Weekly Update// Pastor Chris

Dear Asbury Family,

I hope your week has been going well.

I want to start this email by celebrating some donations our congregation recently made.

Earlier this week we made an online donation for Maui wildfire victims in the amount of $2,785. We also cut two checks – one for the Florida United Methodist Children’s Home ($1,893) and the other for the Russell Home ($866). The total amount for all of this was $5,544! Thank you for your generosity! In addition to supporting our operational budget, this church continues to show generosity in other ways. I have great faith that God is going use these funds to touch the lives of many people in need. Again, thank you!

Last week we started a new sermon series on the parables called “Stories Jesus Told.” As I mentioned on Sunday, the English word parable is a transliteration of the Greek word parabola, which means “to cast alongside.” Essentially a parable involves placing two things side by side for comparison. In the parables, Jesus would often place God or the kingdom of God alongside something else, like a shepherd searching for a lost sheep or a woman baking bread, to help explain his spiritual teachings.

 Last Sunday we looked at the parable of the vineyard workers. Our parable for this Sunday involves the farmer who scattered seeds, which is one of eight parables that shows up in all three of the first three Gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke. I hope to see you in worship on Sunday (in person or online) as God uses Pastor Will’s sermon to deepen our understanding of this story.
Since I started this email on a celebratory note, let me also end on one. Right now, we have almost 50 people who have joined the community groups we are launching on September 10. By the way, this count does not include those who are part of existing community groups (formerly called life groups). I can’t wait to see how God is going to use these groups to build community and bring even more life and energy to our church.
Enjoy the rest of your week, and we’ll see you Sunday!
Blessings,

Chris