As the world continues to change and alter at such an increasing pace, life seems fragile and unpredictable for so many people. Old traditions either change or are discarded altogether. New forms of communication continue to affect everyone. Along with the advances in electronic communication, travel and relocation are rising and the world grows smaller and smaller by the day.
With all the uncertainty and change, the witness of the church has remained faithful through the ages and still offers to people and to nations the life-changing message of Jesus Christ. I was recently reminded of the impact that our church's witness can make on young children's lives, which are the most vulnerable in this age of transition. Our church launched the "Townewest Project" in which we support Townewest Elementary School, which has over 50% of its students living under poverty conditions, with the goal to help it become the strongest, best school in the school district. To that end, work-days have been held to beautify the grounds of the school, we have collected and distributed school supplies for hundreds of students before each school year, the Giving Tree outreach program at Christmas has provided gifts and food to dozens of families and we hold teacher training and appreciation events on our campus, just to mention a few of the ministries that support the school.
For our efforts, we were awarded a TAPE award (Texas Association of Partners in Education) recently in Austin, and, as proud as the congregation is for this recognition, our service, however, has been done in the hope that our witness can make a difference in a student's life. We serve and care to share the love of God with others, especially the young and those in need.
There is an episode on the seashore in Galilee described in the Gospel of John when Peter was given a second chance to demonstrate his love for Jesus. You might recall this familiar exchange in which Jesus asked Peter three times if Peter loved him. Three times, Peter had to answer that he, indeed, did love Jesus. After each inquiry and response, Peter was instructed by Jesus to feed and tend his sheep, that is, to love and care for Jesus' flock. In other words, our witness of love and care is to be a living witness, one that is discernible and visible in the world. Our witness, made in word and deed, should feed people both spiritually with the word of God and physically with provision for their needs. That, like Peter, is how we show our love of Jesus.
With all the uncertainty and change, the witness of the church has remained faithful through the ages and still offers to people and to nations the life-changing message of Jesus Christ. I was recently reminded of the impact that our church's witness can make on young children's lives, which are the most vulnerable in this age of transition. Our church launched the "Townewest Project" in which we support Townewest Elementary School, which has over 50% of its students living under poverty conditions, with the goal to help it become the strongest, best school in the school district. To that end, work-days have been held to beautify the grounds of the school, we have collected and distributed school supplies for hundreds of students before each school year, the Giving Tree outreach program at Christmas has provided gifts and food to dozens of families and we hold teacher training and appreciation events on our campus, just to mention a few of the ministries that support the school.
For our efforts, we were awarded a TAPE award (Texas Association of Partners in Education) recently in Austin, and, as proud as the congregation is for this recognition, our service, however, has been done in the hope that our witness can make a difference in a student's life. We serve and care to share the love of God with others, especially the young and those in need.
There is an episode on the seashore in Galilee described in the Gospel of John when Peter was given a second chance to demonstrate his love for Jesus. You might recall this familiar exchange in which Jesus asked Peter three times if Peter loved him. Three times, Peter had to answer that he, indeed, did love Jesus. After each inquiry and response, Peter was instructed by Jesus to feed and tend his sheep, that is, to love and care for Jesus' flock. In other words, our witness of love and care is to be a living witness, one that is discernible and visible in the world. Our witness, made in word and deed, should feed people both spiritually with the word of God and physically with provision for their needs. That, like Peter, is how we show our love of Jesus.
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