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Last weekend was a busy weekend but Ruth and I were able to host a bridal shower for our daughter Tessa. There were about 25 in attendance and the weather cooperated, allowing us to be outside. Our daughter Molly was instrumental in planning the menu and the activities for the shower. While the shower was ongoing, our daughter’s fiancée Everett and his cousin Cole installed three ceiling fans in our home. It will be nice to have an electrician in the family. Tessa and Everett will be married on October 10, right here at Mechanic Grove Church of the Brethren.

           Ruth and I are in Harrisburg today and leaving tomorrow for Butler for her family reunion. We will return to the area late Sunday. Ruth’s sisters from South Carolina have been with us most of the week as has Molly. On Wednesday, Ruth, Molly and Ruth’s sisters took the Herr’s Foods factory tour. It was great having Ruth’s sisters with us as we see them only a few times a year. 

           On Monday evening this week, our Commissions and Church Board met. You will see highlights of the Church Board meeting in an upcoming church bulletin. Much of the discussion was about our growing deficit as giving is not meeting what is required for budget. We are spending less than budget but at the current pace, our giving will be close to $100,000 behind budget for year end. All that is to say is we need to enhance our giving in the second half of 2025, or the 2026 budget will be significantly less. My thanks to you who faithfully give to the Lord’s work. In fact, we received $4,125 for the Burundi vehicle. We value generosity and sacrificial giving and when there is a need, we give. The need now is for our general fund. My prayer is that God’s favor and blessing will continue to be on His Church and He will provide what we need to continue the work of Jesus, peacefully, simply and together.

           I received word this week that Pastor Randy Jenkins, my pastor when I was a teenager and young adult at Providence Church, was in the hospital. Pastor Randy and his wife Esther have been close to Ruth and me over many years. He has been an amazing encourager of me in ministry, and I am proud to say that he is my pastor. When I visited him on Tuesday, I learned from his family that Pastor Randy has an inoperable brain tumor. I visited him and prayed with him, but I am not sure he knew me. Pastor Randy was to be discharged under hospice care on Tuesday and since then my heart has been aching with the news. Doctors estimate that he may have up to two months. So let me encourage your prayers for Pastor Randy Jenkins and his wife Esther and their four sons and families as they walk this path together.

           Because of miscommunication, our child dedication service didn’t happen on Sunday and so we will reschedule that in the coming months. Pastor Brian Berkey will be bringing the message on Sunday, sharing on a psalm of David. We will also be praying over our youth and leaders who are heading out to Montana next week. In addition, FAM JAM is coming in a hurry. Please check out the board in the gathering area as we need many volunteers to make this event a success. Be praying for FAM JAM as well and start inviting others to come and participate in this weekend event.

           Pastor Mary Etta and I are working on the report of the Annual Conference. We hope to have that available for you on the 27th and we will give an oral report that Sunday. One of the highlights of the Annual Conference for me was the production of a video that highlighted the history of the Church of the Brethren. Check the link to watch this amazing video entitled “We’ve Come Through the Fire” that includes many names and events instrumental in the growth of the Church of the Brethren here.

           This week I worked on the last sermon in the David series which will be shared on August 31. David’s life is fascinating to say the least. Israel’s greatest king sought God faithfully. And despite his fall and his failures, David is uniquely remembered as a man after God’s own heart. One of the greatest tributes given to David comes in the New Testament in Acts 13 where Paul says, “For when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his fathers and his body decayed” (v. 36). David served God’s purpose in his own generation. May we aspire to do the same.

I will be thinking of you on Sunday and will try to watch online. I look forward to being back next week and like David continuing to serve God’s purpose in my generation. Have a blessed weekend and a great Sunday as you gather for the glory of God as His Church—the Mechanic Grove Church of the Brethren. Have a great weekend. And remember, it is Friday…but Sunday’s coming!