This past Sunday was filled with activity and ministry, worship of our Lord and encouragement of one another.

Our Journey Land Sunday was a great success!! I heard lots of positive comments about our Journey Land education wing, and all who went through were amazed at the work that’s been done in these classrooms, in the hallway, in the kitchen, and more. Special thanks to Lesa Branch and to all who have put so many hours and so much energy and effort into this great work. And Steve Holladay returned to SF and led our teens and families in an encouraging devotional Sunday night.

Sunday afternoon, well over 350 were in attendance to honor and celebrate the life of our Edna Lyons, as well as bring comfort and encouragement to her family. Thanks so much to those of you who helped by providing food for the family over the last week or so, have sent notes of encouragement, were involved on Sunday helping the services flow smoothly, and have offered up prayers for those who most especially feel the loss of this sweet, faithful lady.

Others in our church family have recently lost loved ones, or are facing very difficult and emotional burdens with their loved ones even now. Please remember to keep them in your thoughts and prayers, and offer up a word or a note of encouragement.

Remember our mission workers this weekend. Our Team Imagine is finishing up their work in Ukraine. They say good-bye to wonderful, beautiful, very needy children, as well as to dear friends in Ukraine that work with us as our translators and fellow team members. They will return to us on Monday. And keep in prayer our team of workers that will be in Moore, Oklahoma, assisting the Central Church of Christ with relief efforts from all the damage that area has experienced.

Perhaps this is a good moment to remind ourselves of these words that I shared during Edna’s memorial service on Sunday—words from the apostle Paul that call us to remember that the comfort and help we receive from our Lord and His people during difficult times is not meant to end with us. When our burden is lifted and the challenges we face have subsided some, we are to look around and share that same encouragement with others.

³ Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, ⁴ who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. ⁵ For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. ⁶ If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. ⁷ And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort. (2 Corinthians 1:3-7)