Being Saints

Who passed the faith on to you? You’re here because of somebody. It could be your mom, dad, grandparent, spouse, friend, neighbor, co-worker. It could be an entire congregation. The thing about Christianity is, it’s all about relationship. Someone with whom you’re in relationship passed the faith along to you. 

In 2 Timothy 1:5 the Apostle Paul says to Timothy, “I am reminded of your sincere faith that lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now…lives in you.” Timothy’s faith is indebted to those who preceded him, his grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice. Faith is handed down, in this case, from mother to daughter to son. For many of us, faith is passed from generation to generation.

In November we observed All Saints, a celebration of the Communion of Saints. So first, we give thanks for the people who have gone before us, the people who passed the faith along to us. We’re standing on their shoulders. We are who we are because of them.

Furthermore, we are where we are because of those who went before us. Salem began in October 1879 as the Zion United Evangelical Church. Rev. J. E. Stauffacher was sent by the Evangelical conference as a missionary to West Cedar Rapids. He organized fourteen charter members. He held worship services first in the old United Presbyterian Church on Second Street SW and later in a small schoolhouse on Ellis Boulevard NW. They built a little frame church at the corner of First Avenue and Third Street SW in 1881 and replaced it with a brick structure 25 years later.

In October 1927 Zion merged with Immanuel Evangelical and the new congregation took the name First Evangelical Church. Because of a denominational merger in 1946, for the first time we became known as Salem, the Salem Evangelical United Brethren Church.

Another denominational merger in 1968 made us the Salem United Methodist Church. In 2004 the Crosswinds UMC, a new church start, joined with Salem. Then the Flood of 2008 destroyed Salem’s downtown facilities.

Just before Easter in 2010, New Creation UMC offered their 8.3 acres and building to Salem, since they were closing. In 2015 we celebrated the grand opening and consecration of our brand new facility.

Now, here we are 137 years later, standing on the shoulders of the people who have gone before us ever since the Rev. J. E. Stauffacher gathered the first 14 charter members in 1879. Our sincere faith lived first in them.

As we remember and celebrate those saints who have gone before us, remember too that All Saints isn’t only about those who have died. The New Testament understanding of “saints” includes all Christian people of every time and place. That’s us, too. So how should we live as saints now? 

We stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before us, but others will follow and stand on our shoulders. Just as we have received this gift, we have to think about passing it along for those who follow us. 

Some day, perhaps someone else will answer with your name when asked, “Who passed the faith on to you?” Our faith is shared from generation to generation.