A Suggestion, a Request, a Plea, and an Observation

When the pumpkins arrive and hopefully, the weather turns cooler, our church life gets busy. The groups that stopped meeting over the summer get back together, and frequently, additional activities get planned. (Do you realize we have over 40 groups in our congregation!?) For that reason, I try to give space for our people to dream, to gather, and to enjoy the ministries and activities of their groups. In some ways, I think of my role during this season as that of a drummer in the band. The drummer doesn’t do long solos or try to play over the other instruments. Instead, the drummer keeps the music going, provides depth and character, and creates the space for others to shine.

Even though I will take more of a back seat and supporting role for a couple of months, working more in the background, except on Sunday mornings, I do have a suggestion, request, a plea, and an observation to offer for this season: The suggestion is that our small groups are where ministry truly happens. Whether it’s Sunday school (and praise God for the growing children’s classes!), UMM, UMW, Elevate youth, pastor Tommy’s prayer group, or one of our many Bible studies, musical groups, or a special group like the food pantry, holy yoga, karate, or scouts, it is the small group where we can get involved, become known and appreciated, and find the support we need to go forward, and make lifelong or seasonal friends.

My request is that we stay connected with God and each other. Keep coming to worship as you are able. Keep coming to your small groups, and serving in whatever capacity you agreed to serve. And if you haven’t volunteered at the patch before, go ahead and sign up, so you can make new friends! Keep trying to cultivate the fruits of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, and self-control. As Paul wrote, “pray without ceasing.” (1 Thess. 5:17) Life always brings change, and sometimes, we have to change with it – we may have to scale back, or it may be time to scale up our involvements. We may have to change our minds or change the way we respond, but we can still remain connected with God and each other. Fundamentally, though, if we continue to build the soil of our souls, we will be not only okay, but we will thrive. Our church has fared better than many churches through Covid and all the trials of the past several years, largely because we stayed connected with God and each other. Loneliness is partly responsible for many of our society’s ills, and we are more equipped than most places to help people connect with God and each other. Let’s stay connected and keep building new connections where we can!

My plea is that we keep in mind the words of James, when he was writing about the origin of conflicts (which are inevitable in any community): “You do not have, because you do not ask.” (James. 4:2) If you need something from your church that we are not providing, please ask – raise your hand, speak up, let someone know. As several have pointed out to me, we are a church that defies the odds: Most people slow down as they age, but our people don’t! What that means is that, because we are busy people, we might need to hear something several times before we notice. So – keep speaking if you aren’t being heard, because you will be heard. In one of my previous churches, I became very dissatisfied, but I did nothing about it but complain. Eventually, a few people heard me, and they helped me turn the mirror so I could see myself clearly. I didn’t like what I saw, but it was what I needed, and it began to change my life so I could find joy and peace again. You may not need a mirror, but you may simply need someone to hear you, to recognize you, and to be your friend.

Finally, an observation: God is indeed moving through us! We don’t always see the fruit in what we do, but we are seeing fruit today if we have eyes for it. Our meetings don’t just have people coming and deciding things – we also have joy in each other’s presence. We don’t just have children’s Sunday school – we have two classes. And yes, we have children, and our youth group is growing as well. Our choir is expanding. People are finding hope to make it through hard times. We are the church at the intersection, and God is moving! It is an honor to be part of our vibrant church, making Christian disciples and enriching lives through outreach.