Hello church family,
End of the week greetings are back after a slight summer/baby hiatus! Hope all is well.
Pharaoh, Pharaoh
I’ve been going through the book of Exodus lately, and what struck me was the contrast between 4:31 “and they believed. And when they heard that the Lord was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped” and 6:9 “ but they did not listen to Moses, because of their broken spirit and harsh slavery.”
Such a contrast in emotion in just a few chapters. A few things ministered to me. First, it is okay to be overwhelmed in emotion, especially a “broken spirit.” The next chapters, the actual exodus and delivering of His people, were not contingent on our response. The Lord was going to do it, and be faithful, even when we don’t “feel” like being faithful.
Second, things became a lot worse over those few chapters, but the Lord doesn’t change. We are frozen in a period with such happiness and without, as the Ecclesiastes puts it, “ a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance (3:4).” This is the life we have right now, and God gives the “ daily bread” for each of us in whatever circumstances. We trust Him because He will instill the ultimate and consummate exodus with resurrection and new heavens and new earth. We reside under His authority, not Pharaoh’s.
He Has Done Great Things
-Things this Fall have already gotten rolling thus far. Both JAM and Overflow have kicked off with respective swim parties recently. The JAM group enjoyed their time swimming at the community pool in town with yummy food and fellowship, while the Overflow group recently trekked out the Ebker’s home, and enjoyed swimming in their lake while eating delicious food as well.
A great way to start off our years within these groups. A big thank you to all the hands involved in making these events happen, and to the generosity of the Ebkers in opening their home to the Overflow group specifically.
-Also, recently our new elementary group, Seedling, kicked off this past Wednesday night. We had a wonderful group of kids, who had a lot of fun. In continuing with the spirit of VBS, the kids enjoyed some music, an interactive lesson, which this week, was on Jesus calming the storm, wonderful small group leaders, and some more superficial delights like snacks and the parachute game!
I know Evie had a lot of fun, as she relayed the things she enjoyed- 1.) friends 2.) Nothing is impossible with God (the memory verse) 3.) hiding inside the blanket (the parachute game). We meet on the first and third Wednesdays of each month, from 6:00-7:30 PM, so please come if you are between the ages of 3 & 9, and invite your friends and family.
Upcoming
-Overflow/JAM: first Wednesday meeting of the Fall on August 28, 6-8PM
JAM will be working through this curriculum for the Fall- “Fuel: Foundations for Middle School”
Overflow will going through this for the Fall- “The Explicit Gospel”
As always, tons of fun, games, and food and more events coming up later in the Fall, like the lock-in, laser tag, etc.
-Seedling: next Wednesday (September 4, 6:00-7:30PM) will be our next meeting. Mark your calendars for the fifth Wednesday in October (the 30th), as we will have a family event by heading out to the New Haven Pumpkin Patch. Should be lots of fun!
– Engage: Engage starts tomorrow during the service, as we will have different things for kids (ages 5-12) to interact with during the service. Ranging from coloring pages, to questions, and resources for families to help their children stay “engaged” during the service.
Also, Engage over all will be a program dedicated to having kids be “engaged” with the Lord on Sundays. Besides what will be done on Sundays during the service, we will have a program along with the Discover Emmanuel classes, or what was the Sunday School hour (9-10 AM). This will be for youth ages 3-11. Nursery will be provided for ages 6 months to 2 years old, and the “older” youth can either help with the younger kids program or join the Discover Emmanuel class.
Lots to look forward to!
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