White Unto The Harvest (1956?)

our Lord Jesus Christ spoke to his disciples about fields white unto the harvest here they are these are some of the fields in the Diocese of Virginia which are right under the harvest today these rows of houses represent people they represent children people whose spiritual needs cannot be neglected children for whom Christian nurture and education must be provided if the church fails these people it then fails to live up to the commandment of our Lord in the past few years our Bishop Frederick woodland has seen this tremendous growth take place in Diocese of Virginia scenes such as this ought to be found all over the diocese today let's take a look at a map and see where all this is taking place here is the Diocese of Virginia from that again is to the Tidewater from the James to the Potomac rubbers need for the church to expand is felt all over the diocese especially in the areas around which Esther couple Charlottesville Fredericksburg Richmond and Alexandria our diocese today is being confronted with missionary opportunities which we could scarcely have imagined a generation ago a new chapter is opening for us in our history recently through the Virginia Plan of stewardship we have been learning that gratitude and thankfulness are there only proper Christian bodies forgiving for this reason we have substituted the spirit of the general thanksgiving for the cold hard facts of a parish budget we have taken thanksgiving to god as a theme of our every member canvas when we are truly grateful to God for all that he has given to us we cannot help wanting to share that thankfulness with others but we must also have a plan for the right and wise use of what we give to God in order that you may better understand and appreciate the wonderful opportunities that the Episcopal Church has all of the diocese and see something of the way in which we have tried to meet these needs I'm going to ask Bishop Gibson to show you something of the growth of one particular church or congregation we have many such stretches to the diocese this is just a typical example here is the story of a church located in one of the new communities in Fairfax County four miles down the Potomac River south of Alexandria almost in the shadow of Mount Vernon it is called st. Luke's Wellington to understand fully the story of st. Luke's it is necessary to go back more than 20 years and tell you how it all began back in nineteen thirty to st. Luke's was a tiny mission served by students from the Virginia seminary there they ministered to a few scattered families who live by the riverside and on the surrounding farms after the end of world war two demands for housing increased residents of the Washington area discovered Wellington it was ideal for home sites when restrictions were taken off building materials hundreds of houses began to be built hundreds of families moved into the area around st. Luke's now it was the center of a growing community the only church for miles this is what st. Luke's looked like in that post-war period people flocked to church Sunday School classes were overcrowded I even saw them meeting outside in station wagons st. Luke's had become not only a church but a constantly used center for the activities of the entire community faced with this situation the congregation took action and happily the diocese was able to do its part in 1950 a deacon was assigned to st. Luke's its first full-time minister diocesan funds supplied the first quarter of the total amount needed to begin work on an addition to the church these diocesan funds enabled the people to raise the remaining three quarters the fulfillment of the hopes of both the diocese and congregation was the dedication of the new st. Luke's Church in May 1952 this venture of faith has been met by the response of increasing numbers of people all over the area here men women parents and children come to church and church schools giving of their lives in worship in Christian education in praise and prayer and the preaching of the world growing as a new church family in the Diocese of Virginia since nineteen fifty two when there were only two hundred church families st. Luke's has grown to over 400 families and the care of more than 1,200 persons by the church the need for the church was here you people all over the diocese saw the need and answer the challenge with your gifts today as a result a new independent self-supporting church is added to our diocesan family now let me emphasize diocesan extension funds made this possible and these same funds made possible much more church construction for example st. Asaph Bowling Green st. Matthews Richmond st. Andrews Arlington Christchurch lorae st. Paul's baileys crossroads the Church of the Messiah highland springs all this gives cause for rejoicing but in Christian frankness we must admit that all that we have done has never been enough in some new communities we have had to delay meeting the opportunities which were there until long after decisive action was called for and there are still areas of great promise and need where we have not yet begun any word for the Episcopal Church surely God is calling us to do much more in his service than we have done so far I could be equally graphic in telling you of other rapidly growing areas in which the efforts of congregations must be encouraged with diocesan fonz what you have seen illustrated in some churches could be repeated throughout the diocese for instance here is a church site but no building is yet and here are people worshipping in a small rented apartment this congregation has outgrown its church and here are people meeting in a school until funds are available for their new church this growing Church desperately needs a parish house all that these situations need is enough help from the diocese to grasp the opportunities which face them in every one of these new areas there are people who are being reached by no church children who go to no sunday school families who are not being taught what it means to be thankful for God's boundless grace and love this is why we make a missionary appeal for church extension we must provide in our pledges at every member canvas time and in the operating budgets of our churches definite amounts for the extension of Christ's Kingdom in the new communities of our diocese there should be no doubt in the mind of anyone that the needs and possibilities missionary expansion in the Diocese of Virginia are unlimited possibilities unlimited bringing God and His Church into the lives of people this has happened for you will you not help to make it possible for others this then is our challenge before us is the very practical down-to-earth opportunity and privilege for people to include in their pledges and vestries to include in their budgets a generous amount for church extension now we have heard the story the story of what God is calling us to do in responding to its called we show that we are thankful thankful for all that he has done for us thankful as we say in family prayer our health friends food and raiment and above all for sending his son into the world today in the Diocese of Virginia our fields are white unto the harvest we are depending on you to do your share