Commitment Sunday*

Hello Church Family,

I hope you are having a fantastic week! This past Sunday was tremendous with our Birthday Brunch and I want to extend a special thanks to everyone who helped make it possible. We also had two very powerful worship celebrations as we considered what it means to live a life of value. Value is not about how much we can get out of something for as little investment as possible; rather, value is about how much we can contribute to the world. God has created us each and every one of us to be unique, and when we do not give our all – our time, talents, money, energy, focus, etc. – then the world around us suffers. A spirit of consumption drains the body, but a spirit of contribution makes it stronger!

Throughout this month of October, we have been exploring our new ministry emphasis, Cokes Chapel: A Place for All GOD’s Children, making disciples of Jesus here, there, and everywhere! We have discussed how Jesus is the very Word of God, sent to tell us about the heart and love of God. We have talked about how God is present with us when we go through trials and tribulations, and as a result, sends us out into the world to meet people where they are to show them the way of God. And then we discussed how we prove our love for God by the way we love all God’s children.

Our October message series culminates this week in our message, Here, There, and Everywhere as we explore Jesus’ commandment to be his witnesses throughout the world in Acts 1:8. This Sunday – our 2014 Commitment Sunday – will be quite a day, and I hope you are making plans to be a part of it. Here are some things you can expect:

1. Bringing our Estimate of Giving Cards as an act of worship: during the celebration of Holy Communion, you will be given the opportunity to bring your family’s estimate of giving card, which was mailed to you last week. You will be asked to bring and leave these at the altar as an act of worship, sharing your financial resources with the Lord to help support the ministry of our local church and abroad.
2. Bringing our Stewardship Campaign Gifts: we are still collecting gifts toward our goal of $3,000 to be a blessing for ministry needs in our community and across the world. We have termed this our Here, There, and Everywhere project, and your gifts (over and beyond your regular tithes and offerings) will be used to support three different projects. Our Here project is for our children and youth ministries to the church and community; our There project is to support the new Step By Step Ministries being launched in Hogansville by Pastor David Adamson; and our Everywhere project is to aid our sister church in Mozambique, Liberdade UMC, with the refugee crisis they are engaged in serving due to illness, famine, and violence.
3. Committing, or Re-Committing Your Life to Jesus: during Holy Communion, as you bring your estimate of giving card, you will have the opportunity to commit or re-commit your life to the Lord. You may receive the sacrament of baptism, or if you have been baptized previously, you may reaffirm your baptismal vows as a holistic commitment to give your all for Jesus!
4. Membership Emphasis: if you have been worshipping with us as a guest, and have decided that you want to unite with the Cokes Chapel Church, we are opening the doors of the church so you may unite with the family and be a part of our ongoing ministry efforts to make disciples of Jesus here, there, and everywhere!

As you can see, this Sunday is going to be a celebrative time of worship, generosity, and ministry, and I know it’s one you will not want to miss! Of course, life happens, and if you are unable to make it to worship this Sunday, you will have ample opportunity to bring your estimate of giving card, commit or recommit your life to Jesus, receive or reaffirm your baptism, and/or unite with the church. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to let me know.

In addition to these powerful acts of worship on Sunday, we also have two other opportunities to show our desire to be A Place for All GOD’s Children! Please do not forget that we have the BBQ fundraiser (serving until 1:30pm; tix are $8) to help purchase new equipment for our thriving Scouting ministries, and the annual Trunk-or-Treat for the children in our Childcare Center, congregation, and community (3-5pm in the field adjacent to the Childcare Center entrance).

Sunday is going to be a landmark day in the life of our church as we seek to experience the love of God and share that with all GOD’s Children here, there, and everywhere! From the sacred moments in worship to the festive fun at our annual Trunk-Or-Treat, this is not something you want to miss!

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*This blog was initially published on Oct.22