I had the pleasure and joy of attending Flathead Lutheran Bible Camp's fundraising dinner and auction last Friday night. They served a wonderful meal and the night was a joy filled time when we were able to connect with friends from across the state and support camping ministry in western Montana. One of the featured stories of the evening was from a mother and her children who have been supported by the camp and donors over the last four years after having fled a cult in another part of Montana. This cult group drew her in as a tight knit community of faith several years ago but, over time, forced her into greater and greater isolation. Women in this group were expected to be mothers, so much so that she had nine children with members of the group. As one might expect, the life, manipulation and control that she suffered in the group took its toll, so much so that she said one morning, when she was pregnant with her ninth child by the group, she looked in the mirror and realized that there was no life left in her eyes. That was the day that she decided she must leave for her sake and the sake of her children. She told her kids that they were going on a picnic one day, packed them up and left everything behind to flee to the sanctuary of friends and family in Kalispell.
Part of the sinful nature of cults is that they bind member's minds so that they cannot really leave, even when they are no longer in the group. It takes a large degree of help, therapy and re-orientation in one's understanding of the world in order for a person to truly escape the manipulation of a cult community. She received that in the Kalispell area, but her children needed help to be free, too. She shared that Flathead Lutheran Bible Camp helped to provide freedom through the Gospel of Jesus Christ for her children. There her children were able to hear words of forgiveness and grace through the Bible instead of the fear and manipulation that they had endured the rest of their lives. At camp, her kids were able to make friendships with people on their own terms and live into the social freedom of just being themselves - a right never given to them before. All of this was made possible through the camperships (scholarships to camp) provided by donors who support the camp. The power of the Gospel at work through the institutional church.
I share this as a reflection on how the church is actively at work in the world. Many people in our country today question the efficacy of supporting churches and other institutional ministries that seem more concerned with self-interest and survival than actual mission and outreach. They think that financial support is better given directly to causes than institutions and organizations like the church because institutions care more about their own survival and serving the world. Sometimes, this is clearly the case. I can think of dozens of churches that have a clear vision of how important it is to put all their money into making an altar look nice, while turning away those begging for help in the streets. Yet, skeptics of this sort fail to see the importance of supporting ministries in our midst that can respond to needs as they arise. I must admit that I have dabbled in this sort of skepticism myself from time to time, but my experience of being a pastor thus far has informed me of how wrong I have been on the issue. Our church has been able to support and minister to all sorts of needs in our community precisely because we have a door for people to come to. We have helped people with meals, trips to the doctor, and insured that children and families are fed. We have supported partners in global mission abroad and worked to make sure people stay warm through the winter here at home. We have raised money to help people who suffer from malaria abroad and minister to patients at St. Luke here in Ronan. All of these things are marks of the Gospel alive and active through the institutional church here in the Mission Valley. By supporting the church, we do more than just provide for our continued survival - we also continually respond to the call of God by making a way for the hungry to be fed, the sick to be visited, the cold to be warmed, the isolated to find fellowship, and those who feel forsaken to find the love of God. The mission of God is truly present in our church - an institution worth supporting long into the future.
Part of the sinful nature of cults is that they bind member's minds so that they cannot really leave, even when they are no longer in the group. It takes a large degree of help, therapy and re-orientation in one's understanding of the world in order for a person to truly escape the manipulation of a cult community. She received that in the Kalispell area, but her children needed help to be free, too. She shared that Flathead Lutheran Bible Camp helped to provide freedom through the Gospel of Jesus Christ for her children. There her children were able to hear words of forgiveness and grace through the Bible instead of the fear and manipulation that they had endured the rest of their lives. At camp, her kids were able to make friendships with people on their own terms and live into the social freedom of just being themselves - a right never given to them before. All of this was made possible through the camperships (scholarships to camp) provided by donors who support the camp. The power of the Gospel at work through the institutional church.
I share this as a reflection on how the church is actively at work in the world. Many people in our country today question the efficacy of supporting churches and other institutional ministries that seem more concerned with self-interest and survival than actual mission and outreach. They think that financial support is better given directly to causes than institutions and organizations like the church because institutions care more about their own survival and serving the world. Sometimes, this is clearly the case. I can think of dozens of churches that have a clear vision of how important it is to put all their money into making an altar look nice, while turning away those begging for help in the streets. Yet, skeptics of this sort fail to see the importance of supporting ministries in our midst that can respond to needs as they arise. I must admit that I have dabbled in this sort of skepticism myself from time to time, but my experience of being a pastor thus far has informed me of how wrong I have been on the issue. Our church has been able to support and minister to all sorts of needs in our community precisely because we have a door for people to come to. We have helped people with meals, trips to the doctor, and insured that children and families are fed. We have supported partners in global mission abroad and worked to make sure people stay warm through the winter here at home. We have raised money to help people who suffer from malaria abroad and minister to patients at St. Luke here in Ronan. All of these things are marks of the Gospel alive and active through the institutional church here in the Mission Valley. By supporting the church, we do more than just provide for our continued survival - we also continually respond to the call of God by making a way for the hungry to be fed, the sick to be visited, the cold to be warmed, the isolated to find fellowship, and those who feel forsaken to find the love of God. The mission of God is truly present in our church - an institution worth supporting long into the future.
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