Pastoral Update 1:2025
Good Friday Afternoon Downtown Pres!
Beginning this year, I’m hoping to write a pastoral email each month or two to update you on some things in the life of the church, as well as share a few resources, ways for you to grow in your faith, and some things that I am enjoying. Here is how we are starting the year off:
1. Leadership Training: Beginning this week (January 12) we are starting a 6-week sermon series on leadership. Please be in prayer as God raises up leadership in our church! All of our sermons get posted on YouTube, so if you are traveling or aren't feeling well you can get caught up HERE.
2. Enjoy your Prayer Life! A few times a year DPC will be distributing a resource to our members and regular attenders that we believe will benefit their spiritual formation. We have a copy of Michael Reeves' Enjoy Your Prayer Life for every household (we're asking spouses/families to share as well as roommates!). It is about 40 pages - a “mini-book” - we’d love everyone to work through it this quarter.
3. What about Romans? We will pick Romans back up in March!
4. Why is Jay wearing a collar on Sundays? There are a number of reasons for this change (not because I’m trying to set style trends ;-) or lead us into a more formal type worship). To read more about the history of the clerical collar and some reasons we’ve adopted (it was actually started by a Presbyterian!), read this article here.
5. Women’s Bible Study: This coming Tuesday the WBS is gathering to fellowship and introduce the study at 9:30am at Azalea Station - the coffee bar will be open and Matt will be ready to make you a delicious drink! Childcare is provided for $5/week/child if you are able. Please let Lauren know ahead of time to ensure we have the sitters needed or reach out with any other questions by emailing her at lauren@downtownpresilm.org.
6. Praying Specifically: I want you to know that I pray for you often. It is such a blessing for me to know how to pray for you. We’ve set up a simple form that you can fill out and I’ll get an email with ways that I can pray for you. As we grow in the gospel together, asking others to pray for you helps us to step more deeply into the grace of pursuing humility.
7. Some Resources/Things that I'm Enjoying:
Discipleship: The Gospel Coalition Bible Commentary - a free and amazing resource to help you study the Bible
Song: Faith More Precious Than Gold - one of my top songs of 2024
Product: I got Bet this little "brick" for Christmas (don't worry, she asked for it!). If you have an iPhone it is really helpful to "brick" certain apps. We've seen our screen time go down substantially and it has helped us to better enjoy social media and feel less like it controls us!
Fun: I know it is old school, but for years our family has been playing Yahtzee and I think it needs some promotion. All you need is five dice and these score sheets you can print for free online. Attention DPC Youth - I'm feeling a Yahtzee tournament soon.
I'm grateful to be your pastor. I'm thankful for your investment in God's kingdom through the work of Downtown Pres. May the Lord grow us by his grace so that we might taste the glory that has been set before us in Christ Jesus.
We are less without each other,
Jay
