Month of Transitions

May is the month that transitions our thinking.  We experience the blooming flowers, the extended daylight, the rising temperatures, and before you know it, everyone’s thoughts are turned to summer.  By the time we’ve celebrated mothers and started planning for Memorial Day, we’ve committed our calendar to a vast array of events, including vacations, cookouts, graduations, and weddings.

In our enjoyment of all those summer events, let’s not forget that summer is one of the best times of year for Gospel service, ministry, and spiritual growth. There are things to be involved in through church or things that can be done by individuals and families. 

·       Vacation Bible School: This is, and should be, an annual rite-of-summer that proves to always be one of the biggest community outreaches of the year.  This event happens because of a small army of committed volunteers, including children and teens.  While VBS is promoted as an educational experience, the real learning happens when individuals of all ages are engaged and invested in the work of the Gospel and serve together for the cause of Christ.   So, don’t just bring your children to VBS, ask how all of you can be involved.  This year’s VBS will be June 17-20.

·       Mission Trips: Our church will be represented in three places this summer.  We will have one church member in the Bahamas and another one in Jamaica working with existing ministries.  Additionally, the church will sponsor a group again for a week-long trip to Jamaica to support one of our missionaries.  This is a trip our church has done for most of the last 10-years.  These are opportunities that provide a hands-on international experience of working in the Gospel.  For everyone who can go, they’re invested and committed…for those who can’t go, the responsibility is to pray and support their efforts.

·       Summer Camp: Our church will, as it has for most of 30 years, take young people from the 4^th through 12^th grades to The Wilds at the end of July.  Located in the western part of our state, near Brevard, this week of camp offers all the traditional hiking, swimming, lake, and game events of most camps.  The real attraction to the Wilds is the biblical training and insight provided to those who attend.  Our group joins with more than a thousand other campers from all over the east coast for an exciting week of exciting activities and spiritual growth.  Want to know more? It may still be possible for 4^th-12^th graders to register, get an info sheet in the gym hallway for more details and visit the website: http://wilds.org

·       The Neighborhood Kids: If you have a desire to reach the children in your neighborhood, then you’ll find a partner with Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF).  Among their many ministries, they are sponsors of 5-Day Clubs, which can be held at your house.  You simply open your home for 90-minutes each day during a week.  CEF will send a trained team to teach Bible lessons and lead the activities and songs.  You only have to be willing to be a host-site and help invite the neighborhood kids, ages 5-12.  Find out more at www.cefonline.com

·       Community Outreach: With the longer days and no homework, summer is also a time when the family can be involved in regular monthly outreach opportunities.  Our church regularly supplies a group that goes to serve a meal at the Pathways Homeless Shelter.  In the fall, the church will also send a group to serve with the “Church-Under-the-Bridge” ministry in Greensboro.  See Pastor Jason for details.

Acts 4:32 tells us about the heart of those early followers in Jerusalem, “…the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul.”    The passage tells how they exhibited an attitude of service for each other and to their community for the cause of Christ.  May we seek to exhibit a similar attitude toward the opportunities that lie ahead.  Summer may be fun, but for a Christian family, it can also be an important time that has an eternal impact.

 - Dr. Harlie Miller, Associate Pastor