John Louk

We will gather for a congregational meeting on Sunday following worship (about 12:45 pm). The Leadership Board will provide lunch. The purpose of the meeting is to determine whether we will participate in the voluntary buyout from the city. We will not have an official vote. The official vote will come later at the Charge Conference. We will, however, determine the will of the congregation. If it is to pursue the buyout, then we will seek the approval of the District Building and Location Committee as well as the Bishop and Cabinet. If we receive those approvals, then the congregation will vote at the official meeting of the church, the Charge Conference. (If the process leads us to a Charge Conference vote, it will be held at a time other than our yearly Charge Conference that has already been scheduled for October 11.) At this time, more than 100 persons have indicated they will participate in the congregational meeting. That is a tremendous turnout! Obviously, this is an important ...

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. Acts 2:42 NRSV I have received many comments and questions about my last blog on worship. I shared a quote from the middle of the second century from Justin Martyr in his First Apology. It is a description of the normal Sunday worship in the early church. Here is another version of that quote: [1] On the day which is called Sunday, all who live in the cities or in the countryside gather together in one place. [2] And the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read as long as there is time. [3] then, when the reader has finished, the president, in a discourse, admonishes and invites the people to practice these examples of virtue. [4] Then we all stand up together and offer prayers. [5] and, as we mentioned before, when we have finished the prayer, bread is presented, and wine with water (Bard Thompson, ed., Liturgies of the Western Church [Philadelphia: For...