Excited About Events

Grace Covenant's Covenant:  God's Word

 

 

Dear Congregation:

 

I don't use the word excited very often, unless I describing a new book.  However, I don't know a better word than excited to use for this month at Grace Covenant Church, unless the better word is thankful.  God has granted us as a church a renewed burst of energy and zeal for His Kingdom.

 

Consider these blessings over the past month:

 

1.  The start-up of Kids' Quest Catechism Club for our children and Recovering the Beauty of the Arts video series for adults. Also, the Wednesday night meals and fellowship have been great.  If you have not yet been able to participate, try to join us for the coming weeks.

 

2.  The Friday night Do Hard Things classes for our young people.  In covenant theology, we emphasize our belief that our children are completely a part of God's kingdom, but sometimes we do little to include or train them for the Kingdom.  Our place is crawling with kids on Friday nights.  These are the teachers, elders, missionaries, deacons, etc. of the Kingdom starting sometime before the end of this decade!  Starting a church and a school were both hard things for those of us who were here in Grace Covenant's infancy.  Now our children are being prepared for the next tasks.

 

3.  Women's Ministries.  The women of our church are plotting and planning.  We have always been sustained and blessed by the prayers and labors of the wives and mothers and young ladies in our congregation.  Now we are seeing even a greater zeal and focus.  As is often the case, we men better watch out: our better halves are going to show us up.

 

4.  Blake Purcell's visit.  Blake is one of the most energetic men I know.  My vision is so often so small (making it through the next Humanities class).  Blake's vision is all of Russia for Christ!  We have been awakened to the fact that we in our rich land need to do more for our brothers and sisters in Christ in Eurasia.  Perhaps you did not know that Grace Covenant began some time back to give monthly support to the Slavic Reformation Society.  Let us seek to increase our support, prayers, and awareness.  I hope some of us can visit a Russian congregation over the next couple of years.

 

5.  Tuesday night Bible study.  The Humanities classroom is generally packed on Tuesday nights with men (both church members and visitors) who gather to discuss God's Word and fellowship over spiritual matters.  My brief encounters with these meetings have been especially encouraging.

 

Looking over all these activities makes me hungry for more.  Watch for and gather your ideas for these upcoming events, programs, and missions:

 

1.  Fall Fest in October.  This is a whole weekend devoted to fellowship, feasting, and celebrating the Reformation.  The central focus is our joy in God having saved us by His grace.  That focus includes our remembering the labors of such servants as Martin Luther, John Calvin, and John Knox (our spiritual fathers).

 

2.  Book ministries.  We have some good books on the shelf in the hallway.  We are wanting to see more group readings, more book distribution, and more sanctification through good books. As Francis Bacon said, "Reading maketh a full man."

 

3.  Advent.  We are not trying to copy the stores that are already putting up Christmas decorations, but we are seeking to think through ways to celebrate all four Sundays in Advent through a worship-enhancing decorated sanctuary, Advent music, and sermons. 

 

4.  The Francis Schaeffer Conference in late January.  This will be a celebration and remembrance of the ministry of Francis Schaeffer on the occasion of the one hundredth year since his birth. 

 

We still have many serious concerns for our church family. In the midst of so much good, many are suffering and hurting in this fallen world.  Good church life is not heaven, but let us labor to make it a foretaste of heaven. 

 

Pray for the ministry teams in our church.  By that, I mean, your pastors, teachers, and servant-laborers.