Pastoral note, from Garrett

We had a renovation committee meeting this morning with the builder and architects. Throughout the renovation, we will meet every other Monday. We have pictures of the progress thus far on the Building Renovation Updates page. 

Yesterday, the A/C was out in the entire sanctuary building. So, Sunday School was a little hot. This was one of the issues addressed at the meeting today.

We are making plans to move the 1st-2nd and 3rd-5th grade classes so that work can be done in the children’s area by July 7. 

This week, most of our staff will be in St. Louis for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s General Assembly. The focus this year is on belonging. CBF says, “In a year that feels more polarized than ever before, we want to be a place of belonging—where everyone is not just welcome to our table and in our communities but feel a deep sense of belonging in our Fellowship.” 

The church office will be closed on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday this week as staff attend CBF. 

Our church will be deeply involved in the general assembly this year. Woodland will be receiving a missions award. I will be leading a workshop with a few friends on LGBTQ+ inclusion in churches. Ellen DiGiosia will be hosting the CBFTX meeting. Diana Bridges serves on the Missions Council, which provides vision, strategy, education, and sustainability to CBF’s mission enterprise. Jackie Moore serves on the governing board of CBF, providing fiscal and legal oversight to the Fellowship. 

Grace and peace, 

Garrett Vickrey