Dear Church Family,
- Tuesday September 24th is National Voter Registration Day. It is a the national holiday first observed in 2012 to celebrate the democracy our Heavenly Father has granted us. This Sunday, September 22nd, we will have a voter registration table set up in our foyer staffed by some of our church members who have been certified to help our membership register to vote. I would encourage all those who have been given a vote to be good stewards of the vote God has given them. We hope 100% of our church members will participate in our national and local elections by registering to vote. We also pray you will learn where the candidates stand on issues such as abortion, marriage and family, and then vote your conscious as prompted by scriptures.
- You may have noticed an emphasis in our teachings recently about God’s people being more actively involved in their local neighborhoods. We have been discussing how God would have us know and love our neighbors and how he said we are to be the salt and light in our world. In keeping with this, we will be making a change in our annual Harvest Fest outreach. In the past, on October 31st, we have come together to open our church to those who live in the neighborhood around our church building. We have provided candies and games, gospel tracts and invitations to visit us on Sundays and Wednesdays. We have worked hard each year to bring a Christian counter to a pagan celebration. This year, I hope we will continue to share the love of Christ and His gospel but in a different manner. Instead of meeting at the church, I would like to ask you to do it at your front door. Many of your neighbors are going to be taking their children to your door to trick-or-treat. What a great opportunity to invite these families in to your home for refreshments and introductions. Following are some suggestions:
- Begin praying now that God will do something amazing that night at your front door.
- Pick up some tracts from the church to hand out with some candy.
- Turn you porch light on so the neighbors will know your are hoping to receive visitors.
- Don’t meet them at the door with candy. Leave it inside in the living room or kitchen. If the children are accompanied by parents, ask the whole family to come in. Introduce yourself. Look into their eyes and ask their names and where they live. Let the Holy Spirit lead the conversation from there. If the door bell rings while your chatting, invite the next family in and introduce them to the family you just met.
- If they tell you which house they live in, bake a pie or cake or something and visit them in the next day or two to continue to build the relationship.
- Be ready to share your experience with the rest of the church the following Sunday.
- Although we will not have Harvest Fest on October 31st, we do want to provide a fun, safe place for our teens to meet on that evening. Therefore, the young people in our church will be hosting a game night for the teens who attend our church and the teens of the church that joined us at the last lock-in. Please be praying for this evening. I will be giving you more details as I get them. We want our kids to be able to have a fun night without all the pagan and ungodly stuff that is so prevalent in the secular activities that night.
Your Servant,
Pastor Randy