March 2005

FRA PRESTENS SKRIVEBORDET - March, 2005

Some time ago I had a guest for lunch at Mindekirken. His name is Robert Odom, and he is the president of an organization called "Love In the Name of Christ." For more than 25 years, this group has been mobilizing churches to transform lives and communities.

Currently 8000 churches in 28 states are working with the organization which recently moved its headquarters to Minneapolis. Crisis counseling, job placement, homeless shelters, legal services, transportation, and child care are just some of the ways in which more than 500,000 people in need were served last year.

Where are the resources to do all this?

I asked, It must be quite an organization!

-It’s all in the pews, President Odom answered. He is proven right by the more than 100,000 volunteers in his organization.

"It’s all in the pews" is a very healthy way of thinking of Mindekirken’s resources as well. Paid staff workers will never account for nearly as great a resource as the congregation has in its pews.

In the pews, we hear the word of the Lord: Whom shall I send? We respond: Here I am, send me! The Congregation Council has been elected from the pews with a special responsibility to "see that the words and deeds of this household of faith reflect him in whose name we gather" as the Liturgy of Installation says.

It’s wonderful to see the gifts and abilities to perform service which come with the council. The council has a special task of leading, but every baptized member of the body of Christ has been given a spiritual gift, a place to serve.

What might be your special task serving the Lord now? If everybody is obedient to God’s call, if we manage to encourage and organize, it’s amazing what can be achieved by a church body.

The resources are in the pews. We offer to the Lord what he has first given us, time, talent and treasure.

Grace and gifts are provided by him. The kingdom of God grows as we proclaim the good news by word and sacrament.

The Norwegian Lutheran Memorial Church ·  924 E. 21st St, Minneapolis, MN 55404-2952 ·  (612)874-0716