New McKendree Church Family,

There’s something about springtime that always seems to put an extra pep in your step. Winter’s greys and browns have finally given way to springtime’s blue skies, green grass, and colorful flowers. It’s as if all of nature’s new life growth bears witness to Christ’s resurrection. As I think about it, this is especially true this year. Although our last two springs were as warm and green as this year’s, they were nonetheless overshadowed by the nagging reality of the COVID pandemic. But, thanks be to God, this year’s springtime has brought with it a resurrected sense of “post-COVID normalcy.”

Living into the promise that God will faithfully continue the good work he long ago began in his New McKendree family, we’ve slugged through the long winter months and have rolled into springtime at full stride. Our 15-month-old Breaking Bonds Ministry is operating at full capacity. After a two-year COVID hiatus, Jackson’s New McKendree-led Feed My Starving Children event was a blessing to the 447 kids that will receive a meal a day for the next year and a blessing to the 649 volunteer participants.

Amidst all that, we kicked off our New McKendree MOVE initiative; a churchwide effort to revitalize, update and equip our facilities for vital ministry both now and for generations to come. As an expression of our love for God and love of our neighbor, our church family has caught the vision and met the challenge. With each day that passes, we get closer and closer to our $1,184,000 pledge goal. On May 7/8, our “MOVE Big Give” weekend, we’ll all have the opportunity to begin giving toward our MOVE pledges. My hope is that our MOVE offerings, combined with our general weekly giving, will result in the most generous weekend our church family has ever seen. And then, on May 14/15, we’ll announce our MOVE pledge total and our MOVE Big Give weekend totals and celebrate together the good work that God is doing in and through his New McKendree family.

As a reminder, our MOVE initiative is about financing our mainly interior “phase 3” capital improvement efforts. Our fully funded, “phase 2” High Street exterior work is well underway and will continue through the weeks ahead. Keep in mind that progress, in the short term, is often neither convenient nor pretty. I say that because crews will be digging a trench around our High Street foundation over the next week, possibly months, and installing a waterproof barrier. But, once done, our beautiful church facility will be watertight and ready for our “phase 3” work to begin.

Spring is here, and all around us, within us, and within the life of our New McKendree family are the telltale signs of new, resurrected life. I thank God for the opportunity for all of us, as a united family, to reflect God’s resurrected light in the lives of one another and into the community we’re blessed to serve.

Your brother in Christ,

Pastor Bryan

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MOVE News

May 7/8 will be our MOVE BIG GIVE weekend. During the three worship services on May 7/8, we’ll all bring our regular church offering and our first pledged MOVE offering. As it’s also Mothers’ Day, our prayer is that it’s another Spirit-filled celebration of our mothers and families and a celebration of God’s ongoing good work in and through our New McKendree family.