"When (Jesus) had finished speaking, he said to Simon, 'Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.'" (Lk. 5.4)

I. Ah, and just how far out into the deep water do YOU go? When it comes to church, some people just dive right into the deep water. Some prefer to walk along the shore for awhile, observing things before committing themselves; perhaps they will dip a toe in, checking the temperature and making sure there is nothing in there that will bite them. And some hesitate to venture out too far too quickly, fearing that an undercurrent might pull them out much farther than they intended to go (that's what happened to me!). When it comes to the ocean of faith, I suspect most of us are somewhere in-between the toe-dippers and the deep-divers.

And that's alright. There are many ways to get your feet wet at First Parish Church in Weston.

According to ancient custom, begun in 1996, this morning's sermon, on the day of our annual congregational meeting, is my annual report to the church. This is my sixth annual report, in this the 303rd year of First Parish.

There are many moments, images, of this past year that stay with me:

• There was the grand installation service for Sue Spencer last March. She was not only "installed," but positively bolted to the floor. It is a joy to have her here as a trusted colleague.
  
  
• I remember this year's eighth grade retreat at the church: they were energetic; there were also the quiet moments, in chapel, when they lit candles of remembrance and hope, and one eighth grader said "the world is a nice place, I'm glad to be here."
  
  
• After this year's Christmas dinner, as I watched the little daughter of a new family in the church during the carol sing so tentative at first about it all, then connecting with another child, then watching the junior choir sing with eyes wide it suddenly dawned on me that memories were being created, and a tradition being born for her. Indeed, she was, at that very moment, becoming part of "the tradition" herself, becoming part of the extended family that is the church. That's how it works we get hooked!
  
  
• And I think of the high school student who wrote in her college admissions essay this summer about the "most important things in her life" that one was the church. "It's always been there," she wrote, a constant in life.
  
  
• I remember also the field trip our Tuesday morning book group took last spring: after reading Thoreau's Walden these wonderful ladies, two in wheelchairs, and I went to visit the Thoreau Institute in Lincoln. We examined the displays, and handled a pencil made at Thoreau's father's shop, and a brick from Thoreau's cabin in the woods by Walden Pond they were like relics from the saints! Only in New England!
  
  
• This was the year that a (possibly) homeless man appeared at the Christmas dinner maybe he thought it was AA night (which was the night before); he sat with Pam & Fran Brooks, and had seconds and thirds of everything. I don't think many people noticed. I was reminded of the monastic tradition that every guest should be welcomed as if he were Christ in disguise. Maybe he was.
  
  
• I think too of the larger good works we support. I reviewed in my Thanksgiving Sunday sermon the far-ranging social concerns of First Parish from housing the Roxbury-Weston programs to the significant financial contributions of the Outreach Committee and the BA, from the various church school collections of books and videos and Habitat for Humanity projects to the meals we serve at Bristol Lodge and the funds we raised with the Crop Walk. Annie Stubbs and I still hope to produce a brochure celebrating all of this. For me personally, attending a Metco rally at the State House with Al Hunt last spring was the most heart-warming: just seeing the energy and enthusiasm with which Boston parents support this program was inspiring.
  
  
• And there is also the international component. This year the Coburns and I visited our partner church in Transylvania, Romania an ancient church still struggling with the effects of communism and nationalism, yet able to rededicate their building with our help. And Elizabeth Ross brought us pictures and information and baskets from a school in Kasiisi, Uganda, and will be taking our contributions back to them.

The Jewish Passover seder has a song which recites blessings received and after each says "for that alone we would have been grateful." Well, for all the "usual" and regular worship and education and care that goes on here, and for all those special moments "for those alone we would have been grateful." But there has been more.

II. There have been FIVE major new initiatives around here this year which will have lasting impact (so many, in fact, that I'm a little surprised we've been able to keep track of them), five trips out into "deeper water": the It's Our Turn capital campaign, the strategic plan, our new website, our new Covenant Groups, and the Gallery at First Parish.

The capital campaign. It's the first here in 35 years, and was named by a new generation the "It's Our Turn" campaign. After the needs assessment and feasibility study, the Standing Committee set a goal of $1.2 million for long-delayed repairs and improvements

to our buildings and grounds. As of today, co-chairs Chris Nelson and Cai von Rumohr are pleased to announce pledges received of $1,518,782.86.

You have seen many of the projects that have already been completed from the roof to the furnace to the new offices but I want to say something else about the effect of this capital campaign. The campaign itself has been a good thing for the church. There has been a wonderful energy and involvement, some great social events, and a new commitment. One side benefit of drawing attention to building needs, one we didn't expect, has been a generosity about the practical needs of the church: one parishioner's company donated some relatively-new computers (good computers) to the office, another parishioner moving to Boston donated some lovely furniture, another person even donated a car (putting the Standing Committee chair in the used car salesman position). And a fellow with whom I play golf, who doesn't even go to this church, donated some desks for the new offices!

Perhaps there ought to be a capital campaign every so often it asks us to stretch a bit.

"For that alone we would have been grateful."

It needs to celebrated also, I think, that in the midst of that campaign our annual stewardship did not suffer a decline, but actually INCREASED by 7% (our cheers to Merry Touborg and Ginnie Hibbard, our "merrie band of sisters"!). I know some would have liked more than the 7%, but when I total-up both campaigns, I see an increase of giving to this church of 517%. This is abundance, this is generosity, for this we should be grateful!

The strategic plan. This is, I believe, the first-ever strategic planning process here. A LOT of people were involved. We benefitted from the professional expertise of Linda Kilburn and others. The process identified our strengths, and also identified some tensions in the church, and it proposed many things that we might work on in the near future. If you haven't read it yet, please do. You'll be hearing more about it.

The website. In preparing this sermon, I looked over some previous annual reports and realized that it was exactly two years ago that I polled you on how many used email, surfed the web, and so on. Firstparishweston.org is now a reality, thanks especially to the magnificent talents of Paul Penfield and Lelia Elliston. We have barely begun to tap the usefulness of the website for communication, but it is a terrific beginning.

That sermon two years ago was titled "Websites, Caring and Spiritual Depth." The last two were an expression of my concern about how well we were tending to caring and to spiritual depth at First Parish.

Our new Covenant Groups are a major step toward addressing both concerns. Covenant groups are small groups of 10-12 parishioners who agree – who "covenant" – to meet together monthly to share something of their religious and spiritual journeys, and by doing so they get to know one another better. This sharing and caring are essential to being a church. The larger a church becomes, the more important it is to have a place where "people know your name," and care about you. They are not places for debate but for sharing, not for argument but for listening and hearing. They are a way we can help each other in spiritual growth. We now have three groups, with some 30 people participating, and more who have expressed an interest. New groups will be offered again in the fall for people who would like to try it. Our thanks to John McCahan, Barbara Coburn, and Barbara Elmes for meeting with me monthly to coordinate it all.

The Gallery at First Parish. This is the real sleeper of the year. What may have sounded at the beginning to some as a pleasant improvement of an unused hallway has become, to my mind, an important addition to the spiritual fabric of this church. You need to spend some in the gallery for it to work for you, whether it's Brad Washburn's stunning photographs of mountain-tops or the current exhibit on "Healing Through Art." One needs to read the captions and the introductions and then experience the paintings and drawings from Claudine Bing (done after her mother's death) and Wendy Wheeler (works done while recovering from breast cancer). Everyone faces loss; the saving grace comes from finding resources for healing. Our deep thanks to Mary Jo Rines and her committee!

Spiritual depth. Sometimes it comes from sharing with a group, sometimes from a solitary encounter with an artist's work. Sometimes it happens hearing the thoughts of a great theologian, like Marcus Borg, who spoke here in October; or from encountering the world's great religions with this winter's study group (which had the benefit of not just reading from a book but speaking with authoritative guests as I said earlier, "a real Hindu," "a real Muslim." And there is more to come this Lent, including another class on "Writing Your Spiritual Autobiography." It could be titled "Discovering Your Spiritual Autobiography."

III. So Jesus invited Simon, and us, to "Put out into the deep water." The "deep water" is that place where we wrestle with the more profound truths and discover the saving epiphanies of life. It can be a little scary, a little risky. But so is life itself. Jesus wanted Simon to put down his fishing net in the deep water to catch more disciples to be a "fisher of people" for there, there in the deep water, is where you will find the type of folks you want to catch.

It seems to me, my friends, that there is one step before becoming like Simon Peter catching new disciples for the Master: and that is a willingness to be caught ourselves.

But we need to go deep!

The Parson's Annual Report Sermon

Your comments and feedback are especially invited.

781-893-7798 or tomwintle@firstparishweston.org