Hi Church!
Have you been praying? I know you have been!! Here are a few answers to your prayers:
V.B.S. – The first two days have been AWESOME! When I drive to the church building each night, and walk into the facility, I can feel the power and presence of God!
We have the BEST staff of 25 workers that I have ever had the joy to serve with. They come with a love in their heart, and a passion for the work that is awesome to be a part of.
Right now we have around 20 kids enrolled. And, as our guest Gideon, Jim, said last night, you can tell the kids love it, and are well behaved. So true. Our goal is to have 30 kids come, and we are still praying to reach that goal! But in the end it is about even ONE soul being saved. You can not put a price on that. And it is about making an impact in one life at a time. That is my focus as I look into their little faces each night and share God’s word with them.
*Remember, Jesus preached to masses of people, there were 5k+ at a time. But, at specific turning points, he said – some of you only follow me for what you can get from me. I feed you, so you follow me. (John 6:26). And when he said that, it filtered his “followers” and downsized his crowd. We do not go to church or follow God for what we can get from him. He already GAVE – He GAVE the LIFE of HIS SON for us. Now we give, because He gave.
He chose and trained 12, and 11 of those are the reason the gospel could not be stopped and has gone to the ends of the earth. We all LOVE BIG numbers, but God LOVES TRUE FOLLOWERS. I believe that God wants “quantity” and “quality”. Let’s continue to work and pray to that end!
Other Updates/Requests:
Remember that a representative from the Pregnancy Care Center will be with us on Sunday to present their vital work with us. With the recent decision of the Supreme Court, we can be certain that ministries like theirs will be all the more essential in helping women with getting the care and resources that they need. And remember that we are collecting money in baby bottles to give to them on Sunday. Please try to bring your filled bottles to the church office by the end of the day Friday. Thank you in advance!
Also, SPEAKING OF BABIES, there is BABY SHOWER for Kathryn Castle at 2pm, Saturday, in the fellowship hall. We are soooo thrilled for Ethan and Kathryn! They have decided to wait until birth to learn if it is a boy or a girl… exciting. They are registered at babylist.com Come and support this awesome young MILITARY family!
Remember that Richard begins his treatments tomorrow, July 14th.
Lastly, our 2nd quarter business meeting is on Sunday at 11 am. We are 1/2 way through 2022, and this is a great time to get an update on our ministries and finances. We have a number of old and new items to discuss including: the cost for big flat tv monitors to replace our projector and screen. And an update on new security cameras. Be sure to come.
Since our meeting is at 11 am, we would like to ask for some help taking down our VBS props/decorations, from 10:30-11. Thanks!
In God’s Gracious Grip,
Pastor Mike