I have three things I want to mention to you regarding things happening within and around the church.

1)    The Evangelism Committee of the church has been in the process of reflecting on a vision and mission for evangelism in our church.  While the Session has not yet been asked to embrace this statement as a focus of ministry for this committee (and the church), that will be happening soon.  The mission the Evangelism committee is tentatively working with is:

Our mission is to create an environment where our church members will want to tell a story of their journey with God. 

What I like about this statement is that it is clear, concise, and encompasses something that is the responsibility of every Christian.  You will hear more about this as time goes by.  And I hope you will find yourself responding to this mission as the Evangelism Committee helps all of us do what this mission statement says.

2) The Church Fabric Committee continues to meet.  We have appointments scheduled for this month with two different architects to discuss our next act in our goal of refurbishing our church building.  We hope to have bids for this project by this summer.  We may also re-invite a couple of other architects to present proposals for our proposed work.

 The committee is currently leaning toward a direction of having a “Master Plan” developed for the church which will lead us in doing work around the building.  Such a plan will encompass an assessment of the critical structures of the church (such as electrical, structural, plumbing, and accessibility).  Many of you will find yourselves asked to reflect on the direction of ministry in our congregation as we seek to envision a way to use this space we have been given to do the ministry we feel called to do.

Be sure to ask the members of this committee what we are doing and how we are moving ahead.  The current members are: Ben Lohman, Ann Langlinais, Dodi Hendley, Alice Carter, Bruce Faulk, and Sam Lanham.

3) Remember that there is a workday scheduled for the Carlsbad Transitional House at 403 N. Mesquite.  We will meet this Saturday, April 5, at 8 a.m.  We will be doing general maintenance around the house, so bring lawn tools, paint brushes, work gloves, and a willingness to tackle the projects that need your attention as we prepare for our new client.

Of course, there are lots of activities which maintain a place on the calendar of our life together in the church.  I hope you will involve yourself in those which engage you in your faith journey.

Gracefully,

Sam