Lenten blessings to you!

Dear Congregation,

Lenten blessings to you! I was glad to participate in the Imposition of Ashes with you Wednesday evening in what turned out to be an intimate, meaningful time. I think it’s good and healthy for us to be reminded that life really is a journey, one with a beginning and an end. It’s up to us to make the most of our time, knowing that it’s precious. We all can lose sight of what’s important and turn away from God, but we also have the assurance that God yearns for us to return.

As I’ve been preparing for Lent, I pulled out from my bookshelf some of my resources that I’ve accumulated over the years. Two of these paperbacks are titled, “Breathing New Life into Lent: A Collection of Creative Worship Resources”, Volumes One and Two. That title made me think that it’s not just important to breathe new life into Lent, through which many of us have traveled for so many years, but for us here at CCC to take up the challenge to breathe new life into the church.

Breath is life, scripture tells us. Because of the upcoming sale of the physical property, we are standing at the doorway into a future that is full of possibilities we can only imagine. We know we are a mission and Social Justice embracing church and that makes my heart glad. But I hope we don’t lose sight of the fact that Jesus’ strong encouragement was and is that we make disciples. That is one of the very important aspects of the church that makes us different from social service agencies. We are commissioned by Jesus to share the good news of God’s kingdom by all means possible, using words if necessary.

Each of you has a part to play in CCC’s future. I encourage you to make your involvement in the church a priority. With, by our best estimate 51 or 52 members, each person is important and needed. I hope to be with you in the new day that is coming, and I pray that each of you will be here for worship Sunday, followed by our Annual Meeting. You are the church!

In Christ’s love,

Pastor Candy