Ministry - Christ’s ministry among us - is always ministry in progress, “ministry in motion.” My work as a pastor, my calling is to nurture this in-progress work in our congregational community, as well as in the New Paltz, Hudson Valley, and world communities. This month I’ll reflect on nurturing the ministry in motion of Faith Formation (education in a faith context).
In September, we launched our Tri-church ecumenical Sunday School. Our confirmation group at Redeemer, led and facilitated by Kathy Carroll, kicked off the school year with a weekend retreat of camping, games, worship, and growing in faith. And in the first week of October, our adult education offerings began with a discussion of the book, “Enduring Grace.”
>Behind the scenes of these wonderful Faith Formation opportunities are numerous people, including myself, our Methodist and Episcopal clergy Partners, and lay leaders putting in hours, days, and even weeks into gathering input and ideas, encouraging volunteers to step into leadership, and nurturing and cheering on those leaders as they bring their incredible gifts and skills to helping our youth and adults be formed in faith. Not to mention encouraging families and their kids to participate and coordinate where everything will take place. And it’s all worth it!
>As I watched our teenagers walk up front in the sanctuary to lead worship a few weeks ago, declaring the stories of those who have carried God’s light to the world; as I have met the children and families from the Tri-Church Sunday School and heard the children singing in the Community Room and declaring that they have made new friends; as I see adults discussing their own faith journeys in context with a wonderful book and Bible passages, I see so very much Ministry in Motion.
>God in Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit, nurturing faith-for-the-world through all of us. Thanks be to God!