Fall is officially in full swing, and even though it’s not quite Thanksgiving yet, in a matter of a few days we will have been thrust into winter (because if you haven’t noticed, it’s already the “Christmas Season” in every store in Sacramento!) I actually love, love, love this time of year. It’s my favorite season. I love the cooler weather and I’m a huge fan of the holidays.
This year I have spent a lot of time focusing on Thanksgiving…I was intentional, I didn’t want it to get lost in the rush to Christmas. Every day in November we’ve been making notes on our refrigerator about what we’re thankful for, and it has been a great exercise. It has given my family a concrete forum for our gratefulness. As I think about Sanctuary Church my heart is full and I am grateful. God’s faithfulness abounds. He has provided Rick Hampton to shepard us in this season of transition. Rick has served so well in such a short season. Our ‘be’ ministry has grown this year. We were treated to an incredibly diverse and full calendar of events in 2009. We hung out with each other, we encouraged each other, we served others, and we gave our time and money to help the sick and the poor. Pretty remarkable stuff. Along the way as I engaged in this ministry and poured myself into the lives of women, in return my heart was filled. It’s crazy to think that I have spent a year working with the ‘be’ team (seems like I just got started!). It has been my great privilege. I have been encouraged, prayed for, carried through hard times, and served. I am so thankful for the women of ‘be’!
Going forward my heart is full of hope. I dream of the new ways that God will be at work in our lives and the life of our church family. I can’t wait to see God reveal Himself to us. I am praying faithfully for each of you (I have a list =) As I do, I know that God will be present with you in whatever circumstances you find yourself in…and that He’ll never leave you. If you need prayer for something specific, I hope you’ll e-mail me so that I can lift it up to the Lord (laurie@sanctuary-church.com). Of course, you can always send a confidential request to your own personal team of prayer warriors…the ‘be prayer chain’.
The ‘be’ ministry team has been praying and working diligently to craft ideas for a great calendar of events in 2010. I hope that if you are new to Sanctuary, in 2010 you will settle in and feel at home, and that this ministry will play a part in making that happen. If you have been at Sanctuary for months, or even years, in this moment you may feel disconnected. You might be wondering how you got there…maybe you used to feel right at home and somehow it doesn’t seem the same any more. I hope you will give us a chance to re-connect with you. Make time for us, take a risk and come to a ‘be’ event…or even better, join a team for one of our ‘be’ events! It is my deep desire that our ministry stays focused on the things that really matter: that we are drawn into deep relationship with God, that we learn about who God is and how we can love Him well, and that we are trained and equipped to love others with the profound love God has shown us.
Please share with me what you need. Do you desire to study God’s Word and pray in a small group of women? Do you need accountability? Do you need to learn how to read and study the Bible? Do you want to be more disciplined in prayer? I want to make sure that this ministry is meeting your specific needs, and we can’t do that unless we hear from you. In a couple of days we’re going to be celebrating Thanksgiving…wherever you are, trust that you are on the list of things I am so incredibly grateful for!
Much love,
Laurie
