MINISTRY UPDATE
Below is a letter from Pastor Aaron to frame our thinking for the fall. At the bottom are links to other pages with more details on our fall ministries.
Read complete Fall Ministry Update HERE
For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. (2 Corinthians 4:6–7)
From one angle, Church life kinda looks like a frail clay jar these days. The building isn’t hopping with activity like it normally would be this time of year. Our festivals and conferences have all been put on hold. You have to work hard to give and receive smiles on a Sunday morning. And Karen Cowen’s blue camping chair (her substitute for our aluminum chairs in the gym) looks like its seen better days. But from another angle, you notice that the Church is still full of life. I’ve seen it every Saturday night, going all the way back to April (while the rest of us were in full shut-down mode!), when many of our ladies circle up in camping chairs in the parking lot to catch up and encourage one another in the name of Christ. I see it every time I walk into the gym which has been transformed thanks to set-up crews, tech guys, children’s workers, and other volunteers who are eager to serve the Church family however they can. I’ve been upheld by it personally through the care packages and numerous expressions of love, prayer, and concern sent my way. I hear it when people mention how they feel convicted to pray with their neighbors. I see it when I gather with Grace Groups (in person or in those Brady Bunch boxes on my screen) to share joys and challenges all in the presence of the Spirit. And I deeply enjoy it when worshipping alongside my brothers and sisters, young and old, in our socially distant confines on Sunday mornings. In other words there is a real treasure yet in this frail jar of clay. The life of the glory of God in the person of Jesus Christ by the power of His Holy Spirit is alive and active among us! And if anything, that treasure has become all the more sweet to me during this time when the usual programs and activities have been stripped down. I’m reminded that the treasure is NOT the events or the bullet items that will fill out this newsletter, in and of themselves, but the presence and very active mercy of God who meets with us when we gather, however we gather. If you’ve been missing out on this treasure or are looking for new opportunities to enjoy it deeper, now’s a great time to connect in whatever ways you are able. Read on!
