As I write this article on this cool and windy day in May, it is hard to imagine that the hot days of summer are just around the corner. But they are! Officially the first day of summer for us in the Northern Hemisphere this year is Wednesday, June 21 (the Summer Solstice) and lasts through to September 23 (the Autumn Equinox).
With the start of summer, Topsail Island comes alive with tourists from all over the place. Here at Emma Anderson Memorial Chapel, we expand our ministry to reach out to as many visitors as possible. Our summer youth ministry begins the second week of June and goes until the second Sunday in August, our Sunday services expand to two (one at 8:00 am and the other at 10) during this same time frame, and our existing programs expand to accommodate the larger crowds.
So, what should our focus be this year as we prepare for this coming “invasion”, I mean “influx” of visitors? I suggest we take a page out of the “play book” of Samaritan’s Purse. As you may know, Julia and I spent eight days in Little Rock, Arkansas as volunteers in disaster relief with Samaritan’s Purse (for details on our experience, see Julia’s write-up elsewhere in this newsletter). As our team of volunteer workers went out each day to help the tornado victims recover, we were often asked, “Why did you come?” Our answer was quite simple: “We have come to help you in the name of Jesus Christ, to be His hands and feet.” As the Apostle Paul said in his second letter to the church in Corinth (II Cor.4:5), For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.
What a good summary of why we do what we do here at EAMC. Or to put it another way, our mission statement says: To glorify God and to proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of All.
Therefore, as we prepare for the summer influx of visitors let us remember that we “do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord.” And we are His hands and feet serving them for His sake. Amen.
*So why are those really hot days of summer called “The Dog Days of Summer”? They get their name from Sirius the dog star in the Canis Major constellation that can be seen in our sky during July and August. They represent the hottest days of the year. The ancient Greeks and Romans believed this period brought catastrophic events. Perhaps they still do.
By Rev. Rich Pollock, Worship Committee Chair