Pastoral note, from Garrett

This Sunday we will be worshipping in Maresh Hall for the last time. Let that sink in. This will be a transitional Sunday, which we will mark with appropriate liturgical stylings. 

Halfway through the service this Sunday, we will process to the sanctuary for the end of the service. There won’t be a sermon. We will begin worship in Maresh Hall, move to the sanctuary for communion, and end with the Doxology. 

This week the sanctuary building is being inspected, and we expect to receive the Certificate of Occupancy on Thursday or Friday. The final clean of the building will be Wednesday. For that reason, we canceled the “come all” workday on Tuesday. We will have a small moving team come in and help move things around later (on Saturday). Sunday School teachers in the elementary and youth areas will be able to begin setting up their rooms by Sunday, August 9. 

This Saturday morning, the Oikonomos ministry will be working on building a bird blind on the Woodland campus. Did you know all the cool kids are birding? Birdwatching is experiencing a massive surge in popularity among Gen Z, driven by bird identification apps, social media trends, and a desire to escape screen fatigue. The new bird blind will be in the “Woodland Wilderness Area” over by the prayer garden. 

August 16 will be the first Sunday “in the Sanctuary.” Here’s the schedule:

  9:00    Breakfast Reception in the Gathering Place & Sanctuary tours
9:45    Sunday School for all ages
11:00    Worship in the Sanctuary

We will have a breakfast celebration in the Gathering Place (and spilling out into the foyer and sanctuary) where you will be invited to tour and get to know the renovated space. Daniel will do some demonstrations on the new organ. You can explore the new pulpit. We’ll have information on the stained glass. You can also check out the special kids space in the sanctuary that we are experimenting with. 

August 16 is ALSO Startup Sunday. It’s the day we will bless backpacks in worship, and it’s promotion day for the youth and children’s classes.  

Grace and peace, 

Garrett Vickrey
Senior Pastor