Loving the World in 2010

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2010’s theme here at Second Pres is Learn the Word. Love the World. In the past few weeks, you’ve heard about the first part of that theme—we’ve spoken about reading plans to help you dig into the scriptures more consistently in 2010 (which you can find at the bottom of the calendar in the Pulse, at the Welcome Center and www.secondpres.info). We’ve also handed out bookmarks to remind you of the various acts of the biblical drama through which we’ll travel during worship in 2010 from Genesis to Revelation. The bookmarks, which you can pick up at the Welcome Center, also contain study prompts to help guide your study of the scripture.

However, I want to draw your attention to ways you can experience the second part of the theme—loving the world. On Sunday morning, there will be a Minute for Ministry about the return of Serving On Saturdays (SOS). I hope you’ll join a team of 2PCers serving Christ at a number of local ministries on Saturday, January 23. More information is available in Everyone’s Invited.

I also want you to mark your calendars for March 5 and 6, when you’ll have the chance to be further equipped to love the world at a conference Second Pres will host called “Moving Back Into Our Neighborhoods.” It is sponsored by the Presbyterian Global Fellowship, which is an organization within the denomination which advocates for churches to develop a more missional (or “blessed to be a blessing”) mindset. The conference will gather both laypeople and pastors from throughout the Midwest who are interested in learning how their congregations can, as we’re putting it, love the world. There will be keynote speakers and a number of workshops.

I hope you’ll plan to come to the conference. It is unusual for such an opportunity to come around, not just in our backyard, but right here in our living room!   It begins at 1pm on Friday 3/5, and concludes by 3pm on Saturday 3/6. The cost is $75 before 2/1 and $95 afterwards. (If you are interested in attending, but the cost is burdensome, please let me know.) You can find out more information about the conference, and register for it, at www.pgfconference.com. Global Mission elder Laurie Sprague and I are on the planning team, so you could speak to either of us about it as well.

The more of you who are able to attend the conference, the more we will be able to live into our mission to participate in God’s transforming love for the world. I hope you’ll take advantage of it!

Dr. Charles B. Hardwick
Pastor/Head of Staff