xclose menu

Pastor's Note | Saturday, May 10th

1

God bless our Mothers! Though it is not one of the holy days found on the Church calendar that point to the marvelous deeds of God, Mother's Day offers a very unique opportunity. It affords us the occasion to be deliberate about thinking of and giving thanks for our Moms.

Personally, I am thankful for my Mother and her determination as a teenager to be faithful in her relationship with Jesus. Trusting in a loving and gracious God, participating in worship and fellowship, and learning the Bible were meaningful and deeply touching experiences for her. But, with them came the price of physical and verbal abuse for attending church and youth group activities. Living with an abusive step-father was not easy for her.

Her faithfulness and persistence - even in the face of vicious shaming - have resulted in blessings for many. She invited a 19-year neighborhood acquaintance to church. He came to faith in Jesus, joined the choir, and later, while on leave from the Army Air Corps in 1943, married my Mom... and after several years became my Dad. Now my Mother has three children, eight grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren. All of her children and grandchildren (and their spouses) are on spiritual journeys with Jesus at the center. A Mother's influence can be very profound. God bless our Mothers!

On another note, as of this writing we have received over $136,000 in giving and/or pledged giving towards the financial commitment of $240,000 made as part of our Joint Solution for dismissal from the Presbyterian Church (USA). This is an extremely generous and quick response to the need for these funds. If you haven't yet pledged, click here to do so or bring your pledge card tomorrow morning.

Recently someone asked me - in light of this substantial amount - whether it is really necessary for us to make the move from our current denominational affiliation into ECO: A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians. The short answer is "Yes, for the sake of Good Shepherd's future and our effectiveness in ministry, this move is essential."

Behind that short answer is fact that moving to ECO puts us in a denominational environment that will truly support and direct and continue to encourage us to become a flourishing church that blesses our community by making new disciples and strengthening disciples of Jesus. The move places us in a Presbyterian denomination that:

  • Is centered upon clear essential tenets of the Reformed Faith - the unity of the denomination is based on common theological foundations and vision for ministry
  • Is focused upon heralding the message of the gospel, learning to be welcoming to all, making disciples, and planting new churches (the best way to grow the Church)
  • Offers a structure that better enables us to carry out our call to make disciples, be supported by neighboring churches in partnerships, and be encouraged to step out in new ways so that people around us will learn to know Jesus

Much more could be said, but I wanted to remind you that we are seeking a significant change that will result in our being a church that is better able to make Jesus Christ known and to make disciples who in turn make disciples.

Please continue to pray for this transition and for us to be faithful followers of Jesus to the honor and glory of God.

Jim

1 Comment

Well said Pastor Jim

Leave a Comment

Comments for this post have been disabled.