Scott Sheldon did the Mission Moment on Sunday, May 15, 2011. It was his last Sunday before taking a new job in San Francisco. He used the opportunity to share with the congregation his thanks for its hospitality as well as to announce a new initiative called the Feed More Sheep Fund. Here is a link to the video of his sharing:

The theme feed more sheep has been running through my mind for the past few weeks. I thought of all the Bible verses about what would Jesus want me to do. I thought about what I don’t do to feed more sheep, like door to door or very open evangelism.

Then it occurred to me that it is in my every-day activities…my every contact with people.

As an example I work part-time at the local hardware store. It is there that I have the chance to serve people, no matter how they look, no matter what their attitude is or the question they ask. I am there to treat them as Jesus would have treated them.

So, it is my everyday interchanges with people, at ACE as I greet someone in the center aisle, at the gasoline station, at ShopRite or even going through TSA full body scan security.

With each contact I am trying to behave as Jesus would in his daily activities trying to feed more sheep. It is the way I feel most comfortable and capable of feeding more sheep.

April 10, 2026

How will I feed more sheep? The short answer is that I am a student at Princeton Theological Seminary, and I am responding to God’s call to feed more sheep by training for ministry and eventually serving as a leader in a church, probably a youth leader.

But the truth is, if I look back at the past few years of my life, I shouldn’t be in any position to serve at a church. Just seven years ago, as a Rutgers College student, I didn’t even believe in God at all. I was an atheist. Like a hardcore, Christian people are delusional, atheist.

So if you told me seven years ago, “You’re going to seminary!” I would have probably laughed in your face. But it’s funny how things work out. At my time in college, I became really close friends with a devout Christian. He was open about his faith, and we would talk about it – not drilling it down my throat, but also not trying to hide it.

Maybe even more importantly, he was a good friend when I needed it; during my third year, I struggled through relationship problems and other issues, and he, and other Christian friends I had, listened to me and supported me. Though I had done everything I could to reject serving God, these children of God served me.

Eventually, I started attending my friend’s church, Outreach Red Bank, and I came to faith and grew as a Christian. And as time went on, my life continued to follow this pattern: I became able to serve only because people served me first.

- At the church, I spend three years as a leader at the high school group, and I had leadership roles during worship and in the service ministry, but only because of the church leaders who went through the Bible and theology with me, who discipled me, and took time out to help me.

- At my previous job at a newspaper, I was able to move up in the company and contribute my skills in editing and writing stories, but only because I had a great boss who believed in my work and testified to his bosses on my behalf.

- And then there’s my wife; any serving, any feeding of sheep I can do, is only because she has supported me: in encouraging me, in teaching me, and in so many other ways I can’t even count.

When I think about all the people that have served me first in my life, I am convinced that they are true witnesses to the God who served us first, who, while we were enemies of God, humbled himself as a servant and died in our place, taking on our sin and brokenness on Himself so that we could serve and love others.

So, to the mission question: I will feed more sheep by training at seminary and going into ministry. But I know I can only do that because God fed me first.

April 3, 2026

The Gospel of John, Chapter one, verse one says:
“In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God.”

My interpretation is that God appeared with words which are messages we learn today through the Bible. And therefore, words have power. In addition, the words we speak were originally created holy, just as God created Adam and Eve sinless in the beginning.

The serpent, however, used words to cause Adam and Eve to disobey God. Since then, we human beings must face temptation every day according to the Bible. Consequently, the evil spirit, or Satan, causes us to utter unholy words with our mouths where we should only speak God’s holy words.

One minister said that we can help one another in three ways:

1. We can help others financially when they are poor or need of money, like the U.S. Government has been giving aid to poor countries and like we donate for earthquakes and Tsunami victims.
2. We can help others physically like Mother Theresa.
3. We can help other people by not saying any words to hurt them.

I thought that the third one is the most difficult. Several years ago, when we were getting inundated with calls from advertising people, I used to say to them “ Can’t you get a better job rather than bothering people” and bang, I would hang up the phone- irritated. That was me.

Today, when I get similar calls, I usually say “Thank you for calling. God Bless you!

One day, I read a little story about President Lincoln. He wrote a letter to General Robert Lee after the civil had ended saying you should have done this and that…. then he threw the letter in his waste basket. He did not see the purpose of sending that letter even if that was his advice to General Lee. President Lincoln thought that it would only make him feel worse.

Likewise, I don’t say anything to my husband or to my children if I think it will hurt their feelings and keep peace. The choice of words can build up a relationship rather than breaking it. Good words can create hope in a desperate situation. Good words create love where there is hatred and so forth. Our maturity comes from the way we use our words.

So, how do I feed more sheep?

My way of feeding more sheep will be not to hurt other people’s feelings by what I say.

March 27, 2026

Good morning!

How am I answering God’s call to feed more sheep? Before I go any further with the question, let me tell a little about this God that I have learned to lean on and trust in. Church, this God is real. Yes! And worthy of our praise. It is because of God’s grace and mercy that we have come thus far on our journey, and traveling this journey I have learned that GOD LOVES US!

God, the Creator of heavens and Earth and all that is within – Yes, the creator of you and me – this God has given each of us some kind of talent. Some more than others. Why? Now, hold it, Jim; that is God’s business.

What I do know is that I am held responsible for what God has given me. Luke 21:1-4 tells us about the widow who gave only two small copper coins, which were worth very little, to the temple treasury, while the others were putting in large amounts. Jesus, seeing this, said to his disciples, “I tell you the truth; this poor widow has put in more than all the others.” Little things mean a lot.

So, when you see me smile, embrace God’s grace and mercy, feeding more sheep.

When I give you a hug, embrace God’s grace and mercy, feeding more sheep.

When you hear me sing or play my horn, embrace God’s grace and mercy, feeding more sheep.

Church, we serve a good God! PRAISE BE TO GOD!

March 13, 2026

In the late fall of 1992, I was talking with Byron Leasure, pastor of this church, about how nice it would be if we had some type of daily devotional booklet for Advent. Thus was born the first of a long line of booklets for Advent and Lent. The first ones were collections of favorite readings, poetry, and original writings submitted by the congregation. Eventually, the contributions dwindled out, and something told me that each booklet should have a central theme, and in 1998 the Lenten booklet was entitled “Follow Me” and talked of the various ways Jesus calls us.

I hope that, over the years, these booklets have been helping to feed more sheep. I know that they have traveled as far away as Texas and Arizona and that one Lenten booklet was used in Pennsylvania in a discussion group for prisoners convicted of violent crimes. I know that at least one member of this congregation has told me that she has kept every one of them and rereads them.

This year, right after Christmas, I mentally asked the usual question: “Okay, what are we going to do for Lent?” The phrase I heard in my head was: “Spiritual gifts.” Hmmm. Forty-seven entries on spiritual gifts? That sounded hard. Knowing that Easter was late this year, I decided to revisit the topic at a later date. Then, at our January Council meeting, we adopted the goal of 52 voices in these Mission Moments… people telling how they are using their “spiritual gifts” to feed more sheep. I knew then why I had been given that topic. So, here is this year’s booklet: “Many Gifts, One Spirit.” Through Lent, we will look at how we recognize our gifts, how we are using them now, how we might use them differently, and how we can recognize and acknowledge the gifts in others.

The booklets are free. If you are able to donate $1 to defray the copying costs, that’s fine. But please take one as our gift to you to help you feed more sheep.

March 6, 2026

When it comes to feeding more sheep, actively engaging our faith in love for the sake of our neighbors, there can arise a distinct and unhelpful bias. Thinking about mission in our communities often leads to the notion that we must do something, typically something extra-ordinary: solve hunger, rebuild devastated neighborhoods, travel halfway across the world. These motivations are well and good, but most of us won’t do these things daily. Are there “common” practices useful for feeding more sheep?

One that I’ve been challenging myself with recently is the gift of listening. That’s right, sitting back and hearing another person with compassion, as Jesus models toward Nicodemus, the Centurion, and the dejected travelers to Damascus. Listening communicates to others that we value them, their time, and their experiences. On my best days, I’d like to think I have a penchant for listening, but the gift has become quite relevant of late. Listening – not some weeks ago – to the intermediate stories and faith-journey of a friend with whom I had been estranged for several years. Listening with an open heart as tensions rise in a difficult and trying family situation. Listening to the joys of a friend whose post-high school life and future seems – Lord willing – to be coming together.

There’s much to be said for opening our ears. Besides, if we do not listen, how will we know the needs of those whom we are called to feed?

February 27, 2026