Changes and Moving Forward

Has anything changed in your lifetime? Have you had a birth in your family? A death? A marriage?
Everyone has at least one of these things happen in their life. Another thing that any adult has seen
change is phones. I am old enough to remember when the phone was on the wall and we had no idea
who was calling until we answered it. Now, I carry I phone in my pocket and may not answer it if I
don’t know who is calling. As much as I may grumble about not being able to get away from the phone,
I really don’t want to go back to a phone on the wall.
Things change over time. That does not mean how things were done previously is bad or wrong, just
different. The phone on the wall was what we knew and we didn’t think anything about getting up to
answer it.
As we continue to work our ‘ministry plan’, which we as a congregation adopted in May of this year,
several things the church does will change. (See elsewhere in this newsletter for more information
about what is happening with our plan.)
Please remember as these changes occur just because something is changed does not mean it did not
at one time meet the needs of the day. What at one time was ‘current’ and even ‘beautiful’ may not
meet the needs \ desires of people today and may not be ‘beautiful’ any longer.
Please know that I, and I believe others, appreciate the hard work of the many people who have put
many hours into the ministry of the congregation. I appreciate the things that have been purchased
through the years to enhance ministry, including the building, of this congregation. If it had not been
for people giving so much time, and money, our congregation may not be here today. We would no
longer be ‘making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world’.
In order to survive and thrive as a congregation who is effectively “making disciples of Jesus Christ …”
we need to make some changes to how we reach those who do not yet know Christ. Mark 2:22 talks
about not putting new wine into old wineskins. We, as a congregation, need to adopt some ‘new
wineskins’ to reach those who do not yet know Christ, or may be looking for a new church home. We
do this so that our congregation will be here for years to come and many more will become disciples
of Jesus Christ and transform our world. Our world does need some things transformed, but that is
another topic.
Below, you will see a picture of some of the new kitchen pulls and handles at the parsonage. Your
trustees bought and installed them not only to make the kitchen look nicer and make the doors easier
to open but to extend the life of the doors. Likewise, some things at the church will change so that God
‘looks nicer’, is easier to access and who’s message is extended.
See You Sunday!
… Pastor Jackie Roe