Greetings Everyone
Grace and peace to you all this week:
Can you believe that I’ve been here seven weeks already? It always takes time for a congregation and a new pastor to get in synch with one another, to get comfortable with the new rhythm and feel of a new style of sermon and liturgy. Yet I feel like its been going well so far. I’m grateful for the feedback that you all have given me. And I’m particularly grateful for those of you who have met me for coffee or lunch, so that I can get to know you more personally.
Since I’ve been here, we’ve been focused on six elements of Christian worship. We started with the fire of Pentecost symbolized by the candles on the Table, the water in the baptismal, the bread of communion, the open Word of God, and the stained glass windows that illuminate our historic sanctuary. Its been wonderful to see the kids ‘set the table’ for us on Sunday.
This upcoming Sunday we will switch gears and spend some concentrated time in just one book for the remainder of the summer. The Book of Philippians is one of my favorites. In it Paul writes to friends from a jail cell with encouragement in the faith and gratitude for their care. Philippians is often called the ‘letter of joy’ because of its frequent reminders to rejoice in God for the gifts of grace that has been given to us. In Greek the concepts of grace (charis) and joy (chara) are deeply intertwined with one another. And that intersection of joy and grace will be the central focus of the sermon series.
I’ll hope that you will join us this summer. I’ll see you there. May the Lord continue to bless you this week,
Pastor Raully
P.S. A quick reminder that we are changing the way that we distribute this weekly messenger. Thank you to the roughly ninety people who have already made the change. Change is always difficult for a congregation, but this change will enable us to reach people more quickly for less money.
Some of you have let us know that you cannot receive texts for one reason or another. So we will be maintaining an email version of the messenger with limited distribution. If this is the case for you, please contact Nichole with your request at info@fpcwhitefish.org
Of course the Midweek Messenger is always available on our website for anyone to see.
If you haven’t made the switch yet, please take a few seconds and text FPC (just those three letters and nothing else) to 406.400.9338. You should receive a response right away that will contain a blue link. If you tap that, you can confirm your name and contact information.
News & Events
Sunday, June 30th
9:00 a.m. Adult Bible Study in the Chapel
10:00 a.m. Sunday Worship Service
Monday, July 1st
No Choir Practice
Tuesday, July 2nd
7:00 a.m. Men’s Bible Study and Breakfast
Sunday, July 7th
10:00 am Worship Service
Check out the Events Calendar for more upcoming events.
Sunday School Update!
Our program has changed for the summer.
4th – 8th grade students: There is still a 9 a.m. Sunday morning class with Jim Ramlow. They are about finished with building their Dawn Treader ship. Stay tuned for exciting info on what comes next!
Pre-K and Kindergartners will still be dismissed to a classroom after Children’s Time, during the Sunday Worship Service. There they will do a fun activity, then enjoy the playroom.
All other school aged kids please remain in the sanctuary to enjoy, and be part of, the rest of the service.
Please note that the nursery room will be open for use, but unattended. Parents are welcome to use the nursery. There is t.v. in the nursery and streaming the service is available.
