“…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.’” (Acts 1:8)

Written by Pastor Rushan

On Sunday, as we considered the 4^th heartbeat of Central Union Church, we reflected on the way in which Central Union Church has a heart for MISSION.

United Methodist Bishop Robert Schnase, in his book Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations, says that when churches maintain a primarily inward focus, or “turn inward, using all resources for their own survival and caring only for their own people, then spiritual vitality wanes.” He then goes on to argue that when churches work to make a positive difference in the lives of others outside the church, then lives inside and outside the church are changed.

Our understanding of the term mission has changed. It used to be that mission was all about converting people, and mission was something the church did. I think that we now understand that mission is something the church is. In fact, We are the mission of God. Mission is about how we live our lives, how we treat others, how we work for liberation, how we heal and how we build up the Christian community.

So as you reflect on the heartbeat of mission, how is God calling you to step out and share God’s love or to serve others? What does God’s call look like for you? How and where is God calling you to be Jesus’ witness?

Our mission as a congregation is the same as it has always been at its center – to proclaim Christ’s love, to build Christian community and to engage in Christian social action by helping the needy, feeding the hungry and being a voice against injustice in the world. What do you think?