Hello all,

During our 406 Basecamp youth program on Wednesday, Joy asked the students this question, “Pick one word of which you would want to be described.” The students gave some great answers and Joy brought the gospel into the conversation in a wonderful way. I have been thinking about that question in terms of our church. What do we want to be known as? If there was any one term I could think of, it would be loving. I hope our church is known as people who love God and love others. This, of course, has massive implications which we could describe in theological language such as, “We want to glorify God by loving Him and others.” Or perhaps, we want to be a discipleship church who takes serious the call to follow Christ in this world. Yes, and amen to all of that. But if I were to ask the average person on the street what First Presbyterian Church in Whitefish is known as, I would want them to say, “They sure do seem to love Jesus and love others.” That, for me, would be a compliment. I write this because I saw a glimpse of that during our Holy Week.

On that note, I want to thank all of you who contributed to our services during Holy Week. It is always such a wonderful reminder of how the Holy Spirit empowers people with different gifts to serve His Church. I continually witness elders, deacons, volunteers, and our staff working tirelessly to create a worshipful atmosphere where Jesus is lifted high and people are loved. I saw people taking time out of their schedule to prepare a meal, share with one another, and serve others. I saw children, even children of strangers or new guests, cared for by others, and some people make it back to worship who have not been able to join us in a while. I heard beautiful singing by God’s people. I saw husbands and wives sitting with each other in confession and prayer. We got to share in communion twice in three days! I write these things to encourage us toward continuing to love God and His people more and more. It is in the community of God where we grow to love Him and others. Or, as one theologian/missionary, (Leslie Newbigin), reminded us, it is in the community of the local church where the gospel becomes tangible to us and those around us. Paul writes in Galatians 6:9, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Indeed, let us strive toward godliness and love. We know that God uses His people for His glory, and His glory is always for our good.

Ben Melli