Hey McFarland! Pastor Wayne here!
I hope that y’all are doing well. I just wanted to take a few minutes to update you on some things that are happening at the church.
- Thursday, May 20 is our Free Store. We have continued this ministry through the pandemic beginning in November of 2020 by setting up appointments and limiting the number of people in the store at one time. The response to this format has been good and we continue to serve a good number of people each month.
- This Sunday marks Pentecost, the day that we celebrate as the birth of the church. I hope that you will be able to join us for worship either in-person at 11:00 a.m. or by video delay on Sunday afternoon. In our current setup, we post first to Vimeo and FaceBook, then to the website. Audio only versions of the sermon (and sometimes the full service) will be available on our Sermon By Phone service (call 1-706-866-6577, a local number) and as a podcast available through Apple Podcasts or Google Play later in the day on Sunday.
- I have been overwhelmed by your response to the Mission Bucket collection for our mission at Ishe Anesu in Zimbabwe. Your response has guaranteed that we will meet the goal of 36 buckets from McFarland. Thank you! By the way, any excess supplies will be made available to the Free Store.
- With the changes that are happening as people get vaccinated, we are excited to announce that we are moving toward opening up in some other areas on Sunday morning and throughout the week. For the time being, we are still needing to wear masks and observe social distancing. Our plans are to focus all worship activities in the Sanctuary and all other activities in Fellowship Hall. We plan to resume gathering for Sunday School in the Fellowship Hall on June 6. We want to thank all of the people who have taken on the leadership of our Sunday School through the years. We are currently evaluating curriculum and determining who will best be able to serve in leadership as we move forward.
- I want to thank you for your stewardship during the pandemic. We ended 2020 very close to what we had budgeted for income and expenses. Additionally, 2021 is shaping up very well so far. We are in the process of moving to a new accounting software platform (Quickbooks) that will modernize our financial tracking while providing the leadership team with the information that they need to easily see where we are financially.
- It is projected that I will be re-appointed to McFarland for another year. I am excited to continue as your pastor in the coming year. I hope that we can begin to work with the other churches in our Mission Hub (Simpson, Ft Oglethorpe, Flintstone, and St Elmo) to effect change in our community.
As we move closer to a new form of normal, we want to remain open to new ways of ministry to our community and to our congregation. We intend to keep (and improve) our online ministry in any case.
Pentecost introduced a new era as the Holy Spirit was unleashed among the people. It is my prayer that we can enter a new era of engagement with the community. Please continue to pray that we will be the hands and feet of Christ in Rossville moving forward.
Blessings,
Pastor Wayne
