Covenant Church

My first visit to a large city of about 12 million people was a real shocker. My eyes and ears were stunned to see behaviors, sights and events out of character with the rural community of my origins.

Allow me to focus on one aspect of many surprises and disappointments. Having read books and looked at pictures of large cities I was unprepared for the trash in the ghettoes. Dirty trash. On sidewalks. Along the curbs. In the roads. People stepping to the street from their homes and businesses immediately had to contend with trash.

I remember the stunning and sobering moment of realizing that trash is not a pretty picture. But in that moment an interesting idea occurred to me. What if every person were to take a trash bag? What if people would bag the trash in front of their door and business? The streets and sidewalks could be cleaned in a couple of hours. But instead, folks walked through the trash accepting it as part of their life. Trash was part of the landscape. Trash was culture. Apparently, it did not occur to them that life could exist without trash. Trash was normal.

Please allow a kind shift of these thoughts. What if we were to use a similar application to our lives and the work of the Lord? What if we were to think of the Body of the Church with each of us being willing to put our hand to the task in front of us? What if we assumed that circumstances and situations could change if each of us would devote just a little time to the welfare of the whole?

In the good times churches across America hired staff to do the ministry of the Body. In the good times money seemed no issue. In the good times churches across America fell into a grievous pattern of allowing parishioners to feel entitled. And of not sharing the joy and rewards of volunteerism with them.

With joy I share with you that Covenant Church looked ahead. Before the economic challenges of the present we prayerfully considered the talent that God gives to each member of the Body. We believe every member of the Family has a divine responsibility to participate in securing the good health of the Body.

Christianity is not an Eastern religion based in asceticism. Christianity is not a religion, but a way of life. It is not so much a set tenets as it is a willingness to follow the Master until we become like the Master. To follow the Master is to serve. To follow the Master is to always be thinking of how our lives contribute to and bless the lives of others. How do we point people to God? How do we build community in Christ?

Even as I write this letter a crew of volunteers is on the church grounds. They asked could they spend a day making the exterior grounds look beautiful. They are planting trees, flowers, mulching, and trimming. The Ruckersville Bible Study led by Sue Kramer and other capable volunteers is to be applauded.

Later in the morning Zenas and youth assistants will set up the gymnasium for the special ladies event tomorrow. Ladies are decorating for Sunday's special Mothers' Day Brunch.

I pass Mickey Staton with a box of gospel tracts. She and her husband Charlie purchase and keep racks stocked with gospel tracts to be used in witnessing.

Volunteers are committing to assisting with receptionist duties. A crew of volunteers dedicates Tuesdays to help complete the mailout of this newsletter. It does take time.

We have carefully crafted a new style of leadership predicated in volunteerism. The committee concept has been exchanged for Ministry Action Teams. Persons on MATs assume responsibilities. Meetings are not discussion times to assign duties to a chair. Meetings of MATs are times to create a ministry plan and divide the work load among the Team. The leaders from the Team then enlist volunteers, to assist in reaching goals.

Sociologically, children who have no responsibilities in homes tend to become selfish, egotistical and demanding. Children who make no contribution, but eat, sleep, and expect to be given money for no good reason become problem children. God created us to bring honor and glory to Him. He gave us talents and skills to be employed in labors physical and spiritual to build community. Only what is done for Christ will last.

We are at our best when engaged in the work of the Kingdom of God. Everyone doing an individual part makes the whole part. Each of us applying our talents, skills, and prayers is Christ's design for the Church. Volunteering is not a sacrifice. Volunteering is the nature of our created being.

It is the way God meant it to be.The way it should be.

Blessings to you, Covenant Church, for being a volunteer-driven church!

Pastor Bare

Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour [Ecclesiastes 4:9]