Alas, it is the end of summer, and the fresh start of fall is ahead! To help with this transition, please know that we are excited to welcome you and your family back to church! On September 3, we’ll have joyful worship with communion and a blessing of the backpacks before school begins next week. And our fall season kicks off on September 10 in worship as we will commission our Sunday school teachers for their first classes that morning. Afterwards, we will gather for lunch at the All-Church Brunch celebration where you can see old friends and make some new ones too!
Our Fall Theme is “Do not be afraid.” This phrase is used 58 times in the Old and New Testaments, indicating that fear is something human beings have been managing for a very long time. Sometimes this phrase is written in the context of facing down an enemy in battle. Other times it is spoken when an angel – or Jesus himself - comes to deliver good news. The feeling of fear is hardwired into human beings rooted in the flight or fight response to help us survive. And, if we’re honest, as the world changes quickly around us, it just isn’t realistic to ask us not to be afraid. So, what are we to do? Throughout the fall, we will be exploring the repeated biblical phrase “Do not be afraid” and see what we can learn about truly trusting God in 2023. We’ll work to rebalance our fear in healthy ways undergirded by trusting God who knows us and loves us completely.
To help us with this task, God calls us together as the church to remember who and whose we are. We do the work of being a faith community best by spending time together – talking, learning, laughing, and sharing as the Holy Spirit knits us together. Please intentionally plan to share yourselves with us in worship and study, in fellowship and service in the church year ahead – for truly we are better together! And we would love to see you in person as often as possible!
Come and find your trust in God renewed with us at FPC in 2023!
Yours in Christ,
Rev. Amy