Renewed Journey
“Be sure that no one pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to do what is good for each other and for all people.” (1 Thessalonians 5:15)
Max Lucado writes in Walking with the Savior, about peace treaties of love. As we have heard frequently since Easter, Jesus described for his followers what He came to do. He came to build a relationship with people. He built community. He came to take away enmity, to take away the strife, to take away the isolation that existed between God and man. Once He bridged that, He said, “I will call you friends.”
In repairing a relationship, it is essential to realize that no friendship is perfect, no marriage is perfect, no person is perfect (and of course no church is perfect). With the resolve that you are going to make a relationship work, you can develop peace treaties of love and tolerance and harmony to transform a difficult situation into something beautiful. So, I ask you, would you rather carry a grudge or hurt for a lifetime or find a way to a peace treaty of love and begin again? Many in the church have been hurt by the church or its members and were driven away or left with the inflicted hurt. We as church need to invite them back in a sense of care and harmony as those who have left find a way back to become part of the community of Christ again. Pray for those who have left and for those who remain that we may become what Christ asked of us so long ago and that the Holy Spirit desires of us now and in the future.
Blessings, Nancy Trimble, Deacon
On June 9th we held Consecration Sunday for pledges for the new year and to plan the budget for 2019-2020. We had 18 giving units pledge $54,160.00 which is an increase of over 30% pledged in the 2018-2019 year!!! While this does not provide enough to cover the daily fixed costs of the church, it does help to stretch the savings we have as we endeavor to bring more folks to worship. I cannot thank the congregation enough for their commitment and generosity. If you were not present on Sunday, it is not too late to return a pledge card or email your amount to the church office. An estimate of giving (pledge card) will be mailed to any member not present or you may email the church office with your pledge. Please consider this prayerfully. If you find you are not able to give a monetary gift, then I ask you to pray faithfully that we continue to be effective messengers of the Good News. Again, a big congratulations and thank you to all in this small but mighty group of Christians!
Deacon Nancy Trimble and Pastor Craig Fourman, LSIM Minister for Consecration Sunday
