Sometime in my late teens and early twenties I started feeling a desire or need to serve God in greater ways. I didn’t know exactly what to do or how to do it, but it led Michele and me in the early 80’s to being actively involved at our new church, Singing Oaks. It ultimately led us to serving God in Africa (I skipped a lot there). It all started with a desire to simply serve God.
I still believe that being a servant in the kingdom of God is critical to Christian discipleship. It must be a part of who we are individually and as a church. Our goal as disciples is to be like Jesus who humbled himself and became a servant (Phil. 2:7), helped the poor and released the oppressed (Luke 4:18), washed his disciple’s feet (John 13), and “did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). There is no way around it. We are called to serve.
Singing Oaks is a serving church and many are serving almost beyond their capacity. However, I know that as a whole we can grow and increase in this area. Some are looking for new ways to serve and others just need to be pushed a little. Here comes the push.
On September 22nd we’re doing something to empower and connect more people to service. We are having a Ministry Fair in which 6 of our ministries will be highlighted. These are ministries that reach out to those inside and outside the walls of our church building. We will rotate through different classrooms learning more about these ministries and have an opportunity to sign up to serve. Many of our other ministries will be represented in the fellowship room at display tables manned by leaders excited about what they are doing in the kingdom. I hope it will be a great day to learn and connect more people to service.
We all have gifts and these gifts are to be used for the glory of God (1 Peter 4:10-11). The church needs your gift. The world needs your gift. Even if you think your gift is small, it’s still important because God can multiply it. Come on the 22nd and find out how and where you can be used at Singing Oaks.
Finally, please know that I am also always looking for new service opportunities. If you know of one here in Denton, I want to hear about it. In November we are planning a We Care weekend when we will do service projects at the church and around town. I would like to hear from you about areas of need, project ideas, or in general just how we can serve better in Denton thereby reaching and touching more people with the love of Jesus.
