Dear Christ Lutheran Church Family,

When I was a boy, one of the highlights each summer was the Simpson Family Reunion.  My dad’s family was pretty big – there were 6 kids – and they’d all gather in his hometown of Norfolk, Virginia for a cookout.  It was great seeing all my aunts and uncles and cousins, and especially eating my grandmother’s homemade banana ice cream.

Then we moved from Richmond, Virginia to Florida, and we weren’t able to go to the family reunion each year.  I lost touch with a lot of my relatives.  Sure, we’d get together for weddings and funerals (if we could make it), but other than that, I didn’t see them very much.  Some of them I didn’t see at all.

A few weeks ago, my family and I travelled to Lynchburg, Virginia for my aunt and uncle’s 60^th wedding anniversary celebration.  I saw cousins I hadn’t seen in 30 years, and met 2^nd cousins for the first time.  For that Saturday, the Simpson Family Reunion was back, and so was I.  It was wonderful reconnecting with family, but kind of sad, too – I’d missed out on all those years in between.

I am going to do a better job of staying in touch, because there is something lost when you drift away from your family.

Have you ever thought that each Sunday morning worship is like a family reunion?  After all, we are brothers and sisters in Christ – adopted into God’s family when we were baptized.  And just like I missed out on so much when I didn’t have a regular relationship with my earthly family, we are missing out when we don’t gather regularly with our church family.

Which is a long introduction to saying – if you haven’t been worshipping regularly, now’s the time to get back!  September is one of the most exciting times in the life of the church.   There is such a sense of REBIRTH as Sunday School restarts, services expand, Bible Studies get going, and youth ministries get charged up for the school year. 

Rally Day on September 12 is the perfect opportunity to get back into church.  It’s the day when we go back to two services (8:15 Traditional and 11:00 Contemporary), Sunday School at 9:30 gears up, and there will be a church picnic after the 11:00 service.

September is also a great time to get into regular study of God’s Word.  Elsewhere in the Messenger is a description of the new Wednesday evening Pastor’s Bible Study on The Parables of Jesus – I think it’s going to be a lot of fun and perfect for those new to Bible Study classes.  Also, Caryl Ports’ excellent Adult Bible Study on Sunday Mornings continues to grow, but there is always room for YOU!

I’m looking forward to this worship year at Christ Church.  As always, call, e-mail, or grab me if you have any questions or concerns.

Christ's peace,

Here are our Sunday worship themes for September:

“Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

 – Luke 15:10 (NRSV)