The early church had some decisions to make after the ascension of
Jesus--fall apart, as they had begun to do after the crucifixion, or move
hopefully into the future? The story of the choosing of Matthias gives
the answer. The decision was made. The Church would keep going,
ready to face the challenges of an unknown future, but a future into which
God would journey with them. They did not yet know the power of the
Holy Spirit, which would come with Pentecost, but they were assured by the
resurrection. And so they moved forward. In choosing
Matthias--or anyone?--to take the place of Judas among the 12, they were
accepting the challenges ahead.
This is one of my favorite texts, because it has so much to teach
churches. We, too, face the challenges of the future. We, too,
know the power of the resurrection of Jesus. We have the advantage
over those depicted in Acts I, because we also know the Pentecost story,
when the Spirit came with power. We know all of this, and need to take
seriously the promises and power as we, too, look into the future.
I'd like you to consider ways in which you can be a part of our
congregation's steps into the future. There are some small but growing
groups of church members who are considering how we will move forward, and
you're invited to join us.
First, I'd like to invite you to be a part of the Ready, Set, Grow
team. This is basically a new incarnation of the God is Still
Speaking Committee. This team will work at making our
congregation's name known in the community and welcoming guests. You
can join the team by being with us at the next meeting, which will take
place after worship on June 14th. You can also help by responding when
the team asks for volunteers to help with its work. Right now, the
team is looking for greeters to make guests feel welcome on Sunday mornings.
Greeters will be asked to help guests with name tags, answer questions about
our congregation, encourage guests to sign the guestbook, and join guests in
worship or at Coffee Hour. If you'd like to help or learn more about
the Ready, Set, Grow team, speak with Steve Malinsky.
Another way we're stepping into the future is by organizing a Technology
Team. This team will help with the use of technology in worship, including
projections and PowerPoint, and will brainstorm other ways in which we can
use technology in the life of the congregation. One way we've begun to
do this is by establishing a Facebook group. If you have a Facebook
account, search for "First UCC Ottawa" and join the group! One hope is
that the Technology Team can use the group as well. The discussion
boards are a great way to converse wit one another. If you're not "Facebook-savvy"
but would like to learn, give me a call, and we can get together in my
office to introduce you to Facebook. If you are a Facebook fan, friend
me!
