Ernest

My wife once served a small church that was struggling to survive. There were never more than a few dozen filling the pews on Sunday and the offering plates had more metal than paper when they were brought forward. In spite of what seemed like insurmountable problems there was a glimmer of optimism. In one of the meetings called to examine their plight, the church leaders began to rally around the idea that they needed a new organ.

The more the idea of a new organ was discussed the more enthusiastic the church members became. It finally reached a climax when Mr. Ernest spoke up and said he’d loan the church the money to buy the organ. I know I uttered a gasp when I heard the offer because the amount he was willing to loan far exceeded the combined annual income of his pension and social security. I told Mr. Ernest that the church’s offerings barely paid the utilities much less included enough to ever repay him. I asked him why he’d be willing to do that. He told me that every contribution given to the church had been repaid to him tenfold.

I have always considered tithing to be a gift given from what had been received. I had never thought about giving because you would be blessed. This was certainly a twist on the biblical context of a tithe. It is pretty painless to give from one’s surplus but to do what Mr. Ernest was willing to do did not seem wise. I was really concerned for his getting repaid.

We ordered an organ from a company in Rocky Mount and traveled to the factory to pick out the wood which would be used to make it. A few weeks later the organ was delivered and set up. Things got interesting then. The organist quit. While we were wringing our hands and fretting, a fellow walked through the door, said he had just moved to the neighborhood and heard that we needed an organist. Fred was a concert pianist, most recently with a major philharmonic orchestra. His talent was phenomenal and his arrangement of The Battle Hymn of the Republic, played on Independence Day, brought the congregation to its feet with applause that rivaled the 1812 Overture.

The little church soon began to sponsor a monthly communitywide “Singspiration”. We hosted church choirs, gospel groups, all faiths, and all races. It wasn’t long before the offering plates had fewer coins and more bills with zeros. The pews became filled and Mr. Ernest was repaid. The church grew, prospered and when we left they were talking about a new education building to house the children coming for an after-school program.

I have often wondered what would happen if communities had enough faith in their own futures to invest the way that Mr. Ernest did. Most of the time we function in a knee jerk reaction mode, patching problems and putting out fires. I know of one community that, perhaps unknowingly, did what Mr. Ernest did. That was in Charlotte when they used public funds -- $16.7 Million to be exact – to fund a two mile long trolley going from Uptown to the Historic South End. That “leap of faith” was prompted more by rail enthusiasts than by calculating bureaucrats but the results were phenomenal. Property values increased 89.6% along the route and more than $600 Million of private funds poured in. The taxes collected by the city and county on just the new investment amounted to $7.8 Million per year ($600M x 1.3%). The investment was repaid in 4 years, and before the line opened, with the city and county continuing to receive a 47% return on their investment.

In November of 2004 the voters of  North Carolina passed Amendment 1 which allows communities to offer Self Financing Bonds which will permit the replication of Charlotte’s success. Maybe we could use this new law to accomplish some of the improvements envisioned by our leaders.

A vision and the faith to act is necessary to move a community forward. What are the visions that we have for our community? I do know that economic development will take place along transportation and communication corridors. I also know that companies will locate where their employees want to live. Whiteville and Columbus County is where many of us have chosen to live and raise our families. Maybe we can come together and create a vision that capitalizes on our advantages and the quality of life which we offer.