Devotional from Pastor Dave October 4, 2023

In our Signal Crest 101 class this past Sunday morning, we reviewed the history of this church here on the mountain over the past 66 years since its launch in 1957. I drew primarily upon the book published in 1997 on the occasion of the church’s 40th anniversary, which was called “It Was Meant to Be.” Rev. Jim Whedbee was the pastor then, Rev. Charles Maynard served as the editor, Lynne Hill was involved in preparing it, and several church members (Rachel Cowart, Trisha Ellis, Lynn Heck, Russell Hill, Johnny Maynard, Lou Maynard, Gene Petty, BW Ruffner, Bill and Marti Wayland) contributed essays on various aspects of the church’s life and ministry. It was a wealth of information for me when I arrived here last year to serve as senior pastor.

There is so much in this little volume of the church’s history that is worthy of comment and reflection, but one that stuck out to me is the mission statement that is found on page 8. I’m not sure when this statement was formulated, or how, or by whom, but there is much within it that still resonates with the church’s understanding of its mission today.

The mission of the Signal Crest United Methodist Church family, as a people of prayer, is to proclaim Christ through joyful worship, biblical teaching, and enthusiastic service. Touched by the grace of God, it is our purpose to minister to the whole person as we know and serve God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. May Christ be proclaimed in worship, practiced in service, and personified in the community and world.

As I reviewed this statement with the Signal Crest 101 class on Sunday, several things jumped out at us. First and foremost, we understand ourselves “as a people of prayer,” that is, a people in regular conversation and communication with God, seeking God’s guidance for our lives and for our church, and looking and listening out for how God leading us forward in faith and practice.

Second, our primary purpose is “to proclaim Christ,” that is, to show and to share Christ—or as I am fond of saying in a wordplay on the church’s name, to “signal” Christ—in the congregation, in this community, and beyond. We accomplish this in three main ways, and the adjectives here are key: through joyful worship, biblical teaching, and enthusiastic service. I hope you experience, as I have, our worship services as full of joy and gladness, our teaching and preaching and small group studies as solidly grounded and informed in the scriptures, and our opportunities for service as engaged in enthusiastically.

Third, we understand the ministry of the church to be holistic, to engage “the whole person,” that is, body, mind, and spirit. We seek to fulfill the Great Commandment to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love our neighbors as we love ourselves (Mark 12:29-31).

And finally, I love the alliteration in the last sentence, which really pops, which is a prayer (for a people of prayer) that “Christ be proclaimed in worship, practiced in service, and personified in the community and world.”

May each one of you be an answer to that prayer as we continue to write the next chapter in the history of this church together.