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I am reminded of the story of three military recruiters who showed up to address some high school seniors. Graduation was only a few months away, and the military men were there for the obvious – to articulate to these graduating young men and women some of the options and benefits that military service would provide them. The meeting was to last forty-five minutes. Each recruiter – representing Army, Navy, and Marine Corps – was to have fifteen minutes. Well, the Army and Navy recruiters got carried away. When it came time for the Marine to speak, he had two minutes. So, he walked up with two minutes to make his pitch. He stood utterly silent for a full sixty seconds – half of his time. Then he said this: “I doubt whether there are two or three of you in this room who could even cut it in the Marine Corps. I want to see those two or three immediately in the dining hall when we are dismissed.” He turned smartly and sat down. When he arrived in the dining hall, there was a mob of students interested in the Marines.
Last Sunday, we began receiving elder nominations. We will be accepting names for the next three weeks. There will be a bulletin insert you can use if you attend worship on campus. However, you can also go to our website (jcpcusa.org) and click the button that says “Elder Nominations” to do it all online. On both the nominating form and the website is a description of what an elder should be.
But I have a little secret to share with you -- in recent years it has become progressively harder to get individuals to serve as elders. When asked, many say “no.” In my experience, it used to be that most, if not all, of those asked to serve said “yes” -- but that has changed.
Friends, I believe we are in need of strong, wise, Christ-centered leaders who have demonstrated faithfulness to God's work through Johns Creek Presbyterian Church. I think the challenges for all churches are only going to increase in the near future, so we need our “best and brightest” to step up and serve at this time.
So, I'm asking two things: First, that you would take time in the near future to nominate women, men, and youth, who have demonstrated mature Christian faith in service to God's work through JCPC -- especially during this challenging time of the pandemic. Second, if you are asked to serve, that you would say “yes.” We need you now! I think many of us today are looking to make a difference with our lives.
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