Witness

Paul, in his first letter to the church at Corinth, said to them in chapter 12, verse 27 "Now you are the body of Christ and each one of you is a part of it." Riverside United Methodist Church has offered me the opportunity to be a part of the body of Christ here since I joined the congregation 26 years ago. It has been a place that has ministered to me and my family and has provided us the opportunity to serve God in many ways.

My learning experience at Riverside began shortly after coming to the church when my wife Judy and I joined the Contraser Sunday School class. We are still part of that same class today. Not only has the class helped up to learn a lot more about God's word and how to allow him to direct our daily lives, but it has given us a circle of close friends who are always there to listen, to share things that are important in our lives and to support us when we meet some of those challenges in life that are too big for us to handle on our own.

I joined a men's small group about 3 years ago. This has been another good learning experience. We always focus on a passage of scripture as we begin our meetings. In addition to studying the scriptures, we are able to nurture one another as we discuss those things that we, as men, face in our world.

For me prayer is an essential part of my Christian growth. Our church has established several prayer groups and I belong to the one that meets at 6:30 a.m. on Tuesdays. This is a time where we can focus on the needs of our world, our church, our church family and others and pray for God's help in each situtation.

Our church provides many opportunities to live by serving others. Our members provide school supplies for needful children, build Habitat for Humanity houses, deliver for Meals on Wheels, provide funeral meals, organize blood drives, support local and global mission needs and do a whole host of other things as they each serve in their own way. I am kind of a "fix it" man at heart, so I like to help keep the church buildings and equipment running smoothly. God is always at work fixing my faults so that my life runs more smoothly, so I figure I should respond with some "fix it" work wherever I can.

Being a part of the body of Christ at Riverside United Methodist Church is exciting for me today. As I see the small groups, prayer groups, discipleship studies and service groups in action, I see growth in many individuals and am excited about the possibilities for others to ahve these same experiences.