We aren't a large church capable of carrying out elaborate student ministries, but this congregation in the past has shown it knows how to welcome strangers and refugees, people who find themselves separated from their homes and families, and in some ways students are not so different, having to face challenge and stress and uncertainties far removed from the support of family and friends. I am quite confident with a bit of awareness not only will we be able to see those who are our neighbors, but we will find ways to welcome them into our communal and individuals lives as well. Now, as we know, one characteristic of our physical bodies is that they are undergoing constant change. There is a continual process of regeneration, as cells die and are sloughed off and others are created to replace them. This community undergoes the same process.
People move on.
They depart from us for a variety of reasons, most often because their lives are taking them to other locations. But just as some of our members and friends leave us, others come into our midst to join us and to contribute to the ongoing life of this community. Tab is undergoing this same healthy regeneration and the vitality of this body depends on our collective ability to embrace into full participation the new people who come with talents and abilities and experiences that Tabernacle needs. Bodies are amazingly strong and surprisingly fragile and the life and health of this community needs the support and participation of each of us to be vital. It is an incredible claim to say that we are the Body of Christ.