Anyhoo, hello church folk! So much good stuff happening around here. It was early Christmas this week in the office, as our bibles arrived! I am so excited to have bibles for all ages in our church, some of which will be in the pews for us to use during worship, others will be in the Sunday School classrooms, and others will be given as gifts to our preschoolers, 3rd graders, and confirmands to have at home as their very own. They are in a little Bible Mountain in the sanctuary right this minute, for us to pray over and bless tomorrow morning in worship.
We are also putting together cleaning kits for United Methodist Committee on Relief! Here is a link to the specifications, and a lot of great information about UMCOR. Kathy Fraker will tell us more about it during worship. The UMCOR truck is coming through Reno in mid-October, so we want to have as many as possible ready to send with them. You are welcome to donate particular items, or build your own buckets yourself and bring them to church any time in the next couple of weeks. You are also welcome to donate money to UMCOR via their website; you can do so with confidence that every single penny goes directly to the relief effort you specify.
http://www.umcor.org/umcor/relief-supplies/relief-supply-kits/cleaning
AND our District is putting together a district celebration and special event called "Unlocking the Spirit of Innovation" led by Marlon Hall that is getting RAVE reviews. It will be held on Saturday, October 7 at Loomis UMC. We are all strongly encouraged to go; let's get a carpool together and go together!
Tomorrow morning in worship we finish our series on the blessings of belonging to a church family. The first week, we celebrated our personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ and the ways that he continues to save and heal us; last week we talked about the gift of belonging, and the ways to be in Christian community. This week, we will talk together about grace, and evangelism, and carrying that gift of community out into the world.
See, here's the thing: this may sound bizarre, but the gift of salvation is not primarily for us. God's work in us not only brings us fully to abundant life, through Jesus Christ it transforms US into a gift for the world. Take a look at chapter 3 of Paul's letter to the Ephesians, especially the last part. Heck, read the whole thing if you can, Ephesians is great. Check out God's words to Abraham in Genesis 12:,2 and Paul's to the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians 9:8. If you don't have a bible handy, click the link below to Bible Gateway:
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=ephesians+3&version=NRSV
See you in worship! 9am, with Sunday School to follow. And! For those new-ish to the church, or for those who have been around awhile and want a refresher, or for anyone who just wants to sit and enjoy each other's company, join me after worship for a Methodism 101 class. Have a great Saturday, rest well, and see you in the morning. :-)
Love and blessings,
Pastor Dawn
