Quaker philosopher Elton Trueblood once said that "*Churchgoer* is a vulgar, ignorant word. It should never be used. You can't go to church. You are the church, wherever you go." If he's right, the only day of the week when Westville Methodist Church's address is 38 Jan Hofmeyr Road is Sunday. The rest of the time, our church is in the world - caring for families, working, playing, being good neighbours.
This Sunday is Pentecost Sunday and we remember how the church was gathered in one place and then God poured out the Holy Spirit on all of them - young and old, male and female, with their different life stories, educational backgrounds and natural abilities. All of them. This is why we call Pentecost Sunday the church's birthday - because on this day the whole church was set aside, commissioned for ministry and then sent out into the world. That ministry will look different for each of us, but in the words of Paul Stevens "everybody is a person who can touch God on behalf of people and places and can touch people and places on behalf of God. Everybody is a priest".
This has radical implications for the work of the church (and especially my work!) Our task is to prepare believers for ministry and my responsibility is not to get you all to assist me in "my ministry" in the church; my role is to help equip you for your ministry in the world and in the church. The Spirit of God was poured out on us so that we could all be in full-time ministry!