This is a copy of this week's edition of the regular pastoral message that I send out to the Discovery community via email.
People connected to Discovery who made a difference in my spiritual life…
· Sydney. Because he made me feel welcomed. He gave our church an identity for me. An identity that said “Discovery is different” – less about style and more about substance. I miss him standing barefoot at the back of the church. But the point of this is that when you feel comfortable and wanted in church (Sydney made me feel that way) the lines of communication with God are a little more open. Discovery is genuinely a place where I feel like I am worshipping – not “going to church”.
--Steve Pitts, Finance and Stewardship Teams Member
· Suzanne Roberson encouraged me to feel free to ask God questions.
--Mickie Goad, Staff Parish Relations Team Member
· The mission team members. On both mission trips I participated in over the last two years, I had the opportunity to meet different people within Discovery and was blessed to serve with them. We all created a lasting bond with one another. This experience changed my life! It’s true that you need to surround yourself with good people because it “rubs off” and creates a strong support team for life’s interruptions.
--Jami Glover, Lay Leader
· I believe it was early 2001 when I met a mom at Trace Crossings Elementary that I had seen at Discovery, and she mentioned a small group that met at the church on Thursday mornings and they were starting a new study. So I joined and met many wonderful women. One stands out among the rest. Her name was Becky Austin Hall and she was an older woman, a retired nurse, that had survived throat cancer and during her cancer and treatments her husband left her. Becky lost most of her tongue and the ability to swallow anything. She amazed me that she was such a loving and caring person and she always wanted to do things for others. One of the last exciting things she did was take a hot air balloon ride, which was a dream of hers. We lost Becky after she underwent a risky medical procedure. I feel blessed that Becky called me that night before her surgery and I got to tell her how much she had meant to me over the last several years that I had known her. What I got from her was her awesome belief in a good God.
--Sue Drennan, Finance Team Chairperson
· Terry Rogers—you would not go wrong following his good example. Each of our staff members. They each give so generously of themselves through their passion and experience and provide excellent guidance and spiritual education for each of us.
--Jill Pitts, Staff Parish Relations Chairperson
· I can’t call them all by name because there are many. I love seeing the teenagers worshipping, knowing what a difference God makes and will make in their lives. I love seeing men—husbands and fathers like me—worshipping, praying, giving God thanks, and asking for strength and help. I love seeing the kids so innocently singing and praying. People all around me in Discovery make a difference in my spiritual life.
--Perry Turner, Stewardship Team Member
Thank God for people who provide us positive examples of Christian discipleship and who are so generous in sharing God’s love through their lives! May we all be blessed with opportunities to do the same.
· Sydney. Because he made me feel welcomed. He gave our church an identity for me. An identity that said “Discovery is different” – less about style and more about substance. I miss him standing barefoot at the back of the church. But the point of this is that when you feel comfortable and wanted in church (Sydney made me feel that way) the lines of communication with God are a little more open. Discovery is genuinely a place where I feel like I am worshipping – not “going to church”.
--Steve Pitts, Finance and Stewardship Teams Member
· Suzanne Roberson encouraged me to feel free to ask God questions.
--Mickie Goad, Staff Parish Relations Team Member
· The mission team members. On both mission trips I participated in over the last two years, I had the opportunity to meet different people within Discovery and was blessed to serve with them. We all created a lasting bond with one another. This experience changed my life! It’s true that you need to surround yourself with good people because it “rubs off” and creates a strong support team for life’s interruptions.
--Jami Glover, Lay Leader
· I believe it was early 2001 when I met a mom at Trace Crossings Elementary that I had seen at Discovery, and she mentioned a small group that met at the church on Thursday mornings and they were starting a new study. So I joined and met many wonderful women. One stands out among the rest. Her name was Becky Austin Hall and she was an older woman, a retired nurse, that had survived throat cancer and during her cancer and treatments her husband left her. Becky lost most of her tongue and the ability to swallow anything. She amazed me that she was such a loving and caring person and she always wanted to do things for others. One of the last exciting things she did was take a hot air balloon ride, which was a dream of hers. We lost Becky after she underwent a risky medical procedure. I feel blessed that Becky called me that night before her surgery and I got to tell her how much she had meant to me over the last several years that I had known her. What I got from her was her awesome belief in a good God.
--Sue Drennan, Finance Team Chairperson
· Terry Rogers—you would not go wrong following his good example. Each of our staff members. They each give so generously of themselves through their passion and experience and provide excellent guidance and spiritual education for each of us.
--Jill Pitts, Staff Parish Relations Chairperson
· I can’t call them all by name because there are many. I love seeing the teenagers worshipping, knowing what a difference God makes and will make in their lives. I love seeing men—husbands and fathers like me—worshipping, praying, giving God thanks, and asking for strength and help. I love seeing the kids so innocently singing and praying. People all around me in Discovery make a difference in my spiritual life.
--Perry Turner, Stewardship Team Member
Thank God for people who provide us positive examples of Christian discipleship and who are so generous in sharing God’s love through their lives! May we all be blessed with opportunities to do the same.
