The anticipation is like nothing else -- to pack up all your things and drive 1000 miles to a place you've never been, to meet people you've never seen. There were so many thoughts that went through my mind. What's my supervising pastor going to be like? Am I going to live up to the congregation’s expectations? What are my responsibilities going to be? It was overwhelming. But once we got down here all my thoughts were put to rest. The people here are amazing. They took us in as though they had known us for years. In our first week, we had been taken out to eat five times and our phone was off the hook with people calling and asking us if we needed anything. Right away, we knew there is something special about Beautiful Savior.
It wasn't too long after we got settled in when my responsibilities started picking up. I have been learning that the blessings of ministry and its challenges go hand in hand. I have been given so many great opportunities.
In our mission school, I teach young kids the basic stories of the Bible. Their faithfulness in their studies and their attentiveness in class amazes me every day, and I am thankful to have them as students.
The members at Beautiful Savior have a great mission spirit. If a visitor joins us for worship, the members swarm him. I have done quite a bit of evangelism alongside these members. Some of my greatest highs so far have come while sitting in the living room of people who don’t really understand Jesus, and helping them to get to know their Savior better. As they mature in their faith through BIC, it is inspiring to see how fired up these new believers are to serve and share their Lord.
I have also been able to preach quite a bit. This proves to be a blessing as well as a challenge, because of those first time believers, as well as many members who came from different religious backgrounds. For that reason, we try to make things as clear as possible. My supervising pastor (Pastor Hein) is helping me develop the skills to put theological concepts into simple terms that are easy to understand. It is truly an invaluable skill!
With the Christmas season coming fast, there are definitely some new challenges. I was asked to come up with a joint Christmas service for our Sunday school and our outreach school. Being completely ill-equipped to handle this task, I called around and got some materials from others who were much more qualified. That was the easy part. Once we had the materials, the kids had to learn them. There were so many kinks that needed to be worked out. Sometimes, the kids were off key. Other times, they didn't know the right words. It seemed hopeless. I thought I had failed. But as time went on, things got better. I was proud of them. They were learning the songs very well. But as proud as I was that they learned the words and the melody, I was truly inspired to see that they understood the message. These kids were pleased to know another way that they could praise Jesus. They sang their songs at recess. They sang them at home. Some parents even told me that they heard their children singing as they lay in their beds at night. These kids are salt and light. Everyone is learning from them that the message of Christ should always be at the center of Christmas.
Christ is at the center for everyone else at Beautiful Savior as well. We will have worship services three days in a row. That means, I can't sit around and get fat this year like every other Christmas before this. But that's ok! I will be doing something so much better. I will have the honor and privilege to share the message of Jesus' birth… of forgiveness… of peace on earth with fellow believers.
What makes being at Beautiful Savior so special? It is the same thing that makes all of our churches special -- Christ is always center. I know I'm not worthy of it, but I feel fortunate to be a part of ministry here. My prayer is that everyone experiences the true joy of Christmas and puts Christ at the center.
Vicar Koelpin
P.S. You can drop by for a virtual visit anytime at
www.beautifulsaviorsummerville.com
