Prior Editions
January 26, 2004
A Unique Approach
As we continue to meet, plan, discuss and
inquire about our plans for a new sanctuary there are several things I’d
like you to keep in mind. They
are simple ways that we can be certain that our approach to this project
remains on the right track. It
may not be the way a business or a school system approaches building, but
it’s a good way for followers of Christ to approach building.
First, we must continue to saturate everything we do in
prayer. Dedicate some of your
personal prayer time to seek God’s face regarding the building project.
Additionally, pray in your small group, your Sunday school class,
your team planning meetings, and every other chance you get.
It’s important that corporate prayer as well as individual prayer
be a part of our plans.
Second, ask yourself how a new building fits into our mission
and vision. We spent a lot of
time on our mission statement. That
wasn’t just an investment in a pithy slogan.
It was an investment in our future ministry.
One question you might ask is this; in what ways would a new
sanctuary help us accomplish our mission?
A building should never be “for its own sake.”
It should always be a tool, a resource that helps us accomplish the
mission God has revealed to us.
Third, where do you fit into the picture?
What role would God have you to play?
It may be that God wants you to share this vision by inviting
friends, family, and neighbors to our church.
They may be looking for a church home.
They may be looking for meaning that they can only find in Christ.
They may just be waiting for someone to ask, “Would you like to
go to church with us this Sunday?”
It may be that God wants you to give of yourself in another way.
Perhaps there is some skill or gift that God wants to put to
particular use in this endeavor. Maybe
God lays on your heart a financial pledge toward completion of His plans.
Finally, pray some more.
Pray specifically for discernment and for clarity of purpose.
There are two pitfalls that we absolutely want to avoid.
To build when God doesn’t want us to would be a disaster.
To do nothing when God wants us to build would be a disaster also.
Only through prayer, fasting, and the Godly counsel of our brothers
and sisters can we hope to do only what God intends for us
to do.
Godspeed,
Pastor John
Mid-Week
Musings
An
Occasional bulletin from Christ United Methodist Church