Making Life-Giving Connections
For as in one body we have many members and not all the members have the same function,
so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another.
We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us:
prophecy, in proportion to faith;
ministry, in ministering;
the teacher, in teaching;
the encourager, in encouragement;
the giver, in sincerity;
the leader, in diligence;
the compassionate, in cheerfulness.
Romans 12:4-8
Dear Friends,
Last year, we discerned together that the core purpose of First Lutheran (the what-are-we-really-up-to?) is: to make life-giving connections. You may have noticed that almost every Sunday during the welcome, I say this out loud to remind us of who we are. Usually, I break it down a little more saying that we are about:
Connecting people with God;
Connecting us with each other;
Connecting us with the world; and
Connecting us with our truest selves.
This emphasis on “connecting” is the main reason that we are calling this coming Sunday, ReConnection Sunday. It is an opportunity to reconnect with each other as we gather back from our summer trips and vacations. It is also the time that we restart many of our ministries and activities that coincide with the school year. In that respect, it is an opportunity to reconnect with the things that we are doing here.
In order to help the Council stay connected with the various activities and ministries here, they appointed council members to be Connectors with the different areas: Worship, Inreach, Outreach, and Faith Formation. As I hold up and compare our Core Purpose with these Connector areas, I find a wonderful resonance!
Connecting with God -> Worship
This is the area of ministry that supports our corporate worship so that when people come to our Sunday Morning worship, they experience an uplifting, connecting, inviting and dynamic service as they deepen their connection with God and God’s people. To make this happen, we need people to prepare coffee, greet others, prep communion, take up our offerings, fold bulletins, clean up, provide music, handle the tech, read, pray, provide worship furnishings, do Children’s messages and even preach!
Connecting with Each Other –> Inreach
Being the body of Christ means being a life-giving community for each other. The fellowship, support, and comraderie is a key ingredient of our congregation as we share our journey together on our life of faith. The intentional ministries that help create this experience include: Seniors Ministry, Congregational Care, Prayer Chain, Soup Social, Ladies Connect, Men’s Lunch, potlucks, congregational picnics, and Memory Games.
Connecting with the World -> Outreach
In addition to caring for and loving each other, we are also called to share Christ’s love and light with others. This happens through works of service (such as Inn from the Cold and the Calgary Alliance for the Common Good) where we seek to meet the needs of others. It also means extending the hand of friendship and relationship to “others”: other faiths and other cultures. Efforts such as Bridge Builders with our Muslim, Turkish friends in the Intercultural Dialogue Institute (IDI) and Table Tennis/Chinese Dancing we are hosting for the newcomers. We also have the opportunity to partner with organizations that are making life-giving connections. Some (like Aspen Hill Montessori and Suzuki Talent Association) already use our facility but there are other churches and community organizations whose partnership can broaden our ability to bring life to those around us.
Connecting with our Truest Self –> Faith Formation
Though an aspect of our corporate worship, Faith Formation is focused on deepening each individual’s relationship with the Divine and releasing the God-childness within each of us. FLiCker!, confirmation and youth group are the ministries we provide for our younger people. For those of us who are adults, it takes the form of Bible studies, workshops, retreats, small groups and other learning/growth opportunities.
The robustness of all of these areas of ministry depends upon the robustness of our leadership and volunteers. Just like a healthy athlete utilizes a body where are its members are healthy and functioning, so also the health of the body of Christ and its ability to remain healthy and to make a difference in the world depends upon its members being healthy and functioning.
At our ReConnection Sunday on Sept. 13th, our goal is to increase the joy that people experience through their connections with each other AND to increase the joy that comes from each of us contributing our passions, gifts and abilities to our common ministry together. Please pray and ponder where your contribution of time, commitment and abilities will bring you joy! A comprehensive list of our current ministries can be found here.
Peace, Pastor Phil
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