Fairmount Presbyterian Church in Cleveland Heights, Ohio

Sunday, May 20, 2012

The Church and the City

Learn more about Fairmount Ministries and opportunities for your own ministry.

Serving others is self-serving as well: Message of Faith

Special to the Plain Dealer, Messages of Faith

By The Rev. Louise Westfall

February 06, 2010, 7:19AM

Doing good is good for you!

Nearly every religious tradition affirms service to others as an essential responsibility of its adherents. Alms-giving, for example, is one of the Five Pillars of Islam. Tikkun olam, or repairing the world, describes the sacred duty of the Jewish faith community to work for the good of society as a whole. Christians follow the example of Jesus who washed his disciples' feet -- the task of a servant -- and told his followers to do likewise. Ba'hais teach that service to humanity is of equal spiritual value as prayer.

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Every member a Minister circular logo Every Member A Minister

Ordination of Ministers of Word and Sacrament, Elders, and Deacons simply emphasizes a particular set of tasks to which some Christians are called. But ALL Christians are called to ministry, to serve in Christ’s name.

That’s the theological foundation for the new campaign, Every Member a Minister. During the six-week season of Lent (2011), every member of Fairmount is invited to choose a particular ministry of service and outreach beyond our church doors.

This could be direct service involvement (like working at a soup kitchen or tutoring an urban student)
a particular project (building with Habitat for Humanity or cleaning up a littered vacant lot)
a fund-raising effort for a philanthropic organization (participating in the Hunger Walk)
volunteer effort you’re already doing
helping Fairmount organize advocacy efforts for justice in Cleveland or the world
Or, it could be as simple as making a commitment to pray intentionally for justice and peace for all God’s children.

The questionnaires you filled out a year ago indicate that Fairmount is deeply involved in the rebuilding of our beleaguered City. We want to integrate that involvement into the mission of our church. We want to connect our spirituality and faith to actions that “make a difference.”

Traditionally a time for reflection and renewal, the season of Lent allows each of us time to consider how we might minister. All over the church (and here on the web) you’ll find “commitment cards” to record your particular ministry. This can be a one-time effort or an ongoing action; you might join together with some of your fellow Fairmount families to work on a project. Your particular project might be completed during this Spring, or you may just get started. Beginning in September, we’ll feature one of these ministries every Sunday and learn about the ways we’ve made a difference. . . and the ways we ourselves have changed.

Use our on-line "Commitment Card".

On Lenten Sundays, some Fairmount ministries will have representatives at coffee hours to “prime the pump”— give you a snapshot of ministry needs and how you can get involved. Be creative! The only criterion is that the ministry take you outside the church into the world God loved and sent Jesus to save. As Jesus’ disciples, we are called to follow in his footsteps: love the people he loved, serve the people he served. Our service to others draws us closer to God.

We believe we’ll experience a growing, vital faith, and a joy beyond anything we’ve known before. We can’t wait to see what God will do through Fairmount!