The expressions of appreciation in this newsletter are late, because as a father I had other things on my mind last week.
And by the way — Ruth arrived safely in Cape Town, RSA. She is beginning to get settled in. She found a car. I’ve wired her money out of her account to buy it. And this week she will be working with others to define more precisely her job description.
But because of the timing of Ruth’s leaving, I’m a week late thanking all who worked so long and hard to prepare, serve and clean up after the Seder service on Thursday evening, April 1. Unless you were involved, you can hardly image the number of people and the long hours required to put all this into place. Special thanks to Pastor Mullinax, Jeremy Gaines and Mary Flatt. The leadership they provide and the hours they put in are appreciated by many.
I thought the Colonnade was a wonderful location. The offering we took up provided just enough money to cover our expenses. If you have any thoughts about whether or not it’s a good idea to use the Colonnade, we’d love to hear from you. Of course, in part, one of the reasons for using the Colonnade was because this year’s Seder dinner was done in tandem with both our mother church and our daughter congregation.
And then, three days later, we got to celebrate our Lord’s resurrection. And what a wonderful time of praise, confession, adoration, and worship. Again, there are so many who could be thanked, including our choir and musicians, but I want to thank especially Jeremy for his dedication in structuring a time of worship honoring to our Lord and faithfully putting in the hours necessary to prepare the choir and musicians to lead us all in worship.
Sunday evening, Frank, Ernie and I reported on our time in Uganda. That report demonstrated the importance of the seminar that will be held here at CPC, Saturday, April 24, from 8:30 until noon.
Brian Fikkert and Steve Corbett, the coauthors of the recently published book, “When Helping Hurts,” and professors at Covenant College, as well as directors of the Chalmers Center for Economic Development, will be our speakers.
Dr John Perkins, who knows more about helping the poor than anyone I am aware of, writes in the foreword to WHH: “The authors combine sound theology, solid research, foundational principles, and proven strategies to prepare you for transformational ministry amongst ‘the least of these’ both at home and around the world. But it would be a mistake to think that the power of this book lies in the tools and techniques it presents. Rather, the central message of this book is that we need the person of Jesus to transform not just the poor but also ourselves.”
I hope you’ll plan to attend. I believe there is much to learn if we are to fulfill properly the task that God has given to us to minister His Gospel by deeds and words to both those living next door, as well as those thousands of miles away.
Pastor Caines