Barre Congregational Church
Home30 Park Street
Barre, Massachusetts
This Month's Message From Pastor Margaret - continued
Here at church, we come to worship God, but we also come to serve God, the church
and our community. We serve with love and purpose, which supports the church's
wellbeing, growth, and our sense of community. Being in community pleases God,
as it means joining with God, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—the Divine Team—
at work in our lives and the world.
To serve God as a community, demonstrates that we understand the call of being involved in the shared ministry of all believers. The church is the place where everyone comes to fulfil their divine call into the ministry of believers. Ephesians 4 v 16 describes beautifully how the whole body is joined and held together by every supporting ligament, and how it grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. And elsewhere we read that we have all received different spiritual gifts for the building up of the church, which is the Body of Christ. As the Body of Christ, we are the team with Christ, serving Him and each other lovingly, and with purpose.
As we enter the new year, we have the opportunity to thoughtfully consider, guided by the Holy Spirit, how we can best serve both God and our congregation. This process enables us to understand and affirm our role within the place to which Christ is calling us. Our role and place in this congregation are unique, according to the call we receive through prayer and discernment. God is growing our church in amazing ways, and as we grow, we are also making space for those who join to become part of this growing community of faith, with their skills, but most of all their own sense of call by God to come and serve in this community of faith.
My prayer is that this new season allows us to reflect on God's blessings, appreciate our strengths, and identify areas for growth. The website outlines the various committees and their work. You may already be involved in one or more of them. It may be an appropriate time to consider whether there is something new or different that God intends for each of us to pursue or strengthen our involvement in our existing committee. May God bless our Team here at Barre Congregational Church as we undertake this amazing call to our shared ministry in Christ.
God’s richest blessings,
Pastor Margaret Keyser
