We mark time with our calendars. Some dates are personal: birthdays, anniversaries, family gatherings. And from the Christian calendar, most of us pull at least three: Christmas, with all the joy it carries; Holy Week, leading us to Easter and the Resurrection; and then the one we all surely have circled—Pentecost Sunday. It’s on your calendar, right? Marked appropriately in something bold, something like a big red or orange marker. Something so you don’t miss it, so you’re ready, you’re prepared.
In reality, Pentecost is one date we (Baptists in particular) often skate right past. Yet, it marks the birth of the church. It is the day that signals the completion of Christ’s work on earth, the day the Holy Spirit descended, and the day following Peter’s sermon that we began, in earnest, to live into Christ’s call to minister to the world.
For all of these reasons, we at South Main have chosen Pentecost Sunday as the moment to culminate our yearly Missions Offering, though I’m not sure “culminate” is quite right. It is just as much a beginning—the day we step into another year of God’s work in the world, carried forward by people filled with the Spirit.
In the weeks ahead, you will see writings from church members that will reflect how we have discerned and chosen to engage the work we are given—to feed the hungry, quench the thirsty, welcome the stranger, care for In the weeks leading up to Pentecost, look for writings from church members reflecting how we have discerned and chosen to engage the work we are given—to feed the hungry, quench the thirsty, welcome the stranger, care for the sick, and visit the prisoner—to address the charge set before us in Matthew 25. The articles will show not only what we do but how we do it, and even more, how that work shapes us. In the end, this is not only about the work itself but about who we are becoming as we follow where the Spirit leads. As our fellow members share, listen for how God is calling you to participate in Kingdom work.
