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Pastor's Points - September 2021

Dear Church Family,

For some time now we have been living in the middle of unsure and unknown times.  Our lives seem to be set with our normal schedules of life, only to be interrupted by situations that are out of our control.  We are tempted to let all of this shake our faith in life.  But in the middle of it all aren’t you glad that we have a God who is always faithful and never changes?

I came across this story of a college student who walked into a photography studio with a framed picture of his girlfriend. He wanted a copy of the picture.  As the studio owner removed the picture from the frame, he noticed an inscription on the back of the picture which read…

My dearest Tom, I love you with all my heart.  I love you more and more each day.  I will love you forever and ever.  I am yours for eternity.  Signed, Dianne.
But there was a P.S. as well…. If we ever break up, I want this picture back.

The inscription said more than was even written.  It said that faithfulness was not assured.  The loved expressed seemed to be conditional.  These words were not written with someone who had her heart set on faithfulness.  I am so glad that our God is nothing like that!!  He is perfectly faithful to us even when we do not understand exactly why life happens the way it does.

We simply need to trust in the perfect faithfulness of our God!  Scripture clearly testifies to the faithfulness of our God!  Here are just a few examples…

Deuteronomy 7:9
Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations,

Lamentations 3:22-23 
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

Psalm 86:15 
But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.

Psalm 36:5 
Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds.

1 Peter 4:19 
Therefore, let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.

John 16:33 
I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

These are great reminders for our church family to trust in the faithfulness of God.  All around us we face the unknown, confusion, chaos, scary world events, sickness, and financial pressures.  But in the middle of it all, we cling to and hope in our good and faithful God to see us through every step of the way.

If you are anything like me, you know through the experiences of your life about the faithfulness of God.  He shows himself faithful time and time again!!  John Newton reminds us of this reality when he said…

“[ ... ]when we have been brought very low and helped, sorely wounded and healed, cast down and raised again, have given up all hope--and been suddenly snatched from danger, and placed in safety; and when these things have been repeated to us and in us a thousand times over, we begin to learn to trust simply to the word and power of God, beyond and against appearances[....]”

I am excited for what God has for us in the future.  All we need to do is trust in His Word, and the powerful faithful God that He is!!

I love you and I love being your pastor!!

Pastor's Points - August 2021

Dear Church Family,

It is hard to believe how fast this year is moving and that we are at the start of another school year in just a short time. Summer has been amazing for ministry, and I thank God for all that He has done, especially in our children’s and student ministries.  Our camps and VBS were full of kids being challenged with the truth of the Gospel! And by God’s grace we have seen kids come to faith in Jesus Christ and follow in baptism.  God has been so good to us. But as our kids make their way back to school another season of ministry will begin, as fall approaches, in the life of our church.

Very soon you will hear about an emphasis on our Adult Life Groups.  We have On Campus Life Groups still meeting every Sunday during the 9:30 am service. But soon we will have our Off Campus Life Groups beginning on September 12^th. Through the season of Covid it was hard on our groups to meet. We found creative ways to keep meeting, but it was challenging. Some people have not been able to meet in their groups at all, some have gotten out of the habit, and now we want to reenergize our groups by promoting our on and off campus groups to try to get as many of our people plugged back into a group as possible.

One of our “core values” is to BELONG.  It is very important that we have a group of brothers and sisters in Christ to do life with, and this best happens in the community of a Life Group.  We can get to know others, be ministered to, and study God’s Word together.  This helps us to truly “Belong” and invest ourselves together in our church family.  There will be an information table about our on and off campus Life Groups in our foyer beginning August 8^th to help you find a group that will work for you. Please be looking for details about this churchwide emphasis so we can truly “Belong” to our church family together.

One last thing; I want to encourage you to save the date of August 29^th for our “Worship on the Lawn” at North Campus. This is a great time for us to fellowship together and invite others to come with you as well. This will be a laid back, enjoyable time of food, fun, fellowship, and worship together. Feel free to bring a picnic meal with you or buy your food from one of the food trucks that will be present.  I am already looking forward to this special day!!

I love you and I love being your pastor!!