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“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.” 2 Corinthians 9:6 NIV
Do you know how much ministry is happening on our property? Our church council was curious about that so we surveyed the nine groups of ministries sharing ministry on our property recently. We asked everyone fora rough count of the number of people that came for their ministry events during the two-week period of May 1-15.
Some people came for their main worship services on Fridays, or Saturdays, or Sundays. There were a number that came for counseling, music rehearsals, and Bible study. Still others were part of youth events (Youth For Christ). A big bunch even came for a wedding that one of the churches had.
How many people would you guess were onsite for those two weeks? Maybe a few hundred? Five hundred? No, even higher! Seven hundred? Higher yet! How about this: over 937 people came to share in the Gospel because we are doing “shared ministry”? Incredible!
Now, imagine none of them were here. No Youth for Christ. No The Light WPB. NoCAC and no counseling services. No Tabernacle of Restoration. No 7th Day Church of God. No Tikvah Israel or Holy Cross. How many people do you think we would have had onsite? What is your best guess. STOP and say a number. What would be your best guess?
Would it be 300? No. How about 100? No, lower. Maybe 75? No, still… lower. It would be only about 50. That’s right! Now let that sink in for a bit. Think about how lonely it would be. Think about how empty it would be. Think about how much of a waste it would be for such a beautiful, expansive property to sit here mostly unused, under utilized and empty most of the week. How sad would that be?
The good news is this: we had almost 1000 people sharing in the Gospel of Jesus Christ at First Lutheran! That incredible! That is transformational. That is mission, and a MIRACLE! A few years ago, this would not have been considered possible, but thanks to the leaders (Pastor Ludder, Pastor Breznen, the Council, and others) were willing to take some risks, try something new, and let it happen. Here we are, a few years later and it is working very well. Praise the Lord!
It reminds me of the verse above from 2nd Corinthians that speaks of sowing and reaping sparingly. By being GENEROUS, willing to share the property that God loans to us, we are able to see this abundance of ministry we can celebrate today. Yes, there are some challenges in sharing space, like bumping into one another, vying for space, more noise, increased expenses, wear and tear, and so on. But if we were a big congregation, we’d be having the same problems. In fact, in a way, we are a big congregation. The word congregation means “an assembly of people”, and we are assembly of people that gather throughout the week for worship, prayer, and praise.
If you get a chance, thank the leaders (past and present) of the congregation for stepping out of their comfort zone to support this type of shared ministry.It isn’t all that normal for most churches, it is quite unique and special. Also thank and praise God for blessing us in this venture. Pray, too. Pray that God will continue to bless us as we share. Each of the ministries onsite brings something unique that we likely would not or could not do ourselves, like reaching different cultures and languages, ministry to young and old, Christian counseling services, a messianic ministry, as well as different styles of worship.
Coming up we’re planning a shared VBS with an outreach to the neighborhood. We’re also welcoming a String Music Camp for four weeks, who will perform for us in worship and with a concert! What will be next? Let’s keep dreaming dreams. I believe God loves to see what we’re doing here. Amen!
Pastor Dan
ANNOUNCEMENTS
· We are forming a small choir to sing in worship! Sandra Baran is leading our choir with rehearsals on June 8, 22, and we will sing on June 29th during worship. Talk to Sandra or Pastor Dan if you are interested and come to rehearse.
· Grace Notes Music Foundation is hosting two summer string music camps for ages 5-18, June 23-July 6 and July 7-18. Scholarships are available. There is a June 9th deadline. Register online at https://www.gracenotesmusicfoundation.org/summer-strings-camp
· We are having Vacation Bible School on June 24-25-26 from 6:30-8:00 pm. We still need a few more adult volunteers - contact Kaitlyn Hallett to sign up. Registration for youth 1st to 5th grade (ages 6-12) is now open online for the churches. Contact Kaitlyn to get the link to register.
· First Evangelical Church Council meets this Sunday after worship in the Fellowship Hall.
· The Holy Cross Council Meeting will be on Sunday, June 1st after worship in the Fellowship Hall.
· The Holy Cross Congregational Meeting: Sunday, June 8th immediately after worship in Sanctuary.
