This week at EBUMC
Happenings for the Week of July 5
July 6
Trustees, 6:00 (Rm 7)3
Pickleball 6-9 (FLC)
July 7
Food Pantry, 10:30-2:00
July 8
Prayer 6am (Sanctuary)
Praise Band 5:30 (FLC)
July 9
Compassionate Friends, 7:00-9:00 (FLC)
July 10
AUGUST Newsletter Deadline
PASTOR CHRISTA’s CORNER
Dear Ebenezer Church Family,
What a joy it is to write my first newsletter article as your pastor! Over the past several weeks, my family and I have been looking forward to this new chapter with great excitement. We have been packing boxes, moving furniture, learning new roads, and anticipating settling into our new home and community. Through it all, we have felt a deep sense of gratitude for the opportunity to become part of the Ebenezer family.
Every new beginning comes with anticipation. There are new faces to meet, new stories to hear, new ministries to discover, and new opportunities to see how God is at work. I am excited to worship alongside you, learn the history of this church, and join you in the work God is calling us to do together.
Already, I have been blessed by the warmth and kindness you have shown my family. Your welcome has made us feel at home, and we are grateful to be beginning this journey with you.
As many of you know, however, our time of transition has also been marked by an unexpected heartbreak. On Sunday afternoon, June 7, my father-in-law passed away suddenly. He was a gifted musician who spent much of his life sharing music with others. In fact, he was helping a choir rehearse when it happened. He finished conducting a beautiful piece, cut the choir off after the final words, "let music live," and then collapsed. Our family is heartbroken. My husband was in the building and was among those who immediately began CPR and did everything possible to save him. The days since have been filled with grief, shock, tears, memories, and countless reminders of how precious life truly is.
Yet even in the midst of that grief, we have experienced something extraordinary: the love of the Body of Christ.
One of the things I love most about the Christian faith is that it gives us permission to hold more than one truth at a time. We can grieve and still be grateful. We can mourn and still have hope. We can experience heartbreak and still look forward to the future God is preparing for us.
That is where my family finds itself today. We are grieving a tremendous loss. We miss a beloved father, grandfather, musician, and friend. At the same time, we are genuinely excited about the future we are beginning with you. Those realities may seem contradictory, but in Christ they can coexist. Because of our faith, we know that sorrow never has the final word. Because of our faith, we know that God is present in every season.
The church teaches us this truth every day. We all take turns being strong and vulnerable. We all have gifts that become part of God's answer to the needs around us. Sometimes we are the ones offering comfort. Sometimes we are the ones receiving it. Together, we become a living witness to God's kingdom breaking through the hard and seemingly impossible places of this world.
As I begin my ministry among you, I want to thank you for helping us experience that truth so personally. Your prayers, compassion, and support have already been a blessing to our family.
I am excited about the days ahead. I look forward to worshiping with you, serving alongside you, learning your stories, and discovering together what God has in store for Ebenezer.
Thank you for welcoming us so warmly into your church family.
In the hope of Christ,
Pastor Christa
Sunday Worship is Live.
cONTEMPORARY wORSHIP: 9:00
Traditional Worship: 11:15
You can also join live on Facebook and Youtube
Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give,
not reluctantly or under compulsion,
for God loves a cheerful giver.
2 Corinthians 9:7
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