Spiritual Discipline: Presence

Dear Church and Online Community,

God's abundant blessings to you this day! I pray you are well and blessed this week as the weekend has come to a close. We experienced God's presence in worship as once again, a very large "presence" of worshippers gathered for worship!

At 9:26, we celebrated with Sing Out Loud! leading us in song! Thank you Jon and children and youth for an awesome morning song celebration! At 11:00, Sing Out Loud! joined with our Adult Choir to share their gift of music together! It was a beautiful morning of singing!

Our Youth and Director Of Youth Ministries, Cherie Loomis presented our worshipping bodies with a witness of this past weekend of the 30 Hour Famine with World Vision. The youth did a great job sharing with us stories as to what took place and how their "presence" made a difference in the world in which they live! Thank you youth! If you wish to sponsor a child through World Vision, see Cherie Loomis, a youth or go to World Vision Sponsor A Child We sponsor Grace, a 12 year old girl who shares the same birthday as our daughter, Alayna. Grace keeps in constant contact with us as we have the opportunity to write back and forth and to see how World Vision makes a difference in the life of so many of our world's children! You can do this too!

We have continued the series on The Disciple's Path as we are living into the covenantal question of "Will you faithfully support the ministries of the church by your prayers, PRESENCE, gifts, service and witness. Our text came from Psalm 100. Hear the Word of the Lord:


Psalm 100
1 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
2     Serve the Lord with gladness!
    Come into his presence with singing!
3 Know that the Lord, he is God!
    It is he who made us, and we are his;[a]
    we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
    and his courts with praise!
    Give thanks to him; bless his name!
5 For the Lord is good;
    his steadfast love endures forever,
    and his faithfulness to all generations.

As we come into His presence with singing, we also remember the importance of being "present" in corporate worship and small groups. The African word "ubuntu" directs us by the fact that we are a people through other people. Archbishop Desmond Tutu once said, "My humanity is caught up, is inextricably bound up, in yours; a person is a person, through other persons. I am who I am because you are who you are."

As we faithfully live into the covenant that is made with God and one another in our membership vows, we live as the early church did as recorded in the Book of Acts: a devoted life to the apostles' teaching, to fellowship with one another, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

Each one of you are an important presence in the church of Jesus Christ. You have gifts in ministry that we would miss if you were not present. You are loved, you are needed to strengthen the body of Christ.

I wish to thank the many people who helped make our "Birthday" Potluck lunch a great success! Many people stayed for it and we had a great time! Of course, the food was awesome! Church, have a blessed week and know what an honor it is to serve and lead as your pastor.