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I was living off the energy from last weekend’s FAM JAM 2025 much of this week. What an amazing weekend it was. My thanks to the many volunteers who made the event possible. A big thank you to Ed Heidinger who went above and beyond to ensure we had proper sound and video in the tent. A special thank you to Katherine Tshudy and Janae McMichael who were our leaders for this event from the beginning. I was blessed by our time together and I am so glad we could spend several days in the sermon on the mount. This Sunday we will be back in the sanctuary at 9:30 am and I am hoping to see you and Mountain Megan.

On Wednesday this week, we laid to rest Ken Siegrist. Please continue to pray for Cynthia and Ken’s sisters as his sudden passing last week was hard on them. We celebrated his life on Wednesday, and I mentioned in the meditation how Ken lived out many of the beatitudes we see in Matthew 5 of the sermon on the mount throughout his life. We will certainly miss his gentle nature and simple devotion to the Lord. 

This was a short week for me. I was able to prepare my Sunday School lesson on Judas Iscariot, of all people, for this Sunday and write a sermon for our upcoming preaching series. Ruth and I left for Harrisburg Wednesday afternoon for a doctor visit and to spend a few days with Molly before she resumes teaching again in less than two weeks. Yesterday and today, Molly, Ruth and I have been biking various trails as we enjoy the great weather.

My devotions this week were in Isaiah which is a difficult Old Testament book. The book of Isaiah is filled with sobering accounts of Israel’s sin and rebellion and warnings of their coming judgement. But along with warnings, Isaiah also offers a message of hope—a suffering servant, a Messiah, will come to establish God’s Kingdom on Earth and create a new Jerusalem. After reading for days of God’s judgment for Judah and Jerusalem as well as their enemies, I was getting discouraged. And when it seemed as though God was done with his people, words of hope appeared in the text. The verse I needed to hear this week was Isaiah 41:10--"Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Those words of comfort and reassurance emphasize God’s presence, strength, and support, encouraging believers to overcome fear and trust in His help. 

         I want to remind you that Chris Elliott will be here to fill the pulpit on August 17th. He will be sharing about Church of the Brethren global mission work. He was to be with us back in January but got snowed out. No concerns about that this time. In addition, he will be sharing after the service during Sunday School time even more about the Church of the Brethren work around the world.

         Coming in a few weeks (August 24th) is Southern End Celebration Sunday. That is always a special day here at Mechanic Grove and gets us ready for the Solanco Fair, which is just over a month away. Things will be getting busier toward the end of the month as school resumes, football starts (yaaay!), and we begin gearing up for the Solanco Fair, the southern end community event of the year. What a great time to let our light shine as we learned last week at FAM JAM!!

         Have a blessed weekend and come to worship Sunday as we continue our David series. No tent this week, but the Spirit will be evident as we gather in the sanctuary at 9:30 am as His Church — the Mechanic Grove Church of the Brethren. It is Friday…but Sunday’s coming!

 Pastor Kevin