Dear Brothers and Sisters in Messiah,

The colors continue to be very beautiful!  Went to Copper Harbor most every day last week…such a beautiful drive!  I did get to go fishing with Jim and Chuck; and my record is still intact…caught nothing.  Both of them caught a small one that they threw back.  Also…Chuck caught a duck.  He was fishing with minnows; the bird saw the little fish under the water and dove down and got it.  Fortunately, before he got the bird to the shore, it freed itself from the hook.  Not sure what we would have done otherwise.  Still a very funny scene.

This week is the start of Bible Studies, Youth Group and youth choir.  The ladies’ study is going to be meeting in the basement, so we are working today on getting the fellowship hall ready for them downstairs.  Sadly, that room hasn’t been used since last March.

Forgot to mention that we did have some of the “white stuff” in the air last week.  We could see it on a few roofs and the top of some cars.  Still too warm to stick to the ground.  I think this is the earliest we have seen it since we’ve been here.

This past Sunday was Village Missions Focus On Rural Ministry, FORM, Sunday.  John Adams, the new executive director of Village Missions, gave the message via video.  He showed a map of where the nearly 200 Village Missions are located in the United States and Canada.  There are around 60 million people who live in rural North America; if collected all together, that would make the 23 largest country in the world.  The need is great for ministry to go and speak the truth of the Gospel to these people.

John’s message was from Ephesians 4:11-16.  He focused on the church and how the church grows.  It is the church itself that grows the church.  The unity we share is because of our commitment to Jesus.  We are to be growing together in maturity, standing on the truth of God’s word.  We are here because God loves the people in this area.  Each of us is to be sharing our gifts together so that we will grow to maturity and share the gospel with our community.

By God’s Amazing Grace,
Pastor Kevin Hausman