Greetings in Jesus,
I have had a great week of vacation. It rained more than I wanted it to, but that was God's way of having me rest. I did work on building a retaining wall in my backyard. It is taxing. I was scolded (and deservedly so) for over-doing it a bit and suffering for it. I am enjoying the warm, sunny days and the relief from the humidity aren't you?
During the summer months is a great time for all of us to make ministry plans and organize for the fall up through Christmas. The "God Questions" congregational campaign is going to be a great event at Friends In Christ this fall. I encourage you to pray about and accept an invitation to be part of this growth among us and outreach to our Morris community.
I have another prayer request for you. We have a young lady, Morgan Wills, who greatly needs our prayers. Please pray for God's healing for her and God's strength and comfort for her family. They are not taking any phone calls so please respect their wishes about that. The prayers of many are powerful and effective and that is part of being a family in Christ. I know how much the cards and letters that you sent to me meant for me and my recovery, so cards and letters to Morgan may help her greatly. Thank you all so much beforehand for your prayers for Morgan.
Part of Jesus' Family,
Pastor Randy
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Pastor's Weekly Blog
Greetings My Friends In Christ,
What a great week we have had. VBS was wonderful. The children learned that they are special creations of God, that he has made every person on earth unique, that he loves them so much he sent his Son, Jesus, to die for their sins so they can have forgiveness and eternal life. On Friday the children wanted to do another week of VBS which is a testament to all who participated - THANK YOU ALL!!
We had a great congregational meeting on Sunday. Thank you to all who came so that we could share ideas and move together as Friends In Christ. We all agreed that we do not want to run in place, but want to pursue the mission of Jesus to the world. There was joy in our L.E.R.T. team that responded with help to the tornado victims in Streator; there is common ground on wanting to reach our community with the Gospel of Jesus Christ; and we have a great desire to work together. Not all aspects of the plan that our leadership put together were endorsed, but input was given and received and more input is desired. Continue in prayer for our leadership as they truly want all of us to move together in the mission of Jesus.
I have been tolerating the rapid changes in the weather and do my best to push through the tough days and enjoy the not so tough ones. Thank you all for your continued love, support, and prayers it is such a blessing to me.
Following Jesus,
Pastor Randy
What a great week we have had. VBS was wonderful. The children learned that they are special creations of God, that he has made every person on earth unique, that he loves them so much he sent his Son, Jesus, to die for their sins so they can have forgiveness and eternal life. On Friday the children wanted to do another week of VBS which is a testament to all who participated - THANK YOU ALL!!
We had a great congregational meeting on Sunday. Thank you to all who came so that we could share ideas and move together as Friends In Christ. We all agreed that we do not want to run in place, but want to pursue the mission of Jesus to the world. There was joy in our L.E.R.T. team that responded with help to the tornado victims in Streator; there is common ground on wanting to reach our community with the Gospel of Jesus Christ; and we have a great desire to work together. Not all aspects of the plan that our leadership put together were endorsed, but input was given and received and more input is desired. Continue in prayer for our leadership as they truly want all of us to move together in the mission of Jesus.
I have been tolerating the rapid changes in the weather and do my best to push through the tough days and enjoy the not so tough ones. Thank you all for your continued love, support, and prayers it is such a blessing to me.
Following Jesus,
Pastor Randy
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Pastor's Weekly Blog
Hello Sisters and Brothers in Jesus,
This week is VBS week and Friends In Christ is vibrant with kids. Yesterday the kids were having so much fun that many didn't want to leave. That is a good sign. There are a few families that are new to the Morris area and we pray that God bless them in their search for a church family. We do pray that they would join our family of God, but to be in the kingdom of Jesus is the most important. We are learning about how much God loves us - that he created us just as he wanted us to be. We are special to him, which is why he sent his Son, Jesus, to pay the price for our sins on the cross. As the kids discover more about God and his creation and Jesus and his sacrifice for us they are uncovering the truth of the Word of God that will be with them all of the days of their lives. It is so exciting to see all of these children having fun and learning at the same time. Pray for them and their families that they would continue in a relationship with Jesus as their Savior and receive forgiveness and eternal life.
This Sunday we have our semi-annual Voters' Meeting at 2:00pm. I encourage all of you to attend. We have a pivitol decision to make concerning the future of Friends In Christ. The Leaders of our congregation have put together a wonderful plan to reach our community for Jesus Christ and some critical decisions need to be made in order to implement this plan. If you haven't yet picked up a packet and an informational DVD just stop by the church building and pick one up. See you there!
I have been in a struggle with the changes of weather, so pray for God to lessen the pain during this volatile time of the season. The warm, calm days are a wonderful respite from the stormy ones. I do appreciate the encouraging words and the prayers on my behalf. You are great!
In Jesus Comfort,
Pastor Randy
This week is VBS week and Friends In Christ is vibrant with kids. Yesterday the kids were having so much fun that many didn't want to leave. That is a good sign. There are a few families that are new to the Morris area and we pray that God bless them in their search for a church family. We do pray that they would join our family of God, but to be in the kingdom of Jesus is the most important. We are learning about how much God loves us - that he created us just as he wanted us to be. We are special to him, which is why he sent his Son, Jesus, to pay the price for our sins on the cross. As the kids discover more about God and his creation and Jesus and his sacrifice for us they are uncovering the truth of the Word of God that will be with them all of the days of their lives. It is so exciting to see all of these children having fun and learning at the same time. Pray for them and their families that they would continue in a relationship with Jesus as their Savior and receive forgiveness and eternal life.
This Sunday we have our semi-annual Voters' Meeting at 2:00pm. I encourage all of you to attend. We have a pivitol decision to make concerning the future of Friends In Christ. The Leaders of our congregation have put together a wonderful plan to reach our community for Jesus Christ and some critical decisions need to be made in order to implement this plan. If you haven't yet picked up a packet and an informational DVD just stop by the church building and pick one up. See you there!
I have been in a struggle with the changes of weather, so pray for God to lessen the pain during this volatile time of the season. The warm, calm days are a wonderful respite from the stormy ones. I do appreciate the encouraging words and the prayers on my behalf. You are great!
In Jesus Comfort,
Pastor Randy
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Pastor's Weekly Blog
Greetings in Jesus!
We had a great celebration of Holy Trinity Sunday as well as commemorating those who have served and are serving in our armed forces (Memorial Day). I am so glad that we live in the U.S.A. at this time. We have what many countries do not have - the freedom to not only worship the true God, but to study his Word and tell others about the Savior of the world, Jesus. We have not experienced interference from our government as yet. And we certainly want to protect this freedom. My personal belief on how to protect this freedom is to introduce more people to Jesus and in so doing they may believe and one more will have eternal life in Jesus.
We are continuing our Journey Through the Gospel of Luke during the summer. We meet between services. Everyone who has been attending has been so enthralled by our study that they did not want to stop. The Holy Spirit is truly changing our lives as we take this journey. Join us on Sundays at 9:45 am and take this journey with us. It is easy to get plugged in right away. We start Luke, chapter 4, this Sunday.
I have been on a rollercoaster with all of these thunderstorm fronts rolling through. I feel as well as can be expected when it is clear and sunny, but when the atmospheric pressure changes then my pain is heightened. I am pleased to be praying for all of you and I certainly am abundantly thankful for all of your prayers for me. God is good!!
In Jesus arms,
Pastor Randy
We had a great celebration of Holy Trinity Sunday as well as commemorating those who have served and are serving in our armed forces (Memorial Day). I am so glad that we live in the U.S.A. at this time. We have what many countries do not have - the freedom to not only worship the true God, but to study his Word and tell others about the Savior of the world, Jesus. We have not experienced interference from our government as yet. And we certainly want to protect this freedom. My personal belief on how to protect this freedom is to introduce more people to Jesus and in so doing they may believe and one more will have eternal life in Jesus.
We are continuing our Journey Through the Gospel of Luke during the summer. We meet between services. Everyone who has been attending has been so enthralled by our study that they did not want to stop. The Holy Spirit is truly changing our lives as we take this journey. Join us on Sundays at 9:45 am and take this journey with us. It is easy to get plugged in right away. We start Luke, chapter 4, this Sunday.
I have been on a rollercoaster with all of these thunderstorm fronts rolling through. I feel as well as can be expected when it is clear and sunny, but when the atmospheric pressure changes then my pain is heightened. I am pleased to be praying for all of you and I certainly am abundantly thankful for all of your prayers for me. God is good!!
In Jesus arms,
Pastor Randy
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