August Newsletter
Hello Church Family,
July was a bittersweet month of ministry. On July 8th, I was able to attend the third quarterly meeting of the Greater Dayton Association of Baptists. I had a good time of fellowship with the other pastors, and it was great to hear how God is moving in the Dayton metro area. In the middle of the month, Celeste and I were able to take a vacation together that was sorely needed. Pierce stayed with my parents, so we were able to focus on our relationship with each other and getting some desperately needed rest. But when we came back from vacation, I learned that Jeannie Teeters was in hospice and that Alta Marrs was going to start chemotherapy for her lung and brain cancer. Unfortunately, Jeannie passed away, but we were able to host her funeral here at the church and reminisce on the impact she had on so many church members. Alta is stable for now as she undergoes treatment, but I know that she and Charles will covet your prayers in the coming weeks.
But as we look forward to August and the start of the new school year, I am excited about our opportunities to reach out to the surrounding community. Our Back to School Celebration and School Supplies Drive will provide us with some good access points to start building relationships with our neighbors. I hope to meet together with the administrators at Miami East in the near future and to start building my relationship with them. I’m also looking forward to discerning what ministries we can start organizing to coincide with the start of the new academic year. Some of you who were at the business meeting on July 27 received a Mid-Year Questionnaire from me. Part of the questionnaire focused on your personal spiritual health, and my hope is that I can better equip and encourage you in your walk with Christ by understanding where you are presently. The other part of the questionnaire has some questions about possible ministries we could do at the church and what your interest/availability would be for them. If you were not able to attend the business meeting, there are some extra copies of the questionnaire on the table in the sanctuary near the stage. I’m also happy to email you a copy of it if you prefer to receive it in a digital format. If you all can complete those and return them to me as soon as possible, I’d love to get started on ministries that will receive good support.
As we move into August, I’m also looking forward to beginning our new sermon series. We will be studying First, Second, and Third John over the coming months, starting with Third John on August 3. The series will last through the end of November, and we will finish out the year with an Advent series. If you want to follow along with us and study 1-3 John in your own personal Bible reading, please do! These letters have much to teach us today, and I look forward to studying them together. Beyond studying for this series, I will continue meeting with my Practical Shepherding cohort and regularly meeting with Bill Berkheiser.
Thank you for your support church family. I look forward to seeing how God moves in our midst during the second half of 2025.
Pastor Nathan
July was a bittersweet month of ministry. On July 8th, I was able to attend the third quarterly meeting of the Greater Dayton Association of Baptists. I had a good time of fellowship with the other pastors, and it was great to hear how God is moving in the Dayton metro area. In the middle of the month, Celeste and I were able to take a vacation together that was sorely needed. Pierce stayed with my parents, so we were able to focus on our relationship with each other and getting some desperately needed rest. But when we came back from vacation, I learned that Jeannie Teeters was in hospice and that Alta Marrs was going to start chemotherapy for her lung and brain cancer. Unfortunately, Jeannie passed away, but we were able to host her funeral here at the church and reminisce on the impact she had on so many church members. Alta is stable for now as she undergoes treatment, but I know that she and Charles will covet your prayers in the coming weeks.
But as we look forward to August and the start of the new school year, I am excited about our opportunities to reach out to the surrounding community. Our Back to School Celebration and School Supplies Drive will provide us with some good access points to start building relationships with our neighbors. I hope to meet together with the administrators at Miami East in the near future and to start building my relationship with them. I’m also looking forward to discerning what ministries we can start organizing to coincide with the start of the new academic year. Some of you who were at the business meeting on July 27 received a Mid-Year Questionnaire from me. Part of the questionnaire focused on your personal spiritual health, and my hope is that I can better equip and encourage you in your walk with Christ by understanding where you are presently. The other part of the questionnaire has some questions about possible ministries we could do at the church and what your interest/availability would be for them. If you were not able to attend the business meeting, there are some extra copies of the questionnaire on the table in the sanctuary near the stage. I’m also happy to email you a copy of it if you prefer to receive it in a digital format. If you all can complete those and return them to me as soon as possible, I’d love to get started on ministries that will receive good support.
As we move into August, I’m also looking forward to beginning our new sermon series. We will be studying First, Second, and Third John over the coming months, starting with Third John on August 3. The series will last through the end of November, and we will finish out the year with an Advent series. If you want to follow along with us and study 1-3 John in your own personal Bible reading, please do! These letters have much to teach us today, and I look forward to studying them together. Beyond studying for this series, I will continue meeting with my Practical Shepherding cohort and regularly meeting with Bill Berkheiser.
Thank you for your support church family. I look forward to seeing how God moves in our midst during the second half of 2025.
Pastor Nathan
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