...by Ruth Ann Marino
I would like to thank God for His grace and mercy that He has so graciously poured out on Suncrest. For me and my family, it has been very personal, as I know it has for many, many others. When you think about it, 80 people were baptized into Christ on February 7th at Suncrest, but how many people beyond that were impacted? Hundreds? In time, thousands?
That is why the message we received this past Sunday is so crucial to the growth of those who committed their lives to Jesus and also to the growth of those who have already made this commitment.
I love the 4 C’s that Suncrest has identified as practices for a Christ-follower: Connect, Cultivate, Contribute and Care. Connecting can be a very different experience for each individual and I think it is important to be aware of this. As Greg said "God moves in a unique way in all of our lives at different times in our lives". I did not become a Christ follower until adulthood, and was not baptized until over a year after that decision. It was the most wonderful experience of my life, but something was missing after that, and at the time I wasn't quite aware of what it was, but now I know it was the lack of connection. I went to the baptistery all alone, with a pastor that did not know me very well, and even though I tried to connect to a church family, I kept feeling like an outsider. My family members were not Christ followers, and I had but one Christian friend who seemed to forget about me once I was saved.
After years of searching, God finally lead me to Suncrest. What a blessing. For some time I was beginning to think I would never make the kind of connection that others seemed to have. My walk felt lonely, even though I knew God was with me. Then one day I heard about a ministry within the church called Morning Grace. I decided to attend and it was the beginning of a new walk for me. Women reached out to me, fellowshipped with me and became friends, which was an answer to years of prayer.
This was also the beginning of cultivating my walk with Christ. Through this ministry, I was able to cultivate through study of God's word with other women and I loved and learned from hearing about their walk with Christ. I also learned of community groups and found a great group of people to connect with and further cultivate and grow in Christ Jesus.
Contributing is also a huge factor in connecting with other Christ followers. When I first began attending Suncrest I thought "how am I ever going to get to know anyone in a church this size?" And for some time it was a challenge, but the reason it was a challenge is because I was not contributing in any way. God was convicting me about this, so I decided it was time to commit. Through serving in various ways I have met and developed relationships with many wonderful people. That may have never happened if I had just sat in my seat every Sunday and not looked for a place to serve. God teaches us to serve. "But God doesn't want us to be shy with our gifts, but be bold and loving and sensible". Without serving our walk with Christ cannot be as fulfilling as it should be.
Caring, sadly, can be one of the most challenging, even for Christ followers. Jesus taught the message of love in such a simple way when He said "Love One Another" It is a huge responsibility when we respond to this message of love. We need to personally reach out to those new in Christ and not expect the staff, community groups and other ministries to be completely responsible for this. Our personal outreach can lead many people to these areas in a way that is much easier for them. It may require just a simple invitation to have coffee together. Jesus personally reached out to His followers in a very personal and intimate way, and He expects nothing less from us. Let us glorify our God by responding to His teaching of reaching out to our brothers and sisters in Christ.
"When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father"
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