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Saturday, January 16th, 2010
Welcome to the first installment of the newly created Elder Blog. I, personally, am a Blog novice, but we are all hopeful that this will become a useful tool that will help us communicate more effectively with you, the D.E.C. community.
The Elder Board is currently composed of Joe Bard, Jim Quinney, Terry Sharbaugh, Mark Valliere, Wayne Wilson, John Wiswell, and myself. We are charged with the responsibilities of figuring out where God wants our Church to go and deciding on how God wants us to get there. We consider it a true blessing to serve our Lord Jesus Christ, and you, the Saints at D.E.C. in this way.
At D.E.C we strive to be a “Christ-centered Church that actively cares for people”. We do that by bringing people to a life-changing acceptance of Jesus Christ as their personal savior, and by building them up in their faith as believers. Several years (decades?) ago we had t-shirts printed up that had our logo on the front and the following words on the back; “At D.E.C. we Worship Together, Grow Together, and Serve Together”. We believe that those who participate in these three activities will be built up in their faith.
What has been important to me lately is highlighted by the word in the above phrase; Together. I believe this spirit of togetherness is what makes D.E.C. different than many other evangelical churches. Togetherness, or unity among believers is very important to Jesus but is not a reality in many churches. We catch a glimpse of Jesus’ perspective as he prays for all believers at the Last Supper. The Apostle John records this portion of Jesus’ prayer in chapter 17, verses 20-23.
“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”
I thank God daily for this Church that God has allowed me to serve, and for the unity
that he has blessed us with. May those we come in contact with outside D.E.C. look at us, and what God is doing within us, and believe that God has sent Jesus as the only savior.
In the coming months my colleagues on the Elder Board will fill you in on other issues that we are seeking God’s direction about, including Communion, Baptism and the building program. We welcome your questions and comments, and will try to respond as quickly as we can.
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Welcome to the first installment of the newly created Elder Blog. I, personally, am a Blog novice, but we are all hopeful that this will become a useful tool that will help us communicate more effectively with you, the D.E.C. community.
The Elder Board is currently composed of Joe Bard, Jim Quinney, Terry Sharbaugh, Mark Valliere, Wayne Wilson, John Wiswell, and myself. We are charged with the responsibilities of figuring out where God wants our Church to go and deciding on how God wants us to get there. We consider it a true blessing to serve our Lord Jesus Christ, and you, the Saints at D.E.C. in this way.
At D.E.C we strive to be a “Christ-centered Church that actively cares for people”. We do that by bringing people to a life-changing acceptance of Jesus Christ as their personal savior, and by building them up in their faith as believers. Several years (decades?) ago we had t-shirts printed up that had our logo on the front and the following words on the back; “At D.E.C. we Worship Together, Grow Together, and Serve Together”. We believe that those who participate in these three activities will be built up in their faith.
What has been important to me lately is highlighted by the word in the above phrase; Together. I believe this spirit of togetherness is what makes D.E.C. different than many other evangelical churches. Togetherness, or unity among believers is very important to Jesus but is not a reality in many churches. We catch a glimpse of Jesus’ perspective as he prays for all believers at the Last Supper. The Apostle John records this portion of Jesus’ prayer in chapter 17, verses 20-23.
“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”
I thank God daily for this Church that God has allowed me to serve, and for the unity
that he has blessed us with. May those we come in contact with outside D.E.C. look at us, and what God is doing within us, and believe that God has sent Jesus as the only savior.
In the coming months my colleagues on the Elder Board will fill you in on other issues that we are seeking God’s direction about, including Communion, Baptism and the building program. We welcome your questions and comments, and will try to respond as quickly as we can.