Pastor's Blog

"Working together and Working Things Out."

15 But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love.

Have you seen anything about the Apollo 11 fiftieth anniversary? I admit I have watched a documentary or two about it because it happened well before my time. Nonetheless, it was a historic moment for science and space travel. It took less than a decade after: “Kennedy stood before Congress on May 25, 1961, and proposed that the US "should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth." Not everyone was impressed; a Gallup Poll indicated that 58 percent of Americans were opposed” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We_choose_to_go_to_the_Moon, accessed 7.24.19).

Notice that 58% of people polled were opposed to this idea when Kennedy mentioned it for the first time. That is almost two-thirds of Americans didn't care for this “moon thing.” But it took more than President Kennedy to make that idea a reality.

“But this historic achievement belongs to many more Americans than just this trio of astronauts: Behind the scenes, more than 400,000 people worked on the mission and made it possible for to land on the moon. All told, it was one of the greatest feats that we humans have ever pulled off” (https://www.space.com/apollo-11-complete-guide.html, accessed 7.24.19). This information was in the inspiration to the movie: Hidden Figures, 2016.

Why do I bring this to you? Realize this; we were planning to do something that was considered a crazy idea. However, we did not know how to do it either. This type of leadership is Adaptive Leadership. Leading, when you do not know, precisely what the outcome will be. We have entered this stage as a church as we work with sharing our facility with the Pentecostal's of Roanoke. There will be an adjustment period required to "work things out," and it may take us a while to get used to their rhythms as opposed to ours. It is going to take a while until 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly.

But it is going to take all of us, working together to create this “kin-dom” together. Until we can promote(s) the body's growth in building itself up in love, we can both benefit from this new relationship within our four walls. We need to approach this new territory with respect for each other.

Did everything go according to plan for the Apollo 11 mission? If you watched anything about it; it did not go as accurately as they planned it. Such things as a computer not working for ten seconds before landing as well as many other unexpected things along the way. Living life in the community of the church is living this way through our faith.

Peace, Pastor Harvey