Dear BPC Family,
I hope that you have been having a fantastic summer! Our own family has done a little traveling and is getting ready for a “Staycation” with plenty of things to do close to home. In the Summer, our daily and weekly routines slip into a different kind of rhythm, which we welcome. We do, however, have our sights set on a return to school and the daily and weekly rhythms that will be back in place come Fall.
At Bedford Presbyterian Church, we have our sights set on the Fall, as well. . . specifically Sunday September 13, which is our “FALL Welcome Sunday.” Join us for worship at 10 AM and for a wonderful time of fun, fellowship, and food after worship. Come and learn about how you can get involved in the life of BPC and get to know your church family better. A great FALL Welcome kickoff sets us up for the regular rhythms of church.
One of the things that should happen with a somewhat regular rhythm in the life of a congregation is a time of self-examination and taking stock of who we are and what we are called to do. The Presbytery calls this process a “Mission Study.” The last time this took place at Bedford Presbyterian Church was in 2012 and the results of that study were helpful in the search process that brought me here to be your Co-Pastor in 2013. I had intended to lead us through a similar process in 2020 after Pastor Karen Hagy retired, but the pandemic derailed those plans.
This Fall, we will be taking time to do some self-assessment using a process called “Good Futures.” Our BPC Good Futures Team will be asking some thoughtful questions of the whole congregation – questions that are designed to start a conversation. We will be using time in the Sunday worship services and inviting input from our online congregation as well. We will be providing multiple ways to think, dream, and celebrate who we are as a church – looking toward where God is leading us as a congregation and how God is calling us to serve. What is inspiring you about BPC? What is unique about BPC? What is giving you hope about BPC? What do you hope to see in the future?
Let’s get ready for the Good Future that God has in store for us! See you in church!
Grace and Peace,
Pastor John
Prepare for Worship
This Week: “Ecclesia Reformata, Semper Reformanda” (Foundations of Presbyterian Polity – Part 8)
Read Romans 12:1-2
Read Matthew 5:38-48 – Read the whole of Matthew Chapter 5 and count how many times Jesus says, “You have heard that it was said. . . But I say to you. . .”
Read Philippians 1:3-11
Read or sing Hymn # 692 – “Spirit, Open My Heart”