Glory to God whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine: Glory to him from generation to generation in the Church, and in Christ Jesus for ever and ever. Ephesians 3:20-21

The sharing of Christian faith from generation to generation is a hallmark of St. John’s and a goal of every church. Sometimes that happens in the life of the church through the gift of a biological family. We have several families at St. John’s in which three generations are active in the life of our church. More frequently in a mobile society, it is through the new family made in Christ that faith in him is passed from generation to generation. Genes are not shared but Christ is! Both are wonderful ways that God gathers his beloved people to himself, from generation to generation.

It is a sign of God’s work at St. John’s that multi-generational families persist in the body here. Many treasure their childhood and teenage years in our church and return to it in adulthood, taking their place in this community of disciples as they start their own families. The parents of youth participating in Happening talk to me about their Happening. Children take the same roles their parents did in the Feast of Lights. Members of the Vestry have had parents on the Vestry in years gone by. We can take that continuity as a sign that God continues to work in this church. God is holding us together.

God has also given our church exceptional gifts for sharing the faith across generations not biologically related. We have been led to welcome new disciples and find a place for them in this family of faith. Healthy programs in Sunday School and EYC and a strong Confirmation program give our church the capacity to share the faith from generation to generation. We give the very young a chance to grow in faith with their generation, as in our Little Lambs class. But we also find a place for the mature among their generation in our ministry, in Bible studies that become communities of love and support, in guilds, and in mutual service. St. John’s has kept many good traditions healthy over the years, each one nurturing the faith of those coming up next in our generations.

So we give thanks to God for this generational goodness in the life of St. John’s. It isn’t this way in every church; this is something to be treasured and nurtured. I think God wants to keep this going. I’d like you all to have lots of kids and raise them to be true Columbians and St. John’s Christians. But if other things happen in your life and your children end up elsewhere, God can find the generations he seeks through your sharing of time, talent, and treasure in the life of St. John’s. You can be like a godparent to the next generation of all the baptized here as you share your gifts in the life of the church. I believe in our church’s ministry, love seeing God at work in our generations, and will make a pledge of $13,000 next year. We’ll have your pledge card at the Patio Party on October 13; come for a joyful celebration. We’d love to have it back by November 10. Watch this space and others for further reflection on this theme. We want to be a faithful generation in the life of the church, that God might use us to call others to himself.

Learn more about other important updates in the latest church newsletter: The Epistle – October 10, 2024