Stewardship Message -- Bill Cooley, Moderator
Good morning. I’m Bill Cooley, the current moderator here at Harmony Creek. Pastor Mike asked me to say a few words about stewardship as we kick off our Vision 2020 campaign. I’m very excited about the Harmony Creek 2020 Vision, and the energy around our shared goals... but I know it takes our combined commitment of resources to realize our vision. This morning I’d like to offer a different lens for your consideration as you thoughtfully commit to resourcing Harmony Creek in the coming year.
Many of you are aware that I am in the US Air Force. You may also be aware that under Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, we published a National Defense Strategy two years ago that announced the resurgence of “Great Power Competition” between the United States and the nations of Russia and China—Russia as a near-term competitor and China as a longer-term challenge to the global balance of power and the resurgence of authoritarian governmental controls.
While I am very comfortable speaking publicly about the very real challenges, we have with China ranging from theft of intellectual property, to surveillance of their population and ethnic discrimination, to direct challenges to the rule of law and world order--that is not my purpose today. Rather, I’d like to share with you something related to our stewardship that surprised me, and yet as I though more about it, I should not have been surprised at all.
A few months ago, I attended a briefing from Dr. James Baker, the Director of the Office of Net Assessment. The Office of Net Assessment (ONA) works directly for the Secretary of Defense and was created in 1973 to serve as the Pentagon's "internal think tank" that looks 20 to 30 years into the future. That office was central to our strategy in the Cold War and has had only two directors, Andrew Marshall (1973-2015) and James Baker. Dr. James Baker—a careful and thoughtful gentleman—gave us the same presentation regarding their assessment of China that he provided to the Secretary of Defense, State, and Congress. While most of his presentation was classified, much of it was not.
At the end of his presentation, he took questions. One of my fellow Air Force officers asked him... “Given these long-term challenges we face... What can we do as US citizens?”
Without hesitation he answered: “Give to a church.” He went on to explain that it is the health of our civil society, not the US government or business sector, that undergirds our freedoms, way of life, and strength.
I Don’t know what, if any, religious affiliation Dr. Baker has... but I also know that it doesn’t matter. The Church has been and continues to be the foundation of our civil society – that is the "third sector" of society, distinct from government and business, and includes the family and the private sphere. Church is arguably the most effective and credible way citizens can manifest interests and will.
I hold dear the ideals our Nation was founded on--including and especially separation of Church and State. Perhaps that is what surprised me most in Dr. Baker’s response: “Give to a Church.” It is a recognition from a government expert in broad societal issues and National Security that the single most useful thing citizens can to for our collective long-term health, is to contribute resources to an institution outside the government, and in particular a Church -- especially a progressive church like ours that values peace, freedom and sacred worth of all people.
That is the call for us today and in the year to come. We have a terrific new Vision for Harmony Creek, and with our combined commitment of resources we can realize that Vision in this place and for our community.
Please thoughtfully consider your giving and maybe even increase it, because the collective Vision we have developed and affirmed will require increased investment and participation by all of us. Giving is a personal thing, and I know many don’t like to discuss it openly, but giving is an essential and important part of church.
Thank you for your generosity and service to Harmony Creek. I look forward to continuing our journey to be the Progressive Church in our 21st Century where Justice is tempered by mercy, and the Love of God animates our life together, calling us to Love our neighbors.