My friends, this past week I sat down with a group of local pastors from various denominations in our community. The reason for this gathering was to organize a day of community service in which our town’s churches would come together and do mission work right here in Fairfield. The meeting was called by a local minister who facilitated that idea to all of us. The meeting was exciting and hopeful, but something even more meaningful and deeper occurred during this conversation.

Everyone at that table this past week expressed the desire for their churches to be more involved with each other. There was a sense of exhaustion expressed by these pastors (myself included) at the sense of competitiveness and oftentimes wariness our churches express towards one another. We become so protective over our own buildings, programs, and structure that we can completely forget the most important fact of all.

“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:13

This group of Pastors, from Baptist, to Pentecostal, to Methodist all came to a unifying conclusion. We are all trying to guide our congregations towards Jesus! We may have different methods, traditions, or practices, but we all read the same book! We all praise the same Lord! We all call upon the same Savior, Jesus Christ!

Every church represented in that group was eager to volunteer, stand up, and serve. But more importantly we were all excited about working together with our brothers and sisters of other churches and denominations.

So many of our churches in these past years have undergone great turmoil, inner conflicts, or backwards priorities. The enemy has done much damage and destructive work to try and derail the Divine work of the Holy Spirit throughout our congregations. But the enemy has not succeeded, because something is happening in Fairfield.

Christ is on the move.

In the midst of denominational conflicts, political polarization, backbiting and electioneering within our world. This past week a group of churches said, “enough.” It is time to stop sitting in our little social clubs and call them churches. It is time to get our hands dirty and embrace the calling of the Christian movement. The call to live the Gospel of Jesus Christ through the service of the Word and Deed.

This upcoming Sunday you will see people out and about doing service projects of all kinds within our town. They are not there as representatives of any specific church, they are there as representatives of the Kingdom of God. On Sunday afternoon there will be more than just Baptists, Pentecostals, and Methodists gathering, much much more.

On Sunday afternoon there will be a gathering of Brothers and Sisters in Christ; ready to live the call of Christ Jesus by serving and loving our neighbors.

Something is happening in Fairfield my friends, Christ is on the move.

Your brother in the Faith,

—

Pastor Mike McVey
Minister – First United Methodist Church, Fairfield TX
ACS Chaplain – United States Coast Guard, Station Galveston TX
Chaplain – Texas Game Wardens Association
Cell: 919-935-2513
Email: pastormike@fumcfairfield.org