New beginnings...

My inaugural blog post... and I’m somewhat trepidatious. New beginnings can make us feel nervous, excited, worried, exhilarated and impatient. A few months ago, I wondered if God was calling me to either transplant or replant Seeds of Grace Resources which I began in 2009. So here I find myself, leaning into God and trusting that I will be caught when and if I fall, and praying that God will use this ministry.

Speaking of fall, September seemed the right time for Seeds of Grace 2.0 as it is the start of the new church season. This month “Rally Sundays” or Sunday school kick-offs will happen. Some will wait until mid to late September as families are sometimes taking longer to return and teachers and helpers can be harder to secure. Often churches officially commission their leaders during worship and the kids are asked questions about their willing participation. Typically the congregation is asked to pray for the leaders, children and youth.

As I reflected on this, I wondered a few things. We are all life-long learners who are entering this new season, hopefully after at least some summer relaxation and “down time”. Every single ministry of the church is ramping up right now, from committees to Bible study groups, prayer and prayer shawl teams to women’s and men’s groups. Some are excited about the possibilities ahead and others are anxious about recruiting more volunteers, encouraging participation and the amount of work involved in making all this happen.

How different would Rally Sunday be if congregations heard and prayed about the needs for leadership and participants, and for a solid vision of what God is calling us to do and be in the coming months? if we trusted that God has a plan and purpose for each ministry? if we believed that God’s Spirit will breathe through us and sustain us as we seek God’s will? if we remembered that all these activities belong to God and are meant to bring glory to God through how we serve and enrich others?

Just maybe our kids would also see that this gift called the Christian life never ends, that it is full of blessings and opportunity beyond Sunday school, and that together the church does awesome things through God’s grace.

Happy new beginnings to you!

Having Patience...Sep 29, 2015