The famous philosopher Socrates once said, "An unexamined life is not worth living." This line was recorded in Plato's Apology but most would agree there is no apology needed for anyone wanting to evaluate their life in hopes of improving it. The Meadow Glade SDA Church family has recently convened with a Strategic Planning Committee with hopes to examine our ministry by humbling ourselves before God and asking for His Spirit's leading. 17 unique and beloved individuals (nominated by your pastors) answered the call to meet for four months at the beginning of this calendar year. We are happy to report that God blessed throughout the course of those meetings!
The Committee emerged with the following new vision statement: "Growing Together to Love Like Jesus." This statement speaks to our four identifiable core values of "Belonging, Learning, Sharing and Serving." We hope to keep this in front of us – vocalizing and exploring it together often. Over the next couple of months, we’d like to unpack this with our sermon series. We’ll spend two Sabbath on each core value. Next week I’ll be preaching on our core value of “Belonging” and we will conclude the series just before Thanksgiving.
I’m so grateful for our Strategic Planning Committee team. We are so grateful for our beloved church. We are so grateful for our incredible God Who continues to lead us onward to His coming kingdom. 1 Corinthians 12:4-6 says, "There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all.” Though we are a people with a diversity of gifts we serve the same God. He is moving us collectively to an ever-improved life as we allow Him to examine us always. I like Socrates statement, but I think it would be even better if he added God into the equation. An examined life with God's leading is always worth living.
-Pastor Michael