“Homecoming Sunday” is just around the corner. On September 12 we launch another program year as children register for Sunday School and we recognize and commission their teachers. The choir also returns from the summer break. The theme of our worship that day will be an appropriate one based on the parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin in Luke 15: “Rejoice with Me!”

At the start of a new year of education and mission, it is good to be reminded that each of us is a leader and a learner. The latter role may be easier for us to recognize. We know that there is always more to learn as we seek to grow in our walk with Christ. There are always new insights to be gained from our study of the Scriptures, new light may dawn as we listen to a sermon or a pastor’s forum or attend a committee meeting, the penny may drop as we watch a new Vanguard production.

But each of us is also a leader, like it or not. Who we are, what we do and how we do it make their mark on others. We may not be a Sunday School teacher or an elected officer of the congregation, but each of us leads by what we contribute to the well-being of our faith community. You never know who might be watching you or how you may influence someone else’s spiritual journey. Each of us is a leader by example. So as we look ahead to a new year of teaching and learning and serving in the name of Christ, let us ponder these words from Presbyterians Organized in Nurture and Teaching:

“Let us remember all those whose ministry has brought us this far in our faith. Let us thank God for those who taught us with patience and heard us with joy! Let us become the light and strength for others on their journeys of faith.”