For the month of August, we will be worshiping with our sister congregation, Euclid United Methodist Church.  We will be taking turns with worship preparation and sharing the worship services as we focus on some of the ways that we are at work for Jesus in the community. 

On August 2 Euclid will prepare worship, as we will be returning from our vacation.  As our bishop once said, "It isn't vacation if you are preparing worship or writing a sermon that week!"  That week is Euclid's traditional  "Family Service," and we are delighted to be included as a part of the family!

On August 9, First will be preparing the worship service, and we will be visiting Beyond Hunger to catch a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the ministry that is primarily responsible for feeding our neighbors in need.

On August 16, Euclid will be preparing the worship service, focusing on another of our community ministries.  

On August 23, we hope to focus on A House in Austin as First UMC again prepares the service.

Euclid will prepare the service on August 30.  This collaborative worship month will allow Pastor Marti and I to have some time to plan ahead for fall.  We are both looking forward to that!

Formed by Faith

We, the people of God, are constantly being formed and reformed by God. We
resemble a pot being formed by a potter that seems to somehow skew itself in the
process, leaving an imperfect pot. And so the potter begins again, shaping the clay
into the intended form.

In this series, “Formed by Faith,” we will look at some challenges we face as the
people of God and how to overcome them.

“Salvage Work,” looks at our journey of BEING SAVED. Sometimes it feels like two
steps forward, and three or four steps back – but the process continues.

“Direction Correction,” looks at our pivot to turn back to God when we have turned
away.

“Growing Deeper,” explores our roots in the spiritual life and celebrates the beauty that intensifies as we grow deeper in God’s ways.

“Butterfly Magic,” shows transformation that isn’t limited to caterpillars. In Methodist
terms, we describe this as “sanctification,” being transformed by God’s work within us.
 

This will transition to our worship for October: “Treasures of the Transformed Life.”

We will have devotional books for each household that will help you continue your work of being Transformed by Faith, and will follow along with our worship in October and the first part of November. This is an exciting time to grow as a congregation, being formed and transformed by our faith and by the Potter. I look forward to our journey together!