By Marta Castillo
2 Corinthians 1:20-22 says, “For no matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘Yes’ in Christ. And so through him the ‘Amen’ is spoken by us to the glory of God. Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.”
During the weekend of July 11, 2015, Nueva Vida Norristown New Life (NVNNL) celebrated 25 years of life together since integrating three Mennonite churches of different ethnic and cultural backgrounds in Norristown. We celebrated with a worship service by acclaimed pianist James Crumbly, a concert with Crumbly and Friends and a pig roast and fiesta.
As the body of believers at Nueva Vida Norristown New Life, family, friends, and community celebrated 25 years of God’s faithfulness and goodness to us and marveled again at the beauty of God’s promise to provide everything that we need to fulfill the calling that we have been given. Our calling is to be a diverse body of believers who: Worship the Lord in unity; Experience the transforming power of the Holy Spirit; and Proclaim the gospel of reconciliation through Jesus Christ in word and deed.
Together, we speak the “amen” to the promises that God has given us and the “yes” in Jesus. We speak the “amen” when we serve and proclaim in our community. We speak the “amen” when we pray and seek to do God’s will. We speak the “amen” as we continue to love the Lord and allow God’s love to flow through us to others. We speak the “amen” as we commit to speaking against injustice and racism and to be a witness to the power of God for unity and peace. Amen, amen, and amen!
Now, as Nueva Vida Norristown New Life moves beyond the 25 years, we look to God for new vision and strength. We commit ourselves to living God’s promises together, anointed and sealed by the Holy Spirit until Jesus comes.
A special thank you to the NVNNL planning committee, to those who provided the funds and food to make this celebration possible, and to those who traveled from near and far to join us in the celebration.
Marta Castillo is one of three pastors as NVNNL.
The opinions expressed in articles posted on Mosaic’s website are those of the author and may not reflect the official policy of Mosaic Conference. Mosaic is a large conference, crossing ethnicities, geographies, generations, theologies, and politics. Each person can only speak for themselves; no one can represent “the conference.” May God give us the grace to hear what the Spirit is speaking to us through people with whom we disagree and the humility and courage to love one another even when those disagreements can’t be bridged.