Greetings Glen Mar,

I hope Spring has sprung for you, and Resurrection joy has filled your heart as we continue in the Easter season! It was such a joy to share in our first Easter together. Over the past 10 months or so, I don’t know about you, but I have noticed a growing pattern of people finding their way back to Glen Mar, and others finding their way here for the first time, and not just attending, but connecting more deeply to the life of the church.

This “belonging” has looked like young families reconnecting and engaging in the life of the church. It has also shown up in folks who, after not attending any worship at any church for years for various reasons have felt at home at Glen Mar and have gotten connected in various ministries. Also, there are folks who have moved into new homes in the area and are finding a church home at Glen Mar. As I write this, we have six people joining the church this coming Sunday, and it is an anticipated joy to receive them as members who will be promising to participate at Glen Mar with their “prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness.” This isn’t a coincidence, but the result of God’s action through your faithfulness in sowing seeds over the years.

Seeing this resurgence of belonging at Glen Mar in this season has me asking, what is God inviting us into at Glen Mar? What doors is God opening for us to walk through? As folks are coming in and finding themselves belonging, how can we help them, and all of us, really, grow deeper roots in the life-giving message of Jesus Christ? How can we live deeper into our mission of praising God, growing disciples, and serving the world in the season we are in? Ultimately, how can we respond faithfully? It’s truly a matter of stewardship.

As I have been praying through this, I cannot help but feel that we are in a moment where our response matters. We find ourselves in a place of transition, but also opportunity. In order to walk through the doors God has opened for us, we need to be intentional about how we live out our mission. Yes, we must continue to praise God and do it well, but we also need a pathway for discipleship that leads to continued service to the church, the community, and the world. This isn’t about “either or” but “both and.” And it’s not about the pastors or the leadership alone; it’s about stepping forward together as one.

That’s where something we are calling “Rise: Together as One” comes into view as a response to God’s prompting. In the months ahead, we will have opportunities to explore this more together. For now, it’s simply an invitation to consider how we might step more fully into the life and mission God has already placed before us. It is a meaningful time in the life of our church and a gift to be part of it.

I look forward to sharing more in the months ahead. For now, I simply invite you to pray and to pay attention to what God is doing in your own life, in those around you, and in this church. The prophet Isaiah reminds us in Isaiah 60:1, “Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.” May we be ready to take the next faithful step together.

Yours in Christ,

Pastor Chris