From the Pastor’s Desk…    

"You are among those who have been called to belong to Jesus Christ, dear friends in Rome. God loves you dearly, and he has called you to be his very own people. May grace and peace be yours from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."  Romans 1:6,7

    Paul's letter to the church at Rome begins with the assurance that the good news of Jesus Christ is for everyone. For generations the Jewish people had been considered the chosen ones to receive God's favor and love. There was a very clear fence marking the boundaries of who is on the inside, and who is on the outside of this favor. Paul starts to dismantle that fence as, in the first chapter; he explains the burden on his heart to share the good news without shame to the Jew and the Gentile, the educated and uneducated. He continues to explain this good news as the power of God to save everyone who believes. It is not because of what we have done, but because of what God has done through Jesus the Christ. In Jesus we are all the same--We are all chosen! We are all saved if only we believe. There are to be no fences.

    Hallelujah! The fences that separate us no longer exist. Or do they? If we are honest with ourselves, as we look around, we who know we are chosen still build fences so that only those like us come to belong to our church family. If we are honest with ourselves and God, often we build fences around ourselves to protect ourselves from truly being known. I mean really God--if you or my church family knew how quirky I really am--how could they love me, or let me belong?

    How true it is that our lives of faith are a journey marked by tearing down the fences that we have built between each other and God. How true it is that our journey is about not just learning to love and accept others, but also ourselves. Jacqueline Sullivan wrote this poem:

                                         The Fence

I built a fence around my heart; it seemed much safer at the start.

I built a fence around my mind, the time to think I could not find.

I built a fence around my hands, to get involved I could not stand.

I built a fence around my feet, I only wanted to retreat.

Then Jesus came my soul to bear. The fence is down, at last I care.

What are the fences we need to ask Jesus to help us take down?

Keep us caring Lord, for You, for each other, for ourselves.

May your November days be filled with thankful joy for all you care about!        

Pastor Debbie

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Why You Should Invite Friends to Church

A survey of 22 congregations in 3 major cities reveals what newcomers said brought them to church:

            advertising............................................................ 2 percent

            invitation by the pastor........................................  6 percent

            an organized evangelistic outreach program......... 6 percent      

            invitation by a friend or family member.............. 86 percent

(Reported in Congregational Megatrends)