RIVER CITY DAYS PARADE SUNDAY, AUGUST 4, 1:00PM It's been a while since our church entered a float in a Red Wing parade, so it's exciting to see us enter one this year! Several people have been involved with planning, constructing, and decorating a float that represents the joy and hope of the people of First Covenant Church.
Embellished with the colors of our church's logo (gold, purple, green, and orange), this float is a symbol of new life that can be found in Christ, the diversity of the kingdom of God and it's unity around Christ, and the brightness of its light in a darkened world because of Christ. Standing on the float will be a team of talented musicians from the church band singing and playing their hearts out for the glory of God. They'll be singing "let me tell you about My Jesus." They'll be proclaiming that "The Church is Alive!" And, they'll be calling all Christians to be "a little more like Jesus and Less Like Me." Walking alongside the float will be a few of us wearing t-shirts saying "GOD LOVED FIRST LOVE GOD." We want people to know the great love with which God has first loved us, then call them to first love God in their lives. Only when we discover the joy of loving God first will our souls be restored with hope. As we toss candy to the families watching the parade, we want people to know that we see them, care about them, and invite them to taste and see that the Lord is good—even better than the sweet taste of the treats we're sharing. Those of you who will be along the parade route, watching the floats go by will also be representing, not only First Covenant Church but, Jesus Christ himself. Some of you will be wearing the same shirt as those who are in the parade. But all of you are called to "clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 13:14), to let the "message of Christ dwell among you richly" (Colossians 3:16), and bearing the Spirit's fruit of "love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:23). We participate in this parade for three reasons. First, we want to proclaim the good news of the kingdom that comes in Jesus Christ. Second, we want to invite the people of Red Wing into our church community. And third, we just want to participate with our neighbors in our neighborhood activities to show our love for our neighbors. Though we are not of this world, we are still in this world and we choose to walk alongside the people of this world, sharing the hope of Jesus with all as we go. Please be praying for all those involved with the float and that the Holy Spirit would work through our presence in the River City Days Parade.
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AS I AM
As we walk through this summer series titled "As I Am" we are being called by God to "be holy as I am holy." Each week of this series we're exploring a different character trait of God's and how he is developing that same character trait in us. As we do, I invite you to do three things.
STAGE LIGHTING The Full Council is exploring the possibility of upgrading our stage lighting for both the center (preaching) stage and the side (music) stage. This isn't really a matter of "needing to upgrade again" after what we did in 2019. This is more of an area of remodeling that wasn't really done in the first place. Those of you who attend onsite might not notice the need very easily. That's likely because you've gotten accustomed to the way the lighting is in the room and it's a soft home-like experience. And it works. But those of you who watch online can tell the need for this because our video appears blurry and dark and washed out. That's not a problem with the cameras. It's the lighting. In lighting terms the minimum amount of "lux" needed (think brightness) for video is 1000 with 1500-2000 being better. Our current stage lighting is only 200-300 lux (which is probably about the same as your kitchen) using standard led floodlight type fixtures. We need more professional lighting to achieve the brightness that other churches have who do well with their service livestreams. When this upgrade takes place, you'll notice a significant improvement to the quality of the online video and a much brighter experience onsite. Please note, we're not talking about flashing laser lights and smoke and all that. This is just white lighting to brighten up the faces. Giving has been strong this year so we'll likely be able to cover the expenses but if you'd like to financially support that project, your gifts will help us ensure it gets done well. MORE NEW PEOPLE Last week Deanna and I enjoyed hosting half a dozen young couples (with no kids or with one baby) who are new to the church within the last 10 months. We had a great time getting to know each other and making connections. Sarah tells me that she's added 16 new families to our database within the last 8-10 months. Please, make connections with these new people by introducing yourselves and getting to know them. STAY CONNECTED TO YOUR CHURCH
As we all move into the summer with so many opportunities to get out do stuff we couldn't all winter, I'm inviting you to consider making it a priority to stay connected to your church. If you're away, watch the service online. You can always find them on our Livestream page or our YouTube Channel. If you're nearby, try to make it a priority to join us for worship! Summer is also a time when giving tends to go down. Many people only give when they're present. Would you be willing to come up with a way to continue your giving even if you're not here? Your consistent contributions to the mission of this church will help us continue to grow our staff, ministry programs, and missional impact on the Red Wing community. AS I AM Our next preaching series, June through August, is called, "AS I AM: How the Character of God Defines the People of God." In the scriptures, God commands us to "be holy as I am holy." Each week we'll explore a particular character trait of God's and how it blesses us. Then we'll explore how we can develop that character trait in ourselves, with the help of the Holy Spirit, and bless others, as well. If you happen to be away, try to catch us online on our Livestream page or our YouTube Channel. REFLECTIONS ON OUR 150TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION President Rev. Tammy Swanson-Draheim This last Sunday, May 26 2024, we had the honor of hosting Rev. Tammy Swanson-Draheim, President of the Evangelical Covenant Church (our denomination). Pastor Tammy's presence and message were so inspiring to all who were here! She honored First Covenant so well by acknowledging so many important parts of our church's history and the people who were part of it all. I'm so glad so many of you got to hear her message and even meet her. You were all so gracious and encouraging. I'm so thankful for such a great weekend. If you didn't get to see her message, you can watch it on YouTube or on our 150th Anniversary webpage. Superintendent Rev. Kara Stromberg We also had the honor of hosting Rev. Kara Stromberg, Superintendent of the Northwest Conference of Covenant churches on May 05 2024. I've know Pastor Kara for many years and watched her grow from being a children's pastor, to joining the conference staff as the Director of Children and Family to becoming the Associate Superintendent and now as the Superintendent. Kara and I serve on the NWC Ministerial Association's Executive Board together and I truly appreciate her leadership and pastoral heart. Pastor Kara, too, honored our church's 150th Anniversary well and she is such an encouraging person. I'm so thankful that you all have had the opportunity to hear and meet her. If you weren't in church the Sunday she was here, you can watch the service on YouTube or on our 150th Anniversary webpage. |
Pastor JimThese articles are monthly posts from pastor Jim Archives
November 2024
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