[Written by Dr. Chris Peters]
What a difference two years makes! As we enter into what seems to be a new season of growth and flourishing for our church body, I think it is valuable to reflect. In doing so, we realize that the Lord is in our midst in every season, and working His purposes even when, to us, things may look bleak and lean.
- Two years ago we did not really know whether to plan any “Fall kickoff” ministries because we did not even know what ministry amidst Covid would look like.
- This year, we are delighted to see a full worship space on Sundays, a great lineup of groups where all in our church can connect, and multiple missions/service initiatives having significant kingdom impact.
- Two years ago we were sharing a church building, at the kind invitation of a sister church, but not able to renovate or improve the facility for it to most effectively serve the gospel ministries of our church.
- This year, many in our congregation made planned giving commitments for our “Twelve – Called by Him, Called for Him” building purchase and renovation initiative. As those contributions are received, we have already renovated almost all of the church interior flooring and walls, upgraded our technology/security infrastructure, refinished and repainted the exterior, recoated the parking lot, improved the water flow around our site, and will very soon install a new playground.
- Two years ago we were forced to learn to love each other and show grace to each other across varying viewpoints on matters of physical health, and it sure wasn’t easy at times.
- This year, we are able to translate the unity amidst diversity that the Gospel provides into celebratory weekly worship and a purposeful pursuit of our church vision.
Over the next few weeks, we can pray for one another to:
- Engage meaningfully in personal and family devotionals, perhaps joining in on or resuming the Read-Thru-The-Bible plan, and also growing in truth through our weekly sermon series in Isaiah.
- Commit to our Sunday morning pathways for discipleship in Sunday school as a great blessing to young and old who “put themselves in the way of God’s grace.”
- Connect for the first time, or more deeply in Christian community through our Life Groups and also the joy of fellowship at our Men’s and Women’s ministries gatherings.
- Serve dependently, trusting God to provide gifting and strength for us to all play our part in the spiritual family of our local church.
- Invite those around us who need the love and truth of Christ into our homes, into relationship, and into the ministries of our church, with the ultimate hope for revival to come, such that many are spiritually saved and even our culture is transformed.
