Ordinary People, Extraordinary Witnesses

“Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were uneducated and ordinary men, they were amazed and recognized them as companions of Jesus.” — Acts 4:13
No one likes to be called ordinary. We want to be recognized as capable, gifted, or extraordinary. Yet Acts 4:13 reminds us that God often does extraordinary things through ordinary people. Peter and John were not scholars, political leaders, or people the authorities expected much of. They were ordinary fishermen whose lives Jesus transformed.
I often wonder about the power of words. As a professor and now as a pastor, I have been amazed by people whose sermons, lectures, and conversations have opened minds, strengthened faith, and changed lives. Peter’s sermon in Acts is one such example. His words testified to what God had done through Jesus Christ, and they gave others courage, hope, and faith. But Peter and John did not merely speak. When a man asked them for alms, Peter said, “Silver and gold I have none; but what I have I give you; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up and walk” (Acts 3:6). The man’s feet and ankles became strong, and he entered the temple “walking and leaping and praising God” (Acts 3:8).
The power was not in Peter and John’s innate abilities. It came from their experience of Jesus and their willingness to witness to what they had seen and received. Their ordinary lives became instruments of extraordinary grace.
This truth has become especially meaningful to me as I reflect on three people in our own United Ministry community. In recent months, we mourned the passing of Fred Onasch and Charlotte B. Hill. Both were highly accomplished and well-educated people who contributed richly to our church and the wider Delhi community. Yet what stands out to me is not simply what they accomplished, but how their faith and life experiences were expressed in compassion, hospitality, service, and commitment to others. Through conversations about their lives and years of service, I have been deeply moved by the ways they touched and enriched the lives of many. Their lives remind us that transformation often happens quietly, through faithful presence, generous service, and relationships.
We have also received the joyful news that Edie Campbell has been named the 2026 Senior of the Year. Her response captures beautifully what Christian service can look like: “I don’t think of it as anything special. I just do it. It’s who I am.” Her tireless work with our food pantry and her helping hands have blessed countless people. Like Peter and John, Fred, Charlotte, and Edie remind us that God can accomplish extraordinary things through people who simply offer themselves faithfully in service.
As summer gives way to fall, we enter another season of life and ministry. Children return to school, and our Kids Club, choir practice, and Bible study resume after the summer break. We also look forward to our special worship service celebrating the 50th anniversary of the United Ministry, remembering the coming together of the Second Presbyterian Church and the United Methodist Church and giving thanks for fifty years of shared ministry.
May this new season remind us that our calling is not to be extraordinary in the world’s eyes, but faithful in God’s eyes. As Paul writes, “Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord” (Romans 12:11). May our ordinary words, ordinary acts, and ordinary lives become extraordinary witnesses to the love of Christ.
In Christ,
Pastor Prem





As February unfolds, the Church invites us to a meaningful turning of the heart. We stand at a threshold: looking back with gratitude, attending to the present with care, and preparing for the sacred journey ahead. Before we enter the season of Lent on Ash Wednesday, February 18, we will gather for Transfiguration Sunday, when Christ is revealed in glory—a reminder that even as we descend into reflection and repentance, we are guided by divine light.
As we step into this new year, let us pause to thank God for His unfailing love and mercy that carried us through the past seasons. Each sunrise ahead is a fresh page in the story He is writing in our lives—a tale of grace, hope, and transformation. January invites us to reflect, to give thanks, and to look forward with holy expectation to what God will yet do among us.
Dear friends,
November is a month marked by sacred transitions. The earth becomes quieter as trees shed their final leaves, and daylight shortens into early dusk. It feels as if creation itself pauses—no longer basking in the warmth of fall, yet not quite in winter’s stillness. In this in-between moment, the church invites us to remember and hope.