Moving in the Rhythm of Christ in 2025?

I want to remind you of the Vision and Mission Statements that we established during 2024.

The Vision & Mission statements of Sneads Ferry Presbyterian Church are based on the following Scriptural texts:

“I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

“My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me.”

John 10:10, 27 NRSV

Vision Statement: Moving in the Rhythm of Christ

Mission Statement: Sneads Ferry Presbyterian Church is a church that is intentionally “Moving in the Rhythm of Christ.”

Rhythm of Christ: Jesus came to offer humankind a restored right relationship with God, which enables right relationships with other(s). Jesus did this by inviting us into this new kind of relationship (follow me.) Jesus informed us by teaching and showing us that way. Jesus then involved us in that mission to the world by commissioning us and sending us out. In that renewed relationship with God and neighbor, we receive what Jesus’ intention for us in this life is: Jesus wants us to have “abundant life!” We cannot receive that promise by staying where and as we are.

When I attended seminary in 1991 I was moved by the fact that so many of those responding to the call of God to be trained and equipped for vocational ministry perceived the call of God during a mission trip. They experienced the movement of God profoundly through coordinated and collaborative relationships with those from other countries. I see the same thing with church members. Those who get involved with others in coordinated and collaborative ways, sharing Christ reciprocally in the world, tend to have more profound experiences with hearing God speak directly to their own hearts, minds, and journeys. That is

one of the things I love most about Sneads Ferry Presbyterian Church — the heart for coordinating and collaborating the sharing of Christ both individually and collaboratively.

Unfortunately, I have seen the opposite from churches that are not reaching out, not working in coordinated and collaborative ways with others in their local and in the global community around them. They exist only for themselves and typically just a small worship experience and Bible study on Sunday mornings. That is why it breaks my heart to hear that our denomination is in discernment regarding whether they will continue to respond positively to collaborative work requests from partners in Christ around the world. A bilingual friend of mine, Karla Ann Koll (Mission co-worker in Costa Rica since 2013 at the Latin

American Biblical University — previously in Guatemala), posted recently on Facebook:

MISSION CO-WORKER. I love the translation into Spanish, colaboradora en mission, collaborator in mission. The PC(USA) stopped sending missionaries in the1960s. At that time, the PC(USA) placed the power to invite collaboration in the hands of our mission partner institutions, which include churches, seminaries and organizations engaged in a wide variety of ministries. For sixty years, the PC (USA) has responded to invitations by sending people around the world to work at the direction of and under the leadership of the local institutions. Mission coworkers also link congregations and presbyteries in the US with the work our mission partners are doing.

The question in the coming days is whether the PC(USA) will continue to respond to the invitations from partners around the world to collaborate with them in God’s mission on the ground in an incarnational way. Please continue praying for our mission partners around the world and those of us who serve with them.

I took a group of church members from my last church to Costa Rica and worked with both Karla Ann Koll and Mark Hare. It was informative, invigorating, and led to theological growth for each and all who went. I love our denomination and the work that we do and have done. What a wonderful experience we had in November when we were able to hear from Ellen Smith, our mission co-worker who has been working in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, etc. for many years. Her presentation along with Hank Bellomy, brought tears to many eyes. I invite you to pray with me that we, members of Sneads Ferry Presbyterian Church, will pray for and continue to work for collaborative endeavors with brothers and sisters in Christ, both locally and globally. It is indeed what we are called to do as we move in the rhythm of Christ.

Let us also pray for our denomination and our mission co-workers that have invested their entire lives to sharing Christ with the best of their gifts and talents.

Peace be with you all,

Rev. Dr. Steve Fitzgerald

February 2025