How are you preparing?

I still remember it - don't you? - the smell of new gym shoes, the fragrance of a fresh box of crayons - these were the unmistakable marks of a new school year about to begin. As a grade school child, those purchases, waiting to be carried to school on the first day of class, were a a sign that something was expected of me. Those supplies, as ordinary as they were, took some budgeting for my family, and they were given for a purpose - to help me learn so that I could become more and more competent, more independent and responsible, more able to give back as I grew up. Those ordinary supplies told me that I was being prepared to eventually make a difference.

I've enjoyed being greeted each day this summer with the Imagine No Malaria cans in the church entryway. They are a reminder a that we believe we can make a difference in this world. It will be small, daily things that make a difference - dropping change in a can, bringing it to church every now and then to be combined with other gifts, connecting those gifts to the clinics and community workers and medical teams linked to our global United Methodist Church, and praying to see malaria ended in Africa. Making a difference is at the heart of our Christian faith. To begin with, in our encounters with God through Christ, we have been made different - made new. Our attitudes are shifted, our hearts are softened, our minds are made alert to a call upon our lives, and a new way to live. Because of that, our daily tasks and experiences are different. We grow, little by little, to see each person as a beloved, unique creation - God's own son or daughter - and our perceptions and hopes for one another are enlarged. We are compelled to see problems and needs as opportunities and invitations to step forward in care, in love, in actions that use our gifts and talents. No wonder our congregation came up with these words as part of the description of who we are and want to be, in our Mission/ Vision/Values statement: "We prepare one another for ministry, act on our faith, encourage and support all of God's children, and celebrate our life together in Christ."

As we step into the fall, let's take an inventory of our lives and routines. How are we, on a day-to-day basis, preparing to make a difference that honors the way of Christ in this world?

As you read through this Tower Bell, you'll see many opportunities to make a difference - through a once-a-month involvement in our PADS homeless shelter work; through a one-hour-per week mentoring of a local elementary school child; through being part of a learning or fellowship group or helping to lead a class for children, youth, or adults; through helping care for the upkeep of our building that houses so many congregational and community ministries; through financial giving that impacts locally and world-wide; through attending or serving in worship services that re-ground us in faith and serving for the week ahead. And there are many more!

Let's savor the beautiful autumn season ahead - and prepare to make a difference!