Message from the Pastor - Ken Radant
Hi everyone! I hope you’re enjoying your week, and the beautiful sunshine that is currently brightening things up for everyone. Let's pray together that the sunshine holds through the weekend, so we can fellowship around our fall BBQ on Sunday without huddling under umbrellas or having to move everything indoors.
I’m excited about having lunch together again this week. I know we’ve had several of these over the past few months, and I know they involve quite a bit of work. (Thanks so much to everyone who has made each lunch possible - including those who will help us with the one this Sunday!) All the same, it’s good to have time together, sharing in conversation, getting to know new people, deepening our relationships, and practicing fellowship. I pray that it will be a fruitful time as well as a great lunch.
We’ve called this our kick-off weekend. It’s a little late, really, since the fall routines around school and ministry have all been going on for several weeks. But the point isn’t so much about starting our fall ministry as it is about highlighting and celebrating our ministries - acknowledging the many people who make things happen, sharing information, taking joy in all the good things God is doing among us, and reminding one another to hold up all aspects of the church’s life in prayer.
With that in mind, I’m going to do something a little different with this week’s newsletter. I’m going to give you a not-perfect-but-mostly-complete list of current ministries that WVBC puts on or hosts. That will pretty much fill the space on my page for the week.
I do this for 2 main reasons. (1) On Sunday, I’m going to talk a bit (really quickly!) about our various areas of ministry as one of the applications of this week’s passage, which is Colossians 1:3-8. For anyone who finds it helpful to have a copy of the list, this puts it in your inbox. And (2) as another application of this week’s passage, I’m going to encourage us all to be in prayer - not just in a general way for the church, though that’s always good, but also in a more specific way for the various ministries that are happening. So, think of this list as a kind of prayer checklist. As you are able and willing, please consider it a list of activities at our church that you can pray for specifically over the coming weeks, and really over the whole year.
Sound good? Here’s the list.
General ministries and events
- Sunday morning worship services (including music teams, tech support, readers, etc.)
- Sunday Night Live worship gathering – Sunday once/month, 6:30 pm, Sanctuary
- Casual choir – Sundays after the service
- 55+ luncheons – Fridays at noon, monthly
Small groups and classes
- 20/20 Intergenerational Community gatherings – Tuesday nights, 7:00, Fireside room
- Divorce Care/ Living Single Again – Zoom
- Gospel Jam – 2nd and 4th Wednesdays, 7:00 pm, Library
- Ladies of Faith Bible study – Thursdays, 12:00, Fireside Room
- Men’s morning coffee – Wednesdays, 8:30, Adult Lounge
- Men at the Beach Bible study – Fridays, 8:00, adult lounge or John Lawson Park
- Men’s breakfast Bible study and fellowship – Saturdays, monthly, 8:30 am, Fireside Room
- Soul Sisters Bible study – Wednesdays, 9:30 am, Fireside Room
- Spiritual Odyssey Book Club – online, occasional in-person gatherings
- Baptism and Membership Classes – as needed
Prayer groups
- Prayer Chain – online
- Sunday morning prayer – Sundays, 9:00 (before service), Kids’ Room
- Monday morning prayer group – Mondays, 9:00 am, Zoom
- Healing Prayer Room – Wednesdays, 7:00 pm, Fireside Room
Regular outreach-oriented activities
- English Conversation Club – Sunday mornings, 8:55, Fireside Room
Pastoral Care
- Care mobilization team – under construction *
Mandarin-speaking community
- Leadership committee
- Translation team for Sunday services
- Sunday Mandarin worship – 1st and 3th Sundays, 11:45 am, Fireside room
- Saturday night fellowship – last Saturday of the month, 6:30 pm, Fireside room
- Friday night Bible studies – 7:00 pm, Stage Room
- Mandarin Bible study for men – Sundays at 12:00 pm, Adult Lounge
- Home groups – every 2nd Saturday
- Hiking group – Fridays, 9:30 am
Farsi-speaking community
- Friday evening fellowship – 7:00 pm, Fireside Room
- Sunday morning classes – 9:00 am, Stage Room
- Translation for Sunday services *
Children and youth
- Sunday morning classes – 10:00 am meet in Foyer *
- Other youth activities – under construction *
Organizational
- Council (our senior leadership board)
- Leadership and mobilization committees:
- Human Resources: policy management for church staff
- Finance: planning, oversight of church finances
- Missions: promoting missions, mobilizing, stewardship
- Facilities: planning, oversight for facility care *
- Benevolence: distribution of funds for those in need
- Nominating Committee: identifying candidates for election to Council
- Search Committees: identifying candidates for new hires
- Education and Discipleship: oversight, resourcing educational ministries
Special events
- Events at Christmas, Easter, etc. *
I’m sure I’ve missed a number of things. I haven’t even tried to name all the contact people and leaders involved, because I’m guaranteed to miss far too many. However, I want to express my thanks to everyone for all you do to serve our Lord here at the church. If anyone needs more information on anything, we have a “Welcome” booklet that provides some, and the office is always happy to give more.
On Sunday morning, I’ll say more about how a list of ministries like this fits in with a message from Colossians 1:3-8. You’re welcome to read ahead and think about it between now and then, too, of course.
Meanwhile, let’s celebrate all that God is doing at WVBC. He’s working in each of these areas and more. Let’s be quick to express appreciation to those who make it all possible. And thanks for your prayers for our church and its ministries. Apart from the work of God’s Spirit among us, nothing of eternal value happens. So, we pray.
Have a wonderful week, God bless you richly, and hopefully we’ll see each other soon for worship and BBQ!
—Pastor Ken