It’s a change that has been happening, gradually over some time, but it has gotten to a place where it’s more noticeable now. The change is in why we meet.
When I came here Messiah, like almost every church, had lots of meetings. There were committees meeting to do the business of the church – worship preparation, meetings about how we would run Sunday School and Confirmation, meetings to talk about things that need repaired or upgraded in the building. Sometimes it seemed like we just met to meet!
Did you notice, we don’t have committees anymore? And have you also noticed all those things that committees use to do, still get done? By YOU! By so many faithful, dedicated, caring individuals who love their church and who make sure we have what we need to worship , to form the faith of children and adults and who keep our building clean, safe and maintained. Important tasks and service that is critical to our life as a faith community. And to all of you, I express my heartfelt thanks! You are amazing and your service is invaluable! God bless you!
Now back to meetings. We still have meetings, but we meet for different reasons. Now we have meetings to share ideas about how to feed the hungry. We meet to talk about repairing homes or cleaning yards. We meet to plan events like Feeding the Multitude or 30 Hour Famine. We meet with school officials to ask how we can serve them, the teachers and the pupils. We meet with people whose first language is not English to partner in helping them worship God and transition into this North American, Midwestern culture. We meet with leaders from other countries to hear their stories and imagine what it looks like to walk together as brothers and sisters in Christ. There are meetings to disperse funds for ministries and for people. We talk about our relationships with God’s people outside of our Church walls. We even meet to celebrate God’s work among us – hearing testimonies of transformation and love!
Even our Ministry Council meetings have changed. We talk about what God is up to in our lives and in our corporate life as a faith community. We honestly, with love for Jesus and His people, talk about priorities for ministry. We pray for God’s direction and seek to discern, not just decide.
That doesn’t mean that sometimes our meetings are long or spirited! Debate still happens, voices rise, tensions are felt – but it isn’t over the color of carpet or of the hymnal. It’s because we seek to be in mission together and we are passionate about our service and love of God and neighbor!
Now that is growth as a congregation! That is maturity! Just writing this gives me goose bumps because I see God at work in all of this! I see possibilities for the Kingdom! There is still room for more growth – I long for the day we are having more adult baptism than baby baptisms! I hope for meetings that are discussing how to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with pre-Christians. And that will come with our open hearts and God’s leading.
That doesn’t mean it’s easy. Satan would love nothing more than for us to go back to “internal” meetings and decisions about plants in the yard or plaques on the wall. It will take perseverance, and a clear focus on keeping the main thing the main thing.
So would you join me in praying for God’s Spirit to continue to blow through Messiah’s ministry and meetings? Would you be asking God to reveal his hopes and dreams for us? May God bless us as we seek to make the incarnate God visible to the world!
Hooray. It is with great fondness that I remember my time at Messiah. It pleases me to know things are going smoothly and differently.
Comment by Tracy Brinkman — November 23, 2011 @ 11:24 am |