Dear SRPC Family,
I just returned from a week in Virginia Beach at our denomination’s (the Presbyterian Church in America) national meeting. These annual meetings are usually depressing to me – too much time wrangling over arcane parliamentary procedures and not enough talking about the mission of the church. I was deeply encouraged at this gathering, though, by fresh evidence of a growing diversity in our church. A Hispanic pastor from Newark, NJ gave a stirring testimony, a pastor in Miami shared how his traditional Anglo church’s membership is now 70% born outside the US, a black pastor preached, an African American choir sang, a Mexican pastor (who was a communist in college) is starting a Hispanic church in Atlanta, a Palestinian Christian and a Jewish Christian shared about how they are working together in Jerusalem, prayers were spoken in Spanish, a video was shown from an RUF group (RUF is the PCA’s college campus ministry – Reformed University Fellowship, now on 135 college campuses) soulfully worshipping at Jackson State University in Jackson, MS. These little sprigs of diversity were beautiful and deeply encouraging!
• While in Virginia, Diane and I took two national park day trips. We went to Yorktown to see where British General Cornwallis surrendered to the Continental Army and effectively ended the Revolutionary War. While there, we ate crab cakes and Ben & Jerry’s ice cream to celebrate the victory. We also went to Kitty Hawk, NC on the Outer Banks, to see where Orville and Wilbur Wright accomplished the first manned, powered air flight. Amazingly, it was only sixty years after their feat that we sent a man to the moon. We also visited Roanoke Island, site of the lost colony of British settlers, where the first baptism in the “New World” took place. We blessed the area by stopping for fried oysters and sweet Chesapeake Bay scallops!
• This past weekend, Diane and I attended the wedding of Shawn Allen and Mary Margaret Langston. It is a kick to see a kid who grew up at SRPC and SRCS find such a wonderful girl and begin a new home together. Adam Jones preached at the wedding and was stellar, Jeff Eekhoff led singing skillfully, and Benjamin Garner also attended contributing nothing at all!! We got to celebrate both my sons’ birthdays and Father’s Day with three of our kids…it was a great weekend.
• Do you know what the last command in the Bible is? Revelation 22:17, “The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who hears say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.” The last command, the final invitation, is a beckoning to believers and unbelievers alike to come and assuage their thirst with Jesus. Whether you acknowledge it or not – you are thirsty for the water that only Jesus can give – so come and get it. I want to summon you to come with your thirst to our annual Summer Conference. We pour Jesus into your soul for five straight days, July 9–13. On top of our weekend worship Saturday night and Sunday morning, we meet Sunday through Wednesday nights to hear the Bible taught. On Sunday night (July 10), we’ll have dinner together after worship. We have a great speaker, Dr. Jay Sklar, coming and we have water for thirsty souls, so…come!
• Will you pray? Pray for the staff as we search for leadership for children’s and student ministry. Pray for our thirty students at middle school camp in Chattanooga. Pray for our missions team in Japan, and Katie Bennett, too. Pray for Sam Jones, Tucker Cortese, and Emily Pullen as they serve at churches and camps this summer. Pray for the amazing Camp Seven Rivers as they are halfway through their five weeks of camp. Pray for our twelve college interns as they serve our students this summer. Pray for children to experience the love of Jesus and give their lives to Him with abandon.
• This week begins my twenty-ninth year of ministry at SRPC. Thank you for having me this long…you guys are the essence of long-suffering! This week I’m preaching on the sovereignty of God. Our God is too small, we need to know Him and rest in his sovereignty! After each worship, we’ll have a brief congregational meeting to elect elders and deacons. I’ll see you in worship.
Love,
Ray
