Everyone want’s their church to be successful. One of the problems is that we never define what a successful church really means, so we end up importing ideas that circulate around us in the business world. In doing so, things like number of people at worship, the ability to meet and exceed our budget, how happy people feel and how well their preferences are being met become our focus. But are these really the measure of success for a church?
As a minister and from a gospel perspective, I would say that none of these should be our definition of a successful church. Nor should they be our primary goals, because in their own way, each of these lead the church away from the God’s original plan for success. So, if these tangible measurements are not the definition of a successful church, what is?
A successful church is one that understands that it exists first and foremost for God. A successful church understands that God intended for there to be a church. God intends to use the church to draw people into relationships, while deepening our faith and understanding of God and spur us to action. A successful church looks to Christ as the head, and then as Ephesians 4:14-16 puts it, “we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.”
From this biblical perspective, success in the church is defined as faithfully following Christ, our head. Markers of success would then include: if the church is providing opportunities to connect with God, members taking opportunities to grow their faith, and the church community mirrors the actions of Jesus and embodies his spirit. Following the words of the prophet Micah, a successful church would seek justice, offer love and mercy, and walk humbly with God. From this perspective, a successful church may not have the largest bank account or the biggest projects, or the most people, but it would be full of people who know they are loved by God, strive to love as they are loved, and proclaim in word and action God’s good news.
I hope you will join me in shifting how we look at success and celebrate the continued steps we are taking to let Christ be our head.
Creating and re-creating God,
We long to be successful in your eyes and in the eyes of the world.
When we come before you, we hold so many expectations
of what we think things should look like,
Sometimes we let our own preferences and markers to success dominate
and we get stuck when we seem to be missing the mark.
You came to give us a different way,
to open our eyes to you at work
and call us to be part of your Good News for the world.
Guide us, as you did our ancestors, that we may claim the love and grace you offer.
Draw us into deeper relationship with you and your way.
Shape our actions so that we become a reflection of Christ. This we pray. Amen.
Featured In This August 18th Edition of St. Paul’s eNews
Worship This Sunday August 21st
Happy Pride Week!
Back-To-School Supplies
Rev. Michelle’s Walk-In Office Hours
Fall Newsletter
Pantry Program
Brown Bag Program
Church Office Closure
St. Paul’s Website Updates
Upcoming Dates To Remember
Fall Kick-Off
Worship This Sunday August 21st
Please join St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church for worship this Sunday at 10:30am. If you can’t be there in person, join via Zoom at Wilmot United Church – YouTube
Happy Pride Week!
Pride week is coming to end this weekend so be sure to catch the parade at 3pm downtown. To see the other Pride Week events taking place in Fredericton, follow this link http://www.tourismfredericton.ca/en/events/p ride-week
Back-To-School Supplies
St. Paul’s is collecting donations of school supplies and gift cards to help out the families that use our Pantry and Brown Bag program. The grades of the children & youth currently registered to receive supplies ranges from kindergarten through grade 11. Some of the items we are seeking are: large zippered binders x6, loose leaf paper, 12-1” binders of various colours, coil notebooks, duotangs, pens, pencils, markers, pencil crayons, highlighters, black sharpies, crayons, scissors, large glue sticks, pencil sharpener, erasers, calculators, rulers, scotch tape, hard pencil cases, backpacks, lunch boxes, water bottles, and Kleenex. Of course, gift cards to Walmart, Regent Mall, etc. for clothes and indoor/outdoor shoe shopping would also be appreciated. Donations can be dropped off at the office Monday to Friday from 8am to 3pm. A BIG thank you to everyone who have generously contributed to this initiative!
Rev. Michelle’s Walk-In Office Hours
Looking to connect with Rev. Michelle? The best way to do this is to connect via email to michellenarmstrong@hotmail.com or call 259-7602 to set up an appointment. Walk-in office hours are Mondays from 10am to 1pm and Wednesdays from 1-2:30pm.
Fall Newsletter
We are putting a Fall Newsletter together and welcome any articles or updates from committees and individuals. If you have a piece to submit, please send to Meghan in the office at stpaulsoffice224@gmail.com by the deadline of Wednesday August 24th at noon. Thanks!
Pantry Program
The pantry needs the following items: pudding, sugar, tomatoes, mayonnaise, jam, cookies, fronting, large juice, and Mr. Clean. Thank you for your continued support!
Brown Bag Program
The Brown Bag program requires flip top can of proteins, and juice boxes. Thank you for supporting the folks in our community.
Church Office Closure
The office will be closed from August 26th through September 6th. Please contact Rev. Michelle directly if your need is urgent in nature.
St. Paul’s Website Updates
St. Paul’s website has been undergoing some updates. Please check it out at www.stpaulsunited.ca and feel free to share your feedback with Meghan at stpaulsoffice224@gmail.com
Upcoming Dates To Remember
August 21st – Service at Wilmot at 10:30am or online @ Wilmot United Church – YouTube
August 26th – Messy Church at Wilmot. 5-7pm.
August 28th – Service at Wilmot at 1:30am or online @ Wilmot United Church – YouTube
September 4th – Service at Wilmot at 1:30am or online @ Wilmot United Church – YouTube
September 11th – Service at St. Paul’s 10:30 am & Fall Kick-Off & BBQ
November 6th – 190th Anniversary Celebration
Fall Kick-Off
Preparations are underway to kick off the new program year and our 190th Anniversary with a bang. On September 11th, we will be having a blessing of the backpack/briefcases during the service. We will be revealing our theme for this coming year. Regular Sunday School will be starting for the fall and the events will cap off with a BBQ. We hope that you will join us as we celebrate being a church! Mark your calendars NOW!
St. Paul’s United Church
190 Years of Glorifying God through Worship, Proclaiming the Gospel of Christ and Serving Others in Christ’s name
Contact Information
224 York St., Fredericton, NB E3B 3P1
Web: www.stpaulsunited.ca | Tel: 506-458/-1183 | Email: stpaulsoffice224@gmail.com
Minister: Rev. Michelle Armstrong | Organist: Dr. Sharon Pond
Church Administrator: Meghan Roebuck | Custodian: Rusty Blakely