From the Pastor's Pen 8/23/22

8/23/2022

Dear Friends,

First of all, I want to apologize to any of you who depend on our service being streamed live on Sunday mornings. We had some technical difficulties and couldn’t get it going in time to stream the service. I am working on making sure that doesn’t happen again this week.

We did something a little different on Sunday, with the congregation being part of a more interactive sermon time. Because we were talking about Jesus healing a bent-over woman on the Sabbath, and the subsequent fallout from the synagogue ruler, we talked a bit about how sometimes our written and unwritten rules for church and worship can make us uncomfortable when things are done that don’t line up with our way of doing things.

We also talked about how it is important for us to not let ourselves get stuck thinking that things have to be done a certain way all the time, opening up our hearts and minds to the movement of the Holy Spirit and the purposes of God as we gather. Stepping outside of our comfort zone, while difficult, is sometimes exactly what is needed for us to see God’s hand at work among 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.

The Moving Forward Team met recently to talk about ways to continue move our church forward in a number of ways. One of the ideas that came out of that meeting was to help create an atmosphere of invitation within the church. In that vein, the team would like to challenge each of us to invite a couple of friends or acquaintes to church anytime, but particularly bring a guest along on Presbyterian Pints Sundays so that the guest not only gets to experience worship, but also participate in fellowship with us at Big Beach Brewery. In September, that date will be the SECOND Sunday of the month, September 11, due to the Labor Day holiday weekend falling on the first weekend.

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.

Don’t forget:

• 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!
• 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.

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.

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.
• In September, Presbyterian Pints will be held the SECOND Sunday, September 11.

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: Jeremiah 2:4-13; Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16; Psalm 81:1, 10-16; Luke 14:1, 7-14

A Centering Prayer Workshop is being held on Wednesday, August 31, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Gulf Shores United Methodist Church. Centering Prayer is a form of Christian prayer rooted in the ancient Christian contemplative tradition. Its purpose is to foster deep intimacy with Christ through the silence and stillness of contemplative prayer. Patti Bodenhammer will be the facilitator for this time. The cost is $20 and includes lunch. If you are interested, you can RSVP at bit.ly/centering-prayer-workshop or call (251) 968-2411. More information is available on the table in the narthex.

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