Church
Ministry
Christ’s Church has plenty of rooms for everybody.
“In
my Father’s house there are many dwelling places.” (John 14:2)
Sometime ago, I received a phone
call from my friend in Portland, Oregon. He was my classmate in college. Before we hung up, he said to me, “My apartment
is small, but whenever you come to visit me and my family, we have a room for you here.” I felt good with his invitation,
especially when he told me, “We have a room for you here.”
When I think about this, I remember the promise
of our Savior Jesus Christ that in his Father’s house there are many dwelling places. He was not talking about the huge
size of it, nor about its beauty and magnificence. His words give us assurance that there is a room for everyone in God’s
kingdom. And perhaps God will place us closer to those people who are dear to us. There is no need to compete with one another
as who are the better Christians, or the righteous people, in order to obtain the best rooms in heaven. Every room is special
and there are more than enough rooms for everybody. Our faith in Jesus Christ will be the key to the rooms reserved for us.
Just
like any institutions we know, the Church is also an institution of people. Its membership is built up of unique individuals
that differ in age, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, cultures, traditions, beliefs, and social status. They have different personalities,
interests, needs, and experiences. For some reasons, many of these factors create divisions in the church, divisions of the
church, and divisions among the churches. Many people are excluded, or not completely feel at home in one church, or another.
Sometimes I wonder if the existence of different church denominations is God’s peculiar way of making rooms for everybody
in Christ’s household.
Empty pews do not mean that there are plenty of rooms in the church. We need to ask ourselves if
there are rooms in our hearts to welcome and embrace other people into our lives. When we begin asking this question and think
of ourselves as simply caretakers of Christ’s church, then we might find a way to extend the existing boundaries we
have in order to include more people, if not all, in our church. The size and beauty of the building doesn’t really
matter as long as the members and would-be members will find a place for them in the church, where the spirit of love, grace,
and harmony-in-diversity dwell among them.
-- The Rev. Fr. Jojo Pamatmat
Evangelism
Catch and Release: From Seekers to Discipleships
“Follow
me, and I will make you fish for people.” (Matthew 4:19)
Sometimes, we wonder what people are doing if they are not in the church
on Sundays. Where are they? If every Christian will come to church on Sundays, then all churches everywhere will not have
enough pews to accommodate them.
There are varied and valid reasons why many people don’t go to church.
They have to attend other important matters, like work, family, household chores, and personal time off. Others are reluctant
to go to church because of their past bad experiences. Others have very little experience in the church--not being a member
of any particular congregation for a long time. Some are avoiding it for some other reasons. As a church with a mission, we
are called to reach out those people and to give them a compelling reason to come to church. There are many people out there
waiting to be invited and to hear many wonderful things about our Lord Jesus Christ--the light, healer and redeemer of this
world.
There are many ways to bring people to the church, or perhaps I should say, ‘to bring the church to
the people.’ The church can advertise in newspapers, put church signs, create a church website, send flyers, and organize
community events. But the most effective means of invitation and cost-free is by “word of mouth.” By personal
invitation, members can tell good things about their church, fellowship and ministries. They can also share the transformations
and inspirations they have gained by being a member of a particular church.
Whatever methods of invitation
a church choose to do, there must a genuine compassion in reaching and serving other people in the name of the Lord. We should
be true and honest with what we are doing--that we really care about them, their salvation and happiness.
The
Lord commissioned us to fish for people and to make them disciples of Christ. The Church exists not simply to increase membership
or to maintain the building. New members need to grow in faith by being nurtured and transformed through worship, fellowship,
and education. There must be sincere desire and effort to recognize their gifts, embrace their uniqueness, and enable them
to participate in various activities and services of the Church. And the leaders should be good stewards and responsible shepherds
to them. Eventually, these new members become committed disciples and missionaries of the Lord. The Church will gain additional
helping hands in mending the nets, in sailing the boat, and in catching the fish.
Being Christ’s missionaries
is not an easy job. God doesn’t expect us to do everything. We are not alone in the mission. God made it possible for
different churches to exist in order to reach out diverse people in different localities. We need one another and the future
generations to bring the gospel of our Lord to the world.
-- The Rev. Fr. Jojo Pamatmat
Christian
Unity
Christ’s love is abounding and uniting.
“I appeal to you, brothers
and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you,
but that you be united in the same mind and the same purpose.” (1 Corinthians 1:10)
Imagine what a group can accomplish
if they are united. When there is a group project or a group activity, it is necessary to put down their differences, set
a common goal, and work as a team. It is important to set their minds in agreement to achieve something.
However, it is difficult to maintain
the unity of a group. Every person is unique individual and nobody is perfect. We need humility and courage in putting down
the walls that separate us from one another. We need the cooperation of each other to make things happen. We should be open-minded
in order to understand our common mission and to see the possibilities and challenges in pursuing it. We are aware that we
cannot accomplish anything substantial which is pleasing to God if we are divided. We need one another.
To achieve a certain goal, we can
work together in spite of our many differences. However, our desire of achieving that goal is not enough to keep us united.
If the common goal is all that matters to us, then after completing it we may go back again to our divided groups. All the
time and efforts we spent together will reduce to little bits of memories of the past.
Any relationship cannot last long if the
only connection we have each other is our common interests. Our goals can be the purpose of our unity, but not the source
of it. Christ Jesus should be the source of our unity. He is the incarnation of God’s love to humanity. When we put
our trust to the Lord, there are wonderful things that can happen during our journey together. With Christ and in Christ,
we will grow in spirit and love. Although conflicts are unavoidable, we can choose to love one another and strive to uphold
our unity. Love is a strong force that can hold us together. It creates rooms in our hearts to forgive one another. It gives
us grace to be hospitable towards each other. We may not agree on different things by means of reason, but we can find accord
with Christ’s love. Love has the power to change us. It can transform and enable us to see the bigger picture and to
accomplish things for the glory of God and for the sake of the gospel of our Lord. Our hopes and interests for the good of
the whole body will exceed our desires for personal gains and satisfactions.
Love cannot be divided but it can be shared with lots of
people, even with those people we don’t like. Likewise, Christ’s body cannot be divided, but we can receive its
complete substance from the broken pieces of bread in Holy Communion. Unity is a precious gift from above. It is an expression
of our love of and faith in Christ. It makes us whole and it brings us closer to the kingdom of God.
-- The Rev. Fr. Jojo Pamatmat
