SEPTEMBER 14, 2023

LAKESHORE FRIENDS—

God is a God of unity. Everything that He does is to create or restore unity.

Unfortunately, human beings tend to have the exact opposite behavior. We seem to prefer to divide from others based on immutable characteristics like the color of our skin, the places we were born, and the unique personalities we each possess. Instead of appreciating these diversities, we reject them. 

Today, we see the effects of this division everywhere! Disagree on virtually any issue and there may be lots of animosity, heated words, personal hatred, and potentially even violence that follows. This division and animosity is everywhere and it seems that no one is immune. You could be on public transportation, getting into your car, walking down the street, or sitting at home. Worse, we sometimes see it in the church, even on Sunday mornings. 

This should never be the case because the God of unity created one church, regardless of ethnicity, financial income, or even small, non-essential differences in theological doctrine.

On Sunday, we’re going to celebrate our 17th year of being one church as we invite four other congregations to join us for Rochester Together, a reimagined event building off our annual Roc Service. With two churches predominantly African American, one predominantly Hispanic, and one Messianic Jewish, we will have an opportunity to reflect the true unity that the church and the world need to see. That’s especially true as divisions in our nation are at levels we have not seen for decades, if not longer.

Our goal for Rochester Together is to worship together, work together, and be a witness to the world of the greatness of God so that others will see it in its undeniable beauty.  

I hope you’ll join us on Sunday and that you’ll invite others to join you too. We have special guest musicians and you’ll hear from the Pastors and Rabbis of each congregation. This is easily one of the best Sundays of the year.

Warmly,
Vince

SEPTEMBER 7, 2023

LAKESHORE FRIENDS—

This is the week that things change for the vast majority of us.  That’s because kids are back to school.

Things seem to change this week like few other weeks in the year.  No more late nights for kids (or noisy nights in the neighborhood).  No more holidays left this summer.  The days continue to get shorter and shorter for another four months, and they get cooler and cooler (ugh!). Football kicks off this weekend and we watch games most of the day on Sunday.  Our schedules even change whether we have kids, grandkids, or other kids that mean a lot to us.  It’s all such a sudden change.

With kids back to school, it’s also a great time to check ourselves and ask if we need to get back to church.  The summer really changes habits, schedules and rhythms for people.  With summer vacations and the like, people usually attend church a little less.  Sometimes a lot less.  Sometimes not at all.  We see it in our weekly attendance numbers and even have a term for it: the summer slump.  I’ve found that some people turn the summer slump into a fall and winter slump.  Sometimes, people find a new church, or (worse) just stop going to church altogether.  It’s so sad to witness.  I’ve never seen it leave people and families better off.

I hope that won’t be you.

With the kids back to school, I hope you’ll prioritize (or keep prioritizing) going back to church.  Jesus created His church for us to worship Him, learn more about Him, and spend time with others who want the same things.  When we love what Jesus loves, like the church, we experience the life that Jesus promises (John 10:10).  The opposite is also true.

Our doors are always wide open for you, your family, your friends, and our community no matter how long it’s been.  We’ll do all we can to put together services that help you and others discover and develop a growing relationship with Jesus.  We hope you’ll be back to church this week, or really soon.

Warmly,
Vince

AUGUST 31, 2023

LAKESHORE FRIENDS—

When you hear the word “gospel”, what do you think of?  Lots of people have no really clear or accurate answer.

Some think it’s a part of a formal, liturgical church service.  Some thinks it’s a genre of music.  Some think it’s limited to the title of some books in the beginning of the New Testament.  Some think it’s just a religious word with no practical meaning for their lives.  The truth is that the gospel is so much more than any of these limiting ideas.

So what is the gospel?  Why is it as important as anything imaginable?  Why is it important to understand what it is?  Why is it important that we learn how to communicate it and how to live it?

That’s what we’ll be looking at in a new series starting on Sunday called, Why We Call It Good News.  I’m going to provide answers to these questions and so much more.  I think this is an important series for those of us who really want to take our faith seriously, and that’s because everything about the gospel is serious business.  Nothing can alter the eternal destiny of life than the proper grasp of the gospel.

So if you want to understand the gospel, I hope you’ll be here on Sunday as we celebrate Labor Day weekend and start the wind down of summer.

Warmly,
Vince