Dear Brothers and Sisters,
People have always wanted to make a name for themselves. You probably know the Tower of Babel story from Genesis 11: “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves.” (Genesis 11:4) We know how that story ends. The ambitious building project was a failure as God confused the languages of the people and dispersed them throughout the earth.
Contrast this with the early Christians in Acts 11:19-30, the sermon passage for this Sunday. These Christians, coming from places like Cyrene in North Africa and the island of Cyprus in the Mediterranean Sea, bring the gospel to a Roman city called Antioch. What were the names of those who traveled far and wide to share the gospel in this city? Answer: We have no idea. They are anonymous. But Luke, the author of Acts, tells us “the hand of the Lord was with them.” (Acts 11:21) They were submitted to God’s leading and empowering through his Spirit as they shared the message of Jesus with the people in Antioch.
In fact, it is in Antioch that followers of Jesus are first called Christians. These early believers don’t try to make a name for themselves, instead they are given a name that identifies them with their Savior and King, Jesus Christ. Our calling as disciples is not to make a great name for ourselves, but like the Christians in Antioch, to make the name of Christ great.
Here is the link to the livestream service (9:30am).
This Saturday Morning: Painting Project (8:00am-Noon)
Join us this Saturday morning for a painting project (8:00am-noon). As part of our Summer Refresh, we will be putting a new coat of paint on the wainscoting in the Mission Center and will be touching up areas in the classrooms and hallways. Painting tools will be provided.
Volunteer Opportunities
As we look toward the upcoming ministry season, we still have several Sunday morning service opportunities available:
- Nursery (8-9 adult female volunteers; serve once a month (or less) during the service for one year; includes background check and brief training)
- Children’s Sunday School Teaching Aid(1 adult volunteer; serve Sundays during the school year 11:00am-11:45am; includes background check and brief training)
- Greeters(10 youth or adults to welcome guests and members before worship; serve once per month)
Sign up in the narthex, or email/call Rosa in the church office.
Outreach Lunch: Sunday, September 12 (11:00am)
This Sunday invitation cards and flyers will be available in the narthex for our upcoming outreach lunch on Sunday, September 12 (11:00am). The outreach lunch is an excellent opportunity to invite family members, friends, coworkers, or neighbors to be introduced to the gospel and to Faith Community Church. All food will be provided. Visitors are free to join us for both the service and lunch or to come at 11:00am for the lunch only.
Chicago Friends of Haiti Earthquake Relief
Chicago Friends of Haiti, a ministry rooted in our presbytery, is organizing efforts to provide relief to the churches and orphanages of El Shaddai International Ministries (ESMI) following the August 14th earthquake. This includes assembling an emergency medical team to go down at the end of this month and sending a shipping container of food, tents, and supplies.
Two ways to give:
- Financial support
- Ifyou would like to give to this effort, you can do so directly by making an online payment or by sending a check to Chicago Friends of Haiti (1440 W. Taylor Street #129 Chicago, IL 60607). Please make checks payable to Chicago Friends of Haiti.
- You mayalso write a check to our church or give through our website and indicate that the funds are for the Haiti relief effort.
- Donate items
You may donate the following items which will be delivered to El Shaddai Ministries International in Haiti. At this point there is not a deadline to donate items, though the more quickly items are received the sooner they can be delivered to ESMI and distributed to areas in need. Please place items in room 8 to be picked up by staff of Chicago Friends of Haiti: Donation List for Haiti
Prayer Requests
Lou Carter: Please pray for spiritual strength and encouragement for Lou, who broke her arm earlier this week during a physical therapy session. Lou has returned from the rehabilitation facility and is residing at home.
Karla Van Der Molen: Pray for continued endurance and strength for Karla in light of an ALS diagnosis.
Nick Rose (Grandson of Kathy Reynolds): Please pray for Nick’s recovery from a significant back injury which occurred as a result of a work-related incident.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Rhett