Happy June!  If you’re anything like me, you’re looking forward to evening walks, grilling out, and over-indulging in ice cream!  And, not to mention…a little change in pace.  I’m sure many of you have plans to get away this summer.  Good for you!  Vacations are great for recalibrating, refocusing, and refreshing.  I heard someone say that Satan doesn’t take a vacation so neither should Christians.  Let’s remember that Satan is not our role model!  Jesus sought times to get away for a break.  If the Son of God needs rest, then so do we…He’s our role model!

As you’re in and out this summer, I want to encourage you to stay plugged in to what’s going on in the life of our church.  We are beginning a study of Ephesians this coming Sunday, June 5 that will carry us through the summer.  We’re going to dive in verse by verse, so there are two things I want to encourage you to do.  1) Read the book of Ephesians once a week.  It’s a short book that you can read in one setting, or a chapter a day.  You will learn something new each time you read it because the Word is “living and active.”  2) Tune into the messages.  If you’re not here on a Sunday, catch it online.  You can podcast it to make it simple.  The series is called “Unlimited.”  As believers, we tend to put limits on God’s grace and His blessings in our lives.  Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, written from a prison cell, was to remind them that God is unlimited in His riches and mercy.  I’m looking forward to this study together as we Un-limit God in our lives!

Continue to be in prayer for our Strategic Planning Team as we continue to seek God’s heart on how to accomplish our new mission to Love God Radically, Serve Others Compassionately, and Lead People to Jesus.  We would love to hear from you during the month of June about what it means to you to “Love God Radically.”  This is a mission statement that you can (and should) personalize.  So pray and ask God how YOU can live this mission out and let us know by sending an email to Dawn Shively at dawns@centerpointechristian.org.

During the month of July, we will be highlighting “Serve Others Compassionately.”  On Sunday, July 10, we will be kicking off our X-week with ONE WORSHIP SERVICE AT 9:15.  We will be removing all of the chairs from the worship center and packing our church family into one space for one 30-minute service and then we will break out and go serve our community with compassion. This day is all about BEING the Church to our community.  We are looking forward to this day (and week) of serving together with compassion.  There are still details to work through, so be praying for our Mission X team as they continue to make preparations.  You will have an opportunity during the month of June to select where you would like to serve, so listen and look for details this month.

Lastly, don’t forget our new worship times for the summer…9:15 and 10:45.  We will resume our regular worship times on August 28.

Enjoy the sunshine and make much of the Son this summer!

On the Journey,
Shawn

As I’m writing this, I’m listening to the rain hit my office window. To say that I’m tired of the rain would be a great understatement. But then again, if there is no rain there is no growth. Flowers, trees, and grass depend on it. The things we love most about spring require rain.

It reminds me of our job as believers. Too many times, we put pressure on ourselves for results. But, the results aren’t up to us. The results are the responsibility of the Holy Spirit. Our job is to plant and water. That’s it.

This is what our new mission statement is all about. It’s about us doing what we can do…all we can do, with everything we have…and leaving the rest to the Holy Spirit. I have to restrain myself from telling you what it is. That’s not something I want to communicate electronically. So, we’re going to spend a Sunday morning on May 15 laying it out. This is our annual congregational meeting. On that day, we will affirm the Elders nominations for new elders, I will unveil our new mission statement and values, and we will celebrate together what God is doing in our midst.

Our strategic planning team has been working hard since January and I’m so excited to be able to share with you what God has laid on hearts up to this point. There’s still a ton of work to do, so continue to pray. The reality is, we are just getting started with the “meat” of this plan. God has defined what we are to be about. Now, we’re seeking His guidance on how we are to execute.

The rain reminds me of something else. God’s mercy. It showers us daily. The team has experienced that each Tuesday as we conclude our meeting time and wrap up our discussion. God has been so faithful and this process is the evidence of His work. I’m humbled to be a small part of it. I’m humbled that God would see fit to use me in any way. I’m humbled to get to lead in a new and exciting direction. I’m humbled to serve along side our Elders, staff, and ministry leaders. I’m humbled to serve as your Pastor. And I’m grateful. Greater things are still to be done in this city and our God is on the move. Don’t miss May 15!

On the Journey…and wearing waders!
Shawn