“Soon our new church sign will be installed in the front yard of our property and in some ways it will signify a new season of ministry here at Grace. By the way, thank you again for your generous donations that will make this project a reality! The sign will enable us to communicate better with our community to let them know what’s happening at Grace…and there’s going to be a lot happening this Fall.”

I wrote the above words more than a year ago for the September 2016 issue of Grace Notes, although, the words seem more appropriate for this year. As I write this article our new church sign is actually and finally going up! The framing is in place for the foundation that will hold the sign and the concrete is poured . The date for installation is Tuesday, August 29! There have been a few unforeseen snafus along the way and difficulties in getting various approvals from the township. As it turns out, the installation is going to add considerably to the cost of this project, but soon the sign will be operational. I’m confident that it will serve our church and our ministries very well.

To be sure, one thing is certainly true about the article I wrote and we published over a year ago: “…there’s going to be a lot happening [at Grace] this Fall.” Soon Rally Day will be here (September 10) as we return to our regular schedule of worship and Sunday School. Our choir will be back sharing beautiful and meaningful anthems each Sunday. Not far behind (October 1), we will be participating in another Faith in Action Day. I hope you will sign up! It’s going to be a wonderful new season of ministry and fellowship here at Grace and I’m really looking forward to it!

I want to use the remainder of my column to highlight a new ministry that we’ll be launching in September. It’s called The Pastor’s Prayer Partner Ministry and I’m very excited to tell you about it. We will be recruiting at least seven individuals to join this ministry and we’ll be asking each member to commit themselves to the following:

? Meet with the pastor each Sunday morning (as you are able) before worship to pray for our service, our participants (choir, Barbara Green,           worship leader, pastor, etc…), our members, and especially, our visitors.

? Commit to pray for the pastor and staff and the ministry of our church on a consistent and regular basis.

? Pray for specific needs on your assigned day of the week.

? Agree to serve for a period of at least 12 months.

It’s a simple idea that I believe will have a profound impact on the life and ministry of our church. I know that it will be a blessing to me personally and that it will inject a new sense of hope and expectancy into our entire church. You’ll be hearing more about it in the days to come, but for now, if you’re interested in joining The Pastor’s Prayer Parmer Ministry, don’t hesitate to contact me.

In His Service,

Pastor George Hawthorne Grace Baptist Church