From the DCE Desk. . . . . 

The summer is officially over and the new school year is beginning. I can honestly say that this was one of the best times of the year for me growing up. I used to love getting back to school for a variety of reasons; new clothes, getting back into a routine, seeing your friends, and new school supplies. I actually even really enjoyed class too. I love to learn! This month I want to take us to the Early Church. The apostles were charged with the Great Commission (Matthew 28) and were commanded by Christ to go to all the lands and make disciples of everyone. That had to have felt like an impossible task. Here was a group of sinful, broken, messed-up people who were responsible for spreading Christ’s love to all. So did they throw in the towel because it seemed too hard? No, with the help of the Holy Spirit the Early Church blossomed. One of the reasons it thrived was because of what we see in Acts 2:42 and 46. "They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer… Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together." They devoted themselves daily to Jesus Christ and learning about their Savior. This devotion changed their lives forever. It changed their work schedules, money management, and relationships. It changed everything. An interesting part about this is that they were in the Word learning and worshiping daily. We need to be constantly learning and in the Word for our faith to grow. If we are content with Sunday morning worship and nothing else, our faith becomes stagnant and plateaus. When we are learning, our faith can become a consuming fire and take over our lives. This is what we see with the people involved in the early church. They knew that they didn’t need to be school age or be coming just because they were new members to be learning about Jesus throughout the day/week. They understood the importance of a Christian discipleship that extended past Sunday mornings and reached every day of their lives. Throughout the school year, there are going to be many opportunities for adults to learn and get into the Word. I would encourage all adults to participate in a class so that we can become like the Early Church, consumed by the power and love of Jesus so much that it overtakes our whole lives and that we are changed forever because of it!

Shelly Mc Mullen
Director of Christian Education

September 2010