Gentile Territory and the Unity of the Church

Pemberville Community Service and Sermon
Pastor Wietelmann did a remarkable job of weaving together Sunday's Gospel reading and our own voyage into Gentile territory on the ship of the Church in his sermon yesterday. It is no secret that nautical imagery has been used for the Church since the beginning. Even Noah's ark is seen as a type for the Church. He was right to challenge us to think about what it means to be sent to the "other side" (of the Lake? of the tracks?).

I have heard several positive comments about the community worship service yesterday. It is a wonderful thing when Christians in a community can gather as one under the lordship of Christ our God. In a 1961 Statement on Christian Unity by the World Council of Churches (the "New Dehli Statement") the following paragraph declares boldly the unity to which we all should be working:

We believe that the unity which is both God’s will and his gift to his Church is being made visible as all in each place who are baptized into Jesus Christ and confess him as Lord and Saviour are brought by the Holy Spirit into one fully committed fellowship, holding the one apostolic faith preaching the one Gospel, breaking the one bread, joining in common prayer, and having a corporate life reaching out in witness and service to all and who at the same time are united with the whole Christian fellowship in all places and all ages in such wise that ministry and members are accepted by all, and that all can act and speak together as occasion requires for the tasks to which God calls his people.

It is for such unity that we believe we must pray and work.

I think we saw a glimpse of that on Sunday and are revitalized to continue to work for the unity of the Church of Christ.

The other thing that struck me about the service was the tent. For the second year now we have used the larger commercial tent for the service. What this means in practical terms is that we are not trying to cram a lot of people into a little space. But I think there is something theologically poignant too, for this tent, like the Church, is enormous and always has room for more. I didn't expect to get an evangelism lesson from a tent, but there it is.

Bible in 90 Days
Look for more information on the Bible in 90 Days program in our area in the near future. For now you can read about it online (http://bible90.blogspot.com/) or visit the official site if you are looking for more information (http://www.biblein90days.org/).

Baptism and Reception
August has been the month for baptisms. On August 3rd we welcomed Callie Marie into the Body of Christ and yesterday we welcomed Jackson Gerald. This Sunday (August 17th) we will welcome Lucy Joy (8:00) and Maddison Ruth (10:30). Our family would like to invite you to a reception for Lucy Joy's baptism in the Fellowship Hall during the Sunday school hour. Come and eat some cake and drink some punch as we rejoice in the saving action of God!

Holy Communion Instruction for Children
Since opening the participation in Holy Communion to children younger than fifth grade, I have received a number of requests from parents who are interested in instruction for their child. We hope to have a class or series of classes in the fall. If you and your child desire to receive instruction, please contact me as soon as possible so that arrangements may be made.

See you at the Pemberville Fair!