We will have a potluck lunch following church this coming Sunday, May 23. Please bring entrees, salads, desserts, and side dishes. Beverages, paper goods, and utensils will be provided. Your dishes should be ready to serve and not require preparation at the church due to limited facilities. Please bring enough for your family and others as well. See you there!

We are donating again this year to the Womens Pregnancy Center. Please take a baby bottle from the basket at our "guest table", fill it with change or bills, and return it by Fathers Day to Irene Wright.

Hello once again from Community Christian Fellowship, As many of you may know, my wife and I have had the opportunity the last few years to get to know several teens in our neighborhood. We owe this ever growing opportunity to our own teens who are 15 and 16 years of age.

Last weekend several of them "stayed over" at our home. There is a certain group that will do this on occasion. Early on Sunday morning, my daughter received a call from a close friend in another state. The friend on the other end proceeded to tell my daughter that one of their mutual friends had been shot the night before. The emotions and speculation that ensued were pretty intense to say the least. I tried to call a pastor friend of mine who knows these young people. He eventually returned my call only to confirm that the news was true, someone had been shot and killed, but it wasn't the friend we thought it was, it was another young man. Even so, the news was devastating. Deb and I sat and "talked things out" with all of these young people for some time. Then, the texts started coming in. After several hours had passed, people began to figure out that this whole story was not true! Well, we then had a few mad young people to listen to, and we did. After a while, things calmed down and we fell back into our morning routine of fixing brunch and getting ready for church.

While I was in the kitchen, I asked one of the teens how things were going for them. She openly told me about her stressors and concerns regarding her situation. I told her that Deb and I were praying for her constantly, and that we knew how difficult her current situation must be. She smiled and then said, "I'm glad you let us come over here again, I've missed it". After this, she smiled once again and walked back to my daughter's room to finish getting ready. As I watched her walk to the back of the house, it suddenly hit me, she feels safe. Now, let me be clear, I don't mean she feels like all her problems are gone, that's not realistic, and I truly believe she knows this. But at that moment, she was safe and content in her spirit.

Jesus tells us many times in the gospels that he did not come to deliver us from the pains of this world. But, he also told us not to be afraid, because he had taken care of them for us. Now, I'm certainly not equal to Jesus in this young person's life or mind, but simply being there let her take the risk to feel safe at that moment. And that type of surrender, in my mind, only comes from God. All of these young people know that Deb and I care for them dearly, but they also know our love will not deliver them from their current trials and challenges. But what they do know is that we care. Like I said, Deb and I are certainly not equal to our Lord and Savior, but Paul does tell several churches to encourage one another in the midst of their trials and suffering. And to remind one another that Jesus' purpose for us is much greater then the suffering we are now experiencing. So, I hope someone cares for you, and I pray that you will take the risk to care for someone else. Until next time, Pastor Mark