From the Desk of the Pastor

I don’t know about you, but I need a different summer season than last year’s. We all tried to stay safe and limit our contact with others hoping to minimize any potential exposure. In the process, it quickly became apparent that human beings are also social beings. Interpersonal relationships are essential to our emotional equilibrium and core humanity.

All of the stay-at-home instructions and the laundry list of best practices served to ratchet up our collective caution. At its height, it created a disconnect between friends and even with families. We could not visit our loved ones in the skilled nursing facilities or the hospitals for fear we would expose others or be exposed ourselves.

The worst part of all was the fear and anxiety that became part of our experience. Even as things continue to improve and we learn to live with this new normal, it will take a while to unwind the fear. Take time to visit your extended family.  Plan a vacation, explore a new destination, and enjoy some time away.

As summer gets underway and we all shift into the warm-weather months, we are also moving into a new phase in our response to a global pandemic. I don’t know about you, but I am happy that things returning to a better state of normalcy. These changes reflect our returning to Sunday School, worshipping together, and beginning to have and plan for fellowship events.

Jennifer King and Rayann Kehrees are heading up a group planning a fellowship event in mid-July. They had their first planning meeting this past Sunday. If you can help with the event or need more information, please contact the organizers. I am very excited to have an “elbow event” to invite people from the community to a church event outside of worship.

Following all of the isolation, people are beginning to look for a place to find community. The church is a perfect location for diverse people to find deep social and spiritual connections. Are you craving social contact or ready to shed some weight that accumulated during the lockdown? Join an exercise group that already meets at the church or pool or consider form another one.

For those looking to feed the spiritual side of life, perhaps a new bible study or a life group might be in order. I will be happy to lead a bible study or help to choose some materials for an interested group. One of the pastor’s roles is to empower new leaders who feel the nudge of the Spirit.

The church is so much more than just worship. It’s a source of community, a place to explore and grow as a human being and as a follower of Christ. It’s a place to raise our kids and teach them the faith. If we’ve learned anything, it is that the church is a people, not a building.

You have the dynamic power of God’s Holy Spirit at work in your life. Cultivate good habits, spend time with God, set aside time to pray and read the bible. God is at work here in Phillips County, and I believe he is ready to do something big in and through us. You have the power!

After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. Acts 4:31