If you happen to have one of the Grace Orange Volunteer Shirts, would you please bring it back and drop it off at the Volunteer office?
During the month of June, we are collecting peanut butter and jelly, donating half to the Covenant Presbyterian Church food pantry and half to the Salvation Army (Orchard location) food pantry. If possible, please make sure the jars are plastic. You are welcome to make a cash donation and note on the check that it is for the June Yellow Bag program. At the end of the month, we will buy peanut butter and jelly for distribution.
Being face-to-face with Jesus. Ponder that for a moment. When I think about being face-to-face with Jesus, I begin to yearn for a more personal and intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. The human face with its vices of anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language comes face-to-face with the face of Jesus with its virtues of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Our vulnerabilities and powerlessness are exposed. The outcomes of such a face-to-face encounter with Jesus causes a correction of beliefs and worldview which then demonstrates the practice of forbearance, forgiveness, love, unity, and the peace of Christ.
What is lacking in the life of many followers of Jesus and congregations is the power of the Holy Spirit. Without restoring a commitment to seek intimacy with God, whose power transforms the human heart and makes the people of God passionate to be his witnesses, through the power of the Holy Spirit, our efforts to change seem futile.
How can we get the power of God back? God is the one who gives “it”, the power. God seems to give “it” to those who want “it”; or more precisely, to those who want God and God’s will. We become distracted from a wholehearted pursuit of Jesus Christ.
Face-to-face with Jesus. Experiencing God’s love in Jesus Christ means experiencing that one has been unreservedly accepted, approved, and infinitely loved.
Let’s refocus on a face-to-face encounter with Jesus. Concentrate on two things: reading the Bible and praying. Let’s immerse ourselves in the Bible and believe that God speaks to us through the written page. Let’s pray more. We cannot live the Christian life without conversing with and listening to God. God hears our prayers and answers them. When we read the Bible and pray, we start to fall in love with Jesus again.
On the journey of Christian discipleship and spiritual formation with you, I remain faithfully yours,
Steve
The Rev. Dr. Steven M. Marsh
Interim Pastor
Children in grades one through six are invited to join Grace and five other neighborhood churches at Plymouth Congregational Church, June 17-21, for this year’s Vacation Bible School (VBS). The theme is “Just Like Me; Digging in and Growing Deeper.” This is an evening VBS with dinner at 5:30 pm and programs from 6:00—8:00 pm. There is no cost for children to attend. You can register your children or volunteer by following this link: https://www.plymouth-church.net/vacation-bible-school/. For questions, reach out to Charlene Randle or Kirk Anderson.
A Word From Our Interim Pastor
The Rev. Dr. Steven M. Marsh
On Sunday, January 21, 2024, I preached my first sermon as your Interim Pastor. That sermon began a series titled, Questions You and The Public Square May Have About Experiencing God. In that sermon, I stated that God was calling us to be the best Jesus someone would see in Wichita. How? By listening well to one another and others, regarding how one is or isn’t experiencing God. I encouraged each of us to engage the questions and begin the journey with one another and others that would sharpen our focus on what unites us is the love of God we know and experience through Jesus. I said that we will become the best Jesus someone sees, when we are known as friends with God and one another; known for seeking and living God’s best; known for proclaiming salvation in the name of Jesus Christ through our words and deeds; known for doing justice, and known for being involved in our community and serving the least of these in Wichita.
By definition, best means “of the most excellent or desirable type or quality.” In a biblical and Christian context, best can be defined and seen in the context of God’s redemptive will for humanity and creation. By definition, community means a group with common interests. In a biblical and Christian context, community can be defined and seen in the context of a group being instructed, guided, and living by God’s redemptive will for humanity and creation.
Every level of ministry in our church must encourage and equip people to lead. We are to be servant leaders after the very heart of Jesus Christ. As disciples of Jesus Christ, thus participants with God, we become servant leaders as Jesus was a servant leader. A servant leader is altruistic, empathetic, respectful, adaptable, patient, encouraging, yielding, honest, positive, responsible, a cheerleader, a learner, a listener, forgiving, humorous, tolerant, supportive, and enthusiastic. A servant leader wants others to know Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord. A servant leader wants to know God’s best and to share God’s best with others.
This summer, the Grace pulpit will continue to address core practices we learn through examining the message of Jesus. Each of us is God’s presence and agents of change. Join me this summer as we examine what it means to be God’s presence in Wichita and participants with God in bringing about change.
On the journey of Christian discipleship and spiritual formation with you, I remain faithfully yours,
Steve
The Rev. Dr. Steven M. Marsh
Interim Pastor