Living in Community – St. Nick’s News Sept. 6, 2023

Full St. Nick’s News for September 6, 2023

Dear friends,

Over the next few weeks, we will hear, in our Sunday scriptures, about how to live in community. The Gospel of Matthew will focus on forgiveness and our New Testament letter to the Romans will focus on love. The scriptures we will hear and read are deep, rich, meaningful, and challenging.

Living in community is both blessing and challenge. Learning to work and serve alongside one another, being present to one another in both joy and sorrow, and learning about one another takes work and time. I can’t think of better work or a better way of spending time. Learning how to live an abundant life in Jesus while we grow in friendship, forgiveness, and love is the best thing around in my opinion.

One of the blessings of these scriptures, is the beautiful reminder that we minister with one another not just to one another. So often the church or her leaders say we minister “to” one another. I prefer the word “with.” We minister with one another. We have the ability to share our prayers with one another. We have the ability to offer our time and talent to work alongside one another to share the love of God. We all, regardless of age, have some kind of faith to express and make known through talking, laughing, singing, and creating with one another in community.

We have lots of offerings beginning this week. I hope you will look at the images in this newsletter that show the weekly schedule and the events for the month. I hope you will give God thanks for the many people who are ministering with you as they read, lead, sing, offer workshops, cook for Dinner Church, pray for our community and offer care to our neighbors in need.

If you are a numbers person, 80% of our total community of faith is engaged in some kind of ministry outside of Sunday worship. That is pretty incredible! 80% of the people who worship at St. Nick’s are finding ways to grow or express their faith through the studies, small groups, events, and outreach opportunities we have available! Wow – just – WOW!

Thank you for ministering with me. Thank you for your time, talents, financial gifts, energy, and prayers. The best part of all of this “with-ness” is that God in Jesus is with us! Empowering us to grow and learn and share our love and faith. I look forward to all the ways we will minister (share the love of God in Jesus) with one another.

God’s Peace, Love, and Blessings,
Beth+