Dear Fam,
- Not only do I love the top-drawer education our children get at SRCS—I love the faculty and the way they mentor students. Most students in our middle and high school are in a school small group for spiritual growth and to experience doing life together. One SRCS staff member/small group leader recently shared, “Last month, the focus for our Teen Mops meeting was small groups. The senior girls that are in my small group, have been asking about a way for them to serve the teen moms. This seemed like a perfect fit. So, our group prepared the meal for the meeting and the girls spoke on what it has meant to them to be in a small group. McKenna Britton put together a video for the moms to view before they spoke (the video presents a small picture of the community they've shared as they traversed high school together). You would have been so proud of them…they spoke openly about their struggles and how they help each other. Tiana Miele shared the gospel with them. So beautiful.”
- December 15—A Seven Rivers Christmas, 7pm. Just over a hundred tickets are still available. No Saturday night worship on 12/15!
- If you have friends or family who are gay or who struggle with same sex attraction, let me recommend for your reading, The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert by Rosaria Butterfield. Don't buy the book to give to your gay friends—they don't need a book, they need you to love them well. So buy it to read yourself and marvel at one woman's account of being captured and transformed by the beauty of Jesus.
- I love Sarah Paul and I want you to pray for her. Seven Rivers Church prayed for Sarah before she was born as her medical issues became apparent even in the womb. She spent months in the NICU at Shands after birth. Now, 16 years later, Sarah faces brain surgery for the horrible seizures she's suffered with her whole life. Pray that the surgery would give her relief. Sarah says the only thing she wants for Christmas is to be seizure-free. Sarah's surgery is Monday. Pray for her mother, Myrna, too! Sarah Paul, 6386 E Anna Jo Drive, Inverness, FL 34452.
- Coming Adult Education Classes: Ecclesiastics—January 9 (5 weeks), Instructor: Brandon Lauranzon; Church History—February 20 (6 weeks), Instructor: Ken Wackes; Digging Deeper, a study of the biblical truths held by our church and denomination—February 20 (9 weeks), Instructor: Adam Jones.
- I want to give our seniors a gift for Christmas. New technology allows for the insertion of a hearing loop system to be installed in our sanctuary that will dramatically improve the ability of many hearing impaired to hear God's word preached with clarity. Most of our people will be able to access this enhanced amplification through the hearing aids they already have. In fact, when we tested a system in the sanctuary recently, several members of our congregation, who were present for the test, declared it incredible and the best they have ever heard. This system costs $5,800. Is there anyone willing to make a gift toward or completely donate this system that will bless our dearest members? If so, please contact Blair Commons (352-746-6200).
- Looking for an opportunity to give a gift that will change a life? Consider the gift of education to a deaf student in Mexico. For $30 a month or $360 a year, you can forever change the life of a deaf child. The public education system in Mexico does not provide deaf education. Click here to give the gift of student sponsorship today or email them at info@isaiah55.org.
- It was a blast kicking off Advent last week with The Jesus Story. CS Lewis—Now the story of Christ is simply a true myth: a myth working on us in the same way as the others, but with this tremendous difference that it really happened: and one must be content to accept it in the same way, remembering that it is God's myth where the others are men's myths. . . Christianity is God expressing himself through what we call "real things."
- This week, as we continue our Advent services I'll be preaching on Matthew 2. We'll be celebrating the Lord's Supper together, as well. Anticipation is building—Jesus is coming to SRPC this weekend to meet with his people…awesome!
Ray
