Dear Saints,
Summer is almost here! We only have a few more weeks before we begin our summer worship schedule on May 27. Before summer schedules and vacations get started, I wanted to update you on a couple of important changes that will be happening in the fall.
Two years ago we changed our Sunday morning worship schedule to having services at 8:30 and 11:00 with an education hour for all ages between services. That change was made in response to requests made by many of Geneva’s parents. But over the course of these past two years, we have discovered that while the adult and youth classes have been mostly well attended, only a handful of children have been attending. In addition, feedback has indicated that many of you miss the extended fellowship time between services. In response, Session has decided to make some changes to our Sunday format. Starting on September 9th (the Sunday after Labor Day), we will have worship at 9:15 and 11:00 with programs for children during both services. Youth will meet for Breakfast Club and Food for Thought at one of those services. Watch for updates about what time that will be.
Our weekly educational programs will be moved from Sunday mornings to Sunday afternoons. We’ll gather for dinner at 5:30 and have programs for all ages following. I’ve been talking to Pastor Bell of Deeper Life Fellowship, the church that rents our sanctuary for worship on Sunday afternoons, about the possibility that the dinner could be a joint fellowship event for our churches. Midweek Advent and Lenten Dinner Series will continue to be held on Wednesday evenings during Advent and Lent.
The core of our educational programs next year, as well as our Sunday morning worship, will be The Story, a 30-week all-church curriculum put together by Max Lucado and Randy Frazee. The availability of records on the web has sparked a great interest in genealogy in recent years. Many folks have taken up the hobby of researching their historic roots. Learning about one’s biological lineage helps us to get a sense of our place in the world. How much more will deepening our understanding of our spiritual lineage help us get a sense of our place and purpose as members of God’s family!
We will be using the book, The Story, in which the text of the Bible has been abridged and rearranged chronologically. Looked at in this way, we’ll be able to get a more intimate sense of God’s ever-deepening relationship with the people he has formed, loved, called and claimed as His own. The curriculum includes videos, activities, worship themes, small group studies and more. Watch for more information about The Story over the summer. If you’d like to learn more about The Story now, browse their web site at www.thestory.com.
I’m looking forward to journeying with you through our story as the people of God! In the mean time, however, we have some wonderful opportunities coming up this summer. Beginning on May 27 our summer worship will be at 10:00, as usual, but we will also be having a time for classes for all ages at 9:00 on Sunday mornings. I will be leading a class entitled Evil: The Shadow Side of Reality and Cindy Thomas will lead a class entitled Christianity After Religion. For more information about of these classes, check the Sunday Good News or This Week at Geneva.
I hope you will all have a blessed summer, and that you will take full advantage of these powerful opportunities!
In Christ,
Bryan
