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A word from our pastor
Pastor Steve Winsor
In many ways, the last 8 months have been an exhausting haul for us all. But we are resurrection people, which means we are filled with hope despite all that is contrary in this world. Because of God made flesh in Jesus we are made adept at facing our deep longings, injustices and needs as well as those needs of our siblings in Christ. For that, it is only right to give our Lord thanks and praise! Each of you has a story of thanksgiving, hope or praise. Everyone has one. In fact, you likely have dozens just waiting to be told! There are moments in our lives in which a person, a place, or an event, has made our Lord ’s presence clearly evident. Let ’s not keep those stories to ourselves, but instead share them with your faith family. No story is too small. No story is any more, or less than another. This Advent you are invited to share stories of thanksgiving, hope and joy with one another. Here is how we will do it … Identify the story that you want to share. How does it bring glory to God? How did it inspire hope, thanksgiving, or joy in you and others? Attribute a scripture passage to it or not. If you are not sure of an applicable passage Pastor Steve can assist you in this. Get it to Pastor Steve by Friday Nov. 20th . The sooner the better! Write, type, email, snail mail, phone call, office visit, home visit, or courier pigeon it to Pastor Steve. All efforts will be made to get your story!
In the Love of Christ,
Pastor Steve Winsor
From Pastor Steve
Remember when we…That is a line we are sure to make in regards to the times we live in now. Change has been forced upon us. We are doing life radically different than we did two months ago. Words between us are filtered by a layer of fabric. Physical contact with those outside of our immediate households is curtailed tremendously. Questions abound about how to get back to “normal”, when to get back to normal, and will the “normal” of two months ago be the normal of tomorrow? And to confuse matters all the more, who do we listen to?! Questions abound for sure. In the coming weeks our scripture will come from the book of Acts. In Acts we get a look at how God gave direction to the fledgling Christian church. Normal was Jesus being with them. Normal was Jesus giving direction. Normal was Jesus being the authority. But then, all changed within a very revealing three days. The “new normal” for the apostles was now much different. God ’s mission to the world in Jesus Christ was now driven by the Holy Spirit ’s presence. The Apostles and converts to Christianity were spiritually feeling, praying and experiencing their way into all that Jesus was. The early church had more than its fair share of difficulties, and yet it prevailed. Why? Because they believed the love of God in Jesus was much bigger than just them. The Gospel of Jesus Christ could not be contained within them.
Therefore, anything that sought to disrupt their momentum in Jesus was overcome. And thus, we have the ready and willing church alive today!
Good people,
I am encouraged and hopeful by what I have heard and have seen about you in these unfamiliar times. You are communicating with one another and lending hands when in need. You are attending worship online. You are attending Bible study on -line, and studying on your own. You are making much needed masks and feeding the homeless. To the Holy Spirit’s credit, in the midst of all this, your financial giving has been better than anticipated due to the financial climate we are in. Also to the Holy Spirit’s credit, you are engaging in conversation about a possible church facilities project with open hearts and minds. Sisters and brothers in Christ, you are not unlike the Acts church of the 1 st century. Keep being a congregation that has bravely stepped into this new normal. Continue to be in the Word, pray for the Spirit’s guidance and loving God’s people. Whatever is ahead of us will be what it will be. And having traversed it together in faith, we will sit, stand, play, sing and pray with one another, and say, Remember when God… Till we are face to face, Love God and Love God’s people.
Your Pastor in Christ, Steve Winsor