FYI
The 2016 church directory is now available! Which means, most likely, that it is already out-of-date. With such frequent changes to membership, cell phone numbers, and email addresses, it is difficult to find a convenient time to print the directory. Nevertheless, it is a valuable tool to stay in touch and fulfill our responsibilities toward our brethren.
The church directory helps us stay connected. The elders use it in their calls and visits. The deacons need the information to send reminders about worship assignments and other service opportunities. And I know from personal experience that our people use the directory to send get-well cards, “Happy birthday” emails, or just simple text messages of encouragement. All of us can benefit from this valuable resource as carry out the many duties that we are given as fellow members of the body of the Lord.
“Bear one another's burdens, and thus fulfill the law of Christ” (Gal. 6:1). What a comfort to know that we don't have to face life's problems alone. We have the Lord; we have the Lord's family. The directory provides multiple ways for us to stay in touch throughout the week. Instead of isolating yourself, reach out to your brothers and sisters. If you feel like no one is helping, could it be because you haven't asked? On the other side, be available when your brethren call. If you know of some burden that another is carrying, offer your assistance. It's why we're here. It's why we have one another.
“Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good and deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another” (Heb. 10:24-25). The church directory is also a good way to stay accountable to one another. When we come to the assembly, look around to notice who is not here. Perhaps someone is sick and you can serve them. Perhaps one is struggling and you can encourage them. Never underestimate how a simple “I missed you” can help your brother or sister feel a part and needed. Haven't you been there before?
“And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you” (Eph. 4:32). With as many methods as we have for personal communication in this day, we are without excuse if we fail to “go to our brother” with some conflict or issue. Instead of going to Facebook or going to gossip or not going at all, take advantage of the information age and resolve the problem personally. When you do that, you may even find out there was no problem after all. And if there is one, it can be forgiven and forgotten more readily in the common love that “we be brethren.”
It is amazing how much a church directory can change from one year to the next. We lost a number of people to death since our last printing in February, 2015. Even when we have confidence that these made “their calling and election sure” (2 Pet. 1:10), we are still left with sadness at their departure. What's sadder still is the loss of those who have died spiritually. They once were counted among the saints, but they left the Lord and no longer walk with us. Let's each do what we can so that we lose not one more from the safety of the fold.
And just because your name is listed in the church directory, that is not the final authority about whether you are in a right relationship with God. The Lord adds to His church those who are saved (Acts 2:47). While the assembly of our directory involves human judgment and may include mistakes and errors, “the Lord knows those who are His” (2 Tim. 2:19). Make no mistake about that.
To the church at Sardis, Jesus said, “He who overcomes shall thus be clothed in white garments, and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father, and before His angels” (Rev. 3:5). With a new directory, it is common to first look at your own listing to make sure everything is correct. By that time, it's too late to change anything. Don't wait until the end to see if your name is written in the Lamb's book of life.
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