Pastoral


Reflections Rev. Dr. Jack Haberer


Beloved FPCA Friend, “First Presbyterian Church of Allentown is a diverse body of faith living God’s love in the way of Jesus Christ.” Tese words, the opening statement of our two-sentence Mission Statement, were all I needed to know about this congregation to make me want to be your next pastor.


Although your reputation long preceded our introduction, my first serious look at you came in the spring of 2016 when first reading your Ministry Information Form (MIF). Each MIF—the standard congregational dossier prepared by Presbyterian churches seeking a pastor—includes the respective congregation’s mission statement. Your mission statement arrested my attention.


Now, to be honest, I had read hundreds of church mission statements through my pastoral career, and most generated no more than a shrug. “Cliché.” “Simplistic.” “Predictable.” “If only.” But yours grabbed me.


“Diverse body of faith.” Tose words would have had me skeptical, given the lily white makeup of most of the denomination’s congregations. But your reputation for including an Arabic fellowship and Chin Burmese fellowship had preceded the arrival of the MIF. Te possibility of serving such a mix was exciting.


But what really piqued my imagination was the part about “living God’s love in the way of Jesus Christ.” To be “living God’s love” told me that you’ve got a three-way experience going on. First, you are feeling God’s embrace: “For God so loved the world that he gave…” Second, you are loving God back: “I am my Beloved’s and my Beloved’s is mine.” Tird, you are loving one another within the congregation and outside it: “We love because he first loved us…”


Even more pointedly, your words, “in the way of Jesus Christ,” were telling me that this love is tangible, actionable, and vital—as in the case of Jesus. “God demonstrates his love toward us in this: while we were sinners Christ died for us.” “Love one another as I have loved you.”


In this new church school year, we will be contemplating the many ways we live God’s love in the way of Jesus Christ. We have simplified that phrase into “living Christ’s love.” Tis simple preaching and disciple-making theme packs a wallop of energy, an impetus for strategic planning, and a white-hot passion of hope to drive a movement of eternal consequences.


We will be reworking the rest of our mission, vision, and values summaries so that our efforts will be all the more focused for the days, months, and years ahead. We will be rolling out formulations for strategic planning that we believe God is calling us to fulfill. We will be digging into God’s word and will in order to corral our energies and guide our initiatives.


Would you join with me in recommitting yourself to God’s mission, vision, and values for this next season of our life together? Will you promise to be truly and energetically “living Christ’s love”?


Grace and peace to you and yours,


Jack Haberer Lead Pastor


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