Renewed People, Renewed Purpose

By Lisa Balzer, Grace Fellowship Community Church

As a new member of the GUM Board of Directors, I have been asked to reflect on what I have seen and heard through my participation thus far. I will borrow an illustration from our recent study in the book of Numbers.

In Numbers, Israel is in the wilderness following their God who is on the move. It’s a transformative time, a journey from slavery towards becoming the chosen people of God.  Early on, the Levites are set apart to carry and take care of the Tabernacle, the center of Israel’s worship and life together.  Among the Levites, the Merari clan are given the privilege of carrying the Tabernacle “supports.”  It is a ministry of nuts, bolts, and carrying of posts. The Merari provide the framework that supports the Tabernacle and the ministry flowing from it. This obscure clan and its ministry vividly illustrate our GUM Board.

We too, are following our God who is on the move.  He is transforming us. We as a congregation have been journeying together, learning to listen and follow Christ.  It is a movement away from old, slavish scripts towards a renewed embrace and experience of chosen-ness as sons and daughters in Christ.  Our church’s recent “season of Jubilee,” that is, a season of congregational, spirit-led confession, forgiveness, and new beginnings, has also brought renewal to the board.  Like the “pole carrying” Merari, GUM serves as a supportive arm to the outreach ministries of the church, enabling and building up of the body of Christ, as she serves in various ways in San Francisco.  Thus, GUM as a nonprofit entity is being renewed and redefined, like the church, by the Spirit of God.

To enable the work of ministry, GUM seeks to listen and take its cues from what God is doing. Shaped by the Word proclaimed, stimulated by stories of His faithfulness, we show up at our appointed places, for example, from Mission High School to City Hall, from Kaleo to GEMs to Urban Adventures.  There we are met by Him. In these places God is making Himself known. It is in these shared stories, that we are learning to listen together to have His mind, His purpose, and His will.

As a board we are learning to trust that God will speak His word to us and through us. Craig Wong’s recent departure from the governing board of the CCDA gave us opportunity to rethink our local ministry priorities.So, we took time to revisit his, as well as Pam Chao’s, roles and time allocations. Ordinarily, this might have been a somewhat dry and perfunctory task, but through listening, prayer and conversation, we, along with Craig and Pam, all received a rejuvenated sense of purpose! God meets us in life’s details, so trusting Him to speak into even the everyday stuff of where one spends his or her time and energies can bring a renewed sense of direction and purpose. This new life is God’s doing. Thanks be to God!