May 2011 - We Are a Body

As I was pondering what to share with you this month, I was awed at the goodness of God and how we have grown over the last year as a church.  I believe we have grown much in the way of spiritual maturity and in awareness and cooperation with the Holy Spirit.  We have also grown in numbers.  Our average attendance since this time last year has doubled.

With this kind of rapid growth, we are also experiencing growing pains.  We have many new people who call this their home and want to be a part of this body in a significant way.  There are many who are finding their place within the body while others are still searching or are waiting.  As we continue to grow, we will need more to be finding their places of expressing the love of Christ in our midst.

Paul the apostle wrote in Romans 12:4-8

4 For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, 5 so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. 6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; 7 or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; 8 he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

I want to encourage you all to discover and develop your place in the body.  As we have grown the need has increased for more people to take their places in the children and youth ministries along with our need for ushers and greeters.  You will understand if getting involved in ministries to children and youth will require being at the church for a longer period of time so we can build relationship and get to know you.  Other opportunities are quickly available for you to function in your gifts – prayer, greeting, worship, etc.  Also, sometimes you can begin developing your gifts in one area of ministry and then later see that gift expressed within another area of ministry.

If you are new here or haven’t been developing and displaying your placement within the body, please speak with a pastor, elder or ministry head.

Together we will come into a fuller expression of the goodness and love of God.

Travelling with you all,

Pastor Merril