Start Planting Seeds.
“Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.” 2 Corinthians 9:6
I come from a family of farmers. Rugged individuals who raised crops and cared for a variety of animals that provided their immediate families with food and also provided food to customers from throughout the community. People would come for miles to buy fresh produce from their farms, the dairy truck would come to pick up gallons of fresh milk, and my aunt even had an “egg route” through the suburbs of Buffalo that she continued until she was in her late 80s.
They knew how to plant seeds in the ground to produce delicious food. They also knew that if they didn’t plant any seeds … if they didn’t fertilize the soil and if the rain didn’t fall, there would not be any produce for their families nor for the public whose purchases sustained their cost of living plus the cost of having a farm.
A church like St. Paul’s is very much like a farm because a church cannot grow unless seeds are planted, fertilized, and cared for. A church cannot sustain itself unless its members plant seeds out in the community whose purpose is to create growth for the church. Once someone discovers the church, those “church farmers” (church members) have to fertilize the soil to ensure these new seedlings become strong members of the church.
The best church farmers are those individuals of faith who talk to friends and neighbors about the church that they love. Seeds can be easily planted over breakfasts, lunches and dinners or just hanging outside talking about the weather. At work church farmers can plant seeds over coffee or when heading out to the parking lot after work. Church farmers who enjoy sports can talk about their church while watching football, baseball, or hockey games with their fellow sports enthusiasts. If you belong to a senior citizens club, a civic organization, or any other place where you talk with other humans … you can plant seeds.
Friends, St. Paul’s needs our church farmers to start planting seeds again! On Easter we only had one service and there were empty pews even though only a few years ago we had two services both of which were pretty full. And only one Christmas Eve service this year.
I want to encourage all of you to start planting St. Paul’s church seeds. Here are a couple suggestions that can create growth:
- If you are on any social media use your personal social media to simply SHARE St. Paul’s FACEBOOK posts, INSTAGRAM posts, or links to our webpage. This is a very effective way to introduce your friends and family to our church. You can even invite them to watch our Sunday and Wednesday services online.
- Make a list of friends and family members who used to go to church but no longer have a church family. Choose someone from the list and invite them to church with you and then out to breakfast to talk about church.
- If you have friends or family with children, invite/encourage the children to come to Vacation Bible School. Offer to be the transportation.
We all want St. Paul’s to remain a strong and vital church for years to come. But it is incumbent on all of us to plant the seeds so that others can discover this special place where we joyfully worship God and Christ!
Blessings,
Pastor Dave