I stood at the back of the room and let my gaze move slowly over the group of people. It was a Saturday night, and at least a dozen people had come to clean the Church building, move chairs, and reset everything for Sunday morning.

What caught my attention was not that these people were blessing our Church community, although that was certainly what they were doing. I was not caught up in how they were using their gifts and talents for the Lord, while that is what they were also doing. No, what caught my eyes and mind that night was that all the people helping were in little groups ranging from two to four people and talking while they worked.

Ministry and serving the Lord through the local Church is a blessing in so many ways. It touches the lives of other people for Jesus, and it helps you to use your gifts. One of the most significant benefits I have seen is that it connects an individual to the other people who serve. The group becomes like a band of brothers or an extended family with a common mission. People who help, talk to one another, meet new people, and they experience the joy of the bond we have in serving Christ together. They become part of team Jesus and have a connection with the rest of the teammates.

People who sit in chairs on Sunday morning come and go quite quickly. When someone steps up to serve, they cement their faith and the relationships that will last a lifetime. I saw it clearly that night, and I hope that one day you get to experience the joy those people had as they worked together for the glory of the Lord.