The Lighthouse - July 27, 2015

The Right People at the Right Time

Courtney and I are celebrating our tenth anniversary. This month also marked my tenth anniversary in pastoral ministry. In fact, Courtney and I began our ministries just a month before we got married. Sometimes we are asked how it feels to go separate directions on Sunday mornings and not to be able to worship together. Our answer has always been that we don't know any different - that's how our marriage began, and it's what we've been doing since!

I still remember starting out at our tiny little churches ten years ago. I pastored a small, dwindling, but loving and faithful congregation in a declining small town, and Courtney pastored a four-point charge in crossroad communities in the neighboring county. I have always suspected that the bishop figured that she was four times as good as I was and gave her four times as many churches to serve! As I look back, I am thankful for those five little churches and their patience and grace with us. We were learning how to pastor, how to be married, and how to balance it out all at the same time, and I am sure we made many mistakes along the way. Oh, those poor folks, what they must have endured! Those folks, however, forgave us our missteps and taught us how to be the pastors we have become today. I am thankful to God for them and for the patience God gave them in ministering to us. God has a way of bringing the right people into our lives at the right time, and I believe that God put the two of us in a place to be surrounded by loving people right when we needed it.

May God lead the right people to share the grace and love you need into your life today!

Blessings on the journey, Jim

Meeting Jesus - A New Worship Series

This Sunday, we begin a new series in worship - Meeting Jesus. Over the next few weeks, we will hear stories of a wide variety of people from the Gospel of Luke as they meet Jesus for the first time. As we hear their stories, we will reflect on how we ourselves first met Jesus and times when we met Jesus again as if for the first time, and we will explore how their stories help us to understand our own.
First up this week we travel to the banks of the Sea of Galilee to see Jesus' first disciples - Peter, James, and John - as they meet this stranger who shows up unexpectedly. They are simple fishermen going about their business of washing their nets after an unsuccessful outing when Jesus jumps in their boat, teaches a crowd, and then calls them to fish for people (Luke 5:1-11). What does Jesus call us to do when we first meet him? How should we follow him?
Join us this Sunday as we meet Jesus who "Called" us along life's journey!

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Easy Summer Giving!

Has vacation time over the summer made it difficult to keep up with when the last time you made an offering at church? Automated giving makes it easier with automatic drafts from your account once or twice a month, and you don't have to remember whether you gave this month or not! See Kendra Burns for more details. 

Wednesday's Coming

We are preparing for another series of Wednesdays at the Port. The fall season will run September 9 to November 18 - 11 weeks this time! That's another amazing meal and program for all ages! Mark your calendars, and start inviting your neighbors and friends. If you are interested in joining our team of volunteers this fall, please talk with Pastor Jim.

Living in Community

• Please pray for peace and understanding for Mark and Dinah as they prepare to update their licenses to drive our new bus.
• Pray for wisdom and guidance for the teachers of our congregation and of the schools in our community as they begin preparations for a new school year.

Upcoming Events

August 11 - Wednesday at the Port/Council Meetings
August 31 - Deadline for Recipe Submissions

Mark Your Calendar

September 9-November 18 - Wednesdays at the Port