Now What?

In September 2009, more than a year after the flood, the Salem congregation decided to accept the voluntary buyout for the downtown buildings and properties. At the same time, we presented a renewal plan to the East Central District Board of Church Location and Building as well as to the Bishop and Cabinet for approval. We acknowledged that the Spirit establishes the purpose of the Lord and often in surprising ways. Therefore, we knew we had to trust in God and remain open to the surprising ways of God. In doing so, we felt led to three possibilities. One, if New Creation UMC decided to close, we could assume their mortgage and continue a United Methodist presence there. Two, we could purchase an existing church building in an underserved part of the city. Or three, we could begin to develop the nearly ten acres of land Salem owns on Blairs Ferry Road.

A year ago, during Lent, we fasted and prayed that God would lead us to a new place. Fasting is a discipline that helps us hear from the Lord. While many of us as individuals have personal preferences, what matters is hearing from the Lord.

New Creation UMC did decide to close. Salem did assume the remaining mortgage and moved to our new location in November of 2010. On February 24, 2011, we signed the final papers for the voluntary buyout and received checks totaling $891,245.27. The mortgage Salem assumed from New Creation was paid off shortly thereafter. We paid back the money we borrowed from ourselves in order to make the transition. The Leadership Board is looking at how best to invest the remaining money, a little under a half million dollars. Now what?

We are in the season of Lent once more, and we are again fasting and praying that God will lead us. We have located on 8.4 acres of land and we have started growing. What does it mean for us to be the church in this new location and how do we use this land as good stewards and as laborers in God’s mission in the world?

Meanwhile, we still have the 9.6 acres of land on Blairs Ferry Road. What do we do with that resource? There are lots of possibilities. It seems there has been a desire to have a United Methodist congregation in that area. We could do that in a variety of ways. For instance, we could start a second campus of Salem; we could invite another congregation to work with us (the Buffalo UMC is very close); we could give or sell the land to another church.

If we want to be faithful in God’s kingdom, fasting and praying helps us figure out where God is already at work. This is John Wesley’s doctrine of prevenient grace. The United Methodist Book of Discipline (2008) defines prevenient grace as "the divine love that surrounds all humanity and precedes any and all of our conscious impulses.” It is our “first glimmer of understanding concerning God’s will” (¶101). God is always at work even before we realize it. Therefore, rather than bringing our own preferences to the front, we want to figure out where God is already at work and how we can be a part of that.

Discerning God’s will is not always easy. It is certainly easier to comprehend in hindsight. In the present, we often take a risk and step out in faith. As we do, sometimes doors close. If so, we simply step back and then step out in faith again in a new direction. We do trust, however, that God will sustain and lead us. What an exciting adventure!

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