Our Stories

As we begin a new year, and we just had our annual meeting, now we can focus on looking forward to see what God has in store for us this year. I believe that it is an important question to ask ourselves each year. I have said that faith has both a personal story and a communal story.

The Personal story is how God is working in our lives. How he is using the events of our daily life to bring us into a deeper relationship with him. How he uses those people that he has put into our lives to show us his magnificent plan for us, and He uses us to show them His plan for them. He allows us to see His presence and know that he is always with us no matter what we are going through. Our personal story plays out everyday, every situation, and in every event. It is always drawing us deeper into His Love.

The Communal story is how God is working in and through the Body of Christ here on earth. The Church. It is How God has chosen to reveal Himself to us. We are called to become like Christ is the way that we serve one another, the way that we relate to one another and the way that we talk to one another. How is it that God is calling us to be a representative body here on earth. If Union Church wasn't here what would the community miss? What is it that they would remember? Do we realize the honor and privilege that has been given to us as we became members of His Body, the universal church.

God is doing amazing things in both stories and we have the opportunity to experience
him in both. The personal story is our responsibility to grow into. We can go throughout our day
and not recognize what God is doing, or we can participate and see all that God is doing and
experience him in a new way. It is through our personal story that our love for God shapes our
lives.
Through our Communal story we are called into relationship both with God and with one another. It is through these relationships that our faith is fed and shared. It is through our relationships that we experience God and His love at work in our world. It is also through these relationships that God will use us to be his instruments of his Love, joy, hope and peace to the community that God has put us in. As our faith is shared it grows and the community both experiences God and sees what God is doing in and through us.

This is going to be the year to focus on our Stories.
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May God bless you.
Rev. Stephen W. Barch