I think Holy Trinity Church is at its God-called best when we are living into this visionary and orienting ideal: We are seeking to become the cooperative friends of Jesus, seeking to live, through the power of the Holy Spirit, consistent lives of creative goodness for the sake of others.
I first discovered the phase for the sake of others in about 2003 while reading passages in Martin Luther for my doctoral work. Those words are in the subtitle of my first book: Christianity Beyond Belief—Following Jesus for the Sake of Others. It is the name of the diocese I founded…
This is a crucial vision for those of us walking together at HTC because it is an all-encompassing way of being in the world. Seeking to be the cooperative friends of Jesus, and seeking to live, through the power of the Holy Spirit, constant lives of creative goodness for the sake of others catches up and makes sense of our whole lives, not just our religious lives.
Our calling is not to a certain activity, but to a Person and persons. Our life’s work is all the good we will do in the name of Christ—whether we receive a paycheck for it or not. In this sense, everyone is in full time ministry!
If, on both a local and global scale, Holy Trinity were truly a church that existed not merely for ourselves but for others: what would that look like?
We’d look for modest beginnings that yield the most impact.
Key value: worst-case scenario: people feel, not like projects to be undertaken or problems to be fixed, but genuinely loved…
Globally we will continue to give to disaster situations and seek places for us to invest more long-term. On a local level we will seek to deepen our work through Senora school. I envision each of us at Holy Trinity getting involved in one such ministry, making humble, modest contributions—trusting that the power and multiplication of God will come.
We are at our best when we are conscious of the fact that we are not a volunteer organization…we are the body of Christ; filled with the Spirit; transformed by his power (Galatians 5) and by him we receive our calling and gifts. Many people have never experienced the gifts of the Sprit because they have never answered a calling. Calling evokes gifts…you will be given what you need when you need it…
At our best we would be people of kingdom-generosity; knowing that to give our best people and most sacrificial financial gifts is always given back to us pressed-down, shaken together and running over…
– Todd Hunter