This past week Bethany and I took the kids shopping. With cooler temperatures on the horizon, we knew we had to get our kiddos some clothes for their winter wardrobe. When you have young children in the home, this is typically an annual occurrence. Temperatures begin to drop, and parents begin to realize that none of their kids’ clothes fit from last year. Old jackets are too tight, pants are too short, and moms and dads flood to the same stores to frantically keep their kids warm. And on those days every parent is reminded of an uncomfortable truth: kids are expensive! In fact, the USDA estimates that the average parent spends nearly $300,000 on each of their children from birth to 18. This number of course does not include college, weddings, and future expenditures to help our children launch into independence. The reality is as our children continue to grow, their need for resources continues to grow with them.
It’s amazing how this same truth applies to the church: as our church family begins to grow, our need for more resources continues to grow with it. These types of resources can be vast and broad, from high-ticket items like facilities and AV resources, to more curriculum and programs to meet ministry needs. However, the biggest resource that growing churches need is people. Church family, you are our greatest resource in the church. We are in the people-business and it takes people to minister to people. And for us to reach this city and minister to those that God brings our way, we need a fresh wave of volunteers to step up and meet the needs of our church family. And this is the way God designed His church to grow. You and I were not made to sit in the bleachers at church, we were made to get in the game. Peter reminds us, “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace” (1 Peter 4:10).
When you professed Christ in your life, the Holy Spirit sealed you and enabled you through the power of His presence. He came into your life to serve as a guarantee for your future inheritance (Ephesians 1:14), but also to equip you with a spiritual gift(s) to contribute to the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:7-8). If you are a born-again believer, God has given you at least one spiritual gift, and for many of you, he’s given you many spiritual gifts. I would simply ask you, “are you using it to serve one another?” If not, this Sunday is a great opportunity for you to change that.
Due of our present growth, we have lots of pressing needs in our church. Our volunteer teams are thin, and we need people to rise up to help us meet the needs of our church in both of our worship services. So this Sunday after each of our worship services, we are going to have a condensed ministry fair in the Great Hall. We are focusing on 5 specific ministry areas that are our present greatest needs. I will talk more about this on Sunday, but I would encourage you to go ahead and begin praying over what area God might be calling you to step up in. We presently need volunteers added to the following service teams: Greeters, Ushers, Guest Information/Check-in, Media Ministries, and Kids Care.
I trust that you will commit to serve as a “good steward of God’s varied grace,” and make plans to use your gifts to build up His church. What an exciting opportunity to come alongside God and be a part of what He’s doing in this church family! Trust me, it’s always more fun to be in the game than to be a spectator. I look forward to seeing you this weekend as we unpack Daniel chapter 5. Invite a friend and I look forward to seeing you there.
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