Ever feel you are on one of those hamster wheels and that the wheel is stuck on full spin ahead? I know I have felt that way lately as we continue to ramp up old programs, start planning for new ministries, work to improve our current programs and worship, figure out visitation with COVID rules (every hospital and facility has different ones), continue to improve our church facilities, all while keeping a focus on reaching people for Christ. Yet, I would much prefer being on the spinning hamster wheel than being in a lifeless church. For those of who still feel overwhelmed with all the changes I understand. It has been hard for me to keep up with all the things we are planning and working on. Yet, our mission is so important we must not say still for too long!
This last week we started to only livestream the 8am service with a full choir. That involved many changes and we are still trying to catch up and refine things from those changes. We have to figure out how to make sure the cameras can show things in the best possible way with the new layout. This is harder than you would think and takes some time but we will get there. The microphones have to be placed just right or else you here too much of one person or section and not enough of the other. Also the sound in the sanctuary is different from what it sound like on the livestream (often it sounds way better in church)! We are working that all out but it takes time and lots of practice to figure it all out. And this was just spotlighting one area of change and all the complications that go with it. You can just imagine what is involved when you look at all the things we are trying to do as a church.
We have so many awesome things planned for September that sometimes we have had to move things around so they don't interfere with each other. All of the activities involve us finding ways of reaching the world for Jesus and letting them know that Tom's Creek would love for them to grow as Christians and journey with us. You will be getting more information about all this as we work out the details. As the details come out we will need your support and prayers for all these great new ways to reach people.
This Sunday we will continue with our sermon series "The Devil Made Me Do It". This week we will look at virtues we are to have as Christians and how we can achieve those if we clothes ourselves in Christ. Yet, the Devil is working on us clothing ourselves in ourselves. That is right the Devil tries us to get us to focus on ourselves and us being proud of ourselves so that we stop trying to become more like Christ. It is easy for the Devil to trick us too. We might move one step closer to being like Christ and we are so excited about that one area of our life that we fail to work on the many others areas where we need to work on being more like Christ. It is a life long journey of trying to be more Christlike and we can't just jump off the hamster wheel after we improve in one area of our life. We need to continue to clothes ourselves in Christ.
Attached is the bulletin for this week. We are not passing offering plates so the wooden boxes are available to put your offering in. Of course those at home can give online, use text to give (844-406-0358), or mail in the offering to church. In addition, we will be collecting prayers in the prayer box on the table in the parlor. Also, if you have announcement that you need to be shared please write them down and give them to me before the service. This will be an ongoing practice for prayers and announcements to help ensure that they are heard and understood by all.
If people are not able to join us in the sanctuary for worship we continue to livestream at 8am (it will be available to view after too) services via Facebook ,(https://www.facebook.com/tomscreekumc) or YouTube(https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCX6E7eCwH2ZGYspkSCF0CGw). If you join and follow our Facebook page or subscribe to our YouTube channel, they will let you know when we are live. You can always watch any videos we post later because we leave them up. Also Sunday afternoon a shortened version is available on our website and on YouTube.
Ok, come on jump on the hamster wheel with me. The hamster wheel doesn't feel as tiring or that it is moving too fast when we journey on the hamster wheel together. So let's journey together!
Blessings,
PH
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