Growth, Change, and Caring

You may have noticed that our church is experiencing some growth in worship attendance. Last Sunday’s count was 106. Our tables were full for the Wednesday evening meal, too. Here is what I have been thinking: As New Hope changes, we must grow in caring. We have great opportunities and a clear call from God to care for one another.

We join a church to be surrounded by people who care about us. If I am sick, someone will know about it and pray for me to recover. When I have had some success or triumph, someone will celebrate with me. When I have suffered a loss, someone will weep with me and try to comfort me.

We all need people around us who will say in words and actions, “What happens to you matters to me.” So here at New Hope we have ordained a group of people to lead us in caring for one another. We call them deacons. There service is letting church members know that they are known and cared for in both good times and bad. Each of our deacons is assigned a small group of members. Their job is to stay in touch with that little family within our church family and do the work of caring. Betty Myers, Ruth Bradley, Vernon Buchanan, Bill Batchelor, Don Roberts, Erma Dreas, Dorothy Rollins, and Lois Cox are our leaders in caring.

Henri Nouwen wrote in Bread for the Journey, “Care is something other than cure. Cure means ‘change.’” In order for change to be healthy it must grow out of care. “Care is being with, crying with, suffering with, feeling with. Care is compassion. It is claiming the truth that the other person is my brother or sister, human, mortal, vulnerable like I am.”

Our first priority here at New Hope is caring. I can’t think of anything more important for us to do than to care. “When care is our first concern,” wrote Nouwen, “cure (change) can be received as a gift.”

I am grateful to “be with, cry with, suffer with,” and celebrate with you, my brothers and sisters of New Hope. What is more, I know that care is being given every day by deacons who stand shoulder to shoulder with me in caring.