By The Rev’d Canon Bill Krizner, Canon for Missions & Evangelism
“The spirit of Christ is the spirit of missions. The nearer we get to Him, the more intensely missionary we become.” –Henry Martyn
These words spoken by the great Anglican priest and missionary to the peoples of India and Persia sum up the entire heart of our World Missions Sunday this morning. How wonderful is our Lord and how beautiful is the privilege of telling all people of His amazing grace! As we join with our brothers and sisters across the Province this morning celebrating The Great Commission to go and make disciples of all nations, we must take time to look at the unique call that the Lord has provided to each of us here at St. Peter’s Cathedral.
We are so excited to welcome more than thirty of our ministry partners to our campus today to share all of the life-giving work that the Lord is doing throughout our community and beyond. Moreover, we want to take this opportunity to thank each of you who have faithfully given of your time, your talent, and your treasures in this exciting new outward season of missions and evangelism at the Cathedral. Our heart is that every parishioner at St. Peter’s would be regularly and actively involved with one or more of these incredible ministries in proclaiming the Gospel to the world around us. With this in mind, I want to ask that you to do two specific things this morning:
Prayerfully Pledge To The Great Commission Campaign. As we have been sharing over the past month, we believe that the Lord is calling St. Peter’s to intentionally give in a far greater abundance to ministry outside of our walls at the Cathedral. We are asking that each of you make a pledge this morning to support The Great Commission Campaign to help plant a new church, share the Gospel to those in crisis in Tallahassee, and share God’s love and support with people throughout the world. Every dollar that is pledged will be directly spent on this important work. Please take time to fill out the pledge card in today’s Keys and prayerfully deposit it within The Great Commission boxes located on either side of the central altar as you come forward to take communion this morning.
Boldly Take A Step With God In Using Your Time & Talents. The Lord has greatly expanded the opportunity for St. Peter’s parishioners to take part in God’s work within our community and beyond. We want to challenge each of you to take time today to go and visit with the many partners who have come to bless and encourage us at this morning’s missions fair. After the service ends, grab a coffee, visit with the leaders of these immensely impactful ministries, and take a bold and faithful step by volunteering your time and talents to spread the transforming power of Christ. These ministries have endless opportunities for you to join in such work.
By drawing nearer to Jesus in giving of both our treasure and in our time, we are reminded that God has truly blessed us with a life of true abundance. We praise God for each of you and for His continued work in and through our faithful families here at St. Peter’s!