In the hallway between the narthex and my office are a couple of bulletin boards filled with Jim Knerr’s pictures of church activities. Together with our congregation’s mission statement, “To Know Christ, and Make Him Known,” these images help remind me of what East Hills Moravian Church is all about – nurturing faith, building community, and reaching out to serve the world for our Lord, Jesus Christ.
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- Youth mission trip for Habitat For Humanity in Maryland.
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- Strawberry festival.
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- Wrapping candles for Christmas Eve services.
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- Bunny Breakfast.
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- Adult Fellowship trip.
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- Kitchen ministry.
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- Kitchen ministry.
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- Habitat For Humanity build.
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- Another mission trip embarks.
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- Feeding the congregation.
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- Raising funds with another dinner.
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- Enjoying another kitchen ministry.
I see pictures of children and adults learning together about Jesus, or pictures of Confirmation and think of all whose faith has been nurtured within these walls. I see pictures of Rally Day, Adult Fellowship activities, and church fundraising dinners for mission trips and remember that our congregation is a place of face to face community in an age of virtual relationships. I see the pictures of hundreds of persons joining us to assemble food packages for Haiti, or members working to feed those who are hungry in our own community, and I rejoice that Christ is still reaching out to the world in love through his church.
Jesus saves us: he doesn’t mow the grass, take out the trash, fix the roof, or make the coffee.
Caught up as we often are in our own hectic lives, it’s easy to take the church for granted. When you think about it, the very fact that we can take the church for granted speaks to its grounding, stabilizing influence in our lives, and the blessings of religious freedom we enjoy in this country. The church was here before us and – we pray – will be here for us. The truth is none of the programming, fellowship, or outreach would happen without persons’ generous donation of time, effort, and money. I am reminded of words I heard years ago, growing up in my home congregation: “Jesus saves us: he doesn’t mow the grass, take out the trash, fix the roof, or make the coffee.”
As we anticipate another year of nurturing faith, building community, and reaching out to our
community and world to make Christ known, I invite you to join my family and others in our
congregation who …
- are grateful to God for what we have and have resolved to bless others out of a sense of
gratitude, and - believe that nurturing faith, building community, and serving others out of love for Christ
through his church is worth supporting with our efforts and our money.
Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. – 1 Corinthians 15:58.