This congregation is calling "Every member on the road of discipleship!"

Service

Upper Dublin has a reputation of service in our community that would make one think that we all understand this mark of discipleship. But, thinking of all of our wonderful outreach ministries as the primary example of how to fulfill this mark would be wrong.

The first place to begin is scripture. The first teaching is the one Jesus gave to his disciples the night he was betrayed. He washed their feet and taught them to serve and love each other the way he served and love them. We are called into service for our neighbor.

The church offers many ways to serve, but the first place to engage in service is in our family. The closest relationships of our lives are the primary place for our ministry.

The next step brings our ministry to our vocation - the places we work. Every task worth doing is a task where we can serve our neighbor with love. The next time a task at work seems difficult, try this out! Imagine how God is glorified as you do your task. It works for me when I change my grandson’s diapers, it can work for you when you have to get that report to the boss.

Once we get the hang of service as one of God’s great gifts that brings meaning and purpose to all of life, we will be eager to do more. Then, let’s talk! We have people to feed on the Parkway in Philadelphia every second Saturday of the month. Every Monday we provide food for neighbors at the Mattie N. Dixon Community Cupboard. Bring us something to give them on Sunday. We have an apartment at Hope Gardens for a family in transition to self-sufficiency. This ministry is so gratifying. Once a year, we will have people living here at Upper Dublin who are coming out of the crisis of homelessness. We need your help in making our church a home for them. Almost daily we are gathering furniture and household goods for people who have nothing and delivering them to their home through One House at a Time.

This year we have sent youth and adults south and west to serve others through the Appalachia Service Project and the Synod Youth Servant Trip to South Dakota. The former involved twenty-one folks doing Habitat for Humanity type work for a week and the latter service at an Indian Reservation that included teaching Vacation Bible School as well as doing some building.

The first Wednesday of the Month, folks gather in our Fellowship Hall to sew in something we call Project Day. There efforts are valued by so many people as hospitals, shelters, and prisons are served by their hard work. Everyday, I believe, prayer shawls are being knitted which will comfort people struggling with significant challenges. They will know that someone is praying for them. Our Sunday Schools are always taking on projects. Our Women’s Circles have raised money, gathered clothing, and sent care packages for people from college students to women re-entering the work force.

This mark of discipleship is so much fun. It energizes those who are willing to embrace it. It gives meaning to every life. From the day we accept the grace God gives us in baptism until the day we die, we can follow Jesus in the path of service every moment of our lives. And, as you can see by the smorgasbord of opportunities offered at Upper Dublin (an incomplete list!) a feast of service awaits those willing to give it a try.