Sunday Evening Worship
Dear Friends,
This coming September 11 we resume our schedule of 6 pm Sunday evening worship services. Over the course of the summer I’ve engaged in conversation with many in our congregation regarding the format, time, and viability of this service.
As you have already read in another communication, Pastor Ryan and I are beginning a series of sermons Sunday mornings on Philippians, a series that will carry us through December 25. Beginning January 1 we will begin a series on Biblical wisdom.
We’re excited by what we’re learning together and individually.
In light of these discussions with some of you, those who regularly attend the 6 pm service, and those who do not, we will begin on September 11 to have a Bible study format for our 6 pm service. We want to make it as interactive as possible. We will invite you to read a passage in Philippians and to engage in conversation about it. We will use your input to help us further understand what the passage is saying to us today and how God’s Spirit wants us to understand and respond. I believe we will need to engage in further discussion about our Sunday evening worship service and that will come sooner rather than later. In small ways that discussion has begun already. For example, one suggestion, a good one I think, was to have a hymn sing or other time of worship once and month, with the Bible studies the other weeks.
Others have asked Pastor Ryan and me for more extended discussions on subjects like “Parenting”, Homosexuality: How do I love my homosexual neighbor?”, “What Can We Learn Together about Raising Children?” and other family and youth ministry subjects. I’m eager to have the congregation engage in a dialogue about how this time is used and how our time as pastors and staff is used.
We want to serve you all as best we can and we realize that it may entail a different use and/or format for our Sunday evenings.
Pastor John