What does it mean to be the church? Aren’t we, as the Church, supposed to strive to be like Jesus? Didn’t Jesus himself say after washing his disciples’ feet, “For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you (John 13:15)”? Let’s take a more personal look into what that means for us here at Heritage.
I was blessed to have the opportunity to interview some veteran volunteers at HBC regarding their time serving the local church here at Heritage. I was amazed at their thoughtful and intriguing answers about what it means to be the church and how they have seen the faithfulness and goodness of God during their time serving. I asked all of them the same five questions and the rest of this article will highlight their responses in order to portray what it means to “be the church”, specifically at Heritage.
How long have you been serving at Heritage and in what role(s)?
Paul and Mary Raybuck – 29 years in various roles including DC leaders, Student Ministries, choir, Global Care Teams, building the Global Houses, hospitality, and more!
Dr. Harvey and Kriss Hartman – 25 years as DC leaders and 17 years as a mentor for Apples of Gold (Kriss).
Bonnie Rencher – 31 years in various roles including Apples of Gold, DC leadership, Nursery, Phoebe Care, The Gathering, and pre-marital counseling with her husband, Bob.
Clay Harvey – 28 years as Worship Leader and he also has served as a Deacon and a DC leader.
Jim and Cyndie Tucker – 25 years in various areas including DC leaders, Young at Heart, hospitality, visitation, prayer ministries, and deacon and ushering (Jim).
How would you best describe what it means to “be the church” through serving in your specific area?
Paul and Mary explained that being the church means “using one’s spiritual gifts to build up the body.” They went on to explain that being a part of a church community is not like a spectator sport; you need to be involved. The Hartmans described their DC as a “microcosm of the HBC congregation” due to its cross-generational nature as it encompasses all age groups. Their class supports and serves each other and, by doing so, they are “serving the larger body through their DC in all that is the ministry of the church.”
Specifically for Apples of Gold, the mission of being the church is laid out in Titus 2:3-5 which admonishes older women in the church to train up the younger women. Bonnie Rencher states that being the church “means representing Christ in every area where we have the opportunity to serve Him and others…wherever he sees fit.” Clay and the Tuckers echoed similar responses. The Tuckers said, “It is showing the same sacrificial love, compassion, and care for others that God has shown to us.” Clay also described being the church as an act of obedience and explained that “Christ is the foundation of the church and because He was a servant I feel it is the best way to show our love for Him by serving.”
When have you seen God work in other’s lives while you were serving?
The longevity of faithfulness of those I interviewed proved to show similar responses to this question as they have seen the faithfulness of God displayed in the Heritage congregation over the years. Bonnie attests that it is so special to see the young adults she’s worked with over the years remain faithful in their service to the Lord! She says, “this may be as a godly homemaker, parent, nurse, missionary, pastor, pilot, or what ‘following Jesus’ means in their life.”Jim and Cyndie have seen “the Lord work mightily in and through the lives of our seniors, as scores of them willingly served the Lord each month by serving one another.” The seniors have been so faithful in serving others by stepping out of their comfort zones or doing what they could through letters, phone calls, and prayer.
he Raybucks and the Hartmans listed various ways that they have seen God work in and through their Discipleship Communities. They gave examples of seeing financial needs met, marriages healed, people within their communities serving each other well, widows being cared for, people stepping into full-time ministry including overseas, and more! Clay specifically shared that, as a worship leader, he “saw God use the songs that were sung to uplift those who were hurting or comfort those who were mourning the death of a loved one.” He also recounted so many times that he “saw people with joy on their faces because of how God was speaking to them through the song.” All in all, there is no doubt that these faithful servants have seen God at work in mighty ways within Heritage.
What are some impactful memories from your involvement at Heritage?
Bonnie shared that she and her husband received a recent phone call from a young lady inquiring about premarital counseling. Come to find out, she was referred to them by her mother who was once in the Renchers class at Heritage! They were happy to have that time to minister to the next generation. The Tuckers shared that some of their favorite memories were from the annual Young at Heart “Sing Alongs” where “it was very exciting the see individuals discover God gifting them in ways they never imagined, to glorify Him and bless others.”
The Raybucks shared of the joys of seeing their DC develop such great community coming through the pandemic together. The Hartmans shared some iconic memories of getting to witness a “thing of God” with a “smooth and seamless” transition in church leadership from Pastor Kroll to Pastor Nathan Smith and recounting the New Year’s Eve service of 1999 with the “unveiling of the Ebenezer where we in unison recited our commitment as Christians to Christ.” Finally, Clay recalled a favorite memory when he fell up the stairs of the stage as the service began! Overall, the memories shared were snapshots of some joyful times in the lives of those at Heritage!
Why is it important the “Be the Church” by serving in the local church?
The Hartmans and Bonnie both equated the local church to family. The Hartmans explained how, these days, people tend to seek the church for selfish reasons or church hop so much that they never have a local body to be a family with. They said, “Families stick together, work together to care for each other to build each other up. That is done by serving.” Bonnie added, “HBC is the local body of believers where we serve others and are served BY others as we are the hands and feet of Jesus!” The Tuckers also answered that “we are the hands and feet of Jesus to Lynchburg (and the world). God ministers to people through people.”
The Raybucks shared several references (Eph. 4:11-12, James 2:18, and Matt. 25:14-30) including Ephesians 2:10 about how we are created in Christ Jesus for good works. They explained that “each of us, as Christians, have been graciously given gifts from the Lord to use. To not use them is to disobey the Lord.” Finally, Clay sums it up well by stating, “Through serving in the local church, God gives us opportunities to minister to others, speak into the lives of others, and also to grow us in our faith and dependence on Him. The thing that I always try to remember is that without God’s goodness and guidance, I am totally useless!”
