Love Intentionally
Love Inclusively
Love Universally
Love Completely
Love Everyone
Love Better!
August 19, 2020 (Week 23)
Sisters and brothers; Greetings in our Savior’s name!
Opportunities and challenges abound! There is so much to be done! Are you aware of what you have done?
Your church has provided housing for a young, single parent family, about to be turned onto the street, up to the arrival of an unemployment check. Your church has vigorously and successfully encouraged mental health institutions to be proactive in the treatment of individuals who have heretofore been turned away. Your church has provided housing for a young person, giving him a few days more until the treatment facility placement was formalized for him. Your church has provided funds for food to individuals who still come to the church seeking help, and who have no where else to go. Your church has provided thousands of dollars for food to local social service agencies, as well as hundreds of bags of groceries, toiletries and school supplies, to be a helping hand to those who suffer invisibly in our community. Your church has provided funds to support a community destroyed by a typhoon in Piyali, West Bengal, India, for food and housing. Your church has provided funds to support a center ministering to young girls who are homeless and subjected to terrible evils on the streets of Yaoundé, Cameroon. Your church has provided spiritual support and counsel to couples on the verge of relationship collapse for a number of reasons, entirely exacerbated by COVID-19. Your church through the ministry of our compassionate and loving pastoral care volunteers, has helped our congregation remain connected and “in the loop” throughout the pandemic.
Your church has been at work at home, in our community and abroad, in the proclamation of the Gospel in word and deed; and the living out of our faith for the sake of those God loves! (By the way, when I say “your church,” I want you to understand that I mean YOU!)
That said, there is much yet to be done! We have a member who needs a kidney transplant. We have other members who need our support as they traverse the horrible reality of divorce. We have others who are ill. We have others who are hungry and facing homelessness.
Please keep one another in prayer, especially now. Things are different. Things are more difficult. Some are having a very hard time coping. It is our privilege to be Christ’s hands and feet for them, serving them as they have need. I will remind you once again, that if you are facing a tough time, and you need any sort of support, please do not hesitate to reach out to us here at the church. We are, quite literally, at your service. We want to know if you need help in any way. We pray for all of you, every day!
All of our ministry initiatives currently online, can be found by going to our website (https://www.godamong.us) and clicking on the “ILC Online Activities” box. Get involved! It’s easy, and it’s worth it! We look forward to having you all join us.
Once again, I implore you...please take care of yourselves. Your health of course, but your spiritual well-being too. Just a few Scripture verses refreshes and sustains us. Make it a habit! I was about to say that “I look forward to seeing everyone;” I should say perhaps, I look forward to being seen by all of you in worship this weekend. Be blessed!
In Christ’s service,
Pr. Luther
- After worship, around 11 am, Darrell and Nancy Datte host our after worship coffee/donut fellowship time (BYOC/D) on Zoom, and look forward to welcoming everyone in our community. Please think about joining in and saying hi to your brothers and sisters. That gathering can be found here:
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/3173666136?pwd=b21OU3p1L0laNjZYcmx2clJMbDRmZz09