From Him the whole body [the church], in all its various parts], joined and knitted firmly together by what every joint supplies, when each part is working properly, causes the body to grow and mature, building itself up in [unselfish love].
Ephesians 4:16
This past Sunday morning, as I approached the Sanctuary for the service, I encountered a couple of people at a table in the lobby. They had on display a large number of items, made and donated by members of our church and being made available to our church body, for the purpose of raising support for ten members of a team to go this summer on a trip to partner with a church to minister particularly, but not exclusively, to the medical needs of people in that church’s community. I was struck by the beauty of that activity! This is what the church should look like as we build up and encourage and support one another.
- Items made and donated by church members – a variety of people exercised their skills and passions to create revenue to make the trip possible. These items were well-made, attractive, and useful as gifts or at home.
- Our church body – members were stopping by the table to browse and admire and purchase the items being presented for sale.
- Undergirding and supporting team members who were giving of their time to leave the country and work alongside each other and in cooperation with members of the partnering church.
The relationship between the two churches has been in existence for more than twenty years. It has continued in a healthy manner, even with leadership changes and with differences in age, skill, and abilities of the teams who have gone out year after year.
I was blessed, as I stood observing activity around me, to know that God could use our church over a number of years to partner in blessing a group of people in another region of the earth. Please join with me to pray for this team for good health and good relationships and bringing glory to God in all they do and say. Please pray particularly for one team member who is having difficulty obtaining a passport for the trip.
Let’s all do what we can to build up and encourage and support God’s work through our brothers and sisters.
