Edify

The word that kept coming up in our Staff Meeting last week was "edify." Christy, Cristian, Lisa and I have decided this will be our word for the year. Edify means to instruct and improve especially in moral and religious knowledge. It also means to uplift, enlighten and inform. The Latin root of "edify" means "house" or "temple," the verb form is "to build a house." Generations of speakers built on that meaning, and later, "edify" had gained the sense of "to instruct or improve spiritually." "Edify" is used in some of Paul's writing to Christian communities. In 1 Thessalonians 5:11 Paul writes, "Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing." In his letter to the church in Ephesus (4:11-13) he writes, "The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ."

As your Staff, we want to do things and say things that build each other up. With each decision we make, we need to ask ourselves, "How will this build up the Body of Christ? How will this edify me, us, our community of faith?" We want to say and do things that build our body of Christ up so we may face the future unafraid and be clear about our Mission to Bear Fruit for God's Kingdom, our Vision to Live Close to Jesus. We use the following strategies to achieve our Vision and Mission: Vital Small Groups, Serving and Caring for Others, Giving our Time, Talent and Treasure. We value Inclusion, Generosity, Hospitality and Unity.

With our Mission and Vision in mind, let everything we do this New Year be "edifying!"

Grace and Peace,