Growing Disciples Reflect on Serving

This past week, the Northern Illinois Synod Staff was asked to respond to the following question: 

What does it mean to be in a community called together to serve those in need?

Their responses are below and show the diversity in our understanding of what it means to serve and how our past experiences shape how we might answer this and similar questions.

Bishop Stacie Fidlar

• In my heart and faith, being a synod/church is being called to serve those in need. We follow Jesus – and that is what Jesus did. He went where people were, he gathered them, he fed them, he healed and challenged and comforted them, and he told us to follow him to all those places. He’s even clearer that when we see the face of those in need, we are seeing his face, a face we love and that we know loves us.

  And together is an important piece of following Jesus. Jesus would often go off by himself to pray and renew his spirit with God. But everything else, from preaching and teaching to washing feet and going to the Garden, everything else he did with others. A group of people he mentored and sent out in pairs is continually built into a community. He didn’t even send away children or those other people who were seen as “unworthy” of being part of the community. Jesus welcomed them all in. As a synod, as a church, we are brought together as Jesus’ body, Jesus’ community NOW, in this time and place. We are sent out TOGETHER to be his body now. We are called TOGETHER to do his work now. We may worship in separate congregations, but there is no competition or separation: we are Jesus’ body together in this world. And we care for all his children, followers, and those waiting to see him TOGETHER.

Ms. Lori Whalen

• When I think about the times I have served those in need, often it has been with a community of faith. One of the best things about serving in this manner is the diversity of gifts that people bring to the table. There is a common goal for the group (preparing a meal to serve at a shelter, building a wheelchair ramp, packing food bags for students), but each person brings their specialty, their gift. I tend to get drawn to the finance side of operations; others enjoy the hospitality of serving; and others can plan and direct a group in their sleep. It's the living example of 1 Corinthians 12; we can't all be the foot or hand or eye. We need each other, doing what we each do best, working together in community to accomplish the goal. Collaborating like this, we can accomplish so much more!

Pastor Josh Ebener

• Last weekend, leaders from our synod gathered with Becoming Oswego for a workshop entitled “Reimagining Church Together” presented by Rev. Emily Harkins, pastor and mission developer of The Dwelling in Winston-Salem, NC.  Pastor Harkins describes The Dwelling as a ministry “built alongside and, more importantly, led by people who have lived through homelessness, addiction and recovery, generational trauma and poverty, incarceration, mental health challenges. And we’ve got a few accountants and cowboys, too.”  In a world that constantly tells people who are living on the margins that they don't belong, The Dwelling is a church that tells them that the world has it all wrong.

  In her presentation, Pastor Harkins said, “This is not about doing ministry for the marginalized. It is about doing ministry with those at the edges - and recognizing that they are not objects of our compassion. They are subjects of God’s liberation. It is not about ‘outreach.’ It is about equity. It’s not about ‘helping the less fortunate.’ It’s about building a world where everyone’s fortune is bound up together. Because it is."

  She talked about a shift from “transaction” to “relationship,” from “ministry to” to “ministry with.”  It involves shifting from We assume what people need to We ask and listen first, from Programs are designed for the community to Programs are co-created with the community, from Volunteers are heroes or saviors to Everyone has gifts to offer, from Needs define people to People are whole and complex, from We offer services to We build relationships, from One-way giving (us to them) to Mutual exchange (we receive, too). 

Pastor Julie Monnard

• All too often, we share the love of God by serving our neighbor without knowing how much of an impact we are making. We serve a community meal but don’t know how lonely the person across the table is. We donate school supplies and angel tree gifts but never see the children’s faces light up when they receive the items. Even a minister preaches a sermon but might not know which parishioners are thinking about it days later. When we serve, we might never know whose lives are changed because of it.

  So, we have to trust in God. We have to trust that God is working through us to serve our neighbor. We trust that even our smallest actions are making a difference in the lives of others. 

Pastor Mack Patrick

• Serving is foundational to how I view the purpose of the church. We are being called, as beloved children of God, to be in community, to ensure that our neighbors are being seen as God has created them. Serving in the community means that we are looking out for each other in a way that honors ourselves and our identity. In the places where my faith has been enlivened is in places where serving goes beyond simply giving out food or clothes, but to building relationships, hearing stories of lived experiences, and witnessing the power of being human. Being called as a community to serve our neighbors means we aren’t picking one side of an issue but working to meet people where they are, being creative in meeting their needs, and inviting them into something bigger than ourselves. 

Pastor-Elect Lindsay Fertig-Johnson

• Kintsugi is a Japanese art form that restores broken pottery by filling the cracks with gold or silver. The broken pieces are believed to be part of the pottery’s story and, rather than hiding the damage, the repair is illuminated. It is believed that the piece of pottery is beautiful not in spite of the brokenness, but because of it and the way the gold brings together the brokenness and makes it once again whole.

  As a community called together in service, we are like kintsugi. We are broken and beloved children of God, united and made whole through the death and resurrection of Jesus. In the waters of baptism, God claims us just as we are, mends us with grace, and calls us into something more. It is not a call to perfection but a call to live among God’s faithful people, proclaim the good news of Christ in word and in deed, and to serve all people, following the example of Jesus.

  We cannot fix our brokenness on our own, and yet, God continuously works within us and others to reunite this broken and weary world. As people of God, who are simultaneously saints and sinners, bound together by Christ’s love, we are sent to serve the neighbor in need. Like the gold-filled cracks in Kintsugi, our shared wounds and experiences often become places where God meets us and reunites us with the Triune God and one another. In serving together, we shed light on the ways God works through our imperfections to bring healing, justice, and hope to the world.

Pastor Jen Beamsley

• I’ve been thinking about that this year because I’ve been on the receiving end of the body of Christ’s friendship and care. This year, I’ve been “in need.”No one wants to be there, but sooner or later, we all are. For me, it hasn’t been about food, shelter, or a family that loves me. It’s been about being “lifed” by grief and hard seasons for those I love most. As a caretaker for many, there have been stretches that felt heavy.

  And yet, I’ve been surrounded by the tangible love of God through the care of people who prayed for me, supported me, and—most precious of all—gave me permission to be human. I’ve been nourished by stories of God told in sermons and prayers, and met with mercy when others gave me space to tend what I needed, accepting me as I was in the moment.

Laura Bergren

• Being called together to serve those in need means recognizing Christ in all our neighbors and responding with kindness, tenderness, and a willingness to walk alongside them.  

  Loving our neighbors isn’t something one does alone—it’s something we do together as God’s people. Each of us is part of something bigger, a church joined by the Holy Spirit and called to care for the world with compassion and justice. Whether it’s feeding the hungry, advocating for equity, or simply being present with someone who’s hurting—we serve not to earn God’s favor, but because God has already given us grace, freely and fully. We serve because it’s how we share the love we’ve received. 

  When we come together as a community to serve, we become living signs of God’s love. We reflect that love in real, tangible ways. Our love becomes more than words; it becomes action. And together, grounded in faith, hope, and love, we listen for where there is need—and we show up, not alone, but together.