Recently I visited a church well known for its specialized ministries to street people, unwed mothers, international students, business executives, mothers of preschoolers, and other target groups.

But in the worship service that day, the focus was not on their carefully planned outreach; it was on something less likely to get the attention of the media, less likely to be the theme of the next pastors' conference.

The service centered around two ancient ordinances: baptism and the Lord's Supper. As the five new believers were baptized, we heard the familiar words, "Buried with Christ in baptism; raised to walk in newness of life."

Moments later, we were taking the bread and the cup and remembering Christ's words, "This do in remembrance of me."

The pastor didn't deliver a sermon. He simply told about individuals in the congregation who had ministered to others within the body: a couple whose young son had died, an older man with cancer, a single parent struggling with teenage children.

We were ...