April is here. The sun is up longer and the grass is getting greener. Plants are beginning to bud…the world looks fresh and new. That’s part of what makes life exciting! If we only take time to notice, God has new things to show us everyday.
Since we are thinking about new things, let’s talk for a moment about all of the new things here at Greene Ridge. First, we have a new visitation program. Jesus said in Matthew 28:19-20 “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” We commonly call this the great commission. It is clear that God expects us, His body, and His church to reach the world for Him. Is there any better place to start than our own community? We started this formal visitation program to give each one in our church the opportunity to obey this command while enjoying the company and encouragement of others in our church family. It’s wonderful to know that God can use you to make an eternal difference in someone’s life.
Another new ministry, we started just last month, was our Teen Bible Study. Mr. Bart and I are very excited about this in large part because it was not our idea. Our teenagers asked for this! Isn’t that great? Our first meeting was wonderful. We had a great study in God’s word and were able to spend some time learning about each other. I can hardly wait for this month’s meeting. With all of the negative things that we often hear about teenagers, it blesses me to know that we have a church with many Godly teens who want to know more and grow closer to God and each other.
The third and final new ministry that I will mention here is our Usher Ministry. Some of you are probably asking yourselves how are ushers a ministry? Many today have a misconception of what an usher is and why they are needed. This is in large part the fault of pastors, me included, for not teaching on the subject. I have heard it said many times that there are only two offices mentioned in the Bible. The two offices mentioned being the ones of pastors and deacons. While it is true that the Bible gives guidelines for those two offices, they are not the only offices mentioned. It will surprise some to find that ushers are talked about in both the Old and New Testaments. While they are not called ushers (that name came about later) the office and duties are there. In II Kings 22:4, they were called “keepers of the door”. It states that they were responsible for collecting the offering. I Chronicles 9:19 talks about Shallum and his brothers, also Old Testament ushers. It says that they were “keepers of the gates of the tabernacle” and “keepers of the entry”. This means that they were responsible for guarding the house of God and were “over the work of the service”. They were to help keep peace and order in God’s house. In the New Testament, Jesus’ disciples took on the job of ushers. They helped to organize crowds, lead people to Jesus, keep order when He was teaching, seat the crowds He fed and welcome people to Him. At one point, they actually took the job too far when they were keeping children from coming to Him. So we see that the office, though it has had many names, has always had a place in God’s church. The reason that I feel it is so important is this….it is one of the only parts of the service that can’t be substituted by anything else. The usher may be the only person some folks speak to in the service. The Sunday School teacher may not have time to spend on each person individually. I can’t be everywhere at once and others may not notice every face in the crowd. The usher, however, has a wonderful opportunity to bless each person who walks through the door. A smile, a handshake and a kind word can set the tone for that person’s worship for any given service. So yes, ushers are a very important ministry.
In closing, I want to thank all of you who do so much to make all of these things work. Thank you teens for wanting more! To all of those who have gone with me to “knock on a door”, thank you! God will use your life and bless you for your effort. To all of the men who have stood up to be God’s witnesses, His disciples, His ushers…thank you! And to the church as a whole, thank you for your prayers, your words of encouragement, your support, and your willingness to go the extra mile! If your doing all that you can to serve and it’s still not enough to satisfy your hunger, keep an eye open for more opportunities soon! Thank you for striving to make our church what God wants it to be! Keep moving forward and see what God does!
God Bless, Pastor Jason (PJ)