Paul’s letter to the Ephesians has been called the “Queen” of the Epistles. The letter was not written to correct or address any problem in the first-century church but to share the great themes of the all-sufficient Christ. As believers “in Christ”, we are rich beyond measure. Our heavenly bank account is full and running over because we have been adopted, accepted, redeemed, forgiven, and received the seal of God. Hallelujah and Amen!
As I continued reading this short letter, I came across a passage of utmost importance in the cause of Christ. Paul shares, “It was he who ‘gave gifts to people’; he appointed some to be apostles, others to be prophets, others to be evangelists, others to be pastors and teachers. He did this to prepare all of God’s people for the work of Christian service to build up the body of Christ. And so, we shall all come together to that oneness in our faith and in our knowledge of the Son of God; we shall become mature people, reaching to the very height of Christ’s full stature.” (Ephesian 4:11-13, GNT) Notice that God gives spiritual gifts to all His people, plain, ordinary people who have been called to serve others unselfishly. When we serve others, we ultimately serve God. We are all given different gifts to be used at different times and in different ways, but they are all to be used in love for the building up of the body of Christ, His church on earth.
So, I have a thank you list for those who, over the past week, have used their gifts to help others and build up the “body of Christ.” Thank you, Rose and the Sabbath School trainers (Frank, Claudette, and Jennifer), for the training you provided to help our teachers become better facilitators. Remember, teachers, “open-ended” questions are the best option for lively Sabbath School discussions. Thank you, Cudanin family and your team of volunteers, for organizing the church directory project. You and your team have tirelessly worked around the clock to help produce a directory that will assist in building up and connecting our church family. Thank you, Pastor Evadne, for helping to facilitate training for lay counselors-volunteers. Our goal as a church is to be a safe place where trained volunteers can provide spiritual support and encouragement to our membership. Thank you, AV and Communication team members, for sharing your valuable time and expertise in vetting vendors. The team hopes to create better lighting, sight, and sound for our sanctuary. When this AV/Communications project is completed, it will be an amazing blessing to our online and in-person worshippers.
Finally, thank you to the membership for your ongoing financial support of the ministry and building renovation projects at Willowdale. As I shared last Sabbath, we presently have six renovation projects (outside lift, sanctuary doors, sanctuary, upper room, and fellowship hall window replacement; hallway and parent room reflooring, upper room heating and cooling, and basement ceiling tile replacement) simultaneously occurring at the same time. In addition, the major project of renovating our sanctuary and back lobby area has been given the green light from the city to begin. Porcelain tiles have been ordered from Italy and, more importantly, paid in full. Remember our contractors in your prayers, Marc Marcos and Mervin Lewis. Let’s continue to work together, support one another, and pray for each other. Maranatha!
Pastor Glenn DeSilva