I am a proud pastor right now. I
have to admit, I’ve been nervous about how our congregation would return from
Summer Break. It’s a problem unique to Colorado churches. We have countless awesome
things to do in this state. So people tend to disappear for weeks at a time
during the summer months. With so many of
us coming back and adapting to reality, it can be an arduous process getting
back up to speed. Personally, I feel it’s a lot like jumpstarting a dead car. I
need to literally get an infusion of energy and enthusiasm to do what I have to
do! Thankfully, Rinn is showing signs of coming back strong. Without the
benefit of jumper cables, no less. Two of our fall programs are proving to be
very popular. Our Prelude Prayer Service, which starts September 11 at 8:30a
(during which we will commemorate the anniversary of the Twin Towers attack in
NYC), has garnered a lot of interest. People are excited to explore the
spiritual practice and have more time to support the people who are on our
prayer list every week. We had 5 people for our initial offering, with several
being out of town. Next, our fall book study on The Year of Living Bibilcally filled up fast. We have 9 people involved
and our first session was full of hooting laughter as we recapped the first
chapters of the book. Both these efforts
run until 10/16, so there is still plenty of time to get involved!
Beyond
strong participation numbers, however, I am more proud of the physical
statements we’ve been making. Back in August, I led a sermon series looking at
ways to bridge the many cultural divides we face. One of the biggest divisions
involves politics. So at the end of one of my messages I challenged our congregation
to write our congressmen, not to agitate or advocate for a political issue, but
to simply let them know we were praying for them. I took the liberty of
providing a pre-written note, complete with stamps and an envelope. And to my
surprise, the initial 30 copies I made for both Sen. Cory Gardner and Sen. Michael
Bennet disappeared immediately! It was so well received that people were asking
for more. So the next week I made an additional 15 copies, which also got
snatched up and send. All told, approximately 45 letters went out. Each one
stating that we were tired of seeing things divide us, and praying for our
leaders to come together. It’s a pretty strong message to send in our fractious
times, is it not?
My prayer
is that these two elements, our participations and spiritual growth, become
strong building blocks for us as we go into the fall. There is a lot for Rinn
Church to do before 2017. We are looking at large changes in our administrative
structure so we can pursue the exciting mission and vision we witnessed through
the WCI process. It takes a lot to shift to being an intergenerational church
that welcomes young family, so your prayers and support are most welcome! As to
what these changes are, our leadership will be introducing them around the
beginning of October. I will try to get info out before our next newsletter to
keep you in the loop. But rest assured, they will be out in some shape and
form. For those of you who follow Rinn online, you will definitely find out
before we get anything out via snail mail. So please feel free to follow our
facebook page, twitter feed or signup for our weekly email info blasts by going
to our website and clicking on the “Contact Us” link.
So yes,
there is much going on that I am proud of. But I am not the one we need to be
impressing Now, let’s keep doing the things that make God proud. Because Divine
approval is far more important! Blessings to you and yours as the fall season
descends. As the weather gets cold, may the presence of family, friends and our
Lord Jesus Christ bless you and keep you warm!
Take
care, folks!
Pastor Bryson
