Missions have always played an important role in my ministry and understanding of my calling from God. It was on my first mission trip to Tazewell, Virginia, in 1994 that I began to experience the joy of Christ through serving others. While on a mission trip two years later, I experienced my call into ministry, and in 2008, while serving in Costa Rica, I felt God calling me to seminary. My entire faith journey has involved missions, and through it all I have come to appreciate God’s call for us to go into the world to love and serve others.
In Acts 1:8, Jesus says to his disciples, “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” This Sunday, a group of 10 youth and adults from our church will leave after worship to go to Jacksonville, FL, for one week. They will be witnesses of God’s love to those they will meet. Our mission will be to help families rebuild their homes after storms that have affected the area over the last few years. But more than that, this group will have the awesome responsibility to be the hands of feet of Christ to people as we share God’s love with others. I am excited to be part of this team, and I know this will be a life-changing experience for the youth that are attending.
You are invited to help us send off this team with prayer this Sunday in both of our worship services. I have asked those attending this trip to join me in worship as we consecrate the mission team. During the service, I will ask you to come and lay hands on our missionaries as we prepare to send them off. You will find listed below the names of the youth and adults who will be going on the trip this week. Please keep all of the mission team in your prayers this week. It’s going to be a wonderful week and I can’t wait for these youth to share with you the amazing things God will do in their lives through this mission experience.
Have a great weekend and I look forward to being with you in worship on Sunday morning at 8:45 and 11:00!
In Service Together,
Matt
P.S. If you have an interest in serving on mission team, please let me know. It is my hope that this mission trip to Jacksonville will be the first of many similar trips for people of all ages. In the coming years, we would love to be able to send mission teams all over the United States and around the world. Who knows? Maybe one day you will attend a mission trip and experience God in an amazing new way!
Royston First United Methodist Church 