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Pastor · Sunday Schedule · FBC
News
 
2002
From the Pastor
"Group Effort"
There is a satisfaction that comes from being part of a group effort that cannot be experienced simply working alone. This is particularly true in the church. A part of the reason Christ created the church is so that we can work together and in that togetherness more fully experience Christ’s Spirit amongst us.
The individuals that recently worked on the dinner theater production had this experience. In the process of putting the play together they became a group. They learned something about give and take, sharing, supporting one another, forgiving one another, praying for one another. They also learned what it means to have a sense of mission beyond one’s self and serving in the name of Christ even if the primary purpose of the play was not to convert but provide wholesome entertainment.
A couple of Sundays ago the committee which puts together the fall Chicken BBQ had their first meeting in Dave & Lois Smith’s backyard. There were about fifteen people present, each in charge of a specific aspect of the BBQ. Here too, was a sense of groupness that on Sunday, September 22 I hope will include the whole church.
Every fifth Sunday there is another much smaller group that gets together. It is the group that leads the worship service at Spring Meadows Nursing Home. They serve communion, lead singing and provide a devotional for the residents of the home. Their group is small but it reminds me of Jesus’ words, “Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”
On a much larger scale is our Living Nativity. As with the Chicken BBQ it involves the whole church. For one evening we all work together to give the community a living picture of the birth of Christ. Nobody can do it alone. It takes everybody chipping in and working together.
The above are but a few examples of team effort. It is ministry in action but it doesn’t center on one person. It is a group of people working together. It is the same way in which our Vacation Bible School worked, and it is the basis for a new small group effort that centers on the care of our homebound and shut-ins.
It is people doing ministry together. In such togetherness it is not our individual effort that shines but Christ. The focus is taken off ourselves because we are a part of a team and Christ can become the true star.
I believe it is in our group effort where we serve a common purpose, whether it is four individuals working together or the entire church, that the true ministry of Christ takes place. We experience the presence of Christ both in the togetherness and in the ministry, the fellowship and those we serve.
I would encourage every follower of Jesus Christ to be involved in a group ministry. It will enrich and deepen your understanding of ministry and membership in the church. I also believe being part of such a common effort is the best way of exalting Christ. It keeps Christ as the Head, and ourselves Christ’s servants.
Dr. David W. Andersen
            
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