Mar 20, 2018
Rev. David Stall, Conference President
Ever think or even talk about your desire and duty to serve the Lord by helping others? Ever think about the excess that you enjoy within your family or church, and your responsibility to share? These sound like simple ideas. The most important principles of our faith are often simple concepts that are a challenge to live out. That’s the point of this Conference theme. You understand what walking with Jesus looks like, you talk about it with ease, now it’s time to DO it!
At the First Hopkinton SDB Church, we don’t just talk about missions. We are ON a mission. Over the last couple of years, we have started sending out thousands of dollars (from our excess) to support various missionaries and ministries outside our church. We have supported missions through prayer, administration, and other ways. Recently, the time came for us to BE the missionaries on our first church mission trip.
With some divine inspiration and some consideration of national weather patterns, we decided to leave cold New England and head south in late February. We sent money and manpower to two SDB churches in Florida: Edgewater and Daytona Beach. This is not because they couldn’t survive without our help. It’s not because we are God’s gift to SDBs who need rescuing. It’s because God is moving in those churches and we have the resources to offer some help and encouragement in their work. Our desire was, quite simply, to show practical love and give our sister churches a boost by giving and serving. Could this be a big step toward church revitalization? I think so.
Our team of 18 worked hard and had a great time during this 10-day mission. God blessed us as we sought to bless others and we learned some things along the way! Most of the team stayed in the Lee family beach house, which was an awesome contribution that helped us succeed in this mission. Thank you, Danny and Danita!
In Edgewater, we had a big cleanup from a rummage sale fundraiser last year. Next, we cleaned up construction debris inside and outside the new building. An entire large dumpster was filled! We did some extra yard work and brush clearing outside. Then, we removed 20 pews, a pulpit, and some chairs from another church and moved them to the new Edgewater building. Part of our crew spent a full day refinishing those pews.
In Daytona, we removed 2 windows to frame in shelves and an A/C unit. We also cut a hole in their nursery wall and framed in a window opening. The nursery and adjacent hallway were painted. Some replaced boards on the sanctuary ceiling were stained to match, and most of the church interior was cleaned. In preparation for their food pantry distribution day, we helped prepare and pack food. Outside, we removed an unsafe staircase from a storage building, added an indoor attic staircase, and dug a trench for a buried water line.
In both churches, our group joined for worship on Sabbath. We provided special music and I preached a Conference-themed message in both churches. We were treated in both places to a wonderful fellowship lunch and we were welcomed with loving hospitality. These churches embraced our offer to help and worked alongside our team.
I was impressed by the ambitious building project in Edgewater. Their new building will be an excellent tool in a great location to reach many people. More action indeed! The Daytona church has a remarkable ministry to the homeless and needy who live near the church. They have put their faith in action in ways that our other churches should learn from. In one trip, I saw three churches owning this conference theme and getting things done. God is good!
