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 The dreary weather this week has me thanking the Lord for the great weather we had for the Solanco Fair. Unfortunately for Janae and the West Lampeter Fair, they are having a tough week. We hope to show the pictures again from the Solanco Fair this Sunday so if you missed them last Sunday, look for them this week. With the fair season wrapping up, we look forward to kicking off our fall programming season next week. As a reminder, Roots returns on Wednesday, October 2nd at 5:30 for devotions with the meal to follow. Then small groups begin for all ages at 6:30. In Room 14, I will be starting a Bible Study on “Great Passages of the Bible” so come and be a part of our Wednesday evening Roots Ministry.

I have been reading through the New Testament this year and am on my fourth time through. I have been in Matthew and Mark’s Gospels this week. This Sunday we are as a church going to be reading through the New Testament—in less than thirty minutes! We will gather for Every Generation Sunday at 9:30 in the sanctuary. After songs of worship, you will be invited to go and read a couple of chapters of the New Testament out loud anywhere on the church grounds. The goal is to saturate the church grounds with the spoken word of God. You will be prompted to pray as well. This will be a great way to conclude Christian Education month as we focus on God’s word for Every Generation Sunday.

This week I was busy and not able to visit as much as I had hoped. On Wednesday, I attended a funeral with my mother for an old family friend we hadn’t seen in years. In addition, I was at Solanco Neighborhood Ministries from 1:00 – 4:00 for pastor’s hours that same day. I was able to visit Glenn Kreider this week and pray with him. 

On Sunday, we are continuing our preaching series “Promises: The I Will Statements of Jesus” as we look at Jesus’ promise to keep us. What does that mean? We will unpack that this Sunday. In addition, I prepared the last sermon this week in this series, and I am grateful to God for how it came together, and I think it will be a fitting conclusion to our series the end of October.

Today is my wife’s birthday and we are celebrating with Ruth leaving me. Just for the weekend, as Ruth and Molly are participating in a two-day camping/bike trek in the PA Grand Canyon. We are hoping that the weather will cooperate. This event, called the Bike Trek is run by the Churches of God Camp out of Newville, PA and Ruth has gone many years. I participated a couple of times as well, but this will be Molly’s first time. The challenge is that participants bike 25-30 miles each day. She is leaving this morning and probably won’t return until Monday morning, but I am hoping she can do both days, and that Molly has a good time on her first bike trek. We also received word late last week that Tessa passed her NCLEX exam, and she is officially a registered nurse. She will start her career on Monday as an operating nurse at West Shore UPMC Hospital in Mechanicsburg.

           If you didn’t pick up your Love Feast self-examination devotional on Sunday, please pick one up this week. These devotions are designed to help prepare us for the celebration of Love Feast, which is next Sunday, October 6th at 6:00 pm. The devotional was written by staff and deacons and covers two weeks, but you can quickly catch up if you missed the first week. Allow God to use this resource to prepare you for our Love Feast observance in just over a week.

           On Tuesday, I will be celebrating a milestone as that will be my second anniversary as a pastor at Mechanic Grove Church of the Brethren. Let me say thank you for inviting Ruth and I to come and serve the Lord with you and how blessed we are to be a part of such a loving and gracious congregation. Your encouragement, prayers and many gifts are reflective of your love and devotion to Jesus Christ. Thank you for two amazing years and we look forward to many more together.

           I finished reading a book that was left to me by Jeff Rutt when he was here earlier in the month. The book is titled, “Lead with Prayer: The Spiritual Habits of World Changing Leaders.” It has been a great but challenging read and for me a much-needed reminder of how I need to bathe everything I do in prayer. So, now I find myself praying more. Before I entered a hospital room for a visit, after I send an email, and yes, even in the midst of sermon preparation when I am struggling to properly understand the biblical text and communicate clearly God’s truth. I confess that I need to be more diligent in prayer and really lead with prayer as I serve among you.

           Lastly, let me leave you with a thought. Very early in the Gospel of Mark, Chapter 1, verse 35 we read, “Very early in the morning while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place.” The importance of prayer for Jesus is seen very early in the Gospel of Mark. Time and again, Jesus would pull away to be alone with the Father in prayer. What I love about arriving at the church at 5:00 in the morning is spending those first hours of the day communing with the father. Devotional reading, prayer, private worship and just simply listening to the Father continues to empower me for ministry. I long for that time each day!

           Looking forward a to great Sunday with you as we continue our “Promises” preaching series and as we celebrate every generation Sunday with a special Read through the New Testament event. You don’t want to miss the blessings God has for you this Lord’s day! Enjoy your weekend and remember, it is Friday…but Sunday’s coming!

Pastor Kevin