Lakeside Community Presbyterian Church

Now, a year later, it feels like things are in more of a normal time and normal routine. Not exactly like it was before COVID but families have returned from long overdue vacations and schools are back in session. There are still some cautionary protocols and everything isn’t back to the way it was pre-COVID (it might not ever get back to that way!) but it is good to be back into the routines of late August and September.

At church, we are making plans for the Fall and the 2022/23 year that feel a bit more normal too. Ministries are preparing for events and Bible studies are starting back. I am also excited about a theme that we will have throughout the year. That theme is Prayer. You will learn more details about what we in Session have been discussing and some of the things that will be taking place but for now, know that prayer will be an important part of our church’s life throughout the rest of 2022 and into 2023. Be looking out for the September LCPC Connections Newsletter for some of the events that will surround this theme.

Sorry for another baseball analogy but I am a baseball fan, so here you go!

It is always exciting when a player in baseball comes up to bat and is able to hit a homerun. The player loves it, the team loves it and the fans love it. We dig the long ball and the homerun can be the difference between winning and losing.

But there are some other subtle things in a baseball game that are nearly as important. For example, when a player can hit the ball to a certain part of the field to advance a runner from first-base to second-base, it gets that runner into scoring position. This is important, because the next batter can then hit a single and that player on second-base can score. It is a small, almost insignificant part of the game, but it can play huge dividends to the outcome, maybe even be the reason why a team wins or loses.

The same can be true at church. We get excited when there is a large crowd, when the music moves our spirit, or when a pastor’s sermon motivates us to do something for Christ. Those moments in church are important and they can make a big difference in people’s lives.

But there are also some other subtle things that take place at church that are nearly as important. The prayers of people, both while they are at home and while they are at church, can play a huge role in church life. The smile of a person serving coffee or nice greeting to a stranger can change a person’s outlook for that day, maybe even give them hope while facing a difficulty in their life.

I write this because we as a church truly need each other. We are all on the same “team,” doing the “big” and the “little” things to help our church be healthy and growing. These things are happening and I want you to know that people appreciate the big and little things that each of you do.

My prayer is that you would continue to do your part, however big or small, to help us to continue to be the place where people meet Christ, grow in their relationship with Him and we become the church that He wants us to be.

Have a great rest of the week and know that I am praying for you.

The buzz on the streets of San Diego is that the Padres made trades for three baseball players that will no doubt, bring a World Series championship to the city of San Diego. Juan Soto, Josh Bell, Brandon Drury and Josh Hader are new Padre baseball players and everyone is excited (not this Pastor who is a Dodger fan!). People are ready to go to the games, to see the new players, and to cheer for a Padre victory.

I suspect that a similar kind of buzz and excitement took place as Jesus traveled with His disciples through the towns and villages of Galilee, north to Caesarea Philippi, then northwest to the region of Tyre and in the area of the Decapolis. People were buzzing with excitement. Healings were taking place, people were freed from evil spirits and Jesus’ teachings struck-a-cord with the populous. He was speaking to them and there was a sense of freedom in what He taught. They must have wondered, “Could this truly be the Messiah?”

We have been working our way through the Gospel of Mark during our Sunday sermon series looking at the person of Jesus, who He claimed to be and what He did. I have been excited to learn things about Jesus that I have never seen before.

So, I hope that you can join us, either in person or on-line, as we continue to discover who Jesus was and is.

Also, this Sunday is the first Sunday of the month so we will be taking communion during the worship service. If you are going to be at home and unable to attend, you can still participate by getting the elements of bread and fruit of the vine and following along during the service.

Have a great rest of the week and I look forward to seeing many of you this Sunday!