It has been on my heart lately that many people attend Ren but for whatever reason feel on the outside looking on. The visual that comes to mind is a circle within a circle. In the inner circle at Ren there seems to be a depth of connection and care that is spectacular. But for those in that outer circle it's a different experience. I want to say a few things to those in the outer circle.
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Charlottesville
What has been happening in recent days is absolutely appalling but not surprising. I think most of us are aware that racism is alive and well, not just in a small band of white supremacists, but in a significant portion of American society. I'm certain it has sunk into every human heart to some extent which is why we all need to constantly ask God to search our hearts. We should always be on the side of promoting justice and defending those who are being oppressed. It's our calling as followers of Jesus.
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Fostering Hope
Several weeks ago we had special guest Jonathan Reid with us talking about fostering and adoption. I'm sure many of you heard the message but if not you can find it in the stand alone section of our sermon page on our website (look for the graphic of the light bulb).
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Are you new?
In every season at Ren, about ⅓ of the people coming on Sundays are new. They may be brand new as in first timers. Or fairly new as in coming just recently. There are also many who I humorously call “church shoppers”. These are people who are doing the circuit of local churches to find that perfect fit. So they come one week and then we’ll see them again 5 weeks later. This shopping around is normal and I'd do the same thing if I moved to a new city. Finding the right church can be a little overwhelming and it's especially challenging if you are a person who has never been involved in church culture. Here are a few things that I think can help.
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Pastoral Talk
This Sunday, we are going to take a pause in our series on the parables to discuss something on my heart. The complexities of urban living have made it quite challenging to have deep meaningful relationships. I want to share some insight on how we can overcome this.
Small Circles
One of the challenges at Ren during this season is that there are probably 300 adults and 100 children. While it is exciting to see growth and so many people making Ren part of their lives, it also makes it a challenge to know each of these people in a meaningful way. One of the best ways to go deeper is to find one or more smaller circles to be part of. This includes small discussion groups, Sunday ministries, or outreach teams.
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Grateful
This has been an excellent year financially as we've brought in a little more than we've spent each month. Last month particularly was really good. I'm so grateful for the many at Ren who give.
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Renewing Love
Have you ever noticed that love can grow cold? It can be like bread that is just so delicious and warm when it comes out of the oven but if you neglect it for a few weeks it will be stale and moldy. One of the greatest things we need from God is His love. I don't mean simply His love for us, but His love released within us so that we can love Him and others.
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Elevator Campaign
Starting this Sunday and through November we will be doing a special campaign to raise money for a much needed elevator lift at Ren. The installation of a lift is quite costly and the best quote we have gotten was still about $30,000 not including construction and electrical. I'd like to see us use our collective force of generosity and just whip this thing. As a community last year we raised $150,000 to make the overall renovation happen. Wow. Let's do it again this Fall with passion.
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Dream
There's no question that in recent days the Lord has been stirring the church. Many have been breaking down and getting a fresh passion for Christ. The last few Sunday gatherings have been marked by the palpable presence of God. There have also been an unusually large number of people to the point that we are ordering more chairs. This is a wonderful problem to have!
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Fiery Message
This letter from Pastor Scott followed his sermon on September 20, 2015 from the "Lavished" series called "Spirit". Listen to it here.
I know I'm writing to some who were present last Sunday and some who weren't. Since the start of the church in January 2003 I have never seen the moving of God so strong at a Sunday gathering.
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Holy Spirit
I'm taking a break this week from my regular communication of all the Ren opportunities. Hopefully you know what's happening by now. If not, go back especially to my last email when I shared about the small groups, Refresh prayer, Q Commons event, young adult Bible study, the smaller Sunday 5pm gathering, Family Nights, Ren Youth and so on.
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A message to college students
It's so exciting to see thousands of college students flood into our city at this time of year. Many of them are looking for spiritual nourishment and are searching for that perfect community to be a part of. At Ren we always see a swell of students come through the doors in September checking us out and we love it!
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New series!
I love this time of year when the city comes alive with returning college students and everyone seems to get back into good routines. As much as I love summer, I'm always sort of glad when it's over.
As we start this new fall season we are also beginning a brand new series that I'm really excited about.
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Giving Update
Our finance team just set up a brand new online giving system that gives a variety of options for giving.
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Home
My heart has been stirred in recent days over the great numbers of people who come and go at Ren.
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Change of Mind
This Sunday I'll be teaching on Colossians 3:9-11 which is a fitting portion of Scripture in light of the recent shooting in Charleston.
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Summer Goals
Since moving into the new space at 184 Broad I have noticed that our Sunday gatherings have been crowned with the presence of God. Theologically we know that God is everywhere and always present. God is always at Ren on Sundays. But as imperfect humans we experience varying degrees of awareness of Him. So what I'm saying is that there seems to be more and more of an awakening to the reality of God each week. There is a momentum building and each service seems to take us deeper into God's heart. It's very exciting and an answer to many years of praying.
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Mosaic
With so many different people coming to Ren each week, one of my greatest concerns is how to unite everyone and develop relationships. I am constantly meeting with people to try to get to know everyone and hear your stories. If you are attending and you have not really met me I would love to get together with you. Sometimes people think I'm too busy to meet with them but honestly this is what I do. A huge part of my ministry is just meeting with people.
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Why Sunday?
Sometimes I look around the city of Providence and wonder why so few people are interested in attending church. Even last Sunday morning I was driving down Broadway and observing how the restaurants and cafes and gyms were overflowing with people. It seems like most people would rather sleep in or just read the newspaper in a cafe than attend a church. It got me wondering why.
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