We are excited to welcome Nancy Russell to our staff!! She will serve as an administrative assistant here in the office and will work on Thursdays and Fridays from 9AM to 4PM. Nancy comes to us highly recommended, having attended Brewer Road years ago and having worked with Pam Stapp. We look forward to her adjusting into our office staff work and know that she will be a great addition. Nancy has skills that will greatly complement our staff and help us in various areas of need, and also has a wonderful personality that will match well with us here in the office in our work for our South Fork family. Welcome Nancy!!
Be in prayer for Betty Cloud and Vienna Pearson and their families. Betty and Vienna will be gone to Guatemala on a mission and service trip for a week starting Saturday, May 3rd. And also continue in prayer as Team Imagine prepares and prays over the trip to Ukraine this summer, which at this point is still on in spite of the political turmoil taking place there.
This past weekend was a busy and significant one for our youth. Our Journey Land children had a fun Bible skit looking back on some of their work over the last several weeks. A postponed yard sale for our youth mission trip this summer to Honduras took place on Saturday, and the luncheon and silent auction were held on Sunday. And Sunday evening there was a youth devotional. Many thanks to Dave and Kiera and to those who worked with them to make each of the events last weekend and always a great success. This weekend is the youth retreat, and I know that will be a great blessing for our youth families as well. Thanks to all for all your efforts and support and prayers for our children.
What a blessing to be a part of a church that cares about its children! But this is not a new concern or practice for God’s people. In fact, it goes back to the earliest teachings of the Old Testament.
Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the door-frames of your houses and on your gates…In the future, when your son asks you, “What is the meaning of the stipulations, decrees and laws the Lord our God has commanded you?” tell him: “We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. Before our eyes the Lord sent signs and wonders—great and terrible—on Egypt and Pharaoh and his whole household. But he brought us out from there to bring us in and give us the land he promised on oath to our ancestors. The Lord commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear the Lord our God, so that we might always prosper and be kept alive, as is the case today. And if we are careful to obey all this law before the Lord our God, as he has commanded us, that will be our righteousness.” (Deuteronomy 6:4-9, 20-25)
Isn’t interesting that what Jesus names as “the greatest commandment in the Law” is especially connected to sharing with our children that call to love and serve and obey the Lord? Coincidence? I think not.
So have you seen “Heaven is For Real” yet? Read the book? I’m going to share a bit about the renewed interest in the afterlife this Sunday. Hope to see you then!