Woodbine Avenue Tree About to Bloom

 See the yellow-ish tinge on the tree in the picture?  It’s about to burst into bloom.  All the other trees on the street are still vertical brushpiles, but this one - it’s ready to go.  That’s about where our congregation is right now.  We are slowly, surely becoming a missional congregation.  We can see that once this thing blooms, it’s really going to bloom.  Now, we just have to wait for it to mature enough to bloom. 

Our Worship is becoming more reverently relaxed and celebratory.  Our Men’s and Women’s Formation Groups are growing.  Our prayers are still leading us into greater realization of God’s vision.  We’re learning how to care for one another.  We’re probably one revision away from having a workable new set of bylaws that can be shown to the congregation at large for feedback and ratification sometime in the near future.  Last Sunday, a man who just got sober at the Warren Family Mission gave his (powerful, moving) testimony.  He has been accepted and welcomed into the life of the Church.  It’s looking more and more likely that our stuff for Teens and Children will be re-started by the early summer. 

We’ve had some serious pruning, to be sure.  But that will make the new growth all the more plentiful, as the roots go down deep to nourish it. 

Praise Be to God!