September Dear Friends
Dear Friends,
“Coming to a theater near you!” When I was growing up, I was thrilled to see this tagline at the end of movie trailers and advertisements for films to be released soon. As soon as I saw it--at the end of E.T., Star Wars, Ghost Busters, Dead Poets Society, or Back to the Future--I would begin to get excited and make plans to see the movie.
“Coming soon to a theater near you” has become a jocular catchphrase for any eagerly anticipated event. While this phrase is nowhere in the Bible, its meaning is found throughout:
Wait for the Lord, be strong and take heart, wait for the Lord. (Psalm 27:14)
I will give to your descendants after you, the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God. (Genesis 17:8)
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about." (Luke 2:15)
He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.” (Rev. 22:20)
Our faith is one based on God’s promises which are always being revealed, as the hymn says, “Morning by morning new mercies I see.”
In the summer, as we come and go on vacation, we enjoy time off and time away, time to rest and relax and renew. But even as we are resting, we are beginning to hear the call of work and school and church, saying, “Coming soon to a theater near you.”
At Community Church, we are busy putting things in place, so that we can continue to grow together in faith and hope and love, and to do the work that God has called us to do: worship and learn, pray and give, sing and serve. Here is what is coming soon to our church near you:
On September 8, we will go back to the Sanctuary to worship at 10:30 AM, with Tim and the chancel choir back to lead us in music, and I will be back in the pulpit preaching God’s word.
COME just as you are….
On September 15, we will kick off Sunday School for children and Youth Group. And look for offerings for adults, too.
FIND the joy and inspiration you seek….
On September 22, we will have a luncheon after worship to launch a Transformational Campaign. What’s that? You ask. We are going to tell our story of the transformation of our church: beginning with New Beginnings (2014) to KNIT Team and Invitation/Mission statement (2015) to Session’s strategic initiatives and Jethro Tree (2016) to our new logo (2017) to Dream and Scheme Team (2018) to Transformation Campaign (2019). We will share the exciting projects we will be working on over the next 5 years to live out our calling to bring Christ to our community and bring our community to Christ, so that our church will grow and thrive and be a blessing for generations to come. We will invite you to support our mission, with your time, talent, and treasure. I hope that you will come and celebrate how far we have come on the journey, and commit ourselves to...
BECOME the person (and church) we were created to be.
It’s coming...it’s coming to a church near you...it’s coming to our church...and it’s coming soon.
I can’t wait to see what God will do!
Faithfully yours on the journey,
Pastor Donna