Dear Congregation,
I come to you this week and declare, as I usually do, that God is at work among us! I hope that phrase is not losing its potency – because it is still true!
On Monday, I met with the pastors of the Warren Prayer Movement to fast and pray on the topic of the next Sacred Assembly, to be held at First Methodist Church on Sunday, November 16, at 5:00 PM. The theme is “Healing at the Cross.” As pastors, we have acknowledged that many people have been hurt by church people throughout the years. In many cases, these hurts and wounds have lasted a very long time and have even caused some to fall away from faith in Jesus Christ. The purpose of this month’s Sacred Assembly is to pray to receive forgiveness and healing for these hurts in the name of Jesus. I know that many of us hurt deeply over things that have transpired in this church and in other churches we have been a part of; I would encourage all of you to participate in this Sacred Assembly.
On Tuesday, we hosted four election precincts in our Fellowship Hall worship area. We had hundreds of people come through our building to vote. On that same day, our new signs arrived. We put up most of them that day. There are two that are left to hang, so if you would like to help out, please let me know. I would personally like to thank all those who spent time taking care of the building while the election judges were being trained and on election day. Thank you for your faithful service!
This evening (Thursday), we have another great opportunity to show hospitality. Tonight, the Trumbull Prayer Initiative will be meeting at our building, with the purpose of praying for the work of God in this city and in this congregation. This group gathers from across the city to pray for revival and transformation. I have been a part of this group for a couple of months now. Feel free to join us if you like high-powered, exciting prayer times!
This Sunday, we will have guest music as Michelle is given a day off. Rev. Dennis Lawrence will be singing for us. Our sermon Scripture will be Matthew 25:1 – 13, the story of the wise and foolish bridesmaids. I invite you to consider how God is calling you to prepare for the miracle he is about to do here.
Next Sunday, we will look at 1 Thessalonians 5:1 – 11, which talks about a different aspect of preparedness for God’s work. It encourages us that when destruction is raining all around us, we will be obtaining salvation, as long as we continue as “children of light” (vs. 5).
I look forward to worshipping with you on Sunday!
