Jul
22
Written by:
Rev. Ed Boon
7/22/2009 8:23 PM
I don’t get to use my French much these days so please excuse me if I take advantage of the opportunity here. Merci Beaucoup of course means Thank you very much. I have much to be thankful for and there are many in the church for whom I am very thankful.
MERCI BEAUCOUP
I don’t get to use my French much these days so please excuse me if I take advantage of the opportunity here. Merci Beaucoup of course means Thank you very much. I have much to be thankful for and there are many in the church for whom I am very thankful.
Sunday, June 21 was not only Father’s Day, but at our church it was also Worker Appreciation Sunday. It is so often said that in a church 20% of the people do 80% of the work. I praise God that we have a much larger percentage of people involved in carrying out the work of the Lord. It is always very impressive to see all the volunteer workers who gather at the front of the church to be recognized for all they have done.
While absolutely everyone who has served the church in one way or another has been a blessing to me, there are some who have been particularly helpful to me personally whose work often goes unnoticed. As a case in point I would mention first the Board of Elders. These men are of indispensible value to me. They are responsible for the spiritual direction of the church. In addition, they are my counselors, my confidants and my prayer partners. Their wisdom and spiritual insight have been invaluable in the running of the church.
In order to properly consider the many business and financial issues that arrive in the life of a church a number of key people are added to the board of elders. This group which is called the The Administrative Board is made up of the Elders, the treasurers, the board secretary and the head trustee the head deaconess and Debbie Dean our Director of Discipleship. Many items on the agenda of this committee are very important, some are more mundane, but all must be considered with wisdom and prayer. The work of this committee can take long hours, but those who serve do so conscientiously. A contentious church board can hinder a church from moving forward, but a unified board such as we have is a real asset in mobilizing the church to fulfill its mission.
While the true church is not a building, it is the body of believers, the body nevertheless needs a base to work from and the property we have has served us well. At the same time, the building and the parsonages need to be kept up and the principle work of the board of trustees is to look after our building and grounds. There is a lot of time and effort involved in doing that and our Trustees have been doing an outstanding job in maintaining our property.
The board of Deaconesses is made up of a number of women who serve quietly and unpretentiously. From Communion preparation, to fellowship time refreshments, to the organization of our church fellowship meals, to the organization of meals taken to individual homes, to the care of the food pantry. The Deaconesses are everywhere, generally behind the scene, looking after many of the needs of our church body. It would be impossible to carry on our church ministry without their help.
Sitting in on the monthly Christian Ed meetings has been a blessing for me. That committee under the direction of Debbie Dean is made up of representatives of the many ministries of the church and attending the meeting keeps me up to date on all that is going on, and believe me there is a lot going on for there are many people in our church who have been and who are working very hard and most of those who are recognized on worker appreciation day fall under the auspicious of the Christian Ed committee.
The music ministry at this church also deserves a special mention as it has been a very special blessing to me. I think we take for granted at our church something that should not be taken for granted. Few are the churches of this size that have such an outstanding music program and I thank Marge Silverblade and Alan Bean and all who have so wonderfully contributed in this area.
While most of the work at the church is carried on by volunteers, we do also have a paid staff of workers that are also indispensible to our ministry. I would also like to thank Pat Burgess for her very effective work in the office. It is a tremendous help to me to have her handle so efficiently, so many administrative matters. Thanks also to Sandy who has faithfully carried on her custodial work despite much physical pain
A very special word of thanks to Debbie. Without her faithful work in so many different areas I don’t know how it would be possible to carry on. On top of it, she works in areas where people are often quick to complain and slow to congratulate or even cooperate. That is something that can be very frustrating, even discouraging at times, but she has handled it with grace and great energy. Her expertise in so many areas has been absolutely invaluable.
Finally I must thank my wife Karen for her presence and ministry. Her wisdom, and support keeps me going and her quiet but effective ministry has been very much appreciated.
There are of course many others who have been a real blessing to me, so many in fact that it would be difficult to mention everyone here. But please know that I love you and appreciate all that you have done. Together, we move forward serving our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.