All the surveys, focus groups, demographic reports, retreats, bible study, and prayer were for one purpose: How do we become the best First Presbyterian Church possible? Along the way, we discovered that God didn’t want us to become the church down the street. God didn’t want to turn our backs on almost two centuries of discipleship and ministry in Norwalk, Ohio. We need to live into our giftedness.
When David faced a giant, the king gave the shepherd boy his armor and sword. David, after finding them unwieldy, tells the king, “I cannot walk with these; for I am not used to them” (1 Samuel 17:39). Instead, he takes his staff, his sling, and a few stones, the tools of a shepherd, to face Goliath. The First Presbyterian Church will face our challenges as “a family on a mission to love God and all people.” The session recently adopted that language as a statement of our calling, a vision of what God wants us to be.
Our nation is facing an epidemic of loneliness. Thirty percent of Americans say they are lonely at least once a week, and 10% say they are lonely every single day. Think about that--one out of every ten people feels isolated from their families. They don’t have friends to lean on. They don’t have a church community who visits them when they are sick, brings them a meal, or helps babysit their kids.
Not only is our church full of families. Not only do we have great family ministries, like our annual Vacation Bible School. We also understand that family is more than biology. Every child in our congregation will discover here grandparents or an aunt and an uncle that they never knew existed. We know that we are a family of faith. Through Jesus Christ, we are brothers and sisters in the faith.
However, we are not simply a “family.” Families can become insular and self-focused. Instead, our congregation is a “family on a mission.” Like missionaries who go from the familiar into the greater world to share the faith, we move out from our church building to our neighborhoods, schools, and businesses with God's love. We are always seeking to find new family members, and we look forward to the family reunions.
This is the future of our congregation if we are willing to accept it. As someone relatively new to Norwalk and this congregation, I am excited to be part of our family. Let’s move forward in faith.
Grace & Peace,
Pastor James
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