This was the conclusion of Pastor JD’s Annual Report, as he turned his attention from what we accomplished in 2023 and began to look ahead to what 2024 will be marked by.
This year I want to focus on just one thing, that I believe will touch nearly every ministry/program/decision in the coming year. In 2024, I want us to ask the question: who is missing?
As we gather for worship each week and reflect on who has been a part of our regular gatherings in the last several months: who is missing?
As we think about who we know who would be blessed to be a part of the worship we have together each week: who is missing?
As we continue to grow our Children’s Ministry offerings, with regular activities and weekly Children’s Church: who is missing?
As we begin to form and grow our Ministry to Youth, 6th-12th grade: who is missing?
As we put together lists of shut-ins, homebound, and folks in nursing homes/rehab so we can visit and communicate with those folks regularly: who is missing?
As seek to identify new leaders to serve on boards and sit at the table: who is missing?
As we work hard to identify connections to underrepresented populations in our church and ways we might engage them: who is missing?
As we think about other folks who would enjoy our activities: who is missing?
As we continue to understand the needs of our new neighborhood, how it is being served, and what might bless those not yet reached: who is missing?
As we discern the many gifts within our faith family and how those gifts are being called upon to serve: who is missing?
As we think about folks outside our faith family we’d like to invite to volunteer in our missions: who is missing?
As we consider the elements of worship, and what elements of worship speak to what people: who is missing?
As we make plans for the future of our building and articulate how people will use it, and therefore what needs to be done with it: who is missing?
As reflect on what a staff might need to look like to accomplish all God calls this church to undertake: who is missing?
As we pray about what a team of volunteers might need to look like to accomplish all God calls this church to undertake: who is missing?
The way I see it, the future of St. Paul’s hinges on how consistently and persistently we answer this question. A church that is focused on ‘who is missing’ will be a loving one to those already a part of it, a welcoming one to those who might encounter it, and a serving one wherever a need arises. That sounds like the kind of church the world needs. That sounds like the kind of church God is calling St. Paul’s United Church of Christ to be. That sounds a lot like the mission statement we wrote together in 2022.
I am so grateful to be your pastor. I am so excited to see what 2024 has in store for us! Let’s ask the question ‘who is missing’ this year so my recap next year can be full of stories of how God answered the question, and the new family members and friends we have come to know because he did.
