Sunday afternoon was ideal. Beautiful skies, a perfect temperature, a magnificent setting, and lots of children. It was great to be with “family and friends,” in a place nostalgic for some and enjoyable for all.
I want to thank Pastor Mullinax, Elder Ernie Brown and the many others who helped prepare for our afternoon at Camp Dixie – and then, when everything was over put everything back where it belonged!
I had a great time. Of course, I’m wondering how I’m going to get up from this desk after writing this week’s Newsletter . . .
This coming Sunday evening, October 26, the people of the Tennessee Valley Presbytery, friends and members of churches located in the Chattanooga/Knoxville corridor, will gather at 6:00 PM here at CPC to celebrate the Protestant Reformation. On October 31, 1517, a monk named Martin Luther nailed to the front door of his church in Wittenburg, Germany, a document listing 95 points of “protest” with the practices and theology of his church. And thus began the “Protestant” Reformation.
Please, join us. It’s important. It’s important to remember our heritage. It’s important to join with others of like precious faith to worship our sovereign God and faithful Lord. Obviously, the church of Jesus Christ is much
greater than the PCA. But I love the PCA. I love our sense of covenant. I love our form of government. But most importantly, I love the many good people that are members and leaders of so many of our congregations, especially here in the TVP.
It will be encouraging to you, and you will be an encouragement to others if you can take the time to join us in honoring our Lord as we worship Him in spirit and in truth. New City Fellowship will lead the worship, and the Rev. Randy Nabors will preach.
An offering will be received. The money collected will be divided between the Hispanic ministry of Grace PC in Dalton and the new church plant in East Lake.
Speaking of worship, I want to encourage you to do what you can to be with us Sunday mornings prior to the beginning of worship. Worship begins at 9:30 with the singing of a chorus of praise. I realize that after we have sung this opening chorus, we then share a few announcements, before further preparing ourselves to worship the Lord. I can understand how this “encourages” some not to be concerned about getting here until twenty of the hour. And if you can’t get here until then, that’s fine. We’re glad to have you.
But if you’re able to be here on time, I’m encouraging you to do so. It’s not a big deal, but it is important. At the very least, it is courteous toward those who’ve prepared to lead you in worship, beginning with the prelude, which begins at 9:25. It’s an issue I try not to address regularly. So you can view this as my yearly or once every-two-years harangue. . . . Okay, that’s over. Let’s move on to other things.
True story. Two of our younger children were riding home from church. One of them looked out the car window and saw a man doing what the youngster didn’t think appropriate for a Sunday afternoon. “Look at that man breaking the Sabbath,” the child quipped. To which the second child responded, “What are you . . . a Pharisee?”
And that’s one reason we don’t have children’s church.
Pastor Caines