October Newsletter
From Pastor Aaron:
I cannot express how thankful I am to be able to see your faces on Sunday morning. The hardest aspect to this pandemic for me as a pastor was having to preach to an empty room. I missed the community that church brings and as people we desperately need. For those of you who are still not joining please know that it is okay. At times for myself it feels as if this pandemic is over but the reality is that it is not so please feel no pressure from me or this church to return to Sunday morning worship.
The biggest help for me in the last couple of weeks has been putting into practice what we have been discussing in this latest series. A couple weeks ago we read from John 15:1-11 that Jesus is the true vine, believers are the branches connected and the Father is the vine dresser. The purpose of the vinedresser was to care for the vineyard and to cut away the dead branches and prune the living. Since we talked through that I have not been been able to get the idea of pruning off my mind. I believe right now that God is pruning his church. I also believe the Lord is pruning Kenansville Baptist. This is not comfortable. Let us not forget what we said a few weeks ago, God is more concerned with our growth than our comfort. At the end of the day the pain and discomfort that comes with pruning is helping us to grow as believers and to grow as a church.
I want to leave you today with that truth. God I believe right now is pruning us as a church and it hurts but it is for our good. God is for His glory and our good. No matter what happens in this season hold on to the fact that God is for you no matter the pain in the pruning.
From Pastor Donna:
Hello friends,
October is finally here! School has started, the morning temperatures are cooler, and a new church year is upon us. I’m so thankful that we are together again in the sanctuary on Sunday mornings. Things are not like they used to be, and may never be the same again, but we are blessed to be together. It’s good to see your faces and smiles even behind the masks we are wearing to keep each other safe during this pandemic.
One question I’ve asked myself is, “What does God want me to do through all of this and how do I handle all of the changes?” At this moment in time, as always, the Lord wants me, and us as a church, to love Him. We can do this by praying (personally talk to and listen for God through the Holy Spirit), studying (enriching our lives through His Word), mediating, fasting, and doing things that will honor him. It’s hard to stay focused when change is rampant due to the virus, but now is the perfect time to develop some additional Christ-like habits. We need to remember that our lives are to be lived as a testimony for Jesus Christ.
Jesus tells us in Matthew 22:39 that the second greatest commandment is to love others. We should pray for, encourage, and reach out to others by sending cards, emails, texts, and phone calls. Theses are things we can do while keeping ourselves and our family safe. Our acts of service, life of simplicity, and open submission to God will again, testify our love for God to others and honor Him.
As we being resuming some additional church activities in the coming weeks and months, please continue praying for the health and safety of our community, our church family, and our loved ones. Please also pray specifically for the children and youth in our church and community. They need to see Jesus in our lives especially during these changing times. Pray that the children will stay connected and grow in the Lord everyday even though they are not in their regular church activities. The youth have started meeting again. Please consider being a mentor and friend to a child or youth and helping a parent or teacher if possible. Be Christ to someone during these tough and changing times.
I encourage you to love God and each other, remain faithful and stay in the Word.
In Him.
