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.
Mission
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.
Order of Worship
Worship begins at 9:45 on Facebook Live. We encourage you to follow this order of worship on an electronic device during the service, as it contains song lyrics and congregational responses. The Pendleton Campus Worship Service will be uploaded to You Tube following its completion, and may be viewed there later.
Click here for the Order of Worship for Sunday, January 17, 2021.
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.
