April 2024 Newsletter

​One of our new members asked, “What are the perks to joining a church vs. just attending and participating?” The response that was given was a beautiful one and centered on these two points. Church membership confirms/affirms your faith and provides an opportunity to join a community. This got me thinking about being in community with my Resurrection family. I was reminded of my Catholic upbringing when we didn’t ask, “What church do you attend?” But asked, “What church do you belong to?” I firmly believe this same sense of belonging and being in community is at the root of our success and strength as a congregation. I mean, where else does pretty much every member of a congregation have a key to the building? This is our second home, and we care for it as such.
 
But our sense of community goes well beyond just being in a group and our care for the building and grounds. Our sense of community creates a sacred bond that holds us together by God’s love. It connects us to one another. We acknowledge that we are all broken and blessed. We celebrate together in times of great joy, and we try to restore wholeness by showing that unconditional love of God in times of need. Jesus’ command to love one another as I have loved you must be fulfilled in the company of others – in community.
 
Our sense of community has also refreshed the feeling and flow of our corporate worship. I was struck by this notion after worshiping elsewhere. I really feel our connection to each other strengthens that worship experience of the heart which brings us closer to God. For me, and I think many of us, it rekindles and revives the spirit in a way that it doesn’t in other churches.
 
Striving to become a community where God’s love and our lives connect strengthens us in our work as a church. While in community, we become our best selves, and by accepting ourselves and others there is that opportunity to encounter God’s love and heal. This reforms and refreshes our Resurrection family and equips us for our journey together as His church. In this relationship we live out a journey to educate, inspire, encourage, strengthen and serve one another, our community, and our partners. It is through living out of our mission that we become a collective resource for helping others that really makes a difference. We not only meet our needs, we also meet the needs of others. We are the church!
 
I’m not sure if these observations qualify as “perks.” But I feel they are a reflection of our Resurrection community. As we advance through this pastoral transition, I pray that the power of God’s love will continue to restore, refresh, and strengthen our community of faith. As we continue to be more present in our community, I further pray that our roots in God’s love will become an attraction that pulls others toward a faith in God. May that love be the measure of true discipleship and what Jesus pointed to when he said, “by this all people will know that you are my disciples (John 13:35)
 
Blessings, Tom