September is gone and so is summer! October is here, and autumn is now upon us. The air is cooler, fresher, cleaner, and crisper. The summertime vegetation is beginning to die or go dormant for the fall and winter until spring comes again. A lot of the foliage is growing spectacular in color as it says “goodbye” until the spring. There are reds, oranges, yellows, assorted shades of green, and all colors in between. It really is an amazing display of God’s handiwork!
For many, if not most, people, October is also a time of year for festivals, pumpkins, fodder shocks, apple cider, wiener roasts, toasted marshmallows, S’mores, and a host of other special things that go along with the harvest season. Speaking of the “harvest” season, October is “Missions Month” for us at Main Street. It is the time of the year when we highlight the mission efforts we support as a church – those faithful servants who are busy working for our Lord Jesus Christ all over the world from the U.S. to Africa to India and to other places near and far. Our focus culminates on “Missions Sunday”, October 28th as Alan Wan, a field representative for Good News Productions, International located in Joplin, MO, will be here to preach from God’s Word, present the work of G.N.P.I., and challenge us to take part in Faith Promise and to participate in evangelizing of our world for Christ!!!
Sunday, October 28th, will be the day we distribute the Faith Promise slips for 2019. Be in prayer about how God can lead you to participate in missions giving for next year. Please come on that Sunday prepared to fill out your slip so we can collect them that same day. We will also be sharing in a carry-in dinner on that day with the meal beginning at 12:30 PM.
After all, the mission work of the church both here in the U.S. and abroad in foreign lands is the responsibility and God-intended work of each and every Christian (cf. Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15-16; John 20:21). How we fulfill that responsibility may differ from person to person, but we must all do our part. Let me close with the words of the Apostle Paul inspired by the Holy Spirit: “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58).
Let’s all get involved in the work of the Lord, let’s take advantage of every opportunity to reach out in the name of Jesus to the lost and hurting around us, and let’s all do our part to “make disciples of all the nations” to the glory of God in Christ and unto their salvation!!!
May God richly bless you as we move into this falls season!
In His Loving Service,
Vernon