“We want you to know, brothers and sisters, about the grace of
God that has been granted . . .” 2 Corinthians 8:1
The apostle Paul begins most of his letters with some salutation that refers to the great grace of God that has been granted to believers, and the beginnings of 2 Corinthians 8 is no different. Christians have received a great grace through Jesus Christ and those of us who follow in footsteps of the apostles are also called to share the grace we have been given with others. At Christ Church, one of the many ways we see this grace being shared is in the Church School.
Adults who teach, mentor and lead worship with our children each Sunday morning are doing their very best to share the grace of God with the youngest members of our parish family. These adults serve as stewards of the faith that they graciously share and pass on to our children. Christians are formed. None of us becomes mature in the faith without the assistance of others sharing our experiences of what it means to follow Jesus. We would not have our faith without the faithfully stewardship and witness of those who work with our children Sunday after Sunday.
Being a steward of the faith is a calling worthy of respect and support. We tend to think that to teach Church School, we need to be great repositories of information about Christianity. Folks tend not to want to teach because they feel they don’ know enough; we get confused over which prophet came first, what an epistle actually is and in which Gospel can you find the parable of the leaven. None of this is required, nor is it important in the long run. Teaching in the Church School is a leap of faith made out of what we have experienced of God’s grace and goodness in Jesus. Our thankful hearts and a willingness to share them is all teaching is about. The rest of it comes with good curriculum materials (which we have) and support from the Director of Family Ministries (all it takes is a phone call or an email). As in most of Christian life, the Holy Spirit meets our intentions and once we commit to sharing the faith, what we need to do so is provided for us.
So as you think about how you can be a faithful steward of the grace you have been given in Jesus over the next few months, please give prayerful thought to teaching in the Church School. We still have openings to teach in the 3rd & 4th grade and I am looking for one more teacher in the 5th and 6th grade. We also can always use volunteers to fill in on a Sunday morning when a teacher is absent or to help out with a special craft or outreach project. And as you continue to pray about how you might be a faithful steward, please remember Kim Lysaght, Diane Gaitely, Patty Smith, Barbara Diener, Melyne Nagel, Kim Rutherford, Kevin Ruddy, Joe Barr, Nancy Lankford, Ginny Yerardi, Bob Keener, Sarah Heath, Dusty Hecker and Joe Leghorn in your prayers. These stewards need your support in prayer to be faithfully with our children each Sunday.
Faithfully,
Elizabeth
God that has been granted . . .” 2 Corinthians 8:1
The apostle Paul begins most of his letters with some salutation that refers to the great grace of God that has been granted to believers, and the beginnings of 2 Corinthians 8 is no different. Christians have received a great grace through Jesus Christ and those of us who follow in footsteps of the apostles are also called to share the grace we have been given with others. At Christ Church, one of the many ways we see this grace being shared is in the Church School.
Adults who teach, mentor and lead worship with our children each Sunday morning are doing their very best to share the grace of God with the youngest members of our parish family. These adults serve as stewards of the faith that they graciously share and pass on to our children. Christians are formed. None of us becomes mature in the faith without the assistance of others sharing our experiences of what it means to follow Jesus. We would not have our faith without the faithfully stewardship and witness of those who work with our children Sunday after Sunday.
Being a steward of the faith is a calling worthy of respect and support. We tend to think that to teach Church School, we need to be great repositories of information about Christianity. Folks tend not to want to teach because they feel they don’ know enough; we get confused over which prophet came first, what an epistle actually is and in which Gospel can you find the parable of the leaven. None of this is required, nor is it important in the long run. Teaching in the Church School is a leap of faith made out of what we have experienced of God’s grace and goodness in Jesus. Our thankful hearts and a willingness to share them is all teaching is about. The rest of it comes with good curriculum materials (which we have) and support from the Director of Family Ministries (all it takes is a phone call or an email). As in most of Christian life, the Holy Spirit meets our intentions and once we commit to sharing the faith, what we need to do so is provided for us.
So as you think about how you can be a faithful steward of the grace you have been given in Jesus over the next few months, please give prayerful thought to teaching in the Church School. We still have openings to teach in the 3rd & 4th grade and I am looking for one more teacher in the 5th and 6th grade. We also can always use volunteers to fill in on a Sunday morning when a teacher is absent or to help out with a special craft or outreach project. And as you continue to pray about how you might be a faithful steward, please remember Kim Lysaght, Diane Gaitely, Patty Smith, Barbara Diener, Melyne Nagel, Kim Rutherford, Kevin Ruddy, Joe Barr, Nancy Lankford, Ginny Yerardi, Bob Keener, Sarah Heath, Dusty Hecker and Joe Leghorn in your prayers. These stewards need your support in prayer to be faithfully with our children each Sunday.
Faithfully,
Elizabeth
No comments:
Post a Comment