This has been quite a summer at Ivy. Vacation Bible School was an absolute success with more children attending then we have had in years. These children, along with their parents, are making their way into the fellowship of the Church and in time, will discover our Sunday School and the caring, gentle people of our church.

The youth mission trip to New England drew first time volunteers and teens who have never experienced a mission opportunity at all. Funnel continues to draw teens from the community, and many are hearing and experiencing the love of Christ through the leaders and their peers.

After a brief dip in Sunday School, following honest but unsuccessful efforts to provide additional space in our program, the Sunday School has recovered its numbers and is growing every week with new faces in many of our classes. The nursery and preschool areas on Sunday mornings are practically bursting at the seems. There continues to be a cry for additional helpers and staff to care for these precious children.

All in all, the hard work of the dedicated, faithful servants at Ivy is bearing fruit and is impacting the lives of many in the community. Understand something else, growth comes with a price. Sometimes the price is financial; sometimes it is measured in the number of additional volunteers needed to support expanding ministries.

The Daily Press ran a story about a church in Suffolk, in the midst of expansion, who were hit hard by the economy. They were forced to declare Chapter 11 as they couldn’t service a loan on their new facility. The article stated that nonprofits throughout the region are being smacked by high fuel and food prices. I can say “Amen” to that.

A day doesn’t go by that we don’t receive urgent requests from area ministries that are struggling. Last week, I received an urgent call from Virginia Baptists requesting immediate help with their budget. Support is at an all time low, and they are very worried that necessary ministries will have to be either cut back or stopped altogether.

The same is true with Ivy. If you have been tracking our giving, you’ll know that we too have been hit by the economy. While we are just under last year’s level of giving and we are paying our daily bills with our offerings, we are doing so by pairing back on many of the things we have planned.

In the coming weeks, expect the Finance Committee to make an appeal to the Church to pony up to this challenge and face it head on. It takes time for new people to take ownership of the ministries of their church. It is up to the rest of us to redouble our efforts to support our growing church with our time, talents, and treasures.

May God bless each of you with good health and His peace.

PJ