August 28

Isaiah 5:8 (NIV)  “Woe to you who add house to house and join field to field till no space is left and you live alone in the land.”

We live in a small town, but still it can be hard to know your neighbor, never mind having deep and close friendships. The feeling of “being alone” in the land is real for a lot of people. I have spent a fair amount of time in airports. I think this is the loneliest place in the world. Here we have thousands of people bumping into each other, but no vital connections being made.

We are social beings with an innate desire for relationships. However, life is such that catastrophic events, human frailties, and our own propensities towards selfishness, can make strong committed friendships an elusive dream. This is where God can make a difference in one’s life. He has in mine. I once was a shallow, angry, outgoing person. I am still outgoing, but fortunately I dropped the anger part and am working on not being shallow. 

Here is what God can do: He can heal the hurts in one’s life that sabotage friendships. He can give you confidence to begin to trust again. He can give you hope so that one is willing to reach out. It begins with allowing Jesus into your emotional and spiritual space.  Jesus, the Son of God, left heaven to spend time on earth to show us the way. This is what Jesus did. He would go to people’s homes and eat with them - not just people he liked, but people who were not “with him” yet.  Actually Jesus’ most significant moments of relationship building and connections were around food.

He would walk with people and tell stories while hearing their stories. He would teach and ask questions, and allow questions to be asked of him. 

Also Jesus would help people. The Apostle Peter testified of Jesus saying, “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.” (Acts 10:38) Notice Jesus went about doing good and touching people where they needed it the most. 

This teaches us key principles on how to develop relationships: 

1) Eat with people. Cultures around the world value the gift of breaking bread together. We need to rediscover the gift of eating together.

2) Talk, listen and then practice the art of hearing the heart of those God has given you.

3) It has been said the cure for loneliness is not more people in your life, but purpose. Doing something good for others will often cure loneliness. 

It is our goal at KCF to create an environment where healthy relationships can be developed. With that in mind, we are offering Alpha this fall. Alpha has three main components to it:  Food, a talk, (video) and then a discussion time to follow (a time we can listen). Mixed in all this is an opportunity to do good by helping with set up, food preparation, and clean up afterwards.  Secondly, Alpha provides an opportunity to invite an unchurched friend, family member, or neighbor to experience God and relationships in a safe and healthy environment. 

This Sunday, we will be looking at Jesus and the way he demonstrated to us his deep love and how we can develop strong and committed relationships. 

Baptism!

This Sunday, August 28th we will be baptizing at Lakeside Park. 

We will meet at the flagpole following the church celebration.  After the baptism we will celebrate together as we enjoy a picnic together.  Please bring something for you and your family to eat. If you are considering Baptism, please contact Pastor Jim.

Alpha

Alpha is a series of interactive sessions that freely explores the basics of Christian faith.  Alpha is for anyone who is curious.  The talks are designed to encourage conversation and explore the basics of the Christian faith in a friendly, open environment.  No question is out of bounds and you are free to discuss as much or as little as you want.   Each session includes food, a short talk and discussion where you can share your thoughts and ask questions.  There’s no pressure, no follow up and no charge.  This is an 11 week program beginning Wednesday, September 14th - 6:30pm to 8pm at KCF, 520 Falls Street.  Please contact the office if you are interested for details. 

Ladies SHINE Conference

The ladies will gather on Friday September 23 and Saturday September 24 at KCF.  Keynote speaker is Kristine Sales and Ramona Dannhauer will speak on Friday evening.  Visit our website for full details or contact the office.  Registration is required. 

Reading the Bible

If you follow the monthly reading program, you can successfully read the Old Testament once and the New Testament twice this year.  I have attached this month’s prescribed reading to this newsletter. Start something new and watch God's word make a difference in your life.