Reminders: Sunday is our Annual Congregational Meeting after worship and on Zoom. You must be present and a member in good standing to vote
Sunday we are also collecting for Everlasting Life Ministries
Tomorrow is Clothing Closet from 10-1. PTL for this growing ministry and for the volunteers! They are expanding to use the whole 2nd floor.
Prayer Request: Melissa is asking for prayers for mom, Darlene Skinner who has been under the weather and was taken to ER last evening for evaluation. We will update when we know more
Good Morning Gathered, Unified, Co-Laborers! We don't go to church. We are the Church, a community of believers, gathered by God to go love and make disciple makers as we step into our fullness in Christ and do what we were created to do for God's glory. We are family, His Body, co-laborers, friends of God and sinners and we are sinners that are forgiven much, cleansed and purified and readying to roll with God. PTL and count you your blessings! Check out the Harvest Prayer blog below about community. This is "Thank God I'm Forgiven" Friday! We are so thankful for that! Mine that to the depths and build those gratitude lists. Thank God for creating you for such a time as this, growing you and placing you in your community and our fellowship. He has great plans for you and for us to discover, grow into and to allow Him to use us to grow our community and His Kingdom. Rejoice!
We are a community of believers gathered in a building at 5th and Ridge. We chose to stay there after the building was almost leveled. Why? I don't know because I wasn't gathered here yet. My assumption is that you sought God and discerned that He wanted you to stay there for a purpose. I hope it wasn't because you followed you own instincts without seeking God. Assessing our connection to neighbors today, somewhere along the way we lost touch with them. Why? Well it doesn't really matter but we have no one within blocks of the church that attend our Sunday gatherings. Have we become irrelevant to the community we have been placed in? Or is it a society thing that has resulted from God's people failing to engage with and serve and love their neighbors? Maybe both. Our neighborhoods are filled with fourth, fifth and sixth generations that never went to church or only did so because a parent made them go get that "God thing" done. Yes the days of everyone going to church on a Sunday have come and gone and the lure of the world and the failure of God's people to be the church is what we are experiencing today. BUT GOD! He is not surprised nor caught off guard by this. It has been the way of His chosen ones since the beginning. Cold and hot and mostly somewhere in between that Jesus said He wants to spit those lukewarm ones out of His mouth.
BUT God! His plans never fail! He is always with us even when we are not close to Him. He promises that times will get increasingly dark as the lure of the world and ungodliness trap many and lore many away from Him. And He also consistently has had a faithful remnant that prayed, followed and reached others to come back to God and His ways that lit many revival fires. We are that remnant--faithful, earnest, followers of Jesus placed here by God for such a time as this. Strap on God's armor. Turn off the noise. Focus on Him and not our own understanding and allow Him to use us as catalysts for His promised end times revival! We are created, gifted and placed here for such a time as this!
Last evening our Vision Team (members from all our leadership teams) gathered to process and discuss an opportunity. As expected with gathered different members of the Body there was not consensus and we needed to process together to seek God, stay on the same page and make His plans. Most of our leadership team members have completed the spiritual gifts survey and as expected, we are all different and have different mixes of gifts. We approach ministry and following God, even discerning what He's revealing differently. We always--ALWAYS-- need to pause when there is not agreement and allow all to have a voice and process as they were created and gifted before we decide the next steps. That's how we stay healthy and how we are able to discern if God is saying, yes, no or wait. Some are inclined to see something as an opportunity and others as a threat and we always want to work towards following God together and He is the God of shalom and unity not chaos and disunity. We will always work to follow peace and help each other to move or wait as God is leading. We are family and God's Body and better together! Thank God for that and for the leaders He has raised up for our Body. We are much different than the ways of dissension, bickering and selfishness that we are witnessing daily in our government, media and communities, Thank God! Keep praying for us all to seek and follow Him well together and to keep growing into the greater things He has for us, sowing lavishly and following His provisions well. I think we are all maturing and growing as disciples and followers of Jesus. Let us seek to Become More in '24 together! We are not of this world! Let us show how true that is by our love, actions and obedience to follow God to His best earnestly. Amen! The old has gone and the new has come! Let us step into it together with wisdom, boldness and joy!
I am so blessed to be called to this Body and honored to serve beside you! You are a blessing and we are beginning to make a difference all around us. People are noticing and being drawn to our fellowship and God and His ways. PTL! Keep at it! Prepare yourselves for our Sunday meeting to seek and follow God as we discuss and vote. And here's your assignment: find a connection point to people that you are around a lot and ask God how we can serve and connect to them. Ask God to reveal new connection points to people He is drawing, for harvest workers and for the coming harvest. We have begun connecting to Bread Ministry people and race people. Some of them our joining our church and already serving. PTL! What are some other connection points we can pour into? God has plans and is drawing people and using us. PTL! Keep praying, seeking, knocking and willingly allowing God to send you. Amen! And don't forget to share what you are hearing, sensing, or any questions with your elected leadership. We need to process together and move together in love and unity always. That is the way of Jesus. And we are working on becoming more like Him together! Amen
Harvest Prayer:
February 2 - Be Thankful for Your Community
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You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. (Matthew 5:14)
Why are you in your city, town, or neighborhood? Were you placed there from birth? Did you come for work? You may have ended up there out of desperation or felt drawn to the place. This may be a place of joy and anticipation, or you might struggle with boredom from the monotony of being in the same place every day, year after year. What do you love about your community? Take a moment now to thank Jesus for as many gifts as you can appreciate in your place of residence.
Powerful and wonderful Creator, before the foundation of the earth, you knew and even planned my community. I thank you for the obvious beauty of this place. I even thank you for the obstacles that remind us of our need for you. Thank you for your character that is shown in this city. I’m grateful to be called to live in this community and I’m honored to be empowered by your Holy Spirit to pray as you lead. As I view this place, I see the glory you could reveal in this city and the revival you will bring forth. I ask you to open hearts to the possibility of the transformation you desire in us all and to empower us to believe, pray and work for the glory of your name. Let the gifts you have given our community grow and be used for the healing of our city and the salvation of many.
Father, make (insert name of your town/city/community) the light of the world, a city set on a hill that cannot be hidden. Help us to let our light shine before others, so that they may see our good works and give glory to our Father in heaven.
--Adapted from Praying God’s Word Over Your City: 40 Days of Prayer for A Transformed Community by Trey and Mary Anne Kent.
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