Faith Alive, May 30th
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
Some exciting changes are coming soon at Faith…and I want you to know about all of them!
When I arrived at Faith in 1998, we did not have a website or e-mail addresses for our staff. Faith member Keith Bauer was instrumental in helping my vision for a church website become a reality. Since we launched our website in July of 1999, over 45,000 people have visited it. Many people eventually joined our congregation as a result of finding us on the World Wide Web. Clearly, this is an important tool for congregations that are serious about outreach and communication in the 21st Century. Our website will soon have a new design. It will have a fresh look on the homepage and will be more user-friendly throughout the site. Please be sure to go to www.faithabq.org and take a look at our new format…and tell your unchurched friends and co-workers about it too.
Our newsletter will also be undergoing some changes. You will notice a full color format with a much higher quality of our various photos. In an effort to be better stewards and to reduce the amount of repetitious information, we will be moving from a bi-weekly to a once-monthly mailing. Many of our members have requested to receive the Faith Alive newsletter electronically with no hardcopies mailed to their homes. This also helps us to be better stewards of our resources with less paper and postage. If you would like to receive the newsletter by electronic format, then please contact the church office and provide your preferred e-mail address (see article on page 2).
As we move into the summer months, our programmatic ministries change focus. Sunday School and Wednesday SALT (Serving and Learning Together) activities go on recess until the fall, while ministries like church camp and VBS (Vacation Bible School) take place. I want to thank the volunteers (over 40 of you!) who have stepped forward to assist with this year‟s VBS. We could not do it without you!
As a reminder, you are invited to worship in comfortable clothes during the summer months. As the heat increases, many of our members feel more comfortable and less distracted from worship without having to wear traditional “church clothes” such as coats, long shirts and ties. As was the case last summer, your pastors will not be wearing albs (robes) at the 8:00 AM Worship Service during the hotter summer months.
As you travel this summer and take time for vacations and recreation, please remember that the life and mission of our congregation continues each week. Please keep your financial pledges and offerings current while you are away. You can simply mail your offerings to the church office and they will be included in the following Sunday‟s total offering. Thanks in advance for doing your part to keep Faith moving forward in obedience to the Lord of the Church!
I hope to see you at Faith this Sunday!
Love in Christ,
Bruce Wilder
Senior Pastor