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Dear
Saints:
Exciting
things have been happening around St. Matthew lately. Have you
noticed? A fresh wind is blowing through our congregation. We’re
catching a vision for the future; and we’re starting to get a
feel for how we might carry out our mission. With the completion of
our Church and Community study, the promising results from
Consecration Sunday, and the positive outcome of our recent Council
retreat that focused on strategic initiatives, we have significant
reason to be hopeful about our future.
As
you know, Jimmy Johnson has been presenting this information on
Sundays after the 10:30 service so that our members can better
understand and discuss the options available to us as we approach the
November 12th Annual Congregational Meeting. Just the other day as I
sat in on one of these meetings I was encouraged by the optimistic
atmosphere of those in attendance.
We
truly are beginning to catch a new vision for serving Christ in a
new generation. Fifty years old now, our church has so much to draw
upon as we seek God’s guidance for our next fifty years of
ministry in Columbus. And so, I’m hopeful as I write this
October newsletter article, asking you (if you haven’t already)
to attend one of these information-packed Sunday meetings.
The
Bible says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish”
(Proverbs 29:18, KJV). We have an emerging vision here at St.
Matthew. It is this: to be a flourishing congregation of disciples
living out our beliefs and values in Christ to impact our community
and world.
What
would we look like if we were fully committed to this? You know,
it’s one thing to have a vision statement down on paper;
it’s another thing to have it engraved on our hearts. Yet,
I’m convinced this is exactly what God is doing among us now.
Just how this will unfold is anyone’s guess, but our
congregational vote at the November meeting will answer many of the
questions you and I may currently have. So, please make sure you get
to one of Jimmy’s informative presentations. I think you’ll
be glad you did.
Yes,
a fresh wind is blowing through our congregation. Do you feel it?
Faithfully,
Pastor
Larry |
