Almost Weekly Update

"Paul, in his letter to the Corinthians, defends his ministry to a small, struggling band of Christians. They were on the margins too. Their relationship to the world around them was more similar to ours today, that that of mainline Christianity in its glorious heyday. The Corinthian church lived as a mission outpost in the midst of a host of belief systems, including unbelief, and so do we." - Rev Carol McVetty

Rev. Carol McVetty shared this thought with us in the sermon she preached at the Installation Service at Community Church last Sunday. I have been thinking a lot about these words since then and I believe that Carol speaks rightly. At Reconciler we may have much to offer many congregations who find themselves "returning" to an "outpost" way of being. Why? Well, Reconciler has known nothing else. Our institutional memory is different. Perhaps this is an overstatement, but I have been wondering if the Church should always think of itself as an outpost...as each Christian is a missionary, so too must each church be an outpost.

Lord have mercy. That is a powerful call, brothers and sisters.

Announcements:

Our Bible study begins this coming Tuesday! Come one. Come all. We will be working through acts and reading the Rule of Saint benedict using a book that has daily readings from the rule with a brief reflection by. Our hope is that in the 14 weeks of the bible Study that we will take these reading up as a daily devotional.

Rev. Laura Gottardi-Littell will be joining us again on September 24th as our preacher. Please make an effort to come and hear our Episcopal pastor candidate preach. Also, please note that on September 24 there is another change in our worship schedule. We will be meeting for worship at 5:30 PM in the chapel instead of 6PM due to a concert that is scheduled in the main Sanctuary that evening.

We are holding a "kitchen goods" drive for Sarah's Circle. North Shore Baptist and the Community Church of Wilmette are helping us collect essential kitchen items such as small appliances, pots and pans for Sarah's Circle. For more information, please contact Jeremy John.


-Tripp Hudgins