Fralfie! 37:1+6 LAFAYETTE, INDIANA

i THE CHURCH?" BETHANY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
Fe | 4:14-2) OCTOBER 28, 1973 JOHN M. BUCHANAN

} This is a private, housekeeping kind of day in the life of Bethany Presbyterian

Church. We have assembled a Church Fair in all the rooms and fellowship hall, and for a
a sae Laelia aliieeieinmiete re |

half hour or so after worsnip you are invited to inspect the displays which tell the story

of what this church is coina.\ AT 12:30 we are gcing to eat a meal together, followed by

@ program which will focus on internal matters like budgets and individual] pledges for 1974,
And it occured to me that if you are @ guest you may feel a little like an intruder at a
a ey

family discussion. Please ton't:| for The day presents an opportunity for raising a rather

basic question, whether you are a member, prospective member or a visitor, namely :["Who
-_- ESS oo
ert oe
Needs the Church?" |

inc hat astion a | beaj i “ t at] i i
In approaching that question | would begin with two opservations. \ The first fs that

the church is ina radically changing situation, and even in the midst of change remains

essentially an alive, healthy institution. | The second observation is that our culture Is
eee ee =e, aa

not early as secular as we are told i+ is\ Let's lock at each of thom briefly.
Sea a eee ete
One way of viewing the Church of Jesus Christ in 1973 = in this country - is to
eo — eile
conclude that we are in serious trouble. | Many pecple feel that the church resembles nothing

so much as that assemblage of Dry Bones in Ezekiel 37:)ary, brittle, lifeless Nan institution
So oe

See

that is slowly dying or already dead, waiting only for the funeral. statistical reports seem
ee eT (een

to document this point of view. \ The traditional ,main=line churches in America continue to
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lose members. \ For severa| consecutive years the United Presbyterian Church, along with the
bed See, Caine |
Methodists, Episcopalians, United Church of Christ and others have shown declining member-
=a Ptr a Wi ea, eT
ship roles.\\ In addition, there is a severe financial squeeze. \ white church Members are
beeen A eat

giving more to their churches than ever, the churches themselves are commiting less each

year to benevolence and mission. \ In the United Presbyterian Church this has meant the near

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dismantling of the National and International Mission structures that were built up over the
aerate ey BRS rig, :
years. \our church will have about half of what it had ten years ago to spend in mission.
— eg eee,

We have depleted our reserves in order to forstall the day of reckoning which is now upon

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=
WH, bn one sense, it

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\eititmirihie nities Cd tha
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us.| And so we're adjusting,\tightening the belt,\rostructuring.
——— | mee: | |S tnlimnaiaemseg

is In serious trouble,

looks for all the world like a venture that
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~2- :
WHO NEEDS THE CHURCH? OCTOBER 28, [973

a monumental amount of wailing and gnmashing of teeth among us.
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=e =e

And yet ~ and yat - way back in 1816 Jahn Yeats abserved [The churches are dying like

sae

an out-bur at | To which the great preacher Harry Emerson Fosdick responded, ("ir Yeats
forgot something. + ,

s fi ential of the qui oral i iti rpse, and the churches are
The first essential of the quiet funeral is a wilfing co pse, an

certainly not thot. | cit Pfarnotor

We have a histery of weather ing crises.\ We've been in trauble before \ We have 2,000

SY

years going for us plus an undying faith in a God who uses the church for his purposes \ who

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dees breath life intc the creaky bunes of the institution.\ And in the midst of all the

gloomy despair about the future of the church the only really fegitimate conctusion | am able

|

|

To draw is that there will be one \ that Ged will indeed continuc to renew and reform and re-
TRE EEE ED mmc eee ey,

enliven his church:\thot we are not dying, merely living through a period of rapid change.

The second observation is that our society is not nearly as secular as has been touted
ETH HE : sii
recently \ton, that's a rather brave assertion tna view of the literal tidal wave coming in
the opposite direction \ Over and Over again we are told that what is radically new about our

time is that people don't need God or religion onynore\ We have come of age,\It is the "post-

i :
Christian® ore; [science, technclogy, affluence have conspired to muscte God out of the game
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altogether,

And yet there are other signs: tans that seem to be indicating that rather than

es |

becoming a secular peopla we are more than ever a spiritually hungry pesole.\ Consider the
Se es

San inal See

fascination of youth culture with the transcedent in drugs and ausig;\cons der the phenomemen

of transcendental neditetion:\ the interest In Zen and other eastern mystery religions’ the

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popularity of assorted gurus frem the vast \ Consider the generg] rejection of matertalism
a eo i

as 4 life style, the renewed interest in Jesus as a man and mode \conster the unlikely
weer, oe Stereos

phenomenon of religion classes burgeoning on college campuses + and of course Godspe}! and
eco CCE are

Superstar.

What dogs all that mean except that wa are in the middie of a full-scale religious
ree ae . eet,

renascence, \ it's nut happening in The church \but itfs happening, out there - whene al!

i sad le ms ioti At > | H
The people are, \pavic Read looks at the conflicting data and conciudes:\ "There is a yearning

for the divine dimension coupled with a deep distrust and rejection of all arganized religion"
(Overheard, P,22)

MUI MEDS THE CHMRCHE? ~3e- : OCTOBER 28, 1973

That's what is distinct absut aur situation.\ If | can introduce a new set of metaphors
ssetiatialniteialienanl pe ements

the situation looks [ike this.) We have hungry peop{e and a full susernecket | For some

oe

reason the pecote aren't buying. \ Weybe the supermarket Is offering the wrong food \ maybe

co

the packaging is poor: \or the prices Too high \ Whatever the reason ~ these two facts con-

; ee ee
stitute a basic understanding of the situation for the Church in 1973. \ 1 saw a cartoon
= ee, aE TT —_—_—o

recently that expressed the dilefana very concisely \ The setting Isa side room off a large,
ad

— erence

Gothic Church. \Two trustees are counting a very smal | offering. The minister is watching

a er ee =o

with a took of abjuct despair on his face. \ one of the Trustees is holding an offering

plate with a few coins in it soying|*Josus Christ Superstar has already grossed thirty

pec EEO

miffton. [ Just whers did we go urong?”\

Whe needs The chuceh?| Lots discover who's asking that guest ony they're asking it
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orn

and if we have anything ts say in respunse.
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My experience is that one group of pecolo who are asking (rine Needs the Church2s} are

—_——as

those who are suspicious of institutions, per se. nd | believe it is a mistake to under-
Ete pes ssenerervrers |
estimate this as a major direction In our society at this time \ 0 any case, the position
may be expressed like this:\"Jesus was a simple carpenter :\ne was direct In his dealings
aa aaa — . hah ial
Ww people \pe was uncompl [cated \ he went around doing good and teaching that it's better
+o Inve than to hato.\ He certainly didn't mcan for his message to become incarnated in
eee, a oR ee beta nny

anything so ostentatious as, say - The Vatican.\He didntt anticipate or intend anything

aati atk | rice

like a Church with New York Offices and Executives and Computers. \In fact all the paraphenalia

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of the institutional church flics in the face of its founder's stmplicity."

" ed

— —

Now, that objection needs to be taken seriously because it is, in part, accurate. | And

yet, no great idea ever Jived very long without a movement and on organization The story
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we

is told about the Edinburgh Music and Arts Festival | After a medest and Informal beginning
al Miers 200000 is FREEKmictY

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it quickly became a highly organizea and sophisticated affair _ Seme people objected -

spontaneity was Jost. \And so they got together to return to the original spirit of the

—_——

sogbiva
festival. \ The result? Today there are two organizations with committees and fund raisers
D miinentll - ‘ : ane a

and all the rest. \ The only difference is that one group wears ties - the other wears Joans.

Ravolts against organizations don't gst far unless they organize.

Tce eA Cte db Le age Lie bby si Saari te ee i Rin Richer

WHO NEEDS THE CHURCH mds OCTOBER 28, LO73

Heeverepbresd. Wore Sy “Wee point a

It is not possible to enlist Jesus as a supporter of non~institutional religion.| In

wee RTT

our New Testament Lesson we read tnot (ine went to the Temple, as his custom was." j} Every-
Ree nee eo Perel

thing we Know about him indicates that he found institutional Judaism ottensive | He spent

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oa

most of his life arguing with its beouroerats.\ But he stood Inst dee did not suggest that
Le imiamemimmeaaad MR,

religion exists in any way apart from an organization.
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uggest “ESSER Churcho-or the faith pcan ete apart

highly. og

feaman insti tu~
is simply foolish.
Another group of people who ask the question are those who sey that faljh isvan indi-
vidual, personal matter.4{%! believe, but | don?t need the church. It Is a very popular
erie ——.

position,\probably the majority pasttion ~ and it Is impossible to maintatn with integrity -

if we are talking about the God of The Bible. \To be sure, Jesus called men one by one, as
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individuals.) But The first thing he did with them was weld them into a group \ The

— eel etl Lan ad

Christian Community ~ the Church, if you wiil , was there from. the beginning \ To belleve
Semnergcrcre besinmniiniad Emm RTE

in Jesus Christ was - anc is — to stand within the body of people - the community of faith.

And to miss that: to overlook the community is to miss what he was about altogether.

Saar

In centuries past the theologians used to say, \"Theeis no salvation outside the

church") Protestants ordinarily balk at that cven though the Retormers put in those terms
Om ronnie or OD voto
Sa =. . ee

aiso.\ But it is honest with the New Testament insofar as it identities the Church - The

Christian Community as the reguit of the Gospel \ Now, latis put to rest the unspoken

SITS

anxiety here. \We do not mean that {if you don't join the church you're going to hoi .\ What
ag : a

What we do mean is that the Christian faith Is incarnate in the Church of Jesus Christ.

Drees tnkarasnaricrne a
Lt)

You can belfeve in some vague, celestial Santa Claus apart from the churen\ But the

moment you take seriously the God of Abraham and Issac, the God and Father of Jesus Christ,-

you find yourse!f drawn to the people ~ the community - the fellowship - In which his name
ey [eee Ta] elem aninis hiniamel

is revered, his presence celebrated and his mission performed. |

Ladi eel

WHO NEEDS THE CHURCH? -5- OCTOBER 28, 1973

Other people who ask bunc Neads the church?) are those wha regard religion as irrelevant

Dari ni aD

to the major concerns of the doy. and, again, we have to deal with an objection that is valid.
ee

There is much of what goes under fhe name of Christianity that ‘ts irrelevant. And yet -

Site ey

there Is no institution In cur culture that is not desparea tely p playing “catch-upbal |" today.

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Thats part of the problem: ithe other part is that a loi_of neople are so fatiqued by our
F eaneniasce ease

ET oe

rapidly changing world that they are sick of relevance.) [na sense, then, the church hes

Crk Ea aD hee cae

to decide whe it's going to of ftend \ the geonle who want us to be on the cutting edge of
a ei

—a

social chenge or the péople who wont tc be comforted and shielded from the threat of soclal

EE amc ERE

changes. \ dontinus to to be a loyal Prosbyterian because | see my church trying to be honest
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at this very precarious point. \ And suffering because of i+:\trying to moet people where

ae bala tlt ee al be ET

they are in life and trying to follow wheres God is leading.
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Others ask the quosticn:| "Who Needs the Church? - It's full of hypocrites J And

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I've stopped arguing that one. \ oF course }t ts, no one ever said it wasn't. \ There is a
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great gap between our model and our behevior, but [ don't know -any other group that clams
ead =~ be ra anal

the Son of God as its model.\ We are constantly stabped by our own ideals - thark Goa \ But

dl a Fd 5 ae

to reject the Church because Thereare hypecr| tes in it makes no more sense than quitting

the Babe Ruth Junior Basebal| League because everybody can't hit like Babe Ruth.
= Libr tet | een
(Hine Needs the Church? We unaccustomed to self advertisement | We don't often blow

Our Own torn But today, this once - let's celebrate who we are.\ Letts atlow what this
tine ea LTO

Church is doing to answer The question \ New, {| confess that ifm partial \ love this
midaiicininioncnimimel

Sr aanikaliadeisimiimiiniedl bad Dy

congregatien.\ | have rot found many like it. (in fact | have friends in the ministry who
have encouraged md te move - not cut of concern for me - but 50 that they_can apply for the

al
job. | Let me answer (vnc Needs the chureh?") by telling you what you mean fo the community,

Bethany Presbyterian Church has been significantly involved in the formation and

Te

implementation of The Cummunity Emergency Fund, [Tha Food Pantry, \The Lincoln Center Clothing

Cl ers

Roun. \ We have been directly involved In the estab lishing of the Lafayette Urban Ministry
insasitenimiinh satiate : ad

rer

and Its various programs - summor camps, adventure clubs and Seniar Citizen Visitation,

baa . eer,

We were there at the beginning when the Emergency Transportation Service was born, anc

today we provide the office space fur that operation and many of the volunteer drivers.

a re

This congregation was deeply involved in the formation and operation of Citizens for

mercies

WHO NEEDS THE CHUROH? -6~ OCTOBER 28, 1973

Better Housing, Project Commi tient, }anc the Home With Hope - a half-way house for Alcholics.

—s

We were there and deeply fnvolved when University Church came into being. | all of that and

more - our money ~ our people - our commitment.
owe eT pe

Let me tell you ‘Who Needs the Church?" by listing some of the people who use this

builaing.\ Tho Gaiaey Nursery School - with Its excellent program and scholarship oppor-
tunities\ The Tippecanoe County Foster Parents organization meets here.\ Ai Anon meets
sR a . oo

weekly in the Parish House.) Women's Exchange, a new organization for the support of women

whe seek counseling meets here several times a wook\ We look forward to previding space

for one of Welcome Wagon's services for new residents.\ And scouts - we sponsor and house
r Lameiitichined Seed

Se Ere

Boy Scouts, Explorers, Gir] Scouts, Cubs and Browntgs.\ All of that - because we're here.-
be ee ed Et

ar

and we care ~ and in the name of Jesus Christ we see our being here in terms of helping and
enn be re a ee Dre terrae |

supporting others.

"Who needs the chureh | sonoting I?tl write abook aobut the quiet compassion of this
i i eee Y

_——o .

i,

Church.\ Two weeks ago one of our members asked if I'd come out to Ross Annex and lead
a Si ciel bernie ned

devotions. \And when | got there !| saw five women from This congregationvisiting with a small |

ad

Lr |

Lae . . . .
group of elderly ledies.\ | didnit even know it was happening. ©

internally this Church answers the question "Who Needs [+?" with the traditional types

of programs - al} of them happening because you make them happen and because others need '

exe L itieimniad

[hem To neppen.\ Church School, YOuth Club, Adult Studies, Worship, four Choirs, Bible
Study, Circles, Ambassadors, Mariners.\ All of that, and in the meantime while the trend is |

a ened Lad

in the opposite direction we are giving more money to the Mission of the United Presbytertan
SPE :

Church, not less, and showing modest, but regufar numerical growth.

Beyond our mmediate life tegether, The Presbytery of Wabash Valley has a Mission

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Statement and Covenant thebbesembics cur own because It used ours as a node! -\ But perhaps

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your Influence is best filustrated by what | know is happening in other churches because
[sn meme sR TY

Sec
members of This congregation are There row | new Youth Club in Columbus, Ohio, for Instance,
Se. ieee Se :

innovative worship services in Mississippi Xa new building in Pittsburgh ka close friendship

Sa —— “ ro
in Georgia, \a young couples group in connecticut,\a new Deacon's organization in Missourl.
ee ‘Sree ete ean
"Who Needs the Church?" \l believe our nation needs the Church [in a particular way at
__ : bi Y

this hour.) We are at a critical juncture \ Norman Cousins, in a recent editorial held up
Sere i . “ares : Cn ind

WHO NEEDS TMH OMUROK? aye . GETGBER 28, 1073

the senseless crimes of violence that are happening on our strosts \the equally senseless

violence we leashed over the skies of $. E. Asia, and the growing cynicisMof our people

about the Integrity of the political process Itself, and asked pol ntedly,{ “that's Happening
~~, Ee De

to us2*

“Who will defend the sanctity of Nite? the will hold out for the dignity and worth of

the individual? \ who wiil insist that deception need never be synonymous with politics? | Whol
Sort -

=o Oa
will hold out for hope in the futureand trust as a risk worth taking and integrity as the
baad De]

final necessity for our survival? \itd suggest that the nation needs the Church today nore
a,

} en Soe mriian’

than it needs anything else.

Who Needs It?" ¥ You do ou do.\ go.\ We need ta know that there: Is a God, \that fove fove fs

better than hate) thet giv giving” is better Than getting. \ That life Is more powerful than

cs Sn neal ee]

death. \ That there is srace.\ & And put very simply | don’t know where else that Js said and

remembered and celebrated\ Last Sunday ~maptenpeaast wfsonecenertnty hiegrtpeeeremohslesessrey pobiy ecu cht

wee ET

. Two people

brought thelr infant girl into this sngiuary to receive the sacrament of boption.\ A young
Oe mpeudin, de Mtg lun, ever The pevacte
mother who vs herself baptized by This Church, Nes at aa moment they arc Semewirere=awer
genvn ake Hest gow. te Fran\efir’ Gssnony « te heg* aw ae en fet fim Mase chara ~ Aud
‘he aff = Mess fark - a cote, Seve ar Go Shan sen w promt ¢ of God's ‘Nove ee as oak girl
Sunday” - they answered the question - (iho Needs the Chureh?" nore eloquently than all the

statbtics and theological rationales in the wortd, *
—a, eT,

MWho Needs the church?"\\the wort t | the nation, the community you, me ~ that family
=a ow ROT CeE St el nae net

4

rn ta) Ger wan 1

B. Davie Napier put It in a poem - and let this serve as our prayer:
Tan the way; + am the truth and | am the Jife . doh bh r6-NES)

Time to ee - because we know the Way.
Not that we always take the Way, not that we do not sometimes lose the Way;
but we rejoice because the Way is there and we will always find the Way again proceeding
from our battered, broken, disappointing, here and now, to. then and there, where we
are wicle again, where +hele is dianity again, for al} Ot us. For all of us.
Tima to rejolce — because we know the Truth. Not that we always live the Truth, not
that we do not sometimes contradict the Truth, disown the Truth, pervert the Truch,
deny the Truth, but we rejoice because the Truth has come fo us, will never let us go -
the }iving Truth, nonstatic, never sterlle because it is the Way, at one with Way,
and always on the Way.
Time to rejolce because we know the life. Not that we always hold the tife, not that
we do not sometimes spurn the Life annul the life, smother, the life and wound the life;
but we rejoice because the life is always being given us - the Way, The Truth, the Life,
that are the light of all the human family, prevailimover chaos, bitterness, and death,
and shining on In darkness rendered Impotent. Time to rejaice - time to receive the
gifts of Way and Truth and Life. Time to rejoice AMEN