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Janae and I were at the Large Church Pastors Meeting held by the Church of the Brethren this week in Orlando. Pastors and staff from 9 of the 12 largest churches in the US in terms of worship attendance gathered for two days of interaction and learning from each other. Other local churches in attendance were Ephrata, Lancaster, and Parker Ford near Pottstown. 

Dr. Jeff Carter, President of Bethany Theological Seminary was in attendance and gave a presentation about the changing church landscape. Topics that were discussed included how to reach the next generation, leadership and organizational structure in a larger church, engaging volunteers, planning for pastoral succession, the use of technology and social media, and how to maintain balance between work and family. There were lots of opportunities for networking and asking questions during the informal times around the meals. Janae and I were both blessed by the gathering and learned much that we will be sharing on a Sunday morning in a few weeks. 

How’s that negativity fast working for you? That was the challenge for our first full week of Lent to give up being negative and to penalize yourself each time you caught yourself being negative. I even suggested keeping a collection jar and making a contribution to it each time you found yourself being negative. Since this week is the Change for Change missions offering, it would be great to add that to the Change for Change missions offering on Sunday.

Since I was away most of the week, I have little church news to share although I did learn that Anna Jane Glisson has been moved back to QPRC. Please no visitors at this time but concerted prayer for her recovery and a card of encouragement would be a way to bless Anna Jane. As a reminder, next Friday is the celebration of life service for Loren Bucher at the church starting at 11:00 am with a meal to follow.  

Ruth is returning from Florida tomorrow and has had a good time away but is eager to return home. There are two cottage meetings this weekend. There is one Saturday evening at the church and one Sunday morning after the worship service at the church. So, it will be a busy weekend for me. In addition, I picked up a sinus/head cold, so I am not at my best right now. I am praying the meds will help get me through the weekend.

This Sunday will be week nine of Believe and we are focusing on Stewardship. Parishioners just love when the pastor speaks on giving, but this is not a giving sermon. This is about recognizing that all we have comes from God and allowing God to use what He has given us for His honor and glory. In addition, we will have another “Taking Up Lent” challenge for you.

As I close, I want to share an experience that occurred at the Conference this week. One of the pastors in attendance was a Haitian pastor from Miami. Pastor Ilexene shared how his church is being affected by the government’s ICE enforcement. Pastor Ilexene is an American citizen since 2004 but now carries his passport with him at all times. In addition, his church family is scared to come out and be at church for fear of ICE. His story was captivating and helped me to realize that what we see on TV isn’t necessarily the reality in our communities. We had a time of prayer for Pastor Ilexene and the Miami Haitian Church of the Brethren as they seek to serve the Lord in a challenging and increasingly fearful environment.

Well Sunday will be March 1 and the countdown to spring is on. We turn the clocks ahead in just one week and with a warmer day on tap for tomorrow we can be assured that spring will come. Until then, let’s keep learning and growing together because what we believe matters. Psalm 27:13 says, “I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” Looking forward to celebrating the goodness of the Lord on Sunday with you. Have a great weekend and remember, it is Friday…but Sunday’s coming!

Pastor Kevin