When we come together on Sunday to reaffirm our covenant with God and each other, we need a space to meet. That space may be in a school cafeteria, or space borrowed from another church.

Or, it may be a beautiful campus surrounded by trees and rooted in the pre-Civil War legacy of Margaret Mercer and Belmont Chapel - where this parish now worships.

At the same time, a parish is more than buildings and land, however beautiful. Individuals must freely choose to be a part of this covenant community.

The average number of people worshipping here has increased from 282 in 1998, to 514 in 2007. This is an almost 100 percent rise in att endance. That so many more people fi nd meaning in this place is indeed a great blessing.

Has the increase in worship coincided with an increase in the fi nancial resources required to support this larger community? In other words, have the people who have joined this covenant community also embraced the responsibility to care for it?

The Cost of "Being Here"

In the first part of this series, General Manager Jim Tracy reported that to meet the obligations of our mortgages, to maintain the property and open the campus each week will cost $376,000 for 2007.

This does not include the cost of ministry - worship expenses, staff salaries, children and youth programs, music and missions. $376,000 provides the place to meet. It does not cover worship and service. $376,000 is just the cost of being here - 11 times the cost of Being Here in 1998.

What about the income needed to cover that cost? In 1998, parishioners pledged $224,700 to support the community. In 2007, they have pledged $717,000. This is an increase of 320%, or 3.2 times what parishioners pledged in 1998.

This seems like an impressive increase. But consider this: The cost of Being Here has risen 1,100%, - while the income needed to cover that cost has risen by 320%. The cost has risen 11-fold, while income has risen only 3-fold.

The Value of "Being Here"

We could meet in an elementary school. We could borrow space in another church.

But we value our attractive campus.

We value having a place to call our own in one of the fastest growing counties in America.

We value being able to trace our heritage back to Margaret Mercer and Belmont Chapel.

We value the opportunity to support both traditional and contemporary worship styles, to have a place where children can run and play together, to offer the serenity of a church yard where we may honor loved ones and grieve their loss in the serenity of our church yard.

Unless we collectively choose to walk away from all this abundance, we must take responsibility for the cost of being here. All year round, summer and winter, it costs $31,300 every month just to “be here.”

The value of our presence here grows even more when we gather a covenant community: a covenant community that welcomes people who are learning to love each other even as they are learning to be loved by Jesus. In the last nine years, many people have found value in “being here” and “worshipping here” together on Sunday.

The value is much, much greater than the cost. But the cost remains.

Covering the cost of “being here” is only the beginning. After we have made it possible to be here, we must next worship and invite others to worship with us. Next week we will begin to look at the cost and value of worshipping in this place.