The General Rule of Discipleship tells us "to witness to Jesus Christ in the world, and to follow his teachings through acts of compassion, justice, worship, and devotion under the guidance of the Holy Spirit." But how does one do this naturally? The first answer would be through acts of compassion, justice, worship, and devotion. That is a good answer, and it is precisely what every member of a Covenant Discipleship group tries to do.

There are times, however, when we need to talk about Covenant Discipleship itself. The best way to do this is by answering questions with gentleness and respect. The members of my Covenant Discipleship group at Grace United Methodist Church in Denver, Colorado, decided to elict those questions by wearing shirts with the Covenant Discipleship logo on them.

The logo places Compassion, Justice, Worship, and Devotion in a circle around the Jerusalem Cross. We wanted a red cross that would stand out on a green shirt. The red symbolizes the blood of Christ. The green represents our growth in discipleship.

The idea came to us at the same time the administrative council had set a date for the church's missions fair. Because our Covenant Discipleship group contributes to the church's mission, we set up a booth to promote Covenant Discipleship and the General Rule of Discipleship. Of course, we all wore our Covenant Discipleship logo shirts.

The Sunday Evening Covenant Discipleship Group From left to right: Jim Reuteler, Joe Miller, Lyle Baumgartner, Clancy Ellebracht, and Marcel Doyon

Since my Covenant Discipleship group is composed entirely of men, we occasionally wear our shirts to The United Methodist Men's Breakfast. Naturally, the logo elicits conversation, which gives us an opportunity to talk naturally about Covenant Discipleship.

We also wear our shirts in public, where we are given natural opportunities to witness to Jesus Christ and to answer questions about Covenant Discipleship and what it means to us.

Wearing the shirts is a way to promote the ministry of Covenant Discipleship groups that invites conversations in which we witness to Jesus Christ and share how we follow his teachings through acts of compassion, justice, worship and devotion under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Along the way, others will be inspired and invited to join us in this ministry and the journey of discipleship.

If your Covenant Discipleship group would like to purchase the Covenant Discipleship logo shirts, you may order them through Clancy Ellebracht for $23 each, plus shipping. A minimum of four shirts must be ordered. Clancy's e-mail address is: sales@ideasandinnovation.com.

James T. Reuteler, Ph.D. is Pastor of Christian Discipleship at Grace United Methodist Church, 4905 E. Yale Avenue, Denver, Colorado 80222. You may contact him at jreuteler@comcast.net.

Posted 12-17-04


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