July 5, 2013
Dear Fam,
Summer Conference begins this weekend! SRPC is always a busy place -- camps, mission trips, MOPS meetings, school events keep the calendar busy, but no event is as important to us as our commitment to study the Bible. Every summer in July, we stop and devote ourselves to attend 5 straight meetings for Bible teaching. While we'll eat together, sing and worship and have fun, make no mistake the aim of the Summer Conference is to hear the Bible preached and taught by gifted scholars and preachers. This year our preacher is Clarence Dewitt Again III -- who somehow came to be called, Jimmy! Dr. Agan is married, has four children, is a graduate of Clemson, Covenant Seminary, earned his PhD from Aberdeen University and is a New Testament professor at Covenant Seminary in St. Louis. Summer Conference begins with weekend worship (Saturday night and Sunday morning services are identical as usual) and then we meet on Sunday through Wednesday nights. On Sunday night we'll meet at 5pm for worship and then enjoy Hills BBQ together afterward. Every other night we gather at 6:30! Something good happens in our souls when we immerse ourselves in the word of God. Come be immersed (when's the last time you heard a Presbyterian pastor say that) this week!
- Project Beautiful was beautiful. How awesome is 150+ SRPC folks assaulting the brokeness of our world with deeds of love and kindness. Last Saturday, waves of servants descended on Crystal River High School, the Learning Center in Lecanto, the Path in Beverly Hills, the We Care Food Pantry in Homosassa and the Key Training Thrift Stores in Lecanto and Inverness to beautify our community in the name of our beautiful Savior. Way to go team!
- Camp Seven Rivers is amazing!
- I've made the switch! After 30 years of preaching from the New American Standard Bible, I've switched to the ESV (English Standard Version). First published in 2001, the ESV has become to go-to Bible translation for Christians all over the world because it combines an accurate word-for-word translation from the original manuscripts with literary excellence and beauty.
- Two of the best books I've read this summer: Briarpatch Gospel by Shayne Wheeler and Blood and Thunder: The Epic Story of Kit Carson and the Conquest of the American West by Hampton Sides.
- Would you pray for our two missions teams? On July 13, 75+ folks are headed to Montgomery, AL for our family missions trip and on July 13, thirty high school students and chaperones are headed to New Orleans to advance the cause of God's kingdom there! I love watching the joy with which SRPC folks serve!
- While you're praying -- on July 18 a group of us will travel to Ecuador to the Amazon on an I-Tec WAO tour. Pray for Tucker Cortese, Bibb Beal, Fred Kuhl, Glenn O'Quinn and Ray Cortese as they are confronted with the challenge of how to do ministry with indigenous people in a way that actually helps them and doesn't harm them!
- This Saturday night and Sunday morning after worship, we'll have our annual congregational and corporate meetings. These brief meetings are called to elect church and corporate officers. The following men are nominated to office at SRPC -- Deacon: Tom Loughridge, John Weed, Joseph Lounders, Bob Rupp and Warren Conner; Elder: Jonathan Gill, Hein deBeer and Jim Busk. When we vote, we aren't choosing between the men (we have open slots for all of them), we are voting yes or no on each person. Please stay and participate as there is immeasurable value in good leadership being provided for the bride of Christ.
- Did I mention Summer Conference begins this weekend!
Love,
Ray
