For years there seems to have been tension in our understanding of what a Christian might be. For many, it became a matter of believing. Believing Jesus was who He said He was, believing what He did for us, and believing that Jesus did come out of the grave on Easter. There was also the tension that said, our belief system is our own. I can believe what I want, when I want, and that certainly resonated with our sense of “it’s strictly between God and me.” Belonging on the other hand, became something that was associated with institutional and organization life. We became members of the Rotary, the Kiwanis, the Library club, etc., which sometimes meant we could participate when we wanted to or when it was convenient. Is our faith a matter of believing or belonging?
Yes. Yes to both. It is our belief that should influence our belonging. Rick Warren says: “you are called to belong, not just believe.” Our relationship with the Lord is personal, it is never private. We are called to be a part of the Body of Christ. We need the church, as much as the church needs us. The body can exist without some of the parts, but a part of the body can not exist without the body.
So what am I saying? Covenant is a great Body of Christ to belong to. We have small groups for you to join. Rev. Byron has listed the various adult Sunday morning classes in his article on page 2. We will also have Pastor lead classes occasionally throughout the year, such as we are doing now for the Purpose Driven Life discussion. We have ministry opportunities throughout the year such as music, ushering, greeting, teaching, working with children’s ministry, etc. But we also have temporary but very important ministry opportunities such as helping with the Pumpkin patch, St. Jude’s Bike-a-Thon, our Area wide Thanksgiving feast for the Homeless. Right now the immediate and most pressing place to serve- is in the Patch. Unloading trucks, but helping with field trips, sales booths, meeting and greeting folks on the weekend. Belonging means finding a place to serve.
To quote a saying one of my former District Superintendent shared: “don’t GOT to do this, We GET to do this for God.” Belonging and serving and giving adds more to our life then it ever takes from our life. Thank you for choosing to believe and belong.
See you at your place of worship each and every Sunday.
Rev. Chris Blanchard
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