October 2023
I lift up my eyes to the hills—
from where will my help come?
My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
– Psalm 121:1-2
Last October, I wrote this in my Pastor's Note for our newsletter:
As we move into the fall, I pray you continue to share in your abundance so that we can continue to have such a powerful, love-filled impact on our community. We have dreams of upgrading our Zoom worship so that those who are home-bound or have a need to worship online can continue to feel they are an important part of our community. We have dreams of starting a youth group so that our teens and young folks can experience more of God’s love and the care of our churches. We have dreams of continuing to provide meals for our community, supporting local schools, the food bank, and other organizations who serve those in need.
As we look ahead to a season of stewardship and building out our church budget for the next year, discerning how we will support the church, it's important to also look back.
It can feel really daunting, and sometimes disheartening, to look at everything that still needs to be done. All the things we still need to accomplish, and all the money we have yet to raise.
But when we glance back, we can see all that God, through us, have already done!!
Yes, there are still lots of needs and wants, but look at all the good work God has done through you. You have provided hundreds of pounds of food to high school students who would otherwise go hungry. You have provided thousands of meals to the community. You have upgraded virtual worship so that our folks at home can feel even more like they're part of the worship. You have showed up for the young people in our church community, confirming 6 teens last year, and starting up a program for them this fall!
As a good friend of mine says: look what God can do!
Truly, our help comes from God through one another. Let's remember this as we go forward, continuing to make manifest God's love in the would.
With gratitude,
Pastor Kelsey
