A Word from Pastor Nathan

Dear Friends:

Wow! Sunday’s Texas Barbecue was fantastic. You outdid yourselves yet again. A colleague of mine once said, “I don’t trust a church that cannot throw a party.” Washington Avenue has been throwing parties since September! You are a good and generous congregation, and you have made this Texan-turned-Ohioan feel right at home. Now, if you could rub off on the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, all would be well, and all manner of thing would be well, but I digress.

October is Month of Ministry at Washington Avenue Christian Church, and the Worship Committee has been hard at work planning activities, speakers, and a ministry fair. In addition to celebrating the relationships we have with parachurch organizations, we are focusing on lay and ordained ministry.

The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) affirms the priesthood of all believers, which means that both laity and clergy partner with one another in mutual ministry. Dr. Steve Sprinkle, a professor at Brite Divinity School, writes, “God chooses to use human beings to convey the good news to the world. This is a great mystery…. God’s good pleasure is to entrust the message of reconciliation to creatures made of dust—to us, in other words.” That’s you! Yes, you, and me, too. We are co-laborers together with God (1 Cor. 3:9). Our denomination provides this statement: “The ministry of God’s people is to manifest and so continue the saving ministry of Jesus Christ. This ministry includes ALL who join together in witness to God’s justice and reconciliation through worship, daily work, sharing the Gospel, pastoral care, relief of human suffering, engagement in the struggle for peace and justice, and realization of the unity of the Church Universal.” We might summarize this charge as going to love and serve from our doorsteps to the ends of the earth.

God has chosen us to be God’s agents at work in the world today, a calling that is as terrifying as it is awesome. What is your ministry within and beyond the church? Where does your greatest joy meet the world’s deepest need? How you discern and respond to this question can open up new and creative avenues for ministry. No matter the kind of ministry you take, God is well-pleased in you. So am I. Partnering with you in mutual ministry as the Washington Avenue Christian Church is my greatest joy.

May we continue to witness, love, and serve.

Peace abundant,

Nathan