On behalf of the congregation, Deacons preserve and promote orthopraxy which means right living , or right practice . Jesus said, by this will all people know you are my disciples, if you love one another . Not, if you think rightly, but rather if you live rightly. Love your neighbor as you love yourself . In every era the church must define love and discover just who its neighbors are.
Deacons keep practical possibilities for ministry ever on the church s mind.
Ministers of the Word and Sacrament such as Pat and me are ordained by the church to teach and proclaim the Word, the Word and those words that empower the faint-hearted and enliven those who feel as good as dead. Words are powerful. Words can create . Words can destroy. The Reformed tradition holds the power of the Word and words in high regard.