From the Pastor’s Desk
Dear Friends,

We will be launching “Faith Formation on Uneven Terrain” on Sunday, September 11th. Faith Formation on Uneven Terrain will be a model that adapts our current Sunday School model.

In our new model we are encouraging intergenerational learning and spiritual growth. After worship all are invited to the Fellowship Hall for food and beverages. After our time of fellowship (usually about 15 minutes), we will gather in groups of 5-6 adults with youth and children and then go out to the Common Ground prayer stations.

We believe this model will encourage organic faith development where various ages learn from one another and grow in our faith. This model encourages mentoring and  relationship building. We want to emphasize that this is an experiment but we believe that several factors have come together to encourage this creative launch. We will have adaptations in case of inclement weather and we will make changes when the weather turns cooler. Be sure to wear appropriate shoes.

In addition to the Faith Formation on Uneven Terrain events on Sunday, there will continue to be an adult class in the Bigger Room. They are beginning a study on Isaiah and encourage you to join them. There will also be another adult option that will begin in October. This 3rd option will be a group that reflects on the worship scriptures and sermon.

Peace, Sam

Devotional:
I came across the following devotion that was originally printed as a Stephen Ministers devotion written by Joel Bretscher, Director of Communications of Stephen Ministries. I loved the movie “Rocky” (which shows my age).

“Recently I watched the movie Rocky again, and I was struck by a pivotal scene toward the end of the movie. It’s the night before the World Heavyweight Championship bout against Apollo Creed. Rocky Balboa can’t sleep. He visits the arena where the boxing match will take place, and then goes to his girlfriend, Adrian, and wakes her up. He tells her: “I can’t do it. I can’t beat him… I’ve been out there walkin’, thinking. I mean, who am I kiddin’? I ain’t even in the guy’s league.”

How do you think Adrian responds?
A. “Don’t talk like that, Rocky. You have to think positive! You can beat him.”
B. “You didn’t have to wake me up to tell me you’re going to lose. I already knew that.”
C. “What are we gonna do?”
If you’ve seen the movie, you may know that the answer is C – Adrian responds, “What are we gonna do?”
Through her response, Adrian offers a great example of how to be a caring presence.
. She doesn’t try to cheer him up or change the subject. She gives Rocky permission to feel what he’s feeling.
. She doesn’t try to offer a solution. Instead, she invites Rocky to think and talk more about it.
. When Rocky is feeling totally alone, her response assures him that he’s not: “What are WE gonna do?”

Empowered by Adrian’s care, Rocky adjusts his goal. He realizes that he can’t control what the final results of the fight will be, but he can focus on simply staying in the ring with Apollo one round at a time with the goal of going the distance – lasting 15 rounds of the fight.

Adrian’s response is a great example for us. When someone expresses pain, doubt, fear, or disappointment, our human tendency is to try to either fix or downplay whatever the person is experiencing. But those responses minimize the person’s feelings and shuts down the conversation.

When we instead focus on being a caring presence – as Adrian was – we affirm the other person’s feelings, let him or her know that we’re truly listening, and invite the person to dig deeper and share more.

May God be with us as we focus on being a caring presence for others.”