We’ve been looking at the promises people make when they join the United Methodist Church: to support the church with their prayers, their presence, their gifts, and their service. Today we’ll consider what it means to support the church with our service.
As with gifts, service means different things for different people. The hope is that all members serve God in some way, including through the church’s ministries. Sometimes that may mean primary leadership of a committee, sometimes it means the quiet behind-the-scenes tasks people do. The challenges are many: earlier in life people are often busy with work and family so time becomes a precious commodity. Later in life, bodies present us with limitations so that energy and physical strength are more limited. Realistically not everyone can do everything. Within those limitations, however, all members have vowed to support the church with their service in some way. In an ideal world every member of the church would have one “job”: it might be serving on a committee, helping with a mission project, or serving as a greeter. When each person contributes the load is spread out so that no one has to do multiple things. In reality, some people do many things and others not much. Non-profits often use the 80-20 formula: 80% or the people do 20% of the work and 20% of the people do 80% of the work.
Where are you in this formula? I so deeply appreciate the multiple ways in which the people of Mill Plain UMC support this church, with financial gifts and with their time and skill and vision. Truly, God is glorified through Jesus Christ and in your ministries. Thank you.