Views from The Ridge 11.1.22
Sunset Ridge is a church that desires to follow Jesus, reach people, and radiate God’s love and hope to all.
This week…
Wednesday, November 2, from 7:30-9pm: Youth group hosted by the Webbs (714 Tuxedo)
Sunday, November 6:
9:15am— Fall Life Groups (thru November 13) & Roots Children’s Class
10:30am— Worship Service (TBD)
Sermon: “Time To Go”
Scripture: John 16:1-16
4:30pm— Supper Church
Upcoming…
Wednesday, November 9, at 7pm: The BLESSING Group hosts a special guest in the Fellowship Hall (see details below)
Saturday, November 12: Family Morning
Sunday, November 13: Covenant Renewal Service
Wednesday, November 30: Wednesday Womens’ Fellowship (see note below)
When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.
“It is Well with My Soul,” Horatio G. Spafford, 1873
Horatio Spafford was a successful lawyer and real estate investor in Chicago in the 1800s. He and his wife, Anna, had five children. In 1871 they lost their four-year-old son to scarlet fever. A few months later, the great Chicago fire wiped out the majority of their property holdings. In 1873, a shipwreck claimed the lives of their four daughters. On his voyage to meet Anna, as his ship neared the place where his daughters had drowned, he penned the lyrics to “It is Well with My Soul.” In the midst of devastation and tragedy, the song points to where hope can be found. The hymn does not diminish or gloss over pain and tragedy but rather proclaims that God is present in them and greater than them.
Where does someone find the strength to write this song?
In John 14:1-14, Jesus gives precious promises to his disciples to encourage and sustain them through the worst of times. These promises speak of Jesus’ presence, of Jesus as the Way to life now and eternal, of relationship and unity with God, and the power of prayer. In these verses Jesus tells us to entrust ourselves to Him. His words are light and calm and hope. In these words we find strength for today, and bright hope for tomorrow. Entrust yourself to Jesus this week and meditate on His precious promises. Do not let your hearts be troubled. There is something within us this world cannot touch.
Melanie Fry
Daily Bible Readings
Monday: I Timothy 3:6
Tuesday: I John 5:6-9
Wednesday: Jude 20-21
Thursday: I John 4:13
Friday: I Peter 4:13-14
Saturday: Titus 3:4-6
News & Notes
Time Change:
Please note that Daylight Savings ends this weekend. Don’t forget to turn your clocks back 1 hour this Saturday night, November 5th!
Special Guest Speaker:
Mark Miles, a representative from the Slavic Gospel Association, will be visiting with the BLESSING Group on Wednesday, November 9, at 7:00 PM in the Fellowship Hall to discuss his recent visit to Ukraine and provide an update on the work being done through churches in that war-torn region. All are invited to attend!
Thank-You Note:
I would like to say that we are overwhelmed by the response you gave to sponsoring turkeys for the clients at Agape. I took over $1,100 to the Agape ministry office today. Your generosity has helped over 50 families to have a traditional Thanksgiving meal. Thank you, thank you, thank you! —Joann Thompson for the Wednesday Women's Fellowship Committee
Spiritual Formation leads to Transformation
Pictured above: In a ministry spotlight for the gathered church, Randy Rutland and Ashley Lockridge share about the importance of engagement in Life Groups for personal transformation and growth, as well as how small groups will be key to churches that flourish in the future.
We invite you to watch Sunset Ridge Life Group members John & Linda Tuller and Joyce Hughes discussing the benefits they have found in sharing their spiritual journey with a small group or Life Group. Due to the sound quality, captions have been added after the introduction. If you have any questions about Life Groups at Sunset Ridge, contact Randy Rutland.
Covenant Renewal
Reaffirming our commitments to each other, this community, and to God
Another portion of the formal Covenant Document will be introduced each Sunday leading up to our Covenant renewal service on November 13.
As members of the Sunset Ridge Church of Christ, we believe it is our mission to follow Jesus, reach people, and radiate his love and hope to all. We affirm this covenant with one another by God’s grace for our good and ultimately for God’s glory. We believe that the death and resurrection of Christ has brought us into new life with the Spirit. We also believe that God is at work in the world bringing about new creation and that we are empowered as his people to join that work.
Together, as we are physically and emotionally able, we will draw near to God in worship. We believe that worship is a communal act that honors God. We will engage practices that bring glory to God, make us aware of his presence, and renew our fellowship. We will engage deeply with the Word of God as it guides and shapes us, and we will be dependent on the leading of the Holy Spirit.
Together, we will remind each other of the hope we have. We will regularly join Christ in communion as we celebrate his good work in the world— past, present, and future. We will commit to being formed to Christ’s image and transformed by the work of the Spirit within us.
As a community, we will each do what we are able to edify the body of Christ. We will gather consistently, pray earnestly, and serve selflessly. We will share each other’s joys and bear each other’s burdens. We will listen carefully to one another, encourage one another with goodness language, and lead one another with our example. Having the same mind of Christ, we will treat others as more important than ourselves.
We will follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit as we are led to join God’s work in the world. We will give with open hands to the support of this church and devote ourselves to being good neighbors in our community. We believe in supporting the flourishing of all people and God’s creation, and we commit to being ambassadors in that effort.
Praises & Prayers
On November 6th, Rose Hip Coffee will celebrate its one-year anniversary!! We are so grateful for the community that Rose Hip (through owner/operator Katie Best-Richmond) has brought to our space.
God, we gather in gratitude, thankful for the ways you seek to revive us! Let the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts work together to praise you in this hour. Grant your Spirit to move our hearts and inspire each of us to share your steadfast love with all whom we encounter. Help us to join in giving only what is good, not only today but every day. Amen
