United Lutheran

A Message From Pastor Beth

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord.”  1 Corinthians 12:4-5

  These familiar words from 1 Corinthians remind us of the importance of all members of the body of Christ. Being a part of the body of Christ is like being a part of a team, all members are essential; all members have different abilities that contribute to the whole and when one or more of the members of the team aren’t there or don’t use their gifts, the whole body suffers. 

It is so easy, especially these days, to see the church as an institution, a place where we go when we have the time, but...a place that we expect things from. Yet, the church is the people who belong to it, and without the people, there is no church. We need everyone. Worship is a time when we learn from God and connect with each other so that we are more prepared to go and do ministry in our lives and within the church organization itself. As Paul says later in that chapter, Christ is the head, it is from Christ that we take our direction. It is from Christ that we get our inspiration to do what we do. 

This is also true in the larger church as well as in our local congregation. It is easy to forget that we are part of something bigger, something that goes beyond Cavalier and that our service as individuals and as a congregation extends beyond the church walls, beyond the borders of our town, our state, even our country. In God we are all one and all our gifts are needed to bring Christ’s light and hope into and ever-darkening world. 

In keeping with this, what is desperately needed in our area, besides help for those in need, is for people to be more deeply involved in our congregation and also helping congregations around us. Ordained pastors are much harder to find as seminary enrollments are down, and it can be tough for a small congregation to afford one. Our conference, the Grafton conference, in conjunction with the Synod and with a churchwide grant is beginning a lay ministry training program. It is a program where you can attend any classes without becoming a lay minister or attend a class of a ministry you would like to know more deeply and possibly participate in. It is open to all people. A preliminary brochure is included in this newsletter. More information on the Old Testament class scheduled for October 25 will be available soon. Please prayerfully consider attending at least one or two of these sessions even to just deepen your understating of the Bible and of our worship practices. Our church becomes stronger when you commit to deepening your faith and understanding. Any questions, please talk to Pastor Beth.

August Blessings!