Pastor's Page
Pastor Sam and Abby
Greetings Friends,
Pastor Sam here, I pray you are all well and have enjoyed these last few weeks of summer weather and all the fun that comes with them. I pray a special blessing on all our students, teachers, and school staff as they head for another academic year (especially those entering a new building). May your year be safe and blessed!
While COVID has not fully departed from us yet, we move forward into the fall both hopefully and cautiously. We continue to monitor the local situation closely, and we'll notify the congregation of any changes as soon as we feel they are necessary. But at this time, we are excited to announce the beginning of several new opportunities for study and fellowship as a church family. Starting in September we will see the beginning of two new Bible studies, a prayer group, the restart of fellowship hour, a restart to Sunday School and a restart to youth ministry.
Barbara Dean will be leading a new ladies Bible study, meeting Wednesday mornings. The current study on Elijah is already full, but be sure to look for studies in the future! I will be restarting the Pastor's Bible Study on Thursday evenings at 6 p.m. This will take the place of the Following Jesus Bible study for the time being. Each week we will focus on the scripture for the coming Sunday and the many connections it has throughout the Bible and our lives today. Carol Biggs will be starting a new prayer group called “Strolling in Prayer”. Each week folks will meet outside the church and have a nice walk around town while being prayerful for the different concerns in our congregation and in our local community.
We are also excited to restart Sunday School on Sunday, September 12th. Sunday School classes for all ages will meet downstairs between our Sunday morning services for a time of learning and fun! Classes for children and youth will be led by Lisa Malin, adult classes will be led by Marian Harvey. Alongside Sunday School we will be restarting Fellowship Hour between services. Enjoy a cup of coffee, a light snack, and wonderful time with your church family. Additionally, we are very excited to announce a restart to youth ministry for the fall. For the next year we will be partnering with Elkton United Methodist Church to run a shared youth ministry. We are planning monthly events that will include both a time of Bible study, fellowship, and fun for youth and the whole family. The fall kick-off for youth ministry will be a pool party at the Wilson family house on September 26th, all youth and their whole families are invited.
As we head towards an exciting fall season I remind everyone of the words from James chapter 1: "be doers of the word and not just hearers." These words have been a challenge to Christians in every age, and they remain a great challenge to us. We are called to not simply hear the words of Life, The Gospel of Truth that Jesus brings us okay, but to live it. As we enter into a full season that is a little less chaotic than last year, but still not as normal as we'd like, these words are more important than ever. It is our calling to continue to go into the world with the love all of Jesus, in whatever creative ways we must for the times we live in. So while things are not as settled as we might wish them to be, the mission of the church is still clear, to live out the love of Christ as doers and not merely hearers. I’m excited to see what God is putting on our hearts, and the many ways we continue to grow and flow with the love of God in Chesapeake City for the fall and beyond!
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Sam Mitchell