A Brief History of Dayspring
What Jacob is to Israel, what Simon is to Peter, and what Saul is to Paul, Christ
Chapel is to Dayspring. Though its name may have been changed, like those of the biblical
forefathers whose rechristening raised them to greater heights of service, this church has
received a call as well and has recognized and accepted the challenge. In the beginning it
was a mission for Christ Chapel. Now it belongs to Dayspring.
Although Christ Chapel received official status in 1967, a small congregation of
Methodists had begun to worship together several years earlier. Meeting in the Tempe
Mortuary on Southern Avenue, which at the time was a bumpy, neglected, two-lane street
passing arrow-straight through the cotton fields that fringed the outskirts of Tempe, the
thirty-or-so fledgling members felt fortunate to have found such an accessible location in
which to hold services. After all, wasn't there an organ to help lead congregational
singing? Weren't there rooms in a nearby veterinary clinic and basement of a neighboring
dance studio where Sunday school could be held? Of course.
Grateful for a place in which to worship, that dedicated, resolute group hoped to share
its message with others and to bring them into their newly-formed fellowship. In order to
do so a handful of enthusiastic members as well as their minister, leg cast and all,
toured the surrounding area going door-to-door on mission to attract prospective
worshipers to the new church.
As the congregation grew - steadily during the first years of Christ Chapel - the need
for a building of its own became apparent, and the official board was challenged by the
California/Arizona Board of Missions to raise a specific sum of money in order to receive
additional funding from the United Methodist Church. This accomplished, by the middle of
1967 an architectural plan for not one, but three new buildings was presented to and
adopted by the church leaders. Two of the buildings, the Community Hall and the
educational facility, were under construction by early 1968 and were completed in July of
that year. What a great day it was when the burgeoning membership moved into the new
Community Hall which would serve as the sanctuary until the latter could be completed.
In their elation over moving to the new site across the street from the mortuary,
however, the congregation had overlooked some very important items: seats. There simply
weren't enough of them, and this oversight resulted in families being asked to buy two
chairs for the temporary sanctuary at $10 apiece. Did it matter that there was no organ,
that there were no stained glass windows, that there was no pulpit? Not at all. Seats were
the priority.
From the inception of Christ Chapel the size of its educational facilities had never
proven adequate, and even the newly-completed building was subsequently found to be too
small to accommodate all of the children and their Sunday school teachers. In 1973,
because of the continuing problem, two small geodesic domes were purchased, assembled, and
painted by the members. It was believed that the dilemma of overcrowded classrooms had
been solved at last. Yet those hopes crumbled when it was found that the wiring in the
windowless buildings proved inadequate either to heat or cool the structures. All that
hard work of erecting the domes went for naught, and three years later the congregation
paid to have them dismantled and carted away.
Once again, as Christ Chapel continued to grow appreciably in size and outreach, the
ever-present specter of space for the church school plagued the congregation. A third
building, the sanctuary, which would have alleviated a number of problems, had never been
built, some members questioning the advisability of pouring more money into buildings at
the Southern Avenue site. Furthermore, the Conference Board of Missions had declined to
assist financially in further expansion if the church remained in its present
location.
In addition to these unsettling aspects, dissension had arisen within the congregation
over the perception of the mission of the church. Christ Chapel was at crossroads. The
ultimate decision to move to a residential section of Tempe polarized the congregation,
many of the original members leaving the church. Even a mandate that the name Christ
Chapel be changed became a disquieting problem for those who had remained, and in a
prolonged meeting of some of the congregation and the minister, a spirited, sometimes
contentious, discussion ensued. After considering as many as eighteen names, the choices
dwindled to Christ Spirit or Dayspring and finally the latter, (which stems from the
Hebrew word for "dawn" or "the light entering chaos"), was embraced by
the narrowest of margins.
Following all the unsettling turmoil, five acres which comprise the present site of
Dayspring United Methodist Church were bought in the late seventies. The funds necessary
to buy this land and to erect essential church buildings came from the sale of the
Southern Avenue property, resources borrowed from the California/Arizona Conference, and a
building fund drive.
Because the Southern site had been sold and vacated, Christ Chapel needed an interim
place in which to hold services. In a neighboring high school, Corona del Sol, a cafeteria
was available, and the congregation went to church there for eighteen months during the
construction period. It was a trying time for the shrunken congregation. Those who had
opposed the move from the original locale had left the church, which had been
disappointing and had substantially diminished the remaining congregation. Those that
stayed, however, endured the heat of summer and the cool of winter because there was no
money to pay utility bills. Each Sunday it was necessary for the faithful to rearrange
tables and chairs in the cafeteria as well as to reposition the piano. Yet these were mere
inconveniences. In spite of it all, the traditional congregation all singing of Christ
Chapel was still de rigueur; the Raggedy Band, a creative group of church
musicians, provided inimitable music, the minister preached, and the people worshipped.
Happily, the Sundays of holding services at Corona del Sol came to an end in 1981, and
in May joyful consecration services were held to dedicate the new church which included
Fellowship Hall, made inspirational by the lovely Dayspring Window, and the educational
wing, complete with larger, more functional rooms. A sizable central courtyard had been
landscaped with grass and trees which featured a brick patio two-thirds the size of a
football field. The buildings, designed to be energy-efficient, had been constructed with
extensive insulation, pre-cooled underground conditioned air, shaded patio overhangs, and
minimal glass to sun exposure.
With the exception of the decrease in membership caused by the dissension over the move
to residential Tempe, constant, continuing growth had always been a keynote at Christ
Chapel. When the church moved to the present location after having been renamed Dayspring,
growth came as an explosion, and ultimately the church tripled in size. Again, as in the
past, it became necessary to consider expanding the existing facilities. Fellowship Hall
had been outgrown. So had the educational building. It was time to begin construction once
more. With that arose a quandary.
Like Christ Chapel before it, Dayspring had a well-earned reputation as a mission
church. Could it undertake so enormous an expansion and still maintain an extensive
outreach program? By 1986 an answer was found in the "beginning of an idea." An
imaginative concept, that idea was a vision not only of erecting two new buildings - a
sanctuary and a two-story education unit - but of establishing a unique resource as well,
the Dayspring Mission Endowment Fund. It was to be created by putting aside 10% of all
building funds received solely for the mission program of the church. Realizing that many
places of worship were forced to curtail such funding during construction periods, the
congregation took pride in its willingness to do both: build and befriend. Members felt
great responsibility to those in need of help, and they found it easier to give since
their campaign slogan affirmed that all contributions would go for "More Than Bricks
and Mortar."
Ground breaking for the additional structures was a spirited two-day affair. On the
evening of April 25, 1987, a family festival was held, and immediately after the 10:30
a.m. worship services on the following day the actual ceremony took place. Later, members
of the congregation enjoyed a candlelight banquet which seemed an appropriate conclusion
for the celebration of still another milestone in the life of Dayspring United Methodist
Church.
After some eighteen months of construction the new buildings were complete, and it was
a well-pleased membership that could spread out into the new spaces. First, however, there
was a final worship service to be held in Fellowship Hall. On Sunday, September 4, 1988,
the congregation gathered in the provisional sanctuary, still looking upward in reverent
admiration at the handsome, symbolic Dayspring Window, and listened to a sermon
recommending beneficent was of "Making It in a Troubled World."
If church members had rejoiced when they were able to begin attending services in
Fellowship Hall those seven years ago, imagine the jubilation at the first one in their
new sanctuary! On September 11, 1988, when the congregation went to church on that
auspicious morning, they beheld great beauty in the bricks and mortar for which they had
so generously contributed. The glorious stained glass Mission Window, glowing in
resplendence, provided an impressive reredos for the unique Dayspring Cross which, like
the lovely window, had been singularly designed for the new sanctuary. The communion table
and candelabra had been fashioned of the same black wrought-iron as the cross while the
soft turquoise-colored carpeting and cushions for the pews lent a subdued richness, a
mellowness that complemented the oak seats, chancel flooring, and woodwork of the
beautiful, inspirational place of worship. During that Sunday morning service the
dedicated choirs sang anthems of praise and thanksgiving, a gratified minister preached a
sermon of celebration to which appreciative worshipers could but voice reverent amens.
Like ancestral Israel, Peter, and Paul, Christ Chapel/Dayspring has experienced a
change of name. Has this modification affected its aspirations? Historically speaking,
such change has always been for the better. When known as Christ Chapel, one of the goals
of the church was to grow in membership, and that end was accomplished admirably.
Following the precedent of its parent, Dayspring, too, has gone on to increase its numbers
to such an extent that it has now become one of the fastest-growing congregation in the
Desert Southwest Conference. In light of humble beginnings Christ Chapel had accomplished
substantial, ambitious building programs. Similarly, an observation of the extensive
Dayspring campus attests to a commitment for growth as well. An like Christ Chapel, which
began modestly as a home-mission church, Dayspring has expanded the program so that at
present mission is now international in scope. The bard, William Shakespeare, once penned
an oft-quoted question, "What's in a name?" Clearly it is reasonable to respond
that there is little difference, merely a continuation of dreams and deeds, in the
fellowship that began as Christ Chapel and became Dayspring United Methodist Church.
United Methodist Theology and Beliefs
So, what is United Methodist theology? What do United Methodists believe? Confusing as it may
sound, we believe that we have no absolute set of beliefs. Let’s put that another way.
Some denominations are known as creedal or confessional denominations. What the denomination
believes is contained in a list of statements or propositions called creeds or confessions.
United Methodism is not a creedal or confessional denomination; we do not have a single statement of
beliefs or a creed to which every member must subscribe. (We use the historical creeds of the church,
such as the Apostles' Creed, but only as a way of affirming our faith, not as a test of our inclusion within
the denomination.)
Why are we not a creedal church? Because our denomination has always found creeds or confessions to
be exclusive rather than inclusive. In other words, if a person disagrees with even so much as a word or a
line of a creed, then that person is excluded from the fellowship of the church. A creed forces an all-or-nothing
theology.
But perhaps the predominant reason why we are not a creedal denomination is that we do not believe that
we can say all that needs to be said about God in a creed or a confession. No matter how much we say,
there is still more to say. We cannot contain or capture God within the words of a creed or confession.
Again, creeds can point us toward God, but they do not encompass all there is of God.
So if we are not a creedal church, then we can believe anything we want, right? Wrong! We are not free
to believe whatever we want, but we are free to work out our own understanding of God within some
very specific guidelines.
These guidelines are contained within The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church - 2008.
The Discipline is created by the General Conference of The United Methodist Church, the only
body that can speak for the whole church. Parts II and IV of the Discipline are the sections that describe
what we believe and how we live out those beliefs. It is to these sections that we look for the parameters
of our beliefs and clear guidelines.
Here is a way to envision that: Suppose you had a huge field filled with everything anyone has ever
believed, currently believes, or ever could believe about God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, the church,
and the Christian faith. If a church is a confessional or creedal church, it plants a stake at one spot in that
field of beliefs and says to its members, "You have to stand right here, nowhere else!" Or if a church is
doctrinally indifferent, it says, "Roam all over the field, believe whatever you wish from anywhere at
all."
But The United Methodist Church views that field, fences in a section, and says, "Believe what you discover
in your own life about God, but those beliefs must be contained within this fenced-in area to be
United Methodist."
The curious thing about this United Methodist fenced-in area is that it is three-sided like a triangle. The
Discipline is specific about the fences that make up those three sides.
One side of this triangular area consists of what has sometimes been called the common core of Christian
beliefs. These are beliefs that United Methodists hold in common with most other Christians: the
authority of the Bible; the reality of God; God’s act of salvation through the life, death, and resurrection
of Jesus Christ; the reality of the Holy Spirit as the divine presence in our lives; and the role of the church
as the body of Christ. Suppose you were to say, "I don’t think I accept the authority of the Bible, and I
just can't buy that Holy Spirit stuff." Fine. That is your business. But you are outside the United Methodist
fence, so we wish you Godspeed as you seek a church that supports you in your beliefs.
A second side of that fence is what has been called the distinctive United Methodist beliefs. The hallmarks
of United Methodism, these beliefs set us apart from other denominations. Included are an emphasis
on the primacy of God's grace, the belief that faith and good works must exist side by side, and our
distinctive United Methodist approach to organization, church structure, and polity. One of the major
hallmarks of this last belief is our connectionalism, the way in which each United Methodist congregation
is connected to every other United Methodist congregation through annual conferences, jurisdictional
conferences, and the General Conference. Connectionalism is our way of doing together what we could
never do separately, such as our mission outreach, our denominational response to disasters, and our efforts
to call our culture to become accountable to God.
The third part of the fence completes the triangle. Sometimes called the Wesley quadrilateral, this
side provides guidelines as we ponder a decision, an action, or a belief. The four guiding questions
included in the quadrilateral are: Is it disclosed in Scripture? Is it illumined by tradition? Is it realized
in experience? Is it confirmed by reason?
In summary, then, we United Methodists do not hold to a single statement of our beliefs, but we are
called to the task of theology. That is, we are called to the task of identifying and testing our philosophies
by the common core of Christian beliefs, the distinctive United Methodist emphases, and the fourfold
guidelines of Scripture, tradition, experience, and reason.
This does not mean we United Methodists have a firm belief on every detail of the Christian faith. As
Wesley himself said in his sermon "The Character of a Methodist": "As to all opinions which do not
strike at the root of Christianity, we think and let think." In part, this is why we do not prescribe a
precise method for the sacraments: Baptism can be by sprinkling, pouring, or immersion; the Lord's
Supper can be served at the communion rail or passed in the pews using individual cups or a common cup
and using wafers or a common loaf. Participation in the sacrament is more important than the outward
form of the sacrament.
- excerpts from the United Methodist Layspeakers
Basic Manual, chapter 2
and from Rev. George Smoot's sermon on April 11
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