Over the last several weeks, we have seen many blessings – and these blessings have not been hard to see.
Let me give you some examples.
First, we have seen people of all ages profess faith in Christ and follow Him in baptism. Just as in the early chapters of Acts, whole households have been saved and baptized.
Second, we have seen record attendances in every program and ministry. These are large jumps over the same time last year. For example, this last Wednesday, we had over 1200 people in attendance. One of our children’s leaders noted that our Wednesday night now looks like a Sunday morning.
We are thankful to see these blessings. They show us again the Spirit of God at work. As God has worked and is working in our lives, we also see Him at work in our friends and families.
But we have challenges.
We face a hostile society which opposes the message of the Gospel. While speaking the truth in love, we must not fall back in our determination to be witnesses in our Jerusalem and to the very ends of the earth. I am reminded of the attitude of Paul toward this exact same kind of opposition. While living in Ephesus in the shadow of one of the most immoral religions in the ancient world, he spoke of how he wanted to stay on in Ephesus because “a wide door for effective ministry has opened to me and there are many adversaries” – 1 Corinthians 16:8-9.
We need that same kind of attitude.
We also have practical and financial obstacles.
You know, of course, about our issues with wind and hail property insurance. Our pastors, trustees, deacons, and finance team have looked at this issue. While we don’t have easy options, we do have two options to present. We hope you will join us on Sunday, September 15th, for this important congregational meeting.