Life in the Church

Recently, one of our home group leaders sent an email to his group. It gives a good snapshot of why home groups are such an important priority for us at SGC. You'll notice the mention of various people serving one another, the logistics they took care of, and the intentionality of the leader to make God a greater part of their lives. At one level an email like this can feel routine and forgettable, but on another it reflects a web of relationships channeled for the glory of God.

Last Sunday, Phil publicly announced the elders’ final decision to appoint Daniel Baker to the role of Senior Pastor. Here is the explanation of that decision. As we have emphasized over the last few months, we are grateful to have a plurality of elders, and it bears repeating that Phil isn’t going anywhere. He will still be one of your pastors. He will still have his office at SGC. He will continue to preach, though perhaps not quite as often. We invite you to pray for Daniel and all of the elders during this transition, and we invite you to continue working with us for the building up of the church to the glory of God.

In case you hadn't noticed, the Christmas season is here. Today is Black Friday, and I'm just about to head out for some shopping. We all have about twenty-seven parties scheduled in the next thirty days, and in stores and homes in that same period we'll hear about a thousand different versions of Carol of the Bells. I don't write this as a Scrooge. I love Christmas. But what I love above all the family traditions and celebrations is the Event at the center of it all: The Advent of the Messiah.

If it’s true that grief leaves you with a limp, then we must have been quite a disabled crew. Each Monday for thirteen weeks, we trudged in from the cold to pray, listen, and process the reality of our unique losses, ranging from the natural (and still devastating) loss of mothers and fathers, to the tragic and sudden loss of young life. But if you had peeked in the window at 401 Upchurch St. those evenings, you wouldn’t have only seen tears.

I want to make sure that everyone is aware of a relatively new resource that is available in the church bookstore. There is a section on the wall opposite the checkout desk that is now serving as our library. These books are available to church members to checkout and take home at no charge. The selection is rather modest, for now, but there are some great books available, and Lord willing the selection will grow over time.

At our September business meeting we announced that Phil will transition to working half time starting January 1st. We see this as a tremendous blessing because it allows Phil to slow down some and yet have the church still benefit from his teaching and pastoral gifts.

Last Sunday during announcements I shared some things regarding the upcoming senior pastor transition at SGC. Here I want to revisit a few of those, including what the role of lead or senior pastor is within the eldership, for the sake of those who weren't able to be there. Remember, your feedback is both welcome and desired.

This Sunday we launch both a new ministry team and a new element in our corporate gathering. The new team, Sunday Scripture Readers, will be devoted to the task of reading the Bible for our sermons. That is, instead of having the preacher read his main text, these men and women will read from the stage.