On behalf of the Law family, I want to invite you to attend the Celebration of Life for Jean Law.  This special time of remembrance will take place tomorrow, Saturday, June 4th at Parkside Fellowship.  The service will begin at 2:00pm.

Please join us for this special time of remembering the life God gave to Jean and the impact he had on all who knew him.

For those who are unable to attend in-person, the service will be available via livestream.  The livestream will begin at 2:00pm.  Click on the link below to access the service.
https://youtu.be/jLMpNZL6qX8
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There will be a reception in the Fireside Room immediately following the conclusion of the service.

Also, this Sunday at 9:30am, we will finish our short, but powerful "post-card" letter of Jude.  As we will learn this week, Jude's purpose went beyond just condemning false teachers.  His purpose was also to protect the faithful.  In verses 17-23, Jude works to sharpen the discernment of his readers by issuing commands to remember the teachings of the apostles, to keep themselves in the love of God, to have mercy on those who had been deceived by false teachers, and to save those who were being threatened by these false teachers.  Finally, Jude prays for his readers, as he concludes with a hope-filled, confidence building doxology of praise to God, through Jesus, whose power will never end.

After the service, we will launch 2 brand-new Sunday School classes.  Below are the details for each:

Study #1:  Prayer that Moves Heaven
Facilitator:  Martha Bailey
Time:  Sundays at 10:45am

Study #2:  Psalms and Proverbs
Facilitator(s):  Mark Hester and Jonella Malinowski
Time:  Sundays at 10:45am

See you Sunday,

Pastor Doug

Back before cell phones, texting, instagram, snapchat, etc., the only way to let your family and friends experience your vacation with you, was through those familiar "wish you were here" picture postcards.  You know the ones I'm talking about.  A 4x6 overpriced, thick, cardstock quality piece of paper, with a color picture of some exotic location on one side and a brief description on the other side, with just enough room left over for you to write a brief note along with a name and address.  What I loved most about these postcards was the enticement for the recipient to get up and get moving. 

In the spirit of the "postcard from paradise", this Sunday at 9:30am, we are kicking-off a brand new series called, Postcards with a Punch.  What we are going to be doing over the next couple of months is taking a deep dive into some "postcard" type letters from the Bible.  When I say postcard letters from the Bible, what I am referring to are those short books like II and III John, Philemon and others.  As we open these short letters from scripture, what we will quickly realize is that short does not mean insignificant or irrelevant.  In fact, I titled this series, Postcards with a Punch, because each of the books we are going to look at contain passionate language and vivid "postcard worthy" imagery that communicates the urgency to stand up and fight for the faith of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

For the next 3 weeks we will focus our attention on the little book of Jude.  Jude is the second to the last book in the New Testament.  A book often lost in the shadow of its next-door neighbor...the book of Revelation.  But even with just 25 verses and 613ish words, the book of Jude still packs a punch, as the author wastes no time in providing us with a fighter's manual for defending the faith.  In a world where people emphasize love without truth and tolerance without limits, the letter of Jude stands as a timely reminder to stand firm for and even fight for the faith.

Take some time this weekend to read the book of Jude and, in the midst of the call to contend for the faith, don't forget Jude's closing benediction:

"Now all glory to God who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault.  All glory to him who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord.  All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time!  Amen."  Jude 24-25

Also this Sunday at 10:45am, our adult discipleship class will be in week #3 of our study, Keeping It Simple (Spiritual Discipline for a Focused Life).  This week, Martha will lead a workshop on how to prepare your own way of simplicity.  I want to encourage everyone to consider attending and learning about this much lacking, but extremely important discipline.

Below are the class details:

Facilitator:  Martha Bailey
Topic:  Keeping It Simple (Spiritual Discipline for a Focused Life)
When:  Sundays at 10:45am.
Why?:  Because all of us could use a little "simplicity" in our lives.

See you Sunday!

Pastor Doug