Being the Church on Mission in Mansfield
Being the Church is about three things: worship, community, and mission. It is not about us. It is not about our worship style preferences, our program offerings, or whether or not we feel utilized to our most potential. It is about God and the community that He has called us to – meeting in a time and place where nothing else matters but Him and the other people sitting around us.
As an extension of that, our weekly Offertory – giving our tithes and offerings to support and extend the mission of the church – is a picture and a reminder that we exist not for ourselves. It’s first and foremost an act of worship – of giving back a portion of that which has been so gratuitously been given to us. It is also a means of loving our community. This involves taking care of, at the very least, our Pastor and other staff that work to equip and support us in the church. But it is also how we support and further the work the church is doing to proclaim Jesus and his kingdom throughout our community and world in mission. Its an ancient Christian practice of living and giving ourselves for the sake of others to experience life in Jesus through our ministry. Some things we do emphasize the word, or sharing Jesus and the gospel element; others focus on the deed, or blessing and serving others element.
The Christian life should be characterized by a life devoted to Him and others. A life that is not about us. Christ’s call to us as disciples is not just to follow Him, but to go and make disciples – to go out and draw others in.
One of the ways we do this as a church is through our partnership with the Common Ground Network, and the Feed the Kids Program they manage to help food insecure students in our Mansfield Independent School District.
Feed the Kids is a small way that we reach out to bless and serve our community. It is a small way in which we as congregants can contribute to something we as a church are doing to further His kingdom. It is also a way to connect and support fellow Christians of the universal (or catholic) church that are doing kingdom work as well.
So as another school year and another season of Feed the Kids starts back up this Wednesday, we want to encourage and challenge one another to be the hands, feet, and expression of Jesus for the world He loves, starting in our own community of Mansfield . You can come and help stuff some food bags, prayer with a bunch of strangers, and fellowship with other Christ followers and concerned citizens who want to live out the phrase “thy kingdom come” in Mansfield as in Heaven.
If anyone is interested in helping out with Feed the Kids, they can contact me, Chris Gensheer at gensheer@mac.com.