P.J.'s September 2012 Blog

Dear Friends, Greetings to you in the powerful name of Jesus the Christ! THE STORY has been put on hold until January of 2013 so that we can continue a conversation on POWER SURGE. I encourage you to participate in this very important conversation that will take place each Sunday morning – starting on September 16th – during the Sunday School hour in Herbie’s Café. Each Sunday morning I will be preaching on one of the Marks of Discipleship that Michael Foss sees as being very important for the future of the church. September 16 Matthew 18:21-35 PoWeR SuRGe: Flying Blind September 23 Luke 18:1-8 PoWeR SuRGe: P for Prayer September 30 Hebrews 10:19-25 PoWeR SuRGe: W for Worship October 7 2 Timothy 3: 14-17 PoWeR SuRGe: R for Read October 14 Matthew 25: 31-46 PoWeR SuRGe: S for Serve October 21 I Thessalonians 1: 1-10 PoWeR SuRGe: R for Relationships October 28 Malachi 3: 8-12 PoWeR SuRGe: G for Give November 4 Luke 7: 18-23 PoWeR SuRGe: Commitment Michael Foss said this in his book, “Christian leaders are looking for new, dynamic, and effective ways of being the church, ways that are faithful to the call of God and that will energize them and their ministries. Pastors and lay leaders are longing for a spiritual spark to ignite the passions of God’s people once again. This deep longing on the part of Christian leaders is accompanied by a growing sense of urgency, a growing sense that the time may be running out on American Protestantism.” Consider the following: *91 percent of all households own at least one Bible. *80 % of adults name the Bible as the most influential book in human history. *Yet, only 38 % of adults read the Bible in any given week. *Only 24% of adults volunteer to help a church. *96% of adults believe in God. *Yet 39% say Jesus did not have a physical resurrection. *61% say that the Holy Spirit is not real. What is going on here? How has this happened? And what can we do about it? It is time for a new vision of what it means to be part of the body of Christ, the church in the world. Join us on Sunday mornings as we discover together the six Marks of Discipleship in our own personal walk of faith and in the mission of Atonement Lutheran Church! See you at Herbie’s Café! In Christ, Pastor Jim Gerth (P.J.)