May 14, 2015

 

Dear MLEPC Members and Friends:

 

Sunday, May 24, is Pentecost Sunday. As you may know from the second chapter of the book of Acts, at the first Christian Pentecost God poured out His Holy Spirit on the early church. The third Person of the Holy Trinity came with power upon the people. Even to this day, everyone who enjoys a living relationship with the Lord is a recipient of the Spirit who continues to encourage us to faith and good works.

 

What sort of good works? Well, primary among them is the call to "reach outward to the world in witness and service." Jesus told the disciples that they would receive power when the Holy Spirit came to them, and they would be His witnesses in "Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8). A quick reading of the entire book of Acts reveals this trajectory. The early Christians proclaim Jesus right there in the capital city of Jerusalem. They then move out with the gospel throughout out Palestine. Finally, the Good News goes on the road to places like Asia Minor, Macedonia, Achaia, Rome, and beyond. The circle simply becomes larger and larger.

 

We are called to be a part of this ever-extending circle of witness to Jesus Christ, too. We are called to His mission. The cutting edge language these days is that of being a "missional church." In fact, the word "missional" is still so new that my word processor underlines it in red--meaning that it thinks I've misspelled something! Being missional simply means meeting the Great Commandment mandate for our day. It means reaching out to the South Hills of Pittsburgh, to locations in our country, and to the ends of the earth.

 

At MLEPC, we are joyfully committed to this calling. Our next "Jerusalem" mission to the South Hills will be Mission Possible 8--our week-long outreach to our own community, July 11-19. Our "Judea and Samaria" for this summer is represented by sending our youth on a missions trip to Washington, DC to serve the needy and share the gospel. And our "ends of the earth" is marked by our ongoing partnership with the believers in East Kano, Kenya, as they announce Jesus Christ.

 

On Pentecost Sunday, along with our usual Sunday offering, we shall receive a special Pentecost Missions Offering. This is our gift that goes above and beyond our typical tithes and offerings. Some call it "second mile giving." One-third of this offering will be directed toward Mission Possible 8; one-third toward the youth and Washington, DC, and one-third toward Kenya. I ask you to begin praying now about how you will support our missional commitment this summer through these three opportunities. I encourage us all to be generous. After all, Jesus sent us His Spirit at Pentecost for the very reason that we should reach outward to the world in witness and service.

 

Let's continue to be His church on a mission!

 

Pastor Tim

  

++++  

 

 

The church will be redesigning and updating our website this summer.  We want YOUR feedback!  Please take a minute to complete our brief survey.  We value your opinions.     

   

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/PNWMHWC