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From the Senior Warden: All in God’s time…
At the recent winter convocation we listened to Martha Grace Reese who is the author of Unbinding the Gospel which some of you may have read. Martha is an interesting speaker and in past years she has done over 1200 interviews in different churches throughout the country.
She told us that three things were the same in churches that were growing:
People loved God.
People talked of their faith and it was evident God was in their lives.
They cared for people outside the walls of their church.
She told of an interesting story of how one church was reading Unbinding the Gospel and praying that their church would grow and that children would come. They read it and still, no children. They read it again and still, no children. Then the elders of the church got together and decided they would read it again and still, no children. Then one day a snow ball hit the window of their church. It had been thrown by one of the children playing outside their church. Those members brought those children in and welcomed them. At last their prayers were answered. They weren’t answered initially the way that they had been praying for, but they were answered none the less. Their church now has children and has grown.
Another story she told was of a priest that was enjoying a cup of coffee one day when a young man with tattoos, and piercings came in the coffee shop. During their conversation , the young man shared that a friend of his had just died and there was no one to perform a service or even a place to hold one. The priest then offered his church. His church was void of youth and they too had been praying for more members and youth. But what would his congregation say? These young people were different from their own. What had he done? After meeting with his congregation it was decided that the members would find something in common with the youth. They agreed that when they were young themselves they liked to go to “grandma’s house”. So together they added special touches to their church. They added doilies and rugs and they baked cookies and pies. They treated them warmly, just as they would have been treated when they went to their grandma’s house many years ago. The young people felt accepted, knew that they had a place at “grandma’s house”, and participated in church activities. The church members learned to see the persons, beyond the tattoos and piercings and from that the church attendance grew and the member’s prayers were answered.
I picture those little children playing outside in the snow and throwing snowballs at our church and I see us bringing them in and offering them hot chocolate and cookies. I can see our children show them their Sunday school rooms where they learn about God and their Lego room where they share the bonds of friendship. Many of the older youth might be seeking a caring and accepting friendship that our teens and adults could give. We too could turn St. Paul’s in to “grandma’s house”. We certainly have a loving church family ready to share the Light and Love of Jesus with them.
As Martha Reese said we need to “pray and talk about our faith.” God tells us in Thessalonians 5:17 to “pray unceasingly.” I feel that for many of us the praying part is the easier of the two. Talking about our faith for some of us can be more difficult. I think sometimes we just don’t know where to begin, but I feel in both these stories the members’ “actions” spoke louder than words. I think they showed their faith by their actions, and then they were able to share and talk about their faith. We can too. Please share your thoughts with Daniel or me.
We too can show the community we care and live our faith with new energy.
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