Better Together

     We are better together.

     That’s the message that will serve as the theme for our Fall Kickoff on September 13. It’s a theme that has considerable backing in scripture. Jesus tells his disciples that they must remain connected to him like branches on a vine if they are to be effective disciples. God says of Adam, “It is not good that the man should be alone” (Gen 2:18), and then God makes a woman to be the man’s companion. And then there is Paul’s extended metaphor of the church as a body in 1 Corinthians 12. His argument is that even the most prominent members, such as the eye or the hand, cannot get by without other, seemingly lesser members. His further argument is that there is no such thing as a lesser member of the body of Christ.

     We are better together. That’s why we will be taking some time this fall to discover and then learn how to exercise our spiritual gifts. I hope that everyone will take part by completing a spiritual gifts inventory. This is a set of questions that will help you determine where your spiritual gifts lie. Gifts such as service, teaching, leadership, hospitality, and more are necessary for the church to function well, and no single person can be expected to have all the needed gifts. Not everyone is a hand, but a hand is no more important to the functioning of the body than a red blood cell or a sweat gland. These parts have different functions, but their goal is the same: the survival and thriving of the body. The same is true of the church.

     Sarah and I were talking last night, and she made the comment that with the limitations imposed by her chronic illness she can only be involved in the work for justice in cooperation with and support of other people. She used to be active—as a community organizer, an advocate for immigrants, and later as a church relations specialist with Bread for the World—but now she has been limited to a supporting role. It occurred to me that what she said of herself is actually true of all of us. Even those who are on the front lines of the struggle for human rights and social justice are dependent upon others in the background who do the necessary preparatory and administrative work that allows them to be effective.

     Think about it. Who was more important to the success of the Montgomery Bus Boycott back in the 1950s? Martin Luther King Jr., who became the face of the movement? Or Rosa Parks, who ignited the boycott by refusing to give up her seat and being jailed as a consequence? Or the dozens of unnamed (but known to God) volunteers who drove people to work for more than a year so they could stay off the buses? Or the many others who coordinated rides for as long as it took to bring the city and the bus company to the negotiating table? If you said, “All of them were vital to the effort,” I’d say you’re correct.

     In the same way, we each have a role to play in the growth and increasing vitality of Community UCC. With that in mind, in addition to the spiritual gifts inventories, we will be providing opportunities for you to join an existing team or committee or to start a new one to accomplish a purpose not currently on our church’s radar screen. We will have sign-up sheets with descriptions of the current committees that you can read and then fill out. We will also have sign-up sheets for new small groups, as well as a “wall of ministry” where you can share your passions or dreams for the church. Who knows but that something amazing will come out of the simple process of writing your dream on a piece of paper stuck to the wall?

     As I said, I hope you will give some serious thought to where you fit into the body known as Community UCC, and will make a commitment to helping the church become even more welcoming, loving, and active in service of God’s vision for our world.