Good Afternoon, Ekklesia!
August is upon us. That does not even seem possible. I am thankful for the many things God has done in our community this Summer.
It also doesn’t seem possible that August 26th, we will be celebrating our one year anniversary as a church. I am looking forward to celebrating on that Sunday all the ways God has shaped us and molded us over the past year. He is literally making us into “A Church of Redemption.” We’ll celebrate with many stories and follow it up with a church-wide fellowship. Look for more details in the coming days.
This week, you will notice lots of changes in our meeting space. Most notably, the kitchen in the BCM has been renovated and several exterior areas are under construction. We are blessed to be able to gather there at very little expense to us. Thom and the BCM leadership have been very gracious to us over the last year in sharing their space. On that note, there are a few ways we can give back. If any of you would like to make a donation to their renovation fund, please let me or Hunter know. They are also in need of some help on their work day, Monday, August 20th, from 9 AM – 4 PM. Anyone who is available to help would be greatly appreciated. Finally, they are in need of someone this coming week to help inventory and setup the new kitchen. If you are interested in helping in any of these ways, please let me know as soon as possible.
Vanderbilt students have already begun arriving, and will continue to do so in phases, culminating in the largest move-in days happening the weekend of August 17th-19th. For those of you who have signed up to transport students from the airport and/or provide temporary housing, those days and the week prior will be the prime time. Please be sure to plan accordingly.
School being back in session at Vandy also means that our parking situation will soon become infinitely more complicated once again. For those first few weeks when school starts (and beyond) the best bet continues to be the Parking Garage behind the 2525 West End Building (behind P.F. Chang’s.) If you park anywhere else, remember you do so at your own risk. (Click here for some tips on parking at Ekklesia.)
As I mentioned last week, I have become increasingly aware of the importance of prayer in our church recently. There are lots of spiritual battles being waged everyday in our own lives and the people with whom we come in contact each day. As a result, I desire to see a group of people from our church who would commit to intentionally and regularly praying for the needs of our church and our city. If this is something you are interested in being a part of, please click here to fill out this quick survey and we will be following up with you very soon.
The Ekklesia Vision Luncheon we had planned for this Sunday afternoon has been canceled. It is such a crazy time of year, with the end of summer and people coming and going, it will be more effective for us to postpone that until early Fall. For those of you who planned to attend and are looking to learn more about becoming a part of Ekklesia now, we will be following up with you personally very soon to schedule a time to get together with you. Thanks for being flexible.
This Sunday, we will be studying John 10:1-21 and the illustration of Jesus as The Good Shepherd. This is a powerful passage that contrasts the schemes of the enemy with the protection of the Father. We will see a bit more of God’s Glory revealed in Jesus through this Scripture.
I’m looking forward to gathering with you this weekend. If I can help you in any way, please let me know.
Blessings,
Jason
