Gathering as a family of God

By Pastor Wondimu Sonessa

Last week, September 11 in particular, marks one year since I received the call to serve as an interim director of evangelical mission for the Minneapolis Area Synod. One privilege of being a DEM is that I am able to work closely with mission developers and pastors of strategic congregations. In the last year, I learned a lot from pastors’ creative approach to mission, their humble and courageous personality in the face of challenges, and their persistence and wisdom that contribute to the growth of the ministries.

Allow me to share a few examples:

Tapestry ministry celebrated the tenth anniversary of its establishment as a Synodically Authorized Worshipping Community (SAWC) of the synod on September 14. For the leaders at Tapestry, mission development involves not just preaching and sending people home, but also sharing Christ’s love through food with immigrants to whom even the land of plenty may feel like a desert place because they encounter a new culture and do not speak English. Tapestry integrates the need to help people practice their faith in migration with the need to address their physical, social, and emotional needs.

Gathering around a meal allows people to develop trust and be open to tell their own stories to each other. This ultimately leads to regaining confidence and strength to stand on their own feet and become productive members of the community. Indeed, this is worth celebrating.

“Tapestry integrates the need to help people practice their faith in migration with the need to address their physical, social, and emotional needs.”

The same day, I also attended the Lutheran Social Service (LSS) of Minnesota’s celebration of the generosity that changes lives and raised more than “$1.1 million for its services that touch 1 in 63 Minnesotans” every year. With the ever-increasing migratory waves to North America from around the globe, congregations have been at the forefront of welcoming and walking alongside those who are forced to relocate to this part of the world.

LSS is committed to sharing Christ’s love through a risk-taking adventure of feeding, accompanying, and serving strangers. This is what we are called to do as a family of God.

 

ON THE VERY NEXT DAY, I attended worship at Cristo Obrero, which provides Word and Sacrament ministry in Chaska and Shakopee. Although I don’t speak Spanish, the well-organized worship bulletin helped me to join in the active participation of the worshippers. I witness that Pastor Jorge Espinoza led a well-organized Lutheran liturgy.

What makes it a special day is that Neymar was received into the communion of saints through the sacrament of Baptism. After receiving a sign of the cross on his forehead and a candle in his hand, it was a joy to see him walk among the congregation with a smiling face and share Christ’s peace with other congregation members.

“Each celebration delivered a clear message that we are gathering as a family of God notwithstanding the size of the space they occupied.”

These three gatherings happened at different sites to celebrate the lifechanging work of God through their respective agency. Each celebration delivered a clear message that we are gathering as a family of God notwithstanding the size of the space they occupied.

These children of God represent a voice of the church in society calling each individual person to share love crossing lines that some people find to be dividing lines. But only through relationships can we identify our neighbors’ needs and address them in a way that changes their lives and renews their hope. In so doing, we are gathering as a family of God.