Rector’s Update: Spring is going to fly by!
Dear Restoration,
I love this little phrase in Psalm 119:94 “I am yours, save me.” It has become a prayer that I reach for when I don’t know what to do, when I don’t know what to say, when I am insecure, when I am over-confident, when I am desperately hoping and when I am terrified of the outcome. Sometimes ‘save’ becomes rescue or deliver or help. But I always start with, “I am yours.” Because no matter what circumstance drove me to prayer, the unchanging reality of my life is: Jesus, I am yours.
Save me.
The next 2 months at Restoration will fly by. Every year it seems like I shout the Alleluias of Easter, *blink*, and it’s summer. Part of the ‘flying by’ is the excitement of all that we are doing together. So let me take a moment to make sure you don’t miss a thing. Remember, we have two in-person services on Sundays at 9 and 11. You can sign up for them, here. When you do, would you consider serving as an usher? We have four opportunities at each service.
Adult Small Groups are starting this week. You can still sign up, here. Your participation in an adult small group means that you get a little community of friends who will be praying for you and studying the Scriptures with you as these 2 months fly by! I hope everyone will be in one!
Thinking Wisely about Money. On April 27 at 7pm, Restoration and Navs 20s/30s are joining together to offer a live, in-person seminar, under the Resto tent on money and budgeting. You can sign up for it, here. It will be hosted by Kat and Tommy Downs who have taught this material in a number of contexts. This is a great opportunity to learn about the stewardship of your resources and to walk in the freedom of deliberate planning. Plus, Kat and Tommy are AWESOME!
Baptisms! We will offer baptism for anyone from infant to adult on April 25, May 23, and June 20. You can sign up for baptism, here. At Restoration, we baptize the babies and children of our church members as a sign of the covenant that God makes with them and as a sign of welcome into His family. We also baptize older children and adults who are ready to make the covenantal promises for themselves. The New Testament teaches that every Christian should be baptized and we would love to talk about this sacrament with you.
We will make some changes to our liturgy on baptism Sundays. After the sermon, we will sing the sermon response song. Then the service leader will bid farewell to everyone watching the YouTube Live broadcast and invite the congregation in the sanctuary to move outside to the tent. Under the tent, we will celebrate both the sacrament of baptism and the sacrament of Eucharist. You are welcome to join. Please arrive by 9:45 or 11:45 to participate in baptism and Eucharist. We are really looking forward to this new experience on Sunday!
Confirmation on June 6! For those who were baptized as children of Christian parents, there is an opportunity and expectation that someday they would stand before their church community and confirm the baptismal promises that were made on their behalf. We have a number of youth who are taking confirmation class and preparing for this public declaration of belief on June 6. It is exciting to see them working hard under the tent each Sunday afternoon.
Confirmation is also available for adults. We are offering an adult confirmation class on May 4, 11, and 18. You can sign up for it, here. You may be asking, should I participate in the service on June 6 by being confirmed or received? The answer is yes if you fit either of these descriptions:
- You were baptized as an infant, but you have not confirmed your baptismal promises through a public declaration of faith in Jesus. If you are not confirmed in any denomination, we would be delighted for you to make this declaration at Restoration.
or
- You were baptized and confirmed in another denomination (for example Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Lutheran, United Methodist) and you would like to be received into the Anglican Communion. This is not a ‘re-confirmation’. This is ‘reception’. It is an opportunity to say I want to be a part of the global Anglican church and it is very appropriate for those who have become members of our church in the past year or so.
The service on June 6 will be so special and there are a number of people at Restoration who could participate if they would like. Feel free to reach out to Rev. Scott Buckhout if you have questions about confirmation or reception.
We are His.
It brings me great joy to journey alongside you… as the time flies by!
-David
