The Thursday Update

Lakeshore Attenders and Members— 

On Tuesday, New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo announced his resignation from office effective in two weeks.  This comes amidst the claims by 11 women that he had inappropriate physical contact and discussions with them, as well as the claim of a nursing home scandal that former Cuomo staffer Melissa DeRosa stated (on a recorded call) was an underreporting of the actual number of those who died of COVID in nursing homes last year.

Here are my thoughts that I hope will help you navigate this biblically.

First, everyone should be presumed innocent until proven guilty.  I am glad that our state AG did an investigation and that our state was preparing an impeachment trial to reach a verdict.  With Cuomo’s resignation, however, it’s unclear what will happen.

Second, every credible accusation should be considered for it’s validity.  These 11 women demonstrated amazing courage in coming forward to tell their stories.  But always remember that not all people who make accusations are honest (trust me on that), so each one must be examined fairly by those without bias to make a valid determination.

Third, leaders need to be accountable at the highest levels because they can either really help or really hurt others.  I wonder where the accountability has been all these years for Cuomo?  At Lakeshore, we strive for high levels of accountability for everyone, starting with me, in the areas of finances, treatment of members of the opposite sex and appropriate behavior, godly living, work ethics and more.  And while we are all imperfect, we have never (and will never) allow any egregious behavior to go unaddressed.  We will always do our best to be as open about how with you any chance we get.

Finally, as followers of Christ this is not the opportunity to act in ways that are unbecoming of Jesus in response to what has happened.  Sadly, social media blasts, public mocking, and political jabs will never do anything but make us look like the many godless people already on social media.  Yes, you should have your own informed views on this, but remember that as bad as these allegations are against Cuomo, but for the grace of God it could be us, even if it was something different but really sinful and wrong.  Jesus Christ died for sinners like me, like you, and like Andrew Cuomo.  Let’s not get so prideful and hateful that we ever forget that.

At Lakeshore, while we all hold our own political views (and should!), we will not promote purely political views or parties from our platform.  Instead, we will promote biblical truth as it comes to bear on issues of political importance as they arise.  At Lakeshore, we have one primary mission: “to help as many people as possible discover and develop a growing relationship with Jesus Christ.”

I hope this helps you to wisely respond during this tragic time.  Let’s pray for our state that we will turn to God for His help and wisdom.

No matter what may be going on around us, we know that God is still soverign and in control and for that we are thankful! As we reflected on last Sunday we were thanful! Wasn't it such a great service?  The music was great as usual (I was able to take it in without any other thoughts that usually come when I speak, so it was great to experience), our video announcements were helpful and well done, and my twin brother :) Bishop Dave Singleton brought some great words of encouragement on “Surpassing The Stifling Effect Of Shame.”  Plus, the energy after services in the atrium was outstanding.

God has had His hand on our church for this entire 26 year ride, but I believe that this current series on “Emotional I.Q.” along with the previous two series (“Identity Crisis” and “What God Has To Say About Government”) have been the result of a planning process that God has honored and used to help so many people.  I don’t recall as many people talking about messages and series with the same practical takeaways and biblical insights as I have with these past three.

The entire staff plays a part in helping choose, refine, and/or develop them, but ultimately God is at work in the invisible world, inspiring ideas in us and guiding us to these messages.

This is just another example of the greatness of God!  I hope that these messages and Sunday service experiences all help you to fall in love with the greatness of God.  I hope that you see how great He is in providing His Word (the Bible) and how it helps us while also glorifying Himself.

Lakeshore will always try to help you see how great God is, because His greatness is all that really matters when it's all said and done.

Thanks for being such a growing, God-honoring church!

Warmly,
Vince

It’s a busy week here at Lakeshore as we host the Global Leadership Summit on Thursday and Friday for the 18^th consecutive year.  If you’re attending, you’re in store for two great days of insight and inspiration on how to be a better leader at work, at home, and in virtually every area of life.  We have some tickets available for just $100. If interested, please contact Kathy Shepanski at kashepanski@lakeshorechurch.org.

On Sunday, we will have a special guest and Lakeshore favorite speaking at both services.  Bishop Dave Singleton from Ark of Jesus Ministries will be continuing our series “Upping Your Emotional I.Q.” by talking about Surpassing The Stifling Effect Of Shame.  We all wrestle with the feeling of shame for the things we’ve done, but God wants us to move past it to a place of freedom.  Bishop Dave will help us understand how.

Thanks for being such a great church!  You are loved by God and by us.

Warmly,
Vince