What an exciting time in history to be a part of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church. So many exciting things are happening all at once. In the last few years the church has moved to a new location, we have a new Senior Pastor, a (fairly) new Associate Pastor, and a new Associate Pastor in Mark Gearig coming aboard soon. We have recently finished up an awesome sermon series called TRANSFORMED, and, as we have all noticed, the building continues to go through a transformation of its own. Now, having finished the sermon series, each may have chosen an area of life to work on over the next 90 days. Given all of the recent changes, it seems very fitting that these 90 day groups are starting now!

I wanted to highlight a couple of things that tie into the next 90 days. The first is the marriage event that is taking place this weekend. Randy and Monica Zachary from WBGL are coming and sharing their story and also giving practical advice about how to improve your marriage. The event will last from 9am-noon and childcare will be available. I’ve provided a link at the bottom of the blog post where you can go to sign-up. I was speaking with someone recently about the event and she said she wasn’t going to go because her marriage was fine. And that’s great – but this event isn’t just for those marriages that are in trouble. Marriages at any stage can benefit from an event like this. There’s an old saying we’ve all heard a million times: “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!” Couples often wait until issues have been festering for years before they decide to come in for counseling, making the issues even more difficult to resolve. Don’t wait until there are serious problems in your marriage before investing in an event like this. Consider it a check-up for your marriage! This event kicks off the 90-day relational health class on the book The Love Dare, but you don’t have to be doing the 90-day relational health class to come to this event. Everyone is welcome.

Another important ministry beginning is Celebrate Recovery, which launches this Friday (June 10th) at 6:30 p.m. in Room 122 at St. Paul’s. I have been asked about this a lot and I want to clarify again: Celebrate Recovery is for any issue. Many people believe that it is just for individuals with substance abuse issues, but it was truly designed to be a place where anybody struggling with any hurt, habit, or hang-up can find community and seek God to heal them their pain. I have been to several meetings of Celebrate Recovery at other churches and have been blown away by the kindness and openness of individuals who are involved in this ministry.

If you’ve not already prayerfully considered involvement in a 90-day group, consider the Love Dare or Celebrate Recovery. Maybe life is particularly hectic at the moment and you can’t commit to a 90-day class. The marriage event on Saturday is the perfect compromise. Looking forward to all the exciting things happening this weekend and hope to see many of you there!

In His Service,

Jarvis

To learn more about the Marriage Seminar with Randy and Monica Zachary and to register for this free event, go to: https://spldecatur.org/marriage

If you have any additional questions about these events or about counseling, contact Jarvis at 217-423-6955.