A letter from Tracy: What’s in a Name?
Christian Service Mission was the name chosen for this organization almost 53 years ago. God called Johnny Lynch to start Christian Service Mission (CSM), and in the 70s, the services an organization provided defined its name. Today, company names are not spelled right or are a play on words or just letters that could mean something or nothing. As the Lord directed me to come to CSM and lead, it was the name that helped me decide if this was the right and appointed place for me: Christians serving the mission of God. Christian Service Mission was and is today the organization God would have to fulfill its assigned mission. I am honored to minister here in this season of this ministry.
Names mean things both in the Bible and today in our culture. They should set the tone and direction, but they can also loudly say the misdirection and subculture that exists today. In the Bible, Jacob’s name was about deception. After he wrestled with an angel, his hip was out of place, and God gave him the new name Israel. Israel means “he wrestled with God.” What a fantastic story God is telling about how he was using a person to create a culture of people special to God. Like Jacob, as Christians, we also get a new name as we live the Word and encounter Jesus’ birth, life, death, and resurrection. As God adopts us into his family, He gives us the new name of “child of God” and hundreds of other new names.
One of the names that the Lord has been guiding me through is “father.” The Lord became my Father the moment I received him. He has been my Father for over 45 years in this life journey. For 40 years, I have been learning to be a father to my family and those I minister to. This name, “father,” carries a responsibility and a role that is impossible without the guidance of my heavenly Father. Thank you, heavenly Father, for giving us the Holy Spirit that resides in us to guide us every moment of the day. Thank you, Holy Spirit, for connecting us with the Son, who intercedes daily with our Father God and sets for us the perfect example.
Christian Service Mission exists to connect resources with needs through relational partnerships to see our community thrive. We all need all God has to offer, and we love connecting people to our Father God. When we do, we become a resource to you, you become a resource to us, and together, through relationship, we can do “good works.” CSM is a name that represents the mission of God for us all as we work with the governing authority of the Church here on earth today. We invite you to join us to bring glory to our Father. As we celebrate the resurrection of Christ in the Easter season, let’s praise the Name of Jesus together.
– Tracy
Previous letters from 2023:
