Dear Church,

I was recently in Athens, Greece with a council of believers from over 80 countries around the world, and I learned a lot from them. In particular, I remember the simple but striking words of a 72-year-old man who serves Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland. Imagine his thick Irish brogue as he shared, “When I was a wee boy, nobody believed in me. My own mother thought I’d never amount to anything. Then when I came to Christ and wanted to serve the church, I was told, ‘Not yet, why don’t you wait till you’re more mature.’ Well, the way I figure it, there’s two good definitions of maturity: one is a banana that’s turned black, and the other is a man in a coffin. Doesn’t get any more mature than that. Thank ye.” Then he sat down to the sounds of cheering. His point is well-taken. If you are waiting till you’re more mature to take a risk to obey Jesus, perhaps the wait is over. If you work with the next generation (or you have kids), maybe it’s time to trust them with more. We are never really ready to follow Jesus where He leads, but it’s entering the unknown with Him that gives us a chance to know Him more. As we enter Fall Launch, let’s display faith that doesn’t need to figure everything out first.

Go get it.

Kyle Chase, on Behalf of the Elder and Minister Team