Friends in Faith—
Wind gusts reached up to 60 miles per hour in some of Sacramento’s neighborhoods …
That was quite a storm last night! This is a photo I took this morning from the cul-de-sac where my apartment is located (in "The Pocket" neighborhood, by the greenbelt). I'm sure my neighborhood looks a lot like yours—branches of all sizes and plant debris just about everywhere. A few cars on our street suffered shattered windshields due to fallen limbs. Most of us lost power and some might still be without it.
Last night's storm was yet another experience among many recently that reminds us all just how chaotic this world can be. Things can change in an instant, and we often feel like tiny leaves being blown to and fro by powerful forces well beyond our control. And yet, today, we try to pick up the mess and move forward with our lives as best we can. Our faith remains a profound stabilizing force in our lives despite whatever comes our way. This is our theme for Sunday's worship and our text will be from Romans 8:31-39.
We hope you'll join us for our Facebook Live service this Sunday at 10:20 a.m. Our Zoom worship service then begins shortly thereafter—usually around 11:10 a.m. The links for these worship services (as well as for our Tuesday Zoom Bible studies [at 11 a.m.] and our Wednesday Zoom Check-ins [also at 11 a.m.]) can all be found by clicking here. Normally, our Zoom service is more informal; we like to discuss a faith question or two, and then spend time in prayer. This Sunday's question is, "What are you sure of … in your life, in the world, in your faith?"
UPDATES:
Maria Mar, our wonderful office manager, is on vacation this week so do note that the office is closed until Monday, February 1.
Our book study group that has been discussing Ibrahim Kendi's "How to Be an Antiracist" plans to reconvene in February; please stay tuned for the dates of our sessions and consider joining us for this meaningful time together!
I am going to be sharing joys as concerns as a part of our weekly e-mail news now. If you have news for our church family that you would like to share, please reach out to myself or Maria and let us know. Also, whenever you share a joy or a concern, please be sure to tell us if the information is confidential or not; we never want to inadvertently share anything that wasn't supposed to be shared. This information will not be posted on the website.
Our prayers continue to be are with members, friends, and loved ones who are struggling with health concerns
Loving God, hear our prayers for healing, care, and hope for all.
Blessings,
Jesse
