Keep Running

• Were you able to find a seat on Sunday?  It was packed!  I loved getting to meet the families of all those great kids that we baptized.  Welcome Lily, Jack, Lucy, Kate, and Jay!  We look forward to praying for you, teaching you, and pushing you to look like Christ.
• When we baptize infants or young children, as the early church did, (and possibly in Acts 16), we are celebrating in anticipation of their future commitment to Christ, with their Christian parents and godparents making vows now on their behalf.  The parents present the children to the Lord and His church in a public worship service, and the church welcomes them into the visible family of God.
• The baptism of infants signifies the first covenantal step on the path towards their turning to God in faith and repentance, which we pray will come later.  Our prayer is that as children grow, they will come to embrace Jesus Christ, who first embraces them.
• As we continue to grow, please park in the Washington Lee HS parking garage.  We have a shuttle that runs to the church.  It is very important that we love our neighbors by voluntarily choosing to slightly inconvenience ourselves rather than potentially inconveniencing them (by blocking their parking options).  Thanks for adding 5 minutes to your ‘getting to church routine’ so that we can be good neighbors.
• “God does not expect us to have won the race.  He expects us to RUN the race...  to the very end.”  How do we keep running when the great temptation will be to say, “That’s enough Jesus.  I’m done.”  4 encouragements from Paul:  Deal with guilt and anxiety (3.13b), Decide first (3.15), Learn from mentors (3.17-19), Remember what’s home (3.20-21)
• I am so thankful for the old(ER) people in our congregation.  🙂 I can’t say it enough.  Your wisdom, experience, time, and example of generous service shape and influence everything we do.  If you are young(ER), take the initiative to seek these people out.  Ask them questions.  Listen to their counsel.  We are profoundly blessed to have many generations at our church.  Thank you!
• If you are a member of Restoration, make sure you have a copy of the vestry election bio book. There were hard copies on Sunday.  Look for a pdf link on the front page of this site coming this week.  Please use it to pray for our vestry elections that open on Nov 14.

Have a great week everybody.  Press on.