This Sunday, October 28, is Commitment Sunday. A lot is riding on the commitment of our parishioners this year. We face a major challenge, one the biggest challenges in the history of our parish.

We are 17 years old. The faith of twelve people planted this parish in January 1990. Today we have grown over one hundred fold. Our current membership tops 1,400 members.

This growth is something to celebrate; it is also our challenge.

The early years of a church focus on a ministry of gathering. The goal: to call people into covenant community centered on Christ Jesus. Our founding Rector, Stephen McWhorter excelled in a ministry of gathering. We celebrate his legacy.

As a church matures, it moves from gathering to service. Our parish has been maturing for a number of years. Our vision to be a covenant community "where no one stands alone" expresses our longing to grow up in our quality of service.

Of course, from the beginning this parish has always served. But when you start with 12, a ministry of service gives first priority to a ministry of gathering. A young church serves as it gathers. A mature church gathers as it serves.

Subtle difference? Sure. But a difference nonetheless.

Over the past several years we have been making this transition. We are learning to reach out in service: to children, youth, families, seniors, and beyond ourselves to the needs in Loudoun County and around the world.

Anyone can see that our ministries of service are youthful. They express the energy and enthusiasm of youth. Ours is an intention to serve more than a capacity to serve. They express tentative steps as we grow beyond the elementary years of gathering toward adulthood in service.

We are beginners, novices, apprentices in the Kingdom of God. At 17 years old, we are still a teenager. And now it is time to grow up. In January, 2008 we turn 18. We become an adult.

A young church must emphasize welcome, calling a few core leaders to commitment. As a church matures the emphasis shifts.

A mature church emphasizes commitment. We continue to practice a ministry of welcome, of course. But we hold ourselves up to a higher standard of faith. Our willingness to commit -- time in worship, support of one another, and the financial tithe (or for some their willingness to work toward a tithe) increases our capacity for ministry.

Our new emphasis, as we enter our 18th year, is to be a church of whole-hearted, unapologetic commitment. We have become a covenant community that looks each other in the eye and says, with complete and utter seriousness, "I am committed."

We see this commitment in the 2008 Budget the Vestry has prepared. The Vestry plans to invest $1.4 million in ministries of service.

The challenge? This budget can only be funded by adult faith. To empower this plan, we must stand up to commit to a serious-minded stewardship practice.

It's time. We are ready. I'm excited to see us step up and fully embrace the opportunity of faithful service as an adult church in the Kingdom of God.