The 20th century philosopher John Denver wrote “It seems a shame to see September swallowed by the wind. And more than that it’s oh so sad to see the summer end…” (Season Suite, 1972)
As I’m putting thoughts to paper, that is exactly where we are. September is closing, indeed being swallowed by the wind. And summer, well, it was another wonderful western New York summer. But it did end.
As I was preparing these thoughts I looked back at what I had written last year at this time. A year ago I asked a question about branding, whether or not a church has a brand (it does) and whether or not we should examine our brand (we should).
Another philosopher wrote that, “every new beginning comes from some other beginnings end…” (Seneca, 60 AD) And again, that is where we are now. As summer closes and fall begins we are embarking on some new beginnings, new paths; examining our brand if you will.
Not that we are looking to adjust or change our core values and beliefs. We meet on Sunday mornings, of course, to worship God. That will not change. That is the primary purpose of the church. But we are looking at the ways that we can better minister to the people of East Aurora, another purpose for our existence as a church of Jesus Christ. We will be looking to meet the needs of our community as we identify those needs. There are at least two areas of need that are typical in any community: separation/divorce, and loss of a loved one.
One offering that we will be making to the community is a program called Divorce Care. Divorce Care’s life-changing support groups welcome people and guide them on the path of recovery after separation or divorce.
Another offering is Grief Care. That is a caring group of people who will walk alongside you through one of life’s most difficult experiences.
To complement the additional initiatives we are taking a look at our facilities with an eye toward updating our building. The idea is to provide a more comfortable, welcoming environment to experience fellowship as we worship, study, encourage one another, and grow in Christ.
Please remember to keep our church and our leadership in prayer, along with our community, as we move into some areas of ministry that are new to us. Our desire and our prayer is that we will become a resource for those in need in our area.
Enjoy this season, the beauty of autumn is fleeting. And it will be summer again in no time…