Parts of the Body

Committees sometimes take a bad rap in church life. You've probably heard the jokes... "a camel is a horse designed by a committee" or "God so loved the world that he didn't send a committee." Yet, committees are an essential component in the way we "do" church.

1Corinthians 12 begins with Paul discussing spiritual gifts and says "All these (gifts) are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them each one, just as he determines (v. 11). " Later, in a discussion of the church as a body the apostle says, "God has arranged the parts of the body, every one of them, just as he wanted the to be (v. 18) and "you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it (v. 27)." WOW! God has shaped us into the body of Christ, given each of us a role in the body, and has equipped each of us with the gift(s) necessary for the proper functioning of the body "for the common good (v. 7)."

As we have organized our church for ministry we have designated a Nominating Committee with the responsibility to identify members and gifts necessary for our officers and committees to effectively guide our ministries. Without quotas, the Nominating Committee strives to involve a broad variety of members in positions of leadership and service- younger and older, male and female, long-time members (as long as it gets in a church of our relative "youth") and newcomers, as well as the ethnic diversity of our little part of the kingdom. The composition of our Nominating Committee itself is representative.  Where did these folks come from? How did they get here?

John Sherman chairs the Nominating Committee this year.  He and his family became involved with Towne View at the invitation of Doug Butler, a friend from college days at SPSU.

Laurita Benjamin retired to Kennesaw from upstate New York to be closer to family (especially grandchildren).

Rick Hedger and his late wife came to Towne View at the invitation of their neighbors, Tom and Lorraine Roote.

Tanya Hall, a tried and true southern girl came to a nearby neighborhood in Kennesaw due to a job transfer.

Lou Shewmake came to our fellowship as a single Mom looking for a place where her young sons could get connected... she met Denny and the rest,as they say, is history.

Patsy Carrier and John and her mother, Mrs. Allen, came with a group of friends looking for a church where their age and experiences would be welcomed.

I'll encourage you to pray for these folks as they seek to be faithful to the task our church has sent their way. And pray for yourself- that you will be open to God's invitation to use your gifts in service "for the common good." And pray for those neighbors, co-workers, long-time friends, and new acquaintances who are looking for help and hope and a place to belong.

Rainy Days and Mondays

"Rainy days and Mondays always get me down" crooned The Carpenter's in their classic song of the 70's.  Yes, I will confess to most likely being the only guy in my high school with a collection of Carpenter's 8-tracks in my crushed-velvet lined storage case!

It's raining and it's Monday... and yes, it's hard not to feel "down."  In north Georgia it sometimes seems as if the sun itself has gone south for the winter... rain only makes it worse. After a weekend change of pace Monday seems full of unfinished business. Uggh!

Some friends from my college days sang another song about days (weeks... months?) like today- it went "I get growing pains when it rains." Rick and David's song was a reminder that God is at work... even in the rainy days.  Yes, there may be some carryover, but Monday is also a reminder of a new week full of new opportunities.  And the rain, though inconvenient today, offers the promise of a bright spring and refreshing water for the summer beyond.

"Rainy Days and Mondays" or "Growing Pains," which will I sing today?