Greetings Church Family,
I pray that this mailing finds you and yours well. Be assured that you are much loved and remain in the daily prayers of our church staff and leadership teams.
Once again I want to say thank you to everyone who joined a Facebook Live or ZOOM broadcast this past week. To date over 900 people have viewed or interacted with one of the broadcasts. It is truly is amazing to see how God is using these digital gatherings to advance His kingdom work. My prayer continues to be that God will bless and powerfully use these live and on demand broadcasts to provide connecting points, encouragement, personal spiritual growth and disciple making opportunities for all who tune in
.
In the prayer and proclamation worship broadcast, FB Live 10:30am, we saw how God uses circumstances like these to “prune” those who are bearing fruit for the kingdom so that they will produce even more fruit. (John 15) We further discovered that the fruit Jesus is referring to is likely “inner fruit”...things like justice, mercy, love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
For many of us, things that we have previously invested massive amounts of time in have been temporarily taken away, leaving us more, and quality, time to spend with Jesus...reading His Word and in prayer. It allows precious time for silence and solitude. It allows us time to listen to God and think about these inner fruits in our lives and how we are sharing this fruit with others.
One of my prayers for each of you is that during this “home” time, you will see Jesus more clearly, love Him more dearly and follow Him more nearly.
Thinking about prayer, Rachael Moore’s (Bristol and Emmalee) mother passed away this week following terminal cancer. We also continue to remember Jim Helton as he is recovering from recent surgery; Suzie Watterson following shoulder surgery and Gene Roach who is still dealing with pulmonary issues. Several others in our church family are experiencing various degrees of illness and need our prayers.
Know that there are many prayer warriors in Riverchase Baptist Church. Please don’t hesitate to let us know how we can pray for you as well as those in our community. You may email your requests to
me
or click
here
to submit a prayer request via our website.
Beyond prayer, we have church members that have volunteered to run errands for those needing assistance. If anyone needs someone to pick up and deliver a prescription or groceries, please let
Becky
or one of our
ministers
know and we will make the connections.
Other current service opportunities include a group of volunteers who are knitting masks for medical workers. If you would like to help meet this need contact
Elizabeth Messer
for more information and instructions.
The best way to stay connected to each other and to our broadcasts or FaceBook Page.
I also want remind everyone again that we have added a new after-hours emergency phone line for our membership to leave a message for our ministers. Members may dial 205-565-8359 and leave a text or voice message. The system will then alert the ministers of the text or voice message and we will return a call as soon as possible. Note also that
Becky Jones
, our Office Manager, is answering calls to the church office during regular office hours from home.
Some have asked when we plan to gather together again. With so many things remaining unknown at this time, we are just not sure. My prayer is Palm Sunday, Holy Week or Easter Sunday. Join me and our leadership in prayer for wisdom, guidance and grace as we listen to state and local officials and follow their recommendations.
I am glad we are family and that we are in this thing together. I love you and I am honored to serve as your Pastor. Give me a shout if you need anything.
Peace, Hope, Love, Joy and Jesus to all!
