March 18, 2022
Dear Prairie Avenue Family,
I recognize some irony in a weekly e-note that has been suspended from publication for a couple of weeks.
And some of this is catch-up and updates.
Worship This Sunday:
Reclaiming Our Call: Purpose & Possibility
This Sunday we continue our Lenten Worship Series: Reclaiming Our Call. We began with origin stories, the earliest parts of our identity as they were received by God as the creator. We continued to explore our call through our identity, what we gather we tend to become. There may be ways we can deceive ourselves, but no matter how much we try to cloak or conceal, our true nature, the fruit of ourselves comes into view in a full season. Bad trees do not give good fruit. Good trees cannot produce bad fruits.
But we cannot grow and become without a purpose or plan to follow. Often we encounter barriers, limitations, and pain on the journey. The world groans, we bicker and complain, and look at our circumstances or situation as if God has either abandoned us to these struggles or cruelly set us up for failure and defeat. As Paul is writing to churches in Rome, they are confronting both internal strife and external threats and powers. There is a division within the Jewish Christian and Gentile Christian communities, with each group looking at the other with suspicion and prejudice regarding its relationship with God. There are threats from rulers and powers, perhaps even with heavenly origins (angels were not seen as kind) trying to thwart God's purpose and plan. God's righteous redemption work will not be stopped nor hindered. Both Jews and Gentiles have fallen short of the glory of God, their true nature, and worth. But God's relentless and irresistible love for us has overcome every hindrance, expressed in by God giving his love by handing over Jesus to death and resurrection. Whatever makes us feel condemned or alienated has been (and is) rejected. Whatever makes us look to condemn others is likewise rejected.
We may fail to see the outrageous generosity of God, but our purpose is clear: to love Jesus and to do something about it. And whatever (and whoever) stands against it will not endure, resist, or withstand forever.
It would be easy for us to sigh, groan, complain in our circumstances, but to recognize that our circumstances can never separate us from God's love should inspire us to dream again, to seek again, to reach again, and to share again.
Invite A Friend to Worship This Weekend:
Join us in person each Sunday at 8 am or 9:30 am
On-demand on YouTube (Sermon only) anytime.
SERVE SATURDAY TOMORROW
I am excited about the start of our regular service Saturday tomorrow! Les Ruffner, our past board chair, has arranged some clean-up work for a few of our basement places. Since the weather is not cooperating on the outside this weekend, there is always work to do in sorting, cleaning, and clearing many of the spaces we only rarely use but have become collector sites.
We will work from 8 am to Noon.
There will be coffee and pastries.
It will be fun.
You may make discoveries you never knew about Prairie Avenue.
I am still looking for a Serve Saturday coordinator who can contact community organizations, social service agencies, and other groups who need help and have service opportunities scheduled on Saturday mornings. If you might be interested, please let me know.
WEEK OF COMPASSION SPECIAL OFFERING UPDATE
And now these three remain- faith, hope, and Love. But the greatest of these is Love.
1 Cor. 13:13
Thank you for your generosity in giving to the relief, refuge, and development ministry of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)! I challenged regular contributors to make a special offering with a 90% participation rate. There are 17 regular contributors to Prairie Avenue, and we are thankful to 10 (59%) who have already responded! We need an additional 4 to join in participating in whatever amount and size of the gift. To date, we have received $304.27 Our Giving Goal is $600.
SECURITY UPDATE
Most of you are aware of the burglary that happened last month where most of our audio and video equipment (including live streaming capability) were stolen. Some of the items were recovered at a local pawn store. The suspects have been identified. One has been charged. Our items are in the custody of the Decatur Police Department but have not been returned. There is no update as to when these items will be released.
This past week, ADT installed motion and door sensor equipment on the building. Wires have been run for the cameras, but they have yet to schedule their next service day to complete the work. The service is active. Our janitor staff and frequent off-hour members have codes to disable the system. Most members should not need access to the security system, as most activities (and open hours) will have it disabled.
