May 28, 2015

Dear Fam,

Did you know our pastors are in Tahiti this week--oh, not really, Brandon's in St. Louis with family, Adam has been shepherding the flock and prepping for camp messages and Ray has been working as usual, has family coming in tomorrow and is fighting something funky that has him under the weather and sounding like Steve Brown, so I thought I'd step in and fill you in on a few of the "goings on" at SRPC this week. School may be out for summer—but our campus is still very lively!

· Interns—Thirteen college interns arrived and have spent this week learning about Citrus County and getting to know each other as they prepare for a summer of ministry to our student population.

· Spirit Camp—we’ve gotten to watch all kinds of cuteness this week as SRCS' annual Spirit Camp has been taking place in our gymnasium—go team, go!



· Gym Stage transformation--With the explosive growth of the school, comes space issues. To solve some of those challenges, we are building 8 offices on 2 floors on the old stage in the gymnasium...and we could use your help. If you can swing a hammer, we could use you to help on the volunteer team framing the stage for the next 2 weeks. Please email or call Blair Commons and he can plug you into the schedule (746-6200).  All skill levels needed!




· Celebrate Recovery BBQ is tonight from 6-8 p.m. at the student ministry building. Lawn games, volleyball, live music and CR testimonies. All are invited. RSVP for childcare.

· Athletic Complex--Progress is on schedule!  Pictured below: softball fields being watered, scoreboards have arrived, main street trees are planted.  Mark your calendar for the evening of August 14 at for the grand opening celebration at the field, everyone is invited!



· And Monday, Camp Seven Rivers kicks off with over 160 campers registered for the summer!  Pray for our leaders and staff, and for the children that they will encounter the love of Jesus and have a blast (from the past!) doing all the fun specialties and activities they have planned.

---

· Here's something to pray about--Mike Francis, Pastor of Immanuel Presbyterian Church in Deland suffered a heart attack earlier this week while riding his bike and has not yet returned to consciousness.  Will you pray that he would "wake up" and that God would restore him to health? 

· This weekend in worship, Ray will preach on Matthew 25:14-30, we’ll receive 35 new folks into membership, we’ll introduce the college interns and we’ll celebrate it all with donuts after church on Sunday and warm pretzel bites on Saturday evening. Don’t miss gathering together for worship this weekend!

Sincerely,

Wendy Busk
(We're really not staging a coup, you will hear from the pastors again!)



May 21, 2015

Dear Fam,

Here is the devotion I read this morning. It was so good I wanted to share it in toto. By the way, this devotional comes from a devotional I recommend, The Mockingbird Devotional — Good News for Today (and Every Day).

       "And in that day, declares the Lord, you will call me ‘My Husband,’ and no longer will you call me ‘My Baal’ [or ‘master’] …And I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and and mercy. I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the Lord. I will have mercy on [the one I called] not my people, ‘You are my people’; and he shall say, ‘You are my God.’ — (Hosea 2:16-23, ESV)"
       At the time of the writing of Hosea, Israel had been worshiping other gods — a faultless rejection deserving God's own rejection: exile, death, damnation. That is why this passage is so shocking: rather than seething anger, God's response to rejection is this impractical, frustratingly persistent affection.
       A resulting theme in this book is the issue of identity, of Gomer's shift from slave to spouse. The last lines of Dietrich Bondhoeffer’s poem, "Whom Am I? are relevant here: "Whom am I? / They mock me, these lonely questions of mine. / Whoever I am, Thou Knowest O God, I am Thine."
       Though much of who we are will change, one thing that will not is the abiding acceptance of God – God will never let you go, even when you're sure he's unimpressed with you. Martin Luther gave us a helpful phrase to understand.... simul justus et peccator—"simultaneously justified and sinful." This is a realistic identity: according to your desires and actions, you are a sinner deserving judgment; however, because of God's mercy on the cross, you are covered. God's grace changes our identity problem.
       If you’ve seen Fight Club, you'll remember Tyler Durden's powerful diatribe against the false identities we assume: "You're not how much money you've got in the bank. You're not your job. You're not the car you drive. You're not the contents of your wallet. You're not you're problems. You're not your age. You are not your hopes. You're not your khakis."
       In the spirit of Durden (and Luther), you are not your real or perceived set of identifiers. You are not your divorce. You’re not your parents’ divorce. You are not your addiction or disorder or STD. You aren't your pattern of dealing with relationships, your adultery, your anger. You are not your wallet or your wit.
       Isaiah tells us that our righteousness is as filthy rags, but it is Jesus’ robe of righteousness draped over us that God sees. We need a God before whom we can put aside the disguise – trusting that when he sees us he won't turn away or smite us in anger. With this possible, for just a moment, the vicious habits of identity maintenance can stop, and we can step down onto the firm ground of acceptance.   — Justin Holcomb

· Good News #1 – Today is the last day of school… tomorrow night is the SRCS graduation (at 7:00 PM). Do you know there are SRPC folks who come to graduation every year and haven't got children in our school! I love it when people get the covenant… we are his children and we all belong to each other!

· Good News #2 – SRPC’s own Karen Wright who teaches at Floral City Elementary and Allison Gamblin who teaches at Crystal River Primary were chosen by Governor Scott for the Governor Shine Award which is given to only a handful of educators for their stellar work. Both Karen and Allison were honored at a meeting of the Governor’s Cabinet!

· Good News #3 – SRPC teamed up with two missions we support I-Tec and Bob Julien’s Partners with Haiti to bring medical training to Haiti. Twenty students from local churches conducted clinics and shared the gospel with 200 people.



· Good News #4 – Here's the note I recently got from Jacqui Frazee about the way her small group leader sacrificially ministered to her. It's just a reminder that the work of the church – evangelism, mercy, education and missions is done by the members of the church and not by the staff of the church! "I had to have my septic drain field replaced and they broke a number of irrigation pipes in the process. I asked Bruce McMurray, my small group leader (and a nursery man), who he uses for repairs. He insisted on repairing it himself, after work and weekends until it was finished. He absolutely refused to let me even cover expenses (pvc etc.). And then I found out from his wife that it might be his least favorite job at the nursery. I am so blessed."

· Recommendations – I thoroughly enjoyed The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown, a celebration of the 1936 US Olympic rowing team's journey to the Berlin Olympic Games. Last night Diane and I went to the Ale House in Crystal River. It's been years since we’ve gone there due to (in my humble opinion) its grimy condition, the substandard food, the lackluster wait service and the rowdy clientele. With the urging of a friend, we tried it again last night. It’s still grimy and there was high drama as an intoxicated elderly couple seated next to us moved from gross public nuzzling to a loud, ugly fight in the span of a few minutes, but the food was good enough, the waiter was excellent and the vista as the sun set was the prettiest I’ve experienced in Crystal River in years! Not even the unsavory sideshow could dim the million dollar views across the water!

· Celebrate Recovery Anniversary BBQ—All of us are broken to one degree or another. Celebrate Recovery provides help to those struggling with damaging hurts (like abuse or abandonment), destructive habits (like addiction to alcohol, drugs or sex), and debilitating hang ups (like anger or depression). Real progress through the program can be made as we discover our personal, loving and forgiving Higher Power—Jesus Christ. To celebrate the 6th anniversary of Celebrate Recovery at Seven Rivers, we are hosting a Barbecue on Thursday, May 28th from 6 - 8 pm at the Student Ministry Building. Come to hear more about the ministry of CR at Seven Rivers and enjoy: BBQ chicken and ribs, lawn games, volleyball, live music and testimonies of God's grace.

· New Believer's Class is June 7–July 5. Have you recently become a Christian? Do you long to grow in your faith? In this five-week class you will learn how to read your Bible, pray, worship, serve, and give. Details and registration.

· This weekend in worship, we’ll say farewell to Dale and Debbie McCollough (Saturday night) as they move to Orlando to take advantage of the medical facilities there and their children’s help as Dale’s physical condition continues to erode. We’ll also pray for all our high school graduates! I’ll be preaching on Matthew 25:1-13! Is there anything better than being together in worship!

Love,

Ray



May 14, 2015

Dear Fam,

It will be good to be back in the saddle this weekend after being away to preach at a conference in Tampico, Mexico on “Grace-based Leadership” hosted by a burgeoning gospel-centered church planting movement. They had me preach seven times in one-and-a-half days which was tiring (for them), but was beautiful evidence of their hunger for the gospel.

 After leaving Tampico, we caravanned with members of the Reynosa church, the Isaiah 55 team, and with our daughter, son-in-law and grandkids back to the border. The trip took almost 12 hours and we traversed an area of the US State Department that warns US citizens not to travel due to drug cartel violence. We got stopped 15 minutes into the trip by a traffic policeman who stopped the only van of the five which had a non-Mexico license plate and demanded a bribe. As is their practice, they refused the bribe and we had to make our way to a police station to pay a much higher fine before we could continue! The best part of the journey wasn’t being in Mexico for Cinco de Mayo—they don’t celebrate it there, it’s a U.S. creation…to sell a lot of guacamole and Corona no doubt! The best part of the journey was watching my naked grandson ca___ on the beach and baptizing him a few days later!


There’s a host of staff news to relate:

--Two cherished staff are leaving. Jillian Folkerts, whose labored in our front office is moving to Tallahassee next week and Cassidy Wahl, whose chased middle schoolers in student ministry is leaving at the end of the month for National Guard training and Grad school! We are thankful both Jillian and Cassidy served Jesus as part of our team!

--New staff are coming. We are excited that Heather Johnson is joining our staff support team in the front office. Tate Shelby, a recent graduate of Virginia Tech is coming next month to be a part of our student ministry team for the next 2+ years. Hannah Carroll, a recent graduate of ____________ is coming to bolster our Children’s Ministry team for this summer and hopefully beyond that!



--This next week, we will welcome the following college interns for the summer:

GIRLS
Emily Whitchurch – from Citrus County attends UNF
Cindy Steve – from Citrus County attends College of Central Florida
Taylor Wade – from Citrus County attends College of Central Florida
Kelly Abramowitch – from Citrus County attends SEU
Emily Faith – from the Philadelphia are and attends Grove City College
JoAnn Johnston – from Houston Texas went to Baylor University and now attends Covenant Theological Seminary
Katy Chapell – from St. Louis Missouri and attends Covenant College

GUYS
Tanner Commons – from Citrus County
Ben Wright – from Citrus County and attends University of Florida
Caleb Bauman – from Orlando and attends UCF
Peter Johnson – From Orlando attends Seminole State
Tucker Woodward – From Gainesville and attends the University of Florida
Clint Rogers – From Middleburg, FL and attends UCF

--Many of you know that Teri Hill lost her dad to cancer this past week. His memorial service was today in Bradenton. Teri’s address is 808 N. Hollywood Circle, Crystal River 34429.

Here are some important upcoming events for your summer calendar!

May 16-17 is the last weekend to qualify for the early registration discount for Camp Seven Rivers.
June 7-July 5 is a special opportunity to grow in your faith if you are a new or young Christian. Brandon Lauranzon will be teaching a New Believers Class—Sunday mornings at 9am in the Student Ministry Building for five consecutive weeks
July 12-15 is our Summer Conference with Dr. Bob Flayhart of Oak Mountain PCA in Birmingham, Alabama.
August 14 is our Warrior Park Athletic Field Opening and Dedication. We’re planning a food truck rally, music, bounce houses for the kids and a great time to be together and kick off the new church and school year.

Want to watch a couple of encouraging videos? Revisit the Mother’s Day video from last weekend’s worship, but keep a box of tissues at the ready.  Here’s an update from Eric Stites on the first worship service at New City Parramore Avenue in Orlando.

SRCS is closing the school year with a bang. This week began with a packed house at the annual celebration of student achievement in academics, arts, athletics and the awarding of Warrior/Swordsman awards to the student in each class who most exemplified Christ-like character. The week only amped up further with a raucous pep rally sendoff for the State tournament-bound playoff team whose tensely dramatic agonizing extra innings loss yesterday yielded this sweet picture on the front of today’s Chronicle! All the SRCS fun concludes next week with commencement exercises on Friday night, May 22 at 7:00 to which all church attenders are invited!

Want to be encouraged? Take a look at the SRCS enrollment growth over the last three years!

PRESCHOOL   2012/2013: 59   2013/2014: 71   2014/2015: 88   2015/2016: 90 (52% growth since 2012)

GRAMMAR SCHOOL (K-6)   2012/2013: 136   2013/2014: 180   2014/2015: 201   2015/2016: 238 (75% growth since 2012)

UPPER SCHOOL (7-12)   2012/2013: 136   2013/2014: 145   2014/2015: 160   2015/2016: 169 (24% growth since 2012)

TOTALS (PK3-12)
2012/2013: 331
2013/2014: 396
2014/2015: 449
2015/2016: 497
(50% growth since 2012)

This weekend, I’ll be preaching on Matthew 22:23-40. We’ll celebrate the Lord’s Supper together. During the Lord’s Supper, we’ll provide an opportunity for those with chronic or serious illness to be anointed with oil for healing. Why would we do this? God instructs us, “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord” James 5:13-14. I’m looking forward to worshiping with you this weekend!

Love,

Ray

April 30, 2015

Dear Fam,

So much to be thankful for! The church staff took Tuesday to rejoice in all that God did in our midst over the last year. We thanked the Father for:

• Powerful videos on Easter (Jess Ebert) and Christmas Eve (Lamandas)
• Camp Christmas Pre-School outreach
• Prayer Week
• Ash Wednesday
• Generous MORE giving
• New athletic fields sprouting up
• Adding Bethany Johnson to our Youth Team
• Growing weekend attendance
• A high performing SRCS administrative team
• Adam and Brandon’s preaching
• The resurrection of the Teen MOPS ministry
• George Robertson’s preaching at Summer Conference
• Wonderful new school faculty added
• A year of Project Beautiful service, missions trips, DR team ministry and Deacon care delivery
• Christmas and spring concerts with amazing orchestration and soloists!
• School growth
• The Wizard of Oz school drama production!

All this and school graduations, family missions trip, Camp Seven Rivers, Summer Conference, Middle and High School camps, High School missions trip to St. Louis, and August dedication of the new athletics complex still to come!!

More good news to celebrate at SRPC! Adam and Teri Hill welcomed a new son – Ingram Charles Hill onApril 15!



Chad and Alexandra Robison have announced that she is expecting their first child in November!

The Disaster/Community Response Team gathered this week to celebrate Don Payne and his service with DR team before he moves!



The SRCS girls softball team is not only having their best season ever (20 wins, 3 loses) but are on the brink of progressing further in the state playoffs than any SRCS team ever. This Friday at Bicentennial Park at 4:00 pm they will play for the Regional Championship and a trip to the State Championship Final Four! Go cheer the warrior women on!

An announcement from mission to the world our denominational missions agency: As you have no doubt seen on the news, a massive earthquake devastated Nepal on Saturday, April 25, 2015. More than 3,200 have lost their lives and thousands more are injured and homeless. Our national partners are experiencing the devastating effects of the earthquake firsthand. Eighteen people died while gathered for worship in one of our partner churches. Another partner church, though damaged itself, has become a temporarily shelter for 150 community members who've lost their homes. In Nepal we partner with national pastors who oversee churches, children’s homes, two schools, and a home for widows. These pastors are helping to grow the Church in Nepal. Now it is our turn to serve them. You can help by praying for our friends in Nepal and considering an online donation to help meet critical needs in the wake of this disaster.

Would you pray for me? Diane and I are flying today to Tampico, Mexico where I’ll be speaking at a Conference on Grace-Based Church Leadership. The conference is sponsored by a burgeoning movement of gospel-centered church plants in a place (Mexico) where the only church options have been Catholicism and a very strident fundamentalism. I’ll be speaking six times in 36 hours from Friday night through Sunday church (and you guys complain about sitting through one weekend sermon of “moderate” length!!) Would you pray that we could be an encouragement to our brothers and sisters in Mexico and that the beauty of Jesus would be palpable to us all. As an added highlight . . . I will get to baptize my grandson Knox on the trip. I can’t wait to anoint him with water, watching it trickle down his head and face, and claim over him and for him the promises of Jesus’ care and affection. I am really excited to not only be there as he is baptized but to be the baptizer!!

Two reminders about this weekend at SRPC. We only have one Sunday service at 10:00 a.m. beginning this Sunday through August 15/16 when we’ll go back to a three weekend service schedule. The Saturday service remains unchanged at 6:00 p.m. A memorial service for Anna Faith Witherow will be held at 3:00 p.m. in the sanctuary. Anna was born to Matt and Rachel Witherow on April 23, and was cuddled, kissed and prayed over for 53 minutes before she was taken to heaven. Those 53 minutes with her were a sweet gift from God in the midst of a very sorrowful day. You are welcome at the service and your continued prayer for the Witherow’s is deeply appreciated.

Our missionaries with Isaiah 55 ministry in Reynosa, Mexico, Kate and NoNo Beale were here in February for our Global Outreach month. After attending worship that weekend Kate sent this sweetly affirming note, “I came upon a quote from Eugene Peterson in his wonderful book “Living the Resurrection” and it struck me that this is what NoNo and I felt and talked about after our time at Seven Rivers. When we walked out of the last service I noticed NoNo was tearful and he looked at me and said if we could only be here and sit in this place every Sunday. What is it that makes us feel that way when we are in Seven Rivers church. Eugene talks about “the strong men and women who are urging us and guiding us to go against the polluted stream of religious professionalism that has unleashed this rampant, relentless onslaught of religious commercialism which commodifies the spiritual life and treats the church as free market for promoting and selling programs, techniques, and devices to the greater glory of God.” That is it. We come into your space and there is no pushing of programs or promoting agendas but in its place there is the Gospel and resurrection wonder. Our shared grandson, Barrett, will come over to the house and look up at me and say “I want to sit with you and watch a little bit of something” and it always moves me. He understands his position as the beloved and takes that posture just sitting with someone who loves him while enjoying the wonders of Tec the Tractor or Little Bear. I liken that to what the spirit of your church community is like….people who know or are learning their position in Christ and taking on the posture of the beloved filling the place with a spirit of real worship and restfulness and joy as they enjoy “being” (not doing) with Jesus and each other. There is a palpable presence of the Holy Spirit when you walk in and it was our pleasure once again to experience that with you all. Thank you for supporting us and doing life with us and letting us be the hands and feet of Jesus for you in Reynosa.”

So come this weekend and worship in joy and sit in restfulness as the beloved.

Love,

Ray

April 15, 2015

Dear Fam,

Pastor’s Class starts tonight—we have 49 folks signed up. We’d love to have you join us!

Thank you, SRPC, for…

· Painting the George Washington Carver Community Center last Saturday during Project Beautiful.



· Your faithful and joyous MORE giving. After two years of the campaign, over $2.3 million ($2,343,874) dollars has been given.


· Inviting your friends to church. This Easter we had 2,732 people attend worship!

_________

· The Athletic Field project is progressing. Football lights are installed, the football field grass is planted, the field house and concessions buildings are roofed in and scoreboards have been chosen. We are on track to dedicate the fields on August 14!



· Eric and Kristen Stites’ church planting in Orlando had over 100 at their first service on Easter and had 65 at service #2! Thanks for praying!

· Men’s retreat is April 24 & 25 at the Life Enrichment Center in Fruitland Park.  Sign up or learn more here.

· Are you struggling to articulate why homosexuality and gay marriage aren’t sanctioned by God or conducive to human flourishing? Perhaps these resources will help.
What does the Bible really teach about homosexuality?
Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert
Is God Anti-Gay?

· Earlier this year, we asked you to pray for Matt and Rachel Witherow and their 2 sons. Rachel is pregnant with their daughter but little Anna has developmental deficiencies that won’t allow her to live outside the womb.   You have been wonderful as a church in your support of them. Rachel is due to give birth next week. Pray that God will be merciful and allow the Witherow’s a few sweet moments holding their daughter before she goes to heaven. Address: 5581 W Pine Circle, Crystal River, FL 34429.

· We will have three weekend services through the month of April (on May 3 we’ll return to one Sunday service at 10:00). We will however resume three services on August 16 and plan to have three weekend service for the following nine months. This weekend, we’ll be celebrating the work of God in our School ministry. Students from SRCS will greet, participate musically, Dana James will speak and there will even be a sneak preview of the Wizard of Oz production a few minutes before each service. I’ll be preaching on Matthew 20:17-28!

Sincerely,

Ray

Dear Family,

Well the Cortese’s have gone and done it. After 31+ years in the same house, the house we moved into on our second day in Citrus County in 1983—we’ve sold our home and bought another. The decision to sell our home was difficult, and fearful. It was all we’ve ever known, and we were content, we loved our neighbors and neighborhood, it was paid for and there was so much laughter and joy echoing in those walls. It only had one fatal flaw—we could no longer shoehorn our rapidly growing family comfortably inside. In all the planning for the future I just didn’t count on six grandchildren being born in just two and a half years with the hope of even more to come. So Diane and I finally embraced that there was something more important than our ease, security and nostalgia and that was to provide a place for our family to feel welcome when they are able to come. Our old home was for raising kids, putting them through college and getting them married; our new home is for welcoming our children back with lots of children of their own. Our new home is for making new memories with our six grandsons (and with the six granddaughters to come that I’m earnestly praying for!) Our new home will also be a place to welcome our SRPC family as we were once able to do at house number one before SRPC became a family with many children, too. So, last week, Diane and I said goodbye. We walked, praying, from room to room—thanking God for giving us a family. We cried a lot – sobbed actually, but they were sweet tears; tears of a couple who have tasted our Father’s unmerited favor and seen this grace kiss our children. What made our departure far more palatable was knowing that right behind us, moving in, was a sweet couple with a one-year-old to raise and the hope of more babies to come (exactly as we were 31 years earlier!) Our house was bought by our coworkers and friends, Adam and Teri Hill….and that made our hearts really glad! Diane and I are very tired, enjoying our new home and anticipating the approaching sounds of little feet (all four born grandbabies will be here in the next 3 weeks!) This adventure has been good for my soul, too, for it’s reminded me, as CS Lewis wrote, of the rightful place of a house in our priorities, “Our Father refreshes us on the journey with some pleasant inns, but will not encourage us to mistake them for home.” So, until we reach home—we are thankful for the pleasant inns he has provided for us!

 
                                  _______________________________

· This summer I did take some time to read. I read Sticky Teams—Keeping Your Leadership Team and Staff on the Same Page by Larry Osborne, Center Church: Doing Balanced Gospel-Centered Ministry in Your City by Tim Keller, In Search of Deep Faith by Jim Belcher, Great by Choice: Uncertainty, Chaos, and Luck—Why Some Thrive Despite Them All by Jim Collins, David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and The Art of Battling Giants by Malcolm Gladwell, Toughest People to Love: How to Understand, Lead, and Love the Difficult People in Your Life – Including Yourself by Chuck DeGroat, The Paris Architect (a novel) by Charles Belfoure, and Mission at Nuremberg: An American Army Chaplain and the Trial of the Nazis by Tim Townsend. The next book I’m targeting is the Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown.

· Pastor’s Class begins this Wednesday night at 6:30 in the Sanctuary (Florida Room). Is there someone you could invite and perhaps bring to the first class? Pray for hearts to see the beauty of Jesus!

· Did you know the athletic complex construction has begun? The 40 acres we own on Southern Boulevard, about one mile from SRPC, is being transformed into a football, baseball, softball facility with a field house to support all the sports of SRCS and Camp Seven Rivers as well. The complex is slated to open when school does in 2015!

· Good article on the why of Christian schooling.

· Here’s something to make you laugh.

· We have some folks at SRPC really struggling with illness. They are getting worn down. People like Tim Ott, Margaret Christensen, Dale McCollough and Jenna Campbell. Pray for them and all the others—and if you know someone who’s weary with physical brokenness—see if you can think of some way to lighten their load!

· This weekend in worship I’ll be on “the hill” (a baseball metaphor!) We’ll be digging into Ephesians and taking the Lord’s Supper together. It’s going to be sweet!

Love,

Ray

Dear Family,

As we sit on the precipice of a new church year—let’s celebrate some of the ways we’ve experienced the sweetness of God’s grace in the year past.

· We got the Manuel Family—Paul, Heather, Emily, Eli & Ellie all made SRPC a richer place
· The Dean Smith Christmas Eve video
· George Robertson and the summer conference
· The expression of joy that exploded from Kane Vassallo at his baptism
· The return of Rayburn Greene
· Great summer interns
· A beautiful new preschool & playgrounds
· Steve Saint’s preaching during Global Outreach Month
· Celebrating Ken Wackes
· Seven weeks of the sheer joy of Camp Seven Rivers
· Luke Steel eating 18 Krispy Kreme doughnuts on the Family Mission Trip
· Project Beautiful
· The indefatigable Disaster Relief Team
· SRCS growth (from 320 to 460 in two years!)
· The middle school Edge Camp—where a number of students made commitments to follow Jesus
· Getting to have the Beilmans for six months
· The New Horizons VBS
· The Bruised Reed sermon series
· The Paul Tripp marriage conference

It was a great year at SRPC!

· We will kick off the new church year on the weekend of August 23/24 beginning a new sermon series entitled Modern Family—The Gospel of the Church and with a party on the lawn following each worship service. We’ll serve dinner/lunch, have a bounce house for the kids (and seniors), open up the new playground, and have tours of the new preschool!

· The new Pastor’s Class begins on September 3. Is there someone you can bring? Last weekend Brandon read these welcoming words our sister church posts on its website. Someone wrote in after the sermon asking—does SRPC feel this way too? With a Father who runs down the road to welcome a wretched son home, how could we aspire to anything less? Bringing someone to church and to Pastor’s Class is a great way to walk them into the family of God!

· Financial Peace University. The first class begins Wednesday, August 27 at 6:30. Details and registration here.

· Under the heading of “Too Cute:”
ðSRCS Video "We're Going to Be Friends"
ðThe return of Austin Roth from Afghanistan. Austin grew up at SRPC/SRCS, married his high school sweetheart Julie Green, is a helicopter pilot in the Army and has three children. The latest was born while he was deployed. Austin just returned recently to his family and this greeting.


· Under the heading of “This Makes Me Sad:” Emily Pullen who has worked in our school, student ministry, and most prominently in our Children’s ministry and Camp Seven Rivers has taken a new job in Auburn, Alabama. At SRPC, we love Emily and can’t wait to watch her enrich lives in Alabama like she has here!

· Two brief articles worth your time: 4 Things Jesus Didn’t Die For & The Case for Eating Compassionately

· This weekend is my 35^th wedding anniversary (how is that possible when we are still so young) and I’ll be celebrating it with you in worship. I’ll be preaching on the bride of Christ—the church He loves and died for.  It’s the ultimate love story.  Hope to share the romance with you.

Love,

Ray



July 17, 2014

Dear Family,

Summer Conference was great...probably our best attended ever. The music was rich, the community was sweet and the preaching was powerful and healing. CD sets of all the messages from Habakkuk will be available in the bookstore. If you want to listen to just one let me recommend Tuesday night's entitled, “You Are (Not) Special – Part 2.”  Listen to it here and stay tuned in for the final illustration – it had me in tears (a feat not easily accomplished!)

• Here’s a powerful and compelling quote from George Robertson’s Tuesday night message.

• George recommended learning the shorter catechism definition of God: God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable, in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth.

• Please pray for Don and Barbara Hall. Don’s 30-year-old daughter, Hope, died tragically on Monday. Her memorial service will be tomorrow at Brown Funeral Home. Receiving line is from 10-11 am with the service to immediately follow.  Ask God to comfort them in the midst of their awful heartbreak.

• This weekend, I’ll be preaching on Adoption in our #DOCTRINE – What Christians Believe series. After each service, we’ll ask all members to stay for our annual congregation and corporate meeting to elect elders and deacons.

It’ll be great to worship together again this weekend. I’ll see you at the party!

Ray

Dear Family,

• The preschool building is done – on budget ($900,000) and on time! Want to know something wonderful? The MORE giving has been so consistent and generous that we’ve paid 80% of the cost of construction and have yet to borrow any money! Church and school giving have been really healthy, too. Please don’t forget to keep it up during the summer – June & July are typically our financial drought season!

• Want to help with the last leg of the preschool building? Can’t go on an out-of-town mission trip, but would love to serve? We are building the preschool playground on Saturday, June 28. Contact Dana James to join the fun!

• Would you consider praying for three things: 1) Our high school ministry students left for their summer conference in South Carolina yesterday. About 45 students and adults went. Would you pray for Jesus to grab the hearts of our children. 2) My son-in-law, Eric Stites, has taken 13 high school boys from the Parramore neighborhood (where he is church-planting in Orlando) to a Kids Across America sports camp in Missouri for inner city kids. It was a herculean effort to pull this off. Here’s an excerpt from Eric’s email from camp. “Please, please, please pray for the guys. Some of them are homesick. For about half of them, this is the first time they’ve left Florida. Some of them are frustrated that they don’t have their phones, or that there is structure to the day and don’t want to “give in” to fully being a part of everything that is going on. So pray that the ones feeling that way would turn the corner, experience something different from what Parramore has to offer, and would meet Jesus in such a way that they don’t leave the same way they came. I’ve found myself in tears a few times leading up to this trip and even now as I write this, really hoping that dead hearts would be awakened, hard hearts would be softened, and eyes would be opened.” 3) Next Tuesday night I speak to our denomination's national meeting in Houston (it’s called the General Assembly). I’m scared spitless about it, so would you ask God to help me not be abrasive but to proclaim the sweetness of the gospel and the beauty of Jesus.

• The book I’m looking forward to reading the most this summer is Chuck DeGroat’s, Toughest People to Love: How to Understand, Lead and Love the Difficult People in your Life – Including Yourself. Chuck’s previous book, Leaving Egypt – Finding God in the Wilderness Places was very helpful to me!
• For the third straight year, SRPC will host the Global Leadership Summit from Willow Creek Church in Chicago. Speakers include Bill Hybels, Louie Giglio, Patrick Lencioni and other leaders of business, church, education and non-profits. Why not come and bring your coworkers with you? The cost is $79; use password PV2014 to register. To get the best rate, sign up by July 15. Registration and details
• Did you know SRPC has been blessed to have Adam and Anne Jones serving here for over 15 years! In appreciation for Adam’s timeless leadership, the session has granted him a 6-week sabbatical that will begin in a week and run through July. The Jones’s will be hunkered down in a cabin in Maine, and in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee for most of their escape. As Adam, Anne, and Sashi leave – why not take time to remind them how much they and their labors have meant to you: 2630 W Antioch Lane Lecanto, Florida 34461.
• Last month in the week of high school graduations, I sent out an article from Jean Larroux with five notes of wise counsel for graduates. Jean has written five more and they are sagacious! Uncommon Sense (the sequel...)

• This weekend we’ll celebrate Father’s Day together in worship with 13 baptisms! I’ll be preaching on being created in the image of our Father. I guess every weekend is Father’s Day at SRPC! Looking forward to celebrating with you.

Ray

Dear Family,

I walked through the preschool today. It looks amazing…I haven’t missed the portables for one day! We are going to dedicate the preschool on the August 9/10 weekend with a post worship party!

• Here are two books for those who might want to think more about liberation from sexual addiction: Samson and the Pirate Monks – Calling Men to Authentic Brotherhood by Nate Larkin and Sex And Money: Pleasures That Leave You Empty and Grace that Satisfies by Paul Tripp.

• The highlight of SRCS graduation was the address written by Kevin Wackes. It was full of wisdom that will allow you and your faith to flourish no matter what life throws at you. Read it here.

• There is still time to sign up for Supper Clubs--Supper Clubs of 6, 8, or 10 people will meet three times over the summer for food and fellowship. This is a great opportunity to get to know someone new. Contact Caryn Poloske.

• For the third straight year SRPC will host The Global Leadership Summit from Willow Creek Church in Chicago. Speakers include Bill Hybels, Louie Giglio, Patrick Lencioni and other leaders of business, church, education and non profits. Why not come and bring your coworkers with you. The cost is $79; use password PV2014 to register. To get the best rate sign up by July 15. Registration and details

• Here’s a quote worth reading and heeding on taming the technology/smart phone addiction that is so ruinous in our culture. “Like any tool, technology is all about how you use it. We should take care in ensuring that it is not shaping us in ways we're not comfortable with. Do an inventory of your daily or weekly tech usage to ensure it's not consuming you and wrenching you from meaningful face-to-face engagement with others. Don't check texts or websites while you're connecting face-to-face with someone else. Limit your usage of digital communication, as a spiritual discipline. Folks with smartphones need to be smart about their use. Utilize them for meaningful connection with others, but consider adopting a few spiritual disciplines when using technology. Why always text someone when you can call? Sure, it takes a little longer to call, but engaging someone with your voice is step toward deeper connection than simply sending a text. Take regular sabbaticals from your phone. Develop a daily or weekly rhythm that frees you from the screen. For example, only check social media before lunch, or take Lenten fasts from technology or social media. Take screen-free Fridays (or whatever day suits you). And we need to model such discipline to our children, by developing rhythms that ensure we're using the medium, it's not using us. Using web-based tools is great, but so is walking your neighborhood, hosting dinner parties, volunteering at community gardens, sharing a table at a soup kitchen, playing with children, gardening, sports, games, and sex. You can't phone those things in.” Michael Frost – Incarnate: The Body of Christ In An Age of Disengagement

• Here’s a blog post worth reading on the importance of giving affirmation to your children especially when they are teenagers. Big Mama Love

• Do you know about the worst natural disaster in US History? It was the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 when the Mississippi River levee at Greenville, MS broke and unleashed a wave of water 100 ft high, over 330,000 were rescued from rooftops and trees, hundreds died, 27,000 sq. miles were flooded and water blanketed the land for over 4 months. I’d never heard of this until recently. I just read a wonderfully written novel The Tilted World by Tom Franklin and Beth Ann Fennelly situated within this historical event. 

• This weekend in Worship Dan Beilman will be giving a report on their mission labors in Vienna. We will also begin our new sermon series called #DOCTRINE – What Christians Believe. Each week you’ll be invited to text your questions about the sermon to 22333 (start your message with SRPC) and the following week we’ll answer one or two of your questions. I can’t stress enough how important this series is. Christianity in America has been described as miles wide and one-inch deep, in other words very shallow. As our culture drifts away from all Judeo/Christian anchors we need to be deeply rooted in biblical truth or we will be swept away as well.

Love,

Ray



 

Dear Family,

Thirty-five from SRPC returned Saturday night from 10 days tromping through Europe in search of church history and croissants! We began in Paris, stopped in Normandy,

made a very rough crossing of the English Channel, explored London, visited Stonehenge, Bath, Salisbury, Oxford, Stratford-upon-Avon, made our way to Edinburgh, and finished on the 18th fairway of the Old Course at St. Andrews. We stood at the site of John Wesley’s grave, William Wallace’s trial, John Knox’s preaching, William Shakespeare’s writing and most importantly William and Kate’s wedding! It was a grand time and it was surely enhanced by doing it all together!


• This summer is filled with Student Ministry opportunities – Get your middle & high schoolers to camp! Students get Jesus at camp! Get all the details here.

• Camp Seven Rivers starts on June 2. Camp Seven Rivers has an all-star team of counselors and staff. It is a can't-miss for children entering Kindergarten to 5^th grade. Get your little ones to camp! Registration and details here.

• The preschool is almost finished – just two more weeks! Preschool playground construction will be on Saturday, June 28! Can you help? Contact Blair Commons.

• The highlight event of the summer at SRPC is our Bible Conference. This year’s conference will begin with our serving our community at Project Beautiful on Saturday, July 12. Project Beautiful 2014 will focus on making our community a better place to live by encouraging and supporting the many business owners among us and their businesses. From auto shops to pharmacies to restaurants, Citrus County is served every day of the week by members of Seven Rivers who are seeking to glorify Christ and be a blessing to everyone with whom they come in contact. In the coming weeks we’ll ask you to sign up for a business site where you’ll do a half-day’s worth of cleaning, landscaping, painting, or other needed tasks. Everyone will then gather together at the church for a free lunch and fellowship. Save the date now - more details coming soon.
 
The conference continues with regular weekend worship and then evening meetings July 13-16. Our guest speaker is Rev. George Robertson, the Sr. Pastor of the historic First Presbyterian Church in Augusta, Georgia. (Woodrow Wilson’s father was the pastor there!) George is a terrific preacher – please drop everything and join the SRPC family in feasting on the Bible in July.

• “A Life Beyond ‘Do What You Love’” is an article worth reading. It debunks the do-what-you-love, pursue-your-dreams philosophy of modern culture. Read it here.

• Here’s a powerful quote from Kara Tippetts, a young mother of four who is facing her imminent death from cancer and trusting God to take her home when He sees fit: 
“In it all there is a longing—a deep longing for the grace to receive what is coming. My quiet longing is to remain—remain and look upon the developing story of my people. Some days the words are hard to pray. I struggle looking upon my history to embrace hope for the future. But I hear my little girl voice whispering to my good Father, “Can’t I play just a minute longer?” I haven’t heard His answer yet, but I know His countenance is a smiling one of a Father that loves, Loves, LOVES. And today—that is enough. I am comforted that He knows my longing. A Daddy that tells a sad child that it’s time to leave the party does it with a gentle heart knowing the joy the party grew in the child. But the loving Father knows exactly when it’s time to go. I trust my Good Daddy in heaven. I may want to throw a fit in going, but I trust him. I trust him. I trust him.”

• This week we’ll conclude the Bruised Reed sermon series with a sermon on Pornography. This series has provoked more response than any we’ve done in a long time. If you’ve missed one – be sure to catch up and listen online (I have Brandon’s Mother’s Day sermon on my iPod to do just that). The following weekend we’ll begin a series titled #doctrine – What Christians Believe. In this series, we’ll explore what the Bible says about itself, God, creation, sin, salvation and heaven and hell. This is the most needful material for today. If we don’t build our lives on strong biblical theology, our “houses” will not withstand the storms of life. Don’t miss #doctrine this summer.

• Seven Rivers Christian School’s 14th Graduation is tonight at 7:00 in our sanctuary. Ken Wackes is the speaker. You’ve invited…after all it’s your school and these are your kids! I’ll see you this weekend.

Love,

Ray

Dear Fam,

The SRCS drama department presented “Annie” this past weekend. I’m nominating Lindsay Spaight for a Tony Award as the best Annie ever.  Lindsay and the rest of the cast (including Paul Cash as Daddy Warbucks) were wonderful!

• Last week, SRPC hosted the meeting of the Central Florida Presbytery—which is the leaders of all the churches in our denomination in Central Florida. Jean Larroux (our Bible Conference speaker in 2012) spoke on creating a grace culture in your church. It was fantastic and even longer than the usual SRPC sermon, but worth every minute. Listen to it [here] and send it to your kids, too!

• I told a little of Shon Hopwood’s story on Easter weekend. Here is the whole story.

• Easter weekend, SRPC had over 2400 people attend! Way to go inviters—you did a great job. Each attender saw this video on the power of the gospel to make all things new.

• Is your child signed up for summer camp? Here’s the schedule for Middle and High School camps this summer. Middle School—June 21 - 25, 2014; High School—June 11 - 15, 2014. Click here for sign up information!

• Celebrate Recovery meets at SPRC in the Student Ministry Building every Friday night. Celebrate Recovery is a safe place for individuals to share their brokenness in the midst of a supportive community and to find the healing grace of Jesus. Celebrate Recovery isn’t just for those with drug or alcohol addiction. Folks come to CR because they are struggling with anger, lust, finances, eating disorders, self-hatred, parental abandonment, grief, abuse, depression, and a host of other issues. CR is just beginning its 7^th year at SRPC and would love to have you be a part. See here for more information.

• Dates to highlight—July 12-16: Summer Bible Conference; August 14 & 15: Willow Creek Leadership Summit

• Last weekend in worship, we began our Bruised Reed series with a sermon on depression. I got so many emails—there are more sufferers than you know. One encourager wrote, “The message took the shame away from so many people with the love of Christ.” I couldn’t have dreamed of a better outcome than that.  If you missed it, here's the message on Depression.  This week, we’ll tackle an even more tender topic—sexual abuse. Our children’s ministry is extending the Edge program (for 3^rd-5^th graders) through the rest of this sermon series for both Saturday and Sunday services.

• As we've begun the Bruised Reed sermon series, it's a really good time to remind you that we have two wonderful counselors offering gospel-centered counseling at our counseling center.

• For those not yet aware—our weekend worship schedule is now Saturday at 6pm and Sunday at 10am!

• This weekend we’ll celebrate the Lord’s Supper and offer prayer for healing during communion. It should be a gloriously sweet time.

Sincerely,

Ray



April 30, 2014
 
Dear Fam,

The SRCS drama department presented “Annie” this past weekend. I’m nominating Lindsay Spaight for a Tony Award as the best Annie ever. [PIC] Lindsay and the rest of the cast (including Paul Cash as Daddy Warbucks) were wonderful!

• Last week, SRPC hosted the meeting of the Central Florida Presbytery—which is the leaders of all the churches in our denomination in Central Florida. Jean Larroux (our Bible Conference speaker in 2012) spoke on creating a grace culture in your church. It was fantastic and even longer than the usual SRPC sermon, but worth every minute. Listen to it [here] and send it to your kids, too!

• I told a little of Shon Hopwood’s story on Easter weekend. Here is the whole story.

• Easter weekend, SRPC had over 2400 people attend! Way to go inviters—you did a great job. Each attender saw this video on the power of the gospel to make all things new.

• Is your child signed up for summer camp? Here’s the schedule for Middle and High School camps this summer. Middle School—June 21 - 25, 2014; High School—June 11 - 15, 2014. Click here for sign up information!

• Celebrate Recovery meets at SPRC in the Student Ministry Building every Friday night. Celebrate Recovery is a safe place for individuals to share their brokenness in the midst of a supportive community and to find the healing grace of Jesus. Celebrate Recovery isn’t just for those with drug or alcohol addiction. Folks come to CR because they are struggling with anger, lust, finances, eating disorders, self-hatred, parental abandonment, grief, abuse, depression, and a host of other issues. CR is just beginning its 7^th year at SRPC and would love to have you be a part. See here for more information.

• Dates to highlight—July 12-16: Summer Bible Conference; August 14 & 15: Willow Creek Leadership Summit

• Last weekend in worship, we began our Bruised Reed series with a sermon on depression. I got so many emails—there are more sufferers than you know. One encourager wrote, “The message took the shame away from so many people with the love of Christ.” I couldn’t have dreamed of a better outcome than that. This week, we’ll tackle an even more tender topic—sexual abuse. Our children’s ministry is extending the Edge program (for 3^rd-5^th graders) through the rest of this sermon series for both Saturday and Sunday services.

• For those not yet aware—our weekend worship schedule is not Saturday at 6pm and Sunday at 10am!

• This weekend we’ll celebrate the Lord’s Supper and offer prayer for healing during communion. It should be a gloriously sweet and tender time.

Sincerely,

Ray




April 17, 2014

Dear Fam,

Just a reminder that tomorrow at 11:00a.m. is the SRPC Easter Egg Hunt and picnic. Bring your babies and your neighbors and join the fun. This is my first year to bring one of my own grandchildren to an Easter Egg Hunt and I’m really excited about it, but it has necessitated a change in our procedure. I wanted to inform you ahead of time that Sam ...



...will be allowed to go first and collect eggs unhindered for about 10 minutes and once he finds the “golden egg” we’ll allow the other children to participate as well. I’m confident that in the spirit of Christian charity you’ll have no problem with this arrangement!! I’m kidding of course but I am excited to bring my baby and I’m excited to share the morning with you as well. See you tomorrow at the Easter Egg Hunt.

Love,

Ray