Noon Daily Prayer
Let us pray the Lord's Prayer daily at 12 noon. This Community of Faith action will be a reminder to each one of us that although we may be physically apart, we are still connected to one another with a singular focus.
Sunday Service
Sunday Service will be live streamed on YouTube!
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Our mission is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the World by Connecting to people while we Grow, Serve and Commit to Christ.
Return to Virtual Sunday Service
Dear Church Family,
We have felt the enthusiasm in our worship services these past several weeks and have been so blessed!
As you have seen in the news, we have a change in the governor's recommendations which impacts our church. We understand churches are exempt from guidelines, however, we believe it is important to keep people as safe as possible.
We have several of our church families included in the rising numbers. Our Church Council met last night to discuss what we need to do to protect our church family and it has been decided we need to return to virtual worship beginning Sunday, November 15, 2020.
At this time, we are suspending in person activities at Pendleton and Ingalls which includes Friendly Flock Pre-School. We are hopeful this will be short lived, but we do not have a definite return date at this time.
We will continue to broadcast our services on You Tube and Facebook Live.Please join us as we continue to praise God in this time of crisis!
We ask for your prayers, patience and consideration for safety as we live out our mission to Do No Harm, Do Good and Stay in Love with God.
May blessings be upon you and God be with you!
Your Pastors and Church Council
Giving Tree
Group Meetings
It is out of a number of prayers and long conversations with others, I have decided to address the issue of the Covid-19 pandemic as it relates to Pendleton and Ingalls campuses.
With the large increase in positive cases, it makes the discernment for me very easy: we are not able to open the church up for small groups.
Due to the extra procedures, protocols and extra expenses for cleaning and sanitizing after each event, we cannot open to what we knew as regular.
In order to keep everyone safe, please understand and be patient with the staff and the council.
So, in the meantime, if you are struggling with this decision, please have a conversation with me.
We will get through this together.
Blessings and Prayers,
John Groves
Masks Required
A Message from Pastor John
Read John 1: 43-51
"Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Nathanael gives voice to his prejudice, a prejudice that could have closed down a fruitful avenue in his future. How often have we allowed past events to influence our current assumptions, which then hinder future possibilities? How many times have we let our prejudice predict the future? Haven't we all—in our hearts, if nowhere else—concluded that someone won't amount to much because of background, race, family, or our own contempt? We've heard a lot about implicit bias lately. For example, we might say and believe in our racial neutrality, but scientific studies show that racial bias remains pervasive and invisible to the persons who suffer from it.
We all have biases; we all risk discriminating on the basis of these judgments, despite our best intentions. Philip chooses not to argue. Instead he invites the doubter to "come and see." He cleverly undercuts Nathanael's prejudice by inviting him to see for himself. Often we, like Nathanael, simply need to see for ourselves. Jesus expands our vision, allowing us to see life and others with "new eyes."
Life, in all its fullness and abundance, overwhelms our prejudice. Following Jesus changes everything. It does not matter where we have come from; it only matters where we are going. We accept the invitation to "come and see." See what came out of Nazareth, the place where Jesus began his healing ministry. Jesus of Nazareth— the world's savior and our own.
Prayer
O God, teach me to recognize your presence in settings and among people that surprise me. Help me remove the blinders of prejudice. I yearn to see the world as you do and to embrace life as you do — with love and compassion. Amen.
