Being Connected

This past Sunday we welcomed Rev Mark Tammen to our pulpit. Mark is the newly appointed General Presbyter for the Presbytery of Long Island and spoke at our Adult Forum about the challenges of being part of the larger church, which in our Presbyterian situation consists of a local Presbytery, regional Synod and national General Assembly.

Every denomination structures itself in different ways… and even those churches that claim to be independent often form alliances with like-minded brethren (or their female equivalent) somewhere along the line. For myself one of the things I enjoy about belonging to the P.C. (USA) is that we do have a larger body, in our case the Presbytery of Long Island, that we relate to. You can find out more about the Presbytery, and the work that is done with our support, by following this link.

For myself it is great encouragement to meet with other ministers and elders from around the Presbytery and share our concerns. As we do so we often find we are facing the same struggles and problems. Our Presbytery meetings, though sometimes beset by the tedium that any governing body experiences, can also be truly inspiring. A high point can be the stories shared by those who feel newly called to ministry as they tell of their faith journey. It is fascinating to hear how the Spirit is at work!

I have to confess that the word ‘committee’ is not one that fills me with hope. Yet as I participate in the work of different Presbytery Committees I can often sense that God is guiding and leading us in unexpected ways.

Being connected is important. The Church is about more than what happens in our local congregations. It’s good to remind ourselves that we are not alone and that it’s not all about us!

Prayer: ‘Lord, we are thankful that the work of Your church goes far beyond what happens in our pew. We are aware that there are things we can accomplish together that we cannot achieve alone. We thank You for the privilege of sharing in ministry through the connections we have. Most of all we are thankful for the connection we have with You, through Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Savior. Amen.’