Summer Plans

Hey Anthem,

Amazingly, it is almost summertime. As the weather begins to change, we have a few community changes coming up as well. Our summer plans will be revealed in full on Sunday, May 15, but here’s a few things to note as we look to transition into the next season of ministry.

As we stated back in the fall, our Gospel Communities will be end at the end of May, and our summer community will launch in full in early June. Three things to note here:

• I want to take a moment to personally thank and honor our Gospel Community leaders. They have all labored in many ways, seen and unseen, to provide a community structure for our church during a tough season of transition within our community. I am grateful to God for each of them, and you should be as well.
• Taking time off from structured, formal community over the summer provides a necessary break for leaders, many of whom serve the church on top of other vocations and callings. This time also provides us with some margin to plan, pray, and prepare for things to pick up again in the fall. Please pray for these leaders as this rest is taken and for your pastors as we press into what the Lord has for us in the fall.
• While formal community will be coming to a close, as always we encourage you to continue in the momentum of the relationships you have formed. We don’t need structured gatherings to be and live as the church, so reach out, be proactive, and build one another up as we are called to do. While we may have scheduled breaks for our community structure, we are still called to be the church; may we do so with all of the strength and love the Holy Spirit provides us.

I am incredibly excited to announce our community plans for this summer. On top of Family Camp, men’s and women’s events, and other church-wide events, we have some great, accessible equipping opportunities for all of us. So stay tuned…

I’m not sure what the theologically correct way to say this is… but my hope and prayer for our church family this summer is that we would enjoy one another and build one another up in love. We have been through a really hard season as a church this year, and my desire for this summer is that we would be rooted and grounded in love, be renewed in our mind, and would love one another that our joy may be full. I’m asking for deep joy, not trivial happiness. I’m asking for memories to be made, not just events to be attended. I’m asking for the church to be knit together as a family like never before, drawing others in and strengthening the relationship we already have. Will you join me in asking our Father for this?

Love you church. See you Sunday.

Andrew