For the first half of this year, we have talked about Shared Ministry-what it is and how you are called to participate. I hope, by now, you are excited about sharing your gifts and intentionally looking at how you might be called to serve. But, what if at this point, you are unsure and scared about the next step-about putting yourself out there, about trying to figure it out alone, about taking on responsibilities, about having no help?
I’ve got great news for you! You aren’t alone. Shared Ministry may be about identifying your gifts and making purposeful strides to use them at an individual level, but you don’t have to do it alone. We are all in this together-we’re a team and we are going to work as a team to share our gifts and work for the Kingdom of God. When you serve at Forest Park, you will serve as part of a team that shares your interests and passions for your areas of service. You will work together to develop and carry out plans for Forest Park, the community and our work for the Kingdom, and you will support one another, not just in the task at hand, but as friends and brothers and sisters in Christ. You will build each other up, hold each other accountable, support one another, help each other develop, build deep connections and have fun!
Recognizing individual gifts and putting them to use through shared ministry is the first step in doing great things for the Kingdom, developing yourself spiritually and propelling yourself forward in leadership and ability, but using and developing those gifts with the support and encouragement of a team means there is no limit to what we can accomplish! You have unique gifts but you are not alone in using them-you are part of the team!