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A
Message From the Pastor
Without
throwing-out the baby with the bath water, we are taking
what is good and worthwhile in the old concept of Operation
Andrew and incorporating (integrating ?) it into the more
recent concept of "Discipling Disciples" for the sake of
discipling non-disciples through the process that has come
to be known as Spiritual Formation. It is my hope and prayer
that a healthy combination of the old with the new will move
us forward in not only fulfilling the mandate of Jesus
Christ as set forth in The Great commission (Matthew 28:19),
but will also confirm us in achieving the practical goals we
have set for ourselves.
All of the
above, and more besides have combined to drive me back to
another old church theme, which has proven to be a unique
and comprehensive umbrella under which we have found shelter
and guidance and direction for all seasons since it was
first adopted nearly ten years ago, viz. "A Revolutionary
Church Engaged in Revolutionary Service to Make A
Difference". This old theme not only calls us to relevance
and effectiveness in evangelism, but also it pushes us and
prods us to relevance and effectiveness in all that we do as
a local church congregation committed to discovering and
knowing and doing the will of God in every age and
generation. As the lyrics of a well known hymn has
accurately and adequately put the issue: "to serve this
present age, my (our) calling to fulfill! O may I (we) all
my (our) powers engage to do my (our) Master's will"!
Inasmuch
as I have also lifted up and stressed repeatedly the
biblical image and idea of the church as both a healing and
a saving station (based on the New Testament metaphor of the
church, the disciples of Jesus Christ, as "the light of the
world" and "the salt of the earth"), it seems to me that we
have a promisingly productive mixed bag of possible thematic
emphasis for the year 2008, all of which are challenging and
requiring our best efforts in response.
Indeed, in
my humble and honest judgment all of these (emphasis and
issues may well be subsumed under the broader and larger
theme which we have subliminally used for the past nearly
ten years, but have yet to seriously live-up to, because it
requires us to be on the cutting edge of living for Jesus as
a church for all seasons. That theme is "A Revolutionary
Church Engaged In Revolutionary Service to Make A
Difference".
May God
bless us and empower us to move to a new level of hope and
promise and possibility for the year 2008 and for all the
years of our existence in the future as members of the body
of Christ.
Peace and Love and Justice, Pastor Albert F. Campbell |
