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46-16 Little Neck Parkway, Little Neck, N.Y.
11362
"The Church That Love Built". |
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From the Pastor’s
Desk Summer
2008
Dear Friends…
We are beginning the summer season soon. This is a time when our
schedules change; when many of us will be in and out of town or
have guests visiting; and when the weather will be conducive to
spending time outdoors with our families and friends. Our Bible
School will not be meeting again until the fall. Our choir will
not be rehearsing or singing for services from July through Labor
Day. Even the Tidings, our monthly newsletter, will not be
published again until September.
The challenge for us as a church is to remain faithful in our
worship and service of God throughout these months. I hope we will
see everyone here for worship on Sundays whenever you are in town.
We will be encouraging some of our choir members and others to
share their gifts of music with us on Sundays when the choir will
not be singing together. We will continue to read and proclaim the
Scriptures and seek the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to lead and
guide us in our daily walk with Christ. We will continue to pray
for one another and visit one another to share the love, peace,
and joy of Christ with all.
The details of our summer schedule and other events may be found
elsewhere in this newsletter. I hope you will keep these articles
handy for reference in the coming months. Most of all, I hope that
you will be considering some of the changes we will need to make
to continue worshipping and serving God to the best of our ability
into this fall and beyond.
One thought I want to leave you with now, so it will stay with you
during these summer months, is the idea of hospitality. Michael
Coyner and Douglas Anderson have co-authored a book titled
The Race to Reach Out: Connecting Newcomers to Christ in
a New Century. In it, they have
compiled a checklist of areas to consider as we reach out (or, as
they put it, “get ready for company”. Among these areas are such
things as visibility in the community; providing helpful
promotional materials; making facilities accessible and easy to
use; making entrances truly welcoming to newcomers; practicing
hospitality by greeting visitors and newcomers warmly and being
helpful in answering their questions and anticipating their needs
(such as giving directions to the restrooms, escorting them to a
seat, etc.); providing a warm and friendly atmosphere before,
during, and after the worship service; and following up promptly
with any first-time visitors (and not just by the pastor, either,
as studies have shown that visitors are as much as 80% more likely
to return when members of the congregation contact them instead of
or in addition to the pastor, whom they expect to do so!)
As we anticipate positive changes taking place here at the
Community Church of Little Neck going forward, we need to keep
these things in mind if we want to be ready to “put our best foot
forward” for Christ. Let us use this time for reflection and see
what new directions Christ may be calling us to move in as we look
toward reaching out in the 21st century and beyond.
Yours in Christ,
Pastor Paul Drake
SERMON TITLES FOR JUNE 2008
The following are the Scripture texts and titles for Pastor
Drake's sermons during the month of June 2008:
| Date |
Scriptures |
Sermon Title |
| June 1 |
Matthew 7: 21-29 |
Built on the
Rock |
| June 8 |
Matthew 9: 9-13, 18-26 |
Love Is for All |
| June 15 |
Matthew 9: 35-10:8 |
Harvest Workers |
| June 22 |
Matthew 10: 24-39 |
Do Not Be
Afraid |
| June 29 |
Matthew 10: 40-42 |
Gifts of
Compassion |
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