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!

Who to Welcome???

“Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.” (Romans 15:7)

Recently there’s been a lot of conversation in the news about who it’s appropriate to welcome in our society.  What about illegal immigrants?  What about refugees from Muslim countries?  What about transgender persons in the Boy Scouts? 

While I certainly respect the right of anyone to have their own thoughts and opinion about such matters, those of us who claim the name “Christian” also have a responsibility to look to Jesus for our cues in our responses.

A careful study of scripture reveals that Jesus welcomed harlots and others sinners, people who disagreed with him (such as the religious leaders), people who some considered to be the “enemy” (such as the Romans), and even those who would go on to betray him (such as Judas). Bottom line: Jesus welcomed ALL.

And from that example, we as God’s people are called to do the same, regardless of what our government or pop society do. Welcoming others in the name of Christ doesn’t mean that we have to agree with their beliefs, values, or behaviors.  But it does mean that we offer them respect and hospitality just as Jesus did for all people who he met.

A few years ago, someone shared a blog that (sort of tongue-in-cheek) described this kind of radical hospitality and welcome that we’re to imitate and have as God’s people:

“We extend a special welcome to those who are single, married, divorced, gay, filthy rich, dirt poor, yo no habla Ingles.  We extend a special welcome to those who are crying newborns, skinny as a rail, or could afford to lose a few pounds.

We welcome you if you can sing like Andrea Bocelli or like our pastor who can’t carry a note in a bucket.  You’re welcome here if you’re ‘just browsing,’ just woke up, or just got out of jail.  We don’t care if you’re more Catholic than the Pope, or haven’t been to church since little Joey’s Baptism.

We extend a special welcome to those who are over 60 but not grown up yet, and to teenagers who are growing up too fast.  We welcome soccer moms, NASCAR dads, starving artists, tree-huggers, latte-sippers, vegetarians, junk-food eaters.  We welcome those who are in recovery or still addicted.  We welcome you if you’re having problems, or you’re down in the dumps, or if you don’t like ‘organized religion” - we’ve been there too.

If you blew all your offering money at the dog track, you’re welcome here.  We offer a special welcome to those who think the earth is flat, work too hard, don’t work, can’t spell, or because grandma is in town and wanted to go to church.

We welcome those who are inked, pierced, or both.  We offer a special welcome to those who could use a prayer right now, had religion shoved down your throat as a kid, or got lost in traffic and wound up here by mistake.  We welcome tourists, seekers, doubters, bleeding hearts… and you!”

            [--From “Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Community”, cited in the Blog of Jon Acuff (www.jonacuff.com/stuffchristianslike/2012/07/how-to-welcome-people-to-your-church)]

Wow!  Those are tough words to live up to!  But they describe an attitude that we are to offer to all people as God’s church, for -- in the words of Paul’s scripture above -- “just as Christ welcomed [us]… [we are to] welcome one another.”  Dear Lord, may it be so at our church and among all the churches of God! Remember that He loves you and I do, too!