Sharing gifts

A recent article on the Faith page of the Winnipeg Free Press entitled, “Ask not what your church can do for you, Instead, ask what you can do for your church,” got me thinking.

Our last few issues have focussed on church, the Mennonite Brethren Church specifically. There are about 50,000 people who attend an MB church in Canada on any given weekend. Of those, about 32,000 have committed to being members in their congregation, and, as part of that, members of the provincial and national conferences as well.

To really belong to a church (or, for that matter, any other organization) one needs to contribute to its welfare. This holds true for individuals and it holds true for churches.

There are benefits that come with membership – good Bible teaching, fellowship with other believers, worship in a setting conducive to it, being part of a larger organism that can accomplish more than most individual churches can.

As well, there are other benefits – benefits of giving: opportunities for ministry in the local church, such as teaching children and young people the Word; singing in worship teams; preaching; involvement in outreach to the community in creative ways, and many more. Provincial conferences have boards that need members who can help shape ministry. Although there is limited opportunity to be involved in the national conference (the Executive Board and the Board of Faith and Life are the only boards now in existence) there are several very important options such as praying for the elected and paid leadership, and writing letters to the MB Herald to encourage others and help the Conference grow.

There are also ministry opportunities in other parts of the world. For instance, many people from our MB churches in North America (and other countries, as well) have travelled to southeast Asia as part of MBMSI’s “Operation Rebuilding Lives” to help rebuild after the tsunami. These people have returned as changed people after seeing the massive destruction. And many churches sponsor short-term mission trips to help people realize the needs, opportunities and the things to be learned from other cultures.

These opportunities for ministry benefits should not be taken lightly, but should be considered privileges of membership. Taking advantage of them needs to be encouraged among young people, boomers and retirees. All have significant contributions to make.

How then shall we live?

Another piece in a recent Winnipeg Free Press, this time on the Op-Ed page, also caught my attention. It ran under the headline, “Christians capturing Tory party.” The second paragraph reads, “What worries a clear majority of Canadians is a peculiarly American strain of Christianity that clamours for its own religious freedom and rights, but squelches them for others.”

It makes me sad to realize that this is what our fellow Canadians think of us. Have we earned that description, or are a few radical people creating a false picture of what most Christians believe and how they live out their faith? Who are the Christians on whom the author bases her opinions? And what would our response be if she talked to one of us? Matthew 5:16 comes into play here, where Jesus says, “Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand – shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven” (The Message). If that becomes the motto of our lives, then hopefully the stories in the newspaper will change as well.