearings. Last summer this congregation volunteered to help the Mexican consulate provide Mexican passports and consular ID cards to the many Mexican citizens in our community. The Red Bank blogs were full of derogatory remarks at this program and on the first day of the program, one of our youth who was out front of the Charter School directing people, got called some unrepeatable words for helping with this program. This congregation stands firmly in being the example of Jesus Christ who stood with the poor, the oppressed, the hungry and the sick … even when it is not the popular thing to do.

As we talked about last week, our following in the example of Jesus Christ is not something we can do theoretically … you can't just "book-learn" faith. It is here that we experience the power of the risen Christ that saves … we know the awe of the disciples when they witnessed Jesus calming the waves: "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?" Here we know the safety and security that comes only from God. And here at the United Methodist Church of Red Bank our faith is shaped and given specifics so that we who have been called together can go out in the name of Jesus Christ to be his living examples.