SEPTEMBER 2006

Since June 4, the Day of Pentecost, the Church around the world has been remembering and celebrating the powerful work of the Holy Spirit in the Church and in the world. Our remembrance and celebration of the Spirit will continue in our Services of Worship until November 26, the Last Day of Pentecost which is also called Christ the King Sunday.

Many, many examples of the Spirit’s work in and through the laity could be described below. However, attention will be paid to three cases.

First, there was the Mississippi Mission Trip. Dave and Lorraine DiTonno wisely led the group of thirteen on the mission to Mississippi. They organized the trip, made contacts with First United Methodist Church in Pass Christian, MS, worked out the logistics, helped structure the work days, provided delicious, body-building meals, and prepared encouraging devotionals for each day. Their cheerful, strong leadership enabled others to step up and help out as well. They brought on board Joe Crowley, along with his expertise, truck, trailer, and tools. They worked with Ken Morris, the retired contractor who pointed to various projects, in and around Pass Christian, that needed to be done. All in all, Dave and Lorraine’s selfless leadership set a powerful example for the youth and the adults on the trip to follow. But first and last, this solid lay leadership was motivated and guided by the Holy Spirit.

Second, there was the sermon by Beverlee Smith-Fendt on August 20, the Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost. A teacher in a Christian school in the Triangle area, Beverlee spoke about loving and encouraging Alex, a challenging student in her class. An ordained minister could not have done what Beverlee did. It took a classroom teacher, following the urgings of the Holy Spirit, to reach this young man. In addition, due to the Spirit’s activity, Beverlee’s sermon helped many of us to see the Alex’s in our lives.

Third, there was the opening convocation for first-year students at Duke University. President Richard H. Brodhead, a layman and the president of Duke, challenged the students to take responsibility for their education. Toward the end of his remarks, he said: "As you know, Duke was visited by a great trouble last spring. The resulting legal accusations remain unresolved, and we pray that they will be resolved in speedy, fair, and decisive fashion. But in addition to the contested legal charges, larger questions were raised about responsible student behavior and the boundaries of acceptable conduct. Not one of these questions is unique to Duke, but we are not free to ignore them. In working them through, in discovering how an animated, high-spirited world can be made compatible with the requirements of responsibility and respect, we’ll be counting on your partnership -- the best exercise of your thoughtful intelligence. If you get some experience here collectively imagining how to define and implement a good society, you’ll have learned a form of intelligence of incalculable value for later life. In addition, you’ll have helped make this great university even greater." Here the Holy Spirit worked through a layman in bringing moral challenge to Duke’s Class of 2010.