Trying to See (through the Eyes of Jesus)

Our Journey through the Bible continues. We completed the Old Testament; we traveled briefly through the “intertestamental period” between the Old Testament times and New Testament times. And now we have moved into and through the Gospel of Matthew.

Matthew frames Jesus clearly. He’s the Messiah, the fulfillment of Old Testament hopes, the new Moses, and the proclaimer of a new law for a new day. He calls on his followers to see the world differently, to live with others more gracefully, and to follow God more faithfully.

This past Sunday in our Sanctuary service, we delved further into hard words and difficult teachings of Matthew: “deny yourself; take up your cross; follow me.”

In many ways these words represent a summary of the latter part of this Gospel. What do they have to say to us today? These are tough concepts for any day, but especially now with all of our divided society and divisive rhetoric. What is it from Jesus’ words that speaks to us now? If you missed us in person or livestreaming, please visit our website as we do our best to learn from and rise this challenge Jesus places before us.

In the meantime, I’d like to share again a very unusual poem by Brian Bilston. I read this at the conclusion of my sermon that you can view online. Keep in mind, this reading comes in the context of our contention that Jesus isn’t just turning things upside down. He is trying to turn them right-side up!

Therefore, read the poem through first as it is written, knowing that it articulates a clear understanding of a certain perspective and a particular type of person represented in these words. Then read it again, only this time, backwards. You’re in for a surprise, and hopefully a valuable lesson (I’ve actually transcribed the reverse reading for you, too, if you prefer to read it the second time through in a more normal way).

See this as a creative illustration of upside down right-side up workings that Matthew places before us. 

REFUGEES 

by Brian Bilston

They have no need of our help

So do not tell me

These haggard faces could belong to you or me

Should life have dealt a different hand

We need to see them for who they really are

Chancers and scroungers

Layabouts and loungers

With bombs up their sleeves

Cut throats and thieves

They are not

Welcome here

We should make them

Go back to where they came from

They cannot

Share our food

Share our homes

Share our countries

Instead let us

Build a wall to keep them out

It is not okay to say

These are people just like us

A place should only belong to those who are born there

Do not be so stupid to think that

The world can be looked at a different way

(Now read bottom to top)

The world can be looked at a different way

Do not be so stupid to think that

A place should only belong to those who are born there

These are people just like us

It is not okay to say

Build a wall to keep them out

Instead let us

Share our countries

Share our homes

Share our food

They cannot

Go back to where they came from

We should make them

Welcome here

They are not

Cut throats and thieves

With bombs up their sleeves

Layabouts and loungers

Chancers and scroungers

We need to see them for who they really are

Should life have dealt a different hand

These haggard faces could belong to you or me

So do not tell me

They have no need of our help

 

Trying to see through the eyes of Jesus, let us see ourselves in a different light, even as we see others as Jesus would see them.

Bless you my friends. And thanks again for the honor of sharing life with you.

 

Learning to Be Wise

Does not wisdom call, and does not understanding raise her voice … Take my instruction instead of silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold; for wisdom is better than jewels, and all that you desire may not compare with her (Proverbs 8:1; 10).

Living between 276 and 194 B.C., Eratosthenes was the chief librarian of Alexandria.  This was definitely the place to be if you were searching for knowledge. It was the storehouse of virtually all of the documents, manuscripts, and letters that were of any importance in the ancient world. And it was Eratosthenes who oversaw this vast collection of wisdom, insight, and understanding.

We make a lot of assumptions about what people of that time believed.  One of our worst misconceptions is that all people of that day believed the world was flat. But a careful reading of the Bible reveals that they knew the earth was round.

Have you not known? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the

beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is

he who sits above the circle of the earth… (Isaiah 40:21-22).

And Eratosthenes not only knew the earth was round – he figured out almost exactly how big around it was.  Here is how he did it.

He had heard of a special well in his native Egypt near a town called Syene. He knew that, at noon on June 21—the day of the year when the sun would have been straight overhead for the Summer Solstice—the sun’s rays shone directly to the bottom of the well.  Alexandria was due north.  So he knew if the sun were directly overhead in Syene, its rays would hit Alexandria at an angle. He imagined the shaft of the well continuing all the way to the center of the earth and a similar line going to the center of the earth from Alexandria.

He understood that the angle formed by these lines could be calculated by the angle of the shadow cast in Alexandria.[1]  Then, imagining the world as a circle,   and having the angle of two points on the circle already measured, Eratosthenes needed only one more piece of information to figure out the circumference of the earth.

He paid a pacer, a professional who was specially trained to walk in measured steps so as to gauge distances. This man walked and measured the precise distance from Alexandria to Syene. Once Eratosthenes knew this number, he could, from the angle of the sun’s shadow he had determined in Alexandria, extrapolate the size of the circle by figuring the fraction of the circle’s circumference that distance represented. The answer he found was one-fiftieth – that is, if you walked back and forth from those two cities fifty times, you would have the distance around the circle of the earth.

Using this method, Eratosthenes estimated the circumference of the world to be 24,700 miles. Today, using the same measuring principles with modern instruments, we believe the distance to be 24,902 miles. Not a bad calculation for a guy working two thousand years ago.  Brilliant we might say.

But brilliance is not necessary to be wise.  One doesn’t have to be a genius to keep heart, mind, and eyes open for ways to be better at what we do and how we do it. We can work for better understanding in our community, deepen our knowledge of the world, and broaden our perspectives of other cultures and other people. Throughout history, people like Eratosthenes have experienced great joy at nurturing their intelligence and using it to benefit others. May it be so with you and me this February. Let us learn something new, good, and exciting. And let that newfound knowledge help us to be better people on behalf of others.

PRAYER FOR THE MONTH: Help us, O God. We understand too little and have fallen short of the wisdom and knowledge you call us to. Lift us this month and allow us to learn, love and enjoy this sacred life with gusto!

 

[1] From the Greek mathematician Pythagoras (570-490 BC).

Bible Parallels and Our Response

Most of you have heard by now that our offering from Christmas on Clairemont for Ukraine (as of this writing) has exceeded $31,000 and is drawing close to $32,000. More continues to come in. This is truly remarkable. Especially in light of the Joint Session of Congress just before Christmas with the president of Ukraine addressing both houses and the American people. The focus for our Christmas on Clairemont offering could not have come at a more meaningful time. Thanks to all of you for your support of this great relationship with Pastor Andrei and Vinnytsia Grace Baptist Church.

We can barely imagine the hardships the people of Grace Church are facing. And as Pastor Andrei reminds us, they are the fortunate ones. So many in Ukraine are suffering even worse hardships on the battlefields and in obliterated urban cores of cities that have been under attack for weeks and months. And still, there appears no end in sight. While we can be thankful for the incredible response our partnership has yielded, let us not grow weary of doing what we can. In the meantime, recall in the Christmas story a similar plight.

King Herod and the Slaughter of the Innocents (Matthew 2:1-23)

The second chapter of Matthew describes a horror visited upon innocent people. The actions unleashed there (by an ancient version of Putin named Herod) forced Jesus and his family to flee for their lives. According to Matthew, Jesus’ first memories as a young child would have been as a refugee.

Imagine Joseph, Mary and Jesus as a Family of Refugees

From these passages (we will read them for Epiphany on January 8), his family would have been at the mercy of strangers in a foreign land. His father would have struggled to find work, worried about his family, wrestled with his self-esteem, blamed a system he couldn’t control and searched in desperation for a way to return to what he knew.

The Tragedies of Today

Echoes of today’s tragedies reverberate from these passages. Not only in Ukraine, but also along our southern border, in our cities and across our world, the cruel dynamics of Jesus’ earliest days reveal the hard, ongoing realities of our continuing human condition. Usually from no fault of their own, people not so different from us struggle for survival in harsh circumstances, in unfamiliar territory and often with seemingly insurmountable obstacles.

The Responses of Faithful People

And yet, this early Gospel story in Matthew leads us deeper in and farther up: deeper in faith; farther up in our imaginations. Without details, we can imagine this holy family’s return. We envision resiliency in the face of sadness, understanding emerging from despondency and a courage constituted from the miseries of fear. Moving farther along the gospel story, we discover action plans and faithful responses from the followers of Jesus that can make a difference in similar circumstances.

Ministry to the hurting, the refugees, those without homes, the weary and battle worn emerge as clear pathways for earnest disciples.

The Bible’s Roadmap: Heal the Wound AND Address the Source of the Pain

We also discover the valuable call to address the source of conflict, too. Speaking truth to power, while daunting, remains crucial to our Christian service. The history of our country pulsates from the loud voices and vital actions of concerned Christians. Whether condemning slavery or supporting enslaved people; denouncing child labor or ministering to the children; addressing unfair labor practices or supporting the struggling families; standing against racism or sharing life with the victims of racism; calling out anti-LGBTQ+ attitudes and actions while living with and loving our LGBTQ+ sisters and brothers, the Bible generates a both/and strategy for our Christian discipleship for everyday living.

As we conclude this year, we can be glad for significant victories. We can be thankful for the incredible generosity of so many for so much. And as we begin 2023, we can do so with anticipation and excitement. We have so much more God hopes for us. We have so much we can and must do. I’m so thankful I share this sacred journey with you.

With much love. great gratitude, and high expectations,

 

 

 

News for These Christmas Days and More

Merry Christmas on the eve of Christmas Eve (and happy Friday).

Most of you have heard by now that our offering from Christmas on Clairemont for Ukraine as of yesterday, has exceeded $31,000 and is drawing close to $32,000 with more continuing to come in. This is truly remarkable.

Especially in light of the Joint Session of Congress on Wednesday with the president of Ukraine addressing both houses and the American people, the focus for our Christmas on Clairemont offering could not have come at a more meaningful time. Thanks to all of you for your support of this great relationship with Pastor Andrei and Vinnytsia Grace Church. If you have not had an opportunity to contribute, we will continue to take donations for as long as we need to.

I am so grateful to each and every one of you. And I am so thankful to share in these good days of life together. With hope, peace, joy and love, I treasure being on this journey through Christmas with you. With that said and with 2023 on the horizon:

The trials of these past three years is worth a brief recounting.

Coping with a pandemic, wondering how to proceed, searching for new options for worship, fellowship and ministry, and finally, emerging into to a semi-post pandemic reality. I feel like our partnership is now forged with stronger ties and deeper understandings. Still with fits and starts, our finances appear reassuringly stable. Our online presence continues to evolve and expand. And while I wish our in-person attendance were more, we continue to welcome new friends of all ages and backgrounds. Further, we have healthy indicators that 2023 might well yield some strong, new opportunities we can be very excited about.

Bless you all. And may this Christmas once again be a reminder of God’s deepest and widest love for you in the great gift of Jesus. And may the New Year we share in the coming months be all that we need and more than we can imagine.

Love,

David

News For These Christmas Days And More

What Child Is This?

The haunting melody of Greensleeves likely begins either just during or right after the reign of King Henry VIII. With possibly some Italian Renaissance tonal influence, the tune now serves as the musical conveyance of familiar words:

What child is this, who, laid to rest
On Mary’s lap is sleeping?
Whom angels greet with anthems sweet
While shepherds watch are keeping?

And with a subtle but clear shift in the melody, the poetry offers a history changing answer:

This, this is Christ the King
Whom shepherds guard and angels sing
Haste, haste to bring him laud
The babe, the son of Mary

As our season of Advent moves now toward our fourth and final Sunday, may the ringing answer within the haunting melody of our lives be as clear and true for you this week and every week:

This, this is Christ the King, the babe, the son of Mary.

Love incarnate; God among us; Emmanuel. Amen.

Love,

David

How to Take Hold of Life

(The following is a brief sermon I had the honor of preaching on the Day One Radio program not long ago. I hope you fine it meaningful! It begins with the scripture reading and the sermon follows right after.)

I Timothy 6:6-11; 17-19

⁶ Of course, there is great gain in godliness combined with contentment, ⁷ for we brought nothing into the world, so that we can take nothing out of it …  ⁹ But those who want to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. ¹⁰ For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains.

¹¹ But as for you, man of God, shun all this; pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness. ¹² Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and for which you were made.

¹⁷ As for those who in the present age are rich, command them not to be haughty or to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches but rather on God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. ¹⁸ They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share, ¹⁹ thus storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life that really is life.

Have you ever struggled with what you are supposed to do with your life? Countless folks, good people, caring people have shared with me this common dilemma: What does God expect from me? What am I missing? Or as someone asked me recently: How can I take hold of my life and get it together?

The Power of the Text

From our text today in I Timothy 6:12 it says: “Fight the good fight of faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and for which you were made.”

I love that wording: to which you were called and for which you were made!

And what is we are called to and made for? Eternal life!

And how do you get it? Here the rendering is: “Take hold!” Or “Reach out and grab it!

The Greek word in our text is helpful: Our English rendition of “eternal life” might suggest like where I came from, a “pie in the sky by and by” without much regard to our current living. But the word for life is Zoe (pronounced Zoe-ay). Bios is the other Greek word for life, which as it implies, relates to biological existence. Zoe, on the other hand, means “abundant life” or “life interwoven into the Spirit of God.”

This intimately links us to a broader sense of eternity, of being with God for all time starting right now. But that’s not all. The other Greek word in our text: aion, or eon, usually translated “eternal,” can be understood as “age-lasting.” I like that rendition, too. So that when combined, these two words we see as “Eternal life” in our passage, can and should also mean:

“Take hold of the age-lasting abundant life to which you have been called and for which you were made.”

And then our passage concludes with this final crescendo: “… take hold of life that really is life!” We can sense a deep answer to these persistent questions we struggle with about purpose and meaning in our lives. Here, there is power in this text. You can feel it. We can also feel a clear context.

The Problem Behind the Text

If we listen carefully, we can feel looming in the background a tension in the fellowship First  Timothy addresses. Not unlike our own time of societal stress and strains, divisiveness and mistrust, the passages in the Bible consistently are dealing with real life. The people referred to in the text are just like us. And we are just like them.

In this sixth chapter, you can hear that some have done very well materially. They are what First Timothy calls “rich.” And we can also hear about those who aren’t yet rich but want to be. The fellowship of these early churches wrestled with the same kinds of prejudice, pride, and cliquishness we do; and their workplaces and social settings conveyed the same kinds of societal pressures many of us experience every day.

To the issue of ladder climbing and social tensions, our text reminds us with these often quoted words: “The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil …” and “we came into the world with nothing, and we go out the same way, with nothing!”

In Tennessee where I’m from, we used to say: “You rarely see a U-Haul traveling with a funeral procession …” No. We came into this world with nothing, and we leave with nothing.”

In other words, this kind of self-imposed pressure to get ahead has nothing to do with this age-lasting abundant life we are called to and made for.

The Presence through the Text

My grandmother once shared a quote about the Bible that feels relevant here:

“The Bible is a place where babes can wade and find meaning; and scholars can swim and never touch bottom.”

I continually find that to be true. So let’s add another perspective to our text and travel back for valuable biblical background.

Our passage in I Timothy says: “… we come into the world with nothing …” In fact, the earliest part of our Bible emphasizes our nothingness with a very earthy image. In the second chapter of Genesis we hear this description:

Then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground. In fact, the very name given to the first human indicates this reality. Adam is not just a name; it’s a description that comes from the Hebrew word Adamah, which means “dust” or “dirt.”

On my school playground at Signal Mountain Elementary School, in East Tennessee, when used to get in fights and yell at each other things like: “You ain’t nothing but dirt!” Who knew we were preaching the gospel? This is what the Bible says. From the dust of the earth we are made.

And there was the boy who asked his mother: “Mom, is it true that we come from dust?”

“Yes,” she said, “that’s what the Bible says.”

“And is true that we return to dust when we die?” he asked.

“Yes, son, that’s also true. Why in the world are you asking.”

“Well,” the boy said, “I was just in my room. And there must be somebody under my bed either a-comin’ or a-goin’!”

Dust

Of course, this is true metaphorically in the Bible. It is also true literally. For we have found out that scientifically, biologically, our bodies are primarily made up of carbon. Carbon is dust; dust is carbon. And we are dust, says the Bible. A word of truth if there ever was one. In fact, John Polkinghorn, an English scientist and famous Christian astro-physicist says that physically, we humans are nothing more than recycled star dust. The Bible is right on target. So as I Timothy says, we come into the world with nothing, and we go out the same way.

Spirit

But there is another element to this creation story in Genesis 2:7. Let’s review the first part: Then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground … And now the second part:

“… and God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and he became a human being” (Genesis 2:7).

I love that. Notice the very intentional wording which accompanies this imagery. The human is only a form God has shaped out of the dirt of the ground until he receives God’s breath of life. Only then does he, only then do we become a “human being.” This is key.

The Old Testament vocabulary expression of breath is also significant: ruach. This flexible Hebrew word can mean breath, but also spirit or wind. And in this case, when God breathes into this newly formed shape, we gain a striking insight. The human form becomes a human being because he is, because we are, animated into life by the very breath and with the very Spirit of God.

So these two words, Dust and Spirit, speak a vital truth. We are earthy people. Literally made of recycled star dust. And we are holy people, lovingly shaped and inspiringly created, God’s breath breathed into us, God’s Spirit living in us.

But there’s more. The biblical insights continue:

In very next chapter of Genesis, chapter 3, we encounter the man and woman in the garden. They discover a profound new truth: they are Naked. As in English, the Hebrew word for naked, arummim, can mean without clothes. It can also mean vulnerable, exposed, or not in control of the surroundings. This new discovery renders a new feeling. For the first time in the Bible, an emotion is named: Fear.

In Genesis 4, we hear the story of Cain and Abel. This story unveils another iteration of nakedness and fear from chapter three. Now these two realities coalesce into a new realty between these two brothers. Cain is afraid. He feels exposed and he feels this new dynamic emerging in the human experience. We recognize it as: Competition.

These stories hold enormous insight into our human condition, insight that also lies at the heart of our passage today.

• the vulnerability we feel
• the fear we have
• the competition that lives in all of us
• the tensions in our relationships … and the ones clearly rumbling through that early church fellowship in I Timothy

And yet, we are called to and made for “abundant, age-lasting, eternal life.” Why? How? Because God’s very spirit, very essence is breathed into us from our earliest beginning.

We are both earthy creatures, and sacred creations. We are dusty and holy at the same time. We live in the very tension I Timothy is addressing, an audience wrestling with earthy temptation yet called to holy partnerships.

The Pertinence for Our Lives

I Timothy boldly declares: “Fight the good fight of faith. Take hold of the eternal life, that age-lasting abundant life to which you were called and for which you were made.” And while this might sound really hard to do, the Bible seems to be saying the opposite.

This is you already. God’s Spirit is part of who you are. Yes, you and I have that earthy, selfish side. We are vulnerable. We’re often afraid. We feel competitive. But we also are infused with all the goodness and spiritual richness that fighting the good fight of faith requires. We have the wisdom to choose rightly, the power to love, and the glad potential to bless and to be blessed.

You were made for this time. You are called to the very place where God has planted you. And God’s eternal presence is in you, with you, among you.  Now, live into the reality God has already set in motion. God empowers us right now to join with the calling of Timothy:

Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness.

Fight the good fight of faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and for which you were made.

And with a new confidence in God’s blessed abundance:

Take hold of the life that really is life!

Closing Prayer:

O Lord of all life, you bless us so richly. Our lives are woven together seamlessly into the fabric of your goodness. Surrounded by your grace and filled with your love, we are better than we know. Still, humbly aware of our fragile humanity, help us in these difficult days to remember the sacred reality of your Spirit alive and well within us. Empower us to be the holy channels of your blessings you need. And allow us to gladly receive the blessed gifts of your bounty from others as well. In the beautiful name of Jesus. Amen.  

Dr. David Jordan, Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church of Decatur in Decatur, Georgia

Bagpipes and Life

… take hold of the life that really is life (I Timothy 6:19).

This scripture from I Timothy gets to the heart of the human journey. Our quest is to really claim, to take hold of life that really is life. Easier said than done. Countless books are written extolling the ways and tricks, ideas and gimmicks, insights and ancient wisdom. Authors keep writing. And we keep buying, searching for that key element that will help us solve that ultimate mystery: to find the life that really is life.

Funerals and Bagpipes

I have done a lot of funerals over the years. Several of these funerals incorporated this very odd looking and bizarre sounding instrument known as bagpipes.  For most, the verdict is simple: Either you love them, or you hate them.  A colleague and friend of mine once commented on his grandfather’s perspective:

“They’s two kinds of music I cain’t stand, and bagpipes is both of ’em.”

But, for some of us, bagpipes convey a mystical message that only this odd combination of sound can produce.  It is strangely, almost impossibly whimsical; yet, bagpipes also somehow simultaneously convey a deep sacredness.  And part of the tradition from the rough Scottish highlands is the valuable message the music of bagpipes implies: that life is both whimsical and sacred.

Bagpipes and Life

The pipes were often used when marching.  As a mobile instrument, the idea of a journey is woven into their very purpose.  And life is a journey.  So much of what we know and do, and who we are, is bound up in the odd complexities of being alive, balancing relationships and responsibilities, hopes and dreams, defeats and small victories. Tension exists, especially now, emerging out of the cracks and crannies of these strange times. Our journey continues, and in spite of the difficulties, we struggle to take hold of the life that really is life.

As you move through this day, imagine the sound of bagpipes accompanying your march.  Step boldly in cadence to the kind of life the Bible envisions.  Imagine each step as both sacred and whimsical, holy and light-hearted, elegantly eternal and solidly present.  Allow those bagpipes you hear in your head to make you smile. We are called to take life seriously; but we don’t always have to be serious. Try hard in all you do; but never take yourself too seriously. Learn from your mistakes. Listen more than you speak. And keep up that whimsical, sacred search for life that really is life.

Now imagine today unfolding before you in this way:

Lifted by grace

Sustained by love

Emboldened by faith

Encouraged by hope

Enriched by joy

Embraced by eternity

In the arms of God

And offered to the world:

A beautiful gift;

Whimsical; sacred;

You.

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Help us, Lord.  Give us the wisdom to live in hope and eternal expectation, while simultaneously embracing the goodness and wonder of our daily experiences, our everyday relationships, our casual encounters, good food, and the creative loveliness that surrounds us always.  Make us keenly aware of our current participation in your eternal life. And let us know: you are leading us into this abundant life; the life that really is life.

 

 

 

Being Your Own Best Friend

She had struggled mightily with self-esteem issues. And she grew into a towering personality of great influence. A humble, wise and highly influential person on a world stage, her name was Eleanor Roosevelt. And this is one of the many insightful things she said:

Friendship with oneself is all important because, without it, one cannot be friends with anyone else in the world.

May you be your own best friend today. See yourself as the same great treasure God created you to be. And live today with the gusto a good friendship inspires. Amen.

 

 

Dear Friends:

I hope you are well on the beginning of what appears to be a chilly pre-spring weekend. Today, I’d like to share some very important news. We have an amazing opportunity to help the suffering people of Ukraine.

Ministry on the Front Lines: UKRAINE

In both of our worship services this Sunday, we will be viewing a Zoom conversation with a Ukrainian friend of mine, a pastor who is on the front lines of this horrible war in Ukraine.

Pastor Andrei (Andrew) Babiy is the pastor of Vinnytsia Grace Baptist Church in Vinnytsia, Ukraine. Vinnytsia is strategically located in the center of Ukraine, right on the crossroads from east to west and from north to south. The geography of the church means that every day, they are helping hundreds of refugees fleeing the bombings and the Russian army.

Andrew’s church, along with other Baptist churches in Vinnytsia, are housing, clothing, feeding, comforting and even fixing cars of countless people everyday. They are sharing God’s love. Grace Church is a church of 300 people, so you can imagine the tremendous effort of helping so many with so much.

In our Zoom interview this Sunday, Andrew shares what his congregation is doing, along with the many needs they have and will continue to for the extended future. Most of the stores in Vinnytsia continue to have some supplies, so he and the church can purchase needed items each day. However, the costs continue to rise, and the needs continue to be overwhelming.

Your Help

Therefore, our church staff, our FBCD Missions Committee along with our FBCD Finance Committee, would like to ask for your support in this humanitarian crisis. As a church, we would like to provide funds for Vinnytsia Grace Church so that they can purchase whatever is necessary to bring comfort in the wake of this tragedy.

A Live Interview in the Coming Weeks

We hope to have Pastor Andrew on a live Zoom call in the coming weeks so that we can all hear the latest update, and perhaps hear about any additional needs. For now, I hope you will listen carefully to his words this Sunday, and will allow God to prompt your generous spirits to offer this much needed assistance.

We finally ask that the gifts you share be above and beyond what we all would normally be giving to our MAP or overall church budget commitments. Ministry here does not cease and our own community needs your ongoing support. But ministry there in Vinnytsia is a clear necessity for us to contribute above and beyond for these extraordinary times.

Bless you, my friends. And thank you for the joy of serving as your pastor.

David