Brothers and Sisters,
Sermon Recap
Last Sunday we explored one of the most beautiful sections of Scripture (Ephesians 2:1-10). In just one paragraph, the great treasure of the gospel unfolds – who we were before Christ, what God did on our behalf, and what we now do as his people. The scandal of this passage is that no one is saved by what she does, but every Christian is saved for what she will do. You see, brothers and sisters, God has given us good works to do. These good words involve both character transformation and practical ways of showing God’s love. As we move toward 2 Gatherings, I am thrilled we’ll be able to offer more opportunities to serve (114 positions on rotation in fact!).
9 Weeks
This coming Sunday marks the 9 week countdown to our 2 Gatherings launch (August 6)! Having 2 Gatherings will make it much easier to serve on Sunday morning, since you’ll no longer have to choose between serving or participating in the worship gathering. Specific Serve opportunities are listed here. Start planning now to spend 9:30am-12:30pm with your church family, in a worship gathering and then either serving or in Connection Class (both on rotation). Email with an area you’d like to consider serving and a deacon or staff member will follow up with you.
Maddie Pinto Begins
This Thursday, Maddie begins serving with Church on Mill as Director of College Ministry. She’ll be joining the great team of missionaries reaching college students with the gospel, integrating them into membership, and equipping a multitude of staff and volunteers to minister to the mission field known as ASU. Read more here.
Sabbatical
Every year you graciously give me four weeks of sabbatical. A sabbatical is an intentional interruption of normal life for the purposes of study, atypical ministry opportunities, rest, and spiritual rejuvenation. This year my sabbatical begins on June 10th. Lord willing, I’ll be teaching Brazilian pastors on preaching from the gospels (in partnership with Simeon Trust) and then studying, praying, and preparing for COM ministries this fall. Dr. Greg Tonkinson, a dear friend, church planter, and Bible chair at a Christian high school here in the Valley, will be preaching in my absence. You’ll enjoy him as he walks through a series called Soaring. Thank you for this invaluable time away to serve and grow closer to Christ! I’d appreciate your prayers.
With love,
Pastor Chuck
