When was the last time you felt stressed? Amid those times, feeling stressed, there is one thing that will determine the course of your life: your priorities. Everyone has a set of priorities. If your priorities are not clearly defined, you will be swept away in life by various stressors, the seeming victim of your circumstances. But if your priorities are clear, then you can respond to those pressures by making choices in line with your priorities, and thereby give direction to your life.
Thus, we must have the right priorities. Your priorities determine how you spend your time, with whom you spend your time, how you spend your money, and how you make decisions. Your priorities keep you from being battered around by the waves of stress and help you steer a clear course toward the proper destination. Priorities – godly priorities – are crucial!
King David was a man who knew what it meant to live under stress. As the king of Israel, he knew the stress of leadership. The higher and more responsible the position of leadership, the greater the stress. And David knew the stress of problems. During his reign, his son, Absalom, led a rebellion against him. David and his loyal followers had to flee for their lives. During that time, David spent time in the northeastern portion of the wilderness of Judah before he crossed over the Jordan River. In that barren land, fleeing for his life from his son, feeling disgraced and rejected, with an uncertain future, David penned Psalm 63. He wrote in v. 3, “Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you.”
This is one of the most well-loved psalms. John Chrysostom (347-407) wrote “that the spirit and soul of the whole Book of Psalms is found in this Psalm” (The Book of Psalms, J. J. Stewart Perowne, [Zondervan], p. 486). The ancient church had the practice of beginning the singing of the Psalms at each Sunday service with Psalm 63, called “the morning hymn” (Commentary on the Old Testament, Keil & Delitzsch, [Eerdmans], p. 212).
The psalm shows us the priority of David, this man of God, under stress. I can only imagine that if you or I were under the kind of stress that David was under when writing this psalm, I would venture to say we wouldn’t be spending our time writing a song!! But David sang to the Lord! His worship of God led him to sing! When we are under stress may we be clear about our priorities . . . and SING to the Lord!
Worship
We are in for a real treat this Sunday, as the Waynesboro Choral Society will be leading worship. This would be a great time to invite friends and neighbors to join you in worship! Let us sing to the Lord!
Adult Bible Study Class
Our Adult Bible Study class will meet this Sunday at 9:30 a.m. in the large Sunday school room. Please join Lowell Gross and others for a wonderful time around God’s Word!! We will focus on 1 Corinthians 1: “Division vs. Christ Crucified.” Please bring your Bible.
Pastor Search Committee Update & Prayer
Your Pastor Search Committee is in the process of searching for our next lead pastor.
We invite you to covenant to pray for the next pastor and specifically for the Pastor Search Committee, as they seek the Lord! You may even wish to fast for a meal or a day or more as the Lord directs. Corporate prayer is so needed! Join with other sisters and brothers if you can.
Tithes & Offerings
An offering box is available when you enter or exit the sanctuary. Additionally, Online Giving
Session Highlights
Our Session met on August 19th at 5:00 p.m. The following are some of the highlights:
- Study and Reflection on 1 Peter 2:9 led by Elder Albert Danraj. We focused on how we are all “priests” under the New Covenant.
- We approved the Session minutes of July 22nd and August 7th and approved the minutes of the Congregational Meeting on July 28th on behalf of the congregation. We also discussed various correspondence.
- Pastor Glen reported on the ongoing leadership training for the newly elected elders and deacons.
- Review of the budget by Elder Tim Stewart, including the status of capital improvement projects
- We approved the establishment of a church website content review team, including the website manager, Session member, and the pastor.
- We reviewed the accuracy of church members and non-members in ChurchTrac.
- We discussed a policy regarding attendance at church meetings by church members.
- We discussed backup for critical responsibilities, including treasurer duties; A/V Sound Team; HCC website manager; Security
- We discussed plans for offering the Alpha Course, beginning in the New Year.
- We were updated on the HCC website redesign, which is in process
- Please pray for the Session, as they will meet next Monday, September 16th.
Budget Update
Total Tithes/Offerings for August: $22,014.54 YTD: $208,595.54
Total Expenses for August: $12,526.66 YTD: $136,732.00
Golden Oldies
We are grateful for Bill Watkin’s very informative message regarding navigating legal paperwork, which he shared with us on September 11th!!
We will next meet on October 9th at 10:30 in the Waynesboro Panera Bread Community Room with Lori Showalter as our guest speaker. Lori is the Director of Volunteer Services for Augusta Health and Hospice of the Shenandoah (of Augusta Health). She will give an informative overview of Hospice.
We will meet on November 13th for a lunch out at the Wood Grill in Harrisonburg. Please see Harold or Janet Coiner if you will attend i order that reservations can be made.
There will be NO meeting in December. Celebrate with church services and family gatherings!!
FALL FEST 2024
Mark your calendars for our Fall Fest on October 12th from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Fun, food, music, and games! This will be a craft fair with BBQ chicken, giveaways, a cake walk, and games for all!
We need your help by donating craft or art items, setting up, and volunteering during the event. We will also need cakes, and if a corn hole game could be borrowed for the event, it would be appreciated. Sign-up sheets are available in the welcome center at the church. If you are interested in volunteering to help, please contact Candi Brown (540.241.2021) or Nina Gross (540.480.3441). More information to come!
Driver Assistance
If you or someone in our congregation needs a ride to a doctor’s appointment or other appointments, please call Tom Reider (540.649.5162). He has agreed to coordinate rides. He has a list of those who have volunteered to give those rides. We are grateful for this important ministry!!
Mission Corner
ComfortCare Women’s Health Annual Fall Fundraising Banquet, featuring guest speaker, Rebekah Hagan at Cornerstone Church of Augusta. We will host a table on Tuesday, October 8, 2024. Doors open at 6:00 p.m., and dinner will be served at 6:30 p.m. This is a wonderful opportunity to learn more about ComfortCare Ministry.
Love INC Support: From July through September, we will be collecting paper products (Paper towels, toilet paper, Kleenex, etc.). May we be a blessing to those desiring to improve their lives.
The Prayer Room is an outreach ministry in downtown Waynesboro, caring for people practically, as well as sharing the good news of Jesus Christ! We are collecting personal hygiene items and wrapped food items to support this ministry. Any donations can be brought to the church, and they will be given to the Prayer Room.
The Missions Team is active keeping in touch with our missionaries and other ministries. Please keep updated! You can visit our website and go to the Mission Page
August & September Birthdays
Chris Haynes (9/24); Dede Hamilton & Marge Sass (9/26)