From the Pastor – February 2022
…to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.
Luke 4:19
God is very good to us. We live in a beautiful place. We have a lovely congregation to share with us in life and faith. We have a community to join with to make the world a better place. So, yeah, God is good to us. For this reason, the Mission Committee has started off this year with some amazing work. In their first meeting, they have allocated $13,000 to care for people in need here in the Bay area. The organizations that the Mission Committee have selected run the gamut: the homeless shelter, transitional support for people leaving the hospital, young people needing
daycare, and Faith in Action. These are groups that are helping our neighbors. Groups that we would like to join with in caring for the community. Mission leads our life together. We have been doing a great deal of work quietly. Over the next several months, you will hear more about this work and how we can all participate. As we edge closer to the end of this pandemic, our mission work will continue to transition meeting needs and sharing God’s love.
Triennium has come around again. As you remember, Triennium is the worldwide church gathering for our youth at the Purdue campus. It happens every three years, hence the name. Last time around, we had the single largest group from the Presbytery- almost half! This year the event will be held July 24th through 27th. When I mentioned it to our young people, they all have been eager to go again. We will have several meetings over the next several months to plan, fundraise, and the like. Also, we will need a female chaperone/advisor so, please consider volunteering! If you have any questions, contact me at the church office. And, please mark it on your calendar!
This has been two interesting years. We have all been challenged and grown immeasurably. The way I maintain perspective when things get interesting is Bible study. I would like to invite you to join with me in my “Through the Bible” in a year study. The idea of a study like this is to read a portion of the Old Testament, a portion of the New Testament and then a Psalm every day. It adds some variety and gives us a chance to make connections between the places in the Bible. Let’s plan on starting on Ash Wednesday, March 2. It only takes 10 or 15 minutes a day, and the discoveries that we will have will be wonderful! My hope is that you will share some of your discoveries with us, either on Facebook or in the newsletter. We can all grow from what we learn if we share! Please watch for the calendar and reading list in the next newsletter. God has been good to us. Let us “proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” with generous caring for our community and growth in faith.
Grace and peace,
Jim