“When it goes well with the righteous,

the city rejoices,”

Proverbs 11.10a

While living in Saint Louis, we had a special relationship with our Aldi. As a poor seminary family, we did the majority of our shopping there. Through our persistent presence, we developed some friendships with the workers. At one point, my young daughter interrupted a conversation I was having with one of the workers. “Who is this lady, dad?” was the awkward question. “I’m your neighborhood grocer,” she replied. It was a statement that stuck with me. She was our grocer, and we were part of a community. We were invested in her life, and she was invested in ours. It seemed so simple, yet, it had never sunk in as it did in that short statement. 

The Lord is a God of life, of relationships, and communities. His initial promise to Abraham included an assumption that His people would engage with those outside of the covenant. After all, every family on the earth will be blessed through the body of Christ. Our faith instructs and commands us to proclaim Christ in our words, our actions, and our identities. At the same time, our opening proverb of this article implies an even deeper, implicit impact of the righteous on the city. When the righteous live in faithfulness under the Sovereign Lordship of Jesus, then the city is blessed. The result produces enduring joy in the city. As a church, we ought to long for how we can make a lasting, joyful impression on the city around us. 

As we consider the city around us (our neighbors, our coworkers, and our grocers), we want to winsomely love them well. One way our church can love our city is by inviting those in it to join us on Wednesday nights. This fall, we are calling our Wednesday night programming Midweek. I wanted to share a few details, as well as, some changes to this evening that will try to help us focus on inviting our neighbors and growing in Christ together.

Midweek begins on August 28 this year. A Sunday evening service is planned on August 25, in which we will ordain and install new church officers, as well as, recognize our ministry teams. This service also serves as a kick-off to our Fall Semester. Please join us at 6:00 p.m. on the 25^th to find out more about our ministry goals and opportunities for this upcoming school year. 

Structurally, Midweek still begins at 5:30 p.m., but the evening has been extended until 8:30 p.m. Meals are served until 7:00 p.m., and Nicky plans to have the meal schedule published a month ahead so you can be aware of the food options each week. There are two adult classes offered this semester. Lamar Allen is teaching on Union with Christ beginning at 6:15 p.m., and Pastor Jones is teaching Listening to Sermons Skillfully at 7:00 p.m. Children’s Ministry  begins with children’s choir at 6:15 p.m. followed by a discipleship time of teaching and encouraging from 7:00 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. Our Youth Ministry begins at 7:00 p.m., and Jeremiah is arranging large and small group opportunities until 8:30 p.m. Choir and Prayer Ministry are still meeting at 7:00 p.m. A Women’s Fellowship time, led by Judy Foster, is coordinated by our Women’s Ministry Team from 6:15 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Lastly, Carol Beatty is leading a knitting group, Knit Wits, at 7:00 p.m. 

The pastoral staff and ministry teams have been working diligently to coordinate engaging opportunities in hopes our community would taste and see that the Lord is good. Please pray for our ministries during Midweek, and join us as we extend the grace, truth, and righteousness of our great God and King to the world around us.