March begins our journey towards Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday. This Sunday, we start a new sermon series focused on the final week of Christ’s life. Often, we celebrate Palm Sunday and Easter but the things “in the middle” get missed. Therefore, our goal this year is to spend some time looking at the events of Holy Week. What happened, what was said and what does it mean for us, the followers of Jesus Christ? We hope this becomes an important part of your Lent Season.
Before we get into that journey, I want to say thanks for all the help we received during the February Global Emphasis. Over the past four Sundays we watched, listened and participated in learning moments from Guatemala as well as other CLA partners. We prayed sincerely. We listened to God’s Word as it taught and exhorted us, God’s Church, towards the priority of our purposes. Mission is at the heart of God and the coming of Jesus Christ. I want to thank CLA’s Missions Committee, Pastor Sheldon, his new ministry assistant Debora Ribeiro, the Lindberg family and all the volunteers who helped make the Sundays and events of the past month meaningful for our four campuses. I want to especially thank all those who sponsored tables at the Gala, those who attended and helped raise $75,000 last Saturday. It was a beautiful evening. Perhaps a new tradition?
To update our financial goals, to let you know where we are at as February comes to a close; to date, not including month end giving, for General Missions $30,000 and Guatemala Mission Project $150,000. We are so grateful for your participation and offering! These numbers will continue to climb as our final gifts come in. If you have not had a chance to give a mission offering yet, please do so. Each gift is so important as it releases both faith in God and His ability to bless you. Simply go to our website, click give, and in the drop-down menu, click on Guatemala Project, and contribute. No gift is too small.
God’s intension is to bless the nations of the world through CLA. We are, through Christ, the fulfillment of Abraham’s call. There are times when we fall short, when we repent and start again. We are Christ’s witnesses through our lifestyle, that is our speech, how we treat people and the purity of our Christian ethics (especially when it comes to honesty, sexual purity, and high standard for loving all people). Nothing hinders the mission of God like hypocrisy and moral failure. But we are also called to pass on the teachings of Christ to the next generation, “Go and make disciples, teaching them to obey”. As Pastor Sheldon said last week; we must continue to pray, to give and to go. Let’s not forget the important lessons learned this month. May God bless you in your personal witness, in our corporate witness, and in our global footprint. This weekend in Langley we will be praying over the students leaving for the Thailand STM during Spring Break.
