"Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains." James 5:7

 (Ardmore's Watchword for 2011)

Our congregational watchword for 2011 could not have been more appropriate. More than anything, the Board of Elders patiently planted seeds to help us grow God's kingdom into the future. The seeds were of two main varieties. 

The first was crafting a descriptive sentence, a slogan, if you will, to describe who we are and what we're about. "Ardmore Moravian Church, Where Communion and Community Come Together" It's simple yet profound.  Communion is our spiritual union with God in Christ through the Holy Spirit. We practice and experience this in our prayer, praise, worship, bible study, and best of all, our daily walk with the Lord. Communion is our relationship with God.

Community is our relationship with one another. In all we do as a congregation, in every single meeting, gathering, project – in everything we do together, we practice and experience Community.

Our slogan comes directly from the two greatest commandments: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength and love your neighbor as yourself. Communion is loving God. Community is loving each other. But it doesn't end there, which leads to the second seed.

Just as the bonds of Communion with God are eternal, the bounds of Community go far beyond the halls and walls of our church. The second seed comes from Jesus in Acts 1:8... 'but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Samaria and Judea and to the remotest parts of the earth." In this promise and prophecy, Jesus set the agenda for all mission and ministry. In our context, we are to be Christ's witnesses locally, regionally, and globally. In this manner, no one is left out. We share the love and truth of Christ to those closest to us, to those farther out, and even to those around the world. Again, it's simple yet profound.

The Elders invested several months of thought, prayer and discussion into this approach. We have nine elders, so three ministry teams were formed with 3 elders each: 3 - local, 3 - regional and 3 - global. Each team also has an elder in their first, second and third year, with the senior elder serving as the leader. As each year's new elders comes on board, they decide who joins which team. We thus enjoy experienced leadership on each while providing two years for every elder to prepare. 

Mission and ministry that is Local, Regional and Global means that Community thus spans from Academy Street to Asia - and many points in between and beyond. This system is simple, shared and sustainable. Yet in our imperfect humans systems, let the church remember Jesus' first words in Acts 1:8, "... you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you..." The power belongs to God and is accessible to us through faithful obedience to the person and work of Jesus and His holy word.

Empowered and lead by the Spirit, we go forth into all the world to preach the Gospel to every creature. Through Communion (loving God) God creates Community (loving others) by sending us  out locally, regionally and globally.

There's more to be done, which brings us back to our watchword. The watchword says "be patient" twice in that one verse. The seeds have been planted, the early rains of nourishment have begun – and we're even seeing the first sprouts.

Imagine what the Lord may have in store for us in 2012 and beyond.

In His Love and Service,

Jon