Midweek Check-in (June 25, 2025)

Good afternoon, church family!

Well, this past Sunday was a wild one! We reached the climax of our VBS week with a celebration of all that the kids did, saw and learned. I know it wasn’t the typical Sunday morning worship service, and thank you for allowing our kids to take over!

One of the kids who attended each evening of VBS was so excited for Sunday morning. But at the end of the service, I found him sitting by himself in tears. And I was confused. I thought he had had a good time. I thought he had enjoyed VBS and liked singing and dancing and learning about Jesus. He seemed to love it. But at the end, he’s sitting there literally crying.

His dad asked him, "What’s wrong?" And he just said, “I don’t want it to be over.”

Well, he’s right. Part of it is over. We took down the decorations that afternoon (thanks for the help!). We won’t meet every evening this week. We don’t have any more games, prizes and pies in the face.

But here’s the good news: We still have Jesus!

And we do get to come back next Sunday and again and again and again. Celebrating the good news of Jesus is not just a VBS thing. It’s not just for a revival weekend or a one-time church event. God’s grace goes with us, sustains us and renews every day!

Certainly the faithful love of the Lord hasn’t ended;

     certainly God’s compassion isn’t through!

They are renewed every morning.

     Great is your faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:22-23

Your pastor,

Billy Byler

THIS SATURDAY: The next meeting of our church’s cancer support group will take place this Saturday (June 28) at 10 a.m. at the church. If you or a loved one have recently experienced a cancer diagnosis – you don’t have to go through this alone! Come meet like-minded individuals who can help you in your journey.

FIFTH SUNDAY: This Sunday is the fifth Sunday of the month, so the kids won’t have Sunday School and will be in the sanctuary with us for the worship service. We will still open the nursery for our littlest ones (ages 2 and under).

HELP OUR YOUNG PEOPLE GET TO CAMP: Church camps can be life-changing events for our kids and teens, and we don’t want anyone to miss out because of finances. If you can make a donation to help our young people get to camp, you can choose “camp donations” from our convenient, secure online giving platform. Or write “camp donation” on your check or offering envelope and drop it in one of our donation boxes on Sundays in the back of the church sanctuary or during the week in the church offices.

JUST FOR FUN

Hey, you read Pastor Billy's midweek check-in all the way to the end! As a reward, check out these crazy stories I came across recently:

·Trash kept washing up on the beach in a coastal town in Brazil. So some locals collected the trash, including 13,000 glass bottles, and used them to build a 7-room home that you can now book on Airbnb.

·A hotel in China has been issued an official warning: stop waking up guests by placing endangered red pandas in their rooms.

·Two brown bears escaped their enclosure at a wildlife preserve, went directly to a nearby store and immediately ate a week’s worth of honey.