Quarterly Newsletter: Winter 2012

Mike and Sandy Swagerty In the year now past of 2011, my wife and I reached a new milestone in our lives: We turned 65. I know many of you will chuckle to yourself and say, “well just wait until you get to my age of…” But turning 65 in America brings about some new experiences. We now get to join the ranks of those on Medicare, the government health insurance program for those over 65. This month will mark the first social security check being deposited in our bank account. Now we are both FULLY eligible for all those discounts given to seniors. I could collect on some in the past at 55 and 62, but now nobody can deny me! Now that I am 65 I have been asked if I am going to retire. Will I stop pastoring, and turn over the reigns to a younger minister here in Sacramento? No, and here is why.

First, I love what I am doing. I have now been in pastoral ministry for over 44 years. I guess I am a rare human being in that I have loved the career path I have followed, and have been able to stay in it all my adult years. I like sharing in the lives of people. I get excited every time I give another sermon or discipleship class or children’s story. I even like doing the administrative jobs that come with the territory. In fact I can’t think of a thing connected with the job that I really don’t like. So why should I retire?

But a second reason is just plain economics. I don’t think I need to remind any of you that the whole financial climate in the Western World has changed dramatically in the past 5 years or so. Banks have gone belly up, pension funds have disappeared, retirement portfolios have evaporated, and so on. Every year I keep working full time causes two good things to happen: it gives me one more year to add to my savings, and it means one less year that I have to draw from them.

A third reason is that I feel a “burden from the Lord” if you will permit me to use this old testament terminology, toward the 150 recipients in our video ministry who count on the three sermons a month I preach, as an important part of their spiritual nourishment. Many of these recipients represent small groups of people that meet together, and a conservative estimate of the folks we serve would be about 600. This is nearly ten times our normal church attendance on any given week of 65. This group also provides nearly 30% of our church income, without which our budget would be in the red and we would be drawing down our reserves.

If the Lord is willing, my plans at this time are to continue pastoring here in Sacramento and sending out these videos for at least another 5 years. If I make it that long, we will see where we go from there.

Changing the subject, I want to make a few comments about some sermons I am planning for 2012. I am a strong believer in the concept that the decisions we make in our lives are strongly determined by our concept of God. How we perceive Him and our relationship to Him sets the course for our lives. But does our concept of God match the description God gives of Himself in the Bible? We will explore this in several sermons. Another series I am planning for the summertime or thereabouts will be entitled Ecclesiastes and Jesus. The book of Ecclesiastes is one of the most practical and down to earth books in the Bible. It is properly termed “Wisdom Literature”. But taken on it’s own it can be one of the most morbid and depressing books ever written. But when married with the life and teachings of Jesus, it provides great wisdom for today and great promise for eternity. I think you will be inspired by these sermons.

You will find several enclosures with this quarterly mailing. Your annual receipt for tax purposes is among them. Please hold on to this as verification to the IRS of your donations in 2011. Also, there is a new activity calendar for 2012. You will note that one of the activities we have planned in April is a parking lot sale. The proceeds from this sale will help provide scholarship monies for our youth going to summer camp. Please hold on to any items you can donate to the sale. You can bring them to church the Saturday before the sale for pricing and storage.

That wraps it up for this letter. Have a great new year serving our Lord.

With Christian love,
Mike Swagerty,
your pastor and brother in Christ

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