8/10/2022
Dear Friends,
Don’t be afraid. Scripture is really good at telling us not to be afraid. God says it. Angels say it. Jesus says it. Do not be afraid.
In Luke 12:32, Jesus says it again, and this time follows it up with a promise that God wants to provide for us – even to the point of giving us the Kingdom – so there really is no reason to be afraid. We don’t have to worry about what we wear, or what we eat because if God provides food for the birds and beauty for the flowers of the field, how much more will God provide for God’s people.
The scripture goes on to talk about being ready for the coming of the Son of Man, and on Sunday we talked about the fact that yes, Christ will return at some point in the future, but that Christ is also showing up in our lives all the time in the here and now. Perhaps it is time for us not only to be looking to the future for Christ’s return, but for us to be watching and waiting to see just how Christ shows up to care for us and provide for us every single day.
At last night’s Session meeting we talked about a number of things, one of which centered in on this idea of God’s provision and the fact that 1) we have to be ready and watching for it and 2) that we have to be looking not only the direction from which we think the provision will come, but also looking around in all directions, keeping our head on a swivel, not to look out for danger, but to look out for new avenues of provision that the Lord may choose to use.
I encourage you, like I encouraged them, that as we contnue praying for our church, praying for God’s will to be done, and keeping our eyes, ears and hearts open to the Lord, we will be ready to receive what God has for us.
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.
Even though we are in the beginning stages of embarking on the social enterprise of creating the Hand-in-Hand Business center, we would love to begin seeing local businesses utilizing the space we are offering for offices. If you know of someone looking for office space, have them reach out to me and we will see how we can meet their needs.
After receiving input from church members and lengthy discussion at last night’s Session meeting, it was decided that, for safety reasons, at 11:00 a.m. each Sunday, all the doors of the building will be locked EXCEPT the north door that leads into the narthex. If you find yourself running behind, just remember to park up front by that door and enter there.
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,
Don’t be afraid. Scripture is really good at telling us not to be afraid. God says it. Angels say it. Jesus says it. Do not be afraid.
In Luke 12:32, Jesus says it again, and this time follows it up with a promise that God wants to provide for us – even to the point of giving us the Kingdom – so there really is no reason to be afraid. We don’t have to worry about what we wear, or what we eat because if God provides food for the birds and beauty for the flowers of the field, how much more will God provide for God’s people.
The scripture goes on to talk about being ready for the coming of the Son of Man, and on Sunday we talked about the fact that yes, Christ will return at some point in the future, but that Christ is also showing up in our lives all the time in the here and now. Perhaps it is time for us not only to be looking to the future for Christ’s return, but for us to be watching and waiting to see just how Christ shows up to care for us and provide for us every single day.
At last night’s Session meeting we talked about a number of things, one of which centered in on this idea of God’s provision and the fact that 1) we have to be ready and watching for it and 2) that we have to be looking not only the direction from which we think the provision will come, but also looking around in all directions, keeping our head on a swivel, not to look out for danger, but to look out for new avenues of provision that the Lord may choose to use.
I encourage you, like I encouraged them, that as we contnue praying for our church, praying for God’s will to be done, and keeping our eyes, ears and hearts open to the Lord, we will be ready to receive what God has for us.
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.
Even though we are in the beginning stages of embarking on the social enterprise of creating the Hand-in-Hand Business center, we would love to begin seeing local businesses utilizing the space we are offering for offices. If you know of someone looking for office space, have them reach out to me and we will see how we can meet their needs.
After receiving input from church members and lengthy discussion at last night’s Session meeting, it was decided that, for safety reasons, at 11:00 a.m. each Sunday, all the doors of the building will be locked EXCEPT the north door that leads into the narthex. If you find yourself running behind, just remember to park up front by that door and enter there.
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:
- 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.
- Join the in-person group in the church Fellowship Hall
- Join the Zoom meeting at this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81951398375?pwd=S0FBSEFxRmhhUWt2QnN3WERUY1dOUT09, entering the meeting ID and password below, if prompted.
- Meeting ID: 819 5139 8375
- Passcode: 846358
- This week’s scriptures: Isaiah 5:1-7; Psalm 80:1-2, 8-19; Hebrews 11:29-12:2; Luke 12:49-56.
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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