Rev. Skip Seibel

The evening before His crucifixion, Jesus gathered His friends and gave them a new comman, “Love one another as I have loved you.” The newness of this command is found not in the command to love, but in the type of love we are to give. We are to love as Jesus loved. The Apostle Paul describes this kind of love in his letter to the Romans, "Be devoted to one another, honor one another above yourself.” As a community of faith, it is imperative that we love one another as Jesus loved. We must build a community in which we honor one another, encourage one another, forgive one another and bear each other’s burdens. It is essential that that church be a community in which its members walk with one another through the peaks and valleys of life.

 

I believe that every church should be a special community of faith where love, mercy, dignity

and grace abound; a place where there are no strangers and everyone feels connected, known, valued and loved. We must be diligent in our efforts to create a community of faith where those in need are comforted  and those who visit receive a warm, friendly, Christ-centered welcome.

 

I believe that if the church is to be a community of faith that lives the command to love one another as Jesus loved, then special attention must be given to those who grieve, those who are experiencing divorce, those who face the challenge of single parenting and those who have a loved one battling addiction.

 

In order to develop a loving, supportive community of faith in which those in need are comforted, those in difficult times of life are encouraged and those who visit worship are embraced, a variety of ministry teams must be formed.

 

Barnabas Ministry - A trained team of care-givers who reach out to those who are walking through one of life’s many struggles by showing up, listening and praying.

 

Compassion Ministry – A team of caring adults who visit those who can no longer come to church.

 

Food Ministry – A team of cooks who live God’s love by providing funeral meals for those who grieve and deliver hot meals to those who are recuperating, lonely or in need.

 

If we can forge a community of faith that lives God’s love by serving each other, God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit will be honored and glorified and the church will grow in stature and in numbers.

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