A Very Busy Spring at the Bridge

/ Pastor's Blog / By

Good morning,

I trust you have been enjoying the warm temperatures this week!  Although we could use some rain, these sunny and warm days have been wonderful.  Thank you to everyone who played a role in putting together our Easter services and activities this past weekend.  It was a great time of worship and fellowship!

There are a couple of local events coming up (all with no admission fee) that I want to let everyone know about (I’m stretching the definition of “local” a bit).

  1. On Tuesday, May 2nd Franklin Graham will be speaking at the Fair Hill Fairgrounds in Elkton, MD as part of the “God Loves You” tour.  Activities begin at 6:30 pm.  In addition to Franklin speaking, there will be musical performances by The Newsboys and Marcos Witt.  Event organizers are encouraging attendees to bring their own lawn chairs and blankets to sit on.  You can learn more about this event at https://godlovesyoutour.com/
  2. Thursday, May 4th is the National Day of Prayer. There will be a night of worship and prayer held at Calvary Church in Lancaster.  Event begins at 6:15 am. Thursday, May 4, 2023.  For more information go here – https://lancasterndp.com/
  3. In conjunction with the NDP, the Solanco Pastor’s Fellowship is holding a time of prayer from 12 – 12:30 pm on the 4th outside of the Quarryville Borough Building. (I am not aware of any gatherings in the Parkesburg/Cochranville/Oxford area…if there is one let me know.)

This Sunday we are beginning a short (well, short for me) sermon series on the book of Colossians.  I am really looking forward to our journey through the chapters of this letter to a small church in a small town.  Colossians is one of the “prison epistles.”  We believe that he wrote Colossians, Ephesians, Philippians and Philemon while he was under house arrest during roughly 60-62 A.D.

There remains some scholarly debate about where Paul was during this time, but the bulk of evidence points to Rome.  We believe that Paul was released from prison sometime in 62 A.D. and embarked on a 4th missionary journey, which may have included a trip to Spain.  It was during this time that Paul wrote 1 Timothy and Titus.  Paul was rearrested by Emperor Nero and put back in prison.  This imprisonment was much more severe, and we believe he wrote 2 Timothy shortly before he was martyred by Nero.

I share all of that because understanding the circumstances under which Paul wrote these letters makes the content of them that much more impactful.  Paul could have recanted his faith and probably been released from prison.  But not only did he grow stronger in his faith, he wrote to churches and people to encourage them to keep going as well!  Paul was absolutely convinced of the supremacy of Christ, and no person, no circumstance, and no persecution could ever waiver him that conviction.

I would encourage you to read through the 4 chapters of Colossians over the next couple of weeks.  It will be time well spent.

Here’s what’s happening (it is very busy the next few weeks):

  1. This Sunday, April 16th, Devon Clemmer will be teaching a class on personal evangelism and apologetics during the Sunday School hour at 9 am. Ever wonder how you can start conversations with others about Jesus?  Join us!
  2. Junior Youth activity is set for next Saturday, 4/22 from 2 -4 pm. Join us for a fun adventure as we drive around the countryside for a Road Rally. This is an event for your whole family to decipher clues and race to the finish line. For those Junior Youth members who would like to participate, but need a car to ride in, please let us know, we’ll find you a ride! Starting line is at the church.
  3. Senior High Youth next meet on Sunday, 4/23 at 6:30 in the evening (please note the time change). This is our last youth group with Devon!
  4. Baptism classes for teens begin on Sunday 4/23 during the Sunday School hour. Adult class is TBD.
  5. Men’s’ Breakfast is on 4/29 this month at 8 am at Hometown Kitchen.
  6. We are having a workday at the church on 4/29 from 9 am to noon(ish). Main project will be repairing and repainting the lobby, but there is other work to do as well.  If you would like to help out, see Gary Barrett.
  7. We will be having a fellowship meal after the worship service on Sunday, April 30th.
  8. On the 30th we will be having a mission’s moment during the worship service with ABCF missionary J.C. Ebersole. J.C. is Ellen Ranck’s son-in-law.
  9. Save-the-Date – VBS is set for July 24-28 from 6:30-8:30 pm.

On Sunday we begin our look at Colossians by getting acquainted with the congregation.  Paul is extremely complimentary of the church in the opening few verses!  The Colossian church had a whole lot going for it, despite its small size.  We’ll discover why Paul is so pleased with the church, what it can teach us, and why numbers don’t always tell a church’s story.