Messiah family and friends,

Last Sunday we had our first worship where the service was open to all through the reservation system. Under the current guidelines, we had a full church. It felt good to see the church filled with so many, who in the last year, have not been able to attend in person. As I looked at the congregation, I felt joy and excitement in seeing so many faces that I had not seen in a long time. It reminded me that things are looking better, we are moving forward, and it feels wonderful.

As we move through the pandemic, we have a significant challenge ahead of us. Many ministries rise and fall with the number of volunteers we have. As we move forward, our Sunday school, AOB, and youth ministries need the help of volunteers to support them. Every ministry we have will struggle without volunteers supporting them. And yet, the day is coming when restrictions will lift, and many people will expect the same ministry offerings they experienced before COVID. The day is coming when we’ll exit this pandemic and get back to a place of our church looking more like it did before COVID. I believe there will be volunteers that will jump back into serving as we relaunch our church’s ministries!

I want to mention a few areas that we will be needing volunteers immediately: Sunday school program, AOB, youth ministries, and WOW.  We need to start forming teams of volunteers who will take the lead in shaping what fall programming might look like. Since we are in the beginning phases of the regathering process, the fall program would focus on community building, story sharing, and simple rituals for faith building.

There is also a need for volunteers supporting our worship services:  Altar Guild, readers, slide makers, Livestream technical assistance and hospitality teams. I am only scratching the surface of what our needs will be as we relaunch our ministries. I ask you to prayerfully consider becoming a volunteer as we move forward.

As I think about this, I remember that the simplest way to follow Jesus is by doing what He did. In Matthew 20:28, Jesus tells us He came to serve, not be served. By being obedient to follow Jesus in this way, we get to know Him on a new level because we experience firsthand His love for others. When we begin to care for and serve others, God redirects our focus. Don’t start to believe that the church doesn’t need you, this will rob you of the joys you will experience through serving. Take a risk and get involved. God will honor that step of faith and grow it into so much more!

So, I must ask, is serving your next step? If so, contact Tia Monsen at tia.monsen@mlcauburn.org.

Faithfully

Charlie Radabaugh

Messiah Council President