8/3/2022
Dear Friends,
Aaaaah. It is August. After the last three months filled with travel, graduation celebrations, more travel, guests, GA Zoom meetings, and more guests, I am liking the fact that in August, I don’t have anything major on the calendar. Not to mention, August always has signaled the re-establishment of routine with preparing for the kids to go back to school and all that entails.
This August is a bit different for me, as Ty is going back to school, but it’s college and the schedule is much different than his high school schedule. So while I don’t have to arrange life around what’s happening in his school world, I still take pleasure in re-establishing my own daily structure in order to make sure the things I view as important like exercise, eating well, devotions, and some other pursuits are lined out in my daily calendar.
On Sunday, we looked at Jesus’s parable about the rich man who benefitted from the land’s good bounty and planned how he could build bigger barns to store up the bountiful harvest in order to live off his good fortune while relaxing, eating, drinking, and being merry.
But in the parable, Jesus pointed out that this man’s concern for his own welfare highlighted his lack of concern for the welfare of others as well as his lack of gratitude to God for the blessings of the harvest. And instead of being able to sit back and enjoy his wealth, the man died that very night, so he didn’t get to decide what to do with his abundance at all.
As I shared on Sunday, while sometimes greed is obvious and deliberate, other times greed is insidious and we don’t even realize the subtle ways in which greed is at work in our lives. But there is a kind of antidote to greed, and that is living in such a way that we are, as Jesus called it, “rich toward God.”
When we are rich toward God, we use our resources wisely, we are not greedy, we engage in stewardship that not only seeks wisdom from God, but also uses our resources in such a way as to show concern for our neighbor. Those rich toward God give sacrificially for the benefit of others, and trust God to provide. This parable challenges its hearers to live faithfully, continually reexamining our lifestyles and our resources, all while living in love with God, and being neighbor to all.
For those unable to join us in-person, Sunday morning worship is livestreamed on our Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/GulfShoresFirstPresbyterianChurch. The service airs each Sunday at 11:00 a.m. and will be available to watch after that as well.
A couple reminders:
Thank you for your continued support of the Blessing Box! With the current inflation, we are struggling to keep it filled. Your donations are desperately needed. Keep bringing those non-perishable items to church on Sunday, or dropping them at the box during the week. With rising costs of everything from gas to food, the box is being used very regularly, and your donations are key to helping us bless those who are in need of what our box can offer.
You will find this week’s Prayer Requests at the bottom of the letter. Use this list to guide you in your prayer time and lift these requests to God. If you have a request (or a praise report) to include, or if a concern you have previously listed should be removed, please let me know.
Upcoming Events:
Weekly Events:
As always, you are welcome to reach out to me via email, text or phone with any needs or just to chat!
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord!
Rev. Chrisy Ennen
gsfpcpastor@outlook.com, (618) 980-9899
"Let all that you do be done in love.”
I Corinthians 16:14
Dear Friends,
Aaaaah. It is August. After the last three months filled with travel, graduation celebrations, more travel, guests, GA Zoom meetings, and more guests, I am liking the fact that in August, I don’t have anything major on the calendar. Not to mention, August always has signaled the re-establishment of routine with preparing for the kids to go back to school and all that entails.
This August is a bit different for me, as Ty is going back to school, but it’s college and the schedule is much different than his high school schedule. So while I don’t have to arrange life around what’s happening in his school world, I still take pleasure in re-establishing my own daily structure in order to make sure the things I view as important like exercise, eating well, devotions, and some other pursuits are lined out in my daily calendar.
On Sunday, we looked at Jesus’s parable about the rich man who benefitted from the land’s good bounty and planned how he could build bigger barns to store up the bountiful harvest in order to live off his good fortune while relaxing, eating, drinking, and being merry.
But in the parable, Jesus pointed out that this man’s concern for his own welfare highlighted his lack of concern for the welfare of others as well as his lack of gratitude to God for the blessings of the harvest. And instead of being able to sit back and enjoy his wealth, the man died that very night, so he didn’t get to decide what to do with his abundance at all.
As I shared on Sunday, while sometimes greed is obvious and deliberate, other times greed is insidious and we don’t even realize the subtle ways in which greed is at work in our lives. But there is a kind of antidote to greed, and that is living in such a way that we are, as Jesus called it, “rich toward God.”
When we are rich toward God, we use our resources wisely, we are not greedy, we engage in stewardship that not only seeks wisdom from God, but also uses our resources in such a way as to show concern for our neighbor. Those rich toward God give sacrificially for the benefit of others, and trust God to provide. This parable challenges its hearers to live faithfully, continually reexamining our lifestyles and our resources, all while living in love with God, and being neighbor to all.
For those unable to join us in-person, Sunday morning worship is livestreamed on our Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/GulfShoresFirstPresbyterianChurch. The service airs each Sunday at 11:00 a.m. and will be available to watch after that as well.
A couple reminders:
- If you know of those who need a place to park during their visit to Gulf Shores and they would like to use our parking lot, here is the link to share: https://www.premiumparking.com/P2658.
- Keep collecting that loose change and bring it every week to add to the collection! All of the loose change will go toward the ongoing ministry of the church, as we continue to spread the life-changing good news of God’s love.
- Want to help the church just by doing your normal Amazon shopping? Now you can! Just go to https://smile.amazon.com/ch/63-0859397 and make all your purchases through this link! Each quarter the church will receive a donation equal to 0.5% of your total purchases. You can also set it up so the Amazon app on your phone automatically purchases through Amazon Smile. For help setting that up, see this link: https://www.amazon.com/b?ie=UTF8&node=15576745011.
- The church can now receive donations through Facebook, either by clicking on the “Donate” button on our Facebook Page, or through Fundraisers you can host on your own Facebook page.
- If you have more ideas about how we can creatively fund the ministry of First Presbyterian Church of Gulf Shores, reach out and let me know!
Thank you for your continued support of the Blessing Box! With the current inflation, we are struggling to keep it filled. Your donations are desperately needed. Keep bringing those non-perishable items to church on Sunday, or dropping them at the box during the week. With rising costs of everything from gas to food, the box is being used very regularly, and your donations are key to helping us bless those who are in need of what our box can offer.
You will find this week’s Prayer Requests at the bottom of the letter. Use this list to guide you in your prayer time and lift these requests to God. If you have a request (or a praise report) to include, or if a concern you have previously listed should be removed, please let me know.
Upcoming Events:
- Sunday, August 7 – Presbyterian Pints at Big Beach Brewing after worship
- Tuesday, August 23, 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. – Red Cross Blood Drive in the Fellowship Hall. Make your appointments at redcross.org.
Weekly Events:
- Bible Study – Wednesdays at 1:00 p.m. both in-person and on Zoom.
o Join the in-person group in the church Fellowship Hall
o Join the Zoom meeting at this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81951398375?pwd=S0FBSEFxRmhhUWt2QnN3WERUY1dOUT09, entering the meeting ID and password below, if prompted.
o Meeting ID: 819 5139 8375
o Passcode: 846358
o This week’s scriptures: Isaiah 1:1, 10-20; Psalm 50:1-8, 22-23; Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16; Luke 12:32-40.
As always, you are welcome to reach out to me via email, text or phone with any needs or just to chat!
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord!
Rev. Chrisy Ennen
gsfpcpastor@outlook.com, (618) 980-9899
"Let all that you do be done in love.”
I Corinthians 16:14
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