Newsletter for August 27, 2025

Join us on Wednesday, September 3, at 6:00 PM as we kick off Family Night Supper.

That night, we will be introducing our new church app and website!
Be sure to bring your phone or tablet—we’ll help you download the app, set up your notifications, and show you how to get the most out of these new tools.

Don’t miss this evening of food, fellowship, and getting connected!

We are excited to begin collecting items for Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes!
For the month of September, we are focusing on toys and school supplies.

Suggested Toys: Small dolls, stuffed animals, jump ropes, balls, cars, puzzles, card games, musical toys (like harmonicas or recorders).

Suggested School Supplies:
Crayons, markers, colored pencils, small notebooks, rulers, erasers,
or pencil sharpeners

 Please Do Not Include:
Toy guns or weapons of any kind
War-related toys

 Drop-off boxes are located outside the church office.

Let’s join together to bless children around the world with the love of Christ through a simple shoebox gift!

We are collecting recipes. Here are ways you can contribute.

• Request a link from Jonathan, and you will be able to help us out by typing in a recipe.
• Pick up a form from the church and fill out your information. 
• Download and print a form. Click Here

Let’s preserve and share the flavors of our church family!
Please see Sue Mastrario, Nel Meyer, or Jonathan if you have any questions.  

Don’t miss Brother David’s Mid-Week Devotions in Psalms!
New messages are posted every Wednesday on our media page—take a midweek moment to be encouraged and refreshed in God’s Word.

Budget for 2025 . . . . . . . .  $329,624.00
Tithes Needed to Date . . . . $215,719.46
Received to Date . . . . . . . . $182,093.02       
Needed for weekly budget . . . $6,344.69
Tithes Received this week . .  . $3,109.00

In Jude 20, we are told, “But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith…”.  We need to dedicate ourselves to growing, deepening, and strengthening our relationship with the Lord.  Spending time in the Word and prayer must be the priority of our life.  

While this is always true, it becomes even more important in a time of adversity and difficulty.  Such times drain our strength and resolve.  Should such a season be long it is possible that we would become spiritually drained.  

We see David in just such a time in 1 Samuel 27.  David was on the run from Saul.  The constant threat and danger had worn David down.  David’s actions and experiences in this chapter show what happens if we don’t build ourselves up in our faith.  

First, we will be given to despair.  Verse 1 begins, “Then David said to himself, ‘Now I will perish one day by the hand of Saul.’”  By not building himself up in his faith, David forgot God’s calling, anointing and promises.  The absence of built-up faith became fear.  When we become spiritually drained, we begin to despair.  We forget God’s love, promises, and faithfulness.

Next, we see David try to solve his problem by his own means.  Verse 2 says he decided to go to the Philistines (the enemies of Israel!)  In fact, he went to Gath (Goliath’s hometown!)  While we read that and wonder what David was thinking, we need to think of some of the “solutions” we have engineered out of lack of faith.  As Ron Dunn once said, “Some of my biggest problems started out as my solutions.”  

When we are spiritually drained, we begin grasping at straws of self-made solutions.  They won’t work.  We will only make the problem worse.

Third, we see David living as a fake.  He couldn’t be authentic.  He couldn’t live near the king of Gath (v.5).  David couldn’t be honest about his real activities – raiding the enemies of Israel (v. 8-10).  David even acted like he wanted to go to war against Israel (chapter 29).  When we become spiritually drained, we become fakes.  We either continue to try to look “spiritual” or we try to blend in among those who do not love the Lord.  

When did David get out of all of this?  When things got worse!  In chapter 30, the Amalekites raided David’s town and took everything.  It was then we read in 1 Samuel 30:6b “…But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.”  It was then that God gave David a great victory.

What a lesson for us!  Just as David needed to strengthen himself in the Lord, so do we.  Only then will we have the Lord’s strength and guidance.