Trust God Along the Way

August 11, 2021

Leadership Notes

Greetings to the wonderful people of Covenant Church. As imperfect as we are, we are striving to grow in our relationship with Jesus Christ, with each other, and our understanding of how God has called us to serve him in our little corner of His beautiful world. It's been humid…yes! It's been hot…yes! But God's creation is a beautiful place, filled with wonders and challenges too numerous to list. Every day, when I step out into this glorious place we call southern Michigan, I do not cease to thank God for the life I have, right here, right now.

Some of you have asked for the words spoken by Sydney McLaughlin, 22-year-old Olympic gold medal winner in the 400 meter hurdles and current world record holder. These were shared before our prayer time last Sunday. She wrote:

My faith has been tested all week. From bad practices, to 3 false start

delays, to a meet delay. I just keep hearing God say, "Just focus on me." It

was the best race plan I could have ever assembled. I no longer run for

self-recognition, but to reflect His perfect will that is already set in stone. I

don't deserve anything. But by grace, through faith, Jesus has given me

everything. Records come and go. The glory of God is eternal. Thank you

Father.

Would that I had such maturity at that age.

As we move to the end of the dog days of summer {today, August 11, marks the official last day}, we look forward to September and a proposed slightly revised fall schedule.

Under the careful shepherding of Stacia Serafin, Linda and John Knape, and Lori Mortimer, we're planning on children's Sunday School beginning September 12 at 9:00 - 9:45 a.m. That means adult classes will also be on the same schedule, with worship at 10:00 a.m. As always, we trust people will plan according to what they believe best for themselves and/or family. We continue to be careful, cautious, and unafraid.

As you've already deduced, this tentative schedule means two things.

First, 45 minutes for Sunday School, which will require efficient use of time. I think once we get used to it, it won't be that big of a challenge.

Second, worship will continue to be at 10:00 a.m. Several folks have asked if, or when, are we going to return to two worship services. The answer to that is, primarily, numbers-driven. If we consistently have at or near capacity at 10:00 a.m., then it will be time to think about adding a second service. And the reason is quite simple. Each service places certain demands on volunteer availability. Our current numbers do a great job of sustaining a level of participation that doesn't stress the system or burn people out. Please be assured that we are constantly monitoring all the variables pertaining to worship, and we will not make a decision lightly or haphazardly. We will proceed in a way that honors who God has called us to be and how he has called us to worship.

That's a long way of saying our tentative fall schedule, beginning September 12 is:

* 9:00 a.m. - 9:45 a.m.: Sunday School for all ages.

* 10:00 a.m.: Worship.

Thank you for your patience and understanding as we work our way into a new chapter in the life of Covenant Church.

Several folks have also asked me about any concerns I might have about emerging variants of Covid-19. We continue to proceed as we always have, reasonable and rationally, trusting God along the way. That's what drove us when we stepped out in faith to form this new church nine years ago, and it will continue to move us into whatever the future might be. As far as our current situation goes, it just seems to me that, as some infectious disease experts suggest, this coronavirus will never be eradicated. Instead, it will become endemic and circulate throughout our country for generations. What that means, from a practical standpoint, is that it will eventually morph into a type of virus that causes a common cold as immunity builds up over time. We will better be able to deal with it in less drastic ways.

Related to that, many people have decided to get vaccinated. I think we're at something like over 60% of the population has been vaccinated. As I have been saying, whether someone chooses to get vaccinated or not is none of my business. It's between them, their family, their doctor, and God. Again, people will make choices that they believe are best for themselves and their families. I like it like that.

Nzube Udezue is a British musician and Christian. I love how he puts it:

You can be in favor of something, but opposed to it being mandatory.

You can be against something, but not in favor of it being banned.

Smart people understand this.

Careful…cautious…reasonable…rational…and unafraid!

And now your Moment of Spurgeon:

"Bold-hearted {people} are always called mean-spirited by

cowards."

With Much Love and Affection,

Richard