Worship & Spiritual Life

Volunteer & Mission

Fellowship

Music

Education

Youth

Preschool & Childcare

Stewardship

Links

Photogallery

The Pastor's Corner                   

A Blessed Church

Many of you know that the leaders of our congregation have been engaged in more intentionally trying to discern God’s will in carrying out our calling. We are being guided in part by a book entitled Becoming a Blessed Church, by N. Graham Standish. As I have read through this book I have been struck by how often the author’s description of a “blessed church” sounds like Concord. In a chapter entitled, “Alive to God’s Presence,” this is what Standish says:

Becoming a blessed church means being a church that reveals God’s presence in everything, so that people can encounter and experience Christ in every facet of their lives.

When a church becomes truly alive to Christ, it becomes a dynamic, creative place. It may not necessarily become a place of explosive growth, because the factors that foster that kind of growth are not present everywhere. What does happen is that in worship people sense Christ’s presence in their work for the church. They form deep relationships with others in the church, and they sense God’s love in the relationships. They struggle and suffer the pains of life, and discover God touching and caring for them through the people of the church. As they do, they discover that they are not only in a place of God’s presence, but that they are living more and more according to God’s purpose and are experiencing God’s power flowing in and through them.[1]

We have something precious here, in part because this congregation has adapted to changing circumstances over our almost sixty years of existence. As we look to the future we are listening closely for God’s direction for remaining a vital, welcoming witness to the gospel, a place where all who enter will feel God’s presence in everything we do.

I call on everyone to pray for our leaders as they gather on September 25^th to discern God’s direction for next year and beyond; and for our committees as they incorporate this sense of call into our plans.

Peace,

Fritz