Dr. Will Cotton will preach at the 9:40 and 11 am worship services this Sunday. Rev. Katie Meek will preach at the 8:30 am service. Jennifer Harvill will be providing special music at the Sanctuary services. The Source , our weekly devotional guide, is available on the church website . 

Please join us in worship this Sunday at  8:30 am (Sanctuary), 9:40 am (FLC), or 11 am (Sanctuary). 

The truth is I first heard about the acronym FRAN (Friends, Relatives, Acquaintances and Neighbors) about thirty years ago. I still like it as a way to practically build relationships so that we can share the life-changing, world-changing good news of Christ - the mission for which we exist. The way we do that has changed as we reach folks in our time. While the role of good preaching and competitive programming for children and youth are still important, the aspects of excellent and relevant music in a variety of styles, building community through intentional welcome and care, and creating authentic friendship and involvement in outreach beyond the church walls have increased. In the end, faith is still shared one-to-one first outside the walls, but now the lead time before those we share with try out the church can be much longer.  Patience is crucial.

So who are the people in your circle that are your version of FRAN? Why not form a prayer list of those persons? As you pray for them, God will sensitize you to their needs and the ways you can build your relationship with them or share faith. It can be as simple as sending a text or e-mail or inviting them to your child or grandchild's baptism, or reaching out to them when you know of a special need. Let it be easy and natural. Genuineness is even more crucial than patience. 

During the days of the Sadducees and the Pharisees, there was another reform group that was flourishing. They were the Essenes. Their key emphasis was a passion for preserving God's Word, many which archaeologists discovered in the community of Qumran. Biblical scholarship is deeply indebted to the work of the Essenes. But they disappeared within a generation. Why? They believed that Christ was going to return in their lifetime, so they decided not to marry or have children. Their passionate faith had no next generation. How will you and I share our faith with FRAN in this generation? The fields have never been whiter for the harvest.