A MESSAGE FROM OUR PASTOR

"There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but they all come from the same Spirit. There are different ways to serve the same Lord, and we can each do different things. Yet the same God works in all of us and helps us in everything we do. The Spirit has given each of us a special way of serving others. Some of us can speak with wisdom, while others can speak with knowledge, but these gifts come from the same Spirit. To others the Spirit has given great faith or the power to heal the sick or the power to work mighty miracles. Some of us are prophets, and some of us recognize when God’s Spirit is present. Others can speak different kinds of languages, and still others tell what these languages mean. But it is the Spirit who does all this and decides which gifts to give to each of us."   (1 Corinthians 12:4-11 CEV)

To be honest with you, there are times when I have written my message for the Tidings or have preached a sermon and I have felt that no one has heard me, while in my spirit; I believed that the messages were important enough to embrace and respond. This is another one of those messages that I pray will be heard. In order to be a healthy body, the body should do some things; this is one of those things.

Every member should have a ministry activity for which he or she is responsible. It does not matter so much, what it is, God gave you your gift to share with this congregational body. We pray that you will share that gift with us. You may think that whatever your gift or interests are would not be valued by the church, however, I am asking you whatever it is please reconsider and offer it to your church family.

It is my goal to have EVERY MEMBER... to serve God by sharing their gift with us in some capacity by the end of this calendar year. Whatever your gift is please know, that you are important to the Lord and therefore, you are important to the church. Every part of the body has a function that serves the rest of the body in its own way. There was a time when people thought that maybe the appendix served no purpose at all and had it removed. Now some believe that even the appendix "contains cells of the immune system."

The church needs your support in any way that you can and are willing to serve. There are some who are homebound and immobile, some who are aged, some who are handicapped, and some who are very young. There is still a place for you to serve because there are no useless parts within this body. Even those who are homebound and immobile can make phone calls, fold flyers, bulletins while others can write articles for the Tidings. What about being a teaching assistant in Sunday school?

Someone could teach a class in any area of your expertise. In some churches, some have started a knitting club ministry, a quilt making club ministry, a cooking ministry, while some will paint, clean, and repair whatever needs it. Someone is responsible for checking the light bulbs to make sure that they are all working properly. Someone opens and locks the church doors on Sundays especially during the winter months. Someone shampoos the carpet regularly, while others share health information to the congregation. Some are choir members, some see to it that birthday cards or get-well cards go out to everyone in a timely manner. Some read while others pray in the Sunday morning services.

There are people who are more comfortable in a group ministry while others are more comfortable working alone in what they do. In any case, people are doing what they CAN do, and that is their service to the Lord, and they do it through serving their church.

Make a commitment to your God through your church. In the past we may have dropped the ball when we have sent out our Time and Talent sheets and not acting on them as quickly as we should have. That will no longer be the case. Anyone who identifies that they are willing to serve in any capacity will be put to work as quickly as possible. We do appreciate your willingness to serve.

Sometimes soon, we will be sponsoring a "Job Fair" at this church. The job fair will be those ministries within the church that will share with anyone who comes by, the specifics of their ministry and can sign up anyone who is interested. Please keep your eyes and ears open for this up coming event.

Finally, I want to address the importance of making a commitment to your church especially during the up coming summer season. We know that this is the time that we all take our much-deserved vacations and some of us have resources where we can be away for long periods at a time. Your absence unfortunately hurts the church. We know it is not intentional but it does. What I am asking from each of you is that you will continue to make a commitment to the Lord by continuing to support your church by:

1. Sending your financial support to the church even when you are away. Bills still need to be paid. There is no tactful way of saying this but it needs to be said.

2. Please plan to attend a church service at least once per month. Especially if you are within driving distance to Peace Lutheran Church. We know that God has a desire to fellowship with you and share his word with you during this time. Plus it goes without saying that we miss you when you are gone. When you come, it lets us know that you are well.

The theme behind this message is that you are important to us in every way, and we need and appreciate you. Therefore, we pray that everyone will be active working members within our church family and we look forward to sharing the ministry with you. Please let the pastor or a member of council know what your interests are.

I love you,

Rev. Harold Evans,

Pastor

A MINISTRY FOR EVERY MEMBER