Update from Parish House

Friends,

We have a had a great month of Bible Club on Fridays! Our last day is this Friday, August 25. For those of you who have been helping lead, Julie will send out the lesson plan in the next couple of days, but we wanted to go ahead and give you an important update on the block party and other upcoming plans.

One of the most important lessons we’ve learned through our work at Parish House is to operate within the resources we have, rather than trying to do too much with too little. We’ve seen this work well with our pared-down version of VBS this summer, and we are thankful for the Lord’s faithfulness as we serve our neighborhood through the gifts He has given us and our ministry partners. With that said, we have come to the decision that we do not have the capacity to host a block party at the end of VBS, like we did for the past two years.

Now for the good news! Many of you know that Parish House has been discerning a change in our service time to better accommodate the needs of our congregation. This fall, we will transition our weekly church service from Sunday mornings to Saturday evenings. To kick this off, we are hosting a fall festival on Saturday, October 14. We will still close down the block to ensure safety, and we’ll have a cookout, some carnival games, and other fun activities. As part of the festivities, we will be having our first Saturday evening service, which we are hoping and praying will include a couple of baptisms!

The details are still being worked out (including the time), but we want to invite you to mark your calendars and join us for this special event. Here are some ways you can be involved:

PRAY- we have at least two children who have indicated their desire to be baptized (PRAISE THE LORD!!).  While much preparation and teaching has been underway, and despite several conversations with their parents, we continue to work toward parental consent.  Please pray with us that the Lord will open their hearts to the Sacrament of baptism.

Other things to pray for- all the resources needed for the fall festival, and for all the details to fall into place to facilitate a smooth transition to Saturday services.

Donate- we will need to purchase food for the cookout and supplies for the carnival games and other activities. Please watch for an email from Julie with more specific information as we continue planning.

Volunteer- we would love to have all of you join us for our fall festival! If you would like to help out, we will need volunteers to man the carnival games, grill and serve food, set up and clean up, and just be there to mingle with neighbors.

If you have specific questions or want to be involved, please let Julie or myself know. We are excited about what God is doing here in Racine, and we are thankful to have your support!

Peace,
Luke and Julie