The PULSE
The Quarterly Newsletter of
First United Presbyterian Church
October-December 2022
Dear Friends,
We live in a very anxious world. That was brought home to me this week when my grandson who is beginning High School lost his breakfast on the way to his first day of class! Poor kid! But it’s not just teens who struggle to quiet hearts and minds. Don’t we all struggle with it at times?
From the war in Ukraine, to inflation, shifting weather patterns, political unrest here at home, family issues or medical problems. We all have those things that nag at the back of our brains and keep us awake at night.
I am reminded that Jesus said, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” (Matt 6: 25-26)
It’s easy to point to such instructions, but harder to live them, right? But I do believe that God offers us the gift of community to mitigate the terrors of everyday life--to help calm us.
God sends the Holy Spirit to walk with us. We help one another to feel God’s Spirit in our midst because a friend’s care can make all the difference in the world.
That’s who we are called to be together—Community who support one another. It’s the strength of a worshipping community.
It’s not just individual issues that set our minds racing. Even as a congregation the worry and anxiety infects us. During Covid people have stepped aside from worship (with good reason.) But things seems to be calming now, and we miss these important family members who have not yet found their way back to us. We know we have work to do to discover and then walk into the next chapter of our life together. We need all the wisdom and ideas of our extended congregation. The next several months are so crucial for discerning what God has in store for us. A Congregational gathering is happening on Sunday, October 9th. We hope you will come to assist us as we think forward,.
We hope that everyone is healthy and well as summer slides into fall, and we hope to see YOU as we work together to seek God’s design for us. There are many possibilities. God is beckoning us forward. Let’s work together to calm one another and to courageously walk into God’s future for First United Presbyterian Church.
Blessings,
Joyce Chamberlin
309-236-1533/ jkchamberlin1@gmail.com
