Last week was a really busy week with a lot of press coverage of our disaffiliation plight and follow-up contacts. This week, I’m hoping things will quiet down somewhat. It is good to have publicity and perhaps add some pressure to our annual conference to negotiate an exit route that is not impossible!
But I need to refocus my attention away from disaffiliation and toward the on-going ministry that we have, and for which I was appointed to this great church. We all need to keep on looking to Jesus and serving His people.
It is really difficult to do this, when the over-all “elephant” in our life demands our attention. The stress that many of us feel is over-whelming, to say the least. So much so that I need to be careful not to allow the stress to get the better of me. I need to take “sabbatical moments” to calm down and refocus on Jesus. I need to take days off, and try not to think too much about our plight. And next month, I’m planning a 5-day retreat at a monastery I love in the high desert in order to get back some of my footing.
And we, as a congregation, need to redirect our energies toward serving the people of our community and those we minister to through our missionaries.
So, I am looking forward to a potluck dinner and program/report from two of our missionaries later this month. Look for more information, but on Sunday evening, July 23rd, we will share a potluck meal together and hear from our missionaries. We cannot name names because this is going out on the internet, but you know who I’m talking about!
Next month, we are combining with the other congregations meeting on campus for a joint Vacation Bible School, August 15-18 in the evenings. That will be exciting and I can almost guarantee that the word “disaffiliation” will not be uttered all week (at least, not publicly out loud!). After VBS, we are planning a joint worship celebration with all congregations participating!
Our Life Groups continue to be an important part of who we are as The Fount. We currently have three active Life Groups, with a fourth trying to restart. If you are interested in joining a Life Group, talk to me! I’d be happy to connect you with one. And if you want to go even deeper in your discipleship, consider a Discipleship Group, modeled after the Wesleyan band meetings. I’m in a band meeting, and I can tell you from personal experience, it has been the best thing I’ve ever done to deepen my walk with Jesus. Ask me about it!
The point is, we cannot stop being the church while we fight for our church’s freedom! So, keep your eyes open, keep them on Jesus, and keep on keeping on being the church of Jesus Christ for the redemption of the world!
In Christ,
