Brothers and Sisters,
I do hope your holiday weekend was relaxing and an opportunity to enjoy some good company with family and friends. Sunday was yet another insightful time of looking at the joy-filled letter of Philippians. One of the most notable verses from this wonderful book, which we covered Sunday, is “to live is Christ and to die is gain.” (Phil 1:21) Living in its most fullest sense is a radical ambition to delight, honor, and serve Christ. That ambition is so worthy and all encompassing because it goes beyond death! Paul says that even in death he can continue to fulfill this ambition. As some would say, “now that’s living!” Pastor Chuck said it well, “Life cannot be about something that death takes away.” Only Christ can push our ambitions beyond the grave, all other ambitions stop at death.
Brothers and Sisters, remember that “when Christ is your highest ambition boundless joy will fill your condition.”
Gospel Communities
If you are new to Church on Mill let me take a few minutes and introduce you to our Gospel Communities by answering a few question:
What is a Gospel Community? – A gospel community (GC) is a group of disciples sharing life together and living their shared life on mission for the glory of God.
What do Gospel Communities do? – GCs are our church’s primary strategy for giving people unsure about Christianity a place to explore it, for Christians (disciples) to grow in their faith, for significant friendships to be built, for people to learn how to relate the gospel to all of life, and for engaging people with the good news of Jesus Christ who might otherwise not hear it. We call these components our GC Distinctives: Gospel, Community, and Mission.
Why should I join a Gospel Community? Great question…Simply put: GC needs you and you need GC! Besides that, it is a lot of fun. The fact is you were not designed by your Creator to live life surrounded by people without ever really knowing anyone. God hard-wires us with a need for and desire to be in relationships. You can uniquely make a contribution to the lives of others and they can do the same for you.
What’s next? – Click here and find the the map that shows the current GCs based on their mission location. Click on the location to display a brief description of the GC. Check them out and email one of the groups closest to you for specifics on how to get involved. All groups are open and would love to have you visit.
Transition Team
Be encouraged!! With a unanimous yes, Randy Hagler will step onto the Transition Team to begin serving alongside Todd, Kent, and Chuck. Please take a few minutes when you see him and thank him for his willingness to serve us this way. Also, pray for him and Pam as he transition onto the team.
20schemes
We have mentioned on various occasions about a unique opportunity to serve one of our mission partners, 20schemes, next month. If you have not already purchased tickets to the upcoming awareness concert on October 5th at Scottsdale Bible church, please do so! This is a great opportunity to invite some friends to hear how God is using 20schemes to build healthy Gospel-centred churches for Scotland’s poorest communities.
Guest Reception
Immediately following the gathering this upcoming Sunday from 12-1 there will be a light lunch and reception time for visitors and newcomers to get to meet people and ask questions.
Grace be with you,
Bryan Jerry
