At our church, we continue to pray as we reach out to Stillman Valley, Byron, Oregon, Rochelle, Davis Junction, Rockford, and the other communities represented in our church.

Along with praying, we need to think ahead. Leading a church is like chess. If you only think of the next move, checkmate won’t be far away. While I am not playing a lot of chess these days, I am thinking three moves ahead at church.

Here are some “church moves” to keep in mind as we think three moves ahead.

Communion and Vision Sunday on August 5 – Vision needs to be restated vividly and often for any local church. On Aug 5, I will introduce our new pew Bibles and help us anticipate the Fall and all the ministries going on in our church.

There will also be a church baptism service and time of Fellowship at the Mrozek residence in Byron on August 5 at 4:00 PM.

Our congregation overwhelmingly approved the ramp project. Keep in mind all that it represents: our heart to reach out to our community, careful planning and hard work on the part of our Trustees, sacrificial giving on the part of many.

Team Sunday on September 9 offers a wonderful opportunity to invite people to church. Wear your jersey, invite a teammate, and sit together as teams. Some of you recall a Team Sunday from six years ago. Many of the guys to the right are playing varsity this Fall, leading the chess team, or in marching band.  We are hoping that along with Stillman Red, there will also be Byron Orange, Oregon Red, and other team colors as well.

People from 89 countries have visited my web site in the last month, help us make sure that the United States continues to be represented. Remember – you can receive updates via email by signing up. See the envelope at the upper right corner of www.chrisbrauns.com .

If you are not on our church email list, then let Jana know.

We’re Already Working on AWANA One of our dreams for the Fall is that we will really reach out to the families of AWANA children and invite them to church. Be praying that God will raise up workers for AWANA and that we will prayerfully invite families to attend church.

Grace is a Gift!  – Team Sunday will be the first of three sermons on grace. Now matter how many times we focus on grace, it’s amazing how quickly we gravitate to a mentality of earning God’s favor. I will preach on grace on September 9, 16, and 23 and these will be wonderful Sundays to invite guests.

Leading Our Emotions – For September 30- November 18 I will begin a series on dealing with our emotions. Too many times emotions lead us when we should be leading our emotions. Emotions can be cruel dictators. Legitimate sadness can give way to the quicksand of depression. Proper concern quickly becomes unmanageable anxiety. Righteous anger can turn into bitterness or tantrums. This series will equip our people to think biblically about battles with emotions.

The Adult Sunday School program has been one of the fastest growing ministries of our church. We have special plans for the class this fall including an emphasis on integrating the sermon series with the adult class. If you want to get to know our church family, this is a great place to pursue that goal.