The Pastor’s Pen
Pastor Selbo is on vacation, this is a reprint of an article written by Pastor Selbo in 2010 but it is very timely and very relevant today. – the editor
By the time you read this, the St. Andrew work camp team will have returned from their week of service. Along with hundreds of other campers from across the country, the youth and adults from our congregation spent the week of painting, repairing and refurbishing the homes of elderly, disabled and low-income residents. They also spent time singing, playing, praying, worshiping and studying the Bible. They grew in relationship with one another. And they made friends with other campers and with the residents on whose houses they were working. In short, they had a great week as they lived out, in a very intentional way, what it means to be the body of Christ in the world.
Even though not all of us have the opportunity to participate in a work camp trip, in our life together as a congregation we can all still share in the same kinds of experiences as our work campers do. Worship, study, fellowship, service and witness – those are the elements that make for a great week of work camp, and those are also the elements that define our life together here at St. Andrew.
As we prepare, in a few short weeks, for Rally Day and the beginning of our fall schedule, I encourage you to make a commitment to be more involved than ever in the life of our church. Worship regularly. Participate in a Bible study or a class. Spend time, informally or in a more structured way, with fellow church members. Look for opportunities to serve. And let your faith show itself through your words and your actions. As you do, you, like our work campers, will grow in your faith. And you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing that you’re helping to make St. Andrew a stronger, more vibrant congregation.
I’m grateful to those who gave up a week of their summer to be a part of this year’s work camp trip. And I’m grateful, too, to all the members of St. Andrew who give of their time and abilities to actively participate in the life of our church. May God’s blessing be on each of us as we live together as the body of Christ.
See you in worship!
Pastor Selbo
