As I get older, I’m more and more in awe of those older then me that still seem to have the energy and excitement of a young person. How do they keep the vigor and joy of life flowing? How do they always have a smile on their face when I know they are in pain due to arthritis or other aliments? You’ve heard it said, “getting old is not for the faint of heart”. Those words also apply to the church.
This year Orchard Hill celebrates 25 years of existence, it’s our birthday! We will be celebrating on September 28th with a birthday breakfast followed by an outreach project for all ages. Then on Sunday September 29th an extra special worship service at 10am and we’ll end our day with a cake and ice cream party following the service. This event will be extra fun for families so plan on staying after worship. Yep, 25 years of growth, ministry, and community here on the hill.
But how does the phrase “getting old is not for the faint of heart” apply to the church? Besides in church terms, 25 years is not that old…true but the church is people and 25 years of working and struggling and doing mission together can be draining. The church can find a place where they are comfortable and happy and call it good enough. So, on our 25th birthday we will take time to step back and reflect on what God may be calling each of us to do to move the mission of sharing Jesus with our community forward. Our mission is the same, sharing Jesus, it never changes, but how we complete the mission is always changing. The staff has picked the theme of, “Live to Tell” in celebration of 25 years, to begin to revitalize our life here on the hill, to keep the joy of life flowing in our church family. Orchard Hill has always “Live to Tell” but how we do that mission has changed over the years and will continue to do so.
Orchard Hill has gone through pain and struggles but we never want this body of believers to settle, to not have overflowing joy, to be overcome by aliments. We want this body, even as we grow older, to be filled with the energy and excitement of a new church ready to serve the Lord in any way He calls us. We always want to “Live to Tell”. Join us on the weekend of September 28th as we look back and celebrate what God has done but also as we look forward as to how God might be calling each of us to fulfill the mission of “Live to Tell”.
