Join us this month as we raise our voices in THANKSGIVING and in PRAYER to our heavenly Father because:
• Saturday 16 February is the fifth anniversary of our first public worship as a new congregation. The completion of five years is a time to take stock, and it’s impossible for us to avoid the conclusion that without God’s grace and provision, our fragile church plant would end. We’ve known that our flight from the wickedness of The Episcopal Church meant we had little time for humanly "strategic" planning but relied on God's assertion that unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. In the past five years many have joined us for a season, then fade. One member left rather than submit to discipline, and another two families have joined us. It is likely a core family will move away in the first half of this year. In a church of fewer than 25 people, these changes make an impact. We PRAISE and THANK our heavenly Father for the certainties of his promises and the peace that comes with knowing that he is both sovereign and seeks our good. PRAY that he would protect All Souls and continue to provide for us with everything we need to keep our witness of the gospel, Jesus Christ – including people.
• Both All Souls Life Groups continue dedicated to godly learning and prayer. Our ladies’ group is finishing a study of Graham Goldsworthy’s According to Plan, and the men have begun Sinclair Ferguson's The Whole Christ. We THANK God for such a consistent commitment by our members to their groups. Please PRAY that God will continue to guide us as we consider items for future study. PRAY that he would impress upon on our members the vital necessity of such research.
• The majority of our families have school-aged children who are a great blessing and solemn responsibility. Share with us in THANKSGIVING for a family that had their USDA mortgage loan for the first home approved in record time to the amazement of their realtor who had never seen such a quick turn-around, and with a government shutdown too! Because all our children attend public schools, please PRAY that God will continue to stir the parents of our children in the vital necessity of catechesis toward their children’s profession of Christ as their Savior and Lord and give our parents a life of prayer to sustain each child in courageous witness at school.
• My expositional sermon series on Luke's Gospel begun on January 1, 2017, continues this month in chapter 18-19 just before our Savior's Triumphal Entry. I have no plans to start a new series in Lent this year but to remain in Luke. Give THANKS to God for lessons learned during our series. PRAY that God will open our eyes to see Christ more clearly so that our faith may be strengthened and our desire of heaven increase. PRAY that God would help me avoid the temptation to move too quickly from pondering every text as other tasks exert their inevitable pressure.
