Looking Ahead

Strange as it may seem, the church year for our congregation begins on September 1. This means that all the new committees will activate, all the new chairpersons will begin making decision, and, this year, that the grass will get cut by somebody new. Though it may seem mundane for the people who rotate off of committees and irrelevant for those nominal members who do not participate in anything outside of worship, the beginning of the new church year carries with it the promise of God’s blessing; in this year we are planning on receiving more than ever from God, and we are planning on giving back to him still more as well.
It is during this period that I think of what could lie ahead for our church. God has done absolutely wondrous things in our midst this past year, and that leads the heart to dream about the plans God has for us in the next. That is a particular proclivity of the church in the word; we can make budgets and plan curricula, but ultimately it is God who determines the events that shape our faith. Thus I can only build a framework for the next 12 months – it is up to God’s movement in the hearts of the people and up to the peoples’ response to God that will fill in the gaps.
All of our regular programs will resume their school-year schedule beginning on September 2. TEAMKid will resume on Wednesday, September 5 at 7:00. All parents of participating children should attend a brief informational meeting at that time so that we can have records of contact and health information on your children. That same night the adults will begin their new semester study. This season’s topic is Prayer: Its Forms and Functions. Come and study with us as we delve into the mysteries of what praying does and how it can change our church and community. On Sunday, September 9th Children’s Choir will resume, as will adult Bible study in an examination of the Letters of Paul. That night we will also host a church-wide Ice Cream Social honoring our new members.
There has never been a better time to invest yourself in the church than now. There are programs for every member of your family starting up in the next few weeks, and we always have Sunday School and Worship on Sunday mornings beginning at 10:00. I am very excited to begin this new church year, and am confident that if you will but give the Lord a chance you will not miss out on the blessings he will pour out on this community.