The Church Gathered Becomes the Church Scattered

Well, as the inaugural post on our new blog, it may be best to explain the purpose of having this blog. As a church body, we have been learning about the importance of reaching out to those around us with the Gospel. We are not meant to simply hear the saving, freeing news of the Gospel and keep it to ourselves. Nor are we meant to simply go on with our lives, oblivious to the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of those on our doorstep. Rather, this life-transforming Gospel requires a complete life change- a sacrifice of our own desires, comforts, time, and money. As we reach out to those around us, we help fulfill Christ's mission for His people to bring redemption to this world.

As we grow as a church, we want to make it our main priority to help redeem the city of Birmingham with the Gospel of Christ. This may be by sharing the story of Jesus directly, but it will more than likely begin with playing soccer, donating school supplies, giving away food and clothes, listening to someone in need of a friend, or tutoring and mentoring a young child. These simple acts of love show the people in our communities that we are not simply people who go to church on Sundays or claim to believe in a higher being, but we are an imperfect, sinful people made new and forever changed by the unchanging love of our Saviour, who gave himself up wholly for us and for them. And so we will seek to wholly give up ourselves to mirror this redemptive love and grace to those around us who are literally dying to find such love and acceptance.

As we seek to grow and minister together in this way, I will be helping to head up our urban ministry as a church body at Redeemer. This is a new and exciting role and stage of life for me. After returning from my last year ministering in Northern Ireland, I have been seeking my niche and place of ministry here in Birmingham. After many, many months of frustrating job searching and seeking of the Lord's will, He graciously blessed me with this new role. It is exciting to think of how the Lord has led me here and how He will guide and bless His work from here. This will initially begin as my account of discovering the people, places, and needs in our community, but will quickly become a place to see how the body of Redeemer becomes the hands and feet of Christ, and how YOU can join with us!

Another update to come soon! Until then, be Christ to those around you TODAY!

Learning to serve,
Dwight Castle