This Week's Update

Greetings in Christ! 

 

Announcements

• The 2015 Virginia Synod Assembly is June 5th-7th at Roanoke College in Salem. Judy Flickinger is your congregational representative.
  
  
  • As a new pastor in the synod, Pastor Andrew is also required to attend a boundaries training on June 4th in Salem.
    
    
• The Annual Church picnic is June 14th at 12:15pm in Bissett Park, Shelter #2. The church will provide hamburgers/hot dogs, buns, condiments, and drinks. Please bring a side or dessert to share!
  
  
• There is a congregational meeting scheduled for June 28th. Please plan to attend for budget amendments, to ratify our new mission statement, and consider what to do with the pews that are still in storage.
  
  

Devotional

This week is our synods annual assembly. It often brings up questions about why individual churches are connected to a larger group and about why the pastor has responsibilities outside of the local congregation.

 

In Jesus’ high priestly prayer, he prayed that the church would be one as He and the Father are one. In other words, that we would be united in love toward and mission for the world. This is one of the great gifts of synodical and church wide work. It allows us to help realize Jesus’ prayer as we join together in love toward and mission for the world God created.

 

Because of our work with other congregations across the U.S., we were able to send health kits across the world to those in need. Because of our Virginia Synod contributions, we’ve been able to fight childhood hunger in Virginia. Because our of our ecumenical connections, we’re working with the Virginia Council of Churches to partner with God and ensure the continuation of the church’s faithful work into this new era where faith is not assumed or embraced by everyone. And these are only a few immediate examples.

 

We’re better together. When we connect the work from our congregation with the work of others across the state and country, we can see at least a glimpse of our oneness in Christ, and through that, the unity of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.