In one week, I begin my sabbatical. I’m grateful for the opportunity to spend extended time hearing from God as well as mentors, friends, and mission partners. While I’m gone I will be praying daily for God’s blessing on our church and the many who are serving and leading its ministries. Here’s a short update on what’s coming.

MAY

I am especially excited about our Send Me missions emphasis month that begins on Sunday, May 3rd (see details here). Send Me is a month-long opportunity to both celebrate what God is doing through our church in missions and to invite you to be a part of it. This year our theme is: BLESSED. BROKEN. GIVEN. Being Christ’s Body for the World.

In its one hundred-plus year history, Browncroft has been committed to the work of the Great Commission—supporting and sending people to share the message of the gospel with the spiritually lost in our world.

Today we support many missionaries near and far, doing the work of church-planting, evangelism, discipleship training, community development, relational evangelism with students, Bible-translation, business as mission (in more restricted countries), and much more.

In the last few years Browncroft has launched a partnership strategy for the purpose of engaging more of our congregation in the work of missions. We believe personal engagement—praying, giving, and going—is central to the discipleship of every believer. Currently our five local and global partnerships (find them on our Outreach page) engage a few hundred Browncrofters regularly at different levels of involvement. For many, these partnerships have become places of personal ministry and a central part of discipleship to Jesus. Our hope is to see an increasing number of people deepen their discipleship by engaging their gifts and extending their calling in some form of mission.

The purpose of this annual focus is to make missions engagement accessible for everyone. This year, in addition to the Sunday morning messages and in home partnerships gatherings, we have a mini-conference planned for Saturday, May 16th (RSVP here) and a Family Serve Night on Thursday, May 28th (RSVP here). I hope you will take the time to check out these opportunities and sign up to secure your spot.

JUNE – AUGUST

Beginning in June, and running through the final Sunday in August, we will be studying the Book of James together. This will include preaching from some of our staff leaders, elders, and local partners. Alongside the series we will be providing Book of James journals that include the full text of the New Testament letter and can be used to take notes, process sermon questions, and write personal reflections.

We will also be celebrating our graduating high school seniors in June, sending out short-term teams internationally in July and August, and continuing to serve our local partners within their summer programs.

My prayer is that in the coming months we all grow closer to God by experiencing His peace and His presence at a deeper level in our lives, in our families, and as a church.

I look forward to being back with you in mid-August.

Much Love,

Pastor Rob