Elder's Pledge (update)
Dear Friend,
The Western Heights elders have begun writing to the church each month in an effort to improve communications and strengthen fellowship.
This month’s letter is an update on some of the pledges that the shepherds made to the church in January.
We pledged to keep you informed about the church’s finances and about the weekly contribution in particular. We are pleased to report that the church is off to a good start. We are averaging about $300 a week over the budget. We must guard against the “summer slump” when contributions traditionally drop, but we are pleased with the good start and thank each of you that has been a part of it.
We said that we would lead Western Heights out of its complacency with strong leadership, effective shepherding, and amazing fellowship. We did not mean that we would do everything ourselves. Rather, we intend to provide opportunities for each member and to be very visible in recapturing the church’s zeal. There are more things going on than we can explain in one letter, but we want to highlight a few.
We hope that a new effort will provide opportunities for deeper relationships among members while also being a tool to connect with others. It is called Holy Hobbies. The idea is for members to discover which of us share an interest in a particular activity, start meeting to share the fun, and invite people from the community to join if they have an interest. “Holy” is a reminder to keep the focus on God, and “Hobby” is a general term for fun activities. The church’s role is to help communicate which groups are active, steer guests to the various groups, and provide a meeting place if needed. Keep an eye out for announcements about groups that are being formed or take the lead in forming a group around your hobby. Some ideas include hiking, sewing, woodworking, fishing, reading, cooking, eating together or golf but those are just examples. Use your passion for your hobby to strengthen our relationships and reach out to our community.
Working together for God is a great path towards amazing fellowship. The Open Arms banquet is an outstanding opportunity to show God’s love to others, and to build relationships among ourselves as we seek relationships with others. We will be bringing people to our building for a meal. Parkview Church of Christ has heard about this effort and, since they see Jesus working in it, are partnering with us. Deep thanks to Frank Brown and Deborah Ward for coming up with the idea and leading the effort. They are looking for donations of money as well as time. Please help out as you can.
We know that the future of the church is largely dependent on our young people developing several relationships with older Christians. Reel Blessings fishing fellowship is an effort to meet that need. You may remember when Glenn Newberry of Foster’s Home for Children was here, he said one of the best ways to build a relationship with a child is to take that child fishing. On June 29, we will go to the Prock’s pond and fish together. Parents or grandparents are encouraged to bring their family, but there will also be adults available to fish with kids that don’t come with an adult.
Sometimes we think that shepherding is something that only the elders can do. It is true that elders have a deep responsibility for shepherding the souls of Western Heights members, but it Is a bigger job than any small group of men can do. Jesus called each of us to the task when he told us to love one another. We know that many of you are dedicated to encouraging each Western Heights member. We thank you for your love and pray that you will continue. We also pray that others will join you so that someone looking at us will be amazed at the depth of our fellowship.
Finally, we thank you for the opportunity to serve you. Each of you is a blessing to us, and each of you is in our prayers. Please remember that we are here for you.
The Western Heights elders have begun writing to the church each month in an effort to improve communications and strengthen fellowship.
This month’s letter is an update on some of the pledges that the shepherds made to the church in January.
We pledged to keep you informed about the church’s finances and about the weekly contribution in particular. We are pleased to report that the church is off to a good start. We are averaging about $300 a week over the budget. We must guard against the “summer slump” when contributions traditionally drop, but we are pleased with the good start and thank each of you that has been a part of it.
We said that we would lead Western Heights out of its complacency with strong leadership, effective shepherding, and amazing fellowship. We did not mean that we would do everything ourselves. Rather, we intend to provide opportunities for each member and to be very visible in recapturing the church’s zeal. There are more things going on than we can explain in one letter, but we want to highlight a few.
We hope that a new effort will provide opportunities for deeper relationships among members while also being a tool to connect with others. It is called Holy Hobbies. The idea is for members to discover which of us share an interest in a particular activity, start meeting to share the fun, and invite people from the community to join if they have an interest. “Holy” is a reminder to keep the focus on God, and “Hobby” is a general term for fun activities. The church’s role is to help communicate which groups are active, steer guests to the various groups, and provide a meeting place if needed. Keep an eye out for announcements about groups that are being formed or take the lead in forming a group around your hobby. Some ideas include hiking, sewing, woodworking, fishing, reading, cooking, eating together or golf but those are just examples. Use your passion for your hobby to strengthen our relationships and reach out to our community.
Working together for God is a great path towards amazing fellowship. The Open Arms banquet is an outstanding opportunity to show God’s love to others, and to build relationships among ourselves as we seek relationships with others. We will be bringing people to our building for a meal. Parkview Church of Christ has heard about this effort and, since they see Jesus working in it, are partnering with us. Deep thanks to Frank Brown and Deborah Ward for coming up with the idea and leading the effort. They are looking for donations of money as well as time. Please help out as you can.
We know that the future of the church is largely dependent on our young people developing several relationships with older Christians. Reel Blessings fishing fellowship is an effort to meet that need. You may remember when Glenn Newberry of Foster’s Home for Children was here, he said one of the best ways to build a relationship with a child is to take that child fishing. On June 29, we will go to the Prock’s pond and fish together. Parents or grandparents are encouraged to bring their family, but there will also be adults available to fish with kids that don’t come with an adult.
Sometimes we think that shepherding is something that only the elders can do. It is true that elders have a deep responsibility for shepherding the souls of Western Heights members, but it Is a bigger job than any small group of men can do. Jesus called each of us to the task when he told us to love one another. We know that many of you are dedicated to encouraging each Western Heights member. We thank you for your love and pray that you will continue. We also pray that others will join you so that someone looking at us will be amazed at the depth of our fellowship.
Finally, we thank you for the opportunity to serve you. Each of you is a blessing to us, and each of you is in our prayers. Please remember that we are here for you.
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