Rev. Peter C. de Vries, Ph.D. has served Old Union since November 1993.
To learn more about Rev. Dr. de Vries, go to FaceBook, Linked-In, or his blog.
FROM THE PASTOR
A group in our congregation will soon begin one of the most important projects in our church: identifying people to serve as church officers. If you are not on the nominating committee, there are several things you can do to support their work.
First, and most importantly of all, pray for them. God, as part of his perfect plan for the life and ministry of our church, has equipped and called certain people to lead our church as elders and deacons. The nominating committee has the task of discerning who these people are. Some of the people whom God is calling into leadership may be individuals that we’d expect, but others may be wonderful surprises. Pray for the committee to recognize the people God has called.
Second, pray for those who receive an invitation to serve. The Bible is full of examples of people whom God called to serve in a particular way, but who were convinced that they didn’t have what it takes. Moses didn’t think he could speak well, Gideon thought he was too insignificant, Isaiah thought he was too sinful, Jeremiah thought he was too young, Zechariah thought he was too old…. the list goes on. In the same way, when the nominating committee asks someone to serve, they may think that they don’t have what it takes, or that the job is more than they can handle. And they are right. None of us have what it takes to do the Lord’s work, and the tasks he places before us are more than we can handle. But as we open ourselves up to God’s Spirit to work within and through us, we will be amazed at what he does through us.
There is a good possibility that you will be one of the people that the nominating committee invites to serve as a church officer. The math is pretty simple: we have 16 elders and deacons, and we average roughly 60 people in worship. This means that about one person in four needs to serve as an elder or deacon for us to have our full complement of church leaders. If you think that “someone else” should serve instead of you, chances are that “someone else” already is serving, or that you are the “someone else” that others have in mind.
There are several reasons to accept an invitation to serve as a church officer.
1.It can be an excellent way to live out your faith. Devotion to God is expressed not only in attitude, but in action.
2. You will be blessed. A truth that I have seen over and over is that those who serve typically benefit at least as much as those whom they serve.
3. On a strictly practical level, our church cannot function without its officers. If you appreciate and value Old Union Church – what it means to you and how it brings God’s presence into the world – you cannot rely on other people to keep the church going. Our church has no room for passive observers. God has something in mind for each of us to do as part of his plan for our church.
Peter
Old Union Presbyterian Church | 200 Union Church Road, Mars, PA 16046
724-538-8672 | OldUnionChurch@gmail.com
724-538-8672 | OldUnionChurch@gmail.com