Dear Friends Pursuing Christ,
Mark your calendars, May 10th (yes that is Mother’s Day 2020) for Worship in the Park. 
We will gather at Jacob Carver Memorial Park at 11:00 am to worship God and to celebrate the Church out of quarantine. Bring a chair and if so desired, a face mask. We will have some on hand as well. Let us give thanks to God for His Redeeming love, His faithfulness, for this time of equipping for ministry. God is in control. For members who might not feel comfortable being around people you can view the recorded service that will be posted after worship on our YouTube channel and Facebook page. Following worship, we will have donuts, coffee, juice and some friendly “socially distanced” fellowship. I am so looking forward to seeing you. I will bring name tags (hahaha). I love you and long to see you.
Last week in worship we studied John 21:1-13. The disciples were out fishing all night with not a fish caught. Jesus calls out to them, “Friends have you caught anything?” Their response was “NO.” Jesus tells them to move their net to the other side and wow!!!!! The net fills with so many fish it almost rips! That is how it is with Jesus. When we try to do ministry on OUR own it bears little fruit (fish in this case). When we go with Jesus under his direction…oh my, oh my. The thrill of adventure. The promise Jesus tells us in John 15 is if we stay connected to Him, we will bear much fruit.
The two articles I read last week on character traits of fisherman, one by Justin Hoffman, the other by Jeff Buck, are worth reviewing as we emerge from our quarantine. So here they are: Be Determined – Stay focused, Humor (don’t take yourself so seriously. Enjoy God’s call on your life. Rejoice! – My commentary), Be Adventurous (life is always a thrilling adventure with Jesus!), Educate yourself, Be patient, Be honest (authentic – no fish tales), Be satisfied (Give thanks God is using you. Rest and relax in His leading), Be observant of your surroundings and the weather, Be adaptable. God has and is equipping us to be fishers of men, women, teens, children, young and old, rich and poor, employed and unemployed, friends, neighbors, coworkers, people who are like us, and people who are different from us.
At the time of this Bible catch there were a recognizable 153 species of fish…there are many more species detected today. In essence Jesus was demonstrating the diversity of the catch. Go catch everyone for Jesus. Remember we do not convert people, that is the work of the Holy Spirit. Our responsibility and privilege is to share the Good News about Jesus, plant some seeds, and then help to disciple people in their faith. More to come on the role we play on Sunday May 3rd at 11:00 am on Facebook live.
So, enjoy your weekend. This month of May is our break-out month. Come and see what the Lord has done…and let us keep watchful on what He is doing.
Lamentations 3:22-26 CEV says:
The Lord’s kindness never fails! If he had not been merciful, we would have been destroyed. The Lord can always be trusted to show mercy each morning. Deep in my heart I say, “The Lord is all I need; I can depend on him!” The Lord is kind to everyone who trusts and obeys him. It is good to wait patiently for the Lord to save us.
Love and prayers in Jesus,
Ilona
FPC 