Ways To Show Love

Dear Friends and Family,

                One of the exciting, and at times daunting, things about ministry is the ever-changing culture we face in which to minister. Let’s face it, we are living in one of the most accelerated periods of change that the world has ever known. Even before COVID the world was changing rapidly. However, when the pandemic came, change was accelerated, and the challenges were exacerbated. Think about it—before March 2020, most Christians worshipped God almost exclusively in a church building, and relatively few churches used digital technology to connect with their members. That is not the case any longer. Currently, many churches have an online service with multiple other forms of technology to keep people engaged. That means today’s vocational workers must not only stay abreast with technology, but also find creative ways to engage people using technology. If that wasn’t enough, social and political issues bombard us causing us to wrestle with how to live out our faith in an increasingly divided American culture. In addition, we are facing tough economic conditions that stretch our resources as well as our faith and relationships.

                So, what do we do? As with everything we look to the Scriptures. Tough times are not unique to any one person or time in history. The Bible is filled with individuals who ministered during tough political, economic and social times. But the One who ministered in one of the hardest times of political, social and economic stress was the One who had the most compassion and mercy for people—Jesus.  His love and compassion for others transcended his culture and time. And so it should be for us. Keeping our focus on loving others and sharing the gospel will help us navigate the rapidly changing world we live in.

                In our attached newsletter below, we highlight a few of the ways we are reaching out to those who are experiencing tough times in today’s world. In each of the two cases, economic hardship is the primary stressor, but as we all know economic stress permeates every area of our lives thus leading to stress in our relationships and isolation from one another and God. Our desire is to tangibly demonstrate the love and compassion of Jesus to others so that our love and commitment to Him is evident to all. Please pray for us as we minister to the physically and spiritually needy as well as the strong. We hope our newsletter encourages your hearts as you minister to others as well.

Serving together in Christ,
John and Anna