A Message From a Member of Our Pastoral Staff
Dear Friends,
This year has been one of two major Milestones.
I celebrated my 75th Birthday and the 20th anniversary of my ordination to the Diaconate. 20 wonderful years of serving St Matthias. The turning of 75 also has a significance for the Diaconate. 75 Is the mandatory age for a Deacon to retire here in our Diocese. You either retire completely.. where you can do Baptisms etc. for only close relatives .. or if your Pastor approves you can continue as normal on a year-to-year basis. Father Abraham and I have agreed to continue on a year-to-year basis …and the Bishop has approved.
I want to talk about the call to serve The Lord. Before I was ordained there was a year of discernment and four years of studies before being ordained. I truly had to discern about my calling. Scripture has much to say about the different ways we may serve God. In Corinthians, we hear “Now there are a variety of gifts but the same Spirit. There are a variety of services but the same Lord. There are a variety of activities but it is the same God who empowers them to serve for the common good. In Peter 4: 10-11 we hear “As each had received a gift use it to serve one another as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever serves as one who serves by the strength that God supplies… so that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ.
The good news my brothers and sisters is that if we serve God by serving others then serving God can be done in almost every aspect of our lives. One of the ways we can serve the Lord is by being more involved with our St Matthias Church community. By sharing our gifts and talents with others enriches our lives. We have many ministries here at St Matthias that could surely use your gifts and talents. Each of us has a gift or talent that can be shared with others. Take some time during these summer months to sit with the Lord … to see where He may be calling you. Remember sometimes the call is a whisper. Also, know that I am available if you need any encouragement to join one of the ministries here at St. Matthias.
Yours in Christ,
Deacon Russ