Better Together

The church is made up of individual, local gatherings.  The early disciples went out and established the church of Jesus Christ.  We have frequent references through the New Testament to the various local gatherings of believers, such as the church at Jerusalem, the church at Antioch, the church at Ephesus, the church at Corinth, the church at Philippi, the church at Rome.  We could carry out that same descriptive analogy, referring to the various churches right here in Waynesboro and Augusta County, scores of churches, too numerous to list.  Each of them is a local expression of the gathered people of Jesus Christ, the ekklesia (called-out ones), whether it is named Church on the Hill, Tinkling Spring Presbyterian, Cornerstone Church of Augusta, Gracebuilt or Hope Community Church.

Each of these churches, then and now, met somewhere – in a house, in catacombs and caves, in a public building, under the shelter of a tree, or in the kind of facility we now think of when we hear the word church.  But the church is not a building.  The church is people.

There are several New Testament images for the church . . . The Building of God, the Bride of Christ, the Family of God . . . Another image is The Body of Christ.  As we read in Romans 12:4-5, “For as in one body we have many members, and not all members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another.”  Or we read in 1 Corinthians 12:12, “For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.”  You and I are part of the body of Christ.  Jesus Christ is the head of that body.

Of all the images of the church, including the Body of Christ, they all help us get a feel for the church.  If there is any common theme that brings various images of the church together, I would say it would be the word TOGETHERNESS.  Every one of these images focuses on the person and the work of Jesus Christ.  We are brought together around Him.  We are not in isolation.

Here are two thoughts:  First, church is not just about “me.”  I am afraid there is too much consumerism in organized Christianity these days.  We want to go to a church where our needs can be met, forgetting that there are people who unselfishly teach Sunday School, serve as elders, sing in worship teams, greet, decorate the sanctuary, etc.  I know people that just expect all this stuff to happen and haven’t given any thought that they have any role to play in the life of the family.  Church is not just about “me,” it is about us.

Second, it is the Holy Spirit who ultimately brings us together.  This is what the Holy Spirit has been doing for over 2,000 years.  He has been helping people come to faith in Jesus Christ, and He has been in the business of placing them in community, in relationship with other believers in the Church.  May we TOGETHER be the Body of Christ, faithfully representing Jesus Christ to our world!!  We’re better together!!

YoungLife area director, Dave Harris reported that 80 participants from our area went to camp in New York!  Stuarts Draft High School had a very active club this past school year.  Wilson High School was also an active club this year, especially with girls, now holding Bible studies.  There is also hope of re-starting WyldLife at Kate Collins Middle School this next academic year.

Stuarts Draft Elementary School is searching for a teacher for Weekday Religious Education (WRE).  Please pray that a wonderful person will be found.  If you know someone who may be interested in such a position, please contact Cindi Custer, East Augusta WRE at (540) 476-5539.  Kathy Doyle is meeting with Cindi in July to discuss the possibility of our missions team helping to create a new WRE informational video with the assistance of Tyler Boutillier, on our A/V team.

Our Missions Team is active keeping in touch with our missionaries and other ministries.  Please keep updated!  You can visit our website and go to the Outreach Page.