Monday, June 1, 2020

June 1 – “A venture into the shade”


Forty-five plus brave souls came to church yesterday.  That doesn’t count however many more watched on FaceBook Live.  Speaking of that … here’s a suggestion for a ministry someone may want to partake in.  As you watch on FaceBook, simply respond to the comments people make.  If they ask for prayer, assure them you will pray, and then do it.  If they have a question, answer it.  If they just make a comment or indicate that they are online with us, acknowledge them.  Just a matter of creating personal connections even in cyber space.

We tried an experiment in anticipation of future hot weather.  No, not outdoor air conditioning.  We simply moved our location a bit to the north and set up under the retreat center building.  Some picnic tables were already there, so we had some built-in seating.  Pastor Jim figured out a way to run electricity to the sound system and instruments from the retreat center, so they had more flexibility.  Folks still brought lawn chairs sand drove up in golf carts, but now they had shade to relax in. 

That is, until I started sharing the specifics of the Gospel – how to become a Christian.  At just that key moment … it started to rain.  Not too heavy, but enough that a few folks had to rush to avoid getting wet.  The flurry of activity was certainly unavoidable, but it was just enough of a distraction to make me think that Satan does everything he can to keep the gospel from being understood. 

We are still praying and watching the CDC and the governor’s recommendations about moving services inside.  I think yesterday gave us a good idea of what needs to happen to keep meeting under the retreat center building though.  There has been a lot of talk about doing an outside service at least once a month anyway, even after the Corona crisis is over.  Hmm …

Colossians 4:2 says, “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.”

Father, thank you for the success of our venture into the shade yesterday.  Help us to stay open to new things … and new places.  Amen.

No comments: