From the Pastor
“. . . so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God.” Col. 1:10
I find it hard to believe I am beginning my twelfth year at Athens Church of God - my seventh year as pastor! Out of all the years I have been here, this one – a year of contrasts, great highs and the very personal lows – has been the best.
There’s not enough space to list all the reasons. I know the main reason is the transformation I’ve seen in this congregation over the past year. This change, along with the verse from Colossians, led me to this vision for the church: “We are here to bring God joy!” Simple, isn’t it? One of the great joys I have as Pastor is to see how enthusiastically the various ministries of our congregation have embraced this vision!
Another reason this has been the best year so far is the congregation itself! I believe that each person God has brought here to Athens Church of God is a gift. He has brought us together from our various backgrounds and has knitted us together into a beautiful quilt of His love.
When my mom passed away this year, my friends, Steve and Sue DeLisle gave me a big comforter. They told me that when I felt lonely to wrap up in it as a reminder of their love and of God’s love. Holding that comforter, I thought, “This is a beautiful picture of our congregation.” In my times of grief, I have found myself wrapped in the embrace of this beautiful quilt of people – this comforter made up of the loving hearts of God’s people.
If this is true for me, I know it is true for others, also. For example, this is the experience of our young people. Although we have a formal “youth group” with their various activities, every one of them is part of the whole fabric of Athens Church of God. It would be easy for the young people to be shoved aside or ignored. But the nature of this congregation is to love, and every young person in this church has a bunch of moms and dads, grandparents, brothers and sisters – because we’re all one big family.
This sense of unity defines all our activities. For example, the Children’s Ministry Christmas party, although designed for kids, is a time when everyone gathers together and joins in on the fun. I love family night because that’s what it is: the church coming together as a family and enjoying one another’s presence. Whenever we have a project – nursing home services, the maintenance and safety check, the DHR school supplies drive, even work days – everyone, young and old jumps in to get the task done.
We are not a collection of different groups - we are a family!
Who gets the greatest pleasure out of all this? I believe God does! I believe God is present with us, watching us with a beaming smile as we work and play together. After all, we’re following His example: we love because God first loved us.
If you’re looking for a church home, if you want to be part of the quilt of God’s love and be in a congregation whose vision is “to bring God joy,” we invite you to join us! Take a few moments to explore the “about us” pages, as well as the ministries and activity pages and discover the heart behind Athens Church of God.
Peace,
Terry Jackson
Pastor