Experiencing Joy

I am hopeful summer soon "leaves" us for good and we some fall weather! Fall is also an exciting time of year for reasons beyond the weather. It's the traditional time to consider one's place within the church and think of how one can grow in faith over the next year. We become more aware of the resources and responsibilities God gives to us, and joyfully use them for God's glory. We're called to be good, faithful stewards of those gifts, and when we commit to the church as members we promise to support it with our prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness. October is the month we'll discuss how exactly we do that at Oak Lawn. You'll hear multiple messages across different media from our inspired stewardship team members:

*  Lynn and Jim Parsons (co-chairs)
*  Scott Collen
*  Lillian Lawson
*  Byron Proutt
*  Elaine Tricoli
*  Delena Watson

The theme of this year's stewardship emphasis is "Experiencing Joy." We'll learn about the joy we receive as a gift of of the Lord through grace, and how that joy is lived out in our lives.
We'll learn about experiencing joy in the next sermon series:

*  October 7: Experiencing Joy
*  October 14: Experiencing Joy through our Commitments
*  October 21, Commitment Sunday: Experiencing Joy for the Future

We'll discuss experiencing joy at dessert and coffee meetings at my house:

*  Monday, October 1
*  Monday, October 8
*  Wednesday, October 17

Meetings will begin at 6:30 and last less than an hour. Transportation is available if needed. Please RSVP to one of those dates (reply to this email) so Christy will know how many delicious desserts to make-- and I'll know how much to pad the numbers so there will be plenty of leftovers!

One of my favorite all-time "church postcards" shows a kid being hauled in to church by his dad's hand, firmly tugging on the kid's collar. The caption read, "Church doesn't have to be a drag." Well, stewardship doesn't have to be a drag either!
The goal of the stewardship team, and the overall effort, is to promote an understanding of our role as stewards, and the joy we receive as we grow into God's vision for us-- as a church and as individuals. My personal hope is that this time of year becomes one we expect with as much anticipation as we do for Easter and Christmas. Are you ready to experience joy?

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