Sorry it's taken me so long to post, but it's been a busy few days here on N. Wintzell. As I sit in my living room, I've been reflecting on the events of the past few days in the life of the church. Church life is a blessing, and this weekend's events served as a reminder for me.
This past Saturday, FBC held its first work day during my tenure. If you've never had the opportunity to participate in a church work day, I highly recommend it. Church work days usually include lots of coffee and breaks, and occasionally work gets accomplished. As I walked out of the pastorium Saturday morning, I was surprised to see one couple already hard at work trimming trees and bushes before the day's work was scheduled to begin. Over the next half-hour people started arriving and they came ready to work.
As a pastor, let me take a second to brag. When it was all said and done, we had 30 people show up for work day, and each one contributed to a productive day. I won't take the time to mention every task that was completed, but suffice it to say that our folks did an excellent job, and I'm proud to serve alongside them as their pastor. On Sunday nights we've been studying the book of Nehemiah, and as we labored Saturday morning, I was reminded of a passage we looked at the week before:
"So we built the wall. And all the wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work."
Nehemiah 4:6
It amazes me what God can accomplish through His people when they offer service with a generous spirit and a willing heart! I've spent a lot of time participating in church work days, and they've helped me to understand the importance of commitment. Commitment to service, commitment to others, commitment to the Lord; they all work together to build both the physical community and the spiritual community.
We celebrated a homegoing today at our church. One of our ladies was laid to rest after her passing a few days ago. Today, we remembered her life and ministry in the church. This lady will always be one of those folks who will serve to remind me of the beauty of committed service in the church. She taught Sunday School. She taught three year-olds. She did it for over 50 years. I've been in ministry long enough to have learned a few things: 1) Very few people do anything for 50 years. 2) Very few people survive one year of teaching three year-olds. 3) Many people get discouraged teaching Sunday School. Considering those three things that I know, this accomplishment continues to grow.
She was my three year-old Sunday School teacher, during the 1984-1985 church year. I don't remember a whole lot from her class (give me a break, I was probably barely potty-trained). I do remember taking up an offering every week. She kept spare change handy in case any of us didn't have anything to give. We had a real lesson every week. She never treated her three year-olds like we were there to be babysat. She prepared for that class like she was going to teach a doctoral seminar. I've always said that we should put our best teachers with our youngest children. She lived it out. I heard stories this week from her co-teacher about the hours that they spent preparing for the class, getting our papers ready and making plans for the next week's lesson. I learned some important lessons in that class:
1) There's a God in heaven and He created everything.
2) He has a son named Jesus.
3) He loves the little children (Red, yellow, black, white, etc.)
4) So do Sunday School teachers.
5) They prove this with many hugs and infinite patience for the questions that three year-olds ask.
6) People in the Bible wore funny clothes. When you got a little older, you could demonstrate this during the Christmas play by wearing a collection of sheets and bathrobes to make you look like a shepherd.
7) The nectar and ambrosia of preschool life is the weekly snack of butter cookies and red Kool-aid
8) The aforementioned cookies should be worn on the fingers before consumption. They taste better that way.
9) The Kool-aid was red flavored. I mean that. I don't think anybody knew if it was cherry or strawberry or pigsnout. It was just red. It was still divine.
In retrospect, those were some pretty important things to get a handle on as a three year-old. I'm glad somebody cared enough to share them with me. I watch people fall in and out of church life. I see people that I know love God who have believed a consumerist lie: I will find my place when I find a church that meets my needs (wants). If I can just find a church that meets my needs (wants), I'll be happy and settle in. I'd like to serve, but I just need to focus on my spiritual needs (wants). If you're out there reading this blog and are now offended, sorry (not really). You'll never find a church that will meet your needs (wants) until you commit yourself to one and find a way to exercise the gifts and talents that God's given you. I've been blessed by so many folks that have done just that, and I hope that I'll offer up the same committed service. Until then, I think I'll go find some butter cookies and Kool-aid.
That's my view, anyway, from here on N. Wintzell.
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