Be a Re-Builder - Three Biblical Practices for a Positive Life – Building the Kingdom
Dr. Tom Pace
September 24, 2017
Galatians 5:6b, Luke 17:20-21, James 1:22-25


Today is a different kind of sermon, really one big long sermon. I hear these wonderful stories about what God is doing in people’s lives all the time and I want you to hear them firsthand, not just me repeating them. Telling our stories is one of our habits. You might be prompted to tell your story more as you hear these.
Our first reading is from Galatians 5, verse 6. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything; the only thing that counts is faith working through love.
The only thing that matters. Anytime the scripture says that we ought to pay attention. The only thing that matters is faith, a personal relationship with Christ, a matter of the heart, and that faith being enacted in love.
Our mission statement here at St. Luke’s is built on this very verse. “We are one family in Jesus, putting faith to work in love.” I want you to notice the two parts of that. The first is faith, that relationship. The second is being that faith actually being enacted, us putting feet on it, doing something with our faith as we put it to work in love. I shared with you a couple of weeks ago the image of a car having two components, an engine and a transmission, and you have to have both. You can’t have just one and it be of value. You have to have the engine, that faith that empowers everything we do, that invites the Holy Spirit to take us over and then putting that faith to work in love. Actually doing something with it.
We’re going to look at that today and see how God has been helping us do that. I want you first to hear some stories about faith, that personal relationship with Christ. The first story you’re going to hear is from a woman sharing how the Student Ministry has made a difference in the faith of her family and then you’ll hear from a young woman who has been involved in The Story Houston.
Let’s hear now our first story.
Good morning, I am Melinda Elder.
In May of last year, my husband, Scott, and I sat in the congregation and listened as our daughter spoke from the pulpit on Senior Sunday. She described the love and connection she felt by being a part of the Student Ministry at St. Luke’s. She explained the turning point in her faith journey – when her parent’s church, became her church and when Christ became real to her. This turning point was fostered by her involvement in the Student Ministry.
When Scott and I began attending St. Luke’s 26 years ago, the first ministry that we became involved with was the Student Ministry. And it was a blast – we went on camping trips, floated down the river, led Sunday school and confirmation. We also held weekend retreats at our house. Being young and newly married, we had very little furniture so there was plenty of space for sleeping bags. We even got to hear stories of the shenanigans of former St. Luke’s youth ministers [looking at Tom Pace]. And through serving, my faith grew in surprising ways as I watched these kids getting to know Christ and developing their own, personal faith.
Those students and the student ministers became a significant part of our church family. One of those students was our daughter’s first babysitter when she was just an infant. Scott and I knew that when our kids entered middle school, we wanted them to be a part of the Student Ministry here at St. Luke’s.
Beginning in their middle school years, Scott and I encouraged and cajoled (as the case may be) our two kids to attend Sunday school, small groups, and other Student Ministry activities. It took time but eventually no encouragement or cajoling was necessary – they made friends with the other students and got to know their parents and the student ministers.
Scott and I have watched as the student ministers, parents, and other student ministry leaders have connected, encouraged, and loved on our kids. They have often spoken truth and wisdom into their lives when we didn’t have the right words. After weathering the storm of most of the teenage years together (we still have a couple to go), these parents are some of our best friends.
For our daughter, Student Ministry’s impact has come full circle. This past summer she was a Student Ministry intern and worked for Student Minister Brindley Ginn, who was her first babysitter 19 years ago.
The past year has been especially difficult for the 4 of us. Pain can take your breath away. But the phone calls, texts, hugs, listening ears and quiet presence of the student ministers, parents, and students in this church have enabled us to live through this past year with hope and an understanding of God’s ever present grace. By being a part of the Student Ministry, my family has witnessed firsthand the living Christ and this has had a lasting impact on our faith journey.

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Good morning, thank you for having me this morning. My name is Sarah Swantner and it is a joy to be here with you sharing how I came to The Story and how God has used this ministry in my life.
I grew up and went to school in Austin, TX. In 2013, after 23 wonderful years, I left kicking and screaming to follow my husband, Daniel, to Houston. My whole life was in Austin. My family, my friends, and church community were all there and I couldn’t see how anything I found in Houston would ever compare.
We took our time finding a new church home. We both grew up in a traditional Methodist church so we thought we should try St. Lukes! Immediately all the traditions came flooding back and we thought this would be it for us, but I still felt something was missing. I knew God was stirring me to keep looking for that feeling I felt at church in Austin, full of people who are searching and questioning, where the music is so loud you need ear plugs. Not long after coming to St. Lukes, a friend recommended The Story. “It’s right behind St. Lukes…just follow the people in jeans!”
The next week we walked into the gym and found a couple seats in the back. Not 1 minute later did Pastor Eric plop down in front of us, “Hi, welcome to The Story, I’m the pastor here, would you like to help with communion?” I couldn’t believe the pastor was personally introducing himself to us, I felt like a VIP, and him asking us to help participate in the service made me feel like we had been attending for months. For the first time in 3 years I felt like I belonged somewhere. God brought us to a place in Houston where we felt like important members of a family and not just strangers.
It has almost been 2 years since that first visit and we are now leading a couple’s chapter group, have participated in leadership trainings, spoken at church, and will be teaching the new member class in November.
I am amazed when I think about how God has been working in our lives. Daniel and I both would say that we have been Christians our whole lives. But I know that it hasn’t been until recently that I have really recognized the work God has done in our lives over the past couple years. I have seen Daniel become a spiritual leader for our family and our chapter, and I feel confident sharing the gospel and my own faith with others. We are excited to be a part of a church with such a compelling mission: to inspire nonreligious Houstonians to play their part in the unfolding story of God’s love in Jesus Christ. More than ever we speak openly about our faith and I feel like our marriage is stronger than it has ever been. We were lost in a big city and God lead us to this amazing community where we found a home and a purpose…to share the love of Jesus.

Hear now these words from the Gospel of Luke 17 verses 20 and 21. Once Jesus was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was coming, and he answered, “The kingdom of God is not coming with things that can be observed; nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There it is!’ For, in fact, the kingdom of God is among you.”
I loved hearing these stories of faith. How it grows in people’s lives, that relationship with Christ. How Christ can begin as something that maybe you are just going through the motions with religion and then becomes real and powerful.
But I want to talk now with what do you do with that? What does that lead to in our lives? And what it leads to, the scripture says, it is putting that to work in love, enacting it, putting feet on it. What I want to talk about next is how we do that. First and foremost right around us. You all probably know that one of my favorite quotations, I’ve shared many times before, is from a French Carmelite Nun, Saint Thérèse of Lisieux. She says: Love the people God has placed closest to you. Do not go looking for more fascinating people to love. I love that. That idea that they’re right here. Paul writes in Galatians 1: Bear one another’s burdens and in doing so you’ve fulfilled the law of Christ. And then in Galatians 10: Do good to all, especially those in the family of believers. I want you to think in terms of concentric circles. You begin with this love that’s within you, that God has placed within you in faith and that then spreads first to the people right around you, to those within the community of faith.
You’re going to hear now two stories about people who have been involved in sharing and giving and receiving love right here in our midst, who have given themselves away right here. The first is from a family who has invested themselves in so many things, have woven their lives into the fabric of the church and they are going to share the impact that that has had on them. The second is from a woman who has chosen to give herself away teaching in our Children’s and Youth Ministry Departments and the difference that has made for her. So listen now as we hear this next story.

Paul & Kris Woldy
Kris & I would like to share this short story with you. On the surface, it is not unique, thousands of Houstonians had similar experiences. But for us it was life changing…
We watched the weather carefully all day Saturday, August 26, knowing the streets were flooding. But going upstairs, we thought that the situation was stable. Coming downstairs Sunday morning, I thought of the gospel hymn, “O Lord, didn’t it rain…” There was water everywhere. It rose quickly, finally coming over our knees. Our next door neighbors called looking for “dry land” (they only had a single floor). Shortly, we had our own ark with three dogs, two cats, our neighbors and ourselves. The power went out Sunday afternoon, so we shared some ham sandwiches with our Jewish friends and made an early night of it. By noon Monday the power was back on and the flood waters were receding. We had been on several trips with Dr Christians and she called to check on us. Tuesday morning, we were all able to leave with relatives in town.
Kris & I didn’t know where to start. Everything on the first floor was one large jumble. Tuesday afternoon, St Luke’s called asking how we were and what we needed. We thought we might need some help getting carpet and furniture out of the house and packing to prepare for demo and dry out. Thursday morning our daughter drove us back to our house. We were met by friends from the choir and started “mucking out”. The Fellowship class called; they were also coming to help. What a blessing! “There are angels hovering round…” drifted through our heads. Someone else brought lunch. We heard sounds of feathers fluttering through the house all day. At the end of the day, coordinators from St Luke’s visited and helped us plan what we needed to do. The next day, another group from St Luke’ arrived, led by a woman we met on an Israel trip, and a friend from Men’s Life. It was evident, we grossly underestimated the effort and the many decisions required to get ready. I don’t know what we would have done without our St Luke’s family.
That Sunday, we needed to be at church. Sid had sent a message to the choir emphasizing the importance of “…celebrating God’s love, that is new every morning and working in our midst…” We were reminded to be thankful, but to remember those who were still suffering and worried about an uncertain future. The service touched our hearts and brought back memories of the past week, some joys and some tears.
The following week, we took time to assess. We celebrated returning to weekly choir rehearsals and fellowship. And the choir was back at the house once again to help us get everything ready to start demolition on Saturday.
Kris and I felt loving arms around us and strong hands supporting us every day. We did not doubt that while “His eye was on the sparrow…” he was also watching over us. The love and support we received after the storm and continue to experience is something we will never forget.
When we first visited, almost six years ago, we were concerned about joining a mega church. The music, the preaching, and most of all the people we met drew us to St Luke's. This church is unique. We have never been part of another like it. Thank you, for your help, for your prayers, for the opportunity to serve and witness that God’s love is working in our lives and in the church.

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Haley Smith
Good Morning! My name is Haley Smith. I am a transplant down here by way of Oklahoma for the last 16 years and have been a member here at St. Luke’s for that same 16 years. I have been lucky to have sort of fallen into my ministry here and have been serving in the children’s and now student ministries for the last 10 years. I say that I “fell” into it because I don’t have any kids of my own in the youth program. But I do have two lovely nieces that I keep for a week every summer (they live in McKinney). Ten years ago, when they were toddlers I brought them to church and put them into the children’s area for Sunday School…at the time I think all the kids were running around in the gym that day (I’m sure I was just excited to let them burn off some energy).
Anyway – when I picked them up in the gym, one of the children’s ministry staff complemented me on my way with the kids (remember – these were my nieces, not my own kids!!!), and asked if I’d consider teaching. I immediately clarified that these weren’t my kids, they weren’t part of the program and they didn’t even live in town…so obviously I shouldn’t and wouldn’t be teaching. My eyes and heart were maybe opened a little when that person invited me to teach anyway and that not having my own kids wasn’t a problem at all. I must have had a little hole in my life that God was ready to fill because it did appeal to me to serve in the children’s ministry. I didn’t have kids of my own and I only got to see my nieces every so often, so it felt like a great outlet to spend time with kids as well as find a place to serve the needs of the church.
I started out teaching the 4 year old class and was invited for a second year, so I taught the 4 year olds again. I came every week I was in town, even though the schedule only required me every other week or so. I found myself not wanting to miss that consistent touch point with the kids every week. And, truth be told, I enjoyed teaching…letting the kids be individuals and have fun and learn at the same time, and I just didn’t want to miss it. From that year on, I also decided that the relationship aspects were important too and so I wanted to journey with the same group of kids as they grew. So I moved up to Kindergarten, then 1st grade and 2nd grade…all the way up to 5th grade. After that came 6th grade confirmation classes and now they are in the 7th grade where I help with small group discussions for the middle schoolers in general, but especially the 7th graders.
It is so gratifying to be watching these once 4 year-olds now as 7th graders and growing in their faith. One of the gratifying things for me has been to be a consistent face for both the kids and the parents.
Serving with the children has been an important element of my life – filling that hole in my life that loved and didn’t have children, and laid a foundation for me. I can only assume that God thought that I just needed a LOT of extra training before he laid it on my heart to have a child of my own. And I am so pleased now, that after 17 years of marriage, my husband and I are now parents of our very own 5 month-old! Perhaps God was just waiting until I was positioned to have a great pool of babysitters to choose from!
And truly, with no family down here in Houston, the church has really drawn me in, particularly through the youth ministries and I can say the staff and the kids and the parents have really provided me with support and encouragement as I’ve now had my own little one.
I’m glad I was asked, point blank, to start teaching with the kids. I would have never volunteered otherwise. And it just goes to show the power of the ask. And here in a few years, who knows but if I won’t be ready to start over with the 4 year-olds again!

Our third lesson today is from the letter of James, Chapter 1, verses 22-25: But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror; for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like.But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act—they will be blessed in their doing.
We put feet on our faith, putting it to work in love right here in our midst. The kingdom of God is among us. But is that enough? I want you to imagine that you, (you know the Patriots and Texans are playing in 30 minutes or so, some of you are like, let’s move it along Pastor). Imagine that you went to that game and before the first play the team ran out on the field and they got together around the quarterback in the huddle and that’s all they did. They just stayed there in the huddle talking about football, talking about the plays they could do, talking about how great football is, but they never broke out of the huddle. To put faith in love is not simply to care for one another’s burdens but we have a responsibility to be witnesses in the world around us. Acts talks about how we are witnesses in Jerusalem. We receive faith. The Holy Spirit through faith, comes upon us, we receive power from on-high, Acts says. And from there we are witnesses in Jerusalem, in Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. So it’s this movement outward.
The next two stories that you’re going to hear, first is from Mwende and Cadeau who are part of our Gethsemane congregation. Our Gethsemane congregation is right in the midst of the most culturally diverse part of our city. Mwende has been involved in so much. You’ll hear him speak about his work in the Christian Community Service Center’s community garden, and the work he’s doing in our congregation as well. The story you’ll hear, he has been practicing in his English as a second language class at our Gethsemane campus through our Connect ministry there. His son will share with you as well.
The second story you’ll hear are from some folks who have headed off and really involved in our mucking ministry over the last few weeks. Listen now as we hear their stories.

I am Mwende Mweam John Kamengele. I was born in Central Africa in the small village of Akyumbwe in the Democratic Republic of Congo on April 12, 1974. I am married with five children, four sons and a daughter.
We were in the Mozambique Maratane Refugee Camp for seven years when we finally were able to meet with the International Organization for Refugees (UNHCR). This organization helps refugees who have been discriminated against for religious, racist, ethnic, illness, and ecological problems in their country. We went through many, many interviews, our family history had to be verified through the Protection Office, the GA&VA, and the immigration examinations. While in the refugee camp I volunteered and taught other refugees the rules and regulations of the camp. My occupation in the Refugees Camp of Mozambique included volunteering as a teacher of Sunday school, cleaning the Church, volunteering as Security in the Camp and before that, I was an agricultural man. We had two more children in the refugee camp, only Mwende Kamengele M John II survived. After thirteen years in the camp we received our Confirmation and Welcome to America Papers. My wife, my five children and I were on our way to America. We traveled for two days, from Mozambique to South Africa to New York City and finally to Houston, Texas. This journey was both exciting and terrifying, we were leaving our home and country behind.
We have been in the United States now for four years and nineteen days. We have two sons in college and our daughter is graduating from high school this year. Our other two sons are in the 10th and 7th grade.
(Cadeau) I am Kamengele John, the oldest son of Mwende. After we settled in our Gulfton apartment in Houston, we search for a Methodist church where we can worship God. One Sunday morning, I saw a Gethsemane United Methodist church bus. I wave to the driver to stop but he did not see me. I ran after the bus and after a few blocks we arrived at the St. Luke’s Gethsemane campus. The church welcomed me, and a few weeks later the rest of my family members joined the church. The following Sunday, I started to sing with the choir. I love music and singing is my way of praising God for his grace and goodness.
Today, I am very busy in my new country. Not only do I help to raise our children, but I also volunteer at St. Luke's United Methodist Church in many different ways. I help with Sunday school by keeping our Bibles and books organized, I make sure there is enough coffee for everyone, and I also help prepare Communion and serve as a Church Usher and Greeter. On Fridays you can see me tending our bountiful CCSC community garden. I serve as a counselor for our Congolese Community by helping new immigrants to integrate their lives in their new home, the United States. And finally, I am also integrated in ESL classes to improve my English and continue my education.
I am thankful that my family and I are safe in our new country, United States of America. An exceptional land, with its multi-cultural society that offers all many opportunities.

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Hello everyone, my name is Jenn Floyd, and my husband Darin and I were drawn into St. Luke’s several years ago through some dear friends of ours. Since we’ve been coming here we not only loved the greater worshipping community, but we also fell in love with our Three Strands Sunday School class. While we cannot claim to have the most consistent Sunday presence, when our class started putting together support for the hurricane recovery it only felt right to jump right in with our friends and our community to help. Given both of our backgrounds in project management and construction, mucking homes was a fitting place to devote our energies. So we came in on Saturday and joined a mucking crew organized here and then came back the next day to lead our own crew.
After a weekend of mucking with our St. Luke’s family, Darin and I then turned our help inside out working at friends’ homes and I helped lead coordination of my company's disaster relief efforts of mucking for my fellow coworkers.
To give you a small snap shot of our mucking journey… One of the homes we mucked with our Sunday school family was in an area on the west side of town where the streets were still flooded when we arrived. We parked as close as we could, loaded up our wheel barrow and arms with the tools for job, and made our way to the address. As we got to our address the tragedy of what was still happening was right before our eyes with houses still filled with water just yards away. In the flurry of activity going on around us we found the home owner and St. Luke’s member, Joe, who dropped what he was doing to gratefully and warmly welcome our help. Seeking our names and shaking our hands, he reached out to each of us. And then once he oriented us and we had our bearings, we dived into the flurry and got to work. It was tough work and there was a lot of it. Thankfully there were many people helping out. And despite the chaos again at the end of the day Joe took the time to connect with us and wanted to thank each of us personally for our work. While he must have been weary from his work and heavy with the challenge of his losses, his warmth and intention were true moments of connection.
Through this experience and many others we captured a few reflections: • It may seem obvious when I say it, but it caught us by surprise that water adds weight to everything it touches…books, stacks of bills, clothes, carpets, furniture, sheetrock, the list goes on. And if water got to something, it is hard to save. • Mucking is tough and laborious physical work. It is also a battle against a ticking clock, trying to get everything wet out of a flooded home; to stay ahead of the mold and prepare for renovations. • But many people do not always realize that while it can be tough and physically laborious, it is also heart wrenching work. Helping people carry memories to their curbs in soggy, dirty pieces is not easy. People still in shock often need more care and presence than their house and belongings.
Through this experience the resilience of community has been so inspiring to us. Despite their bleak circumstances, everyone we met was truly doing the best they could to help not only themselves but others as well. I imagine that Darin and I are not the only people out there that really do not like to ask for help. But having been on the giving side, wow, what an experience it is to be able to help someone who has asked for it. In a time where there is so much need, I think many of us want to go out and help. And we have been blessed by people willing to let us into their homes and hearts to help them anyway we can.
I truly hope that we can continue to remember the work of our hands and hearts and as things get back to quote “normal” for many, and that we not forget to muck around a little bit now and again. To connect with others. To help others. To live our faith with our presence outside these sanctuary walls.

Friends I have watched you all over the last month give yourselves away in amazing ways, to show up and do everything you can to help the people around you, to invest yourself in the work of the church, to put faith to work in love. What today is about is letting you know that God, through you, really does make a difference. It really does change lives, this work that we do and I am so honored to be able to do it with you. We’re going to close by doing this backwards. We’re going to say the benediction together and then close with a choral response.
Join me in our benediction. May God the eternal keep you in love so the peace of Christ may abide in you. Go and serve God and neighbor in all that you do. Bear witness to the love of God in this world so that those to whom love is a stranger will find in you generous friends. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen