BE A SENDING CHURCH!
How’s your appetite? Do you enjoy roasted chicken, baked beans, pie and more pie, more covered dish options than you can name, etc.? Does this sound like your kind of menu? Then you would have enjoyed being with Linda and me last Sunday. We visited with Pastor Mark and Sue Hosler and the folks at our Germantown, MD church to celebrated with them the 136th birthday of the congregation. It was a terrific day in the Lord and the house of God was packed for Sunday school and Worship. A festive atmosphere characterized the day with many guests and friends of the congregation in attendance.
Pastor Dean Baublitz taught the combined adult Sunday school and former pastor Paul Tobias brought the morning message. Both did an excellent job! All told there were eight pastoral couples in attendance, but all were not, I repeat, were not given the privilege of the pulpit, more than to bring greetings. Can you guess why? Pastor Jeff Harner (a grandson of Clarence McGaha who pastored the congregation for 40 years) who’s a student at Lancaster Bible College in PA introduced his bride-of-a-year, Elizabeth (who is the daughter of Pastor Dan and Diane Thomas of our ERC Hanover congregation). Did you follow all the connections?
Anyway, I was thrilled to see these CGGC young people preparing for ministry. I was sure to tell Jeff that we wanted him in the CGGC and that if he thought of going elsewhere I would invoke the spirit of his grandpa to come after him. If you knew his grandpa, you know this invocation would put the fear of God on anyone. Seriously, PRAY for God to raise up leaders from within our churches. Germantown is what I call a sending church. This congregation has sent many into the Lord’s work over the years. Probably the best known within the Churches of God would be Dr. Fidelia Gilbert who gave her life’s work to medical missions in India, Bangladesh and Appalachia.
We have many other sending churches across the General Conference, as I’m learning, but more are always needed. Is your congregation one? When was the last time someone from your congregation went into full-time Christian service? If there have been none in the last five years, let’s pray for that to change. My wish for all the churches across the body is that each one may be a sending church like Germantown and that such congregations may have a long and productive ministry.
Happy 136th anniversary, Germantown and keep up the great good work!
Ed
Pastors in Attendance (l to r): Jeff & Elizabeth Harner, Paul & Cleora Houck, Bruce & Tammy Henneman, Mark & Sue Hosler, Stan & JoAnn Darrah, Dean & Nancy Baublitz, Paul & Rosanna Tobias, Ed & Linda Rosenberry |
