A church is infused with vigor after conducting "40 Days of Purpose," a six-week campaign of spiritual growth.
By EILEEN SCHULTE
Published April 10, 2004
SAFETY HARBOR - Eighty years ago, a small group of women sold doilies to buy a plot of land and build the small wood frame First Presbyterian Church of Safety Harbor.
The church was growing steadily until the 1980s, when attendance sharply declined because of infighting among the congregation, a fight that parishioners now do not wish to discuss.
By the time the Rev. Joan Hill got there in January 2002, the church was essentially dying.
It had 60 members, and only 46 of them came to the worship on Sundays.
Desperately, Hill, a former real estate agent who entered the seminary late in life at the age of 50, tried to revitalize the congregation, even praying for children to come to the sanctuary (and they did come about two weeks after her prayer, she said).
Gradually, the membership increased to its current point, about 100 members.
But still, the church was at a point where it "needed a fresh focus," Hill said.
"People had trouble seeing a new vision," she added.
To help infuse the church with spirit and fill the pews, she started program called the "40 Days of Purpose," a six-week "spiritual growth campaign" based on the New York Times bestseller The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren.
It was designed to answer the question, "What on earth am I here for?"
The program has become so popular churches nationwide are participating in droves.
The number of days is a significant number, Hill said. Noah's life was transformed by 40 days of rain, Moses' life was transformed by 40 days on Mount Sinai, and the disciples were transformed when Jesus spent 40 days with them after his resurrection.
"It takes more than 30 days to break a habit," Hill said.
The program was open to everyone in the community, and to attract them, Hill sent out 17,000 post cards to people living in three different ZIP codes.
One hundred twenty five people - a number larger than the entire congregation - responded.
Small groups met in private homes, a business and even a retirement center once a week to hear all seven messages of the book, discuss the daily readings and pray.
It ended April 4 with members gathering together and releasing a dozen doves into the morning sky.
"I said to them, "A dove landed on Jesus after he was baptized in the River Jordan, the heavens opened and God's voice said "This is my son with whom I'm well pleased,' " Hill said. "I felt the doves were an indication of our new ministry here."
Now the church offers two Sunday worships at 8:30 and 10:30 a.m., and "We've been over 100 the past three Sundays," she said.
Hill is glad the church paid the $300 to the program's distributor to offer 40 Days of Purpose.
"Marriages were strengthened," she said. "And people who were sort of loners made friends with one another."
One congregant, Audrey Arnone, met with other members of a small group at The Hamptons retirement center. She said she and her husband made an effort to put other duties aside to be involved with the program.
"It was so enlightening to know there was a reason God put us here on this earth," she said. "Everything in my life has been planned by Him. It was wonderful."
Have you seen the Passion of the Christ and would like to join a discussion group to talk about the film? A group will meet starting April 13. Call First Presbyterian Church of Safety Harbor at (727) 726-2014.
