40 Days of Purpose

By Gretchen Murray
Traverse City Record-Eagle (Traverse City, Mich.)

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. October 17, 2007 09:06 am

— It’s not about you. That’s the first sentence in Rick Warren’s bestseller “The Purpose Driven Life” and it’s the first realization Warren drives home to readers.
Warren, the founding pastor of Saddleback Church, a 15,000-member Southern Baptist congregation in Lake Forest, Calif., has sold over 25 million copies of the book that was selected as one of the 100 Christian books that changed the 20th Century. His book takes readers through a 40-day soul-searching journey that examines one of life’s deepest questions, What on Earth am I here for?
Since Sept. 15, the congregation of the First Presbyterian Church in Elk Rapids has been taking that journey together. Their goal when the 40 days ends on Oct. 28 is to have the nearly 300 participants come away with the understanding that each was put on this planet with the ability make a difference.
“Some people are just treading water,” said Ron Kuite, a member of the project’s planning committee. Kuite participated in the same program with his former church in Haines City, Fla. “We’re here to multi-task, and we have a short time here to do it,” Kuite tells people. “Find out what God wills you to do.”
Associate Pastor Sandra Murray attended a conference two years ago at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Satellite Beach, Fla., where the 40 Days program was underway.
“I was awed by what was happening there regarding spiritual growth and involvement. I was so excited, I went back again and took people from our church with me,” Murray said.
She felt sure the church could adapt Warren’s material to the Presbyterian experience.
“The church elders saw a real value in putting the congregation on the same page — doing one thing together,” said Pam Shuler of Eastport, a member of the planning committee. Each week the congregation hears a pastoral message, meets in small discussion groups, and reads daily devotionals on Warren’s five purposes: worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry and evangelism.
She says the 40-day time frame is not a random number. Forty days is considered a transitional time that is mentioned many times in the Bible. The Lenten season is a 40-day period of reflection.
In the Great Flood mentioned in Genesis, the rain fell on the earth 40 days and 40 nights; and Exodus refers to Moses spending 40 days before God writing the 10 Commandments.
“The reason Warren uses 40 days is it takes that time to change habits. Warren takes you from where you are in your spirituality and gives you an opportunity to grow from there,” said Dan Sinclair. “We know Presbyterians have been labeled the ‘frozen chosen.’ The thing is opening up to God’s will. Going out of our comfort zone. This is a kick in the pants.”
Sinclair and his wife Carol are prayer team leaders. In what they call “praying on-site with insight” they are encouraging members to pray as they walk or drive through each section of Elk Rapids.
Committee members say the program makes people branch out into things they normally wouldn’t think of doing.
“I never thought I’d see the day when I would preach at a rescue mission. I don’t have ministry training, but it makes you step out of yourself,” Kuite said.
On Oct. 21, the church will hold a mission fair with representatives from outside agencies such as the Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity and Eagle Village explaining how people can volunteer there.
The project has built fellowship within the church and community, but will they continue on when the program concludes on Oct. 28?
“The 40 Days of Purpose does fulfill its purpose, but we don’t need an artificial program,” Shuler said. “We’re internalizing these ideas and using them. If you can say I’m a member of the church, I participate, then you can say, I’m a member of the world. I participate there.”
“I think we’re trusting in God to show us what’s happening,” said Pastor Murray. “They say a vision that is too big is just the right size. I had this vision. I shared it, and they shared it, and it became this tsunami of faith.
The church welcomes participation in the 40 Days of Purpose. It’s not too late to join in. For details, call 264-8167.

Gretchen Murray writes for the Traverse City (Mich.) Record-Eagle.