Renovate -Refine the Mission

15 years ago was my parent’s 50th wedding anniversary.  We celebrated with an open house with a lot of our family and many of their friends.  It was a great afternoon and a pretty common way to celebrate a big anniversary.  40 years ago, my sisters and I threw a surprise party to celebrate my parent’s 25th wedding anniversary and it was truly a surprise - my mom cried the entire afternoon.  Again, it was a pretty typical way to celebrate an anniversary.

This past Thursday, when my parents celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary, we hosted a Zoom meeting with all the children and grandchildren, which means we had people from New Zealand, Texas, Virginia, Ohio, PA, and CT.  We were all on the line trying not to talk over one another.  Zoom parties - not your typical way to celebrate a milestone anniversary, but in this COVID-19 world we live in, there was really no other choice.  We wanted to get together and celebrate and this was the only way to do it. 

One of the lessons we have learned during these past three months is that our mission doesn’t change but the method has to.  Our family mission was to celebrate my parents' anniversary with all the family and when we couldn’t get together physically, our method had to change.  We used Zoom.  New technology.  We all had our little box and I felt like I was part of the Brady Bunch. 

For many of us, work has changed.  Our goals and objectives at work haven’t changed, the mission has been the same, but our methods have changed.  Teachers were still teaching, but they were now providing online lessons for home-schooling parents.  Doctors, therapists, nurses, and counsellors still provided care, but tele-health replaced office visits.  Staff meetings were still held; we just used email or zoom.  Our work remained the same but the methods we used had to change.  We improvised, we modernized, and we customized so that we could keep our mission going. 

The church also had work that we had to keep going.  We have a mission to fulfill no matter what is going on around us. The only clear mission given to the church was given to us to us by Jesus.  All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.  And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.  Matthew 28:18-20 

This mission has not changed.  For over 2000 years, this has been our mission as God’s people.  We are to share the life of Jesus, the teaching of Jesus, and the love of Jesus in ways that will help people of every generation and in every location, accept Jesus as their savior, trust in God’s power and grace to improve their lives, and become part of the family of God.  The mission has not changed, but the method of making disciples has - it always has. 

In the days of the early church, the message and teachings of Jesus travelled as people did.  The story was told from person to person.  It was called the oral tradition and the only way for good news, or bad news, or any news and teaching to be shared was for people to literally share it with one another.  Almost all communication was spoken, so that’s how the mission of the church was fulfilled.

Slowly the word of God became a written word, and the message could be shared through manuscripts and books, but there weren’t very many because they were expensive to produce and most people couldn’t read, but in 1440 the printing press changed everything.  The printing press revolutionized the mission of just about everything because written material could now be mass produced.  By the early 1450’s, the Bible was being printed, which allowed more people to own a Bible and read a Bible.  The mission of the church did not change - it was still to make disciples and share the life, teaching and love of Jesus, but now it could be done by providing or sending people a Bible. 

With each new advancement in technology, like radio, TV, and the internet, our mission has not changed but our methods have.  We have found more ways to make disciples through the sharing of music, teaching, and worship on the radio, TV, and via the internet.  Each new method has opened doors for our mission to grow and expand.  Sometimes we take advantage of these new opportunities and refine our mission, and sometimes we don’t, and sometimes when we aren’t quick to renovate, God pushes us through open doors to advance his mission. 

God desires the church to grow.  God longs for us to be faithful to his mission and work hard to make disciples here and around the world, and if we drag our feet, or don’t look for new opportunities, God will bring them to us.  God will open the doors for us, show us the opportunity, and call us to go, and if we aren’t quick to follow, there are times God will work to move us along.  This happened in the life of the early church. 

For quite some time after the Holy Spirit filled the followers of Jesus with power, the church grew.  The leaders grew in power, the church grew in numbers, and God’s mission was being fulfilled, but only in part.  The church was strong and growing in Jerusalem, but Jesus had said that they were to be his witnesses not just in Jerusalem, but in Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth.   The early church seemed to be confined in Jerusalem.  They had gotten settled, and comfortable, and they needed to refine their mission, so God opened a door. 

Acts 8:1b & 4.  On that day, a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria…  those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.  

It was a time of persecution that moved the church beyond the boundaries of Jerusalem.  The people left the city because they were afraid of being arrested, beaten and killed for following Jesus and guess where they went?  They went to Judea, and Samaria and the earth.   

While the mission of the church had always been to spread the good news of Jesus and share God’s love for others, when the people got too comfortable, God used persecution to help the church refine their mission.  A door opened, the people went through it and now the good news of Jesus was being shared in new places.  The church was growing in new ways, embracing new ideas, overcoming new challenges, and going everywhere God wanted them to go. 

And yes, when they refined their mission the church spread to the ends of the earth.  In Acts 8 there is a wonderful story about the disciple Philip who left Jerusalem because of the persecution and on his travels he met a man from Ethiopia who wanted to know about the Messiah.  Philip shared with him about Jesus, the man accepted Christ and was baptized.  He then took the good news of Jesus with him to Africa.  This is what happens when the mission of the church is refined.  Lives are changed and the church grows in new places. 

Fast forward 2000 years and in the spring of this year, God used a pandemic to help Faith Church refine our mission.  While we had been talking about live streaming worship for several years in an effort to share the message of Jesus and make disciples in new places, we dragged our feet.  We didn’t make it a priority, and we told ourselves it wasn’t the right time.  Then COVID-19 shut everything down.  We could worship, but with only 10 people.  That wasn’t going to work for us so live streaming our worship services became a priority, and in 5 days it wasn’t a priority but a possibility.  And for the next 12 weeks we were only a live streaming church.

Our mission didn’t change - but our method did.  No longer were we worshipping in just one location, literally one building in one town, we were now worshipping with people all over our community, our county, and our country.  People have been joining us up and down the east coast, from CT to Florida, and new people were joining us as well.  All of you invited others to join us, you were sharing your faith, and giving witness to Jesus Christ as your savior, and people responded.  We have connected with new people and with existing people in new ways.  This open door is causing us to refine our mission.

While our mission is still to make disciples of Jesus Christ and through the church to transform our world, God has opened new doors for us to do this.   We are now a church gathered in many locations, and we are working hard to not just worship together, but learn and grow together, and care for one another in many different places, and to somehow create a larger community centered on Jesus. 

Like the early church in Acts 8, our goal isn’t to pull everyone together here, but to grow strong disciples and churches there - where you are.  As the church scattered through Judea and Samaria, the goal wasn’t to slowly bring people together in Jerusalem when the persecution stopped - it was to grow faith in new people and faith communities in new places - the places where people lived. 

So today we are asking ourselves - how can we grow faith in new people and faith communities in new places?  How can the unique life and vision and work of Faith Church in Bellefonte spark new communities of faith beyond Bellefonte.  What about State College, Philipsburg and Lock Haven.  What about Virginia, South Carolina, and Florida.  Is God asking us to refine our mission so we don’t become limited by the confines of a community, or county?  Can we walk through the doors God has opened for us? 

What would it look like for Faith Church to make disciples in Lock Haven PA or Winter Haven FL?  Could we work with new groups of people in Lewistown or Lewisburg, Williamsport or Williamsburg?  Maybe the first question we need to answer is this one, do we here at Faith Church in Bellefonte have something unique to offer these communities?  Yes, we do!  We have the good news of Jesus, we have a joy for God and others that is genuine and contagious, and we have a passion for growing deeper in our relationship with God, one another, and the world that spurs us on.  We also have a door that God has opened.  Will we now refine our mission? 

If any of this sounds exciting to you, we want to hear from you.  Refining the mission and renovating the church takes prayer, wisdom, cooperation, sacrifice, service, joy, and hard work.  It takes people willing to meet together, pray together, serve together, sacrifice together and ask God for direction.  If you want to be part of this in any way, then we want to hear from you.  If you are living in a place outside of Bellefonte and would love to figure out how to create a Faith Church community right where you are, we want to hear from you.  You can check the box - refining our mission on the connect card and we will get in touch with you. 

Renovating the church, becoming better than we were, and all that God wants us to be, can take place during times of persecution or a pandemic.  God can use anything to open a door - the question is will we see this as an opportunity to be faithful to the work God has given us and refine our mission? 

We are not the same today as we were 3 months ago and we can’t go back - we have to keep going forward.  God has shown us a new way to make disciples and create community.  God is showing us a new way to call people into a relationship with God, the church, and the world.  Let’s not go back but refine our mission and methods and move forward. 

 
Next Steps
Renovate - Refine Our Mission

The Mission of the Church
Matthew 28:18-20 - The Great Commission
Acts 1:7-8 - God’s Witnesses
Acts 8:1-4, 26-40 - The Mission Grows

For further study
Acts 2:1-13.  How did God open a door for the followers of Jesus?  What happened as they were faithful?
Acts 10:1-28.  How did God open another door for the church to refine its mission?  What happened as Peter was faithful? 

1. Who are some of the witnesses who shared Christ's love and power with you?  Who has taught you and shown you what Jesus looks like?  Give thanks for these people.

2. COVID-19 caused Faith Church to move to new places through our livestream of worship and online children’s church videos.  How has this new method helped you be more faithful during this difficult time?  How might they help others?

3. God has opened a door for us to refine our mission and explore new ways and new places to be the church.  How is God calling you to be part of this mission?
Prayer, Learning, Planning, Giving, Serving

4. Get more information about how you might be able to help Faith Church expand in new areas.  Check refining our mission at bellefontefaith.com/connectcard.

Renovate - Rejoice Always!

Today is a day of rejoicing because we are beginning to come together for worship, in person.  For the past three months we rejoiced because of the technology that allowed us to come together in worship no matter where we were, and today we rejoice that we are not only able to gather online but also in person.  We know it will be a slow transition to gathering more people here and once again we want people to only join us in person if they feel comfortable doing so and are feeling healthy.

Faith Church is not the same as it was 3 months ago.  We have expanded our ministry and our reach by providing worship online and from now on we will be a church that welcomes people both here and in other places, many other places.  We aren’t returning to what we were, we are working to be more faithful to God’s purpose and plan.  We don’t want to restore the church to what it was, we want to renovate so that we can be all God wants it to be.

As we renovate the church, we are taking the lessons learned through our COVID-19 shutdown and applying them to our future.  Last week we looked at the importance of priorities and remembering our first love which is to love God and others.  Our commitment to love has to be the foundation on which we build.  Today, as we rejoice in being able to meet in person again, we want to talk about the need for us to rejoice always as we move to a better future.

The Apostle Paul said, Rejoice in the Lord always.  I will say it again: Rejoice!  Philippians 4:4.  This does not come to us as a suggestion but a command.  We are told to rejoice always, at all times and in all places, which means that the word rejoice has to mean something more than being happy.  Happiness is usually connected to our circumstances.  We are happy when things go well and unhappy when they don’t, we can’t be happy all the time, but we are told to rejoice all the time so joy must be different from happiness.  Here’s the difference, joy doesn’t find its source in our circumstances but in our creator.  Joy springs forth from our faith and trust in God.

As bad as things have been these past few months, we have also been able to rejoice.  Just about every day you could find stories and see pictures of people doing amazing things that lifted us up.  An 11 year old boy held a food drive that gathered hundreds of pounds of food.  Medical professionals and caregivers endured all kinds of personal protection equipment in order to serve and care for those in need.  A parade of cars or a yard full of balloons helped celebrate a birthday, and a drive through graduation lifted our community.  One of the lessons we have learned through COVID-19 is that no matter how bad things are we can still rejoice.  Rejoice Always.  We can do this - and we need to do this as we move forward to make the church better.

As our nation and world seems to get more chaotic, more confused, more divided, and more angry - the church needs to become more joyful.  We have to provide light in the darkness, hope in despair, and joy in the midst of everything.  This doesn’t mean we paint a smile on our masks and pretend nothing is wrong, but it does mean we give ourselves to inspire and lift up others.  This is exactly what Jesus did.  He was often accused of having too much fun because he was always spreading joy and people came to him because they were hungry for it.  Yes, they wanted hope and help and healing, but they were always hungry for joy.  The world is still hungry for joy and the church is at its best when we can rejoice always and offer joy to the world.  So here is how we can do it. 

1. Seek God in all things.  Paul doesn’t tell us to rejoice always without giving us some guidance and the first thing he tells us is that we need to seek God.  Let your gentleness be evident to all.  The Lord Is Near.  Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  Philippians 4:5-6.

How do we know the Lord is near?  Because we have sought him and we have found him with us.  When things are going well it is often easy to turn to God or feel God’s presence, but when things aren’t going well, when we are going through difficult times of pain and loss, we need to intentionally seek God because we will find that in those times God is still near.

The Bible clearly says that if we seek God, we will find God, and when we find God, we find that he is not far off but by our side.  God is with us, which allows us to pray and praise God, which in turn helps keep us from fear.  These past few months we have searched for God during a pandemic and we have found him right by our side.  One of the great things about worshipping at home has been that we have experienced God with us at home.  God isn’t just with us here, he is with us everywhere, and everywhere God is with us, God is with us to help us.  No matter what we are going through, if we seek God, we will experience God’s powerful presence and that causes us to rejoice.

2. Sing at all times.  I had to put this in because there is a lot of talk these days about singing in church.  Someone asked me if we were going to sing when we came together today and I said, yes, because what’s worship without singing?  Music has a way of speaking to us during times of triumph and tragedy.  It expresses our faith, feelings, and emotions in ways that nothing else can.  We even sing at funerals to celebrate life and faith, and to remind us that even in the midst of death we can rejoice.

In many ways the Psalms are lyrics to songs.  Many of the psalms were actually sung by God’s people and they continue to speak to us about God’s presence with us in good times and bad.  They acknowledge the highs and lows of life and they are there for us to use no matter what is going on.  The church needs to sing at all times and these past few months we have sung together.

8:15 Hymns
Great is thy faithfulness O God my father.
There is no shadow of turning with the Thee
Thou changest not, thy compassions they fail not,
Great is thy faithfulness, Lord unto me.

O God our help in ages past, our hope for years to come.
Our shelter from the stormy blast and our eternal home.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in his wonderful face,
and the things of earth will grow strangely dim
by the light of his glory and grace.

10:45 Worship Songs
I will praise you on the mountain, and I will praise You when the mountain's in my way.
You're the summit where my feet are
So I will praise you in the valleys all the same.
No less God within the shadows.  No less faithful when the night leads me astray.
You're the heaven where my heart is
In the highlands and the heartache all the same

The God of the mountain, Is the God of the valley
There's not a place your mercy and grace Won't find me again

3. Set our minds and hearts on all that’s good.  Our ability to rejoice will also come from a heart and mind that stays focused on things that are good.  Again, Paul said, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things.  Philippians 4:8.

Our ability to “rejoice always” requires us not to focus on all that’s going wrong in the world but on what is going right.  This doesn’t mean we don’t address problems and injustice, at times this is absolutely needed, but as we heard last week, to repent means to turn, so there comes a point, when after we acknowledge the problems and pain, we need to turn away from the darkness and toward the light.  We need to turn to all that is good and right and noble, and all that will move us forward and make us better. 

Sometimes this actually means we turn off social media and the news media, but it also means we have to turn on messages of hope and inspiration.  Find a positive message that you can listen to each and every day to help keep your mind focused on all that is good.  And pray every day to keep your heart and mind centered on God.

And then finally we need to...

4. Serve all people.  Paul finished his letter to the Philippians by saying, I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me.  Philippians 4:10.  The church in Philippi was one of the few churches that supported Paul in his missionary journeys and he thanked them for once again renewing their support and service.  There is a direct connection between service and joy.  I heard a counsellor once say that every time a person comes into her office depressed she would ask them, who are you serving?  While it doesn’t take all our problems away, serving others does lift us up because we discover that serving others doesn’t just help them, it helps us.  It helps us to rejoice.

When things in our own lives might be difficult, if we will serve others, it will help us to find joy.   Some of the most profound moments for many of us during these past three months have been the opportunities we have had to serve our family, friends, neighbors and strangers.  In the midst of fear and anxiety, serving others has helped us feel calm, and given us purpose.  Serving others gives us opportunities to rejoice.  To rejoice always we simply need to serve others always. 

Rejoice Always is a command we are given because our ability to rejoice is not based on our happiness and the circumstances around us, it comes when we step out and seek God in all things, sing at all times, set our minds and hearts on all that is good, and serve all people.  Our ability to rejoice helps us offer the world what it needs, so as we rejoice always, we renovate the church.   

Next Steps
Renovate - Rejoice Always

Read Philippians 4:4-20

List three ways you have been able to rejoice during these past few months?  Share these experiences with others.

We can rejoice always if we will:
1. Seek God in all things.
● Read Jeremiah 29:11-14, and Matthew 6:33-34.
● In what area of life do you need to seek God’s will?
● Each morning ask God to reveal himself to you in both the triumphs and the tragedies of the day.

2. Sing at all times.
● What songs help you feel God’s presence?  What songs bring you comfort and help you praise God?
● Use a Psalm each day as a song to God from your heart.

3. Set our mind and heart on all that is good.
● Turn off negative messages.  (news media, social media, gossip)
● Turn on positive messages. (podcasts, sermons, books, music, uplifting people)

4. Serve all people.
● How has being served by others been a blessing?
● How has serving others lifted you up during a difficult time?
● How can you serve one more person this week?

Renovate - Remember Your First Love

Today we are beginning a new series called renovate and for some, the idea of renovation is to simply restore something to its original condition, like a historic home or a vintage car.  But the word renovate can also mean to restore something to a better state.  We don’t just look back to what it was before, we look forward to what it can be and we work to make it better.   

As we transition out of the COVID-19 lock down we have been in for several months, and talk about how to open up our businesses, schools, and churches, we don’t want to return to where we were, we want to work to make things better.  We have learned some valuable lessons these past 3 months and we need to apply these lessons to our future.  So we are going to take the next few weeks and talk about some of these lessons and learn how they can help us renovate our mission, ministry, and life together.

One of the most important lessons we learned when everything started to shut down was to focus on what was important.  When we lost sports, movies, and restaurants, we realized we still had our family and friends.  When we lost jobs, income, and financial stability, we began to see that the church and community were still there and we mobilized to care for one another in need.  We all went the extra mile to help those around us.  When we lost a lot, we started to remember what was ultimately important and what needed to remain our first priority, our first love.

So the first step in our renovation of the church has to be to remember our priorities, or to remember our first love.  This phrase comes from the book of Revelation and is found in one of the letters that God wrote to the churches.  In each of the seven letters there is a commendation and a challenge, and the challenge to the church in Ephesus was to remember their first love. 
You have forsaken your first love.  Remember the heights from which you have fallen!  Repent and do the things you did at first.   Revelation 2:4-5a.

Remember the heights from which you have fallen.  Remember your first love.  These past few months we have remembered that our first love really is to care for family, friends, and those in our community.  We have also been reminded that our first love needs to be for God who has always been with us.  One of the messages we heard again and again these past few months was that no matter where we were, or what we were going through, God was with us to help us.  And while we always knew the church was not the building, we have been living this reality by worshipping where we are, serving where we are, learning, praying, and loving God and one another where we are.  We have endured patiently, and not grown weary, but grown in strength and love.   

Earlier in God’s letter to the Ephesians, this was the commendation he gave them, I know your deeds and your hard work, and your perseverance.  You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name and have not grown weary.  Revelation 2:2a, 3

Today I can stand here and say the same things about all of you.  I know your deeds and your hard work.  I know your perseverance and endurance.  You have been faithful in giving.  You have been faithful in working hard to reach out to one another and care for one another.  You have shared your faith by inviting people to join us in worship, and you have been generous to the needs in our community.  You have not kept the ministry of Faith Church going, you have kept it growing.  Thank you.  Thank you for being the church and never getting tired of growing in faith and love. 

While it is a blessing to see the faithfulness of Faith Church, we can’t rest on that work, or return to where we were.  We have to remember our first love and press on.  We have to love God and love others because Jesus said that alone is our first love.  Jesus taught that the greatest commandment was to love the Lord your God with all our heart, and soul, and mind, and strength.  While love for God must always be our priority, Jesus went on to say that our love for God has to be reflected in our love for others.  Not just those we know and like, but everyone. 
Jesus said, love your neighbor as yourself.  We simply cannot love God without loving others, and it was this love that God was asking the church in Ephesus to remember.

Because God said the church in Ephesus had been faithful to Christ, many scholars believe that the love God was calling them to remember and live out was the deep, abiding, and sacrificial love for others that we are called to when we follow Jesus.  It is this love that we cannot forget and it is this love we need to embrace moving forward.  This is the love that moves us to think about others before ourselves.  It’s the love that puts the needs of others before our own, the comfort of others before our own, and the safety of others before our own.  It’s a love that is willing to sacrifice what we might want so that we can welcome others into the family of God.  It's a love that pushes us beyond what is comfortable just as it pushed Jesus to the cross. 

It is this love for others that our world desperately needs right now.  The images of racial division and divide we have seen these past few weeks have been troubling and at times terrifying.  We know that racism still exists in our nation.  We saw it when Ahmaud Arbery was shot while jogging, Breanna Taylor was killed in her home, and George Floyd died on the street.  We have not only seen it in our nation but we heard it in video from the streets of State College. 

In his own letter to the churches in PA, our Bishop, Jeremiah Park, said, Today we are confronted by two killers who steal breath. The corona virus shortens the breath of its victims. Racism chokes the breath, both figuratively and literally, out of its victims and suffocates righteousness from society.  As we confront the evils of racism, we know that the answer is not more hatred, division, or violence, it is to love one another.  While only the Holy Spirit can bring about the change of heart that is needed in our world today, sometimes that change can start when we are willing to take the time to love others and sometimes love starts by listening. 

When it comes to talking about racism, I am not always going to get it right.  I might say the wrong thing, or say something the wrong way, but I want to say something because I know silence is not the answer.  I don’t know what it’s like to be afraid every time I see a police officer.  I don’t know what it’s like to feel threatened by those who are supposed to help make me feel secure, but I can take the time to listen to those who do feel this way.  This past week I listened to a black pastor share his experience of not only feeling threatened and afraid, but of hearing his neighbors tell him that they don’t like him or his children.  I spent some time listening to his pain and anger because it was important for me to listen. 

I am reminded that Jesus spent a lot of time listening to those who were often looked down on and oppressed.  He not only took the time to listen to their experience but to ask them their story, and that act alone was an act of love.  When no one else seemed to care, Jesus did and he took the time to listen.  Are we willing to listen and invite people to share?  Are we willing to allow ourselves to be uncomfortable as we try and put ourselves in someone else’s shoes? 

In my own desire to understand, I thought back to a moment in college where I felt like an outsider.  I went to a concert by the Black Orpheus Gospel Choir and when I walked into the room I quickly realized I was the only white person there.  It was awkward and I felt uncomfortable, but unlike what many people of color experience in our communities today, everyone in that room worked hard to make me feel welcome.  At the end of the event we all stood in a circle as the choir sang and a pastor prayed and I was right there - they made sure of it.  As members of Christ’s body, the church, we have to work hard to make everyone feel welcomed.  We have to work hard to make sure everyone is part of that circle and knows that they are loved. 

Will our love for one another end the riots we have seen this week or the ongoing racial divide of our nation?  No, but it can keep the divide from growing, and it can be the spark that doesn’t burn a community down but tries to build it up.  Renovates it.  When we remember our first love is for God, and that love for God means loving others, we will not find room in our heart for hate or anger, racism or violence.  Loving God and others will move us to finding ways to welcome and serve others.  Remembering our first love will help us do what the prophet Micah still calls us to do, act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God.

And for the times we have failed to do this, for the times we have turned a blind eye to justice, have forgotten mercy, and not loved others like we should have, and for the times we will fail in the future, can we humble ourselves and hear the invitation of God to repent and remember your first love.  Repentance is not the condemnation of God but the invitation of God.  It is an invitation to acknowledge our failures and then return to loving God and others one more time. 

There is no renovation of the church, no moving to a better future, without remembering our first love.  We will not experience a better faith, better church, better community, or better world without first loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and then loving our neighbors.  As we slowly return to in person worship, learning, fellowship, serving, and prayer, let us remember our first love and keep finding new ways to renovate our church, community, and world by loving God and loving others. 


Next Steps
Renovate - Remember Your First Love

During the past 3 months, what events and activities that you love have you lost?  What has emerged as a priority in your life?  How can you make sure to remember that first love? 

Read the Letter to the Church in Ephesus - Revelation 2:1-7

Read about the greatest commandment - Mark 12:28-31
What did Jesus say needs to be our first love?

Love for ________________ and Love for _____________.

How has your love for God grown during the past 3 months?  How can you take those lessons and experiences and use them for future growth?

How have you been able to love others during the past 3 months?  How can you build on that love and keep it going this week?  This month? 

As we look at the racial unrest in our nation, how can our first love (for God and others) help bring hope and healing? 
What can you do to bring about that hope and healing? 
Whose life story, which is different from yours, can you listen to this week?  How can you be an agent of peace and reconciliation in our community? 

As we return to in-person worship, what is one thing you can do next Sunday to show your love for God and others? (whether you worship with us online or in-person)