Nutshell – New Life
As I close in on my first anniversary at Oak Chapel, I continue to be overwhelmed by God’s many blessings, the undeniable influence of those who serve him. My appointment here has been life changing, and the birth of our first two grandchildren has given me new hope for a better tomorrow. Despite the unsettling state of current world affairs, I am convinced that God has a plan for us. I believe that he will help us to grow the church — here at Oak Chapel and around the world — if we remain faithful, obedient, and committed to providing a place for our children.
As many of you know, we are in the process of remodeling a room on the lower level of our educational wing — a place where our youth can call home. It will feature a coffee-shop motif, and it will also be available to everyone in the church for fellowship on Sunday mornings and on other occasions. Our young people, along with our Trustees and our Nomads, have really championed the project and are transforming the room into a cozy and welcoming gathering place.
All of this reminded me of a hit song by the late Whitney Houston, titled, “The Greatest Love of All.” Here are a few lines from that tune, which mirror our youth movement here at Oak Chapel, and serve as a guidebook for all of us as we look to build and bolster our church for the future…
I believe the children are our are future
Teach them well and let them lead the way
Show them all the beauty they possess inside
Give them a sense of pride to make it easier
Let the children’s laughter remind us how we used to be
Everybody searching for a hero
People need someone to look up to
It’s up to us to teach the children and then step aside to let them lead the way, to show them the beauty they possess inside, to champion their cause, to be their hero and the one they can look up to. We can help them discover that the greatest love of all is, indeed, inside of them in the form of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
We can do many things for our young people, but our greatest responsibility is to show them the Love of the Lord, which will guide and protect them as they carry the torch forward to an even larger and more dynamic church of tomorrow.
Until we meet again, Be Blessed — Pastor John
Join us for worship Sunday at oakchapelumc.com.