What "Bone" Are You?

“Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Colossians 3:17)

“A Church typically consists of AT LEAST SIX BONES:

1.     WISH BONES… those who wish ‘someone else’ would do all the work.

2.    JAW BONES… those who do all the talking but little else.

3.    KNUCKLE BONES… those who knock everything that anyone else tries to do.

4.    LAZY BONES… those who show up as the work is finished.

5.    BUSY BONES… those who ‘belong’ but are always tied up on their own projects and with their own needs.

6.    BACK BONES… those who get under the load and do the work that’s necessary to get the job done.”

What “bone” are you at LaGrange First UMC?  As many of you already know, one thing our church is focusing on this year is “becoming the volunteer church we used to be.”  While we all certainly value and appreciate the work that our staff do year-round, their job is not -- after all -- to DO ministry but to help empower, encourage, and equip God’s PEOPLE (all of us!) to do it.

Do you recall the vow you made when you became a member of LaGrange First UMC to support the work of Christ through your church by your “SERVICE” (along with our “Prayers, Presence, Gifts, …and Witness”)?  This means that while praying, worshiping and being active in a small group, giving financially, and sharing our faith are all important, we are also called to serve others through one or more ministries of our church. 

With that in mind, you’ve hopefully been seeing articles in our newsletter, bulletin, Sunday School news and other places about new places and opportunities for you to volunteer to do God’s work through your church.  Remember: Healthy churches are always looking for volunteers (unhealthy churches simply pay staff to do the work).  As such, we are therefore currently in need of volunteers for:

     1) our Children’s Ministry (Children’s Church helpers, Nursery assistants, Sunday School class teachers and helpers);

     2) weekly setup & breakdown of our “Morning Glory” contemporary worship service;

     3) Audio/Visual ministry, to help run sound, lights, and multi-media during all our Sunday worship services

     4) Seasonal singers to join our Adult Choir to prepare for and sing in our upcoming community Easter cantata.

You’ll see an article elsewhere in this newsletter not only with more information about all of these, but also how you can volunteer for them. I not only invite and encourage but also go so far as to challenge each of you to try one of them out, remembering that as God’s people in God’s church, we are all called to work for the Lord through some ministry in His church.

I pray that you are -- or will consider becoming -- a “backbone” of our church in the coming months ahead, so that others can experience Him through the ministries of which you are a part!

Remember that God loves you and I do, too!