An Enviable PositionMatthew 5:1-12
At the start of his ministry, Jesus travels throughout Galilee, teaching in the synagogues and healing people of every disease and infirmity. Jesus’ teaching and healing ministry powerfully demonstrates that the kingdom of heaven has come among to the people, and the sick and desperate come to Jesus from near and far seeking healing, wholeness and new life as God’s people. It’s amazing. Something strange and remarkable happens when the good news of Jesus is proclaimed: all that’s sick and diseased, poor and broken, sad and miserable comes out of the shadows and into the light. Or when the light finally comes on, we revel in the light, but quickly notices that light exposes what had been hidden and gone unnoticed for so long.
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A Report of Pastoral Ministry at St. Paul's We share a common purpose at St. Paul's and that purpose is to proclaim the good new of Jesus Christ in word and deed. And so that purpose, that call to mission, becomes the guiding questions for us to set priorities, to make decisions and to judge the impact that each of our ministries has in the lives of the people of this congregation and in the community we serve.
We have organized our ministries at St. Paul's according the promises we make in Baptism: these are ministries of this congregation that primarily benefit those inside the fellowship of this community and those ministries of this congregation that benefit those who essentially outside our community. Additionally, there are ministries that support both axes of our mission. This report is organized to highlight that dual emphasis. Jesus Abides HereIsaiah 9:1-4
Matthew 4:12-25 Isaiah in a Spirit-inspired prophecy writes: "The people who sat in darnkness have seen a great light ..." As Jesus' ministry begins in Galilee this prophecy is fulfilled. The light of God's presence has once again risen on the land of Zebulun and Naphtali, a land once synonymous with God-forsakenness. The light of God's grace once more shines in this area that has been given over to the nations. Now, the nations themselves will be saved by the grace of the God who created and rules over all, and who once again is abiding, dwelling and residing in the land. 'I do ... and I ask God to help and guide me.' This year, a number of things changed at St. Paul's. Among them, our budget process and the budget format itself. Because of these changes in process and plans, we haven't had a chance to adjust what we have come to know as our narrative or mission budget yet. In a narrative budget, we show how we use the resources allocated in the line-item budget to carry out God's mission. What we present this year, however, will be a line-item budget. Our line-item budget tells who we are going to pay or which program we intend to run. It communicates the specific uses that we have designated for the money collected in each of our four active funds: current fund, mission support, local mission and building. But, it is always a good idea at this time of year to consider and reflect the purposes of each of these ministries, as well as the importance of being part of a local congregation.
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