Dear Brothers and Sisters,
A year ago we launched our Called to Flourish three year vision. The primary aim of this vision is to put into practice in a very concrete way our church’s purpose statement. Over these last twelve months I’ve seen the Lord transforming our congregation and causing us to flourish in multiple areas. In fact, many of you have shared with me how you are seeing the same thing take place. As an example, take just one area of our Called to Flourish Vision: kingdom prayer. Prayer is the first step in becoming a flourishing congregation. When we pray kingdom prayers, we are praying specifically that the good news of the King and his kingdom would spread in our community, and that the Lord would use us to make him known through our lives and through our church. This year the Lord has stretched us to rely more on him through prayer and he is continuing to do this. I am so grateful to see our church going deeper in our commitment to being a church of kingdom prayer. This is the work of God in our midst!
This Sunday our sermon passage will be Ezekiel 17:22-24, the theme passage for our Called to Flourish vision. During the service we will share more about what the Lord has done over the past year, and also the ministry aims we have for this year as we continue to put our three year vision into practice.
At 11:00am, following our fellowship time, we will gather in the Worship Center for our Vision Campaign launch. At this time, the leadership will share about the vision campaign and how it is a vital component to achieving our Called to Flourish vision.
We invite everyone to attend Sunday’s special event, whether you are a church member or not. Come and hear about our goals for the Vision Campaign as we seek to be a church for the glory of Christ, the growth of the church, and the good of the community.
Click here to access the livestream of this Sunday’s worship service (9:30am).
Fall Sunday School
Our fall Sunday school classes will begin on Sunday, September 24 for children (room 6), and Sunday, October 1 for adults (room 3/4). Our children’s class will be taught by Amy-Jo Wierenga and Valerie Austin.
The adult Sunday school class will study The Gospel in Life: Grace Changes Everything by Timothy Keller. This eight week study explores the many implications of the gospel for our lives, our church, and our community. There is no outside reading for the class (though there are optional at-home lessons). Each week will include a brief video teaching by Timothy Keller followed by discussion, Scripture reflection, and prayer. The book costs $9.00. Donations for the book are accepted, but not required. Please place donations in the offering plate. If you would like a copy of the book, please sign the sheet in the narthex.
Providing Meals for the LaBelles:
If you would like to provide a meal for the LaBelles as Larry recovers from surgery, please go to: takethemameal.com, click on “Find a Meal Schedule,” enter Last Name: LaBelle, Password: (see your email). If you need assistance with signing up, please contact Don Johnson.
Embracing Hope Women’s Bible Study
On Tuesday nights this fall we will be studying Ephesians using a 10-week study guide by Lydia Brownback. We will begin meeting on September 12th from 7:00pm-8:30pm at the home of Jenn Wright. Book cost is $5.00. Please contact Jenny Johnson if you would like to attend.
Men’s Lunch: Wednesday, September 13 (12:00pm)
All men are invited to attend the men’s lunch on Wednesday, September 13 at 12:00pm at Pal Joey’s in West Chicago.
Blanket Ministry
Blanket Ministry will meet Monday, September 11 and Monday, September 25 at 10:30 am in room 7, after which it will meet regularly every second and fourth Monday of the month. All ladies are invited to attend. Please see Kay Hurley for more details.
Prayer Requests
Larry LaBelle: We praise God for a successful back surgery last week; please pray for a smooth and efficient recovery.
Karla & Gary Van Der Molen: Pray for continued strength for Karla as she and Gary navigate her ALS.
Jim Indrelie: Please pray for healing for former member Jim Indrelie, who is battling lung cancer and was hospitalized yesterday with pneumonia.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Rhett