Dear Church Family,
Great to be back and immersed in the mission God has given to SRPC to love our neighbors and our community like God our Father has loved us. The great challenge for churches (and Christians) is to renounce an introverted concern for their own lives and recognize that they exist for the sake of those who are not members. Our mission is to be a place where people get a taste of the redeeming grace of God! I love SRPC and am excited to serve here another year!
Post summer conference, Diane and I took a whirlwind tour which began in Birmingham, AL, where I had the privilege of delivering the “sermonette” at Chad and Alexandra Robison’s sweet wedding and then moved to Montgomery, AL where we joined my daughter, Kristen, and my son-in-law, Eric, as part of the SRPC family missions team. In the Washington Park neighborhood of this racially conflicted city, we lent our efforts to a dynamic urban renewal ministry. We worked really hard (it was seriously hot) on their summer camp program and on housing rehab and participated in a late night Krispy Kreme feeding frenzy.
Our tour then took us to visit our son , Tucker, in Huntsville, AL where he was a summer intern in student ministry at Southwood Presbyterian Church and then on to Lexington, KY to visit my Mom and sister. Our sweeping journey through the southeast concluded with a week at the beach in Topsail, NC with our daughter, Amy, and husband, Bibb which included lots of food, exercise, reading, and the baking of my physical self to a rich golden brown (I wish!). Actually, I was left with little choice but to bake since my son-in-law watched Shark Week programming virtually non-stop, rendering us all emotionally too fragile to actually enter the water!
Got to read a lot on the trip and want to mention two really good books. Washed and Waiting–Reflections on Christian Faithfulness and Homosexuality by Wesley Hill. The book addresses the question, “How do the gospel, holiness, and indwelling sin play out in the life of a Christian struggling with same-sex attraction?” I also enjoyed Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell, which detailed the difficulty of becoming a Navy Seal and his harrowing escape and rescue from a firefight in Afghanistan. Watched The Help with my wife last night, also–the movie may have been better than the book!
This weekend I’m preaching specifically to teachers and students as we begin a new school year. The calling of the teacher and of the student are both of immense importance. We’ll be asking, “What does God have to say to teachers and students?” Can’t wait to see you in worship.
Love,
Ray
