The LINK: 11/24
Family and friends of Congo-Pres,
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and depart from evil. Let not mercy and truth forsake you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart, and so find favor and high esteem in the sight of God and man.”
Happy November! There’s a line from Proverbs 3 that tends to get brushed over. Proverbs 3:5-7 encourages us to trust in God, don’t rely too much on your own understanding, acknowledge God in all that you do, and God will bless what you do. We even heard that in worship in September!
There’s a line that tends to get brushed over in verse 3: “Do not let loyalty and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck, write them on your heart”. Loyalty is that word in Hebrew, hesed: abounding faithfulness, steadfast love, loyalty. The book of Ruth is one long meditation and demonstration of hesed as we also reviewed over the summer.
This faithfulness of course refers to loving God, but what if it also means being loyal and faithful to one another? And not just as an afterthought but maybe even foundational to who we are? From my vantage point, I can encourage you to be loyal and faithful to one another, even and especially when the world would want to divide us. Politics, the direction of the church, personal conflicts- during these times we can love God by putting loyalty and faithfulness within us so much it can’t help but pour out towards others.
And also from my vantage point, it’s on me as your pastor to earn and demonstrate any connection you might feel towards me. It’s never assumed just because I’m in the office. So to that end, I’d love to give some updates on a few things we’re working on, to keep communication open and transparent as best as we can.
Website:
You may have wondered, why is the website out of date? (And there’s no picture of the pastor?) One of my aspirations over the summer was to get a new website that has a fresh coat of paint, is a little bit easier to use, and has more calendared events up there. It’s taken longer than I thought, but we’re getting close! Streaming worship, and archiving sermons will still be easily accessible, and we’ll have information for different ministries. We’ll include past sermons as well as some of the former Bible reading plans that others have written.
Nex-Gen Director:
We’re still looking, so if you know anyone, send them our way! Interest has slowed in the fall, so we’re looking at other places and reaching out to other institutions to post the position. We welcome your continued prayers that God helps us to fill this role.
Leadership:
On Saturday, October 19, a few dozen leaders of Congo-Pres got together to reflect, learn, and dream about where we are, where we’re going and where God just might be leading us. We met for 5 hours for a conversation led by Katie Stark, a staff member of the Presbytery of the Inland Northwest. We want to lean into the gifts of who we are today, and the strengths of where we’ve been, to where we might be going next. As of this newsletter, I’m in process of putting together a report, as well as different actionable steps for the Board, the Staff, and leader who feel called to join in on what we’re doing as we try to be faithful to God. So stay tuned!
Family:
We’re having a girl! Julia is feeling good, and everything is going well. We welcome your prayers as we prepare our home and hearts. Our baby is due in February and we’re so excited!
If there’s anything else about our church you want to talk about, I’m here for you. Feel free to schedule an appointment or call during office hours. I’m generally free Monday through Thursday and am not in the office or at my email on Fridays. If you need to talk, I’m committed to meeting with you, and dedicated to finding a time that works for everyone.
Grace and peace,