Heart to Heart
Brace yourself!! Both the calendar and the weather are telling us, Fall has arrived… The leaves are changing colors, the temps are falling, there’s a heavy dew on the grass in the morning, and soon our first frost will arrive. Fall happens to be one of my favorite times of the year, because the air is crisp, the colors are amazing and there are so many wonderful sights to capture with my camera.
I know it has been a bumpy ride stepping into Fall ministries this year. We have a small number of children connecting with our Wednesday EXPLORERS ministry team. Lord willing, we will see that grow as we move further into the Fall. We have invested in some great new teaching material for the children that will be used in both Explorers and in Children’s Church on Sunday mornings.
With Kaleb & Katlyn stepping out, the Unashamed Youth ministry has a different flavor this year. But Pastor Phil continues to help our Unashamed Youth dig deeper into making Jesus their top priority in life. At least a dozen have been coming out each week. On Sunday, I had another student share a video with me, showing them confessing Christ as Lord, and being baptized. Let’s celebrate what Jesus continues to do, in the hearts and lives of our students!
Last Sunday (the 24th) many of us attended the potluck lunch and talked about the next steps being taken in the search for a new associate pastor. You can read a summary of what was said in the Governing Board report later in this newsletter. We also shared about a major paydown we made against the principal of the Orchard Loan. Just 10 months ago, we locked into $56,000 loan, amortized over 20 years at 4.5%. Back in December 2022, we were celebrating having to borrow so little, compared to the $300,000 we thought we would need for Phase 2. Check out the Governing Board report in this newsletter, to see where things stand now on the loan…
Now that October is here, that means it’s Pumpkin Patch time… Wait a minute, we stepped away from that ministry! But we will continue to host our community Party @ The Patch outreach on October 31st (6-8pm). That event always takes a lot of volunteers, and plenty of donated candy to fill the treat bags. Can we count on you? Look for the signup board in the lobby to join the Party team, as we express Christ’s love on our community on Halloween night.
I am so grateful for the faithfulness of our God, and the way in which He has lovingly walked with us through the highs and lows this year. May we give thanks and continue to be amazed by His great love and the undeserved gift of righteousness Christ purchased for us through the Cross!
Pastor Adriaan & Diana <><