Grow our faith. Serve our community. Spread the Word. Those were the priorities identified in January by the Session for us in 2025. All three priorities are marked by active verbs. There are times to be still and know that the Lord is God. There are times to rest and recharge. There are times to wait patiently and prayerfully for God’s guidance. Those are not alternatives to those three priorities but are intermingled with them as we seek to discern how God would have us grow in faith and serve our community and spread the Word – and then go to do it!
As schools finish up, summer approaches, and vacations draw near, it may seem like a season for rest and recharging. It is. But it is also a season for continuing to grow in faith, serve our community, and spread the Word. Growing in faith is a key component of Christian formation, but it does not just happen through Sunday School classes and PW Bible studies. We can grow in faith through summer reading, conversations with friends, and worship. We have youth attending the Montreat Youth Conference and Middle School Conference at Massanetta Springs. In July, the Massanetta Springs Music and Bible Conference offers a convenient venue to stimulate faith in worship, music, and study led by gifted preachers, scholars, and musicians. The week of July 28, Helping Hands offers children an opportunity to experience God in their midst amid fun activities. There are also opportunities to serve our community, whether it be rocking babies in our nursery during Sunday worship or removing pesky weeds that sprout up around the church, feeding folks at Trinity Soup Kitchen or joining a project with Renewing Homes Augusta, reading to a child at Community Child Care or helping out with Helping Hands. Summer is a time to explore new opportunities for service!
Spreading the Word is what we do in our service, worship, and daily conversations. It is not necessarily standing on a street corner calling people to repent. Often that does more harm than good! It is showing folks how to live faithfully by the example of your life and sharing with them one-on-one the faith you hold dear. By inviting a friend or new neighbor to church one Sunday, you may help them on their faith journeys while strengthening your own. Covenant Connection and opt-ins will keep you apprised of possibilities to grow, serve, and spread the Word throughout the summer. This summer, take time to explore your faith as you also rest, relax, and recharge In so doing, may you find the “aaah” in amen.
— John Peterson
