With the end of summer break and the start of school and fall activities, as a church we also jump back into some of our regular rhythms. I just wanted to take a minute and highlight what that looks like this fall.
As always, Sunday gatherings are the most vital part of the life of our church. This is because this is the occasion when the whole church gathers together, so that we A) Are reminded of the specific people we are called to love, welcome, forgive, bear with, and comfort; B) Receive mutual encouragement and exhortation as we sing, celebrate the Lord’s Supper, confess, and mingle with one another (Hebrews 3:13; 10:24-25), and C) Are led and fed by God’s word, through the pastor/shepherds entrusted to teach (Ephesians 4:11-12; Titus 1:5-9). God’s church is created and built up through God’s Word, by God’s Spirit. And the epicenter of this divine work is the regular Sunday gathering of the church.
From this epicenter, there is much to flesh out in other times and places. If we are to truly live out the Bible’s “one-another” commands, and to love one another as Christ has loved us such that the world see’s something compelling among us (John 13:34-35), then we must engage one another for more than 90 minutes, once a week. As a church, we don’t expect this to look the same for everyone, but we do facilitate some opportunities for this to happen.
We have men’s and women’s studies that meet twice a month, on alternating Wednesday evenings. These have both proven to be very fruitful times for deepening relationships and growth in the faith.
We have community groups that meet twice a month in people’s homes. These are smaller groupings of the church that discuss and apply the sermon, and provide a context for more personal encouragement and exhortation.
For the youth and kids, we have Youth Group for 8th-12th graders that meets Wednesdays (all except 5th weeks) from 6-730. This is led by Derek, Mandy, and Sean Cunningham. We have our Middles group for ages 9-7th grade that meets 2nd and 4th Wednesdays from 6-730, led by Kirstin Tyner and Elisha Schneider.
If you are new to the church, we offer our Roots 101 class a couple times a year, and would encourage you to attend this to get to know our church more, and learn about becoming a church member.
Beyond that, there are numerous ways for you to initiate and pursue relationships, friendships, discipleship and growth within the church: invite a family or individual over for lunch after church; ask to grab coffee with someone; come early on Sunday, and linger afterwards.
It should be repeated that what saves and equips and builds us up as God’s people is not any one of these specific offerings, but God’s Spirit working his word and his people. We are simply trying to facilitate environments and contexts where that can happen. We are always dependent on God to work and bear the fruit (“…only God gives the growth”–1 Corinthians 3:7).
I look forward to all that God will do in and through us this year. I would ask you to join me in praying for conversions and baptisms, for hope and endurance for those suffering, for a willingness to take some responsibility for one another, for freedom from addictions and idols, for ownership of the church and willingness to step into various leadership roles, and for wisdom, love, courage, joy and patience endurance for those in leadership.