"God is up to Something Here at St. James!"



by Andrew Simon, Pastor

St. James Lutheran Church, Barrington, RI

I can remember the exact moment when Doing What Matters “clicked” for me.  It was several weeks ago, while Charlene, Lisa, Jane, and I were on a conference call with Kelly Fryer and Tana Kjos.  Kelly summarized the mission of ARE, saying “We’d like to get people to ask the question: ‘What is God up to?’ every day.”  I was into the process prior to that, but when I heard those words, I was definitely hooked!

At St. James, we’re fond of saying “God is up to something here.”  When I interviewed for the position of pastor, just over a year ago, the chair of the call committee shared that mantra with me and now I get to explore what it means every day.

St. James is a congregation that serves the people of the East Bay of Rhode Island —suburbs like Barrington, East Providence, Warren, and Bristol — and several communities in southeast Massachusetts.  St. James is a church that is growing.  We are growing in our faith, our outreach, and our understanding of what God is “up to” and how we fit into all of that activity. 

As we worship this Advent, we’re remembering our baptism — a time when God was definitely up to something with us!  This past Sunday, our children paraded down the center aisle of our sanctuary, shaking pine branches soaked in water from the font. The smiles on their faces were contagious, and before long everyone was smiling as we were sprinkled with the waters of baptism.  We sang a song about an awesome God who gave his life for us.  One of the lines really spoke to me as we worshipped: “Once again I thank you, once again I pour out my life!” 

God is up to something in New England, pouring out an abundance of gifts and inviting us to be a part of using them to do what matters.  At St. James, we’re just beginning to open up all the gifts of this unique process.  We’re preparing to begin an adult Bible Study based on resources from A Renewal Enterprise.  We’re only just beginning to look at who we are, what we have, and how we will use those things to do what matters.  We’re beginning at the font, in the waters where God claimed us.  Already, we can see that just as God was up to something in our lives at baptism, God is still up to something in our lives today.

Doing What Matters excites us because we believe that God is always up to something.  We’re looking forward to having our eyes opened to notice places we may have overlooked, see things in new ways, and use what God has given us to do what matters!

Pastor Matthew Martin, Faith Lutheran, Quincy, Mass.

I'd like to start this blog by introducing myself. I never thought that I would be a pastor, much less a solo pastor in a big city. Quincy (pronounced Quin-ZEE) is only about 10 miles from the heart of Boston. Thankfully, the parsonage is adjacent to the 66 acre Faxon Park (I grew up on a farm in Minnesota) and Faith has the most beautiful hidden garden, an oasis in the midst of urban life. Lots of homeless people have found comfort in it too...community needs are right on our doorstep. For most of my 16 years in ministry, I have been working with youth and missions. Since January 11th, I've been shepherding a growing community nearing 400 people. It can be overwhelming at times, but it is encouraging to see God working, the Spirit blowing on the South Shore.

Many new/revitalized ministries are popping up in the Metro area. Faith is a church will unlimited potential to serve God and our neighbors. That's why I'm so excited about what our synod is doing over the next 3 years. Be who you are. See what you have. Do what matters. Three simple sentences. One incredible movement. Our Council had a retreat last Sunday to wade in the water and take the first step. Who is Faith? What is God's purpose for us? What are our guiding principles? Not only is the Synod going to be wrestling with these questions between now and May, but so is our congregation, starting on the first Sunday in Advent.

At the kick-off event in Manchester, Connecticut, I learned that our neighbors also have assets and wows (exciting things God is doing) and our church has needs. As the body of Christ in Quincy, we will make a concerted effort to learn from those around us as we reach out to serve them. We have so much to be grateful for. Happy Thanksgiving!