Connection
This coming Sunday, we will observe All Saints’ Day. All Saints’ Day is Nov. 1 and we observe it on the Sunday following. We will read the names of those in our congregation who have passed this year as Mike Hohendorf tolls a bell and we light a candle. We will light a candle for our family and friends lost this year and for the 5 million lost to the pandemic over the last 20 months. Finally, we will light a candle for all those who gave their lives in service to our country. Then, we will recognize all of the veterans who are in worship with us this Sunday. This is also our Communion Sunday. We’ll come to the Table at both worship services.
I’m excited about the new sermon series beginning this Sunday, “Doorway to Faith.” Our memory verse, Matthew 28:17, comes at the very end of Matthew’s gospel. Jesus’ followers have seen his crucifixion -- and then experienced his resurrection. If there was ever a moment when belief should’ve been a given, this was it. And yet, the scripture tells us, “...some doubted.” Doubt happens. I’ve never known anyone who escaped the experience of doubt in their walk with Christ. I have known several who grew through doubt, finding a deeper, more authentic faith on the other side. Over the next three weeks, Pastor Heather and I will be examining doubt as a doorway to faith through scriptures that show us doubt is a part of our human experience.
One day, when I have more time, I’m going to write a book about all the ways the last 20 months have changed being a pastor. If you plan to read it, you’re gonna have to wait a long time! I’m still trying to keep up with the changes. Likely, you feel some of the same things about our life together as a congregation. Wait! How do I check in on Sundays? Where is my Sunday School class meeting? Do we have a bulletin for the worship service I attend? The word we learned at the beginning of the pandemic was “pivot,” and we are still pivoting. The beauty of pivoting is discovering opportunities we would not have considered otherwise.
This Sunday, we will begin checking in (whether you are with us in person or online) through our website. Jonathon Garrett and Mark Vierthaler have created a new landing page to help us stay connected: faithtulsa.org/connect. It is designed to work best on your phone, but you can access it on a tablet or computer as well. The first thing you will see are options to: register attendance, request prayer, give, sign up for our email, and download our memory verse as wallpaper for your phone. Below that, you’ll find the announcements for the week. At the bottom, you’ll find helpful links to the directory, calendar, newsletter and guest information. We’ll make it easy for you to connect on Sunday or any day of the week. Just go to our website (faithtulsa.org) and you’ll find a button to “Stay Connected.” Around the building, you’ll find QR codes that will take you straight to the connect page.
Why are we making this change? We want to make it easier for you to find the information you are looking for -- on the website we already have. As you begin to look for information on this new landing page, we will be phasing out our church app. Within the next few months, we’ll also be moving back to our original service for receiving online donations, Vanco, phasing out our use of Pushpay. These two moves will save us considerable expense and will also make tracking of contributions easier. Next week, I’ll go into more detail about the different ways we accept contributions and how you can give in ways that most benefit the church.
See you Sunday,
