Diapers, Priorities, & Going Back to School
Dear church,
Three years ago today, Libby and I were married here in Roseburg. What an amazing day! I have so many fond memories of that day and the three years since. Many of you gathered with us to witness our covenant and commitment to one another and to our Heavenly Father. Thank you church family for loving us well these past three years. We’re so grateful for the years we’ve had and look forward to many more.
It's been a whirlwind of a couple of weeks in the Mallipudi household. Last Monday we were called by DHS to take in a two-month-old as a foster placement in our home. We have been overjoyed, excited, and tired all at the same time over the last couple of weeks. The foster placement is open-ended which means we don't know how long she will be in our care, but we are so grateful for the opportunity to provide a loving and safe space for her. Please pray for us as we adjust our schedules, our calendars, and our sleep schedules, and change a bunch of diapers! Please also pray for her that she will grow up healthy and strong over the next few weeks and months. We have been so overwhelmed with the love, support, prayers, and supplies as we welcomed her into our home. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you!
Over the last year or so the elders and I have taken advantage of the disruption caused by the pandemic to reevaluate some priorities at our church. We spent much of the past year studying Scripture over three main priorities: 1) what it means to be an elder, 2) what it means to be part of our church family, and 3) why our church exists. It had been some time since we had revised these areas and it was such a fulfilling experience to be able to see from Scripture how God has formed and shaped us into a church family. Over the next few weeks, you'll hear about these priorities in detail as we dive into ‘All In’ starting Sunday, August 15th. For now, let me summarize it this way.
Our church will be a place where we live out an authentic faith, develop healthy & strong relationships, and give every person the opportunity to meet Jesus.
There's so much power in those words.
First, we will be a place where we live out an authentic faith. This speaks to the core of who we are. We don't want to be comprised of individuals that attend a gathering on Sunday morning only to find themselves living their life the same way the rest of the week. Our faith should be alive and evident between Sundays just as much as it is on Sundays. Second, we will be a place where we develop healthy & strong relationships. If you think about the greatest need in our community, perhaps you would agree with me that healthy & strong relationships are at the top of the list. Scripture gives us the guide to what healthy & strong relationships are made of. Further, as followers of Jesus Christ, our relationships should be the example of what healthy and strong relationships are. Third, and this is our mission as a church – we will give every person the opportunity to meet Jesus. Because at the end of the day, despite of all our plans and dreams, it is Jesus Christ - and Christ alone - who changes EVERYTHING. He is the giver of life. As the worship song declares…He turns mourning into dancing. He gives beauty from ashes. He turns our shame into glory, and He is the only one who can. I'm so excited about going 'all in' on these values and this mission.
As God has been speaking to me about our church's mission for our generation, He has also been speaking to me about how to better prepare myself to shepherd and pastor our church family. I'm pleased to announce that I'll be getting more education in the area of pastoral counseling with a specific emphasis in families, marriage, and relationships. It's my desire to gain the training and foundation necessary to help families, parents, and marriages within our church family develop healthy and strong relationships. I'd appreciate your prayers for me as I hope to begin the first of these classes through the American Association of Christian Counselors in October and would especially appreciate your prayers for me as I balance my calendar.
I want to end this edition of 'Dear church' with this thought: God is speaking to you.
The joy of life is hearing His voice and responding. What is He saying to you? How will you respond?
See you Sunday!
Until then,
Pastor Daniel
(In upcoming issues of ‘Dear church’ I’ll tell you about our new teaching series New Bible Study Opportunities beginning in September & October, and why ‘normal’ doesn’t exist anymore)
