Reflecti ons from History and Faith: In church going, is Christ showing?

By Jeff Olson

Over the years I have heard several people describe a specific town as being a good community and would add perhaps for validation that it has a lot of church-going folks. At some point, the comment about church-going folks caught my attention and provoked some deeper thought and reflection. While certainly being complimentary, it also brought to my concern a mind-set and assumption that has become prevalent in our culture. Evangelist Billy Sunday (1862-1935) once declared: “Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than going to a garage makes you an automobile.” Though the analogy is quite humorous, it is nevertheless quite true.

While this is not questioning the sincerity or spiritual condition of any specific persons or local churches, the fact of the matter is that in some cases we have substituted church attendance for the Christian life and the Christian religion for the Christian faith. Too often it is believed that church is just a Sunday morning fix for the week, and then we’re good to go until the next fix is due in seven days.

The Church, by Biblical definition, is the Body of Christ (Ephesians 4:12). Living bodies do not and cannot function just one or two days a week. The true Church of the Son of God, of which every local fellowship is to be a part, functions on a continual sustaining source 24/7 (to use a modern expression). 1 Corinthians 12 provides the definitive analogy of the Body of Christ, where Paul describes how the Church is to function, individually and corporately. While our in gatherings on Sundays and at other times are essen -

In Jesus’ high priestly prayer in John 17:21, He prayed, “That they may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us; that the world may believe that thou has sent me.” to church” and true evidence that we have been! tial and should be times of worship, praise, Bible study, prayer, and fellowship, they do not in themselves exclusively define the Church. The Church, by design, is a composite of individual relationships with Jesus Christ and with one another as manifested during the everyday business of life. And it transcends cultural, socio-economic, denominational, and other superficial man-made barriers which have all too often portrayed a jigsaw puzzle picture of Jesus to a lost and dying world.

And in John 13: 34-35, Jesus said, “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”

As the song lyric so truthfully express, “And they’ll know we are Christians by our love.”

This agape, this Christ-originated and Christ-centered love, is the sustenance and chief characteristic which defines and authenticates the Church, showing our neighbors who and what we are really all about and giving true purpose and motivation for “going

This will be seen and manifested most explicitly through our unity as God’s people; a unity based not on our agreement on personal preferences or secondary issues but on our oneness with Christ, individually and collectively. To quote the words of a song, “We Are One in the Bond of Love.” This is God’s desire and His design, so why can’t it become more of a reality? It can if we choose it to be so (Philippians 2:3, 4:13).

Yes, we are a church-going people, but each of us must ask ourselves if we are a Christ showing, Christ-loving people? None of us are completely there yet, but we should be journeying in that direction, getting closer and closer day-by-day in love and in obedience. Once this becomes a reality in every local fellowship, then the Church will once again have the controlling presence, blessing and power of God and consequently — become a source of positive change in our declining culture.

VETERANS continued from page 5 prehensive approach to saving lives.

In March, I joined Senate Veterans Committee Chairman Jon Tester (D-MT) to introduce the “Not Just a Number Act,” which would require the VA to develop a more complete picture of the factors contributing to veteran suicide.

This bipartisan bill would modernize how we reach and serve veterans who struggle to get the mental health care and support they need. It’s clear the VA needs to update and expand its data collection to examine the relationship between VA benefits and suicide outcomes as well as analyze which benefits have the greatest impact on preventing suicide.

Our goal is to help use the data to improve policies and programs which will ultimately translate into real-world success in preventing suicide.

Right now, the VA’s suicide statistics only incorporate veterans who had appointments at the department’s health facilities. Acknowledging suicide prevention goes beyond just mental health practices is key to solving this crisis.

There are other root causes of suicide we need to be looking at such as food insecurity, lack of housing and financial strain.

I shared that message with my colleagues and VA officials at a recent Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee hearing. It was important to hear the VA agrees on the importance of understanding correlations between Veterans Benefit Association programs and clinical care that prevent veterans from taking their lives.

Preventing veteran suicide is a top priority for me and the committee. I will continue working to pass the “Not Just a Number Act” to give hope to atrisk veterans and fulfill the promise we made to all those who have worn our nation’s uniform.

Women’s Foundation of Arkansas to hold 25th annual event

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The Women’s Foundation of Arkansas (WFA) has announced its 25th annual Power of the Purse event will be at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock on Wednesday, Sept. 27, at 5:30 p.m.

Since 1998, the WFA has held the Power of the Purse event to recognize the accomplishments of women in Arkansas, celebrate the organization’s work and raise funds to secure better economic mobility for women and girls.

Presented by Arkansas Children’s, this year’s event will celebrate the organization’s 25 years of impact for women and girls in Arkansas and recognize the Top 100 Women of Impact in Arkansas list, created in partnership with Arkansas Business Publishing Group and Little Rock Soireé. Building on the legacy of the original Top 100 Women in Arkansas, the 2023 list honors women of various industries, ages and communities across the state who are changemakers and leaders in their fields.

“Twenty-five years ago, the WFA was founded by 100 bold women who sparked change in our state. Since then, we have positioned ourselves as a convener and catalyst for resources to support girls and women,” said Anna Beth Gorman, CEO of the WFA. “We are proud to showcase the generational impact we’ve had throughout our history at this year’s Power of the Purse event while sharing how we will continue to go above and beyond to meet the needs of Arkansas women and girls from early childhood to retirement.”

Event co-chairs are Sharon Tallach Vogelpohl, president and CEO of MHP/Team SI, and her daughter, Carson Tallach Vogelpohl, a student at Mount St. Mary Academy, class of 2026.

Sharon was recognized as the WFA’s Woman of the Year in Business in 2017. Her 27-year career spans the spectrum from copywriting to crisis communications to strategic digital lead-gen for clients in every imaginable category. As a part of her engagement with WFA, she helped conceptualize the Gender Equity Scorecard concept to help educate area businesses on how an equitable workplace is defined. A servant leader, she actively supports numerous non-profits in the areas of education, food insecurity, health and access to medical care, women’s empowerment and youth sports.

Sharon and her husband, Carl, have instilled these values in the next generation: Carson Tallach Vogelpohl, who is passionate about volunteerism, philanthropy and science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education. She captained a national award-winning robotics team, installed a Little Free Library in a community park and championed a volunteer effort at the Arkansas Food Bank within her chosen soccer club, Arkansas Rising.

Carson is the recipient of the Holy Souls Monsignor Allen Servant Leader and Mount St. Mary McAuley Achievement Awards and earned all-conference honors as a freshman member of the varsity basketball team.

“As long-time supporters and partners of the WFA, my daughter and I are proud to represent the organization’s dedication to innova- tive and inclusive work as the 2023 Power of the Purse co-chairs,” said Sharon. “For many years, the WFA has been creating real, actionable change as the leading statewide organization supporting women and girls of all ages. We hope more women and girls will join us in becoming part of the WFA’s next 25 years.”

Individual and corporate sponsor tickets are available now, starting at $150 for individuals and $1,500 for table sponsors. As part of its mission to be accessible and inclusive to women and allies across the state, the WFA will also have a free virtual viewing option available on its website for those interested.

For more information about the 2023 Power of the Purse event or to purchase tickets, visit https://womensfoundationarkansas.org/powerof-the-purse/.

For 25 years, the Women’s Foundation of Arkansas (WFA) has been the leading statewide foundation to focus solely on the economic mobility and security of women and girls in Arkansas through collaboration and focused philanthropic investment.

Through grant-making, research and the Girls of Promise® and Women Empowered initiatives, WFA invests in real solutions that allow women and girls to move up the economic ladder and reach their full potential.

It is the WFA’s belief that improving the lives of women and girls not only advances gender equity but also improves the health and wealth of families, communities and the state as a whole.