I love Christ’s church – even with all her flaws and idiosyncrasies, the love of Jesus is still is exhibited through her. The love of Jesus still is exhibited through her. One young mom in our church with a severely physically impaired baby girl wrote recently, “Hi Pastor Ray! I wanted to share a little story with you about our precious church. Recently a SRPC member (who we had never met before) contacted my mom and said that she and her Lifegroup wanted to do something special for Ella that would bless our little family. Paul, Hendrix, and I love being outside and especially love riding our bikes. Since Ella was born, we haven't been able to take bike rides together. Paul and Hen would ride off leaving Ella and I walking with her stroller. This Life Group surprised us with the money to buy Ella a 'Chariot Side Carrier' which allows her to ride right next to us on our family bike rides! It is a special 'side car', the only one of its kind. And it allows us to keep a close eye on Ella to make sure she is OK. We have been blessed exponentially by this unexpected gift and have been so deeply touched by the power of 'unmerited grace' from this Life Group. It mirrors the beautiful and unmerited favor and grace we unexpectedly receive from our Heavenly Father. Thank you for this precious church, we are so blessed to be part of her. Anna Loughridge [Please see picture of Ella as my co-pilot!”
• Last night we began the Lenten Season with an Ash Wednesday service. Each week of Lent as we read the gospel of Mark together our pastors will be blogging. Each weekend of Lent we’ll take the Lord’s Supper together. In the midst of Lent, we’ll observe Hunger Week 2011. From March 27 – April 3, we’ll ask SRPC families to forgo their normal diets and eat what most the world eats – beans, rice and tortilla’s. You can adopt this simple fast for every meal, one meal a day, for one day, three days or more. I’ll encourage you to adopt the fast for the whole week at least two meals a day. If you choose during the week, you can set aside money that you’ve saved that week from eating simply and we’ll bring that money to weekend worship for a special offering that will be devoted to supporting the creation of a Citrus county Food Distribution Center and toward the development of a school in earthquake ravaged Haiti. On April 2/3 we’ll meet for a brief worship service, and then I’ll dismiss you to go to Publix and shop for groceries (to be donated to the We Care Food Pantry). When you return to the church with your groceries, we’ll share dinner together as a church community. Hunger Week 2011 is a great opportunity to be doers of the word of God and not hearers only!
• Join me at Celebrate Recovery this Friday night at 7 pm as Celebrate Recovery celebrates its third anniversary!
• Diane and I are angling to be a part of the Family Mission Trip this summer in Montgomery, AL from 7/16 – 7/23. I can’t wait to see and be a part of the ministry being done by Common Ground Ministry there. It would be even more fun if you came, too . . . contact Blair Commons.
• SRPC has a new staff member. Rebecca Lubatti has been hired to assist Jean Carland with children’s ministry and summer camp! Rebecca recently moved here from Tallahassee with her husband John and both just completed Pastor’s Class and became members.
• This weekend in worship, I’ll be preaching on James 4:1-12, and we’ll celebrate baptisms! This weekend is also the beginning of Daylight Savings Time – so to mark the occasion there will be doughnuts after the 9:00 am service on Sunday (and cookies after Saturday night church too – just for the heck of it!) Can’t wait to see you in church!
Ray
