Calling all apostles!

As a follow-up to the sermon I gave on April 19 (which is posted under A New Pentecost), I wrote my piece for our newsletter The Portal, which can be found at www.reddoors.com Here is part of what I said:

Now we need to think how we can be better apostles — how we can let others know the ways our faith has made our lives better and invite them to share in Christ’s promise of new life for all. Many of you set strong examples of service and compassion in your various activities. Some of you have brought friends to church, probably because you let them know that the church is important to you. These are among many possible acts of apostleship.

I plan to convene a group soon which will consider ways that the parish can support your individual efforts to spread the good news, as well as fulfilling its own mission of sharing the message of Jesus Christ. This may include providing training or creating materials that tell what the church is doing or public relations efforts. If any of you would be willing to be part of this group, please let me know.

I've had a couple of people say they want to be part of this group. What the group is and can become will depend on the particular gifts of the participants. Some of the work will necessarily be face to face, and some will be individual or via technology. Please consider prayerfully whether you would be willing/able/interested in helping St. John's to develop apostles and to send out the good news in a form which our world can receive.