Rev. Alan Terlep
A couple of weeks ago I had
the opportunity to attend the 9/11 memorial service at First United
Methodist here in Connersville. Near the beginning, Mayor Urban
mentioned a poll that only 7% of Americans planned to do anything at
all to commemorate 9/11. Even though I know that 64% of
statistics are fake, that sounds about right. Until this year, I
was one of the 93% who didn't do anything. I didn't know what to
expect, but I didn't expect what I found.
The service did remember
that day, but the real focus was on who serve their communities.
They generally referred to five groups of people. The first four
are people whose jobs are devoted to public service in different ways:
police, fire, EMS, civil servants. We thanked them for their work
prayed for them, remembered the "first responders" who lost their lives
seven years ago, and the people who put their lives on the line every
day, because it's their job. At the end, I was very glad that I'd
taken the time to remember and lift up the people who are devoted, full
time, to protecting and building up our community. They may be
imperfect, and they fall short sometimes, but that only makes it more
important for us to pray for them and encourage the good work that they
do.
The fifth group, though, was different: they were the
"good Samaritans," the people who step up to help even though it isn't
their job. We'll never know how many of the ordinary people who
died on 9/11 were in the process of helping others—even though it
wasn't their job. And the real strength of a nation or a
community is found in those people—the people who jump in to help
when they see a problem, the people who step up even though nobody
expects them to act, the people who act even though nobody will notice
if they stand by and do nothing. The professionals who put
themselves on the line are important and they deserve our respect, but
they couldn't keep up with the needs of the community if there weren't
a host of unsung and unnoticed people doing good even though it isn't
their job.
And that got me thinking about the church. A
pastor has some things in common with a fire fighter or EMS tech.
We also get those emergency calls in the middle of the night, and we
have to be ready to step in to help when someone's life is on the
line. And just as it's foolish for an untrained, unequipped
bystander to confront a guy with a gun or run into a blazing building,
there are situations that really do call for a pastor's
intervention. There are times to call the pastor, just like there
are times to call the police. But the police can't hold a
community together alone, and the pastor (or even the pastor, the
board, and the elders) can't hold a church together alone. Just
like a town, a church can't hold together without people who jump in
and get involved even though it isn't their job. What's more, the
people who step up without being expected or asked to are the ones who
hold a church together, the ones who keep the fabric of the church
tightly knit.
So this month I want to lift up the good Samaritans
of our community, the people who step in and do what needs to be done,
the people who help without worrying about whose job it is. They
are the backbone—of Central Christian, of Connersville, and
really of the whole world. I pray for each of you: the next time
you have that opportunity to serve, may you take the chance to become
one of those people who build up our communities wherever they are.
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ATTENTION VETERANS:
This
year, as part of our Veteran's Day service, we will be displaying
pictures of our veterans from their time in uniform. If you are a
veteran, please contact Chuck Beheler (cbeheler139@comcast.net,
827-0373). Even if you don't have a picture, we want to make sure
that all our veterans are recognized. Thanks!