SOS: Serving Our Savior

by David Shannon

"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.�
Matthew 6:33

It is impossible to neglect the work of the kingdom and be faithful. Every Christian is to be involved in kingdom work.

� ...for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,� Ephesians 4:12

MJ has blessed many lives for 115 years. It is so easy to live in the present that we forget the past and fail to envision the future. Recently we have been studying about the importance of envisioning the future. But let us not forget the past either. Recently I was reminded of the blessing of the past as Jim Olive, the minister of Jackson Park, eloquently spoke of Alma Templeton during her funeral service. He stated she was baptized at MJ in 1965 and spoke about her life in the congregation at Jackson Park in recent years. She is the sister of our Margrette George. I couldn�t help but think, �I wonder how many have been baptized here over the past 115 years that most of us here now have never known?� Let us all realize that not many will be born and die within the congregation of MJ. Most will come and go. So let�s live and lead others so that each individual who passes through MJ will be able to say, �I grew closer to the Lord while being a part of this congregation.� Time is precious. There may be some who transfer in and out within a few years. There maybe others who worship here for decades. There may be a few who are born here and die here. Either way our goal should be the same� �Let�s grow closer to the Lord while we are at MJ.�
From the verses in the inset at the left we see it is impossible to grow or even survive without serving in the work of the church. This Sunday we all have an opportunity to learn how to be involved in the Lord�s work here at MJ. There are about 50 ministries which collectively need every person�s abilities�including yours. You are needed in the Lord�s work. Everything we do falls under one of these ministries. Each ministry is led by a deacon, who is overseen by an elder. Eight displays of ministries, with individuals to answer questions, will be setup in the upstairs fellowship hall Sunday. Plan to stay later Sunday morning or evening or come early Sunday evening to catch a glimpse of an overall view of all the ministries. Then complete an SOS (Serving Our Savior) booklet! Hundreds of opportunities for you to commit are in this book.
Perhaps no one knows how long you will be at MJ, but while you are here let�s grow together and help grow The Kingdom!
We have a work for every willing member and hope every member is willing!

• Gifts and their Usage -Apr 30, 2006
• Ministry Fair and Other Things -Apr 16, 2006
• Shame on that Coach! -Jul 24, 2005
• Who's Driving? -Apr 24, 2005
• Participation -Dec 02, 2001