Weekly Update | June 24th
Good Afternoon Church,
I want to thank you for providing me with a few days off last week. Darlene’s parents were in town. We enjoyed several fishing trips and a couple of good sunsets in the boat. The girls swam (unintentionally) with a nurse shark who stole a fish from Doug’s (Darlene’s dad) speargun. Our time was restful and prepared me to reengage in ministry with increased faith and vigor.
Missionary Report
I thought it would be good to use this week’s update to celebrate a few ministry successes with you, so that we can praise the Lord together for His work in our church. While Darlene’s parents were with us on Wednesday night, Pastor Doug shared with our congregation about his experience on the mission field in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. It was an enjoyable time and reminded me that we need to continue praying for our missionaries.
Sunday Morning Worship
We’ve entered our third week of onsite worship services. It’s been an interesting process and I am thankful for everyone’s hard work as we continue to adapt to constantly changing circumstances. Thank you for your patience as we make policy changes in order to abide by recent mandates from local, county, and state authorities. It feels somewhat chaotic, but we have the assurance that our Lord is in control. We will continue to make wise decisions while trusting in Him.
Vacation Bible School
As I write this update, our Virtual VBS has come to a close. This year we offered a five-day VBS delivered virtually via social media platforms. Each registered child received a bag containing everything they needed to participate in the VBS activities. We had 63 children register and 25 volunteers helped us make it a tremendous success! Our virtual platform made it possible for children to participate locally, across the state of Florida, in California, and as far away as Alaska! We look forward to providing the church with a full report and to celebrate God’s work through this year’s VBS in the near future.
Sunday School
If you haven’t had a chance to participate in our virtual Sunday School classes, I encourage you to do so. We have a class for everyone. You may engage in the class when they are premiered on Youtube and Facebook every Sunday morning, or watch them any time after we premier them. We have a wonderful group of teachers. Get connected today!
These are good days church. The Lord has answered our prayers for this season of ministry to be a fruitful one. Our God is GOOD and He is FAITHFUL. I am encouraged by your steadfast service to Him and CAN’T WAIT to see what He does next at Fifth Street!
In His Service,
Pastor Josh
