1 Timothy 3: 8 - 13 "... ;they must hold fast to the mystery of faith with a clear conscience...for those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and great boldness in the faith that is in Christ Jesus." (v. 9, 13; NRSV)
There's a need for a person or three to step forward and serve on 'our' board of Deacons! There's a change in the air in our churches, our communities, our minds, our hearts, do you not perceive it? There's such a strong attraction to the inexplicable connected to our faith, that yours truly can feel guilty (at times) for not promoting that faith. There's a movement afoot to re-imagine the role of our Deacons at Franklin Federated Church, kindly consider helping create that. There's always the gnawing that accompanies one's motives, especially as they relate to spiritual-things like: 'gain a good standing for themselves' (v. 13), i.e., am I doing thus-and-so because it's the right thing or for some personal advantage? I really try to not get stuck on over-thinking this one, so I pray for the former and let God change my heart if really the latter.
There's quite a strict list of Deacon qualifications, if you care to read the entire passage, but adherence would eliminate me and there's still a Pastor to support in a manner our predecessors believed appropriate. Then there's, ministering to the spiritual needs / interests of the Church community and ensuring that no one is overlooked. There's my Ghandi t-shirt encouraging to: "be the change you want to see in the world" and it's applicability to Deacons aiding the [re-] visioning we'll take-on to map out our next few years, as a body of Christians. There's behind the scenes worship services to be bolstered by Deacons. I have not, but there's a possibility you the reader have 'been-there-done-that', so rather than being a re-tread, you might return the grace you were shown and breathe into this necessary ministry, perspectives that reflect your gifts, growth and experience. There's intangible "receipt in the giving" to paraphrase St. Francis. There's communion to be served, decisions to be made to impact this Church family, and people and needs to be prayed for; your Deacon-workers are few; please think about serving. It's an amazing thing, this faith in Christ Jesus!
Finally, there's the God of our understanding blessing & keeping you, Kevin & your Deacons