Toolbox For Faith

I saw the following idea in the January Newsletter from Trinity Lutheran Church in Pulaski, VA. Pastor Terrie Sternberg suggests that a “ministry of encouragement is rather key to sharing the light of Christ.” In the coming year, Trinity is inviting members of the congregation to “make use of a new pew card, called the ‘Barnabas Card,’ with which you can recognize a person or a group for the work they do in the kingdom of God and share a word of appreciation and encouragement. Barnabas was the new name for one who was generous in supporting the work of the early church, so we will use his name to thank one another. If you think of someone you want to thank for their kingdom work, just send them a Barnabas Card!”

I really like the ‘Barnabas Card’ idea because it encourages people to support one another in their ministry and it invites people to recognize the various ways that we use our gifts to proclaim God’s love in the world.