A Sign

We have a big sign out in front of Bethpage United Methodist Church. And I mean big - 12 feet wide and the top is probably at least 15 feet off the ground, if not more. It is an LED sign with red lights, so it lights up the road and serves as a beacon in the night. Well, this sign has been a constant thorn in our side at BUMC. It only works well intermittently and for short amounts of time. This last time it quit working, it was stuck on a rotation of three things: our church name, our worship times, and a Bible reference to Colossians 3:17. Could have been much worse. It could have said, "VBS this week each night at 6:00" or "Christmas Eve Service at 5:00" or "Clothing Give-away on Monday" or any other number of time-sensitive or season-specific items.

The sign had been stuck on this rotation for months. There was a communication issue between the computer in the office and the sign outside. Wow - how many sermons could I get out of that one! Anyways, we got a new computer a few months ago and weren't able to install the software on it because it was running Windows 7 and the software was designed for Windows XP. I spent the better portion of this afternoon on the phone with the sign company figuring out how to get this thing working again. We did some workarounds and installations on the computer and thought we had everything in place, but then the computer still couldn't connect to the sign. Turns out, one of the wires had come loose. So, I had to run to the house to get some tools, but got that taken care of, and voila, it worked. Houston, we have liftoff!

I was able to communicate with the sign and change the messages on it. We are working hard to launch a new Wednesday evening ministry (or are we re-launching an old one???) after Easter. So, I put that up as one of the items: "WOW is coming back! April 21st at 5:45pm"

I was so excited that I had been able to fix the sign! I sent out e-mails to the Trustees and to our Admnistrative Assistant and Communications Chair. A church member stopped by and I told him. A few folks called on their way home from work to let me know they had seen it. I was feeling good, excited even...and it was about a silly sign.

As I reflect back on what I was feeling, I realized that I don't often feel a sense of accomplishment anymore. When I was growing up and in school, I felt it all the time. I would get a good grade on a test, turn in an assignment, or finish a group project and get a sense of accomplishment. I would score a goal at soccer practice, hit an ace on the tennis court, or answer a difficult question correctly for the quick recall team and get a sense of accomplishment. I would memorize and recite a Bible verse at our children's ministry at church, clean my room, beat a video game, or build something out of Legos and get a sense of accomplishment. That rarely happens anymore. I no longer have schoolwork or play on a team. I don't play video games very often. I do clean, but that has definitely lost some of its appeal. I often don't feel like I'm accomplishing much.

Part of the deal, I suppose, with pastoral ministry is that so much of my work is not about concrete, measurable, easily-defined tasks (like fixing a sign). It has much more to do with caring for people and fostering their growth as disciples, with leading a church toward a common mission and vision, with developing ever-changing systems that enable and empower ministry, with learning and growing in the faith myself, and with proclaiming and living the Good News of Jesus Christ. These are processes that are never really finished. As I look back over my time as a pastor, I can see positive changes that have occurred in our church and in people's lives, but the work is never done. And when the work is never done, I guess it is hard for me to feel that sense of accomplishment.

So, today, it was really great to have something challenging and concrete that I was able to do and feel like I accomplished something. I hope that in your life, work, and ministry, you are able to find ways to feel that same sense of accomplishment. I think we all need that kind of encouragement in our lives.