No One is an Island

 by Barrett Vanlandingham

8-14-2022 

The writer of Hebrews says, “Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy. Without holiness no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14).

Part of bringing peace and holiness to “everyone” involves doing good deeds (Galatians 6:10) and being a good neighbor (Luke 10:25-37).

Each month, I have the opportunity to meet with our school superintendent Scott Farmer, other ministers, and most recently our town administrator James Walters. We visit about things that affect each of our organizations, and then we bring it all to God in prayer. This gives the Fort Gibson church of Christ just one more way to be a good neighbor in our community.

The fact is, there are limits as to how far schools can go with regards to how matters of faith, religion, and morality are taught and practiced. There are also limits on how far churches can go (into schools) with regards to evangelizing and serving others in the name of the Lord. The same is true for our town government. But when each of these entities meet together and talk about the challenges we experience in our own circles of influence, we often find we are dealing with some of the same problems, as well as some that are unique to each organization. We find that we can be a big help to each other by passing along helpful information or possible resources that can help with solutions. Each representative can then use that information to address our groups more directly than can be accomplished without this church, town, and school exchange.

For instance, just one glance at the Fort Gibson Open Forum on Facebook reveals just how stirred up people can get about construction projects, new speed limits, and new traffic signs.

In schools, teachers have lost just about every right they have to maintain order in the classroom.  The challenge of dealing with morality and public health issues continues to make things difficult for public education.

Schools and town governments may not be able to go into what the Bible says about anger issues on social media, or about sexual sin, drug and alcohol abuse, or even about gossip or bullying. Churches, on the other hand, can address these things in the context of what scripture says God views as sin. Those messages can then be transported via church members, young and old alike, into every segment of our community and make a huge difference. 

One meeting resulted in our church’s involvement in the backpack program. This gives young at-risk children, mostly latch-key kids, enough easy to open food to last the weekend until the school can feed them breakfast and lunch.  Another meeting resulted in plans to use our building as a safe space to bus children to in case of a school evacuation.

There are many ways to make a lasting impact on our world, starting here at home, one person at a time. As Christians, we are called to plant seeds. With God’s help, you just never know where the wind will carry it.

Have a great week!

 

God Answers Prayers

by Barrett Vanlandingham

August 28, 2022

 

God continues to bless me and Lisa’s ministry efforts here with the Fort Gibson church of Christ. The past 20 years of youth ministry has flown by as we have traveled thousands of miles with your kids, locally, across state lines, and into Mexico and Honduras, taught hundreds of classes, directed dozens of camps and retreats, and spent thousands of hours, late nights, and over nights trying to bring kids closer to Jesus.

Trust me, I could not have done any of this without the support of my Godly woman.  Lisa has worked a full-time job teaching 2^nd grade all these years, and has still managed to work right along beside me. On most youth trips, she brought student assignments to grade, and she often had to talk to parents on the phone while helping me keep an eye on kids in the church bus.  She is amazing. For a few years now, Lisa has told me over and over that she just felt that God was going to keep us right here in some capacity with this church family.  Never argue with a praying woman.

My plans were to stay in youth ministry maybe 2 or 3 more years, and do who knows what? But God evidently had other plans for us.  When God opened the door for Steve and Charlotte to resume ministry in Tahlequah, it just seemed like the time was right for me to move into a new role. Our elders were in full support of my offer to continue ministry here in some different areas that needed more attention.  My new title is Family Life and Involvement Minister.  My responsibilities include:

1. Congregational Involvement – help members discover their special gifts that can be used to

     strengthen others and build unity in God’s kingdom.  Assist multiple ministries.

2. Small Groups – produce lessons/questions, recruit/train leaders/hosts, and help form groups.

3. Media – recruit/train/schedule for at-home and live sound/video. Maintain equipment.

4. Social Media and Website – Maintain our online presence and provide relevant content.

5. Office Manager – staff oversight, equipment purchases, ministries/building-use calendar.

 

I will also continue co-worship leading/planning/training, writing articles, hospital and home visits, and other ministry duties such as funerals, weddings, and being active and present in our community.

All I can say is THANK YOU church for 20 wonderful years, and for the opportunity to continue serving here in this place.  Have a great week!