Pastor’s Note 02/02/2024
“And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,
18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people,
to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.”
Ephesians 3:17 & 18
As we turn the page on the first month of the New Year, I want to ask how are you doing?
For me, it has been a hard start to the year. A lingering cold, the loss of friends in ministry, paying bills from Christmas, worries about the weather and concerns about the war in the Middle East have all made me feel a bit overwhelmed. It makes me wonder what the rest of the year going to be like!
One exercise for helping us through trying times is to nourish our souls by growing deeper roots in Christ. As our roots grow deeper in the love of Christ, we are able to deal with the difficulties of life. Our roots grow deep when we “abide in Christ” and we abide in Christ by reading His Word. Let me encourage you to look for a Bible Reading Plan that we help you read God’s Word. There are plenty of resources out there that can help you do this. If you want some guidance in choosing one, I would love to help you do that.
So let your roots grow deep in Christ, in order for you to “grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.”
Pastor’s Note 01/25/2024
We as Presbyterians say that we are a connected church. We are connected to other Presbyterian Churches that are a part of the Presbytery of San Diego, doing ministry in Jesus’ Name throughout San Diego and Imperial Counties. The Presbytery helps each church to share the love of Jesus in their particular community through a variety of resources and spiritual support. The Presbytery also is a great resource for pastors as they seek advice for ministry or direction for new ministries in their community. The Synod of Southern California & Hawaii is another resource for churches. In the past, LCPC has applied for grants for financial help through the Synod.
Every year our church makes a contribution to the Presbytery and the Synod to help with the mission of the Presbytery & Synod which is called a “per capita.” This year, the Presbytery is asking each church of the Presbytery to make a contribution of $32.95 for each member of their church, to help with the mission and ministry of the Presbytery and the Synod of Southern California & Hawaii.
It would be a huge help for each member of the LCPC to make an extra contribution of $32.95 (feel free to round it up to $33.00) for our per capita contribution. If you are able, place your extra gift of $33 (or $66 for couples that are members) in an envelope with the words, “per capita,” on the envelope. It would also help if you write the words “per capita” on the memo line of your check.