Over the next month, we are going to explore the story of Daniel together. Daniel lived in one of the most challenging times the people of God have ever experienced, as the government was led by evil people who enslaved and oppressed the people of God in some unimaginable ways. They also sought to eliminate worship of and erase any evidence of the God of Israel.
Today, we also struggle with a culture that doesn't seem to share our Christian values. Over the next few weeks we'll explore the faith that allowed Daniel to thrive in Babylon, trusting that God can build the same sort of world-overcoming faith in us!
Here are some great resources that can take you deeper on the topic on the coming weeks:
Bible: Daniel (OT)
Book: Thriving in Babylon by Larry Osborne
Right Now Media Titles: Thriving in Babylon by Larry Osborne; Dare to Be God’s Messenger by Kay Arthur, Daniel Plan: 40 days to a healthier life by Rick Warren; Living in Exile by Pete Briscoe
LOOKING BACK:
- We resumed worshipping together in person!! It has been great to see more of your faces and hear your voices.
- We have seen a major increase in the amount of people asking for prayer and spiritual guidance online who were not connected to our church family. Some of those requests are posted at westlandfmc.com/prayer. Please take a moment throughout the week and stop by that page to pray, and click on the “I prayed for this” button to let them know that we are lifting them up to God.
- Anchor was able to do their first in person gather as the had a bonfire for the teens.
- Construction was just completed on clearing out and opening up the area between our playground and the public park. The city hopes to have phase one of a walking path completed over the next two months, and there is also a bunch of new playground equipment coming in. They also hope to setup eating areas in the future. As part of the project they added tile drainage through the area that should fix the water issue in the park, as well as on our property too. This project is going to be a blessing to the community and a fun area for our church family to connect!
- Growth groups have continued to meet online and some in person for fellowship and prayer.
- We added kick plates to the outside and pull plates to the inside to make our bathroom doors touch free!
- We added a second camera for online worship to enhance the feel of the service. We have also worked at upgrading the audio and should be making major progress starting this week!
- Many people have received ongoing prayer and encouragement through constant communication from our team.
COMING UP:
Please pray for the Wombat team this week as they ride to raise money for Haiti!
Prayer Night’s are resuming (Aug. 5) and will happen live and online the first Wednesday of every month. We spend time in prayer, praising God, and praying for each other and the world around us. Staring this week, we’ll also be offering Drive-thru prayer where one of our pastors will be in the parking lot from 7-8pm to pray for people who would like to be prayed for in person.
The Redeeming Stones Conference is coming to WFMC on Aug. 21-22. It will feature Powerful worship and encouraging teaching, allowing God to take the trials of our past and pave an amazing new path for our future! Registration can be done online at LifeCareChristianCenter.org.
Marriage Night is returning Saturday, September 12, at 7 pm. This is a one-night event for married and engaged
couples to laugh and learn as they hear from marriage experts and discover how to honor God through their relationship. Speakers includes Matt and Lauren Chandler, Conway and Jada Edwards, Les and Leslie Parrott, and comedian Michael Jr. Tickets are available for $15 per person. You can register online at: westlandfmc.com/marriagenight.
Our Halo cleaning system arrived and will be used between every gathering to knock out any virus trying to infiltrate our space! Our new chairs will also be arriving in early August, and a local church will be purchasing our pink ones. We are so thankful for your faithfulness and government grants that have allowed us to take these steps to keep everyone safe!
As a reminder, we are still in Phase 3 of our re-gathering plan. For more information about what the means for each ministry visit westlandfmc.com/welcomeback. You are all in our prayers and we are here to help in any way!
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