Message From The Pastors

Hello Church Family!

Earlier this week, I found myself feeling momentarily overwhelmed. The to-do list was long, and I was concerned that I wouldn’t get everything done. On top of that, I worried that what I managed to complete would not meet my standards, as I tried to keep everything balanced. I took a moment of quiet and said to myself, “I am overwhelmed.” And instantly, I heard a response that said, “But God is not.” And I was able to take a deep breath, and remember that God is on the throne, and it’s eventually all going to be okay. I encourage you to join me in that practice this week – if you ever find yourself feeling overwhelmed, maybe you too can take a moment and say to yourself,  “I am overwhelmed, but God, I know you’re not.”

We’ve had about 110 families turn in financial pledges for next year- thank you so much for your faithful commitment! Our goal is to receive pledges from 175 families. If you intend to pledge and haven’t gotten to it yet, click here to easily submit your pledge for next year.

We’re right in the middle of the busy season here at church. This Sunday is the Agape Market – I hear sometimes things sell quick! After worship, we have a Honduras Mission Trip info meeting, and if you have any interest in that at all, please join us. We have funds to help supplement the cost for folks wanting to go. A week and a half from now, on November 16th, we have a Next Steps meeting for people interested in joining the church, a church-wide potluck, packing of Thanksgiving meals, and the Thanksgiving Feast at NIA, all packed into one day! We will also be conducting a Celebration of Life service for Marillyn King at 2:00 pm.

There’s more. Beginning this Sunday, we’ll have Christmas photo booths set up between now and Christmas between The Park and the elevators. Need a cute picture for your Christmas cards? That’s what it’s there for. Feel free to make use of that whenever you like. I’m also happy to share that this Sunday, we’ll be celebrating 2 baptisms with the new baptismal font given in honor of Rev. Ann Spears and Ruthie Estes (there will eventually be two fonts, one for each; the second will arrive toward the end of January). Oh! And our church got a nice shout-out from the bishop this week, recognizing churches around the conference who have stepped up to provide food assistance in the last two weeks. Way to go, First!

I can’t wait to worship with you this Sunday! And remember, even if you’re feeling overwhelmed, we serve a big God who has it all in His hands.

Grace and Peace,
Pastor Lindsay Kirkpatrick
Senior Pastor
[email protected]